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95,712 | 07071b2ff755859a95a9b83256fa2656416d1ff1 | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 03:47 EST, 24 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:24 EST, 25 April 2012 . Speaking out: Iain Duncan Smith last night dismissed claims that welfare cuts are causing 'social cleansing' Iain Duncan Smith last night dismissed claims that welfare cuts are causing ‘social cleansing’. The Work and Pensions Secretary spoke out after a Labour council suggested it would have to move benefit claimants hundreds of miles because of a new cap on payments. Mr Duncan Smith said he was ‘appalled and astonished’ by the allegations, adding that there were ‘thousands’ of cheaper properties where tenants could be housed closer to home. Newham Council in East London said it was writing to more than 1,000 housing associations around the country – including one in Stoke-on-Trent 160 miles away – to try to find accommodation for families applying under the new rules. As part of its measures to cut the spiralling welfare bill, the Government has introduced weekly caps on housing benefit of between £250 a week for a one-bedroom flat and £400 a week for a four-bedroom property. The Coalition has also decided to cap total welfare payments at £26,000 a year. Ministers say it is completely unacceptable that those on welfare have been provided with taxpayer-funded properties costing as much as £100,000 a year to rent. They say that like many of those in employment, they should have to live in more affordable areas. But Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales insisted spiralling rents in his borough – which is hosting the Olympics – and the housing benefit cap meant it could no longer afford to put up tenants in the private rented sector. Newham Council has written to the Brighter Futures Housing Association in Stoke - 170 miles away - to ask them to 'lease' homes to it and take on 500 families . Newham's Mayor Robin Wales said aside from thousands of people needing to be housed in the Olympic borough, there was a problem with overcrowding . ‘We are one of the poorest areas in the country, we have massive overcrowding, the people who are here we are trying to deal with,’ he said. ‘What happens? The Government, they pursue policies that push people out from the centre of London out to here. ‘There just isn’t the capacity to deal with them and we end up chasing round the country trying to deal with people who are in need. It is not a policy that I am particularly keen on.’ Gill Brown, chief executive of Brighter Futures in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the housing organisations contacted by Newham, said: ‘I think there is a real issue of social cleansing going on.’ A proposal sent to Tory-controlled Westminster City Council by one of its private providers, Smart Housing Group, suggests rehousing ‘150 people within the next 12 or so months’ as far away as Derby. Croydon Council in South London has said it is seeking to rent private accommodation in Hull, while Waltham Forest, in North-East London, has moved a small number of families to Luton. Mr Duncan Smith said the claims from Newham Council were ‘nonsense’ and that there were ‘thousands of houses’ within a few miles which fell within the cap. A council estate in Canning Town in Newham where Mr Wales said there is one case where there's 38 people living in one property and 16 of them are children . Ministers said there was a £190million fund available to help councils manage the reforms and insisted that even after the cap, families can still claim up to £21,000 a year towards their rent. Mr Duncan Smith said the cap had been in place since April 2011 and ‘every other council’ was ‘managing’. ‘We inherited a housing benefit bill that was out of control,’ he added. ‘We need to get people into housing they can afford to go to work from, so the taxpayer doesn’t have to foot that bill. I suspect this is a little political at a time of local elections.’ A Government source said: ‘These reforms have been up and running for over a year, and any suggestion of “social cleansing” is patently ridiculous and factually inaccurate.’ | Newham Council, in East London, blamed Government cuts to housing benefit for need to move tenants .
The council says there are 32,000 people on its housing waiting list .
Says market rents are too high and it can't afford to keep tenants in private accommodation .
Government accuses council of 'playing politics' and insists there are homes available . |
3,901 | 0b3eca054ee7cce5f2bcaddb741a01d57f739892 | (CNN) -- It's bad enough to be sick and miserable. But adding insult to injury for many a patient is having to hack through a veritable jungle of often-confusing paperwork to make health insurance claims. Dr. Val Jones is part of a practice in Virginia that has lowered its fees and quit taking insurance. Consumers' frustrations with health insurance paperwork are well-known. But it's also a frustrating tangle for doctors and their staffs. AC360° correspondent Tom Foreman has a report about one innovative practice that has decided to take on the insurance paperwork monster -- by completely avoiding it. Dr. Val Jones joined a small practice, DocTalker Family Medicine in Vienna, Virginia, where the doctors do not even take insurance. They charge a simple, relatively low fee for each service. That's it. The doctors at DocTalker grew tired of seeing patients struggle with baffling insurance paperwork while both their health and wealth were on the line. "They don't know why they're getting these questions asked," Jones said. "They don't know what the forms mean. And ... their compensation is dependent on it." This innovation has been good news for Carol "Yogi" Yogan of McClain, Virginia. She said she broke her wrist ice skating, and her insurance company initially told her that her injury would not be covered. After persistent effort, she eventually convinced them otherwise. The company paid. But Yogan is certain without her dogged efforts, her claim would have been forever lost in the "paperwork jungle" of the insurance trade. Watch Yogan's struggle with bureaucratic red tape » . Yogi Yogan has pretty much lost all faith in insurance companies. She has enough insurance to cover a catastrophic illness, but for routine care, she's now going to that nearby fee-for-service medical office where Jones works. "It's seamless," Yogan said. She knows precisely what she is getting and what it costs. Jones does not believe the insurance industry set out to cultivate the paperwork jungle. She thinks it just grew over time. But now that it is there, she suspects they are making so much money off of it, that there is no real incentive to clear it up. Former insurance industry executive Wendell Potter agrees. He said one way insurers make money is by allowing confusion to reign. "And people often just give up," Potter said, "and don't pursue payment when a claim has been denied or been paid inappropriately or not adequately. And the same is true with doctors and hospitals." He believes billions of dollars are at stake. The insurance industry, while acknowledging the existence of the paperwork jungle, denies it is a trap for extra profits. Robert Zirkilbach is with a national trade association for insurers called America's Health Insurance Plans. "The health insurance industry is one of the most regulated industries in America, and particularly at the state level there are all kinds of requirements of information that needs to be provided to patients in paper and through the mail," Zirkilbach said. But he adds, insurers are just as worried as customers about the confusion that causes. "We agree that reform is needed. In fact, that's why we've been working very hard to develop reforms to make the system more efficient," Zirkilbach said. AC360° correspondent Tom Foreman contributed to this report. | Practice in Virginia has lowered and simplified its fees and quit taking insurance .
Patient frustrated with insurance paperwork thrilled with new method: "It's seamless"
Ex-insurance industry executive says confusion, paperwork help generate profit .
Industry spokesman counters that they're trying to make system more efficient . |
211,577 | 9dfd7921becfb4a0ac95ec8ab5b37085d5e54e2a | The Empire State Building paid tribute to NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Saturday night with a red, white and blue light design. An official Twitter account for the New York City skyscraper said 'Our tower is lit in blue with a siren mast to honor fallen @NYPDnews Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.' The 'siren' was created using flashing red and white lights on the building. The Empire State Building featured the light scheme on Saturday, the same day as Ramos' funeral. Both Ramos and Liu were killed in a brazen daytime ambush one week ago. Scroll down for videos . Tribute: The Empire State Building remembered NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Saturday night with a red, white and blue light design . Honor: The Empire State Building featured the design on Saturday, the same day as Ramos' funeral . At least one NYPD precinct thanked the staff of the skyscraper for its light design, with the 10thPprecinct tweeting 'Once again, thank you Empire State Building for honoring #RafaelRamos and #WenjianLiu #GoneButNeverForgotten.' Tens of thousands of police officers, state troopers, sheriff's deputies and others from law enforcement agencies big and small across the country gathered at Ramos' funeral. The sea of blue uniforms stretched for blocks outside the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens on Saturday, as police helicopters flew above in a missing-man formation and Ramos' body was carried by pallbearers in a casket draped in the New York Police Department flag. The NYPD estimates more than 20,000 officers attended. 'When an assassin's bullet targeted two officers, it targeted this city and it touched the soul of an entire nation,' Vice President Joe Biden said in his eulogy. But the somber day, reminiscent of the bond New Yorkers shared after the September 11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy, was not without tension. Victims: Officers Rafael Ramos (left) and Wenjian Liu (right) were killed last week in a brazen daytime ambush . Solemn: Thousands of police officers, state troopers, sheriff's deputies and others from law enforcement agencies big and small across the country gathered at Ramos' funeral . 'When an assassin's bullet targeted two officers, it targeted this city and it touched the soul of an entire nation,' Vice President Joe Biden said in his eulogy . During the eulogy, a few hundred officers outside the church turned away from giant screens showing de Blasio, who has been harshly criticized by New York police union officials as a contributor to a climate of mistrust that preceded the killings of Ramos and his partner, Wenjian Liu. Sgt. Myron Joseph of the New Rochelle Police Department said he and fellow officers turned their backs spontaneously to 'support our brothers in the NYPD.' In a statement, de Blasio's spokesman said: 'The Ramos and Liu families, our police department and our city are dealing with an unconscionable tragedy. Our sole focus is unifying this city and honoring the lives of our two police officers.' In his eulogy, the mayor said hearts citywide were broken after the December 20 shootings. Police Commissioner William Bratton, who said Ramos and Liu were targeted because they wore a uniform, was scheduled to appear on CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday. On Friday he made Ramos - who was studying to become a pastor and kept Bible study books in his locker - an honorary chaplain of his Brooklyn precinct. Police union officials in contentious contract negotiations with the city have faulted de Blasio for showing sympathy to protesters angry over the police deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner on Staten Island. At a hospital after the officers' slayings, the police union's president, Patrick Lynch, and others turned their backs on de Blasio. Lynch said the mayor had 'blood on his hands.' Mayor: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attended Ramos' funeral at Christ Tabernacle Church . Carried: The body of New York City police officer Rafael Ramos is brought from Christ Tabernacle Church after his funeral in the Glendale section of Queens . Family: Jaden Ramos, bottom right, bows his head as the casket of his father, New York City police officer Rafael Ramos, is put into a hearse. With Jaden are his brother, Justin Ramos, left, and his mother, Maritza Ramos . After the funeral, Lynch and de Blasio exchanged nods as they exited the church. Lynch refused to answer reporters' questions about officers turning their backs. Weeks before the shooting, Lynch had suggested officers sign a petition requesting that the mayor not attend their funerals were they to die in the line of duty. Since the December 20 shootings, de Blasio has stood firmly by police, calling on demonstrators to temporarily halt protests and praising the department after it arrested several men charged with threatening police. After the officers' deaths, the gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley killed himself. Police said he was troubled and had shot and wounded an ex-girlfriend in Baltimore earlier that day. In online posts shortly before the attack, Brinsley referenced the killings of Brown and Garner, both of whom were black, by white police officers. Ramos and Liu were the first officers to die in the line of duty in New York since 2011. Funeral plans for Liu haven't been announced. They have both been posthumously promoted to first-grade detective. Ramos, a married father of two, was buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery after the service. Officer Dustin Lindaman of the Waterloo Police Department flew from Iowa to attend Ramos' funeral. 'He's one of our brothers, and when this happens, it affects everyone in law enforcement - it absolutely affects everyone,' he said. | The Empire State Building featured a red, white and blue light design on Saturday night .
The 'siren' was created using flashing red and white lights that seemingly spun around on the building .
The Empire State Building featured the light scheme on Saturday, the same day as Officer Rafael Ramos' funeral .
Both Ramos and his partner Wenjian Liu were killed in a brazen daytime ambush one week ago .
Ramos and Liu were the first officers to die in the line of duty in New York since 2011 . |
258,404 | da72ae53a458b7f65baf788c8c527169110d63fa | By . Michael Zennie . The next generation fighter plane isn't the F-35 or any jet being developed by China, Russia, or any air force in the world. It's a stealth drone, armed with a laser cannon and outfitted with a computer capable of thinking on its own and learning - and it'll be able to beat any pilot who's ever lived. A U.S. Air Force captain who specializes in flying drones has devised new concept drone for the American military that could revolutionize air-to-air combat by removing human beings from cockpits and replacing them with cold machines that are capable of making millions of flight adjustments a second. Time will tell whether the 'FQ-X' will prove to be the future aerial dog-fighting or a flash in the pan - or even the harbinger of an android apocalypse like the Terminators and Battlestar Galactica Cylons from science fiction. Concept: Rough mock-ups of the FQ-X drone fighter, which can think and act on its own, show a small, fast, light aircraft capable of out-maneuvering and out-thinking the enemy . The FQ-X would be armed either with a cannon or lasers - not guided missiles as is the standard for today's modern fighter aircraft . No matter what, Capt Michael W. Byrnes says, the technology is closer than most people think. In an article published in the Air & Space Power Journal this summer, Capt Byrnes makes his case that most of the technologies required for such a drone fighter are already in existence - they just have to be fine-tuned to make the FQ-X. He also builds the case that no matter what arguments human pilots make about adaptability and the complex tasks required to win a dogfight, they will always lose to a perfect computer-aided drone. Captain Michael W. Byrnes imagines a deadlier air force - without pilots . 'Humans average 200-300 milliseconds to react to simple stimuli, but machines can select or synthesize and execute maneuvers, making millions of corrections in that same quarter of a second,' Capt Byrnes writes. 'Every step (in dog-fighting tactics) that we can do, they will do better.' The analysis is based on the time-honored approach to combat called 'Observe, Orient, Decide, Act' (OODA) - which means pilots must observe the situation, process those observations, decide on a course of action and then act. However, following those steps to their logical conclusions means that 'machines will inevitably outfly human pilots,' Capt Byrnes writes. The FQ-X that Capt Byrnes has devised is small, fast and light. It relies on radar-obscuring stealth skin to allow it to get close to its targets. A sophisticated computer would be able to tell the different between friend and foe and process how to maneuver in combat. The computer would also be able to learn from tactics of enemy pilots and make adjustments in millionths of a second. Finally, an armament of cannon rounds - or a high-intensity laser - would eliminate the opposition before enemy pilots have a chance to react. Military futurists have for decades been predicting that unmanned fighters would replace pilots in the sky. The U.S. military has already begun using drones - piloted by trained airmen thousands of miles away - for many surveillance missions. Drones with air-to-ground missile have also famously been used to kill combatants in some of the world's most remote and inhospitable regions. But the technology still requires a human to guide the controls. Unmanned and deadly: Drones already carry out missile strikes on targets around the world. Pictured here is an MQ-9 Reaper armed with air-to-ground missiles . Capt Byrnes acknowledges that his of a thinking killer machine is the stuff of science fiction nightmares - like Battlestar Galactica's Cylons . Capt Byrnes said artificial intelligence that could eliminate the pilot altogether is already in development. In 2008, an MIT researcher developed a computer brain that performed basic fighter maneuvers in a flight test lab. According to Capt Byrnes, it was able to 'learn' how to fly into a kill position - rather than the moves being pre-programmed in. However, an autonomous drone need not operate without human input, he says. Commands could be worked into the programming to require human approval - and accountability - at any step in combat. Even as the technology becomes closer to reality, Capt Byrnes acknowledges that human beings might not be ready to accept it. 'Aviators may dislike it, the public will question it, science fiction imagines harbingers of the Cylon apocalypse, and we are uncertain how to best utilize it within the context of the larger Air Force,' he writes. 'Nevertheless, the FQ-X concept is too dangerous to our current thinking to ignore forever.' | Captain Michael W. Byrnes has developed the concept for an FQ-X fighter that could - in theory - out-fly any pilot who's ever lived .
The autonomous drone would be able to make decisions - and even kill - without the direct intervention of a human being .
Capt Byrnes argues the idea is closer to becoming a reality than most people - including U.S. Air Force brass - realize . |
112,992 | 1dd0762030ae1c41ef9bd623fccb4e5912867e22 | By . Belinda Robinson . A Russian cannibal who admitted to eating his friend on a Siberian fishing expedition walked free from court despite confessing to the jury that he wasn't even hungry when he ate him. The victim's distraught wife Olga Korochkin, 38, spoke out of her 'horror' at her husband's brutal killing after she revealed that all she's been left with is his foot with toes, one finger, and the back of his skull with some hair. Her husband, Andrei Kurochkin, 44, was eaten by his close friends - Alexei Gorulenko and Alexander Abdullaev - fishermen who got lost for months during an expedition in frozen Siberia. Not that hungry: Alexei Gorulenko gets a hot meal on board a flight after his rescue - he would later admit to eating his friend . In happier times: The dead man Andrei Kurochkin is pictured here on his wedding day with wife Olga who has been left with his human remains after he was eaten by friends . His wife said: 'Can you imagine what I have left? One . foot with toes, one finger, and the back of his skull with some hair. This is it. 'This is all I have left from the man I loved. Having just . these remains, how can I say goodbye to him? I have got almost nothing . to cry over...sorry, I can't think about it, I am losing my mind with . this. 'I never expected such horror . could come into my life. It has ruined not just my life, but also the . lives of all our relatives, and we are a big family', she said, according to the Siberian Times. 'Now I want these . cannibals to be punished. I fear our police are not keen to investigate . this case properly. Our law does not say a word about cannibalism, it is . not a crime.' Family man: The victim Andrei, right, is pictured with his daughter and wife Olga, left, before his fateful trip to Siberia . During the court case in Russia to decide the mens fate both made the shocking admission that they weren't really that hungry when they sliced up their friend and ate him. The prosecution at the trial in . Neryungri alleged Mr Korochkin, was beaten by the two fishermen who then dismembered, cooked . and ate the man's corpse. Forensic examinations of the recovered body showed that sections of flesh had been carefully sliced away while joints had been butchered. The court heard how they carried his body with them as they sought to escape their frozen hell. The dreadful revelations prompted Mr Kurochkin's family to argue that his friends had butchered him to death and they should be on trial for murder. But the court threw out the murder charge and convicted Alexei Gorulenko of causing bodily harm for which he was given a suspended three-and-a-half year jail sentence. Cannibal: Alexei Gorulenko is pictured here - he admitted he ate a friend after they were lost for days during an expedition in frozen Siberia during a court case in Russia . Rescue: Survivor Alexander Abdullaev is pictured in a grey jumper during his rescue after he and other fishermen were lost for days during the expedition in Siberia . The other survivor of the cannibal fishing expedition Mr Abdullaev, 38, was treated by the court as a witness and not charged. After the incident reports suggested that Mr Abdullaev, 37, ate Mr Kurochkin after he had frozen to death in the minus 40 degree temperatures. Mr Abdullaev told police in Neryungri, in Russia's Sakha Republic: 'He died by himself. He froze to death. Only after that did we start eating him.' But this week in a rambling statement to the court, he admitted they ate their friend 'not because I was hungry. I had another reason,' according to reports. However, he declined to say what it was. The victim's widow, said that she had hoped her husband might still have been alive but this was dashed by a DNA test which proved that a few fragments of bone were his. 'Now I am . sure they have eaten him. Now we know that Andrei died somewhere else . and they dragged the body all the way through the snow, eating it step . by step. But together with the remains of my husband there were also . found the bones of animals. 'If they could kill animals, why would they need to try eating a human body? And why did they carry his head with them?' Cannibals: Both Alexander Abdullaev and Alexei Gorulenko are pictured being rescued after they ate a pal - Mr Gorulenko was convicted of causing bodily harm for which he was given a suspended three and a half year jail sentence . After the suspended sentence was handed down, the dead man's wife expressed her disgust over the verdict. 'I am shocked by the decision of this judge, and with the work of investigator who dealt with the case. 'Nobody expected it to end like this, that a cannibal walks free with a suspended sentence. I just can't understand what the judge was thinking about when [he] produced such a verdict for Gorulenko.' She added: 'The last recorded acts of forced cannibalism were in besieged Leningrad (during World War Two) and under the rules of war, people performing it were executed. Modern Russia cannot tell these people to 'enjoy their meal'. 'Mr Gorulenko hasn't spoken to me once. He didn't call, he didn't explain what happened in the taiga. He didn't even say sorry, like people do.' 'And he was Andrei's childhood friend. He has now gone back to fishing and this summer he will return to the taiga forest.' Mrs Korochkin had even took her appeal to President Vladimir Putin after her and the couple's 22-year-old daughter, Alyona feared that the case was not being properly investigated. She will now appeal the verdict. The fishermen had been missing for nearly two months after their Jeep sunk in a frozen river stranding the ice-fishing party in one of the most isolated spots in the world. A fourth man Vladimir Komarov remains missing, presumed dead. Sad loss: Mrs Korochkin, left, and her daughter Alyona, had appealed to President Vladimir Putin over fears the case was not being properly investigated . | Mr Abdullaev said he ate their friend 'not because I was hungry'
Olga Korochkin, 38, says she has been left with her husband's foot with toes .
She described her husband being eaten as 'a horror' that has ruined her life .
She appealed to Russian president Vladimir Putin to help out in the case .
But a judge gave the cannibal a three year suspended sentence . |
20,756 | 3ae217907eeeba3d21a576a96577c05e15e16946 | Receiving an insulting letter on Valentine's Day could be enough to dent any young lady's confidence. Brittany Molina, a 21-year-old student at Brigham Young University, was handed an anonymous letter last week by a young man at her college, telling her that her dress sense 'had a negative effect' on those around her. Miss Molina then posted the handwritten note and picture of the outfit she was wearing at the time - a modest ensemble of a knee-length dress and leggings - on Twitter. Since the nasty note went viral, she has received flowers, chocolates and anonymous love notes...along with a modelling job. Model student: After receiving a derisory note from a young man at BYU, Brittany Molina has received messages of support, flowers and the chance to model for Utah designers Cris & Kate's . Designer Cris Pulsipher, co-owner of Cris & Kate’s clothing line, told MailOnline: 'Brittany had been through a discouraging time after receiving that note and we wanted to turn a negative into a positive, so we got in touch with her. 'She is such a humble and positive person. We thought Brittany was perfect for what our brand stands for - being able to dress well, not feel anxious about what you are wearing and be comfortable in clothes all day.' Ms Pulsipher runs the clothing line with business partner Kate Erwin which is available in boutiques across Utah. Miss Molina, originally from Oregon, told the Salt Lake Tribune: 'I got some cute clothes, and . they’re really nice ladies. I was trying to help them out - . promote their business.' Insults: The student posted the outfit which apparently had a 'negative effect' according to an anonymous letter-writer (left) and Miss Molina modelling for Cris & Kate's (right) On Valentine's Day, the accountancy student had been walking through the halls of her college when a male student dashed up and handed her a note. She later posted on Twitter: 'So this boy came up to me... I thought he was giving me a love note. Turns out...' The . 'helpful', handwritten advice reads: 'You may want to consider that what you're . wearing has a negative effect on men (and women) around you. 'Many . people come to this university because they feel safe, morally as well . as physically, here. 'They expect others to abide by the Honor Code that . we all agreed on. Happy Valentine's Day: The note was handed to 21-year-old student at BYU which is heavily influenced by Mormonism . 'Please consider your commitment to the Honor Code (which you agreed to) when dressing each day. Thank you.' Miss Molina then tweeted: 'I'll remember to dress in jeans, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes tomorrow. That way I don't make people feel uncomfortable.' Dozens of the student's followers commented on the derisory 'Valentine', mostly in support of the 21-year-old. Brigham Young University was founded and continues to be supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The college is heavily influenced by . Mormonism and offers students the opportunity to not only study but to . focus on their faith. Students . must follow on honor code which along with abstaining from alcohol, . tobacco, coffee and swearing, asks that they follow a dress code. BYU . requires that female students don't dress in revealing or form-fitting . clothing and that skirts are knee-length or longer. Excessive piercings . and 'extreme' hairstyles are also banned. | Accountancy student Brittany Molina, 21, posted the handwritten note on Twitter... which went viral . |
123,586 | 2bc29f75ee88031e7c3af066b553e4edb19f4092 | As a turkey hunter for the last 24 years, Washington County sheriff's commander Jerry Cusick never thought for a moment he would go from hunter to the hunted while walking the woods of western Wisconsin on Tuesday. In mere seconds he had approximately 50 BBs from a shotgun sprayed into his face, chest and arms, taking out a front tooth and lodging one pellet behind his eye. Mr Cusick, 53, collapsed to the ground covered in blood and cried out to whoever was upon him, but says he heard no reply back. Jerry Cusick was shot in his face, chest and arms while walking a private wooded path on Tuesday . Cusick, 53, said it was a miracle he was able to drive himself to safety and can see out of both eyes . Cusick is covered in bruises and wounds from where a shotgun sprayed him approximately 50 times by accused hunter Anthony Cardarelli, 27 . 'It spun me around, knocked my hat off,' he told the Mohr Pioneer Press on Wednesday. 'I ducked down and saw blood was streaming down. I screamed, "You shot me! You shot me!" 'I would liken it to somebody hitting you upside the head with a baseball bat, and you didn't expect it was coming,' he said. Mr Cusick, who has served 28-years with the sheriff's office and also teaches classes on turkey hunting safety, was scouting private land in St. Croix County for an upcoming turkey hunt when hit. He says he doesn't know the shooter, identified as 27-year-old Anthony Cardarelli of White Bear Lake, and isn't sure whether the man was trespassing on the land or firing from off the property. All that confusion is what led him to immediately fear for his life. 'I thought, "I'm not going to die here. ...I'm getting out of here,'" he recalled. Mr Cusick got up from the path he was walking on and drove himself to a nearby farm before he was transported to Regions Hospital in St Paul. Miracle survival: Wisconsin sheriff's commander Jerry Cusick, 53, seen on a recent turkey hunting trip to Nebraska received a spray of pellets, also called BBs, across his face, arms and chest . 'There is no information at this point that Cardarelli intended to shoot a person,' St. Croix County Sheriff John Shilts told CBS WCCO. 'However, I have great concern over the fact that Cardarelli did not properly identify his intended target prior to shooting.' The firearm used was originally misreported as a BB gun with the shotgun's pellets commonly referred as both. An investigation is currently underway into the incident which is believed to have been an accident. Mr Cardarelli is said to be an experienced turkey hunter according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. ‘In talking with him, he has been an avid turkey hunter for years,’ Dave Hausman, a warden supervisor with the department told the Pioneer Press. He’s also being credited for immediately calling 911 after Mr Cusick was injured. Yet his handling of the situation after the fact doesn’t help earn Mr Cusick’s forgiveness for what happened in the moments immediately before. Investigation: Mr Cusick, seen here in 2007, says he was scouting private land for an upcoming turkey hunt when he was aggressively shot on a wooded path . Weapon: The firearm used was a shotgun, a typical one shown, which in a single shot sent the spray of pellets into Mr Cusick as he walked along a path . 'I'm very disappointed in people, especially this shooter,' Mr Cusick said. 'I mean, how could you? ... The fact is, he made a very, very poor choice. It was an unconscionable choice to shoot without identifying what he was shooting at.' Mr Cusick has since been discharged from the hospital badly scarred while still requiring surgery for that one pellet still lodged behind his eye. He calls it a 'miracle' that he not only walked away with his life from can still see out of both eyes. Still, 'I'm going to have to live with 50 pellet scars all over my face and body,' he said. Those injuries and the ordinarily haunting experience won't stop him from hunting turkeys, however, with Mr Cusick’s hunting season permit having started on Wednesday. On Monday he says he also plans to return to work at the sheriff’s department. 'Obviously, I can't go out and fight with anybody, but I can do my administrative work,’ he said. Discharged: Mr Cusick has since been discharged from the hospital while still requiring surgery for one pellet still lodged behind his eye but planning to return to work soon and continue hunting . | Wisconsin sheriff's commander Jerry Cusick was shot in his face, chest and arms while walking a private wooded path on Tuesday .
Cusick calls it a miracle he was able to drive himself to safety and can see out of both eyes .
Hunter Anthony Cardarelli, 27, believed to have mistaken Cusick for a turkey . |
120,070 | 272cf6237759d8e1cdb5ff747fd2994c155b5d9f | By . Jenny Hope . PUBLISHED: . 19:06 EST, 28 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:36 EST, 1 March 2013 . The betrayal of older women who develop breast cancer in Britain is exposed today. Eight out of ten are denied the chance of basic treatment simply on the basis of their age. Those over 70 who are diagnosed with the disease have only a one-in-seven chance of receiving the chemotherapy that is the standard approach for younger patients. This means potentially lifesaving drugs are denied to women purely because they are regarded as too old, rather than whether they are fit enough or could benefit from treatment. Britain’s survival rates for breast cancer are also alarmingly behind those of other developed nations. Eight out of ten are denied the chance of basic treatment for breast cancer simply on the basis of their age . For women over 70, the gap in survival rates between the UK and Sweden stretches to 12 per cent. Last night experts said the figures, from two separate studies, showed that older women were not being treated in a ‘fair and equal way’ by the NHS. Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of the charity Breast Cancer Campaign, said: ‘As nearly a third of new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 70, with this set to rise due to an ageing population, it’s vital that a consistent standard of care is given to every woman, whatever her age.’ The first study, from the University of Sussex, and Brighton & Sussex Medical School, shows just 14 per cent of patients over 70 with early breast cancer are offered chemotherapy after surgery. Chemotherapy after surgery is considered standard for younger patients . This treatment is considered standard for younger patients. Older . women could also be missing out on the benefits of the ‘wonder’ drug . Herceptin because it works better when used in combination with . chemotherapy. And in nearly a . third of cases, doctors decide how to treat patients over 70 without . recording their fitness or testing their so-called HER2 status, to see . if they are among the one in five who might respond to Herceptin. The most shocking finding was that of the 45 per cent of patients at high risk of breast cancer returning, less than a third were offered chemotherapy. Some hospitals did not give chemotherapy to any patient over 70, the research, funded by drug company Roche, found. Professor Lesley Fallowfield, of the University of Sussex, said: ‘Elderly breast cancer patients should be assessed in the same way that younger patients are, based on their fitness and HER2 status, without prejudice or unreasonably ageist perceptions. This is essential information, and without it, you may as well guess as to the most appropriate treatment. ‘National guidelines need to be developed if elderly patients are to receive fair and equal assessment of their treatment requirements in future.’ The second study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, says although women under 70 have better survival rates everywhere for breast cancer, in the UK the gap between the chances of younger and older patients is the most marked. Just 42 per cent of British women over 70 who are diagnosed with advanced breast cancer live for another year – compared with 60 per cent of younger women battling the disease. The figures, from a study at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and using data from 257,362 women diagnosed between 2000 and 2007 – suggest that those over 70 are missing out on more aggressive treatments. Lead researcher Dr Sarah Walters said the latest figures suggest that the UK should ‘investigate whether the treatment of women with later-stage breast cancer meets international standards’. ‘There is particular concern that this is not the case, especially for older women,’ she said. Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK’s director of early diagnosis, said Britain was starting to close the survival gap with other countries, but patients here ‘continue to fare worse’. ‘We know that UK women diagnosed with breast cancer are not routinely given CT scans to check if the disease has spread, which could mean we aren’t always accurately staging more advanced disease,’ she said. ‘But we also need to investigate the possibility that fewer women with later stage breast cancer in the UK receive the best treatment for their circumstances.’ The charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and a cross-party group of MPs are working on an inquiry into the treatment of older people with breast cancer. The charity says they are missing out on the advances in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery over the last ten years that have so dramatically improved the survival chances of younger patients. MP Steve Brine said: ‘We are deeply concerned by suggestions that older breast cancer patients are being denied access to the full treatment and support options that are available purely as a result of their age.’ Dr Rachel Greig, from Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: ‘We already know that the number of women over 70 receiving chemotherapy is low. ‘What is a cause for concern, in the study, is that in some cases treatment decisions were made without data on HER2 status. This information could have changed the way the patient was treated.’ Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘This study will help us keep improving breast cancer treatment as part of our cancer strategy to save an extra 5,000 lives a year by 2014. ‘The NHS is also working to ensure all patients are treated as individuals and receive care that meets their healthcare needs whatever their age or condition.’ | Experts said older women not treated in a 'fair and equal way' by the NHS .
Older women could also be missing out on the benefits of 'wonder' drug .
MPs investigating treatment of older people with breast cancer . |
64,581 | b7687f9a893863fe3d77f5071ed4e5ba4b667006 | Save the Children has been hit by a furious backlash from its own staff for giving a high-profile award to Tony Blair. Nearly 200 employees have signed a letter condemning the decision to give the former Prime Minister a ‘global legacy award’ as ‘morally reprehensible’ and ‘a betrayal’ of the charity’s principles. Mr Blair was presented with the award – for the last Labour government’s aid spending – by the charity’s US arm at a star-studded ceremony in New York last week. Scroll down for video . Celeb bash: Former prime minister Tony Blair speaks on stage at the second annual Save The Children Illumination Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City after he is awarded the charity's 'global legacy award' Looking sharp: Mr Blair (left) rubbed shoulders with Hollywood royalty including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner (right) as guest of honour at the star-studded event . But dozens of staff have signed a petition saying the award ‘endangers our credibility’ and calling for it to be withdrawn. The letter demands a review of the charity’s decision-making process which led to the award being given to Mr Blair. Extracts of the letter published by The Guardian stated: ‘We consider this award inappropriate and a betrayal to Save the Children’s founding principles and values. 'Management staff in the region were not communicated with nor consulted about the award and were caught by surprise with this decision.’ The award renewed the focus on links between senior figures in the charity and Mr Blair. Save the Children’s UK chief executive is Justin Forsyth, who worked as an adviser for Mr Blair for three years and then for Gordon Brown. Jonathan Powell, who was Mr Blair’s chief of staff, is on the board of directors of Save the Children International. One of the charity’s senior managers sent an email last week commenting on the backlash, and admitting the charity had received a ‘high volume of complaints and negative reactions’ regarding the award. Global media manager Krista Armstrong accepted that Mr Blair was a ‘hugely controversial and divisive figure in many parts of the world’. She also listed questions received by outraged staff members asking why Save the Children would hand out one of its most prestigious awards ‘to a man accused of being a war criminal’. Hero dog: Lassie, or rather her latest incarnation, was also among the guests at the sumptuous gala event . Star-studded bash: (From left) Mr Blair, Mike Bezos of the Bezos Family Foundation, actress Dakota Fanning, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof at the event in New York . Two former aides of Tony Blair have significant roles in Save the Children. Poverty adviser to Blair: Justin Forsyth . Justin Forsyth, who worked in Downing Street from 2004 to 2010, is chief executive of Save the Children UK. And 12 months ago, Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair’s chief of staff throughout his time in power, was appointed to the board of Save the Children International. Mr Forsyth was recruited by Mr Blair to work in Downing Street as an adviser on poverty and climate change. He worked on the Government’s aid agenda, including the Make Poverty History campaign. Mr Forsyth worked for Oxfam before entering No 10, and stayed on after Mr Blair left as Gordon Brown’s director of strategic communications and campaigns. Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff . He was appointed as Save the Children UK’s chief executive soon after the General Election in September 2010. Mr Forsyth attracted controversy two years ago when Save the Children UK warned some parents in the UK could not afford hot meals and shoes for their children. The Tories accused him of turning the charity into a political organisation. His pay packet was also criticised last year when it emerged he was paid £163,000 a year. It has since fallen to £140,000. As Mr Blair’s chief of staff, Mr Powell was among his most senior advisers, and played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr Blair was presented with the award last Wednesday at an ‘Illumination Gala’ at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The ceremony’s guest of honour hobnobbed with Hollywood stars including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Dakota Fanning. He was praised for his ‘leadership on international development’ and the charity pointed to two major summits on debt relief for poor countries during his premiership. Accepting the award, Mr Blair said: ‘From the beginning of humankind there has been brutality, conflict, intrigue, the destructive obsession with a narrow self-interest. ‘But throughout all human history, never has been extinguished that relentless, unquenchable desire to do good. To act not only in self-interest and sometimes to even to act in defiance of it.’ Mr Blair set Britain on course to meet its target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on aid. But critics of the ballooning aid budget – which hit £11.4billion last year – say the target is arbitrary, warn huge increases in spending will lead to waste, and point out that money is going to India, a country with its own space programme. Much of the opposition to Mr Blair centres on his decision to take Britain to war in Iraq. But his consultancy work for the autocratic President of Kazakhstan has led to opposition leaders in the former Soviet state saying he has ‘blood on his hands’. Mr Blair is said to have earned millions of pounds advising Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1989, on how to ‘spin’ a massacre of civilians by his regime. Last night a Save the Children spokesman said: ‘Contrary to some reports, the award was not awarded by Save the Children UK or Justin Forsyth, its UK CEO. It was given to Tony Blair last week by Save the Children US at their gala event in New York. ‘He received the award because of his work on Africa and poverty when Prime Minister. He led the G8 nations at Gleneagles to agree a doubling of aid to Africa, debt cancellation and universal access to Aids treatment. ‘In a global organisation like ours of thousands of people, our staff have strong views on a whole range of issues and people and we respect that diversity of views.’ In a lengthy criticism of The Guardian posted on the website of The Office of Tony Blair last night, a spokesman said: ‘The award was in recognition of Tony Blair’s work in leading G8 nations at Gleneagles in 2005 to pledge to double aid to Africa and provide 100 per cent debt relief to eligible countries, as well as his ongoing work in partnership with African governments through his Foundation, the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI). ‘It is extraordinary that while ignoring the body of work undertaken by Tony Blair, the AGI and the people they work alongside in African governments . . . the article also sought to traduce the reputation of Save the Children, and was neither balanced nor fair.’ | Nearly 200 employees sign letter condemning decision to give him award .
Staff say 'morally reprehensible' award is 'betrayal' of charity's principles .
Mr Blair received award at star-studded ceremony in New York last week . |
128,638 | 323832ec6417fd9d2e30252377250de3b17e369d | A grumpy grandmother who unwrapped what she thought was a brand new iPhone on Christmas Day was overjoyed to discover that the prank present was actually a novelty chocolate bar. Jordan Graham, from Utah, bought the sweet treat for his grandma and wrapped it up in an iPhone box, before videoing her reaction when she opened it in front of her family. Much to Jordan's delight, his horrified relative - having no doubt never held an iPhone before - has no idea that the cellophane-wrapped phone is in fact a fake made out of chocolate, and quickly begins to grumble to her grandson about the inappropriate present. Scroll down for video . Unimpressed: Jordan Graham's grandmother is horrified at the thought of being given a new iPhone for Christmas . 'I'm not equipped to handle this': The elderly woman quickly insists that she doesn't need the complicated cellphone because she has a landline at home . 'You are kidding me,' she says, glaring at the unwrapped gift. 'I don't [need it], Jordan. 'The problem is that I'm really not equipped to handle this. 'I have a landline phone at home - nobody knows about them anymore I guess - had it for as many years.' After pulling the chocolate cellphone out of the iPhone box, she continues to lament the over-complicated technology, without any idea that the offensive gadget is, in fact, a fake. That is until her grandson tells her to put it in her mouth and take a bite. 'Open it up,' he says, while filming his grandmother's shocked reaction. 'Now I want you to put it in your mouth... I want you to take a bite out of your phone.' Relief: Jordan's grandmother is thrilled to learn that her new iPhone is, in fact, a novelty chocolate bar . 'Thank god!' The poor woman is so much happier with her chocolate phone, which she declares is 'as sweet as can be' It takes a few seconds before his poor victim fully understands the joke - but as soon as she realizes that her new phone is actually a fake, her joy and relief are easy to see. 'Oh thank god!' she exclaims. 'Bless your heart, it's chocolate.' she adds, laughing hysterically. 'So I don't have to worry about what the hell I'm supposed to do with it.' And while many would no doubt be horrified at such a cruel prank, the elated grandma seems absolutely thrilled with the sweet gift, insisting that she is going to treasure it rather than eating it. 'I'm going to keep it for a little bit,' she says, holding up the fake phone for everyone to see. 'It's just as sweet as it can be! Look at that.' | Jordan Graham, from Utah, posted a video of his grandma opening what she thought was a new iPhone on YouTube .
As soon as she sees the box, his grandmother insists she doesn't need or want it - but is appalled when Jordan prompts her to put it in her mouth . |
191,276 | 83acf226db3a4a1c95e7ee80e8130e4669cf474e | It's synonymous with rock chicks and is a fabric beloved of the style set - but you don't often see a royal stepping out in leather. One who does is Spain's Queen Letizia who stepped out in a fitted burgundy dress crafted from the fabric in Madrid today. But in true royal style, what could have been a risqué look was toned down with one of the 42-year-old's trademark tailored jackets. Scroll down for video . Glamorous: Letizia opted for a burgundy leather dress for her meeting in Madrid today . The more serious approach to dressing was echoed in the theme of the day's events, with the royal on businesslike form for a meeting with the board of the Royal Council on Disability. One of Letizia's favoured causes, the mother-of-two appeared deep in concentration as she listened to the points raised by her fellow board members. The visit was the first outing of the week for Letizia, who spent much of last week championing another of her favoured causes - Spanish culture. That saw her travel to the town of La Coruna where, with 47-year-old husband King Felipe, she toured the Museo de Belas Artes. All business: She kept the dress businesslike by adding a tailored jacket and a pair of matching plum courts . Paying attention: She appeared deep in concentration during the meeting for the Royal Council on Disabilies . Keeping busy: The meeting was Letizia's first of the week and follows a busy period of cultural pursuits . The previous week, again with King Felipe, she hosted the National Culture Awards and welcomed some of Spain's finest writers, directors and actors to the El Pardo Palace in Madrid. Both Letizia, a former journalist, and Felipe are famous for championing Spanish culture, with Letizia even flying to Vienna last October to open an exhibition dedicated to Diego Velázquez. Velázquez, who was born in 1599, is best known for his 1656 work, Las Meninas, which is usually housed in Madrid's Prado Museum. The painting, which shows Infanta Margarita Teresa surrounded by her maids of honour and servants, was commissioned by Felipe IV - an ancestor of the current King Felipe. Interests: Along with Spanish culture, disability is a favoured cause of the Spanish queen . Royal work: Last week saw Letizia travel to La Coruna with King Felipe to visit a museum . | The 42-year-old was attending a meeting of the Royal Council on Disability .
Wore an unusually risqué burgundy leather dress and matching courts .
Toned down the look with an elegant tailored black jacket . |
255,862 | d729bbf893f182591c6302c76c0e18632ae83c01 | During the trial choirmaster David Mason (pictured) claimed his abuse had no 'evil intent' and was a 'natural thing' A choirmaster who claimed to stand up for 'Christian values and ethics' has been jailed for sexually abusing a six-year-old girl. David Mason, 71, from Riverside, Brighton-Le-Sands, near Crosby, pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault on his victim when she was between the ages of six and nine in the early nineties. The father of two, who was jailed for ten years, said he stood up for 'Christian values and ethics' but a judge who heard his trial told him those claims were hollow and he was a man of 'warped values'. Mason denied other allegations including indecency with a child and attempted rape, forcing his victim to relive years of abuse by giving evidence before a jury during which he branded her 'a fantasist' with a tendency to exaggerate. Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mason encouraged the young girl to engage in various sex acts. During his trial he made claims which the judge branded 'extraordinary nonsense', saying that the abuse was 'light-hearted, it wasn't horrible'. 'There was no evil intent, no nasty hurting intent, it was a natural thing.' He said the girl would sit 'coquettishly' and showed a lot of leg and that she would take her clothes off and run around 'teasing' him and even claimed she had 'hoaxed' him into being alone with her, leading to 'rough and tumble'. Mason said she was 'exploring her sexuality with him'. Judge Andrew Hatton, said: 'She was an eight-year-old girl. You were suggesting that an eight-year-old girl was flirting with you.' Speaking of the attempted rape he said Mason's words to her had lived with her all her life and continued to chill her. Mason, who was of previous good character, was found guilty of three counts of indecency with a child, two of indecent assault and one of attempted rape. He was found not guilty of one count of indecency with a child. He was jailed for 10 years and put on the sex offenders register for the rest of life. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) found Mason guilty of three counts of indecency, two of indecent assault and one charge of attempted rape . Detective Sergeant Paul Donaghy said: 'His victim has shown an immense amount of bravery in coming forward and having to re-live the abuse she suffered at Mason's hands. 'I hope his sentencing gives her some sense of closure and also provides wider reassurance that a dangerous and determined sex offender is now behind bars. 'I would like to reassure anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse that any complaint will be taken extremely seriously and investigated by specially-trained officers who will offer support every step of the way.' | Choirmaster David Mason jailed for abusing six-year-old in the early nineties .
Court heard him claim the abuse was a 'natural thing' and had no 'evil intent'
He also said the victim was a 'fantasist' with a tendency to exaggerate .
The father of two said he stood up for 'Christian values and ethics'
Judge branded claims 'extraordinary nonsense' and jailed him for 10 years . |
137,489 | 3dd0598ef1abaa7b53472274fa7083e31bef4825 | (CNN) -- A judge restored Katherine Jackson as permanent guardian of Michael Jackson's children and approved a plan to add their cousin T.J. Jackson as co-guardian during a hearing Thursday. "It's clear to me that the children are well-cared-for by Mrs. Jackson," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said. "It's clear to me that they love her very much and they have substantial significant relations with T.J. Jackson and love him very much." The decision comes in a hearing eight days after the same court suspended the family matriarch as guardian because she had been gone and out of communications with the three children for 10 days. Read more: Jermaine Jackson offers 'olive branch' in family feud . T.J. Jackson, the 34-year-old son of Jackson 5 original Tito Jackson, was appointed temporary guardian last week. A hearing August 22 will determine if he will remain as a co-guardian with his grandmother. The judge said he is already inclined to grant it. The initial report suggests there are "things about T.J. Jackson that the kids can relate to," Beckloff said. T.J. Jackson has been caring for the children in the past whenever their grandmother was away, her lawyer said. A court investigator interviewed Katherine Jackson and the children -- Prince, Paris and Blanket -- on Friday, he said. "The kids seem to be doing very, very well," Beckloff said. "All of the controversy caused me great concern." Diana Ross, whom Michael Jackson named as a backup guardian in his will, visited with the children Wednesday and agreed with the plan, according to the lawyer who represents the children. It was a private meeting at their home, another lawyer said. The co-guardianship arrangement, which is supported by the three children, codifies "the very thing that's been in place since Michael's death," Katherine Jackson lawyer Perry Sanders said after the hearing. Complete coverage of the Jackson family . | Diana Ross visits Michael Jackson's kids and approves guardianship plan, lawyer says .
Pop star's mother was suspended as guardian because she was out of communication .
Judge restored her as permanent guardian during hearing Thursday .
The children's cousin T.J. Jackson is named co-guardian . |
133,927 | 3929aa2cda50f3c4127499e8d34676c85e607661 | Ice sheets surrounding the North and South poles make up 10 per cent of our entire planet’s surface, and it’s thought Earth contains five million cubic miles of frozen water - so what would happen if it all melted? National Geographic has created a series of interactive maps demonstrating the catastrophic effect Earth’s ice could cause if it melted and flowed into the oceans and seas. This could cause sea levels to rise by 216 feet, devouring cities and even countries all the while drastically altering how continents and coastlines look, and wiping out entire populations. National Geographic recently created a series of maps similar to Mr Vargic¿s, demonstrating the catastrophic effect Earth¿s ice could cause if it melted and flowed into the oceans and seas. If these ice sheets melted, the rest of the world would be affected. In Europe, pictured, cities including London and Venice would be lost underwater, as would the whole of the Netherlands and most of Denmark. It would also cause the Mediterranean to expand and swell the Black and Caspian Seas . How Britain would look if the ice sheets melted. A large proportion of the country would be left underwater . Scientists believe it could take around 5,000 years for temperatures to rise significantly enough to melt all the ice on the planet, but claim the planet is already seeing the beginnings of this. Over the past century, reports suggest the Earth's temperature has increased by around half a degree Celsius and, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this has already caused sea levels to rise by around seven inches. The largest concentrations of ice on Earth are found in Greenland and Antarctica but it is also found on exposed areas, on mountain tops and in other regions. The East Antarctica ice sheet, for example, is so . large it contains around 80 per cent of all the ice on the planet and . its size has protected it previously during warmer periods in Earth’s . history. This includes during the Eocene epoch - . a period of increased global temperatures that lasted from 56 to 34 . million years ago. During . this period of time, little to no ice was present on Earth and there was . little difference in temperature at the equator compared to the poles. Warming oceans are already melting the floating ice sheet in west Antarctica and since 1992, National Geographic reports the sheet has lost around 65 million metric tonnes of ice each year. The ice sheets in Greenland and west . Antarctica shrank significantly during the epoch and if temperatures . were to rise in a similar manner again, the ice sheets across the . regions could disappear into the sea completely. The last time the Earth was ice-free was 34 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. If this happened again, the entire Atlantic seaboard in the U.S would vanish, wiping out Florida and the Gulf Coast. While the hills in San Francisco would become islands and San Diego would be lost forever . If these sheets melted, it would create a knock-on effect for the rest of the world. In Europe, for example, cities including London and Venice would be lost underwater, as would the whole of the Netherlands and most of Denmark. It would also cause the Mediterranean to expand and swell the Black and Caspian Seas. The EPA claims that overall ice reduction depends on several factors, including the rate at which levels of greenhouse gases rise and how global temperatures react to this increase in gas. The largest concentrations of ice on Earth are found in Greenland and Antarctica, pictured. Warming oceans are already melting the floating ice sheet in west Antarctica and since 1992, National Geographic reports the sheet loses around 65 million metric tonnes each year. If they melted it could cause the sea levels to rise globally by 216 feet . The Eocene epoch was a period of increased global temperatures that lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago. During this period of time, little to no ice was found on Earth and there was little difference in temperature at the equator compared to the poles. The planet slowly cooled as carbon dioxide from the air locked inside seafloor sediments. During this decrease ice began to reappear at the poles, and the Antarctic ice sheet began to expand rapidly. This rise in greenhouse gases could be caused by humans, as National Geographic explained: ‘If we burn all the Earth’s supply of coal, oil, and gas, adding some five trillion more tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere, we’ll create a very hot planet with an average temperature of perhaps 80 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the current 58. Large swaths of it might become too hot for humans.’ This would make the Earth ice-free for the first time in 34 million years. If this happened, the entire Atlantic seaboard in the U.S would vanish, wiping out Florida and the Gulf Coast. While the hills in San Francisco would become islands and San Diego would be lost forever. In the east, China and Bangladesh would both be completely flooded, wiping out around 760 million people based on current population levels.The coastlines of India would also be reduced. Whereas in South America, the Amazon Basin and the Paraguay River Basin would both become Atlantic inlets and this would wipe out Buenos Aires, coastal Uruguay, and some of Paraguay. The only areas that would survive are mountainous stretches along the Caribbean coast and in Central America. The other continents would escape a little more lightly, but would still be affected. In the east, parts of Asia, including China and Bangladesh would be completely flooded, wiping out around 760 million people based on current population levels. Parts of India's coastline would also be lost and eroded inland. National Geographic said: 'If we burn all the Earth's supply of coal, oil, and gas, adding some five trillion more tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere, we'll create a very hot planet with an average temperature of perhaps 80 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the current 58' In Africa, for example, Egypt, Alexandria and Cairo would be flooded but the continent wouldn’t lose as much of its land to the rising seas. National Geographic claims the Earth’s rising heat ‘might make much of it inhabitable’ though. Australia would gain a new inland sea but it ‘would lose much of the narrow coastal strip where four out of five Australians now live.’ SOURCES: Philippe Huybrechts, Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Richard S Williams, JR., Woods Hole Research center; James C. Zachos, University of Claifornia, Santa Cruz; USGS; NOAA, ETOPO1 Bedrock, 1 Arc-Minute Global Relief Model © SEPTEMBER 2013 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY . | The Earth contains around five million cubic miles of ice and 80 per cent of this is in East Antarctica ice sheet alone .
Scientists believe it would take more than 5,000 years for all the Earth’s ice to melt .
Earth hasn't been ice-free since the Eocene epoch - a period of increased temperatures 34 million years ago .
If this was repeated, sea levels could rise by 216 feet changing shorelines and engulfing entire cities worldwide .
National Geographic has created a series of maps showing what continents would look like if the Earth’s ice melted . |
30,004 | 55470312ceea9d30255cb8e8b0cc0ab72b74c458 | FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Bishop Kenneth Spears always thought gifts from God came from above. He never imagined that the gifts would be hiding under his church in Fort Worth, Texas. Bishop Kenneth Spears says natural gas has saved his church. "What a God we serve," he says. "The Bible says, 'Every place the sole of your foot should tread upon, I'll give it to you,' " said Spears, of the First St. John Missionary Baptist Church. "I walked and believed that if I prayed over that ground, if I walked over that ground, something good would come of it." In 2006, he learned that all 15 acres of the church's property are on one of the largest natural gas fields in the country, known as the Barnett Shale. "What a God we serve," Spears said, followed by great laughter. Watch an oil drilling bonanza » . Spears' church and thousands of residents around the Fort Worth area are cashing in on a unique urban drilling bonanza. With the development of horizontal drilling technology and with gas prices sky-high, energy companies are racing to tap into the Barnett Shale natural gas field. The Barnett Shale is the most-productive natural gas field in such a highly populated area spanning 5,000 square miles. The drilling here is being watched closely in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, which also have natural gas fields under urban areas. See where the Barnett Shale is located » . Energy companies in the Fort Worth area are going door-to-door, negotiating with people for access to mineral rights under their homes. That means residents are offered a bonus check and future monthly royalty checks. Spears' church received a $32,000 bonus and receives between $3,000 and $10,000 a month in royalty checks. The money is helping pay for a multimillion-dollar expansion and a new sanctuary. "We're making a lot of millionaires up here in the Barnett Shale area," said Julie Wilson, vice president of Chesapeake Energy, one of the energy companies drilling wells in the Fort Worth area. The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce says the urban drilling craze has created more than 50,000 jobs and will pump nearly $1 billion in tax revenue into the city's economy. But opponents of this urban drilling say that it shouldn't be done in populated areas and that the promises of many people getting rich aren't true. They say that for most people, the payouts are modest. How much money residents get depends on how much property they own and how much gas -- if any -- is found. The dollar figure also depends on each resident's negotiating skills with energy companies, experts say. The money can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. "It's a divide and conquer strategy by going around and giving everybody enough money to keep them quiet. Hush money is what I call it," said Don Young, a community activist who operates a blog called FWCanDo.org. "Gas drilling is very dirty; it's very dangerous." To 72-year-old Jerry Horton, the drilling is a threat to her cherished front yard. To move the natural gas through the city, Chesapeake Energy needs to bury a pipeline in her yard. She's been offered almost $13,000, up from the $3,000 she was initially offered. "I wouldn't sell my front yard for a million dollars," said Horton, a retired artist who has lived in the same house for 53 years. Chesapeake Energy recently sued Horton for access to her front yard, claiming eminent domain. The company says pipelines are crucial to keep the natural gas flowing and allow people to cash in the profits under the ground. "I understand we need to pump our own oil, our own gas," Horton said. "But we don't need to destroy our homes, all of our trees and blow ourselves up. Who's going to be here to enjoy the gas then?" Energy companies say that drilling for natural gas is safe and done in an environmentally friendly way. But opponents say the drilling is dangerous and a threat to the environment. "Gas drilling ... has no business in an urban area. So I don't want to contribute to a company that's doing that to my community," said Young, who refused to let his property be used. While energy companies maintain the drilling is not a threat to homes, some question the impact of drilling beneath neighborhoods. Young and other activists also are concerned about air and water pollution, soil contamination, health and safety issues and the loss of green space and wildlife. "We're guinea pigs," Young said. "We're the first large metropolitan area ever to have intense natural gas drilling going on in our neighborhood, right in the heart of the city." | Natural gas drilling has become widespread across the Fort Worth, Texas, area .
Region sits on the Barnett Shale, where gas is abundant .
Preacher says gas has helped his church: "What a God we serve"
Opponent says "gas drilling ... has no business in an urban area" |
247,892 | ccc8602228949ec297a06b226165c6bb37e6c991 | By . Kieran Corcoran . The historic Oxford Union debating society is in 'disarray' after another committee member resigned in the wake of its president being arrested over rape allegations. Ben Sullivan, 21, was taken in by Thames Valley police earlier this month over accusations from two female undergraduates. Sullivan, a history and politics student, has face repeated calls to resign from the society, which is seen as a training-ground for politicians and has been led by Boris Johnson and William Hague. Arrested: Ben Sullivan was taken into custody by police earlier this month after being accused of rape by two undergraduates . A number of high-profile speakers have pulled out of engagements at the Union due to concerns over Sullivan, who denies the charges against him. Several officials have also deserted the society due to the scandal - the latest of whom is standing committee member Anna Bazley, 19. Miss Bazley, a history and politics student at St Peter's College, cited 'an irreconcilable conflict in personal loyalties and priorities' in her resignation letter. She the fourth committee member to quit the Union in just under a month. Treasurer Charles Malton stepped down four days after Mr Sullivan's arrest, saying: 'The way in which many within the Union have handled this situation over the past few weeks is not behaviour that I would wish to associate myself with'. Before Sullivan's arrest, the Union's librarian, Kostas Chryssanthopoulos, stood down citing 'repeated and constant attacks, which have been personal from the start', as did another one of its committee members, Katherine Connolly, who said the environment was 'untenable'. The society was already facing criticism for authorising Sullivan to use members' money to gag student newspaper The Tab from reporting his past association with an elitist drinking society. Sullivan, who has not been charged with any offence, maintains he should stay on as president. He is due to answer police bail on June 18. Abandoning ship: Treasurer Charles Malton (left) earlier resigned as Oxford Union . treasurer over the way the union handled the arrest for alleged rape of Sullivan (right) Prior . to the arrest, Mr Malton voted for the Union to pay £1,200 in legal . fees for Sullivan to take action against a student news website. His arrest has cost the society visits from significant speakers, including Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, who was scheduled to address the chamber yesterday evening but later cancelled. In a statement he said: 'my advice to Ben Sullivan would be either to resign or take a leave of absence until the criminal investigation has been completed'. Other speakers to pull out include David Mepham, UK Director of Human Rights Watch and Julie Meyer, the American entrepreneur and judge on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den. Sullivan said in an interview this week: 'I have every faith in the criminal justice system and I am confident that the truth will come to light'. He had been due to face a vote of no confidence on Thursday, but members decided to abandon the exercise. Historic: The Oxford Union is famous for its high-profile speaker events. Sullivan is pictured presiding at one such event . Meanwhile, disgruntled students have taken to hosting disenchanted union speakers in alternative venues across the university, challenging the historic institution. A number of students, led by Barnaby Raine, 19, arranged for Wadham College to host a debate with speakers originally scheduled to attend the Union. The speakers included Norman Finkelstein, the leading scholar on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Palestinian journalist Mouin Rabbani. Mr Raine, a history and politics undergraduate at Wadham, said: 'Ben Sullivan has to go. The Oxford Union is in disarray - speakers are pulling and so many officials are resigning that events are having to be cancelled. 'The president has said himself that the organisation is falling apart. It's now extreme stubbornness in the face of reality for the president to refuse to resign'. Following Miss Bazley's resignation, Mr Sullivan released a statement which said: 'We are very sad to hear of Anna's resignation. 'She made a great contribution to the Society while on Standing Committee and helped to organise an excellent debate earlier this term. We wish her all the best for the future'. The Oxford Union was approached for further comment but did not respond. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Ben Sullivan, 21, was arrested this month after accusations from students .
Speakers at debating society have been cancelling appearances since .
Committee members have started resigning over handling of the scandal .
Anna Bazley, 19, a student at St Peter's College, is the latest to stand down . |
213,825 | a0ee174cbd76f92f3810bccab3977aa194c4c156 | China today executed a man who killed a two-year-old girl by throwing her on the ground following a row with her mother over a parking space. Han Lei was sentenced to death in September after the incident in which he confronted the child's . mother in a car park in Beijing, claiming her shopping . trolley was in his way. During the altercation in July, he beat the woman to the ground, snatched the child from her buggy and raised her above his head before throwing her to the ground. Executed: Han Lei was stenced to death for murdering a two-year-old girl in a row with her mother over a parking space . He and a friend in the vehicle then drove away. The toddler died two days later of her injuries, provoking widespread public outrage. Han was sentenced to death two months after the incident. He appealed against the penalty without success. He had claimed to have been drunk and told Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court during his trial he believed he was only throwing a trolley to the ground. He asked for the charge of intentional homicide to be reduced to involuntary homicide, which carries a sentence of between three and seven years instead of a mandatory life sentence. But China's Supreme Court approved the sentence and he was executed on Friday, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said on a verified microblog account. Han reportedly told prosecutors last year he felt so guilty and distressed that he wanted to die, according to previous Chinese media reports. 'I caused such a calamity for the child... please make sure that I am sentenced to death,' he was quoted as saying. 'I don't want to live any more.' Han was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for stealing a car but was released 2012 after the sentence was commuted, the reports said. A second man, Li Ming, who drove Han away from the scene, was sentenced to five years in prison for hiding the suspect at the original trial. . | Han Lei was sentenced to death after a trial in Beijing in September .
He confronted the child's mother in an altercation in a car park in July .
Han claimed that the woman's shopping trolley was in his way .
The 39-year-old beat the mother to the ground and snatched the child .
He raised the child above his head and threw her to the ground .
Han claimed he thought he was throwing a shopping trolley . |
49,358 | 8b6181d9d0b038bd231b428cc5650c0dc34b0cc9 | A Russian thief nicknamed ‘The Strangler’ after he suffocated and robbed 20 female victims, has been revealed as a travel agent who claims he stole to pay his staff. Khamzat Nemtsov, 53, ran a local holiday agency in St Petersburg, and had been known for his friendly approach and was well-liked in the area. However, his company has been losing business to online rivals, and in order to stay afloat, Nemtsov turned into a prowling stalker, strangling and robbing vulnerable women, Russian police have said. Scroll down for video . Attack: Khamzat Nemtsov was caught on CCTV as he attacked a female victim in St Petersburg . Nemtsov would roam the streets of St Petersburg after locking up his travel agency, and pounce on a lonely woman. He would put his victims in a head lock and suffocated them until they fell unconscious before making off with their valuables. A police spokesman said: ‘He began to develop his very own unique modus operandi, which was particularly distressing for the victims. ‘He would casually approach them from behind and then put them in a head lock and choke them until they dropped. ‘When they came round they would be dazed, terrified and missing their valuables.’ Chilling: Nemtsov can be seen putting a woman in a head lock and suffocating her until she falls unconcious . Two-faced: By day, Nemtsov was a friendly local travel agent, and by night he robbed lonely women . Robbery: The woman can be seen fighting for her life, as she battles with the 53-year-old travel agent . After police released the video they were inundated with calls from locals who recognised Nemtsov . But after a string of 20 robberies, Nemtsov was finally caught after chilling CCTV footage revealed his face. The grainy images show a young woman walking into the front door of her apartment block and Nemtsov quickly stepping in before it shuts behind her. He then grabs the unsuspecting woman's head and puts her into a vice-like headlock. After a few moments of desperate struggling the woman finally sinks to her knees semi-unconscious before he grabs her handbag and runs out of the door. Police released the video and were soon flooded with calls from locals who recognised him as their friendly tourist agent. CCTV shows Nemtsov going through her pockets before grabbing her handbag and rushing off . Heartless: The woman lies on the floor unconscious while Nemtsov runs off with her posessions . Horror: The woman wakes up after Nemtsov has run off, but the CCTV of the attack led to his identification . Local man Ruslan Butusov, 35, said: ‘I used his agency a couple of times and he was always very friendly and helpful. ‘I don't think anyone had any idea that he was The Strangler that everyone had been talking about.’ A police spokesman said: ‘Once identified it was very easy to track him down and when questioned he confessed saying he had done it because he needed money to clear his debts and pay his staff.’ Nemtsov said: ‘I couldn't face the thought of losing the business I had worked for all my life, and telling my staff I had failed them.’ The spokesman added that when officers raided his flat they found among the discarded handbags and purses two Mosin bolt-action rifles and more than twenty bullets. The man has been remanded in custody and now faces charges of robbery, ABH, and illegal possession of firearms. | Khamzat Nemtsov, 53, was a travel agent by day and robber by night .
He was identified on CCTV after committing 20 'strangler' robberies .
Nemtsov claims he had to attack and steal to keep his business afloat . |
63,710 | b4e1b323113a37d851e4d4036c01d5e96e253c39 | (CNN) -- Next time you wonder, "What am I doing today?" just ask Google. The all-knowing search engine is introducing new voice searches that let you ask questions about ... you. Ask about reservations you have, purchases you've made, upcoming flight plans or what's on your schedule and Google will return personalized answers. The feature combs through your Google e-mails, calendar and Google+ account to find the relevant information. To answer a question about where you're having lunch on Thursday, Google might look at appointments entered on your calendar for that day and for any reservation confirmations in your Gmail inbox. Frequent travelers can get the latest information on flights and pull up their hotel information ("What's my gate number?" and "What's the phone number of my hotel in New York?" for example). Online shoppers can pull up all their receipts for a time period or particular store or find out the status of packages ("Show me my purchases from last month"). People who use Google+ for their photos can ask Google to show pics from certain days or places. When you want to see all your gorgeous images of your furry pets, say "Show me all my photos of dogs." The voice search feature recognizes natural language, meaning you can phrase questions the same way you would for an actual personal assistant. This is not Google's first foray into serving up personalized results. The Google Now predictive search feature on mobile Google search apps automatically shows information it thinks you will need, before you search it. Open Google Now on a travel day and you'll see your flight and hotel reservations, commute times to the airport, and suggested sights to see when you reach your destination. The new questions will become available for people in the U.S. over the next few days. They will work on any desktop or mobile version of Google, but you need to be logged into your Google account. If you don't want your personal search results to appear, you can mute the feature by toggling the globe button on top of Google. To turn it off forever, you can tweak the Private Results search settings or make sure you are logged out of your Google account when you use the search engine. The company began testing personalized searches that pulled information from Google accounts in 2012 with a select group of people. Not all of the experimental features from that trial are becoming available to everyone -- some tools like searching Google Drive files will remain in beta for now. Some of the answers will be read back to you and all will be displayed on the computer, iPhone or tablet screen. Google has spent years indexing the entire Web, but it has also been amassing huge amounts of information about the people who use Google products like Gmail, calendars and more recently Google+. It's now trying to do with that information what it has already done to the rest of the Internet: Make it organized and accessible. | Google adds personalized voice searches to mobile and desktop search .
When logged in you can ask about your calendar, flights, purchases, and photos .
The answers are pulled from your Google e-mails, calendars and Google+ .
This marks the latest attempt by Google to become an intelligent personal assistant . |
67,939 | c0c48a3496cc5b5241e9397f567620d818098a8b | By . Jennifer Ruby and Sophia Charalambous . PUBLISHED: . 16:59 EST, 17 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:36 EST, 19 August 2013 . It was her first UK festival of the year, and Beyoncé made sure she hit the headlines for more than one reason. The global icon, whose new blonde bob made its debut at V Festival, definitely entertained the crowds but unfortunately not Channel 4 viewers. The 31-year-old singer sparked controversy by reportedly refusing to allow the broadcast company the rights to film her performance. Scroll down for video . She's got the power: The pop star got the crowd going as she performed her most famous hits during her headline set . To the left: Beyonce interacts with the crowd during her set at V Festival as she sways and sings away in a sparkly blue jumpsuit . Strutting her stuff: Beyonce gave it everything she had performing to the thousands of people at Hylands Park . Presenters of this year's two-day event, Edith Bowman and Steve Jones referred to the news on air that Beyonce had declined them clearance to show her headline set. She also appeared on stage 30 minutes late, prompting boos from the crowd who were sick of waiting for the headliners. However, once she appeared on stage, they quickly forgave the superstar as she put on a stellar performance. But it wasn't the only news people were talking about as she stormed the headline stage with a blonde blob after a surprise pixie cut, which the superstar informed the world about on her Instagram page. Quick change: She only cut her hair off last week, and posted a photo on her Instagram page (left), but the superstar still turned up with an entirely different look at V Festival with a blonde bob (right) It made headlines and according to reports, even surprised her hairstylist. 'Changing . hair is like changing lipstick or eye shadow for her,' a Beyonce pal . told the Daily Beast. 'I think she gets a kick out of how much the press . talks about it.’' Despite a dramatic hair makeover, Beyoncé's on stage style certainly hasn't changed. The Queen of Pop stole the show as she headlined V Festival on Saturday, dazzling the crowd in a number of racy ensembles. She wore her new bob sleek and straight as she bounded around the stage in a white leotard, before changing into a black one, while the excited crowd screamed her name. Shake it! the star certainly wasn't reserved when it came to he routines, getting the crowds going . Raunchy attire: Beyoncé wowed on stage in a studded black leotard as she headlined V Festival on Saturday . All about the glitter: Beyonce then changed into a purple shimmery jumpsuit for another number . Jump! At one point she jumped high into the air, after changing into white trousers . The mother-of-one gave her usual high energy performance as she treated the sea of fans to her best known hits during her headline set. And the star, who unveiled her newly chopped locks last week, proved that no one does on-stage style like she does in a number of show-stopping ensembles. With her troupe of dancers behind her the star looked in high spirits as she strutted around in the revealing black outfit. Racy: At one point the star grabbed her crotch as she tried out some of her most provocative dance moves . Here come the girls: The superstar performed with a number of female dancers behind her . In a spin: The singer was twirled around by one of her dancers, showing off her famous derriere . Back to black: Beyoncé paired the stand-out ensemble with a black cap and matching stilettos . She covered up her new crop of hair with a sparkly hat complete with cat ears, and added towering stiletto boots. Early she had showed off her much-lauded figure in a highly-cut white leotard, paired with fishnet tights, as she jumped around the stage with her backing dancers. Dazzling: Beyoncé wowed at V Festival on Saturday in a white embellished leotard and metallic stilettos . Much-lauded figure: The superstar paired the stand-out ensemble with fishnet tights as she bounded around the stage . She's got the moves: The star didn't disappoint as she tried out some of her most famous moves . Sleek and styled: Beyonce showed off her new hairstyle which she wore sleek and straight . The revealing outfit had large, . jutting shoulder pads which created a strong silhouette and large pieces . of material attached to the waistband. Clearly . pleased with her new haircut, Beyoncé wore it loose and perfectly . styled, keeping her make-up light and bright to match her white outfit. And . the star certainly didn't disappoint when it came to her performance at . Hylands Park in Essex as thousands of festival-goers turned out just to . get a glimpse of her. Meanwhile, before her Chelmsford gig, Beyonce ordered £1,400 of Nando's chicken from the local branch. Boundless energy: The star threw her short crop of hair around during the energetic set . After posting an Instagram picture of her new blonde pixie crop last week, the singer had changed it again just a week later, showing off a longer style as she stepped out in Miami on Thursday. And while Beyoncé was on stage in the UK, her husband Jay Z was still in Miami, spotted partying with Justin Bieber at a nightclub. She and Jay will be also hitting the stage for his Made In America festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over the Labor Day holiday along with Phoenix, Nine Inch Nails and Solange Knowles. The concert will wrap up a hectic summer for the Grammy Award-winning pair, that has seen Jay Z touring from coast to coast with JT, and Beyoncé on her Mrs. Carter Show global extravaganza. 4Music is showing Sunday's V Festival highlights on Monday night . at 6pm. | Ordered £1,400 of Nando's chicken from the Chelmsford branch before her gig .
Booed by crowd for arriving on-stage 30 minutes late .
For more video from the gig click here . |
137,943 | 3e674f5e88c97322b1b31b104ebca418283100df | By . Pa Reporter . Holland's Dewi Claire Schreefel secured her first win on the Ladies European Tour with a commanding victory in the Helsingborg Open in Sweden. Schreefel led from start to finish and saved her best round of the week until last, a closing 66 giving her a 17-under-par total of 271 and seven-shot win over defending champion Rebecca Artis. 'It's a good way to win,' Schreefel said. 'Rebecca had a good chase on and I was glad to be playing well to keep up with her and I can't find a better way to win than this. Bubbling over: Katie Burnett and Victoria Lovelady spray Dewi Claire Schreefel with champagne after her Helsingborg Open at Vasatorp Golf Club in Sweden . Maiden: Schreefel's triumph is her first tournament victory on the Ladies European Tour . 'I've been a pro for five years and every year has got better but I felt like this year it was going to come. All the elements came together.' England's Laura Davies finished a shot behind Artis in third after a closing 66 which featured eagles on the third and sixth. 'A 67 for a top five was what we were looking at, so a 66 for a top three is obviously a bonus,' said the 50-year-old. 'I was just short of the third in two. I had 40 yards and hit a little pitch, it checked up and it ran right up in the middle, so that was nice. 'On number six, I just pulled a five-iron into the greenside bunker but it was an easy bunker shot, flopped it out and it just went in like a putt again.' | Holland's Dewi Claire Schreefel won the Helsingborg Open in Sweden .
The win is her maiden triumph on the Ladies European Tour .
Schreefel led from start to finish and ended seven shots from second . |
87,208 | f76a324e6edca1f6efacca2a9b6577e8e1ec48af | The seven-week Gaza conflict halted last night, but now Israel faces attacks on another front after Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing the Nusra Front and the Western-backed Free Syrian Army seized control of the crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It was a fierce battle with President Bashar Assad's forces that left 20 government soldiers and four rebels dead, and an Israeli officer wounded. The capture of the Quneitra crossing on Syria's de facto border in the Golan - the only official crossing between Syria and Israel - held more symbolic value than strategic, but rebels said it would provide relief to nearby villages that were under siege by government troops. Scroll down for video . Smoke rises at the Syrian-Israeli border as a result of the fighting between the Syrian army and rebels over the control of the border crossing of Quneitra . An Israeli woman looks out from binoculars at the smoke rising at the Quneitra border crossing . 'Al-Nusra Front and other rebel groups took the Quneitra crossing, and heavy fighting with the Syrian army is continuing in the surrounding area,' said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rebel fighters captured the Syrian side of the sole crossing over the armistice line on Wednesday morning in a deadly battle with government troops. Stray mortar fire into the Golan left an Israeli officer moderately wounded, with the army saying that it immediately launched a counter-attack. 'In response to the errant fire from the internal fighting in Syria, which hit Israel earlier today and injured an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) officer, the IDF just targeted two Syrian army positions in the Syrian Golan Heights. Hits were confirmed,' it said in a statement. This afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told AFP: 'From what we know, opposition forces overran the Syrian regime forces on the Syrian side of the Quneitra crossing, some of those including the Al-Nusra Front, which ultimately leave the crossing in the opposition forces' hands.' The capture of the Quneitra crossing on Syria's de facto border in the Golan - the only official crossing between Syria and Israel - held more symbolic value than strategic for the rebel . The fighting at the crossing with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights began on Wednesday morning . Smoke rises at the Syrian-Israeli border after the heavy clashes . Israeli tourists peer down at the scene of the conflict, which left 24 dead . 'We have declared a closed military zone in the immediate area of the crossing and the roads leading to it. We are prepared for any potential spillover effect into Israel,' he said. 'The opposition forces including the Al-Nusra Front have been on the border area for some time now, but this is not necessarily an increased threat (to Israel), . 'These forces have said multiple times that when they are done with Syria, they will head to Israel. Their hands are tied up in Syria at the moment, so we have to be prepared for that development.' Earlier the army said it had responded by hitting two Syrian army posts. As a result of the fighting on the Syrian-controlled side of the plateau, the level of alert was raised on the Israeli side, a spokeswoman said, without confirming that it had been increased to the highest level. On Sunday, at least five rockets hit the Israeli-occupied side of the plateau, all of which were due to stray fire, the army said. In June, an Israeli teenager was killed in a deliberate cross-border attack, which prompted Israeli warplanes to attack Syrian military headquarters and positions. Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting occasional armed responses. The armistice line is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force. that has been increasingly depleted by the withdrawal of contributing nations' troops in the face of the persistent fire. The Philippines said Saturday it would repatriate its 331-strong contingent in the UN Disengagement Observer Force mirroring previous moves by Australia, Croatia and Japan. Israel has avoided taking sides in the war, but has responded when the violence has spilled across the border. Gen. Ibrahim Jbawi, the spokesman for the Free Syrian Army's southern front, confirmed the rebel gains, as did the Local Coordination Committees activist group. Kenan Mohammed, a spokesman for the Western-backed Syrian opposition, said rebels aimed to push Assad's troops from all of Quneitra. He also said opposition forces posed no threat to Israel. 'Our aim isn't Israel right now, and we in the FSA haven't targeted Israeli lands,' he said, adding that the rebels' focus is on Assad and the extremist Islamic State group. 'The matter of Israel - it's not for now, and it's more political.' A Palestinian boy emerges from a hole in a destroyed house in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood, today. It was demolished in airstrikes before yesterday's ceasefire . Mourners attend the funeral of Shahar Melamed, who was killed yesterday in the Kibutz by a mortar launched from Gaza strip shortly before the ceasefire happened . As the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel continues many people who fled their homes in Rafa in southern Gaza return to their homes as a result of the truce . Both Israel's Prime Minister and Hamas have declared victory in the Gaza war, though their competing claims left questions over the future of their uneasy ceasefire. Benjamin Netanyahu's comments, delivered in a prime-time address on national television, appeared aimed at countering critics of the war, with both hard-liners in his governing coalition and residents of rocket-scarred southern Israel saying the war was a failure because it did not halt Hamas's rocket attacks or oust the group from power. Masked Hamas militants carrying heavy weapons gave their own address upon the rubble of one destroyed Gaza neighbourhood, though their own major demands will not be addressed until indirect talks with Israel begin again in Cairo. Israel and Hamas agreed to an open-ended truce yesterday, with each side settling for an ambiguous interim agreement in exchange for a period of calm. One of the final Israeli acts of the two-month long conflict was an airstrike on the 15-storey Basha Tower in Gaza city which was one of the tallest buildings in the region . Now that the fighting as stopped, civilians in Palestinian civilians are beginning the task of assessing the damage caused by the heavy Israeli bombardment . Due to the difficulty of securing supplies of concrete and blocks in Gaza, Palestinian civilians have had to improvise methods of repairing their damaged homes . Hamas, though badly battered, remains in control of Gaza with part of its military arsenal intact. Israel and Egypt will continue to control access to blockaded Gaza, despite Hamas's long-running demand that the border closures imposed in 2007 be lifted. Hamas is seeking an end to the Israeli blockade, including the reopening of Gaza's sea and airport. It also wants Egypt to reopen its Rafah border crossing, the territory's main gateway to the outside world. Under the restrictions, virtually all of Gaza's 1.8 million people cannot trade or travel. Only a few thousand are able to leave the coastal territory every month. Israel, meanwhile, wants Hamas to be disarmed. 'Hamas was hit hard and it received not one of the demands it set forth for a ceasefire, not one,' Mr Netanyahu said. He said Israel 'will not tolerate' any more rocket fire, and would respond 'even harder' if the attacks resume. Addressing the future of Gaza, the Israeli premier that should Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas 'choose peace' he would be happy for the Palestinian leader to regain control of the coastal enclave, which the Islamic militant group Hamas has ruled since it routed Mr Abbas's forces in 2007. Mr Netanyahu indicated that as long as Hamas was in power, reaching a negotiated solution to the conflict with the Palestinians was impossible. Other people have been forced to salvage their belongings from their badly damaged homes which have cannot be repaired . Some of the people face an uncertain future as they try and save as many of their possessions which were not destroyed during the repeated attacks . In Gaza, masked militants gathered on the rubble of destroyed homes in the Shijaiyah neighbourhood, site of some of the heaviest fighting, to declare victory. The men displayed heavy machine guns, mortar shells, rockets and anti-tank missiles. Hundreds of residents gathered around the militants, taking pictures with them and their weapons. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, stood over an Israeli flag as he addressed the crowd. 'Gaza achieved victory because it has done what major armies failed to do. It forced the enemy to retreat,' he said. 'We must know that no voice is louder than the voice of the resistance.' Life slowly returned to normal in Gaza today, as traffic policemen took up their positions in streets overwhelmed by vehicles transporting thousands of people back to the homes they had abandoned during the fighting. Harried utility crews struggled to repair electricity and water infrastructure damaged by weeks of Israeli airstrikes. 'We are going back today,' said farmer Radwan al-Sultan, 42, as he and some of his seven children used an overloaded three-wheeled tuk-tuk to return to their home in the hard-hit northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. 'Finally we will enjoy our home sweet home again.' The United Nations' said the number of displaced people had decreased significantly. UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, said about 53,000 people are still living in shelters, down from almost 290,000 on Tuesday. With the threat of Israeli bombardment at an end, heavily armed groups of Palestinian resistance factions try and reassert their authority on the streets . A Palestinian sniper from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigade - the military wing of Hamas - holds a victory rally beside a destroyed house in Gaza city . A man carrying a plastic container full of water past the destroyed wreckage of an apartment complex in Gaza city . A an inconsolable woman holds her child tightly as she looks over towards the funeral of her relatives who were killed in an Israeli airstrike . | Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing the Nusra Front seized the Quneitra crossing after heavy clashes with government forces .
It's the only official crossing between Syria and Israel, holding symbolic, rather than strategic, value for the rebels .
The aggressive terrorist group was helped by the Western-backed Free Syrian Army .
The fight to take the post left 20 government soldiers, loyal to President Bashar Assad, and four rebels dead .
An Israeli officer was left injured by stray mortar fire, according to an official, with the IDF returning fire .
Meanwhile Palestinian civilians have begun returning to their homes, many of which have been destroyed .
Both Palestinian factions and the Israeli government have been claiming victory following the two-month long conflict . |
158,314 | 58ab69575aaf95f0658af1350add5a6e477c74d0 | (CNN) -- Like many visitors in Seattle, Glenn Nagel found himself in the city trying to avoid the rain. After wandering around, he eventually made his way to the Seattle Public Library to escape the dreary weather. Little did he know that stepping into Seattle's Central Library would spark his curiosity. The library's geometric glass and steel interior with its sprawling "books spiral" grabbed ahold of him. "It's just an incredible building," he said, still remembering his awe during that 2013 trip. "I spent an hour and a half just taking pictures, and while doing that, I was getting the idea that I should visit other libraries." This past year, Nagel has traveled to 12 libraries across the United States, photographing their shelves and hallways like an explorer. He's one of many people discovering a renewed fascination with libraries. He and other iReporters shared photos of libraries they visited with CNN iReport for National Library Week, observed April 13-19 this year. Despite the expansive digitalization of information, the use of public libraries remains popular, according to Cathy De Rosa, vice president for the Americas and global vice president of marketing at OCLC, a nonprofit computer library service organization. "It surprises people," she said, explaining there's a presumption amongst the public that libraries are becoming increasingly irrelevant. But despite enduring budget cutbacks and being forced to reinvent their services in the face of the ubiquitous Internet, public libraries remain staple institutions in various communities. There's been an increase in the use of public libraries in the U.S. over the past decade. Services such as public computers doubled in usage in the past 10 years, and libraries saw a circulation increase of 2.46 billion materials in 2010, the highest ever reported, according to a report by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Some libraries bring in more than just patrons. They are also popular amongst tourists, drawing visitors by the tens of thousands, if not millions. The Seattle Public Library system, for example, attracts more than 7 million people through its doors each year. "The Central Library is one of the most beautiful modern buildings in Seattle, and it really celebrates the people," said Andra Addison, a spokesperson for the library. Smaller libraries matter, too . Americans strongly value the role of public libraries in their community, according to findings by the Pew Research Center. In fact, 94% of people polled in 2013 said that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community. Jennifer Roberts, a writing teacher, agrees. She spent many summer days with her daughters, Lucy and Miriam, visiting their local library in Grants Pass, Oregon. But in 2007, all the libraries in Josephine County closed down for a number of reasons. It devastated her daughters who were then 7 and 5. "Lucy told me she was really sad she wouldn't get to 'visit the books,' " Roberts said, remembering her daughter sobbing at the news. Roberts was determined to find a way to help reopen the libraries in her area. The community banded together to raise $300,000 in 18 months. They even got a matching grant from Josephine County, which helped the libraries reopen. The experience helped Roberts rediscover the value of her local library. "I actually didn't grow up visiting many libraries," she said. "I didn't discover that wonder until I was much older. Perhaps that's why they seem so magical to me now." 'Libraries reflect who we are' Robert Dawson wanted to capture the value of public libraries through his lens. He spent the past 18 years photographing libraries and interviewing people who work and use them. In his recently published book, "The Public Library: A Photographic Essay," which includes hundreds of photographs of libraries in 48 states, Dawson says he was drawn to libraries because they are vital part of a community's ecosystem. "Often times, a library reveals things about a community. It was really sad to see a closed library when I was passing through the Mississippi Delta," he said, explaining how that was one of the poorer regions he visited. "I am not a librarian, but 18 years of doing this, you peel away things," he said. "It's interesting how libraries reflect who we are, and what we share. Barbara Stripling, president of the American Library Association, says libraries are also incredibly transformative. These spaces offer not only information but also provide resources and opportunities to socialize. Some libraries are "becoming more of a community sharing, learning, conversation space," she explained. Programs such as the Chicago Public Library's One Book, One Chicago, an initiative adopted from the Seattle Public Library, aims to rally virtual community engagement around monthly book selections. Take a tour of the world's most exquisite libraries . Others are rebranding themselves as places where people can explore their passions. Programs such as Geek the Library, which is part of OCLC, partners with libraries to promote the idea that everyone "geeks out" about something, and a local library can help you recognize your special passion. Through his 18 years of documenting libraries, Dawson says he's seen many of them adapt and transform for their communities. Some took on new daily roles, such as teaching people to write resumes or providing social services. "In San Francisco, they have a dedicated social worker, especially for the homeless," he said. Others became safe havens. "When I was in Detroit, it one of the hottest days on record, I walked into a library. There was this huge guard at the front, the air conditioning was blasting, it was packed, and everyone was reading. And I sort of got it -- it was a place of shelter." Olaf Eigenbrodt, librarian and senior head of user services and adviser for planning and construction at State and University Library Hamburg in Germany, says there are three main reasons why libraries continue to be popular today: They are information hotspots; they are places communities can gather; and they provide learning collaboration. They even provide an element of comfort. "Libraries tend to become more cozy, relaxing and communicative places. Other than public spaces like museums, they have a certain private character, which makes them a living room for their community," Eigenbrodt said. Dawson thinks a part of people's fascination with libraries is sort of irrational, too, but in a good way. He attributes our love for libraries to our childhood memories. "I think a lot of it goes back to being a kid. There's an emotional connection that is somewhat unique. A lot of kids discover libraries with their parents when they are younger," he explained. That affinity can be partially psychological, according to De Rosa of OCLC. "I would find it difficult to find 10 people in a crowd who didn't have a positive experience in a library. That's a personal thing," she said. "It's why libraries continue to be relevant." Addison, from the Seattle Public Library, says the most alluring factor of a public library is simple -- it's free. "Where else can you go that offers all this for free? Whether you're in a three-piece suit or a three-day beard, you can go into a library and be welcomed." CNN's Daphne Sashin and Margaret Blaha, special to CNN, contributed to this story. | National Library Week is observed from April 13 through 19 .
Despite the rise of the Internet, libraries continue to be popular public spaces .
iReporters from across the world share photos of their favorite libraries to visit . |
122,245 | 2a04f2b719073f2d9055e4d291c4bc8969652fdd | Surabaya, Indonesia (CNN)They seemed strong and resilient, hiding their grief and fatigue with smiles, and even a laugh or two. "They are tough parents," said our local producer, Jamal. But they are just one of 162 families going through the darkest of days. Haidar Fauzi and his wife, Rohana, learned Friday they had lost their daughter, Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi, in the crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Dec. 28. Nisa, as she is known affectionately by her family, had worked as an AirAsia flight attendant for the past couple of years. Her father says she was living her dream. "She loved this, her dream, she loved traveling. To become flight attendant she could travel for free," Haidar says. Nisa's adventurous spirit, her mother says, took her hundreds of miles away from the family home in Sumatra. Still, Rohana says, Nisa called her every day -- including the night before she boarded the fateful flight. Nisa always told her mother when and where she was flying. But that night, for some reason, she didn't. "We were on our way to a wedding ceremony," Haidar says. "My relatives called me and they asked, 'Where did Nisa fly?' I said, 'Why are you asking that question?'" In their hotel room in Surabaya, her mother and father's eyes light up as they look at dozens of pictures Nisa posted to her Instagram account. They are proud of their daughter and her ambitions, Haidar and Rohanna say, saying she just wanted to please her family. "She's an obedient daughter. She is always tidy. She loves to learn. Lots of her friends love her," Haidar says. "Same as her dad," her mother adds. Nisa's two older brothers, Dayat and Ikhsan, look on. Cousins Didi and Echy are not far away. We also catch a glimpse of Nisa's boyfriend, Divo, quiet and looking forlorn. A recent picture Nisa posted was a note to him that read, "I Love You, From 38,000 Feet." But even in the face of such loss, the family's strength shines through. Nisa's father says her brother had wanted to follow in her footsteps and travel the world. If he still wants to fly, Haidar says, he will support that decision. Our interview is suddenly cut short by a phone call. Seven days of waiting have come to an end. "We need to go now," their caregiver from AirAsia says. We squeeze into the elevator with the family. Echy holds Rohana's hand tight, while Haidar stares ahead silently. Minutes later they are in a taxi, speeding toward the police hospital. A short time later, the family stands at attention as casket No. 4 is carried out of the police hospital. No longer just a number, but their daughter. Their Nisa. She was still wearing her AirAsia uniform when she was found. After a short, solemn ceremony, the family heads home. They've already made plans to lay their daughter to rest as quickly as possible. AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes, will accompany them. I cannot describe how I feel. There are no words," he writes on his Twitter account. Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi was 22. | Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi died in the crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 .
Her parents say she loved her job and loved traveling .
They say she was obedient, tidy, and loved by her friends . |
282,491 | f9e2c1d8283902d613f3ad5fd86b4779e9453aab | By . Lillian Radulova For Daily Mail Australia . Former Labor treasurer, Wayne Swan, has released his new book titled The Good Fight . Former Treasurer Wayne Swan gives a scathing account of working with Kevin Rudd, who he describes as 'quick to anger' and difficult to work for, in an explosive new book that reveals why he helped architect the coup that ended Rudd's first stint as Prime Minister in 2010. Mr Swan also paints an unflattering portrait of Mr Rudd in his book, The Good Fight, describing him as being 'prone to vengeful behaviour' and having an 'unstable personality', as well as his treatment of others as 'juvenile'. 'There was a culture of fear and blame that had its origins in Kevin's temperament,' Mr Swan wrote. 'He was often quick to anger and his outbursts were regularly disproportionate to the matter at hand.' The memoir goes on to describe a scene in which Mr Rudd caused thousands of dollars of damage to a regional hotel room after he 'snapped a pen in a fit of anger… and dark ink splattered all over the light-coloured décor'. Mr Swan claimed that Mr Rudd was often prone to such outbursts, which he largely directed at junior staff members, saying: 'The turnover in his office was extraordinary. He burned through staff like a child flicking matches from a box.' In the book, Mr Swan defends the decisions behind the political scuffle that lead to the demise of Kevin Rudd as Australia's prime minister . But temper tantrums and character problems made up only a fraction of the faults that led to Mr Rudd losing his role as PM in June of 2010 by caucus, according to Mr Swan. The book also notes the former prime ministers inability to make definitive decisions and manage his cabinet. Mr Swan wrote that Mr Rudd's constant failure to brief himself appropriately before cabinet meetings, infuriated ministers and wasted their time. The book also descibes Mr Rudd as having an 'unstable personality' and describes a number of instances when his temper flared . He also claimed Mr Rudd would put too much focus on the media or politics surrounding a problem, 'rather, our priorities should have been about the merits of the policy,' Mr Swan wrote. The book repeats, time and time again, that Mr Rudd's behaviour was simply impossible to alter and was slowly and clearly leading to his own demise, so much so that he even questioned it himself, asking Mr Swan openly at one stage, 'Are you with me?'. 'Kevin's own behaviour meant that, once the match had been lit, we now had a raging bushfire. It was on,' Mr Swan wrote. The book repeats that Mr Rudd's behaviour was simply impossible to alter and was slowly and clearly leading to his own demise . He later added: 'Sadly, Kevin had brought these events upon himself and we now had no choice but to make the best of the situation.' Mr Swan also takes time in his book to dispel any notion that he himself wished to claim the role of prime minister. He also describes his on-and-off-again relatiopnship with Mr Rudd who he has known for over 21 years - the two of them becoming close family friends, with Kevin even being named the godfather of Mr Swan's only son. | Wayne Swan's new book, The Good Fight, defends the caucus which led to Kevin Rudd losing his role as prime minister in 2010 .
The book also descibes Mr Rudd as having an 'unstable personality' and describes a number of instances when his temper flared .
Mr Swan claimed the former PM could not make definitive decisions or manage his cabinet, often wasting ministers time . |
87,144 | f747d3667225e9bb715c2fc1ad4e909064a92dae | By . Leon Watson . and Mia De Graaf . Spain is mourning 'the end of a generation' after its champion squad crashed out of the World Cup in the first round at the hands of underdogs Chile. And now, the disgraced players have to face the wrath of the internet. Within seconds of the final whistle, memes began swarming Twitter, mocking the side as 'the Titanic'. Scroll down for video... Ecstatic: This Brazilian fan could barely control his emotions as he held up a sign saying 'Goodbye [Spain]' 'Spain was the Titanic': Memes instantly started popping up on Twitter mocking the champions' early exit. This image photoshopped players onto a scene in the Titanic when the musicians vow to sink with the ship . Some have posted mock t-shirt sales, offering a Spanish strip for €4.99, adding: 'only worn twice!' Many poke fun at striker Diego Costa, who was born in Brazil but chose to play for Spain, writing: 'How many times can you change your nationality?' Spain's main newspapers also reacted with vigour. Headlines across the country scream: 'Spain was the Titanic', 'Goodbye to a golden generation', and 'End of the party'. While King Juan Carlos signed his abdication papers, making way for his son Felipe to take to the throne, almost as much space across the country's news sites and papers was dedicated to bemoaning the 'world tragedy'. 'Crash! The end of a unique generation,' sports newspaper Marca said. 'It was nice while it lasted,' sports newspaper AS said. 'The Spanish football team that has been the most deserving of a royal farewell ended its fairy tale in an atrocious way, in a world fiasco,' Spain's leading newspaper El Pais said. Insult to injury: This meme jokingly offered up a Spain strip for ¿4.99, adding: 'only used twice' Mistake? Brazil-born Diego Costa could have played for either side, both tipped to win, but chose Spain - and after the side's mauling spoof accounts started popping up mocking the forward's decision . The undisputed kings of global football in the last six years, Spain won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and their first World Cup in South Africa. But their supremacy is no more and an ageing team needs to be rebuilt. Spain became the third champions in the last four World Cups to be eliminated at the first hurdle and their departure will almost certainly end the long international careers of their greats Xavi, Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso. Polls are now running on a number of Spanish news sites asking readers 'who is to blame for Spain's failure in the World Cup?' Midfielder Andres Iniesta, who took the team to glory in 2010, said: 'It is a mauling nobody saw coming. We were at the very top and now we are at the very bottom.' Chile's fans were optimistic after Spain suffered a 5-1 defeat to Holland last Friday. Spain's Sergio Ramos walks back to the centre of the pitch after Chile's Charles Aranguiz scored his side's second goal . Eduardo Vargas (right) of Chile celebrates after scoring his side's first against Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas . But the scores of fans battling into Fifa's media suite had no idea they would send the reigning champions home so definitively. A swarm of desperate Chilean football fans burst through security gate to force their way into Brazil's Maracana stadium before their team sent Spain crashing out of the World Cup last night. Around . 100 fans wearing Chilean jerseys rampaged through the media room as . they tried to find a way to the stands less than an hour before the . match. The key group match in Rio de Janeiro ended 2-0 to Chile, leaving the World Cup holders, and one of the favourites, Spain out of the competition. Lost for ideas: Del Bosque could not inspire his side to repeat their heroics from 2008, 2010 and 2012 . New feeling: Del Bosque has been used to success but found himself on the end of two defeats in Brazil . Frazzled: After the match, there was further embarrassment for Del Bosque as he accidentally tried to get on the Chilean bus instead of the Spanish one - with the world's media filming and photographing as he went . Chile fans cheer prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group B match between Spain and Chile . A supporter cheers for her team ahead of the Group B football match between Spain and Chile . Fans of Chile and Spain gather at the Fifa Fan fest in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro . They were seen sprinting through the . huge centre underneath the stands, pushing and shoving their . way toward a corridor they apparently thought would lead to the . grandstands. To get to the . corridor, the crowd broke down a temporary wall, sending metal lockers . crashing to the ground, according to witnesses. Fifa declined to provide immediate comment, saying it would release a statement. Once . inside that corridor, the fans realised it didn't lead to the stands, . so they turned around and headed back toward the media room. Eduardo Vargas (right) of Chile celebrates after scoring his side's first against Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas . Spain's Sergio Ramos walks back to the centre of the pitch after Chile's Charles Aranguiz scored his side's second goal . Chile fans cheer prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group B match between Spain and Chile . A supporter cheers for her team ahead of the Group B football match between Spain and Chile . Fans of Chile and Spain gather at the Fifa Fan fest in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro . Lost for ideas: Del Bosque could not inspire his side to repeat their heroics from 2008, 2010 and 2012 . New feeling: Del Bosque has been used to success but found himself on the end of two defeats in Brazil . There, security guards gained control of . the situation about 15 minutes after it started, and forced dozens of . fans to sit down in a group. Many covered their face with scarves containing Chile's logo as they were photographed and filmed by journalists. 'I . was the lone guy standing out there (near entry to press centre),' security guard Diego Goncalves said. 'All of a sudden they knocked down . the fence and just pushed their way through.' Asked how many guards should have been watching the entryway where the Chileans busted through, Goncalves said 'about 20.' A Chilean fan tries to get away from security outside the stadium before to the kickoff . Security personnel attempt to control fans after breaking through security and entering the stadium . There was trouble on the stands also as Chilean fans spilled over onto the area near the pitch . | Spain crashed out of World Cup in first round losing 2-0 to Chile .
Memes and tweets mock disgraced champion side as 'the Titanic'
Swarm of Chilean fans broke through about an hour before kick off .
They were seen sprinting through the huge FIFA media centre . |
40,493 | 724b52c82d7a9eeb7caa54b378697f1e075a6874 | Iker Casillas has poured cold water on rumours of a move away from Real Madrid. The goalkeeper has two years left on his contract with an optional third at the Bernabeu, and has declared he is happy at the club he has been at since starting as a youth in 1990. The 33-year-old temporarily lost form but feels he is back to his best after playing his 700th game for Real in their Club World Cup win on Saturday. Iker Casillas is presented with a shirt boasting 700 on the back after his 700th match for Real Madrid . Spanish goalkeeper Casillas has poured cold water on rumours of a move away from Real Madrid . Casillas was part of the Real side that beat San Lorenzo 2-0 on Saturday to win the Club World Cup . 'It's been my best year. Four titles and I played in all of them, it doesn't get much better than that. I can't forget those things just because I had a bad six weeks', Casillas told Marca. 'Let's take things one step at a time. I'm under contract and have no reason to think about leaving.' Casillas was part of the Real side that beat San Lorenzo 2-0 to win the Club World Cup, and wrote on Facebook afterwards: 'The last trophy in a great year for a group of athletes who are making history. 'I feel privileged to have played my 700th match for the club where I came through the ranks.' Casillas: 'Let's take things one step at a time. I'm under contract and have no reason to think about leaving' | Iker Casillas has two years left on his contract with an optional third .
The goalkeeper made his 700th appearance for Real Madrid on Saturday .
They beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in the Club World Cup in Morocco . |
157,626 | 57cb59ef3cc031cc57bdcd95339c678db47a2942 | By . Aap . The $1 million Benjamin Hampton had in the bank was supposed to buy him a new home. But the Australian Federal Police officer had to hand over the sum to be bailed from Sydney's Central Local Court after being charged with a dozen corruption and bribery offences. Hampton faces a long stint behind bars if convicted after a 15-month investigation into allegations he sold AFP secrets to a member of the public. AFP officer Benjamin Hampton faces 10 years' jail for corruption and bribery charges . Prosecutors said Hampton was a flight risk and had booked return plane tickets to Slovenia, where his father lived. '(He) was going to a country where there is no extradition with Australia,' the court heard on Thursday. On top of the money, Magistrate Alexander Mijovich made Hampton surrender his passport and he had to report to police daily and avoid contact with others involved in the investigation. A bribery conviction carries a penalty of up to 10 years' jail, while the other offences carry penalties of two to five years each. He had to fork over $1 million to make bail, which was meant to be for a new home . Hampton's wife was by his side when he appeared in Central Local Court on Thursday . Hampton faces two charges of receiving a bribe as a commonwealth public official, two charges of receiving a corrupting benefit and two counts of abuse of public office. He also has been hit with four counts of unauthorised access to data with intent to commit a serious offence and two charges of divulging or communicating prescribed information. Hampton's lawyer earlier said his client had more than $1 million in the bank, earned from the sale of his home. 'The money in the bank account was to be used to buy another property,' the court heard. Hampton was ordered to surrender his passport as he was a flight risk after he booked tickets to Slovenia . But it has now been used to buy Hampton freedom at least until his next hearing at the Downing Centre Local Court on November 11. Hampton worked as a protection officer for the AFP and was suspended from duties in May. At an earlier press briefing, AFP Sydney commander Ray Johnson said none of the alleged information sold endangered anyone or compromised any AFP investigation. No one else has yet been charged over the allegations. 'Should it be proven, everyone [at the AFP] will be significantly disappointed,' Mr Johnson said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | AFP officer is accused of selling the organisation's secrets to the public .
He faces up to 10 years' jail if found guilty of corruption and bribery .
Benjamin Hampton posted $1 million bail which was meant for a new home .
The Sydney man was also ordered by the court to surrender his passport .
He had booked flights to Slovenia, where extradition is not possible . |
144,464 | 46d4198efba791dfdecc85edea37fe64486343eb | (CNN) -- A Chicago, Illinois, couple, their real estate agent and a real estate broker face charges of violating the federal Fair Housing Act for refusing to sell a $1.8 million home to black radio personality and comedian George Willborn, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said. The five-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot home was listed for $1.799 million by owners Daniel and Adrienne Sabbia and their real estate agent, Jeffrey Lowe, the housing agency said in a statement Tuesday. The charge alleges the Sabbias and Lowe stalled negotiations and took the property off the market after receiving a $1.7 million offer from Willborn and his wife, Peytyn -- the highest offer the Sabbias had received in the two years the property was listed, according to HUD. The Sabbias accepted the offer, but refused to sign the sales contract, according to the HUD complaint. Six days after the offer was accepted, the Willborns' agent asked about the issue, and Lowe told her that the "'reality" of selling the house was 'just hitting'" Adrienne Sabbia, the complaint said. The woman said she didn't believe that, since the house had been listed for two years, according to the complaint. Lowe sent the agent a text message the following day saying he did not believe it was about race, and believed it to be a "seller vs. seller issue not a seller vs. buyer issue." But the next day, Lowe told the Willborns' agent that the Sabbias were not signing the sales contract and taking the home off the market. "Respondent Lowe gave complainants various reasons for why the Sabbias had decided not to sell," the complaint said, including that Adrienne Sabbia had changed her mind, that the Sabbias could not find another home, and they wanted to keep their children in their current schools. The Sabbias told HUD investigators they refused to sign the sales contract because Adrienne Sabbia wanted the full asking price for the home. Conrad Duncker, named as the Sabbias' attorney by the Chicago Sun-Times, did not return a call from CNN seeking comment Wednesday. The Willborns filed an initial HUD complaint in January, amending it in March and July. The couple learned that the Willborns had filed a HUD complaint on January 29, the complaint said, and a few days later told Lowe to offer the Willborns the opportunity to buy the home with all its furnishings for $1.799 million. "When the Willborns learned that the Sabbias only offered to sell the subject property to them after receipt of the HUD complaint, they canceled a scheduled showing and declined the offer," according to the complaint. Lowe told investigators that while he was representing the Sabbias, Daniel Sabbia told him he would prefer not to sell the home to an African-American, but added "if it was for the right price he did not care who bought the house," the complaint said. However, the agency "has determined that reasonable cause exists to believe that a discriminatory housing practice has occurred in this case based on race and has authorized and directed the issuance of this charge of discrimination," according to the complaint. The charge will be heard by an administrative law judge unless a party elects to have it heard in federal district court, HUD said. If the judge finds discrimination occurred, damages may be awarded and fines may be levied. Punitive damages can also be awarded if the case is heard in district court. Besides the Sabbias, the Lowe Group Chicago Inc. and real estate broker Prudential Rubloff Properties are also named in the complaint. "Racial fairness is important at all income levels. Civil rights enforcement must be the effective shield against housing discrimination that in this case wealth was not," stated John Trasvina, HUD assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. Willborn is a radio personality who co-hosts the syndicated "Michael Baisden Show." He also has appeared as a comedian on television and in films, the complaint said. CNN's attempts to reach Willborn were unsuccessful. "I think it's unfortunate, sad and disgusting," Willborn told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It jolts you to your core beliefs. . . . No one has the right to dictate the American dream." "Complainants George and Peytyn Willborn have suffered emotional distress due to respondents' discriminatory acts," the complaint says. Willborn has indicated he is less trusting of people and their actions, and "he feels respondents have denied him the American dream he worked so hard to attain. They are surprised that something like this could happen in the year 2010." The Willborns' children "were disappointed at the loss of certain features of the house, and ... felt fear because of how they might be treated because of race," the complaint said. "The Willborns' daughter felt hurt and angry and now worries that if this happened to her parents that it may happen to her one day in her own search for housing as an adult." | Chicago couple accused of refusing to sign sales contract .
George Willborn and wife offered $1.7 million .
Agent says seller told him he would prefer not to sell to African-Americans . |
158,330 | 58b1fb7ec26b531324eb11bf62d2a66a9eb5545c | (Wired) -- YouTube Friday began hosting live streams. But don't go looking for how to get your basement version of Wayne's World on the internet just yet: For now, this power is reserved for pre-approved "trusted partners," not for the kitten-on-the-keyboard masses. YouTube isn't saying just how many live casters it will enable from day one but that it intends "to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead." It's clear from the new YouTube Live page that there is more than enough to get the ball rolling with quantity and variety. An especially nice touch? You can add an upcoming live stream to your calendar. YouTube has hosted a small number of "event" live streams, but this is the first time it is getting into territory pioneered by such players as uStream, Qik and Justin.tv. Unlike these services, however, there is no mobile functionality for YouTube streamers yet, so nothing will come from smartphones or tablets. Limiting participants, requiring a certain kind of encoder and keeping it out of the mobile space are all part of what Google says in an attempt to ensure a level of quality. But it will also help minimize the chances of "Chatroulette moments" for a service which, despite the vast volume of material it accepts and hosts, still studiously tries to keep NSFW material off its site. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com. | YouTube is ramping up its live video offerings .
The early selection is limited and lacks participation from major studios .
In the past, YouTube has streamed big events, including a recent U2 concert . |
65,998 | bb4e78acc2c6421dbbad74a8018115ed325ae2b6 | By . Victoria Woollaston . Tracking people online and showing personalised adverts is already a controversial topic and now Google is set to ruffle feathers further by tracking people in the real world too. According to reports from tech website Digiday, the search giant is testing a program that would follow users around the high street to see which shops they visit. Each time a user enters a store of business, Google would be able check to see if that user looked at adverts for that company online beforehand to check the ad's conversion rate. Google is said to be testing a program that would follow users around the high street, pictured, to see which shops they visit. Each time a user enters a store of business, Google can check to see if that user looked at adverts for that company online to check the ad's conversion rate . Earlier this year Google announced a feature called Estimated Total Conversions, and in particular, Estimated cross-device conversions. As the name suggests, Google plans to use this tool to track conversion rates across devices. For example, if a user shops for jeans on their mobile by clicking on an advert for a particular company, and then buys a product from that company on a desktop browser, Google counts this as a cross-device conversion. To track the customer they have to be signed into their Google account across each of their devices. Recent reports found Google makes around $100 million a day by selling Google Ads to businesses online. It tracks conversion rates online when either a user clicks directly on an advert, or the user visits the website featured in an advert during its browsing session. Google can already access certain information about a user through its own apps, such as the mobile Chrome browser, Google Maps, Gmail and Google+. If users have ‘Location services’ activated and then have one of these apps is open, or running in the background, as they shop on the high street, Google can pinpoint exactly where they are. The location's accuracy is improved if a customer accesses a company's Wi-Fi, for example. In a blogpost . in October, Google hinted at plans to extend how it tracks people and . said: ‘As consumers are increasingly on the go and switching between . devices, marketers are telling us they want to see a more complete and . accurate picture of how their online advertising drives conversions. Google can already access certain information about a user through its own apps, such as the mobile Chrome browser, Google Maps, pictured, and Gmail. If users have 'Location services' activated and then have these apps running in the background as they shop on the high street, Google can pinpoint exactly where they are . ‘Conversions can come in many forms: visits to stores, phone calls, app downloads, website sales or purchases made after consulting various devices. Getting better insight into these complex purchase paths can help you optimize your online advertising and allocate budget more effectively.’ Earlier this year Google announced a . feature called Estimated Total Conversions, and in particular, Estimated . cross-device conversions. As the name suggests, Google plans to use this tool to track conversion rates across devices. For example, if a user shops for jeans . on their mobile by clicking on an advert for a particular company, and . then buys a product from that company on a desktop browser, Google . counts this as a cross-device conversion. To track the customer they have to be signed into their Google account across each of their devices. Google has not yet responded to MailOnline's request for comment. Nick Pickles, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, told MailOnline: 'Location data is some of the most sensitive information that can be collected from our phones, with few people realising just how our phones are capable of monitoring our every movement. 'It’s no surprise that Google wants to join its online tracking with snooping on our real-world location to build a more detailed picture of our lives. 'People need to be given a clear choice about when they share their location data, and one vague opt-in when using a map shouldn’t give Google carte blanche to then constantly track our location.' | Google believed to be testing a system that tracks users on the high street .
It could use a person’s location to determine what shop they are in .
Google could then see whether the user looked at an online advert for that shop before visiting .
This could help the company determine conversion rates for its online ads .
Google hinted at plans to extend how it tracked conversions in October . |
188,041 | 7f83da345a0ad50c2df910b03cad034618675a77 | By . David Kent . West Ham have been kicking off their pre-season in New Zealand and have found time to unwind between the rigorous sessions. Birthday boy Stewart Downing had a bash at a crazy golf course in Auckland, with the club posting a picture of the former England man teeing off a tricky-looking zig-zag hole. Sam Allardyce's side trained at the North Harbour Stadium in the city with hundreds of far-flung Hammers turning up to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Fun: Stewart Downing enjoys a spot of crazy golf during West Ham's pre-season stay in Auckland . Party time: The West Ham winger was celebrating his 30th birthday . They line up first against Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday before heading south to take on Sydney FC. Star attraction in Auckland was homegrown hero Winston Reid, who captains the New Zealand national team. Supporters at the ground hailed from all over the world, delivering a stirring, international version of cub anthem I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles. Preparation: Stewart Downing took part in West Ham's 0-0 draw against Ipswich last week . Battle: West Ham's Mark Noble is contested for the ball by Ipswich Town's Teddy Bishop . Contest: Ipswich's Frank Nouble protects the ball from James Collins on Wednesday . | Stewart Downing enjoys spot of crazy golf for his birthday .
West Ham are currently on a pre-season trip in New Zealand .
Hammers will take on Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday . |
106,409 | 153d3577d83c4f2a4328239a483068f42630e770 | (CNN) -- People up and down the Mississippi River could feel the effects from this week's epic flooding long after the water recedes. Farmers may face a major disruption to their livelihood in places where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opens spillways to drain water from the swollen river onto adjacent land. "If you have a pasture where you grow soybeans and it gets flooded by 25 feet of floodwaters and you end up with 3 feet of oozing mud on top of your pasture, it's going to be a long time before you can plow -- certainly one year," said Sam Bentley, a professor of sedimentary geology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. "It might be arable next year, but it would probably be quite difficult to work." There's also a chance that floodwaters could spill into wetlands and damage oyster beds near where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. "They don't like to be buried in mud," said Ivor van Heerden of the oysters. Van Heerden is former deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center and now a private consultant. How bad will it be in Louisiana, where the swollen Mississippi is headed? Experts held out hope that the floodwaters forecast for much of the Lower Mississippi River will exact a minimum toll in lives lost. Yet they appeared resigned to the likelihood of steep property losses. If a system of levees holds, then floodwater will be discharged only where the Corps of Engineers plans to discharge water, Bentley said. "There will be property lost, hopefully no lives, but according to a plan executed by the Corps of Engineers as opposed to a rapidly unfolding catastrophe," he said. A failure in the system of levees would change the landscape considerably, he said, though he does not expect that. "I wouldn't say that this is going to be a disaster, but the modern Mississippi levee system has never been tested under flood conditions like this," he said. "It's probably going to exceed water levels not seen since the Great Flood of 1927 -- historically the largest ever measured." That flood led Congress in 1928 to authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to build the system of levees and other controls now under stress. Farmers in parts of Louisiana could face a long recovery, particularly if authorities open the Morganza Spillway near Baton Rogue to lower water levels on the Mississippi River. Roy Dakka, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Geoinformatics at Louisiana State University, predicted it will take weeks to months for the farmland to dry. "Any existing crops are going to be toast," he said, citing the fields of corn, sugar cane and soybeans that will be covered with sediment. "Plus, God knows what's in the water and what gets deposited." If the floodwaters remain on the ground for 30 days or so, "then we probably would not be able to get a crop in this year," said Roger Carter, president of Agricultural Management Services, an agricultural consultant firm in Clayton, Louisiana. "Most of our crops are already planted in the floodplains. They would be destroyed." He said he was comfortable that the levee would hold, but added that, if it breaks, "that would be a catastrophe ... it could be years before we could replace that infrastructure." Any farmers who wind up losing a year's worth of crops will likely be forced out of the business, since insurance would not cover their losses adequately, he said. In all, Bentley predicted, the floods will affect three major areas in the Lower Mississippi Delta, which begins around Baton Rouge and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. Some 80 miles north of Baton Rouge, the Atchafalaya River diverges from the Mississippi and flows down to the Gulf. The entire Atchafalaya Basin will get from 5 feet to 25 feet of water going down the Atchafalaya, whose surroundings are less populated than the area around the Mississippi River. "It's a safer place to discharge water in terms of the human cost," he said. "At the same time, there are tens of thousands of people who live there." The second area of significance is Lake Pontchartrain, a major estuary north of New Orleans that will receive floodwater from the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Bentley predicted that the fertilizer and waste deposited in Lake Pontchartrain will result in "extensive" blooms of algae by midsummer. "This is essentially a large, unplanned sediment transport experiment," he said, adding that he plans to study how effectively coastal bays, lakes and estuaries trap sediment to build new land. The ratio of how much is deposited versus how much is washed out by tides determines how fast land can be built, "which is what we need to do in order to rebuild the Mississippi River Delta," he said. The third area is the Mississippi River below New Orleans, which is protected by "very low and relatively weak levees," Bentley said. Though the area is largely unpopulated, it is a major navigational channel. Were any place in the Mississippi River system to experience a breach in a levee, that could lead to a change in the river channel, he said. He pointed to areas near the town of Port Sulphur as particularly vulnerable. "Those are areas where the levees get low and weak." Under the best-case scenario, the Army Corps of Engineers will prove able to manage the water flow and flooding will be minor. But there is little doubt that property will be lost and the economy will take a hit, Dakka said. "On the other hand, the worst-case scenario is that the water rises, we're not able to manage it, it finds the weak areas, exploits those vulnerabilities, perhaps even segments of the river levee get taken out by erosion or collapse due to failure of saturated levees or other things could happen -- ships get loose in the river, barges of chemicals run into the side of the levee." If levees break, weeks could pass before engineers could reseal them, he said. But Dakka said his worst-case scenario might not tell the whole story. "There are unintended consequences that are going to happen that we can't possibly even fathom right now," he said. "We just have to be ready for it, and get people out of the way." If wide-scale flooding occurs, the resulting economic damage will be felt for years, he predicted. "Any city that ever floods never really returns economically to where it once was because people don't have confidence, people don't want to put businesses there. New Orleans is the big example." Already, even before the slow-motion disaster has unfolded, policymakers should have learned some lessons, he said. One of them is that flood plains should not have been developed. "Nature wins in the end," he said, "And I just hope that we've done enough planning that we can basically at least hold it back this one more time." "We should really be thinking about whether we want to continue to live in really stupid places, because nature is going to exploit our stupidity," Dakka said. | Hope prevails that the levee system for the Mississippi River will hold .
"Landscape changes considerably" if levees fail, expert Sam Bentley says .
The levee system "never been tested under flood conditions like this"
"Nature is going to exploit our stupidity," says LSU's Roy Dakka . |
75,011 | d4a9bfc881dd0f2c52047d9d3235249dd99a93e8 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 08:43 EST, 11 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:39 EST, 11 March 2014 . A former soldier who tipped the scales at 22st when he left the army has shed almost half his bodyweight - and then coached his girlfriend to do the same. David Trowsdale, 29, was fit as a fiddle when he served in Afghanistan in 2009 - and even guarded the queen on horseback as part of the Royal Cavalry. But after leaving the army in 2010, he piled on the pounds and hit 22 stone. After pals teased him about his weight gain, he vowed to shift the excess weight. David Trowsdale weighed 22 stone when he left the army but has shed almost half his bodyweight - and then coached his girlfriend Laura Stuart to do the same . After leaving the army in 2010, David (left) piled on the pounds and tipped the scales at 22 stone; his girlfriend Laura Stuart (right) weighed 21st 9lb . Now, after being crowned Cambridge Weight Plan's man of the year, he's set up as a weight loss consultant himself - and has helped girlfriend Laura Stuart shed almost 10st too. David, from Harlow, Essex, said: 'I just felt as though I'd gone from hero to zero. 'Being in the army meant I didn't really have to worry too much about what I was eating, and I was doing loads of exercise. 'But as soon as I left, I got a job driving, and the pounds just kept piling on. After being crowned Cambridge Weight Plan's man of the year, David was set up as a weight loss consultant himself - and has helped girlfriend Laura Stuart shed almost 10 stone too . The trigger for David was taunts from his friends about how much weight he had put on - he hit the gym, changed his diet and is a new man . 'One night, I was meeting family and friends in our local pub, and as I walked in, my brother jokingly shouted: "Look at that fat git!" 'I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up. I walked out of the pub and drove straight home - vowing there and then to do something about my weight. 'I couldn't believe how much my life had changed. When people saw me in my uniform, they were always impressed - now I was a laughing stock. 'I researched losing weight online and signed up for the Cambridge Weight Plan - within a few days of starting the diet, I'd lost a stone.' Being in the army meant David (pictured, left, in 2009) didn't have to worry too much about what he was eating, and he was doing loads of exercise but when he left the army and began work as a lorry driver, the pounds started to pile on (right) David has found that since losing weight, people come up to him in the gym and ask him what his secret is . David, pictured in Afghanistan in 2009, said: 'It was so easy to put weight on. I was promised all kinds of jobs when I came out of the army, but none of them materialised into anything' Within weeks, David had lost 4st - and after hitting the gym, started to lose even more weight. Now, a year after he started his weightloss plan, he weighs 13st 8lb. And when his girlfriend, Laura Stuart, 24, saw how much weight he'd lost, she signed up last October - and has dropped from a size 22 to a size 12. Laura, 24, saw how much weight her boyfriend had lost so she signed up last October - and has dropped from a size 22 to a size 12 . David said: 'When I first started, I was so fat that I was too embarrassed to go to the gym. 'But after I lost a bit of weight, it got easier, and now, people come up to me while I'm working out and ask me what my secret is. 'It was so easy to put weight on. I was promised all kinds of jobs when I came out of the army, but none of them materialised into anything. 'I got depressed and comfort ate constantly, especially when I started a new job as a lorry driver and was working unsociable hours. 'I also met my girlfriend Laura about the same time. She made me really happy and we moved in together - and we loved cooking meals together - meaning we both put weight on.' After David's weight loss, Laura also signed up - and when David started working as a consultant, his girlfriend was his first client. Within months, Laura had also shed almost 10 stone - going from 21st 9lb to 13st 7lb - and plans to lose another stone. Laura said: 'I'd struggled with my weight all my life - I was always trying this diet or that one, and nothing ever worked. 'When I saw how much weight David had lost and how happy he was though, I knew I had to try it for myself. 'In the first week, I lost 11lb - losing weight has completely changed my life.' David added: 'The first few days of the diet were tough, but once we both started losing weight, it was easy to keep going. David, who lost 11lb in the first week, said losing weight has completely changed his life . Speaking about his weight loss, David said: 'I feel good about myself when I walk into a room of strangers now - not scared of what they would think of me' 'Our friends and family are amazed - they think we look like a completely different couple. 'It's helped us understand our relationship with food and we'll never go back to our old ways. 'Being crowned man of the year was the icing on the cake. It's tough to believe the difference a year makes. 'I feel good about myself when I walk into a room of strangers now - not scared of what they would think of me. I've gone from hero to zero and back again.' | David Trowsdale, 29, weighed 22st but vowed to slim down .
Shed half his body weight and became slimming consultant .
Helped girlfriend Laura Stuart go from 21st 9lb to 13st 7lb . |
145,389 | 4804ad02cc0c0a2ae33d50352084c5dcb32f2af2 | Paul Lambert launched a furious attack on Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason after his striker Christian Benteke was sent off in Aston Villa's stormy 2-1 defeat. Lambert's side were leading 1-0 through Andrea Weimann when the Villa manager claimed Benteke was provoked into shoving Mason following a clash of heads. He also claimed Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen should have been dismissed after his studs appeared to catch Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood. Christian Benteke confronts Ryan Mason (right) after both team's become involved in a melee near the dugout . Benteke shoves Mason in the face after kicking out at Erik Lamela, and was shown a straight red card . Referee Neil Swarbrick took his time to come to a decision, but it seemed the correct one in the end . The Villa manager said: 'I don't condone what Christian did, but my daughter could throw a harder forearm that that. 'The sending off changed the course of the game. I didn't see it at the time but, what was it, a handbag thrown? 'The lad puts his head in Christian's face and I've played the game - the natural instinct is to raise your arm to push it away and that's what he did. He's been punished for that. Benteke walks down the tunnel at Villa Park after being shown his marching orders for a petulant incident . 'If you put your head in someone's face I can understand why he did it. 'I don't condone it. We didn't deserve to lose because we were excellent. 'I saw the Vertonghen challenge - it was high and I think it was only about throat height. 'The game started to overspill and there were a few challenges like that. Jan Vertonghen was lucky to escape with just a yellow card for his two-foot challenge on Ashley Westwood . 'It became more feisty. We were playing good football, the tempo was great and we could have been two or three up at half-time. 'I can't speak to the referee because they last time I did that I ended up a but lighter in the pocket. 'I don't mind a physical game, but it has to be within the rules.' Villa were ahead through Andreas Weimann, but Spurs equalised through Nacer Chadli in the 84th minute and Harry Kane's stunning free kick in injury time won it for Spurs. Tottenham chief Mauricio Pochettino, who claimed he did not see the Benteke incident, said: 'We needed the three points and we deserved to win. 'I am happy, the team in the second half showed character. I am happy because sometimes you need to get the three points. 'Our position in the table was not good and now we are three points from the Champions League. We know that that situation will be good in the future, but that process takes time.' | Villa striker Christian Benteke was dismissed by referee Neil Swarbrick after pushing Tottenham's Ryan Mason in the face .
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert felt Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen should have been dismissed for his reckless challenge on Ashley Westwood .
10-man Villa conceded two late goals as Spurs stole victory at Villa Park .
Tottenham chief Mauricio Pochettino claims he did not see the incident which lead to Benteke's dismissal . |
277,980 | f41e3f534616baebe015dcc7e74f23e84f7260e1 | (CNN) -- A report from Canadian researchers published Monday says there is not enough sound evidence to support routine screening of children for autism, but several autism experts are questioning the paper's conclusions. The article, published in the journal Pediatrics, is based on a review of existing studies. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics -- which publishes the journal -- recommends that doctors screen children for autism during regular checkups at the ages of 18 and 24 months. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 110 children has some form of autism, a handful of different neuro-developmental disorders that cause mild to severe social, communication and behavioral problems. Monday's report questions whether screening for autism is the right approach. "Good screening tools and efficacious treatment [for autism] is lacking," it says, adding that "none of the autism screening tests currently available has been shown to be able to fulfill the properties of accuracy." The report's authors are cerebral palsy experts at McMaster University in Ontario. But several leading autism experts -- who diagnose, treat and study children with autism -- said they were puzzled and concerned by the new report's conclusions. "By screening for autism at an early age, children are able to begin intervention as soon as possible," said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the Autism Speaks advocacy group. "Studies have shown that early intervention results in significant increases in cognitive and language abilities, and adaptive behavior, and gives children the best chance for a positive outcome." Dr. Patricia Manning-Courtney, a developmental pediatrician and the director of the autism center at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said the study goes completely "against the experience in this field" in which experts have said early intervention or therapy can yield the most benefits for a child later in life. "I have never, ever met a family that regretted being told their child may have symptoms -- not a single family," she said. If a diagnosis of autism is later found to be inaccurate, the child isn't harmed by the therapy given in the interim, she said. But Manning-Courtney said she's met thousands of parents whose children were diagnosed at an older age "who wished they were listened to sooner." Dr. Charles Cowan, medical director of the Seattle Children's Autism Center, echoed Manning-Courtney's concerns, saying the report's conclusions seem to negate well established research and recommendations from people who treat children with autism, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. More research is needed, he said, but just because all the necessary research hasn't been done yet, it "does not negate the benefit of screening." Dr. Paul Lipkin, who chaired the academy's 2006 committee that recommended the screenings at 18 and 24 months, said the conclusions in Monday's report overlooked significant benefits to screening. Doctors are also identifying problems beyond autism, including a wide range of developmental disorders, he said. Lipkin, the director of the Center for Development and Learning at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, acknowledged that screening tools aren't perfect, but noted that doctors combine them with continuous surveillance. "We are hoping that the combination can then overcome any of the limits of the tests or surveillance. The combination is better than either one of them," he said, adding that some newer studies, not cited in the Canadian study, suggest that "it does look like we're on the right track." Despite the apparent criticisms of screening in Monday's article, study author Dr. Jan Willem Gorter said he and his co-authors were not specifically referring to "the surveillance that is happening in doctors' offices" at 18 and 24 months. They were recommending against a population-wide screening program that would require screening every child at a certain age level for autism, he said. Nobody is conducting such a study at this time in the United States. Results from a South Korean study of that nature published last month in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggested 1 in 38 children had autism -- a much higher number than previously believed. Some experts questioned the accuracy of those results, which were based on screening of 55,000 12-year-old children in South Korea, suggesting that the screening may have picked up other developmental delays, not just autism. Last month, the CDC told CNN it was considering a total population study of autism, but no such study is currently underway. Gorter said he and his colleagues did not include the South Korean study in their analysis, but he said it showed "exactly why we wrote the paper." He said he and his co-authors based their suggestions on what they learned from children with cerebral palsy, and that his ultimate goal is to "find the children who truly have autism and find ways to help them." Screening isn't the only issue touched on in Monday's paper. The article also finds "little support for the effectiveness for speech and language therapy for people with autism," argues that "applied behavior intervention did not significantly improve the cognitive outcomes of children" and says that "screening is pointless, and almost certainly unethical." Susan Martin, director of media relations for the American Academy of Pediatrics, pointed to the academic journal's disclaimer, which says statements and opinions in the articles it publishes "are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the AAP." But several autism specialists said they feared the theoretical questions the article poses would turn back the clock to a time when parents' concerns about their childrens' development weren't heard. Cowan said Monday's report completely leaves out studies that have shown benefits for children in cognitive and social developments. He cites a study published by Dawson and Sally Rogers, which found giving toddlers as young as 18 months old intensive therapy by trained specialists and their parents, can effectively improve the child's IQ, social interaction and ability to communicate. Cowan called that study a "landmark (clinical) trial" and said he was surprised the Canadian researchers did not include it. Manning-Courtney, who is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the study could be misinterpreted by some, "especially insurance companies," which may decide they don't have to pay for costly, lengthy autism therapies if a study says that "efficacious treatments are lacking." But Gorter said the study's authors want to "help improve the outcome for the children's lives." "I would hope our debate would lead to an action," he said. | A new paper says "good screening tools and efficacious treatment" for autism are lacking .
Several leading autism experts question the article's conclusions .
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening at 18 and 24 months .
One of the report's authors says finding and helping children with autism is his goal . |
67,257 | becac51c16f38a55ab4ac9e2fe0746988e9c8131 | The average high school graduation rate in America's biggest urban school districts, which serve large numbers of children from very disadvantaged backgrounds, is only about 50%. In most cities, the figure is even lower for African-American males. Unfortunately, remarkably few strategies have been shown to improve the schooling outcomes of disadvantaged children, particularly once they reach adolescence. This has led many people to conclude that the harmful effects of poverty are already so entrenched by adolescence that improving academic learning for low-income teens is not feasible. Many experts have called for focusing instead on vocational education for these youth or just doubling down on early childhood. Given all this, some may even question the prospects for success of President Obama's new initiative to help young minority men, My Brother's Keeper. We believe it's premature to conclude that by adolescence, it's too late to improve schooling outcomes. Few approaches have addressed one of the central challenges facing so many urban schools: the wide variation in students' academic levels by the time they reach middle and high school. Consider trying to teach math to a classroom of 25 to 30 students when some students are at grade level and some are seven or even 10 years behind. Now imagine the same situation from the students' perspective. Asking kids to sit through material so far beyond their knowledge is a recipe for disengagement and dropout. What urban school systems need is a "safety net" to catch students who start falling behind and get them back to up to grade level so they can re-engage with regular classroom instruction. This safety net must include academic instruction that is both individualized and intensive. Educators have long known that one-on-one or small-group tutoring is the most effective way to teach people anything. But most urban school systems struggle with the costs of having one teacher in a room with 25 (or more) students; how could we ever have a class size of just one or two students per instructor? One possible answer comes from Match Education of Boston, a nonprofit organization that runs charter schools and a teacher training program and provides tutoring services to urban districts. Match had the insight that teaching one or two students at a time eliminates some of the biggest challenges involved in teaching a whole classroom of students (like classroom management). Many more people can be good at tutoring compared with being good at classroom teaching; extensive teacher experience and training are not required. This enables Match to expand the pool of recruits and focus on those with strong math skills who are willing to devote a year to public service for just a modest stipend. This makes the incredibly high dosage of the Match tutoring model feasible. Match has partnered with urban school districts in cities across the country to provide this "tutoring on steroids" model to hundreds of students in each city. The cost of providing this type of intensive tutoring is between $2,000 and $3,000 per student per year. Of course, the education field is full of good ideas that don't pan out in practice; how does this Match tutoring model actually work in practice? How effective is it really? Last year, our University of Chicago Urban Education Lab tried to answer this question by carrying out a randomized controlled trial of the sort that provides gold-standard evidence in medicine but which remains far too rare in education. We randomly assigned 106 male ninth- and 10th-graders in one Chicago public high school to receive Match-style tutoring for a year and to participate in a promising non-academic program called Becoming a Man, developed and delivered by the Chicago nonprofit Youth Guidance. Our study showed that program participation for just six months improved student math test scores by an amount that is equal to what the average U.S. high school student learns in three years. (Or put differently, the effect equals about 60% of the black-white test score gap in data collected for U.S. students overall.) The program also improved math grades, reduced course failures, increased school attendance and increased by nearly 50% the likelihood that youth were "on track" for graduation according to the Chicago Public Schools on-track indicator. The cost of providing students with both intensive individualized math tutoring and the opportunity to participate in BAM was about $4,400 per student per year. While this may seem expensive, the benefits of the program were so large that the cost-effectiveness of these programs compares favorably to other social investments that have been shown to be effective (e.g. early childhood education, cash transfers from the Earned Income Tax Credit, or reductions in class sizes). Moreover, cities like Chicago currently receive millions of dollars from the federal government to support tutoring, which in principle could be repurposed to cover the costs of providing Match-style tutoring to students who need an academic safety net. Our study results would be striking anywhere but are all the more so because the high school students in our study come from what is perhaps Chicago's most disadvantaged, dangerous South Side neighborhood. Whether this can be equally effective at large scale is the next key question to answer; our team is currently working on this in a much larger-scale experiment under way in 21 public high schools across Chicago. We think there are two important lessons here. The first is a policy lesson for urban school systems: They need something individualized and intensive, like Match tutoring, as a safety net to help prevent students who start falling behind from falling completely through the cracks. But there is also a larger lesson here that is relevant for social policy and criminal justice, not just education: It's not too late to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds even once they reach adolescence. | Jonathan Guryan, Jens Ludwig: Graduation rates for big urban schools about 50% .
Many believe academic learning not feasible when disadvantaged kids reach teen years .
They say program of small-group tutoring raised kids' performance considerably .
Writers: It worked in Chicago, why not elsewhere? Key is not to give up with teens . |
216,141 | a3cf30421e3fd7181ebd64aec2479a6c0f9da3c9 | The family home of a distinguished British commander who ordered the Charge of the Light Brigade has gone up for sale - with a guide price of £1.65million. The 15-bedroom mansion was given to the family of Lord Raglan in recognition of his military career at some of the greatest battles in history. In his early career, Lord Raglan served at the side of the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo, during which his arm was amputated and he had to ask for it back to remove his wedding ring. Lord Raglan went on to be the senior commander of British Forces during the Crimean War - during which he gave the orders for the charge immortalised by Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem and its famous line: 'Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.' The Wales home of the British officer and Crimean War commander Lord Raglan (pictured) has been put up for sale with asking price of £1.6million . The property is currently owned by Lord Raglan's Los Angeles-based descendant and recruitment consultant Henry van Moyland . Lord Raglan was the commander in charge for the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade, later made famous by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem . Lord Raglan, pictured left and right, died at the age of 66 after a distinguished military career which saw him lose an arm in the Battle of Waterloo . Lord Raglan was 66 when he died of dysentery the following year - and never saw the huge mansion which was bought for his family by friends and admirers. An inscription over the porch states: 'This house with 238 acres of land was purchased by 1623 of the friends, admirers and comrades in arms of the late Field Marshal Lord Raglan GCB (Knight Grand Cross) and presented by them to his son and his heirs for ever in a lasting memorial of affectionate regard and respect'. Lord Raglan - Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset - was portrayed by Sir John Gielgud in the 1968 film 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. The house, called Cefntilla, is located in the rolling Monmouthshire countryside and has been passed down through the generations. At its height in 1964, the estate ran to more than 1,000 acres and included six farms after the fourth Lord Raglan expanded on the original 238 acres. But it has been sold off bit by bit over the years and the unmodernised mansion house and 62 acres of land is being sold after the death of the fifth Lord Raglan, FitzRoy Somerset, in January 2010. The huge 15 bedroom mansion is set in the Monmouthshire countryside. Pictured is one the home's several living rooms . Another of the house's living rooms. Those selling the home have suggested an asking price of about £1.6million for the property . The Grade-II listed property, called Cefntilla, dates back to 1616 but it is believed to require expensive refurbishment work. Pictured is a dining room . An illustration of Lord Ragan, who was the British commander that ordered the Charge of the Light Brigade . The Charge of the Light Brigade on October 25, 1854, was one of the bloodiest battles of the Crimean War. On that fateful day, the British light cavalry - led by Lord Cardigan - were sent into a frontal assault on a well armed and prepared Russian artillery. It's believed there was a problem in the chain of command and Lord Raglan had thought he was sending the 600 men to a completely different, retreating, artillery unit. Instead the charging cavalry met a ferocious and heavily armed resistance - the brigade was quickly forced to retreat and in the process, suffered huge losses. There were 245 casualties, which included 118 dead. The charge was immortalised in literature after it was the subject of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. The poem reads: 'Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. 'Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Rode the six hundred. 'Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wondered. Plunged in the battery-smoke Right through the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre stroke Shattered and sundered. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. 'Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. 'When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!' The Grade II-listed property is now owned by one of Fitzroy’s nephews, Los Angeles based recruitment consultant Henry van Moyland, who has decided to finally sell off the family’s crown jewel. Estate agent Knight Frank describe Cefntilla, which dates back to 1616, as one Britain’s finest country mansions - but it will need millions invested in it to bring it up to standard. A spokesman said: 'It is one of Monmouthshire’s finest houses with beautiful grounds and extensive parkland. 'For the last 150 years has been the seat of the Lord Raglan but the original Jacobean house can be dated by the fireplace in the Great Hall, inscribed "1616". 'It fell into disrepair but was rescued in 1858 by the Raglan Memorial Committee who purchased the house and estate for the widow and descendants of FitzRoy Somerset 1st Lord Raglan, who had died in the Crimean War whilst leading the British expeditionary force.' The family’s landmark collection of Crimean and Napoleonic War memorabilia was also sold for £2m earlier this year. | Home of British officer and Crimean War commander Lord Raglan has been put up for sale with asking price of £1.6m .
Lord Raglan fought in the battle of Waterloo and was the commander who ordered the Charge of the Light Brigade .
The country estate in Monmouthshire, Wales, dates back to 1616 but was purchased and gifted to his heirs in 1858 . |
123,658 | 2bdfe55d0ab8657f8dc4a5b9a8ce77a1d958f8ac | By . Daily Mail Reporter . The mother of a murdered 4-year-old boy is outraged that a YouTube user refuses to stop posting videos about her slain son. Brendan Gonzalez disappeared when he was only 4, his father later convicted of his murder . Brendan Gonzalez was murdered by father Ivan Henk in Nebraska in 2003. While the body was never recovered, mother Rebecca Gonzalez told KHOU she's come to accept her son's death. 'Nobody wants to be a part of a club like this,' she said. 'You always think about your children whether they’re with you . or not.' Then in January, YouTube user changinglittlethings posted a montage of the boy's pictures with a suggestion that he may still be alive. Not only is there a suggestion that the boy's disappearance may be linked to a child trafficking ring, the user even speculates on his current appearance were he alive. The video hast torn open old wounds for Gonzalez. 'If someones posting lies about your loved one, you want to fight . it. You just can’t let it go,' she said. She . has flagged the video more than 100 times and asked both the user and . YouTube to remove the video but it has remained online. 'She needs to leave my son out of it,' she said. 'We’ve been through enough. My son’s memory deserves more than that.' Mother Rebecca Gonzalez says she's begged both YouTube and the user to remove the video but to no avail . The user has argued that any objection to the video is simply acting on behalf of a conspiracy to hide the truth of Brendan's disappearance. The woman, who's real name has not been released, has vowed to continue posting until she is put in jail or killed. Gonzalez says she simple wants he boy's name and photos out of the videos. She says she is currently seeking legal representation. 'It can happen to anybody’s child, and that’s scary,' she said. 'You can’t just use people’s images of their loved ones for sick . twisted missions.' | Mother Rebecca Gonzalez says she's begged both YouTube and the user to remove the video .
The unidentified user says they will not remove the video unless they are jailed or killed .
Video insinuates there was a conspiracy around the vanishing of Brendan Gonzalez, 4, in 2003, and that he may be alive today .
Father Ivan Henk was convicted of Brendan's murder . |
155,892 | 5583305f8f8f0ab391d4a132ac15559db810ea5b | By . Lillian Radulova . Over 180 Australian Defence Force members have been dismissed in the last year for unacceptable behavior including sexual offences, using prohibited substances and civil offences. Australian army personnel made up 138 of the members dismissed, while another 26 people where Navy members and a further 18 from the Air Force. A total of 114 of the dismissals were 'in relation to prohibited substances', 51 were due to charges of 'misconduct or unacceptable behaviour ' and the final 17 were because of 'civil convictions'. Over 180 Australian Defence Force members have been dismissed in the last year for unacceptable behavior including sexual offences and the use of prohibited substances . A total of 15 personnel were dismissed for civil offences while 50 were sacked for other misconducts. Former army commando Hastings Fredrickson is set to face a Sydney court on Tuesday, with six charges of using a carriage service to offend . The revelations have come on the same day that former army commando Hastings Fredrickson is set to face a Sydney court with six charges of using a carriage service to offend. Fredrickson is believed to be the ring-leader of a sex ring, made up of Australian Defence Force personnel, who named themselves the Knights Of The Jedi Council. He allegedly circulated explicit emails of women without their consent, to other army personell often via the ADF's email system. The content of the emails, aside from naked images and videos, also involved demeaning comments and 'challenges' for other members to have sex with the same women. The ADF also terminated the contracts of six other men in November last year for their involvement in the sex ring. Cadet Daniel McDonald, who was involved in the Skype-sex scandal in 2011, is also among the ADF members who was officially dismissed in the last year . However, the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this week that the six men were treated unfairly and have had their lives turned upside down since having their contracts terminated by the ADF. The article claims the men were recipients of the emails but took no part in forwarding them nor taking part in similar behaviour. Cadet Daniel McDonald, who humiliated a colleague by secretly filming their sexual acts and broadcasting them over Skype in 2011, is also among the ADF members who was officially dismissed in the last year. | 138 army personnel, 26 Navy members and 18 Air Force members were dismissed in the last year .
They were sacked for sexual offences, using prohibited substances and civil offences .
Among them, former army commando Hastings Fredrickson is set to face court on Tuesday for his involvement in the 'Jedi Council' sex ring .
The group sent explicit, demeaning emails of women without their consent . |
61,274 | ae09fd421668e85448504b049e2f3accb058508a | Violent sex offender Christopher Charles Gardner has been found by police after breaking free last night from his GPS tracking device . Violent tattooed sex offender Christopher Charles Gardner has just been found by police after being on the run since late Thursday night when he broke off his GPS tracking device. The 29-year-old offender was arrested in New South Wales Friday morning after being last seen in the Wacol area, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland where he had been living in contingency housing. He remains in custody. Police reported the dangerous sex offender missing Friday morning but it is believed the dangerous sex offender broke free Thursday night. Gardner was under supervision by correction officers since July 6 2012 under the Dangerous Prisoners Sexual Offenders Act 2003 and was due to expire in 2017. He served seven years in jail for rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and deprivation of liberty and posed a threat to anyone who approached him. Queensland police warned the public to steer clear of the dangerous sex offender and have urged people not to approach him. Gardner who has been described as having multiple tattoos over his body, shaven blonde hair with a purple streak, fair complexion and blue eyes. The 180-centimetre tall offender weighs approximately 88-kilos and has a tattooed dot under his right eye, 'CP' 'Marlina' and 'Cherise' on his arms, 'Jamal', a cross and ying yang symbol on his legs and a scar below his left knee. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24 hours a day. Christopher Charles Gardner, 29, was last seen in the Wacol area, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland where he had been living in contingency housing after serving seven years in jail for rape . | Christopher Charles Gardner has been just found in NSW by police .
The violent offender was last seen in Wacol, the suburb of Brisbane where he had been living .
He served seven years in jail for rape and assault and has been under supervision since 2012 .
Police urged the public to not approach this dangerous man .
Has a tattooed dot under his right eye and tattoos covering his arms and legs . |
61,147 | adad8358ede52b5b8887eeeb59ab7b1d9c71cfe7 | Lyon coach Hubert Fournier has criticized the behavior of Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, saying he has a nasty habit of insulting referees in English or Italian. French league leader Lyon hosts second-place PSG on Sunday, and the French champions will climb into first if they win. The well-traveled Ibrahimovic, who has played in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and his native Sweden, is returning to form after recovering from a nagging heel injury. Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action against Lille in the French League Cup on Tuesday night . Fournier thinks referee Clement Turpin should brace himself for a difficult time dealing with the notoriously fiery Ibrahimovic, who has won league titles with Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Ajax, and two-time defending champion PSG. 'The person who is going to be most provoked is rather Mr Turpin, like all the referees in this league who get insulted by this person,' Fournier said on Friday at a pre-match news conference. 'Apparently, the referees are not bilingual or trilingual, so they don't understand. In a way, it's better to speak Italian or English to insult referees.' The PSG striker stretches his leg as he tries to pull the ball out of the air . The game could be a turning point in the season, and opposes Lyon's tight unit of largely homegrown players with the expensive signings of a PSG side sometimes found wanting for team spirit. Fournier has warned his players to keep their composure - and to stay respectful. 'I don't want (our team) to provoke, I don't want us to insult the officials,' he said. 'I hope we remember not to fall for Zlatan's provocations.' Ibrahimovic has suffered an injury hit season but is now getting back to his best . PSG's confidence is high following six straight wins, while Lyon has been dealt a double blow by the injury-enforced absences of 21-goal league top-scorer Alexandre Lacazette and key center half Milan Bisevac both out injured. Lacazette won't be sidelined for long by a hamstring injury, but Bisevac is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, meaning Lyon have to try and contain Ibrahimovic with a makeshift center-half pairing. | PSG take on Lyon in a top of the table clash in Ligue Un on Sunday .
The French champions can go top if they beat the league leaders .
Lyon coach Hubert Fournier claims Zlatan Ibrahimovic insults referees in English and Spanish so they can't understand him . |
41,067 | 73d73da52fc23ddeb7df32181fdd0b48c47fd697 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 10:25 EST, 5 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 5 March 2013 . A grandfather branded a real-life Victor Meldrew after he shot an air rifle in the street claimed today he has been driven from his home. Former paratrooper Brian Cotton has been arrested four times in three years following complaints from neighbours about his 'aggressive and threatening behaviour'. But Mr Cotton, 74, denies being like the grumpy pensioner from One Foot In The Grave and claims he was the 'victim' despite being given an anti-social behaviour order in court. 'Driven out': Former paratrooper Brian Cotton claims he had to move to a new house, pictured, after a string of complaints from neighbour who accused him of shooting an air rifle and 'pulling faces' through windows . Victor Meldrew: Neighbours compared him to Richard Wilson's grumpy character in One Foot In The Grave . Mr Cotton even kept a log book recording every incident at his house including 'stones thrown at shed', 'stones thrown at rear window', 'shouting outside back' and 'lots of dog barking'. But in his four years living at the warden-controlled over-55s estate in Penwortham, near Preston, Lancashire, Mr Cotton was accused of firing the rifle, hurling abuse in a community centre and pulling faces through a neighbour's window. The former town councillor has now quit the retirement estate run by Contour Homes following a string of complaints. He said today: 'The trouble with this country is that . although you know you are innocent you have to plead guilty because it . is cheaper and easier to just forget about it. 'The anti-social behaviour allegations were particularly upsetting. Those charges were just built on lies. 'I am no grumpy old man. I don't know what the world is coming to if that is how I am perceived. 'I went away to Tenerife last year while . it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and I left £100 to buy everyone a . drink at the community centre. That's not Victor Meldrew behaviour. I'm . just tired of feeling like I'm always in the wrong.' In April last year, Contour Homes secured an anti-social behaviour injunction order against Mr Cotton, banning him from walking on the pavement outside a neighbour's home and he was . put on a four-month curfew from 8pm to 8am. Officials said between 2009 and 2012 . Mr Cotton was 'aggressive and threatening towards his neighbours, which . required police attendances and officer intervention.' Mr Cotton was . arrested for a fourth time shortly before Christmas, on the same day he had been found guilty in a . civil court of another charge of anti-social behaviour. Mr Cotton served for five years as a . paratrooper from 1959 in 16th Parachute Regiment and served in Tripoli, . Libya, where he was badly injured when he was run over by a lorry. The former miner is no stranger to notoriety. He was arrested in his hometown of Ilfracombe, Devon, in 2003 when he called colleagues 'plonkers' while sitting as a Labour councillor. He has also previously been accused of verbal abuse and distributing leaflets containing . offensive words. Vigilant: Mr Cotton even kept a log book recording every incident at his house including 'stones thrown at shed', 'stones thrown at rear window', 'shouting outside back' and 'lots of dog barking' He moved to Lancashire in 2009 with . wife Valerie but he became the subject of a string of complaints about . him 'engaging in nuisance and anti-social behaviour - including . aggressive, abusive and threatening behaviour towards his neighbours.' Mr Cotton believes the problems on the quiet estate were caused by him owning his own property while many other residents either rented or had shared ownership. He admitted that he fired an air gun towards a neighbour's house but said he was trying to scare pigeons. He also admitted to being placed on a curfew for 'making faces' through the same neighbour's living room window. Contour Homes staff also accused him of swearing in the local community centre and ripping up bingo tickets. He claims he was convicted of the anti-social behaviour because he is 'hopeless in court'. Mr Cotton said: 'There were hundreds of incidents at my house, pellets being fired at the building and vandalism outside. 'I used to tell the police every time there was an incident but it always ended up with me getting in trouble. Dossier: Mr Cotton, who has been arrested four times in three years, has kept bundles of letters as evidence . 'I bought an air rifle because my . house was being shot at. A neighbour used to feed the pigeons and they . made a real mess so I used to fire it at a wooden block to scare them . away. 'I was the victim in this situation but I was always made out to be the bad guy and I was taken to court several times.' But neighbours say they were tormented by Mr Cotton during his four years on the estate. One, who did not want to be named, said: 'He was just like Victor Meldrew with all his grumpiness but he was also menace too. We're glad to see the back of him.' A spokesman for Contour said: 'He was given an ASB Injunction Order following a hearing at Preston County Court. This was discharged at a further hearing in September 2012, when Mr Cotton offered to enter into a court undertaking and made a formal promise to the court as to his future behaviour. Contour accepted Mr Cotton's offer. 'Prior to issuing the court action, staff made numerous attempts to address his conduct and met with him about his behaviour. 'Contour Homes has worked very closely with the Lancashire Constabulary to address the complaints made against Mr Cotton and to ensure the safety of staff and residents.' | Brian Cotton was compared to the grumpy pensioner in One Foot In The Grave by neighbours on the over-55s estate in Penwortham, Lancashire .
Been arrested four times in three years and was given court injunction .
Former paratrooper says he was 'the victim' and has been forced to move .
Pensioner kept diary of every incident at his house including 'dogs barking' |
152,639 | 513ffc706a43c415cb244acc532c86a8004c9fde | (WIRED) -- Apple's got a lot planned for its Wednesday press event. While the invitation -- "come see our latest creation"-- is broad and vague, it's fairly obvious that the biggest news will be the widely anticipated tablet. It's about time. Tech observers have been anticipating an Apple tablet for several years, churning out report after report of rumors and speculation. And Apple has been considering tablet designs since at least 1983. Now, perfectionist CEO Steve Jobs finally seems satisfied enough with the product to show it off in public. Are you excited about the Apple tablet? But that's not the only thing the company is likely to announce. Updates to the MacBook line and the iPhone OS are also likely to be on the ticket. Here's our guide to what you can realistically expect. And if you don't care to read our predictions, just stay tuned for the January 27 event. We'll be providing live blog and news coverage here on Gadget Lab and on Twitter: follow @bxchen and @GadgetLab for real-time news nuggets. The Apple tablet . Multiple independent reports have described the tablet's appearance as a 10- to 11-inch iPhone or iPod Touch. (AppleInsider's sources describe the tablet as "a first-generation iPhone that's met its match with a rolling pin.") The tablet, many have reported, will serve as a slate-like substitute for magazines, newspapers and books, while also offering the general-purpose functions seen in the iPhone, such as gaming, viewing photos, Web surfing and using apps. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal said Apple will market the tablet to be shared among multiple people at home or in classrooms, thanks to its bigger screen. A few reports have claimed the tablet will sport a 10-inch OLED touchscreen, which would be great for reading books. But there aren't many of these displays on the market, and they would also cost Apple about $400 apiece. A 10-inch LCD touchscreen, on the other hand, would cost Apple $60, much more in line with the expected $1,000 price tag. The true mystery about the tablet lies in its software and user interface. Simply expanding the iPhone OS to fit a larger screen can't be the whole story. We expect a tablet interface that strives to appeal to everyone, like the iPhone OS does with its 3.5-inch screen, SpringBoard user interface and fingertip-sized icons. The ergonomics of text entry will especially be challenging on a device that size. People briefed on the product say it will incorporate a virtual keyboard. But if the tablet is going to serve as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, an ordinary virtual QWERTY isn't going to cut it. We're predicting Apple will incorporate new multitouch gestures, and maybe even the accelerometer, to trigger functions of the traditional QWERTY keyboard. Imagine if pressing two fingers down anywhere triggered the Shift key, for example. And to add a wild guess, we think Apple will expand on the voice-recognition feature seen in the iPhone 3GS, to augment text entry. Still, no one outside Apple's tablet team has a solid idea of what the tablet's interface will be like. The only minuscule clue is a quote from a recently departed Apple employee who told New York Times' Nick Bilton, "You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet." If it's taken Apple this long to figure it out, I'm sure we will be. But we do expect the tablet's operating system to share some of the same DNA as the iPhone OS. Indeed, the iPhone reportedly contains some elements of an older, shelved Apple tablet project. What could it be called? Internet sleuths at MacRumors.com have found evidence suggesting Apple is interested in the names iSlate, MagicSlate, iGuide and iPad. Apple has apparently filed for trademarks for each of those names. Apple not only filed for the iSlate trademark; the company also procured ownership of the domain iSlate.com, making this the most likely candidate. As for when the tablet will ship, WSJ published the most credible report to date claiming Apple has plans to ship the device in March. Price tag? All we've heard are guesses from analysts, some who claim the tablet will cost as much as $1,000 including carrier subsidy. We estimate the tablet should cost between $700 and $1,000, placing it somewhere in between an iPhone and a MacBook. There are a few scant rumors claiming the tablet will be carried by Verizon, but none seems substantive enough to bet money on. There's too little information out there about the carrier to make any reasonable predictions. In summary: . iPhone OS 4.0, iLife 2010 . Fox News' Clayton Morris had a scoop citing anonymous Apple employees who claim iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010 will be announced at the event. I'm a believer. The tablet will likely have a beefed-up version of the iPhone OS with all the newest features. So given the logic that the tablet OS is ready to be announced, iPhone OS 4.0 should be ready for a preview as well. But a preview would probably be it, just so Apple can begin seeding betas to developers to prepare their iPhone apps for 4.0. As for iLife 2010, Apple has announced almost all of its iLife suites during January of years past. I believe we'll see an iLife launch only because it would be consistent. Jobs likes to pepper up press events with small announcements leading up to the major "One more thing," so iLife and iPhone OS 4.0 will probably be the first to be announced. MacBook Pro upgrades -- maybe . An Intel contest promoted by e-mail appeared to leak upcoming MacBook Pros equipped with the newest Intel chips. Intel had sent e-mails to members of its Intel Retail Edge program, promoting a chance to win two MacBook Pros equipped with Intel's new Core i5 processors during January, according to a report by MacRumors. However, Intel soon after retracted the promotion, saying it was a mistake and that HP notebooks would be given away for the contest instead. I found this move suspicious, because the promotion had been sent in multiple languages to members in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain. Seems odd that it would have gotten so far if the product weren't even real. Plus, MacBook Pros are due for a refresh. Apple last upgraded the MacBook Pro in June 2009, and typically the company refreshes notebooks every six or seven months. Therefore, my gut tells me Intel realized it accidentally leaked the MacBook Pros and then moved to undo the slip. I believe there's a good chance MacBook Pros will be announced at next week's event. iTunes Upgrade . I haven't seen any rumors of Apple introducing a new version of iTunes, but I assume it would have to, in order to launch the tablet. That's because the tablet alone won't be compelling unless it creates avenues for new content that can be used on the tablet, such as e-books, newspapers and magazines. Expect Apple to preview a new version of iTunes, perhaps 9.1, that would add new content sections to the iTunes Store. We'll most realistically see a new e-book section demonstrated in iTunes, as Apple has reportedly been in talks with HarperCollins Publishers to make e-books for the tablet. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com. | A lot is planned for Apple's Wednesday event, but the tablet should be the highlight .
Apple has been considering a tablet-like device since 1983 .
Most likely names: iSlate, iPad or MagicSlate .
Other announcements could include new iPhone system, MacBook and iTunes upgrades . |
79,066 | e01ed6e1fb33d94f213a5786cb40458d70b8d6f2 | By . Jennifer Newton . Britons are shunning a traditional breakfast and more and more are starting the day with a burger, new figures reveal. More than 100 million burgers were eaten as the first meal of the day last year as the breakfast burger soars in popularity. When British people's breakfast eating habits were monitored, the study showed burger servings before 11 am are up more than six per cent since 2012. British people are turning their backs on the traditional breakfast and are instead opting to start the day with a burger . But despite its . growing popularity, bacon sandwiches remain the breakfast of . choice for British people eating on the go, with 268 million of them . eaten for breakfast last year. Just five years ago the breakfast burger only accounted for one in 16 burgers that were bought throughout the day. Now around one in 12 are bought as a morning meal with the trend for early morning burgers set to grow. The data comes from the latest research by the NPD Group, which studied what Britons are choosing for breakfast when they are away from home. The growing popularity of the breakfast burger means people are shunning traditional fare such as cereal, right. However, the bacon sandwich, left is still the nation's favourite . It also seems that children are driving . the breakfast burger trend, with adults accompanied by youngsters eating their way through more than 40 million of them as a start to the . day. Jack MacIntyre, UK foodservice account manager for the NPD Group, said: 'When people eat breakfast - perhaps on the way to work, or in the office, or as a treat at weekends - burgers are clearly growing in popularity. 'But the breakfast classics - servings of good old-fashioned bacon sandwiches, toast, eggs, sausage and baked beans - are unlikely to be toppled anytime soon. 'And, despite Britain's improving café culture, it doesn't look like continental breakfast favourites such as the croissant are going to sidetrack the appeal of the Great British breakfast.' NPD's findings were based on a panel of consumers who reported what they had eaten out of home for breakfast. 1. Bacon sandwich . Breakfast classics are still popular, according to the study despite the trend for breakfast burgers . 2. Toast . 3. Eggs . 4. Sausage . 5. Baked beans . 6. Hash browns . 7. Breakfast sandwich . 8. Burger . 9. Cereal . 10. Croissants . | More than 100 million burgers were served for breakfast in the UK last year .
One in 12 of all burgers bought in 2013 were for the first meal of the day .
Breakfast burger servings are up six per cent since 2012 .
Bacon sandwich still the king of the breakfast with 268 million eaten last year . |
102,785 | 107a202d998bff63f90d246bcd191cc30e9b2d8f | Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia's Mount Merapi started spewing hot ash clouds Monday morning, sending a 1.5-kilometer plume toward the south. Volcanic ash also blew eastward toward Boyolali, Central Java, said Kurniadi of the Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Disaster Monitoring staff. Kurniadi goes by one name, as many Indonesians do. Residents on the volcano started fleeing yet again. Many had returned to their homes to check on them as well as their farm animals after eruptions last week. Mount Merapi began erupting Tuesday and has killed at least 39 people in the past week. Another 74 have been injured and more than 71,000 people have been evacuated, according to the National Disaster Management Board. The 3,000-meter Merapi is famously unpredictable. An eruption killed two people in 2006 and another killed more than 60 villagers in 1994. About 1,300 people died when Merapi erupted in 1930. Also last week, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 449. Hundreds more were injured. | NEW: Death toll from recent eruptions is now 39 .
Mount Merapi spews hot ash clouds .
Residents flee once again . |
114,657 | 1ffcb9c73fcbfb73a02b79ecf639035453abf916 | Five swimmers had to be rescued from an aggressive dolphin in Ireland last night. The dolphin ‘attacked’ the group of swimmers, by ‘circling and swimming at them in an intimidating way’. According to bystanders, the mammal glanced off the swimmers with his tail and nose during the attack off Blackrock Tower at Salthill, Galway. Not so cute: The dolphin attacked a group of swimmers at Salthill, Galway, on Wednesday night (stock image) A member of the public raised the alarm and contacted the coastguard who requested the assistance of the Galway Lifeboat. When it arrived at the scene around 7:30pm, a local fishing vessel had separated the dolphin from the swimmers. The lifeboat joined the fishing vessel in keeping the dolphin away from the swimmers until they made it safely ashore. According to Galway RNLI, the swimmers were very shook by the incident but did not require medical assistance. Lifeboat Helmsman Ciaran Oliver said the crew stayed in the area a while longer to ensure all swimmers got ashore and then did a sweep of the beach from Blackrock to Seapoint to warn others, assisted by additional lifeboat crew on the promenade. This is the second ‘dolphin attack’ to take place in Ireland in the past few months. In July, a bottlenose dolphin was reported to have deliberately pushed a man underwater while he was swimming in the sea off Sherkin Island, County Cork. The animal is said to have ‘lashed out’ at the swimmer twice with its tail, and acted ‘aggressively’. | Irish coastguard called to Salthill, Galway, after 'dolphin attack'
Five people attacked by angry dolphin that had to be kept from them .
Dolphin kept circling the swimmers, hitting them with its tail and nose . |
283,543 | fb495f34e87a17a6edcc9b4680ce6ec4ed5b12dc | An X-ray has revealed for the first time the full extent of the injury to Bono’s arm in a bicycle accident – and how it has been pieced back together by metal implants. The 54-year-old U2 singer suffered multiple injuries including a fractured eye socket and shoulder blade as well as a severe fracture to his left elbow after the high-speed crash in New York’s Central Park last November. Bono posted the X-ray of his shattered elbow on his blog, saying: ‘The recovery has been more difficult than I thought. As I write this it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again.’ Scroll down for video . Bono posted a photograph of an X-ray, pictured, of his blog showing the extent of his injuries . But last night one of America’s leading elbow specialists, Dr Robert Klapper, said: ‘Playing the guitar is absolutely the best physical therapy for this type of injury.’ However the doctor – whose patients have included Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman – added: ‘This is certainly one of the most devastating and complex elbow injuries I’ve ever seen.’ Dr Klapper believes the X-ray was taken during surgery as it shows a tie from an operating room sheet in the top right-hand corner. And he compared the operation to ‘piecing together a jigsaw’, saying it would have taken five hours to knit the mangled elbow together using three titanium plates and 18 screws. But he added: ‘I expect Bono to play the guitar and continue to be the great musician we all know and love.’ The U2 singer, centre, said that he may never be able to play the guitar again following his injury . | The U2 singer broke his elbow in a bicycle accident in New York City .
He severely fractured the bone when he crashed in Central Park last year .
Bono blogged that 'recovery has been more difficult than I thought' |
10,122 | 1cb9ab7c5e8ad20039dfd97c1f89a310552787f1 | The Gandhi scion will be away for 'three or four weeks' on a 'finding-himself journey' The day Parliament kicked off its Budget Session, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi surprised even his own party members by proceeding on a “leave of absence for a few weeks”. The development immediately spawned barbs from various quarters, including social media, and left the Congress battling extreme embarrassment. Seeking to clear the air in the aftermath of growing speculation about Rahul’s move, a senior Congress leader close to the Gandhi family told Mail Today that the heir will take over as the party president as early as in April or June. “Since he wants to reinvent the party, he will bring in his own team. Rahul wants to restructure the party and take it out of the clutches of the old guard. But the process isn’t easy since the old retainers are understandably unwilling to relinquish their control and power over the Congress,” the leader said on the condition of anonymity. He added: “Rahul wants the makeover exercise to be bloodless so that the new Congress feeds into the aspirations of the nation’s people.” Introspection . The leader clarified that the Gandhi scion will be away for “three or four weeks” on a “finding- himself journey” while he contemplates taking charge of the Congress. “The defeat in the 2014 general elections made him understand that India is changing rapidly. Rahul understands the aspirations and ambitions of the people and wants the party to be at the cutting edge of the nation’s new polity,” he added. But even some senior party men found the “introspection for the Congress’ course of action” reasoning hard to digest, especially since the crucial first week will see the tabling of the railway and general budgets. “It came as a surprise to me. I got the news from the official briefing. There must be some compelling reason for Rahul to take leave,” senior party leader Anil Shastri told Mail Today. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi dozes off in Parliament during a raging debate . #WhereisRahul was trending on social networking sites, where a deluge of tweets made light of the presumed fourth-generation heir of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty’s absence from the House. “Whatever we wanted to say has been said. I am not going to add anything to this,” Congress chief Sonia Gandhi told newspersons, adding: “Give him a few weeks.” As Rahul’s leave and its timing stirred up a controversy, party insiders explained that he was on an “atm chintan” (self-introspection) mission to draw up a blueprint for bringing the Congress back on track after the recent humiliating election defeats. The surprise leave plan was announced despite the Congress having earlier decided to target the NDA government in a big way on the land ordinance issue. Rahul himself was scheduled to lead a party agitation at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. The expectation of Rahul attending the Jantar Mantar protest, coming two days after Anna Hazare’s demonstration at the same venue, had been building up as he had walked the dusty lanes of villages Bhatta-Parsaul in western Uttar Pradesh in 2011 to protest against forcible land acquisition of farmers. The Congress immediately jumped in to control the damage. “You think he is a fool that he did not know the risk involved (in being absent during the Budget Session and the obvious criticism it would follow)?” a senior AICC functionary asked. AICC meet in mind . “He (Rahul) believes that the AICC session (expected in the first week of April) is vital and he would like to give specific inputs on this. He wants to introspect about what happened with regard to the Congress in recent times and earlier,” party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said. “It has nothing to do with his role in the party. He has gone to reflect on party affairs and not on his role,” he added. One of the reasons cited by party sources for his action was that Rahul was miffed over the resistance he has been facing to his reform plans from “entrenched elements” in the Congress. But Singhvi said all the ideas germinated and nurtured by Rahul were being implemented in the party. The Congress remained tight-lipped about his whereabouts. The political grapevine has it that he could be anywhere from Europe to South East Asia. “All speculative questions are denied,” Singhvi said. | Social media fills with jokes about the disappearance of the Gandhi heir .
Congress sources claim Rahul will take over as party chief in April or June .
He is expected to be away three or four weeks, despite the railway and general budgets . |
108,689 | 1826bcc8f3823a98a25b4e233c3eb7f7b1c8688e | By . Sarah Michael . James Packer and David Gyngell have been given criminal infringement notices for offensive behaviour following their very public brawl outside Packer's Bondi mansion on Sunday. The penalty carries a fine of $500 if it goes uncontested by the recipient. NSW Police released a statement on Friday afternoon stating: 'Officers from the Eastern Suburbs Local Area Command have been investigating the incident which occurred about 2pm on Sunday 4 May on Sir Thomas Mitchell Road near the intersection of Campbell Parade at Bondi. Black eye: James Packer, pictured with a visible bruise on his left eye as he attended a funeral in Bowral on Friday, has been charged with offensive behaviour following his punch-up with David Gyngell on Sunday . 'Police today issued a 46-year-old man and a 48-year-old man with a Criminal Infringement Notice for offensive behaviour.' A Nine spokesperson told the MailOnline: 'Mr Gyngell is pleased the process is now resolved.' The $500 fine is unlikely to be a problem for casino mogul Packer or Nine Entertainment CEO Gyngell, with Forbes estimating Packer's net worth to be $US6.3 billion ($A6.7 billion). In November last year Nine Entertainment's prospectus revealed Gyngell is the highest-paid media executive in Australia with a remuneration package worth about $10 million a year, The Australian Financial Review reported. The case surrounding the punch-up stalled earlier in the week due to the fact neither Packer, 46, nor Gyngell, 48, lodged an official complaint over the incident. United front: The billionaire casino mogul and his ex-wife Erica attended the funeral of mutual friend Paul Ramsay together, the first time they have been seen in public since their shock split last year . Acting assistant police commissioner Mark Walton held a press conference where he said police had contacted the men's legal representatives but neither man had been questioned over the incident and heavily watermarked images had made investigation difficult. 'We first became aware of it as it was released in the media,' he said. 'We did review our holdings to see if there was anything we missed. 'In the earlier material it was so difficult to see what was going on because of the branding of it, I certainly wasn’t expecting police to rush out there. 'As the material has become available and the police have started to form a view of what occurred, that is the appropriate time to hold our inquiries.' On Tuesday Gyngell took responsibility for the stoush, releasing a statement which said had he not turned up at Packer’s premises in an angry mood, then the confrontation would never have occurred. Penalty: Nine boss Gyngell, 48, (pictured on Monday) and Packer, 46, face $500 fines . '[Mr Gyngell] fully accepts that he was the instigator of the incident. He respects the job police do and will co-operate fully with their investigation,' the statement said. Packer and Gyngell, who are childhood friends and were best man at one another's wedding, came to blows in the street outside Packer's luxury beach side apartment on Sunday afternoon. The fight followed a heated text message exchange because Packer believed a camera crew from the network run by Gyngell was trying to catch him with rumoured lover, model Miranda Kerr. Gyngell had gone to the $20 million property in Sydney's Bondi Beach to reassure casino owner he was not under surveillance by Nine Network television cameras. The pair immediately became embroiled in a profanity-laced argument which descended into blows. Explosive pictures showed Packer in tracksuit pants and a bearded, bare-foot Gyngell pummeling each other repeatedly and wrestling on the ground before being pulled apart by a bodyguard. Reports of the scuffle say Gyngell, the smaller of the two men, appeared to connect with Packer's eye in a left hook. Following the fight, Packer was seen walking off with his left eye puffy and his grey tracksuit pants marked with grass stains. | Casino mogul and Nine CEO given criminal infringement notices .
The penalty carries a fine of $500 if it goes uncontested by the recipient .
James Packer and David Gyngell had a public punch-up on Sunday .
The case stalled earlier in the week because neither men made a complaint .
Gyngell took responsibility for the fight in a statement released this week . |
72,090 | cc50461053f8a4ccb99c0ba526d4821de8bf293f | By . Hayley O'keeffe . PUBLISHED: . 04:47 EST, 14 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:59 EST, 14 November 2013 . Four children who were rescued from a Texas 'swingers club' have been removed from their new foster parents after saying they were being abused there as well. A 13-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy who are siblings, plus a 17-year-old boy have been placed in the temporary custody of child protective services by a Wood County, Texas judge. The siblings had been living with John and Margaret Cantrell since 2005 and the 17-year-old boy had been adopted by the couple. A Wood County Judge has ordered that four children be placed in the temporary custody of Child Protective Services following allegations of abuse . Fox News reported that Mrs Cantrell was the person who first alerted authorities to the plight of the children at a Mineola 'swingers club' in 2004. Patrick Kelly received a life sentence for his role in the Mineola 'swingers club' in 2004 . The three siblings had been among the victims of a 'kindergarten' at the club, where children were drugged and learned to dance provocatively. Seven people were convicted in the case. The Cantrells have now lost custody of the children after a physical altercation between the 16-year-old girl and Mrs Cantrell. Shari Pulliam, of the state's Child Protective Services, told Fox News: 'We were called by the Cantrells to pick up that 16-year-old. 'They were refusing to parent that child any longer'. After the incident the agency interviewed all of the children living at the address. According to court documents the 16-year-old girl said that she had been slapped across the face and 'popped in the mouth' by Mrs Cantrell. Another child was allegedly beaten with a wooden backscratcher until it broke. In 2008 Mr Cantrell faced charges of a lewd act with a child, but the prosecution was later dropped. | Children aged between 13 and 17 cared for by John and Margaret Cantrell .
Mrs Cantrell informed authorities of original 'swinger's club' crimes .
Alleged beatings took place at home with items including a backscratcher . |
84,983 | f109c95e1022cbae69f831414e1ee88f8dcf65f4 | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 09:12 EST, 5 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:36 EST, 8 March 2013 . The Obama administration today dismissed a threat by North Korea and warned that U.S. is 'fully capable' of defending itself from a ballistic missile attack by the communist regime. White House spokesman Jay Carney was responding to the North's vow to launch a nuclear strike against America. North Korea state media warned of a 'thermonuclear war' as an unidentified spokesman for . Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said the North will exercise its right for . 'pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the headquarters of the aggressors.' Scroll down for video . Show of strength: A mass rally of citizens and soldiers was held in the North . Korean capital Pyongyang today after the regime threatened a . 'pre-emptive' nuclear strike against the U.S. That threat came in retaliation for tough new U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang following its recent nuclear test. Carney says the sanctions further isolate North Korea and show its leaders what will happen if they defy the international community. He said the breadth and severity of the sanctions show the world takes seriously the threat of North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea boasts of nuclear bombs but isn't thought to have the ability to produce a warhead that could be used on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. In response to North Korea's third nuclear test on February 3, the U.N. Security Council voted to tighten financial restrictions on Pyongyang and crack down on its attempts to ship and receive banned cargo. The U.S.-drafted resolution, which . was approved unanimously by the 15-nation council, was the product of . three weeks of negotiations between the U.S. and China after North . Korea's nuclear test on February 12. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, . said the resolution 'sent an unequivocal message to [North Korea] that . the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear . weapons.' Threat: Kim Jong-Un claps at the launch of the Unha-3 rocket. North Korea vowed to launch a . pre-emptive nuclear strike against the U.S. as revenge for new sanctions . In response to the threat of a nuclear strike two days ago, the U.S. envoy for North Korea policy, Glyn Davies, said America will take necessary steps to defend itself and its allies. Referring to threats from Pyongyang made in 'recent hours and days', he . called on the North not to miscalculate and said the U.S. was working . with South Korea to ensure it's ready for any threats that arise. Democrat . panel chairman Robert Menendez said the North's 'absurd' threat of a . nuclear strike on the U.S. would be tantamount to suicide. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said: 'North Korea will achieve nothing by . continued threats and provocations. 'These will only further isolate the . country and its people and undermine international efforts to promote . peace and stability in northeast Asia'. The latest U.N. resolution specifies . certain luxury items that North Korea's elite will not be allowed to . import, such as yachts, racing cars, luxury automobiles and certain . types of jewelry. This is to close a loophole that previously allowed countries to decide for themselves what constitutes a luxury good. The United Nations Security Council unanimously approve a fourth round of sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations headquarters in New York . Response: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice (pictured) said North Korea would achieve nothing by threats . Ambassador . Rice said: 'The strength, breadth and severity of these sanctions will . raise the cost to North Korea of its illicit nuclear program and further . constrain its ability to finance and source materials and technology . for its ballistic missile, conventional and nuclear weapons program. 'When . North Korea tries to move money to pay for its nuclear and ballistic . missile programs, countries must now block those transfers even if the . money is being carried in suitcases full of bulk cash.' China's . Ambassador Li Baodong reiterated Beijing's calls for a resumption of . the stalled six-party aid-for-disarmament talks between the two Koreas, . United States, China, Russia and Japan. 'We . want to see full implementation of the resolution,' China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong told reporters. 'The top priority now is to defuse . the tension, bring down heat, focus on the diplomatic track.' Council . diplomats say the point of the new measures is to bring the North Korea . sanctions regime more in line with the tough U.N. measures in place . against Iran. They say the . U.N. sanctions regime against Iran over its nuclear program, which . Western powers and their allies say is intended for making weapons but . Tehran claims is peaceful, has been more effective than the restrictions . on Pyongyang. North Koreans rally in support of the threat by the Supreme Command vowing to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War . A billboard depicting a North Korean bayonet throttling a US soldier is seen during a rally in the capital Pyongyang on Tuesday . Warning: Officials at a ceremony following a recent successful nuclear test in North Korea, which today sent a warning to the top U.S. commander in South Korea over its plans for joint drills . Pyongyang was hit with U.N. sanctions for its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests, measures that were subsequently tightened and expanded after several rocket launches. In addition to the luxury goods ban, there is an arms embargo on North Korea, and it is forbidden from trading in nuclear and missile technology. It imposes an obligation on the United Nations' 193 member states to block any financial services or monetary transfers that 'could contribute to the DPRK's nuclear or ballistic missile programs.' It also adds a binding obligation on countries to 'not provide public financial support for trade with the DPRK' if it could in any way support North Korea's nuclear or missile work. After Tuesday's announcement over the end of the 1953 armistice ending the Korean War, the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun, said: 'With the armistice nullified, it would be no surprise if a global thermonuclear war breaks out.' Although . North Korea boasts of nuclear bombs and pre-emptive strikes, it is not . thought to have mastered the ability to produce a warhead small enough . to put on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. It is believed to have . enough nuclear fuel, however, for a handful of crude nuclear devices. Uneasy truce: South Korean Army soldiers patrol along a barbed-wire fence near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea . Drills: Soldiers participating in a routine drill in South Korea, which is due to press ahead with joint drills with the U.S. military . Watch video here . | Strong words from North Korea followed the U.N.'s approval of new sanctions on Pyongyang following recent nuclear test .
Secretive state threatens to end 1953 peace pact with South Korea . |
186,893 | 7e0a5c615f161292b63d17d4a23f5c3b6f9808e3 | By . Ryan Kisiel . He is the young rugby star who today hopes to kick England to victory against Wales. As fly-half, Owen Farrell will play a pivotal role in the title-deciding Six Nations match in Cardiff. On the touchline will be his proud father, Andy Farrell, one of the England coaches. Legacy: England rugby player Owen Farrell has the game in his blood as the son of former league and union player Andy Farrell, now one of the English team coaches . But what the millions watching don’t know is that the 21-year-old is the product of a teenage romance – and for the first five years of his life he was named Owen O’Loughlin. His mother, Colleen O’Loughlin, gave birth to him just weeks before her 17th birthday. Colleen had met Andy through family friends and they started dating when they were just 14. The teenage sweethearts used to regularly babysit together. Within two years, the pair had left school in Wigan and were young parents – coping with the newborn Owen, who arrived in September 1991. There was no celebratory message printed in the births section of the local newspaper, merely the list of all new mothers from the local hospital showing Owen weighed a healthy 8lb 9oz. Rugby dynasty: Owen with his parents Andy and Colleen when his father picked up his OBE in 2005 . State of origin: Owen Farrell's 1991 birth certificate . Exceptional: Owen, pictured at Millennium stadium yesterday, became - albeit briefly - the youngest player to play in the English Premiership in 2008 . However, he was not at first . registered as a Farrell, but took Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. Andy was named on the birth certificate as his father, giving his . occupation as ‘apprentice joiner’. Both . just 16, the pair gave their parents’ addresses for the certificate. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the . following year. By then, . Andy Farrell was a rugby league star for Wigan who had become the . youngest winner of the Challenge Cup, the sport’s version of the FA Cup, . at 17. He was to become one of the sport’s most decorated players . before switching codes to rugby union. Colleen’s . little brother, Sean, who the teenage sweethearts used to babysit, went . on to become captain of Wigan and a Great Britain player. On Owen’s . re-registered birth certificate, Andy changed his occupation to . ‘professional rugby league player’ and Colleen Farrell said she was a . ‘fitness instructor’. Within a few years it was clear that Owen had inherited his father’s skills. Andy Farrell has told how his son was drop-kicking a ball before he was two. Owen said in an interview: ‘I was always watching dad lift trophies. 'That made me want to do what he does. I’ve always been there when he’s been training. 'He used to stay around to practise kicking and I used to kick the balls back to him. 'I’ve always had a rugby ball in my hand, so it was inevitable I was going to play.’ The family moved to a £1million home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, when Andy signed for Saracens in 2005. At first, Owen was not happy playing a different type of rugby. Andy, now 38, said: ‘He was kicking and screaming when we came down here. 'He didn’t want to leave Wigan because he was playing league. But that lasted about two weeks. ‘We planned for him to go back up north on the train every weekend, to carry on playing league. He did that once or twice but then I took him to training at Saracens and he soon forgot what he was missing out on.’ Owen’s career progressed at the same rate as his father’s – temporarily being the youngest player to play in the English Premiership in 2008. Owen’s grandfather, Peter Farrell, said: ‘I find it hard to say because he’s my grandson, but I think Owen’s about the most exceptional player I’ve ever come across.’ Up for grabs: Tom Croft breaks with the ball during the England captain's run at the Millennium Stadium yesterday as the team head for both slam and Six Nation's title today . Big day: Owen Farrell and the England rugby team will face Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff at 5pm on Saturday . | Fly-half Owen is the son of England coach Andy Farrell and wife Colleen .
He was was born Owen O'Loughlin when his parents were only 16 .
Rugby legacy Owen plays against Wales in Six Nations in Cardiff tomorrow . |
123,064 | 2b18f9bb4c3a0c63d375060a0fac05a339a9c737 | (CNN) -- Thousands of security officers cracked down on landmark sites in Iran's capital and other major cities Sunday, at times striking at throngs of protesters with batons and rushing others on motorcycles, witnesses said. A few plainclothes security agents stood in the middle of Tehran's Revolution Square, countering anti-government protesters with signs of their own in support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and chanting "I will give my life for the leader," an eyewitness told CNN. Hundreds of other security personnel cheered the group. Another witness said large crowds chanted "Death to the dictator" at the intersection of Gharib and Enghelab (revolution) avenues. Security forces on foot and motorcycles there beat several protesters with batons and detained at least four, the witness said. By nightfall, a witness in Tehran said the streets were quiet, with the exception of the occasional buzz of security forces' motorcycles. Earlier, witnesses reported that security officers doubled up on motorcycles charged a group of 150 people gathered on Vali Asr Avenue, striking at least 15 fleeing protesters with batons as crowds of people grew near Revolution Square. The daughter of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the nation's most powerful clerics and a vocal critic of the government, was briefly detained on Vali Asr for "provocative behavior," Iranian media reported. Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani was chanting anti-government slogans to create "unrest in the streets," the official Islamic Republic News Agency said. The semi-official Fars news agency she was released shortly after her arrest. Opposition websites reported that security forces opened fire on protesters in Hafteh Tir Square, killing one person. Safari-Ali Baratloo, a security official, denied there were clashes in Tehran on Sunday, much less a death, the semi-official Fars news agency said. He accused the websites of reporting lies. Iranian security forces put up a steel gate in front of the narrow alley that leads to opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi's Tehran home, opposition website Kaleme reported. An employee at a neighborhood hospital confirmed to CNN by phone that a new steel gate now blocks entry to the alley. She said the gate was not there on Friday. Moussavi and fellow opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi -- both of whom have decried the results of the June 2009 election that declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the overwhelming winner -- have been under house arrest in recent weeks. Security forces surrounded Moussavi's Tehran home on Saturday, blocking anyone from coming or going, and cut off all phone lines, according to opposition websites. Moussavi's family members say the security forces have told them they're from the prosecutor's office, but have not provided any identification or produced court order for the heightened restrictions, Kaleme reported. Large numbers of security forces continued to patrol areas throughout Tehran and other parts of the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of miles south of the capital, protesters in Isfahan were met with batons and pepper spray in one square while hundreds of others were able to march peacefully under the watch of about 200 security agents at another demonstration site, a witness said. Two protesters in Isfahan were beaten, then taken away in an unmarked car by security agents, the witness said. An eyewitness in historic Shiraz, who participated in demonstrations Sunday, told CNN that large crowds of anti-government protesters have gathered along Mollasadra Avenue in the center of the city. Roughly 200 people, including men and women of all ages, gathered at the site, but were dispersed by uniformed and plainclothes security agents who hit at protesters with batons. The witness, an art student who has been involved in protests in Iran since the 2009 fallout over Iran's disputed presidential election, said security officers on motorcycles would aim for the crowd but swerve just before of hitting people. She said she saw at least five people wounded at the scene. CNN could not independently verify the reports. Reporting from Iran has been difficult this week -- foreign journalists were denied visas, accredited journalists living in the country were restricted from covering the demonstrations and internet speed slowed to a crawl in an apparent attempt to both limit protest organizing and restrict information from being transmitted out of the country. Earlier, sources told CNN that 11 journalists, cameramen and photographers working for international media had their work permits revoked by Iran's ministry of culture on Friday for covering unrest in the country on February 14. They include staffers from AFP, Al-Jazeera and The New York Times. New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha confirmed to CNN that a Times reporter's press credentials were confiscated in Iran. Ha said the newspaper is not identifying the reporter and would not share any more details. Last week, thousands of government opponents marched in Tehran on Monday. And Wednesday, thousands more took to the streets for the funeral of a man killed in Monday's demonstration. Iranian authorities began rounding up many government opponents last week amid calls for protests like those that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East. Journalist Farbod Jamali contributed to this report. | NEW: Security forces put up gate in front of alley to opposition leader's home, opposition website reports .
The daughter of a former Iranian president was briefly detained .
Opposition websites say one protester was shot dead .
More clashes reported on the streets of Tehran and other cities . |
210,585 | 9cbc7b70a673e399189dd51d3d9d332faa368963 | A mother who was accidentally shot dead by her 2-year-old son in a Walmart supermarket had been carrying the gun in a handbag given to her as a Christmas present, it emerged yesterday. Veronica Rutledge had a concealed weapons permit for the gun which the toddler, her only child, fired into her at point blank range after finding it in her handbag. They described the nuclear research scientist, 29, as a ‘beautiful, young, loving mother’ who was ‘taken much too soon’ in the latest gun tragedy in the U.S. where there are more than 32,000 firearm-related deaths a year. Scroll down for video . Tragic accident: A two-year-old boy accidentally killed his a 29-year-old mother Veronica Rutledge (left) at an Idaho Walmart store after reaching into her bag and firing her hidden gun . Ruteledge had a bag similar to the one pictured here, specially designed to conceal a weapon (file image of a bag that is not believed to be the model given to Ruteledge, on the left). It was revealed today that the bag was a gift from her husband Colt (on the right, a picture of her husband from his MySpace profile) Mrs Rutledge was killed at the Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, on Tuesday in front of three of her nieces - all aged under 11 - who had joined her to spend their holiday gift cards. In-store CCTV captured the shocking moment in the electronics aisle as the boy, who was sitting in the trolley seat, reached into his mother’s handbag where he found the gun and pulled the trigger. The mother-of-one from Blackfoot, Idaho was visiting family with her husband Colt, who she married in 2009, and was spending the day with her son and nieces, according to the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Idaho. Unthinkable: People stand inside the Walmart in Hayden, Idaho on Tuesday after the two-year-old boy tragically killed his own mother while they shopped. The Walmart was evacuated and closed after the shooting . Location: The shooting happened in a Walmart store in Hayden, Idaho . Mrs Rutledge was a strong advocate of the Second Amendment which guarantees the right to bear arms. She worked at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls and a family member said that she was a ‘chemical engineer, a very bright young lady’. Her husband had given his wife the handbag containing a special zipped compartment for the gun as a Christmas present. The victim’s father-in law Terry Rutledge criticized those who blamed the dead mother as being irresponsible for carrying a loaded weapon. He said: ‘They are painting Veronica as irresponsible, and that is not the case. ‘I brought my son up around guns, and he has extensive experience shooting it. And Veronica had had handgun classes. They’re both licensed to carry, and this wasn’t just some purse she had thrown her gun into. ‘Odd as it may sound, we are gun people.’ He went on to say that the tragic incident will haunt his family for the rest of their lives. 'My son is terrible,' Terry Rutledge told the Washington Post. 'He has a 2-year-old boy right now who doesn’t know where his mom is and he’ll have to explain why his mom isn’t coming home. And then, later on his life, as he questions it more, he’ll again have to explain what happened, so we’ll have to relive this several times over.' Idaho, a rugged and largely rural state, is among the U.S. states with the highest percentage of Americans who own guns. State law allows concealed weapons in most public places and only last week Hayden amended its own rules to make clear a gun owner is justified in firing a weapon in self defense. Lt Stu Miller of the Kootenai County sheriff’s office described the shooting as a ‘tragic accident’. Asked why Mrs Rutledge was carrying a loaded gun he said that it was ‘pretty common around here’ for someone to do so. Shooting: An Idaho state patrol officer arrived at the store in Hayden on Tuesday following the shooting . Lt Miller added that even now her son ‘probably still doesn’t even know what has happened’. Hayden resident Judy Minter said: ‘There’s a lot of people who do carry guns in this area. ‘But for her to have it within reach of her child - that was not very smart.’ Idaho National Laboratory senior chemical engineer Vince Maio worked with Mrs Rutledge on a research paper about using glass ceramic to store nuclear waste, according to the Spokesman-Review. 'Beautiful person': Ms Rutledge (left) was a nuclear research scientist and a mother-of-one . Tragic: The victim was spending the day with her son and nieces when she was shot dead . ‘She had a lot of maturity for her age,’ he told the newspaper. ‘Her work was impeccable. She found new ways to do things that we did before and she found ways to do them better.’ ‘She was a beautiful person,’ he added. The incident is the latest example of shootings involving children in the U.S. Only last month a girl of four seriously injured a boy of three who lived next door when she shot him in the face. Walmart spokesman Aaron Mullins said that bringing a loaded gun into the store was not a violation of store policy as the company defers to state and local laws. | Veronica Rutledge, 29, was shopping with her only son, 2, and nieces at Walmart on Tuesday when she was killed .
Her toddler son reached into her handbag and accidentally triggered a gun hidden inside .
The handbag was a gift from her husband Colt, and was specially-designed to conceal a weapon . |
228,298 | b39bac93399ba68681fc06e6727dc47a85f9df0f | (CNN) -- Watching Peter Dearman at work amid the clutter in his garage cum workshop, it's easy to see why one of his sons refers to him as a sort of "nutty professor." The British inventor has been tinkering with "liquid air" engines at his home in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire for more than three decades. "I don't think it's any good having ideas and not being able to make them. It's very difficult if you just go to people with ideas -- you can't actually show them it working," Dearman says. All that hard work is starting to pay off, as interest in the 61-year-old's invention -- which has applications for both motoring and renewable energy storage -- gathers pace. Liquid air is essentially air which has been cooled to very low, or cryogenic, temperatures (around -190 degrees Celsius or -310 degrees Fahrenheit) and can be stored in insulted containers. Read: Mine Kafon: The low-tech tumbleweed minesweeper . When exposed to heat, the liquid starts to expand as it turns back into a gas. If this process of reheating is conducted in a confined space, say, an engine cylinder, it creates high pressure air which can drive a piston. Whilst building a car powered by liquid air is nothing new -- a model was demonstrated as early as 1903 -- Dearman's adaptation is. "The unique thing about this engine is that it uses a heat exchange fluid (in this case, anti-freeze) which is placed on top of the piston in the cylinder," Dearman explains. "Into that we introduce liquid nitrogen which is atomized and gives us good heat contact. The heat exchange fluid keeps the gas warm (as the piston moves up and down) and increases the efficiency." Dearman has come a long way since he developed his first working prototype using a modified a lawn mower engine. Today, he demonstrates a custom-built car which runs smoothly around a farmyard near his home. Read: Shutter shades creates new fashion code . The technology has caught the eye of British engineering company Ricardo who are currently building an engine based on Dearman's design for use in agricultural vehicles and mining equipment. The company say the engine has "numerous practical applications in the future market place ... and is likely to compete with hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric systems." Liquid air could also help store surplus energy generated by wind and solar. "[Energy storage] is essential because, with any renewable energy source, it's variable. So you have to be able to store a certain amount of it to cope with peak demand," Dearman said. A pilot power plant in Slough, Berkshire -- the first of its kind in the world -- is currently trialing the technology. Read: Toy chopper takes mental concentration to new heights . A huge vacuum flask at the facitlity holds 60 tons of liquid air, but instead of anti-freeze, they mix it with waste heat coming from the neighboring power station. But the principles are exactly the same, Dearman says. "We take a large tank, heat it with waste heat and that creates the pressure that runs the turbine which creates electricity ... simple," he says. The plant run by Highview Power Storage -- a company co-founded by Dearman and jointly funded by the UK government -- can generate 500 kilowatts of power, he says, but there is nothing to stop them being made on a much larger scale. Using waste heat also raises efficiency levels up to 70% -- not as high as the 80% battery storage can achieve, but competitive. It also has one crucial advantage, Dearman says. "Batteries aren't really scalable, you can't use them worldwide because there's not enough materials to make batteries from. So you need a system that doesn't use scarce resources," he said. The UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) recently launched a working group investigating the potential of liquid air storage. Speaking in October, IMechE's Head of Energy and Environment, Tim Fox said: "Liquid air and liquid nitrogen are an exciting alternative we should explore to store energy. It seems to address many of the challenges we face and is affordable, uses mature components and is highly scalable." All this is rich encouragement for Dearman, who isn't driven by money, but by a lifelong fascination with energy and a desire to help make the world a more efficient place. "It's not right that one generation should use up most of the world's resources during their lifetime. So, the more we can do to alleviate that the better, I think." | British inventor Peter Dearman develops novel engine powered by "liquid air"
The 61-year-old says his technology can be used to power cars and store energy .
British engineering company, Ricardo building an engine based on Dearman's design .
UK pilot power plant demonstrating how liquid air can be used to store intermittent renewable energy . |
49,425 | 8ba6fcfd2c91efeda44d29c3d60e5fdf75271462 | By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 10:46 EST, 2 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:55 EST, 2 August 2013 . A 20-year-old thief has paid the price for being friends with his mother on Facebook after she gave him an embarrassing dressing down for stealing a woman's jewellery. Cleaner Charlie Cooper complained on the social networking site that his human rights had been breached when his photo was printed in a local newspaper next to a report on his court appearance. But he was left red-faced after his . mother waded into the argument and told him off for stealing jewellery . from an innocent woman. Embarrassing: Charlie Cooper, 20, pictured left, paid the price for being friends with his mother Teresa, pictured with him right, on Facebook after she told him off for complaining about his photo being published in a local newspaper next to a report on his court case for theft . Complaint: Charlie Cooper left this message on the Facebook page of the Herne Bay Gazette after they printed his picture - accusing the newspaper of breaching his human rights . Cooper, from Kent, wrote on Facebook that the Herne Bay Gazette had not asked his permission to print the photo. In a statement on the . newspaper’s Facebook page, which contained several spelling errors, he wrote: 'Well done guys, im having to watch my back every time I go out now, . thanks to the idiots at the gazzette im getting threats left right and . center, I know what I did was wrong but you didnt ask me if you could . take a picture and put it in the papers, I know the public have a right . to know but.i have my human rights, and now they have been breached, . thanks guys well done'. His mother Teresa responded to his remarks, telling him he didn’t have a right to complain as he had committed the crime. Telling off: But the 20-year-old's mother Teresa told him off for complaining - pointing out he shouldn't have committed the crime in the first place . Determined: Despite his mother's advice, Cooper continued to defend his Facebook complaint, saying he didn't want his picture taken . She wrote: 'They don’t need your permission to take your picture if the courts have given them permission to be there to do so.' He replied: 'They do, I dont want my picture taken. End of.' But it was a case of mother-knows-best when she had the final say and told him: 'It done now. That lady didn’t want her jewellery taking but you did it anyway, end of.' The row prompted Cooper to block his mother on the social networking website. Argument: Mrs Cooper and her son continued to debate the newspaper's use of his picture until he tells his mother he is blocking her on Facebook . He angrily posted: 'This is why I didnt have you on facebook mum, you say things like that, im blocking you ok.!'. Undeterred, . she replied: 'Its the truth charlie, you dont like the truth, until you . realise things like this you will never learn ok.' Crime: Cooper stole jewellery worth £1,500 from Vandra Henderson while working with his father to clean her home . Canterbury Magistrates Court last . week heard Cooper stole the jewellery worth £1,500 from Vandra . Henderson, in Whitstable, last year, to fuel his drink . and drugs habit. Prosecutor Julie Farbrace said Mrs Henderson, who is in her late 50s, had her home cleaned every two weeks by Cooper’s father. Cooper helped his father in October and November and at the time the jewellery went missing. The home owner alerted police, who discovered that Cooper had sold the pieces to a jeweller in Margate. Magistrates told him he had let his family down. Chairman of the bench Carole Kincaid said: 'This was a very serious offence in which there was a breach of trust. 'The jewellery you stole not only had a financial value, but also a sentimental value. You have also let your family down.' Cooper drank up to two bottles of wine a day and took party drug MDMA, the court was told. 'This was not part of a long course of offending,' Nigel Numas, defending, said. 'At the time he was suffering from problems with drink and drugs. He was drinking two bottles of wine a day and taking MDMA.' Magistrates gave Cooper a 12-month community order with 240 hours unpaid work. He must pay £1,519 in compensation to Mrs Henderson, plus £85 prosecution costs and a £60 victim surcharge. Motherly love: Despite him threatening to block her on Facebook, Teresa Cooper gives her son some more sound advice . Court case: Cooper was ordered to serve a 12-month community order with 240 hours unpaid work and to pay his victim £1,519 in compensation at Canterbury Magistrates Court . | Charlie Cooper, 20, was sentenced for theft by Canterbury Magistrates .
A local newspaper ran Cooper's picture next to a court report of the case .
He complained on Facebook the paper had breached his human rights .
But his mother told him off for committing the crime in the first place . |
278,137 | f452f1cf92c11886278415b92d5dc2189c189180 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:45 EST, 23 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:44 EST, 24 December 2012 . President Obama allegedly threatened Speaker John Boehner with a public shaming if he held up a compromise on the fiscal cliff negotiations. Mr Obama reportedly said that he was willing to blame the failed negotiations on stubborn Republicans in either his inauguration speech or the state of the Union if the two parties were unable to reach an equitable decision. The Wall Street Journal reports that Mr Obama made the threat a number of times, and though nothing has been formally decided as the deadline looms one week from today, the move would be a drastic one, and seen by many as a divisive way to head into his second term. Scroll down for video . Not happy with threats: President Obama reportedly grew frustrated with Speaker John Boehner and said that if they didn't strike a deal he would blame the Republicans in his Inaugural address . One of the points where President Obama became frustrated with Mr Boehner came when the Speaker said that he expected some show of gratitude or concession after he reportedly handed over $800billion from tax revenue earnings. That was promptly shot down by the President, with him allegedly retorting: 'You get nothing. I get that for free.' On Capitol Hill, some Republicans worry about the practical and political implications should the GOP block a compromise designed to avoid tax increases for most Americans and cut the nation's deficit. 'It weakens the entire Republican Party, the Republican majority,' Representative Steven LaTourette, a Republican from Ohio, said Thursday night shortly after rank-and-file Republicans rejected Boehner's 'Plan B' - a measure that would have prevented tax increases on all Americans but million-dollar earners. U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the fiscal cliff at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House Thursday . President Barack Obama speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington . 'I mean it's the continuing dumbing down of the Republican Party and we are going to be seen more and more as a bunch of extremists that can't even get a majority of our own people to support policies that we're putting forward,' LaTourette said. 'If you're not a governing majority, you're not going to be a majority very long.' Republicans are not the only ones bracing for a less-than-stellar situation, as President Obama has reportedly scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain with . Republicans. Instead, he's calling for a limited measure sufficient to . prevent the government from careening off the 'fiscal cliff' in January . by extending tax cuts for most taxpayers and forestalling a painful set . of agency budget cuts. In a White House . appearance Friday, Obama also called on Congress to extend jobless . benefits for the long-term unemployed that would otherwise be cut off . for 2 million people at the end of the year. The future looked bright: The pair met in November, and were seemingly happy, but the same cannot be said now . Obama's . announcement was a recognition that chances for a larger agreement . before year's end have probably collapsed. It also suggested that any . chance for a smaller deal may rest in the Senate, particularly after the . collapse of a plan by Speaker Boehner to permit tax . rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes. 'In the next few days, . I've asked leaders of Congress to work toward a package that prevents a . tax hike on middle-class Americans, protects unemployment insurance for . 2 million Americans, and lays the groundwork for further work on both . growth and deficit reduction,' President Obama said. Gray skies cover the U.S. Capitol in Washington as Congress closes down for the holiday without a compromise on the 'fiscal cliff' Speaker of the House John Boehner, (left) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (right with the president) must compromise together along with President Obama on the looming 'fiscal cliff' 'That's an achievable goal. That can get done in 10 days.' Maybe, maybe . not. The latest plan faces uncertainty at best in the sharply divided . Senate. GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who wields great power . even in the minority, called Friday for Senate action on a House bill . from the summer extending the full menu of Bush-era tax cuts. He . promised that it will take GOP votes for anything to clear the Senate, . where 60 votes are required to advance most legislation. Democrats . control 53 votes. Boehner, giving the GOP . weekly radio address, said, 'Of course, hope springs eternal, and I know . we have it in us to come together and do the right thing.' | President made threat as he became repeatedly exasperated during negotiations, according to report .
The president is calling for a limited measure to extend tax cuts for most taxpayers and forestall agency budget cuts .
House Speaker John Boehner has submitted his 'bottom line proposal' |
32,401 | 5c2109be0b4abaa7bc94535cf4c7d1d7cecfdfa4 | By . John Stevens . Senior Conservatives have drawn up plans to cap immigration from poorer countries as part of the renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the EU. Limits would be placed on the number of people coming from countries where wages and benefits are lower than in the UK. The restrictions would include existing EU members, such as Romania and Bulgaria, as well as countries joining in the future. The cap, tearing up the EU’s founding principle of free movement, is thought to have won some backing in the Cabinet. The Prime Minister has promised to renegotiate Britain's membership of the EU before an in-out referendum by the end of 2017 . Senior Tories want immigration reform to be at the centre of efforts to renegotiate the relationship with Brussels. Under the proposals, there would be ‘two rings of Europe’, with Britain and others breaking away from eurozone countries committed to closer integration. Countries in the ‘outer ring’ would focus on trade, with business regulations, human rights laws and entitlements to benefits all radically cut. The Prime Minister has promised to renegotiate Britain’s membership of the EU before an in-out referendum by the end of 2017. David Cameron is facing calls from his MPs to spell out what measures he hopes to achieve in a renegotiation. Some in the Tory party want him to adopt a tougher stance on immigration to see off the threat of Ukip at next year’s general election. Mr Cameron has previously talked about proposals for a wealth test to stop migration from countries joining the EU, such as Turkey and Albania, until their economies are closer aligned to the UK. But some Conservative MPs want the idea extended to include countries that are already members. People from these countries would still be allowed to come to Britain, but their numbers would be limited. People from these countries would still be allowed to come to Britain, but their numbers would be limited. Earlier this year there were reports of a Cabinet split on whether a pledge to stop the influx of foreign workers from poorer European nations should be included in the Tories’ 2015 manifesto. Home Secretary Theresa May is said to be one of those pressing to limit the number of migrants from existing member states. Critics have cast doubt on Mr Cameron’s ability to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU after he failed in his attempt to stop the appointment of arch-federalist Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission. Labour said it had been an ‘utter humiliation’ to be outvoted by 26 to 2 on Mr Juncker’s candidacy. After the defeat, Mr Cameron came closer to suggesting he would recommend a No vote in a referendum on EU membership if he fails to claw back powers from Brussels before 2017. ‘I will always do what’s in the national interest,’ he told the Commons. He conceded that renegotiating a looser, more trade-based relationship with Brussels would be harder with Mr Juncker at the helm, but insisted it was still achievable. It has been argued that some countries owe Mr Cameron a debt after overriding his opposition to the appointment of Mr Juncker. | Restrictions would include existing EU members Romania and Bulgaria .
Limits would be placed on the number of people coming from countries where wages and benefits are lower than in the UK .
Prime Minister has promised to renegotiate Britain’s membership of the EU before an in-out referendum by the end of 2017 . |
114,948 | 2057e721d000200079f69cc58e45a3e2dbfa8019 | A bizarre video has emerged from China of a man wearing a motorcycle helmet while driving a severely damaged lorry. The footage was captured earlier this month when police officers stopped the man on a highway in Jiangxi Province. He was driving with another man, who, interestingly, was not wearing any sort of safety gear - despite travelling in the same vehicle. A bizarre video has emerged from China of a man driving a severely damaged lorry while wearing a helmet . The vehicle is so badly damaged that the cab has to be propped up with a wooden stick . The man was pulled over by police officers after the lorry was spotted on a highway in Jiangxi Province . The driver claimed that the accident had happened the night before but wanted to repair it himself at home . In the video, the man demonstrates how he has propped up the roof of the lorry’s cab using a wooden stick and that he's wearing the helmet to protect himself from strong winds while driving. According to police reports, the driver said he had crashed the lorry the evening before and had been reluctant to pay for a recovery vehicle so decided to make the journey home to repair the damage himself. The local news station claims that the driver was given a penalty by the police officers and his lorry was removed from the highway. | The odd footage was captured earlier this month in Jiangxi Province .
Man was pulled over by police for driving an unsafe vehicle on the highway .
Driver was wearing a motorcycle helmet to 'protect himself from wind' |
214,608 | a1e10cb39b22816ea3ef6d71d82d3ee2e790bca9 | Rural motorists could receive a 5 pence a litre price cut under a government scheme which has been approved by the European Commission. Some 17 remote areas of Great Britain will benefit from the discount, including Cumbria, Devon, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands. The scheme, which is similar to one already used on the Scottish Islands, now requires final approval from other EU member states through the EU council. The government scheme comes as a report by the AA warned that motorists in many small towns are paying up to 4p more for their petrol than in urban areas such as at the Harvest Energy Petrol Station in Birmingham where the cost of petrol has dipped below £1 . It comes as a report by the AA warned that motorists in many small towns are paying up to 4p more for their petrol - despite average petrol prices dipping to their lowest level for five years. The UK Government is pressing ahead with a formal consultation on the price cut scheme with a view to implementing it in the current Parliament. Those living in the UK’s most remote islands already get a 5p per litre fuel reduction under the Government’s Rural Fuel Rebate scheme. But the AA warned that some drivers might find it difficult to tell if the full rebate has been passed on while the RAC doubted whether rural motorists would ever see fuel parity with those in urban areas. But AA president Edmund King (pictured) warned that a uniform price drop doesn’t always reduce the price gap between small rural towns and big cities . Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said of the EC decision: ‘This is great news for motorists in these areas and brings a duty discount a step closer. Even though fuel prices are falling across the country, they are still higher in very rural areas.’ The Government claims up to 125,000 motorists will benefit from the changes. The latest AA fuel report said the average UK petrol price is 108.91p - a 7.41p dip on the mid-December figure and only 0.5p short of the second-biggest monthly fall recorded by the AA. However supermarket chain Asda has been selling unleaded for just over 103p while an independent Harvest trader in Birmingham has sold it for 99p. The AA says average mid-January diesel prices are 116.11p a litre, which represents a 6.05p cut on the mid-December figure. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander (pictured) welcomed the news which brings a duty discount one step closer for motorists in rural areas . These average figures do not take into account the latest 2p-a-litre reduction in petrol and in diesel by the four big supermarkets. The AA said a family with two petrol cars is spending around £16.30 a month less at the pump than in mid-December, and more than £50 a month less than last July, when petrol was at 131.70p a litre. But the AA president Edmund King warned ‘A uniform price drop doesn’t always reduce the gap between small rural towns and others. ‘Buxton, in Derbyshire, with a population of more than 20,000, has now come under the spotlight for supermarket petrol at 109.9p a litre on Monday – a penny above the UK average and 4p dearer than in towns with competitive supermarket prices. ‘Other rural towns paying 4p a litre more for their cheapest petrol include places like Ludlow in Shropshire with 11,000 residents and Liphook in Hampshire with a population of 7,000.’ Mr King added: ‘Discrimination against small rural towns of up to 20,000 inhabitants – having to pay £2 a tank more for supermarket petrol than in towns with competitive pricing. ‘Towns like Jedburgh, Hawick and Dumfries were paying 107.9p and 108.9p a litre for supermarket petrol. On either side of them, supermarket petrol was being sold for as little as 103.7p in Carlisle and Kilmarnock.’ ‘Many rural towns would say that predictions of petrol at 99.9p a litre are a bad joke as they continue to struggle with the pump price lottery.’ Drivers in south west England, Yorkshire and Humberside, the north of England and Northern Ireland are enjoying the lowest petrol prices, all averaging 108.8p a litre. East Anglia has the most expensive, at 109.4p a litre. The average price of diesel is cheapest in Northern Ireland, at 115.7p a litre, while Scotland is most expensive, averaging 116.9p. | Scheme proposes a 5p rebate for rural locations to match urban fuel costs .
Some of the 17 locations include Cumbria, Devon and Scottish Highlands .
Follows a report revealing drivers in small towns pay up to 4p more for fuel .
But the RAC doubted rural motorists will ever see fuel parity with cities . |
37,735 | 6adc12fd5f6b22973aa34c5f2cb23d7ba94876b3 | (CNN) -- Vehicles began streaming across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge early Tuesday -- a day ahead of schedule -- after the completion of repairs to a crack in the structure's east span. Commuters make the trek across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge after it reopened Tuesday. Commuters began driving over the bridge around 6:40 a.m. PT (9:40 a.m. ET), shortly after Randy Iwasaki, director of the California Department of Transportation, announced the reopening at a news conference. "The bridge has been inspected, and it is safer than when we closed it on Friday," Iwasaki said. Over the weekend, crews began repairing a "significant crack" that was found on the east span of the bridge during a planned closure for another project. The target time for reopening had been early Wednesday, but crews worked nonstop overnight to repair the eyebar beam, Iwasaki said. He thanked motorists for being patient. "I know it's been trying. I received a few e-mail notes," the official said. Iwasaki said some closures or detours near the bridge would remain in place a while longer, including those along northbound and southbound Interstate 880. About 280,000 vehicles cross the landmark bridge every day, according to the department. The Bay Bridge was closed last week as part of a seismic retrofitting project that required cutting out and replacing a double-deck portion of the east span. Watch as the bridge needed big repairs » . A 50-foot section of the bridge collapsed in 1989 during the Loma Prieta earthquake, prompting efforts to make it quake tolerant. | NEW: Bridge "is safer than when we closed it on Friday," official says .
California bridge closed last week for scheduled retrofitting .
Workers discovered "significant crack" on east span of bridge .
About 280,000 vehicles travel San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge daily . |
265,307 | e39eb46e37d53a158e0beb4f6f3afd9e4c549c1e | (CNN) -- Top International Atomic Energy Agency officials arrived in Iran Sunday, state media reported, after the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog expressed fresh concerns that the Islamic republic was trying to develop nuclear weapons. The six-member delegation, including chief inspector Herman Nackaerts, arrived at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, Press TV reported. "We are trying... to resolve all the outstanding issues with Iran," Nackaerts told reporters earlier, as he was about to leave Vienna, Austria, according to Press TV. "We are looking forward to the start of a dialogue, a dialogue that is overdue." A mission to Iran by such a senior team -- which also includes the agency's second-in-command, Rafael Grossi -- is unusual, the agency said when it announced the visit on Monday. The team is due to be in Iran through Tuesday, the IAEA says. The announcement of the mission came shortly after the European Union imposed a tough round of new sanctions on Iran, aimed at cutting off funding to the country's nuclear program. The United States and Australia have also ramped up sanctions on Iran in the past week. The United States and its allies think Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies it. Speaking Friday at the Davos Forum in Switzerland, energy agency Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters the visit is intended "to clarify the issues with possible military dimensions. "We are not very sure whether Iran has declared everything and, therefore, we are not very sure that everything stays in peaceful purpose," he said. "In addition, we have information that Iran has engaged in activities related to the development of nuclear weapons. Therefore, we need to clarify." "The preparations have gone well, but we need to see what actually happens when the mission arrives," he said. Inspectors are in and out of the country regularly, an agency spokeswoman said Monday, but a high-level visit of the kind taking place at the end of the month is more unusual. Iran's envoy to the energy agency said Saturday he was hopeful the trip will "resolve any ambiguity and show (our) transparency and cooperation with the agency." "This trip is aimed at neutralizing enemy plots ... and baseless allegations, and proving the peaceful nature of our nuclear activities," Ali Asghar Soltanieh told state-run Islamic Republican News Agency. Amano said that the energy agency proposed the mission, and Iranian authorities "agreed to accept" it. But the Islamic news agency reported Nackaerts is traveling at Tehran's invitation. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he was ready to discuss the program with a group of world powers that have been having on-and-off negotiations with the country over its nuclear ambitions -- including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. The energy agency reported in November that it can no longer verify that the Iranian nuclear program remains peaceful, and Iran is under increasing international pressure to halt its nuclear fuel work. Western sanctions have targeted its currency, the rial, driving up prices for goods within Iran, and the European Union announced Monday that it would stop importing Iranian oil as of July 1 in an effort to starve the country's nuclear program of funding. In response, an Iranian official said Sunday that Tehran would stop oil exports to "certain countries," soon, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi made the statement after a cabinet meeting Sunday, as Iranian lawmakers are debating whether to halt oil exports to European countries, IRNA reported. | A six-member International Atomic Energy Agency arrives in Tehran, Iranian media says .
The agency head worries that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, he says .
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes .
The IAEA chief has said he hopes to trip can "clarify" military dimensions of Iran's program . |
83,900 | edf980f43b93052326b15e0eeda9aba305b404d5 | By . Paul Sims . A frail grandmother was viciously attacked with her own walking stick by a drug-crazed thug who burst into her home, a court was told yesterday. Angela Mayger, 73, was left with shocking bruises to her head, eyes and arms after 20-year-old traveller Gary Smith confronted her. Smith punched her in the face, pushed her and then slammed her head against a door in an attack branded 'cowardly and despicable' by his own barrister. Horrifying: Angela Mayger, left, pictured with the terrible bruising to her face inflicted when she was attacked in her own home by vicious traveller Gary Smith, right, still lives in fear he might return, the court was told . After she refused to hand over the keys to her new car he snatched her walking stick from her and used it to beat her around the head. Mrs Mayger was so terrified that she could barely move. Smith, a career criminal who was high on alcohol and cannabis, refused to stop despite pleas from his victim and repeatedly screamed: 'Give me the key to your car.' He was yesterday jailed for five years as the court was told that Mrs Mayger now lives in daily fear that he will return to her home once released from prison. Recorder Julian Goose QC told Smith: 'You violently and viciously attacked an elderly woman at night. 'You put her to the ground as you attacked her. In the victim impact report Mrs Mayger said she was shocked by the level of violence used against her. 'She says that every day she lives with the fear that once you are released you will come back and visit her again. Violence: Mrs Mayger was punched in the face, by Smith who then slammed her head against a door in an attack . 'A woman of 73 now lives in fear of violence because of you.' In . a blistering attack on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) the judge . also said Smith should have been charged with robbery, not burglary, . because of the use of force. If . so, Smith, who has 20 previous convictions for affray, stealing cars, . criminal damage, theft and two assaults, would have been facing a jail . sentence of up to 15 years. The . court was told how Mrs Mayger was at home in Kilham, East Yorkshire, . making supper when the doorbell rang at 9pm on February 9. Critical: Recorder Julian Goose QC slammed the CPS for not bringing charges of robbery against Smith . Mrs Mayger, who lives alone, thought it was her son and went to open the door only to be confronted by Smith who pushed his way into the pensioner's hallway. Mrs Mayger tried to fend him off with her walking stick but Smith was too strong and snatched it from her before unleashing the terrifying assault. 'I thought I was safe in my own home,' she said after the attack. 'All my doors and windows have locks and I have a burglar alarm. I just answered the door and he burst in. I was very frightened. 'He punched me on the right hand side of my forehead with a clenched fist. 'He banged my head against the door. He hit me straight away with the walking stick, very hard to the theft hand side of my forehead. 'It sounds silly, but my legs were quivering.' After a brief tussle with his victim Smith grabbed the pensioner's car keys and drove off with fellow traveller Richard Miley, 23. The men, who live on a traveller site just yards from Mrs Mayger's home, sped off towards Bridlington but crashed minutes later. They later handed themselves into the police after a wave of public revulsion. Both men pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking at Hull Crown Court whilst Smith admitted a further offence of burglary. Steven Garth, for Smith, told the court: 'The defendant carried out this despicable and cowardly attack on this old lady. 'It was only when he sobered up did he realise what he had done. 'He was extremely drunk and to compound matters he was smoking cannabis. He remembers little - he was almost senseless.' Smith was disqualified from driving for two years. Miley, who has a previous conviction for burglary and vehicle taking, was jailed for three months but walked free from court because of the time he has already spent in custody. | Traveller Gary Smith, 20, who has 20 previous convictions, was sentenced to five years for burglary .
Pensioner Angela Mayger, 73, still lives in fear of Smith returning to attack her, the court hears .
Judge slams prosecutors for not bringing a charge of robbery against Smith due to the level of violence used during the burglary . |
109,058 | 189597eeca75f17eda36e9352ff2c2b669d912b3 | By . Eleanor Harding . PUBLISHED: . 16:18 EST, 12 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:02 EST, 13 December 2012 . They are the passionate love letters Mick Jagger wanted to keep under wraps. Written in the summer of 1969 to his secret lover Marsha Hunt, they reveal a tender side to the Rolling Stones singer rarely seen in public. Jagger is understood to have made it clear to his former girlfriend that he wished to keep them private – but she had other ideas. Jagge-d heart: Mick Jagger wrote the letters in 1969 to American-born singer Marsha Hunt, right, who was the inspiration for the . Rolling Stones' hit Brown Sugar . 'Trade words across the Indian ocean': The rock legend is said to have made it clear that he wanted the intimate notes kept private . Love letter: An envelope containing one of the letters, written by a 25-year-old Mick Jagger during his time in Australia and sent to Ms Hunt's London address, which sold for £187,250 . Yesterday, they went under the hammer for an incredible £187,250 after a three-minute bidding war at Sotheby’s. The 10 letters, said to paint a picture of Jagger as a ‘poetic and self-aware’ 25-year-old, were written to the American-born singer while Jagger was in Australia. In one steamy note, he promises Marsha: ‘I will kiss you softly. And bite your mouth too.’ In other letters, he is more poetic, musing: ‘If I sailed with you around the world/All my sails would be unfurled.’ Miss Hunt provided the inspiration for . the Stones’ 1971 hit Brown Sugar and gave birth to Jagger’s child Karis . in 1972 after a three year love affair. Like father, like daughter: Marsha Hunt in the late 90s with daughter Karis, fathered by Mick during their three-year love affair . Now 66, she said she was selling the letters because she was ‘broke’ and needed to make repairs to her home in France. Asked recently if Jagger supported the sale, she said: ‘I don’t think so but they’re not his.’ The auctioneer is so worried about legal action from Jagger, they have taken the unusual step of not releasing substantial extracts from the letters to the media. Broke: Marsha Hunt, pictured in 2005 when she suffered from breast cancer, sold the letters to repair her home . Speaking after yesterday’s sale, Miss Hunt said: ‘The passage of time has given these letters a place in our cultural history. ‘1969 saw the ebbing of a crucial, revolutionary era, highly influenced by such artists as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, James Brown and Bob Dylan. ‘Their inner thoughts should not be the property of only their families, but the public at large, to reveal who these influential artists were – not as commercial images, but their private selves.’ Written from his film set for Ned . Kelly in the outback just after the Stones’ landmark Hyde Park concert, . the documents provide a glimpse into the singer as a young man. There . are mentions of the events and people of the time such as the first . moon landing, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and the Isle of Wight festival. And . also included are also references to the death of former Rolling Stones . band mate Brian Jones and Jagger’s difficult relationship with Marianne . Faithfull. Gabriel Heaton, . Sotheby’s books specialist, said: ‘Here we see Mick Jagger not as the . global superstar he has become, but as a poetic and self-aware . 25-year-old with wide-ranging intellectual and artistic interests. ‘They . provide a rare glimpse of Jagger that is very different from his public . persona: passionate but self-contained, lyrical but with a strong sense . of irony.’ The letters were sold to a private telephone bidder at around double the estimated price of between £70,000 and £100,000. Not approved: Mick Jagger, on stage with the Rolling Stones at the O2 in London, is said to have told Ms Hunt to keep the letters private . Sotheby’s have said they were not contacted by Jagger before the sale. The auctioneer was able to sell the letters without his cooperation because Miss Hunt is the legal owner of the papers themselves – even though he owns the copyright to their contents. Hunt was a poster girl for the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement and also the face of ground-breaking West End play Hair. Born in Philadelphia, she arrived in London in 1966 and performed on the blues circuit with Alexis Korner and a young Elton John. She had been asked by the Rolling Stones to appear in a photo shoot for ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ but refused on feminist grounds. But Jagger pursued Hunt, appearing at midnight at the door of her Bloomsbury apartment shortly afterwards. | Love letters between Mick Jagger and Marsha Hunt sold for £187,250 .
Ten letters by 'poetic' 25-year-old Rolling Stones frontman written in 1969 .
Ms Hunt, who has daughter Karis with Jagger, says she is broke . |
171,123 | 697b7794e081658295a78c03fa641940388b0c71 | (CNN) -- Airport transportation security officers are probably the least understood and most maligned of federal employees. Travelers hate them for taking away water bottles and making them take off their shoes. If a story is reported about them, it's along the lines of a little old lady getting groped. They are the victims of unflattering stereotypes that make easy targets for cheap laughs. Even President Barack Obama made a joke about pat-downs in a 2011 State of the Union address. And when the Government Accountability Office found increased Transportation Security Administration officer misconduct, it just ratcheted up their unpopularity. The report was jarring and disturbing -- rising numbers of absenteeism, theft and intentional security lapses. Obviously, these are red flags that can't be ignored. Report: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years . Unfortunately, instead of taking on the issue of stopping the misconduct, GAO's focus was on how TSA "could strengthen oversight of allegations of employee misconduct," the safe issues of process oversight, management of the accusations and data gathering versus digging into the controversial root causes of the actual misconduct. TSA's response was to assure us it fires those proven to have violated the public trust. In fact, it does. It will be tempting for TSA leaders to rally around solutions involving tougher discipline, deeper investigations and more thorough documentation. That would be exactly the wrong way to fix the real problem. In today's TSA, too many officers switch off their minds in favor of just finishing out the shift without rocking the boat. This may be the root cause of the GAO-identified misdeeds. TSA needs to have its officers switched-on and motivated. The security workforce comprises many who stepped up after 9/11 to stop terror attacks. My experience with transportation security officers is that they are overwhelmingly dedicated, sharp, willing and empathetic to passengers and their problems. As The New York Times correctly pointed out in an editorial: "T.S.A. asks its officers to enforce rules of questionable utility while giving them remarkably little discretion. ... That is a huge waste of human talent." Inside look at TSA bomb training . Considering that the human brain is the most sophisticated technology on the planet and that the officers have experience with hundreds of thousands of passengers, the question would seem to be: "How do we get the most from this resource that we already pay and have on duty at checkpoints?" It is not through additional rules and a more robust disciplinary process. Security officers are in the best position to use their experience and training and detect a threat not covered in the Standard Operating Procedure. Al Qaeda knows the rules and designs its attacks to comply with it. To stop attacks, officers thinking on their own needs to be encouraged, not disciplined. Once officers are allowed to think for themselves, it opens the door for mistakes and criticism. But people can be taught the fundamentals of risk management, which provides a framework for making informed judgments. The risk strategy must be carefully thought out -- complexity theory, with its network orientation, is the best way to think about transportation security risk -- and risk management tools understood and applied. A nation with no airline security . Armed with substantial intelligence resources, TSA's air marshals, inspectors and security officers need to be nimble in thinking about and applying the principles of risk management. But they also must be empowered to act. TSA needs to make these changes right now to take on the root causes of its public and security issues. It needs to clean up the mind numbing, overly complicated checkpoint "standard operating procedure," which no longer matches our security needs and allow officers to act. What needs to be changed: . • The intrusive pat-down needs to be discontinued in favor of a lighter technique supplemented with available technologies. • The "prohibited items" list needs to be radically reduced to ban only real security threats such as explosives and toxins. As far as carrying knives, the FAA should make it a serious federal offense to intimidate a member of the flight crew or another passenger with a blade -- and then TSA can remove blades from the prohibited list. Blades represent virtually no threat to the aircraft at this point. And the baggie rule should be dropped. Current technology allows threat liquids to be detected when they are taken out of the carry-on and scanned in a bin. • Passengers should be chosen randomly for shoes and coat inspections. Precheck programs for frequent fliers that expedite security screening should be applied to all travelers. • Workers need to be retrained in risk management and encouraged to use their own judgment and experience, consulting with team members, to make prudent discretionary security calls. • The pay-for-performance system for transportation security officers needs to be reinstated. When transportation security officers unionized, merit pay was replaced by the seniority system -- essentially, if officers follow the standard operating procedure, they get regular pay raises up till retirement regardless of how well they perform. • We need to allow real private-sector innovation to compete and play a more meaningful role in security. Today, a fig leaf system is in place that calls itself "private sector" but is in reality just personnel outsourcing. These outsourced employees have to follow the TSA process exactly -- the only difference is that they get to charge an 8% markup on all their expenses. We need to get new ideas from outside the TSA that can be tested at our checkpoints. A clear risk management strategy along with these changes, taken together, would energize checkpoint activity, bring the public more on board, drive out the few bad apples, and improve security. See also: How much do we really hate the TSA? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kip Hawley. | Kip Hawley: Airport transportation security officers are misunderstood .
He says infractions are related to being unmotivated and enforcing senseless rules .
Hawley: Officers need to be trained, empowered and allowed to think for themselves .
He says allow banned items, except obvious ones; stop shoe inspections, intrusive pat-downs . |
65,483 | b9f24aeb9a0298db8a6eb988af188f57196f2407 | Ian Holloway believes that Steve Parish's passionate support of Crystal Palace could be holding the club back. He acknowledged that Parish loves the Eagles but believes that there is a fine line between being a fan and a chairman. Holloway told The Mirror: 'I couldn't help but think to myself that having such a passionate fan as Steve as chairman is part of the problem.' Fractious relationship: Pulis and Parish disagreed over player recruitment ahead of the new season . New start: Steve Parish was in high spirits during Crystal Palace's defeat against Arsenal . Palace promise: The Eagles celebrate Brede Hangeland's headed goal in their opening day defeat . Pulis despair: Crystal Palace finished in 11th place last term following Tony Pulis' arrival . 'Sometimes what a fan expects and what a chairman can practically deliver are two completely different things. When your heart rules your head in football then you have problems. The Millwall boss did though state that the fans should be told why Tony Pulis left Palace, after failed emergency talks resulted in the Welshman leaving Selhurst by mutual consent. He added: 'By the very nature of his departure the relationship between manager and club had irretrievably broken down. Palace fans deserve an explanation.' | Ian Holloway insist Parish's passion as a fan is part of the problem .
Tony Pulis left Crystal Palace by mutual consent after emergency talks broke down .
Holloway believes the fans deserve an explanation for Pulis' exit . |
101,835 | 0f3cf795605c3c5add0a4656abf8226b76bd3592 | (CNN) -- In trendy neighborhoods of Tokyo customers are lining up for vitamin injections that promise to improve health and beauty. These intravenous vitamin "drips" are part of the latest quick-fix, health fad catching on in Japan: the IV cafe. Each drip pack contains saline solution and specific vitamins and minerals to target a particular health ailment or beauty concern. "I used to take vitamin supplements, but changed to the IV drip because I feel the effects more quickly," a 20-something woman at the Tenteki 10 Café told CNN. She said she receives specific injections to get better skin, burn fat and boost her energy. There are 10 different varieties to choose from at Tenteki. The "orange" variety touts anti-aging properties, loaded with antioxidants. The "placenta pack" is said to help rejuvenate and ease muscle stiffness. Prices range from $20 to $30 per injection, and nurses see about 30 to 40 people each day. Their most common patients are Japanese businessmen who work in the same office building. "I see a lot of businessmen who say they don't have time to sleep. They can't take a break from working and get the vitamin drip for an extra kick of energy," a Tenteki nurse told CNN. "Blue" is the most requested vitamin pack among these men: a concoction of B1 and vitamin E that claims to offer relief from exhaustion. Registered nurses and doctors administer the drips at Tenteki, but there's no conclusive medical evidence to back up the health claims. Many nutritionists actually caution against using injectable vitamin supplements because the quantities are not regulated. "More is not necessarily better...some vitamins and minerals can be toxic in high doses," particularly the fat-soluble ones which the body stores like Vitamins A, D, E and K, explained Claire Williamson, Nutrition Scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. In Europe and the United States vitamin shots are popular among celebrities with hectic lifestyles and little time to sleep, particularly vitamin B 12. Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and singer Robbie Williams have both confirmed they've used the shots as part of their diets to maintain stamina during tours. Dermatological injections of Vitamin C are also popular among women hoping to keep their skin looking young. Former supermodel Cindy Crawford has admitted using such injections to keep her skin firm and wrinkle-free. According to Williamson, it does not matter if supplements are injected into the vein or into the skin. "At the end of the day it will go into the blood stream," she said. Most of these nutrients we can get sufficient from foods, nutrients tend to be better absorbed by the body if they are consumed in foods." | Intravenous vitamin boosts are the latest health fad in Japan .
Vitamin injections target specific health aliments and beauty concerns .
Nutritionists warn of vitamin overdose from high quantities of supplements .
Vitamin injections are popular among celebrities and businessmen for fatigue . |
217,527 | a59daecbfdd3e019f629cd03a70ba64465c8a688 | Manchester United are 'waiting to see' what Victor Valdes' plans are as they continue the pursuit of the Spain goalkeeper, Juan Mata has revealed. The club are pursuing a move for the former Barcelona stopper and he was seen attending Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford in October where United earned a last-gasp 1-1 draw. Valdes has, however, been without a club since leaving Barca in June and it seems he is yet to decide where his future lies. Victor Valdes (centre) is training with Manchester United ahead of a potential move to the club . The Spain goalkeeper (centre) was at Old Trafford for United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in October . He missed the World Cup due to a serious knee injury but his Spain team-mate Mata says he has been training with United in a bid to get back to full fitness. Mata told Spanish radio station COPE: 'I speak regularly with Víctor Valdés, he's training with us. 'We're waiting to see what his plans are.' Valdes, pictured during El Clasico in March, has been out of contract since leaving Barcelona in June . | Victor Valdes is out of contract having left Barcelona in June .
Spain goalkeeper training with Manchester United ahead of potential move .
Juan Mata says the club are still 'waiting to see what' Valdes' plans are .
Valdes recently tweeted that he's almost fully recovered and ready to return . |
261,359 | de799b2603b93adab989dc7560865af2f009d004 | (CNN) -- The stepmother of 10-year-old Zahra Baker told police the girl was killed two weeks before she was reported missing, according to search warrants released Tuesday. Stepmother Elisa Baker also told police in Hickory, North Carolina, that the disabled girl's body was disposed of the next day, September 25, in various locations, according to the documents. She told police on November 19 that the girl's father, Adam Baker, dismembered the girl, and the couple disposed of the remains. While Elisa Baker has been charged with obstruction of justice -- for writing a fake ransom note and leaving it at the family's Hickory home -- no one has been charged directly in the girl's death. Elisa Baker also is accused of writing worthless checks. Police have said she had been cooperating with investigators. One of the search warrants details an online conversation a web user said she had with Adam and/or Elisa Baker "regarding their involvement with chainsaw massacre role-playing." According to the warrant, "the date of September 22 was given regarding their virtual family 'doing a murder with chainsaws.'" Elisa Baker's former husband also was involved in role-playing, according to the conversation. Catawba Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin released the 30 search warrants that provide more insight into the grisly killing of the freckled-face girl, who lost part of her left leg at age 5 to cancer. Eleven search warrants were released in December. Police found some of Zahra Baker's remains on November 11, just over a month after she was reported her missing. In October, Adam Baker, who denied he was involved in Zahra's disappearance, tearfully called for the return of his daughter. Investigators reviewed Adam Baker's cell phone records and the phone's GPS locator from September 25, the warrants say. According to those records, Adam Baker's phone was not in the areas where Zahra's remains were found on the day that Elisa Baker said he disposed of them, the warrants say. Elisa Baker's cell phone records indicate that her phone was in those areas on that day, the warrants say. According to the warrants, Elisa Baker told Adam Baker that a man she said was her brother actually was her husband. She married Adam Baker before the divorce, police said. CNN left messages Tuesday evening with the attorneys for Elisa and Adam Baker. In one of the search warrants released in December, a tipster told police that Zahra had been at a North Carolina home with two men and one of the men said "he had done something very bad and needed to leave town." One of the men was associated with Zahra's stepmother but was not Zahra's father, the tipster said. The tipster also told police that Zahra had been raped by both men and that she had blood on her private area and legs, the search warrant said. The tipster told police that he got the information about the alleged rape from a friend who was told about it from his sister. Police went to the home to see if they could confirm the fourth-hand information and found a mattress at the side of the house that "had a large dark stain in the middle," the search warrant said. The tipster said the men did not admit to killing the girl but did say that they "might have hit her in the head," the search warrant said. Adam Baker was arrested in late October in nearby Catawba County on eight charges: five counts of writing bad checks and three counts of failing to appear in court. Authorities said the charges were unrelated to Zahra's disappearance, and he was later released on bail. The disappearance of Zahra made international news. The girl, whose biological parents were both from Australia, lost part of her left leg at age 5 and lost hearing in both ears while being treated for cancer. | Stepmother claims girl's father dismembered body .
A judge releases search warrants from detectives probing Zahra Baker's death .
Zahra's remains were found November 11, a month after she was reported missing . |
103,621 | 11a8d537b9e093198671b8868b93da3fc23b133b | By . Associated Press . A former Miami Beach police officer was convicted Monday of reckless driving but acquitted of driving under the influence for a 2011 crash in which he struck and seriously injured two people strolling on the beach while joy-riding with a woman on a police all-terrain vehicle. The six-person jury reached the verdict in the trial of Derick Kuilan after deliberating just over two hours. Kuilan, 33, was convicted of reckless driving with serious bodily injury, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, as well as misdemeanor reckless driving. Party boy: Kuilan was photographed with this bachelorette party before he struck two people while driving his ATV . Embarrassed? Kuilan kept his head down in court on Wednesday . Trial evidence showed that Kuilan, while on duty and in uniform, had a blood-alcohol level above Florida's 0.08 legal limit to drive when he took a woman at a South Beach nightclub bachelorette party out on the high-speed beach ATV ride. But the defense also showed there was a second blood test that put Kulian's alcohol level below the limit, some five hours after the crash. 'He was not guilty of DUI, and that's what we've said all along,' said Kuilan's attorney, Evan Hoffman. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez will sentence Kuilan at a later date. Kuilan, who had been free on bail, was taken into custody following the verdict. Assistant State Attorney David Gilbert told jurors during closing arguments that the two alcohol blood test results — both of which would surely have been higher if Kuilan's blood had been drawn earlier — coupled with the officer's decision to take the ATV out on a pitch black beach was clear evidence of recklessness, not just poor judgment as Kuilan's attorney contended. Victim: Kitzie Nicanor, pictured, suffered a brain injury from the crash and her spleen had to be removed . Vehicle: Kuilan was driving this ATV on the night of the crash that struck two people on the beach . 'Without his headlights on, he might as well have had a blindfold on,' Gilbert said. 'Can you get more reckless than that? He was both impaired and reckless on the night of the incident.' Victims Kitzie Nicanor and Luis Almonte both testified, saying they had gone to ocean's edge to watch the sunrise when the ATV slammed into them without warning. Almonte suffered a shattered leg and Nicanor had numerous injuries, including a brain injury she said has left her unable to work. Her spleen was removed, leaving a large scar. Some of the women at the bachelorette party testified they initially thought Kuilan and his then-partner may have been part of the club's entertainment, perhaps even male strippers. They got the officers to pose for a party cellphone photo that was published around the world after Kuilan was charged by prosecutors. Hoffman noted that Kuilan is also being sued in civil court by the victims, who seek money damages for negligence. Hoffman said that was the proper way to resolve the case, rather than felony criminal convictions. No one testified that Kuilan was seen drinking alcohol, Hoffman said, and no hard evidence that he was speeding on the ATV or driving it erratically. 'This case is riddled with reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen,' Hoffman told the jury. 'This is a reckless driving case where there was no reckless driving.' | Derick Kuilan, 33, was convicted Monday of reckless driving for a 2011 crash in which he struck and seriously injured two people strolling on the beach, but was acquitted of driving under the influence .
Kuilan took a woman at a South Beach nightclub bachelorette party out on his high-speed beach ATV .
Victim Luis Almonte suffered a shattered leg, while Kitzie Nicanor suffered a brain injury and had to have her spleen removed .
Kuilan is also being sued in civil court by the victims, who seek money damages . |
169,412 | 6733b4adfdb7abeff205894ef48887ee55da6902 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (CNN) -- During the course of his long run for the presidency, Mitt Romney has consistently presented himself to voters as a "turnaround" artist, or as his supporters have taken to calling him recently, a "Mr. Fix-It." In making his closing argument to voters that he should have that chance to take his government tool belt to Washington, Romney has vowed to "bring people together," to govern as president. "I've got be able to reach across the aisle and get good Democrats and good Republicans to work together," the former Massachusetts governor told a crowd in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday. If Obama wins a second term ... "My legislature was about 85% Democrat and it was not lost on me that to get anything done at all, and even to have my veto upheld, I had to have people across the aisle I could work with," he continued. Romney's critics insist the Republican candidate's bipartisan overtures are in need of a serious reality check. They look no farther than his statement to last February's gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "I fought long odds in a deep blue state. But I was a severely conservative Republican governor," Romney told the conference. Romney defends his 'severely conservative' record . The words "severely" and "conservative" are no longer part of Romney pitch with the campaign in the home stretch. Asked how Romney's promises of bipartisanship align with what quickly became a YouTube moment at CPAC last winter, a senior campaign adviser argued the two claims are not mutually exclusive. "As governor, he brought people together to deal with health care. He's brought people together to deal with a very big deficit that he had when he came into office," said Kevin Madden, one of Romney's top strategists. Mitt Romney: My vision for America . Trying to bring together competing ideas, philosophies . "The governor has made a point that he is going to try to bring together all of the competing ideas and philosophies in Washington in order to tackle some of the big challenges. Does he recognize there is going to be opposition? Sure," Madden added. In fact, Romney's aides have quietly begun laying the groundwork for a presidential transition, should he win the White House. Dubbed the "Readiness Project" and led by former Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt, the transition team has already had at least one meeting with senior Republican lawmakers, a top congressional source told CNN. What would a Mormon White House look like? "They're interested in recommendations for Cabinet posts," the congressional source, who was not authorized to speak about the subject publicly, said. The advance legwork could enable Romney to sidestep some of the problems he encountered nearly a decade ago when he entered the governor's office in Boston. Michael Widmer, a government watchdog with the non-partisan Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said Romney's experience in the business world left him ill-prepared for the unwieldy mix of liberal lawmakers, advocacy groups and news media that confronted him. Who might serve on Romney's national security team . "It was a rude awakening for the Romney administration," Widmer said. "Early on, the legislature and the Romney administration were at loggerheads." But his passage of health care reform in the state demonstrated the self-styled "chief executive" governor was able to find his way and work across party lines. "There was a spirit of bipartisanship around health reform," Widmer said. The spirit was hard to miss. At the signing ceremony for his signature legislative achievement, Romney had none other than an old political nemesis and liberal icon, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, at his side. After overcoming a GOP primary season in which Romney's health care reform plan was mocked as "Obamneycare," aides to the former governor now dub the initiative "successful." Where candidates stand on key issues . Different environment than governor's office . If elected president, however, Romney would inherit a dramatically different political environment. Sandwiched between tea party Republicans who have little patience for compromise and a potentially vengeful contingent of defeated Democrats, a President Romney would have no shortage of challenges. Obama: My vision for America . Adding to the potential for gridlock, a longtime aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Democratic leader from Nevada hardly knows Romney. Earlier this year, Reid outraged conservatives when he falsely accused Romney of failing to pay income taxes for a decade. Reid hits Romney over taxes, '47%' comments . "When he looks at Romney, he sees a weak candidate, a poll-driven politician, someone who lacks any core conviction," Reid's former spokesman Jim Manley said. One potential flashpoint could be any attempt by Romney to make good on a campaign promise to partially privatize the nation's Medicare system for future seniors. "If he tries to go at core Democratic priorities, like Bush tried to do with his proposal to privatize Social Security, Reid will go at him hammer and tong, just like he and (Nancy) Pelosi did with Bush," Manley said of former President George W. Bush's second term initiative to transform the federal retirement program. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing a potential Romney administration would be the nation's mounting debt. It remains unclear whether the upcoming lame-duck Congress will have the political will necessary to avert what is a largely unspoken campaign issue, the looming fiscal cliff in Washington. Republicans and Democrats in Congress, along with the president, set the nation on the perilous legislative course when they passed the Budget Control Act, which mandates both tax increases and massive spending cuts that take effect at the end of the year, unless a compromise is reached. Candidates mum on fiscal cliff . If a solution is not found, Romney could enter the White House with a country that is reeling from what many economists agree would be a massive jolt to the economy. Facing resistance from tea party on more revenue . Back in Massachusetts, the then-governor solved his own fiscal crisis with a mixture of spending cuts and fee increases. But to conservative Republicans in Washington, revenue enhancers are viewed as deal-breakers. "The tea party is not going to let him do that. The tea party is going to resist that mightily," Widmer said. But Romney made clear in the presidential debates he is comfortable shifting back to the center when it is politically advantageous. What Democrats label "etch-a-sketching" and "Romnesia," one Romney aide said the candidate is simply articulating his positions in a way that would make them more palatable to "swing voters." Mitt's middle of the road makeover . After a sometimes painful, yet eventually successful wooing of tea party conservatives, Romney now openly embraces more centrist views on regulation. "Sometimes people in our party say we want to deregulate but that's kind of an overstatement," Romney told the Jacksonville rally. "We want to get rid of excessive regulation and outmoded regulation. But we have to have some regulation to make the economy work and for people to be able to play by the rules," he added. After a lifetime in business and Massachusetts politics, a President Romney would arrive in Washington as a newcomer. As Romney boasted during the GOP primaries, he would enter the nation's capital having never worked in the hyper-partisan world nestled on the Potomac River. Who might serve on Romney's national security team? Massachusetts accents in the White House . But do not expect Romney to be lonely at the White House. As recent history has shown, governors who ascend to the presidency, such as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, usually have a colorful entourage of statehouse advisers and friends who come along for the ride. If Romney's management of this presidential campaign is any guide, he is likely to bring with him a slew of political professionals from his days in Boston. Several top advisers in Romney's inner circle, former Bain executive Bob White, Boston political strategist Peter Flaherty and communications guru Eric Fehrnstrom, speak with a thick Massachusetts accent. Another pivotal player to watch is Beth Myers, who was Romney's chief of staff during his days as governor and led his vice presidential search that culminated in what is widely regarded as the politically successful selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Exclusive: How Romney chose his running mate . Madden declined to discuss a potential senior team in a Romney White House but conceded the GOP contender has a history of taking care of his own. "He is a loyal guy. But I think he wants the best and the brightest with him to help solve big problems," Madden said. | Mitt Romney has vowed, if elected, to "bring people together"
Transition team, dubbed "Readiness Project" is already laying groundwork .
Legwork could help Romney sidestep some of the same problems he encountered as governor .
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing a Romney administration would be the nation's debt . |
2,530 | 075eff30bb4534c6df87eca3e4bef0ecad34098c | By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 07:37 EST, 19 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:27 EST, 19 January 2013 . From a perfectly sculpted snowman riding a bicycle to a dog lover taking his Alaskan malamutes for their first ever sledding experience in the unlikely location of Barnes Park in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear - your pics are helping us capture Britain as it is swept by snow. Whether . it be a snow-topped castle, or a blizzard in full force, we are asking . our readers across the UK to send in their best pictures, capturing the . effects of 2013's first cold snap. Readers from all corners of the UK - from Plymouth to Middlesbrough - have already been sending their snow-tinged pictures. If . it is beautiful scenery you have captured or just somebody having fun, . help us share the experience with readers across the country. Are you out frolicking in the snow? Email all your pictures to [email protected] . Going the extra mile: Lizzy Eddy sent in this picture of an impressive sculpture of a snowman riding a bicycle . A sledding trip... in Sunderland! Craig Richards takes his two malamutes - Alaskan sled dogs - for their first ever sled training in Barnes Park, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear . A clever spot of driving: Lauren Haynes captured this romantic picture of two hearts driven into the snow in Brighton . A chilly dip: Members of the Seabrook Seals went for a swim despite the freezing weather today at Fisherman's Walk, Bournemouth, Dorset . Panoramic views: Andrew Cook captured this image of Roseberry Topping from the car park at Newton Under Roseberry . Bird food: Darren Moston managed to capture this lovely image of a cunning bird that appears to be carrying a whole slice of bread in Stocktonheath, Warrington . Moo-ping around: Caroline Warde took this picture of a rather grumpy looking bull in Middleton on Sea . Birds of a feather: A swan rests on top of frozen water in Stocktonheath, Warrington, while a duck struggles in the snow in these pictures captured by Darren Moston . Home sweet home: This couple camp out in an igloo in Winchester cathedral grounds in Hampshire . Artistic: Lenita Burman managed to take these beautiful pictured of ice on the window of her car, left, and her house, right . Bird of prey: A Hungary Kestrel helping itself to the dog's bone in Easington Lane, Tyne & Wear . Delays: Peter Garner took this picture of two trains being held at a red light as heavy snow falls . Alex Gainer took this picture of a red Mario Brothers mushroom, left, and a snowman built in London with the London Eye in the background, right . Writings in the snow: Terry Bouch demonstrates the lazy way to build a snowman . Winter moments: Gemma Charlton snapped this robin in the snow, left, while Emma B submitted this picture of a rabbit enjoying the flurries, right . Quite a gathering: John Rose feeds some very hungry birds at Branston water park, Burton-on-Trent . Deborah Porter took this shot of ice clinging to flowers in Oxon, left, while a couple keep warm in their hot-tub in Worle, Weston-super-Mare, pictured right . Standstill: Trains are covered with at least half a foot of snow in Grosmont, North Yorkshire Moors, near Whitby . Enshrined in white: Wymondham Abbey surrounded by crisp white fields in Wymondham, Norfolk, capture by Jessica Read . The ice queen: One patriotic reader pays tribute to Elizabeth II by building a snowman in her honour, left, while Matt Corah captured this atmospheric shot of a deserted train station in Grosmont, North Yorkshire Moors near Whitby, right . Early riser: Dawn breaks over Lansdown in Bath after heavy snowfall that is predicted to continue over the weekend . Ride of ice: The wheels of this bike have completely frozen in Oxon . Ice-tree: An eerie image of a tree covered in snow, left, while dog Jasper makes a hair-raising leap in the snow in Pebmarsh, Essex, right . That's one way to get around! Boys use a bath to go sledging at Coulsdon memorial ground park, Coulsdon, in Surrey . Treacherous conditions: Pavements are frozen over with ice along St James Park in London . Still going: Public transport was still running in some parts as proved by this picture of a Metropolitan line tube train travelling through Chorleywood, Herts . A very chilled couple: These two snowmen appear delighted with the weather with one even giving a thumbs-up . Breaking dawn: This group got up early to make the most of the weather with a day of Sledging in Llanllyfni, North Wales . Family fun: Numerous sledging enthusiasts headed to Chorleywood Common, Chorleywood, Herts, for a chilled day out . Bottoms up! This group of friends appear to be having a snow-ball of a time enjoying the winter sun and a drink with a newly-made friend . Will you give me a push? This snow-covered dog waits for a ride on a wooden toboggan . Where's Charlie Brown? Two brothers build their very own Snoopy dog in Frampton Cottrell, South Gloucestershire . Snow scenes: A picturesque river view in Oxfordshire captured by Deborah Porter, left, and a tree with its leaves covered in snow in Newmarket, Suffolk . Hello! A snowman left outside a block of flats in Streatham Common, south London, and (right) Ernie Allesch-Taylor in Selborne, Hampshire . | As snowstorms sweeps the UK our readers are sending in their best pictures from every corner of the country . |
217,961 | a631d4eee19ea822149a5ecdf0544d286436ab09 | (Rollingstone.com) -- In an interview with BBC 6 Music, Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson hinted that the group may reunite in the studio to celebrate their 50th anniversary. "I'm considering it," he said. According to Wilson, nothing is holding him back aside from a reluctance to reconnect with his old partners. "I just don't know if I want to be around those guys, you know? They're zany guys. They're crazy." Wilson has not collaborated with his former bandmates since he co-produced "Stars and Stripes Volume One," a 1996 album featuring country versions of their hit songs. Photos: The Greatest Momagers and Dadagers in the Business . Though it remains to be seen whether or not Wilson will record new material with the band, the Beach Boys will be coming together to put the finishing touches on "Smile," the band's never-released follow-up to their 1966 masterwork "Pet Sounds." The group will be offering input on the album's track listing, which was never firmly established as the record was never completed as originally planned. Copyright © 2010 Rolling Stone. | Wilson hinted that the group may reunite in the studio to celebrate their 50th anniversary .
The Beach Boys will be coming together to put the finishing touches on "Smile"
"Smile" is the band's never-released follow-up to their 1966 masterwork "Pet Sounds" |
166,844 | 63bf7b5ea068fffbabc60e896092c15ce2420a4f | Alvaro Morata only arrived at new club Juventus on Sunday - but the striker is already injured. The Spaniard, a summer target for Arsenal, sprained his knee during his first training session with the Italian champions after completing his £15.8million move from Real Madrid. VIDEO Scroll down for 'Tevez and Morata are put through their paces in Juventus training' Thumbs up: Alvaro Morata remains upbeat despite suffering injury blow in first training session at Juventus . Juventus confirmed the 21-year-old will have a scan on Tuesday to further assess the knock. Morata later posted a picture of himself on Instagram with the message: ‘For those who laugh at the misfortunes of others... a very big kiss and good luck in life!’ Setback: Alvaro Morata only arrived in Italy on Sunday after £15.8m move from Real Madrid . The Serie A giants begin their pre-season campaign against Indonesia on August 6. | Alvaro Morata will have a scan on his injured knee .
The Spaniard was signed for £15.8m from Real Madrid .
Arsenal had targeted Morata before his move to Juventus . |
262,632 | e031f970d0b7b215c0cf9f505ad191aa30605f3d | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 19:02 EST, 28 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:19 EST, 28 November 2013 . Jeremy Hunt says hundreds of thousands of sufferers are condemned to a life of fear and anxiety because they are receiving no help . More than half of those with dementia are not receiving medicine or support from the NHS, the Health Secretary reveals today. Jeremy Hunt says hundreds of thousands of sufferers are condemned to a life of fear and anxiety because they are receiving no help. Stigma is a ‘huge part of the problem’, with patients terrified to seek a diagnosis and too many GPs thinking there is no point in doing so. The fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s is as ‘significant as that against cancer, heart disease and HIV’, Mr Hunt will say, as it is revealed the national diagnosis rate for dementia is only 48 per cent. In addition, an unforgivable postcode lottery means people living in neighbouring cities have hugely varying chances of being diagnosed, with 75 per cent of cases in the best area being diagnosed – compared with 33 per cent in the worst. It means hundreds of thousands of people are living without medication to stave off their condition and their families are not receiving help from the State. It appears that a distinct North/South divide on dementia exists – with diagnosis rates in the South and East of the country much lower than in the North and West. The failings mean many people are being forced into expensive residential care much earlier than necessary, when they could live happily in their homes for much longer if they had been diagnosed. On the eve of the launch of the first-ever national survey of dementia diagnosis, Mr Hunt said: ‘In too many parts of the country, people think that there is no point in getting it diagnosed because they think nothing is going to happen. The fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's is as 'significant as that against cancer, heart disease and HIV', Mr Hunt will say, as it is revealed the national diagnosis rate for dementia is only 48 per cent . ‘And sadly, in some parts of the country that is true. We need to ensure that when someone is diagnosed, the system swings into action and gets people the support they need. 'There is a demographic time bomb but we are not giving people the care we should be giving them.’ Of all the conditions that occur in later life, dementia is the most feared. A poll found that 39 per cent of 55-year-olds fear getting Alzheimer’s above any other disease, including cancer. Mr Hunt said there is a lot GPs can do these days including medicines to stave off the condition . About 670,000 people in England live under the shadow of dementia, and experts expect this number to double over the next 30 years. Mr Hunt said Britain had a moral responsibility to fight dementia. ‘There are still some GPs who think there is no point giving someone a dementia diagnosis, and in the past they would have had a point. 'But now there is a lot they can do – medicines to stave off the condition, support for families. 'We need to get the message out that things are changing. ‘In the 60s, people were terrified of cancer and people were terrified of talking about it. 'In the 80s, it was Aids. Unless we start talking about dementia, we will not be able to improve the situation.’ The Health Secretary spoke ahead of the publication of a report showing how well dementia services fare across the country. It looks at how many sufferers would be expected in an area based on the local demographic profile, and what proportion have diagnoses. The best performing area is Corby in Northamptonshire on 75 per cent, followed by South Tyneside on 71 per cent. At the other end of the scale are Herefordshire and Harrow, North-West London, both on 33 per cent. It shows that diagnosis rates vary wildly between neighbouring areas. Birmingham Central has a diagnosis rate of 64 per cent, while nearby Walsall is on 37 per cent. The North London borough of Islington has a diagnosis rate of 64 per cent, compared with 33 per cent in nearby Harrow. Last night Liz Kendall, Labour’s spokesman for older people, said: ‘If David Cameron was serious about improving the quality of dementia care, he would not have cut council budgets for older people’s social care to the bone.’ | Jeremy Hunt says thousands are condemned to a life of fear and anxiety .
Fight against Alzheimer's is as 'significant as that against cancer'
Diagnosis rates in the South and East of the country are much lower than in the North and West . |
190,969 | 834cb6de2daa2e4af9ef0b04c530c1c6a88995ed | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:59 EST, 11 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:20 EST, 11 September 2013 . Aaron Hernandez did not see his former Patriots teammates stage a thrilling comeback against the Buffalo Bills on the NFL opening weekend - because he is not allowed to watch any football while he is behind bars. The 23-year-old former tight end is being held at Bristol County Jail and as part of that facilities policy for inmates no games are aired, wiping out football entirely from his life while he languishes in custody. 'While Mr. Hernandez and many other inmates would like to watch football, it is just not part of our policy here… so that will not be happening,' Sheriff Hodgson told TMZ. Last week, the former NFL star pleaded not guilty to murdering a semi-professional footballer who was found shot dead near his Massachusetts home in June. Scroll down for video . What Hernandez Missed: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) passes from his end zone against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday . Denial: Former NFL New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, pictured in court on Friday, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd . In court: Hernandez talks to his lawyer Michael Fee in court on Friday as he pleads not guilty to six charges . The 23-year-old only spoke to say . 'not guilty' to each of the counts read out in Fall River Superior Court . on Friday as the mother of his alleged victim, Odin Lloyd, sobbed . throughout the proceedings. The . former New England Patriots tight end was indicted last month, when he . was hit with a laundry list of criminal charges, including first-degree . murder, carrying a firearm and possession of a firearm. He . pleaded not guilty to the six charges as his fiancee Shayanna Jenkins . and supporters wearing 'Free AH 81' looked on. He will continue to be . held without bail until his next hearing in October. The emotional response from Lloyd's family came as his girlfriend, Shaneah Jenkins, told NECN that she's tired of the focus on Hernandez. Jenkins' sister is engaged to Hernandez. 'Every time there’s a story out it's always about the alleged murder and it's not about the tragedy that happened to Odin,' she said. 'The loss that all of us have taken and the fact that he is a human and his life was taken.' Prosecutors claim that Hernandez . orchestrated Lloyd's killing because he was upset at him for talking to . people Hernandez had problems with at a nightclub days earlier. It has also been suggested that he killed Lloyd because he knew about Hernandez's involvement in a 2012 double homicide. Hernandez has never been charged in that case. Heartbroken: Odin Lloyd's mother sobs in court as she comes face-to-face with her son's alleged killer . Tears: Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins (center), is pictured with his emotional mother in court Friday . Overwhelmed: Terri Hernandez, left, sobs during the arraignment just yards from the victim's parents . Hernandez and two other men, Ernest . Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, allegedly picked Lloyd up at his home in . Dorchester on June 17 and drove to the industrial park. His body was . found by a jogger later that day. Hernandez, . who was dropped by the Patriots within hours of his arrest on June 26, . could face life in prison without parole if convicted. Victim: Footballer Odin Lloyd, 27, was found shot dead near to Hernandez's home on June 17 . Defense attorney Charles Rankin said Hernandez's lawyers are confident that Hernandez will be exonerated during a trial. 'Not one shred of evidence has been presented yet,' he said. Shortly . before Lloyd's death, authorities say, Lloyd sent his sister text . messages. He asked if she had seen who he was with when he got into the . car in Boston. Then he indicated who it was in a way that Lloyd's family said he knew his sister would understand. 'NFL,' he wrote. 'Just so you know.' Moments later, authorities say, Lloyd was dead after gunshots rang out in an unpaved construction area by a warehouse after he apparently got out of the car for what he thought was a bathroom break. Authorities have not said who fired the shots, but according to court documents, Ortiz told police in Florida that Wallace said it was Hernandez. Wallace has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory to murder after the fact. Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to a firearm charge. Both are being held in jail without bail. Authorities have said they haven't found the murder weapon, which they believe was a .45-caliber Glock pistol, but warrants released earlier this month suggested Hernandez may have asked his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, to dispose of it. Stern: Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of Aaron Hernandez, leaves the Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River . Sadness: His mother Terri Hernandez also leaves the court after he pleaded not guilty to the charges . Bold: Supporters of Hernandez stand outside court with messages on shirts calling for his release . Hernandez's cousin, Tanya Singleton, . also was indicted on a criminal contempt charge after prosecutors say . she refused to testify before the grand jury hearing evidence in the . case, even after they offered her immunity. Her attorney has agreed she . be held without bail. Hernandez is also connected to the investigation of a 2012 double homicide near a Boston nightclub. While . probing Lloyd's death, police found an SUV, sought in the earlier . killing, at the home of Hernandez's uncle in Bristol, Connecticut. It . had been rented in Hernandez's name. Hernandez, . who has appeared in court six times since his arrest, will appear in . court once again for his pre-trial hearing on October 9. He continues to . be held without bail. Charged: Ernest Wallace is escorted by a court officer while departing Attleboro District Court, in Attleboro, Massachusetts last month. Prosecutors say he was with Hernandez when Lloyd was killed . Accused: Carlos Ortiz, pictured at a hearing in June, said it was Hernandez who pulled the trigger . | Former Patriots star can't watch football because of Bristol County Jail rules .
He is accused of killing Odin Lloyd, 27, in June .
He 'shot Lloyd because he was speaking to people Hernandez did not like'
He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and string of gun charges . |
261,620 | ded391547a1c68cb877b6a5691881cc4b21828b9 | (CNN) -- Nancy Grace's new novel, "Death on the D-List," is the sequel to her debut thriller, "The Eleventh Victim." The mystery once again features Grace's heroine, Hailey Dean, along with many other carryover characters. Grace spoke to CNN.com about the novel, her toddler twins Lucy and John, and more. CNN: How did you come up with the title? Nancy Grace: Well, it's funny, I was thinking and thinking and couldn't come up with a good title, and on "The Eleventh Victim," I came up with about 20 titles, all of which I liked a little bit, and I just picked one and it was "The Eleventh Victim." "Death on the D-List," I had been racking my brain for the right title, and one night it was late, and I was rocking Lucy, who would not go to sleep, and it was completely dark and I was holding her against my shoulder, rocking and humming, and it hit me -- it hit me in the dark, "Death on the D-List." That was it! Read an excerpt from "Death on the D-List" CNN: Who are some of the main characters from "The Eleventh Victim" that we're going to find in "Death on the D-List"? Grace: Well of course you're going to see Hailey Dean, who managed to live through a murder attempt in "The Eleventh Victim." She returns to New York, where she gets lured into the TV industry, and murder ensues. You know what? You've got to watch out hanging around Hailey Dean -- someone's going to die! Also, we see Lt. Ethan Kolker. Kolker is the one who wrongfully pursued Hailey and arrested her for serial murder. And here you see him in an entirely different light. You also learn something disturbing about his past that makes him who he is today. Also, of course, you can't have a great book without a drunk photographer, so Frank LaGrange Haddon III is back again with his camera causing all kinds of trouble. Last time, he caught the judge in a toilet stall with a transvestite. Well, this time, he's back on it! And actually, Frank LaGrange Haddon III is an homage to my law school study partner, the REAL Frank LaGrange Haddon III, who is now a clerk to the Mississippi Supreme Court. And Mike Walker, who works for The Enquirer, he's their gossip editor, makes a rather large appearance in this case, under his name -- Mike Walker -- but he is now working for Snoop magazine. Of course, Hailey's parents, Elizabeth and Matt Dean, are back. CNN: "Death on the D-List" features a daytime talk show host. Who is he modeled after? Grace: Harry Dodd is modeled after a character that I saw in a movie called "For Your Consideration." He is modeled after the character played by Fred Willard. He's a 50- to 60-year-old entertainment reporter who's desperately trying to convince himself he's about 28 to 31 years old. He follows every fashion trend. He's just vapid, but wildly popular. CNN: Is the Hailey Dean character based on you? Grace: Well, there are some similarities, but Hailey Dean is by far a finer and better person than I could ever be. She's extremely brave, she's fast on her feet, she's a great lawyer, she's sharp-witted and she's got a pretty good right punch. CNN: Are any scenes in your book based on events you've witnessed in your own life? Grace: Well, a lot of scenes take place in studios. So some parts reflect experiences I've had in studios across the country. CNN: Why is "Death on the D-List" a good end-of-summer read? Grace: Well, I had such a blast writing it that I hope people are going to have the same blast when they read it. I don't think you can guess who the killer is until the very end, and I'm going to be very interested to see who can guess who the killer is ahead of time without flipping to the back and spoiling the surprise. It's a great, fun read. I utilized a lot of what I learned as a prosecutor about crime scenes, autopsies and forensic evidence ... a lot of pop culture. Plus, a lot of what I've learned from being on the air since the early '90s, all in one ball of wax! CNN: Can we expect to see more Hailey Dean mysteries in the future? Grace: Oh yes! I've already planned out two more Hailey Dean murder mysteries. CNN: Would you like to see the Hailey Dean mysteries made into feature films? Grace: Oh gosh, yeah, I think it'd be a great movie. CNN: How are the twins? Grace: I'm on my way home to give them a bath now. And they each have to have their individual bath times. They do not like to share a bath. Very often, I go to the set completely soaking wet. Several people have asked me who I dedicated the book to. And it's dedicated to Bigness, Gerger and Man-man. Bigness is my husband -- he's 6-foot-4, and I'm 5-foot 1½ -- and I've called him Bigness ever since I've known him. Gerger is Lucy, and my little baby Man-man is John David. And if you look in the back, you'll see that I wrote a specific note thanking (CNN Worldwide President) Jim Walton and (CNN Worldwide Vice President) Ken Jautz, who are NOT the inspiration for any of the characters in this book that I murdered, especially after all the opportunities they've given me. Nobody that gets murdered or appears in these pages is modeled after them. CNN: Tell us about the charity that will benefit from the book. Watch: Nancy Grace pledges proceeds from book . Grace: A portion of the book's proceeds are going to Wesley Glen Ministries through my Methodist church to support a home for the mentally handicapped that need homes that don't necessarily have anywhere to go. | Nancy Grace's new novel, "Death on the D-List," goes on sale Tuesday .
The mystery-thriller features many of the characters from her first novel .
Grace anchors "Nancy Grace" nightly at 8 p.m. ET on HLN . |
246,267 | cabcb1c953001ee1014919d642c60b377b543c2e | By . Jack Doyle . Last updated at 3:27 PM on 27th September 2011 . Thousands of civilians have been given sweeping police-style powers allowing them to fine people and demand personal details. Following a worrying expansion of a discredited Labour project, more than 2,200 civilians including street wardens, housing officers, traffic marshals and stewards can issue financial penalties for ‘offences’ such as dropping litter, dog fouling and truancy. Coalition ministers have allowed the numbers signed up to the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme to grow by a third over just 12 months. New powers: 2,200 civilians, such as these street wardens in London, will be able to fine the public following an expansion in the number of people able to issue penalties for 'offences' such as dropping litter . It comes despite senior Liberal Democrats and Tories strongly condemning the scheme when in opposition. Under it, councils and private sector firms pay a few hundred pounds for accreditation by the local police force. They . then pay as little as £32 for each employee they want to be accredited. Those chosen undergo a short training course and are given a uniform . and a special badge approved by the Chief Constable. As . well as handing out fines of up to £80, the accredited civilians – . dubbed ‘Jacqui Smith’s Irregulars’ after the former Labour home . secretary – can photograph members of the public and demand their names . and addresses. It is an offence to refuse to provide . such details when they ask. But they have no power to detain or arrest . and must call a police officer or PCSO. Before the election, former shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve – who is now Attorney General – said the scheme was ‘a consequence of the Government’s obsession with policing on the cheap’. And Chris Huhne, now a Cabinet minister, said the scheme was part of the ‘slow march towards instant justice’. But Home Office documents uncovered by the Mail reveal a startling expansion of the CSAS last year. Hundreds of organisations have signed up, including councils, shopping centres, Newmarket Racecourse, the Essex YMCA and the British Cycling Federation. There are huge concentrations of accredited civilians in some areas – including 366 in Essex, 223 in Gwent, and 124 in Cleveland. In Merseyside, Bedfordshire and Cumbria, by contrast, the police forces do not operate the scheme at all. Simon Reed, vice chairman of the Police Federation, said: ‘I’m sure that the public would have huge concerns knowing that we have people walking around in this pseudo-enforcement role without proper accountability and legitimacy.’ Nick Pickles, director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘In some cases this appears to be policing on the cheap, in others it is downright ridiculous. The Coalition should recognise the risk this scheme poses to civil liberties and urgently act to curtail it.’ In May, the Mail requested details of the numbers accredited under the scheme from Home Office officials, using the Freedom of Information Act. Officials initially refused to answer, claiming a policy review was under way, but they have since done so, revealing that in 2008, 1,406 individuals were accredited under CSAS. That increased by almost a fifth to 1,667 the following year. But by the end of last year the total had rocketed to 2,219, a rise of 33 per cent. In 2008 there were 95 ‘approved organisations’ allowed to enrol individuals onto the scheme. By December last year that figure hit 153, up more than 60 per cent. If the numbers accredited have continued to grow at the same rate the total will now be approaching 3,000. A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Creating safer communities isn’t just a job for the police, it’s about all of us taking responsibility for the areas where we live and working with the police to challenge and tackle low level crime and anti-social behaviour. ‘Accredited persons assist the police and the public in dealing with low level crime and disorder. ‘CSAS frees up police time, allowing officers to respond to more serious crime, and providing a localised partnership approach to keeping the public safe.’ The British Cycling Federation said the powers allowed volunteers to act as traffic marshals during road races. A spokesman said: ‘This has been a useful tool to keep the police costs down.’ | Move comes despite senior Liberal Democrats and Tories strongly condemning the scheme when in opposition . |
177,470 | 71bb04f47837d61bc83668eafc4bfb5d251bf961 | By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 07:41 EST, 21 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:42 EST, 21 October 2013 . This is the woman whose full time job is to watch grass grow. Helen Southall works as a grass seed analyst and spends her working day making sure blades of grass on lawns and fields are growing to the right length. It might sound the dullest job in the world, but Mrs Southall, who plants seed samples and reports on their growth, thinks her job is terrific because she loves the outdoors. World's most boring job? Helen Southall works as a grass analyst, making sure gardeners and groundsmen have cut their lawn to the right length . The green-fingered grass expert works at British Seed Houses, Lincolnshire making sure the grass is growing in the most efficient way possible. The 43-year-old said: 'People do think it’s strange when I tell them my job is to watch grass grow, but I think it’s fascinating and I wouldn’t do anything else. 'I monitor different types of grass seeds and make sure they grow properly and the plants are fit for purpose. 'It’s so rewarding seeing a stretch of perfect green grass and knowing that it has grown right because of my work. Green-fingers: The grass expert works at British Seed Houses, Lincolnshire, making sure the grass grows in the most efficient way possible . Scientific: Helen Southall will take some samples into a lab where they are tested . Tedious: Her working day begins by counting out 400 grass seeds and goes through each blade by hand every week to ensure the growth is right . 'Sometimes grass grows too tall too quickly which damages the roots, and sometimes it doesn’t grow enough because of disease. It’s my job to watch for this and discover the reason why it is happening.' Mrs Southall from Timberland, Lincolnshire, went straight into seed testing after leaving school and has taken special grass related courses to build up her knowledge. A typical day’s work sees her individually counting out 400 grass seeds - and going through each blade by hand every week to measure growth. Perfect length: The grass experts says blades of grass should grow by about 5cm every two weeks . She added: 'I have to make sure that each grass seedling is not damaged, broken or split. 'The grass should reach about 5cm in 14 days and if I can see it hasn’t grown that much then I know there is a problem.' Mrs Southall looks after the quality control of the seed and ensures the grass seed meets standards for germination and purity so that grass seed buyers get high quality seed and value for money. She said: 'We plant grass seed in fields in September and inspect the grass in its natural environment.' Passionate: Her job might sound boring, but the 43-year-old tells people it is fascinating and loves spending all day outdoors . Despite her seemingly dull job description, Helen loves her job and the challenges involved in creating golfing greens and well seeded sports pitches. She said: 'Although aspects of my job can be a bit tedious, like individually counting out grass seeds, it changes throughout the year with the agricultural season. 'The weather is different every year and that creates different problems and changes to how the grass grows. 'I love doing grass inspections out in the field, I can be outside looking at the grass for days at a time and it’s great to be outdoors. 'There are so many different species of grass seed to test and you always see new patterns with the grass, it’s always fascinating when you find a new seed type.' Routine: Helen Southall walking around a field as she goes through her daily inspections . | Helen Southall, 43, works as a grass seed analyst in Lincolnshire .
Her working day includes inspecting individual blades of grass .
Went straight into the profession after leaving school .
Claims she loves her job because she gets to spend the day outdoors . |
144,166 | 466cb63069c11270968b6b7cb227275ab24cc133 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 07:27 EST, 8 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:27 EST, 8 August 2013 . While most people worry about being mugged for their phones or handbags, criminals in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo have their sights set on something a little more unusual. According to local news sources, a gang known as the 'piranhas' is stealing women’s hair at gun point. The criminals then sell on the stolen locks to salons for use as hair extensions, according to Venezuelan digital newspaper Informe 21. Cutting crime: Robbers in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo are now targeting women's hair, which they chop off and sell on to salons as hair extensions . Robbers target women with long, straight hair as this type is most in demand for extensions. They force the women tie their hair into ponytails then hack them off. It's a profitable business: local hairdressers can charge clients up to £322 ($500) to weave real locks into their hair, according to CNN. Speaking to Globovision news, Jhonatan Morales, a stylist in Venezuela, explained that hair extensions are hot property - demand for the service has increased by 30 per cent. He said that his salon refuses to buy the hair from street vendors because they don't know where it comes from. Big business: Salons charge as much as £300 ($500) for hair extensions . The mayor of Maracaibo, Eveling de Rosales, has addressed the issue, saying that security is being upped and that 'men and women were being placed to guard and avoid this happening again.' The crime rates in Venezuela have risen in recent years. A study by the Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice found that Caracas, the country’s capital, was the third most violent city in the world. | Gangs stealing women's hair at gun point in Venezuelan city of Maracaibo .
The criminals sell on to salons for use as extensions .
Hairdressers charging £322 ($500) to lengthen clients' hair .
City has upped security to avoid problem . |
34,771 | 62d290638b47956a4bc137c39faeb98a40e5d735 | Bill Clinton has been caught on tape making spontaneous comments about Israel's prime minister that seem to be in direct conflict with Hillary Clinton's public stance. The former president's comments that Bibi Netanyahu was 'not the man' to make peace with Palestine were captured during a talk with a pro-Palestinian activist in Iowa on Sunday. He and Hillary were both in the state that kicks off the election season with its first in the nation caucus for the Harkin Steak Fry. Scroll down for video . Bill Clinton made spontaneous comments about Israel's prime minister that seem to be in direct conflict with Hillary Clnton's public stance at an Iowa political event (not pictured) 'If we don’t force him to have peace, we . won’t have peace … Netanyahu is not the guy,' the unidentified activist told Clinton, according to the The New York Post. 'I agree with that,' Bill responded. It seems unlikely he knew the conversation was being recorded by C-Span which was just wrapping up its coverage of the political event. The cookout was organized by Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who is retiring. The former president's comments that Ben Netanyahu was 'not the man' to make peace with Palestine were captured during a talk with a pro-Palestinian activist in Iowa on Sunday . Political junkies view the visit as a primer for Hillary's possible candidacy. The exchange came after Hillary had walked away. She has been a hardline Israel supporter and defended Netanyahu in a recent interview with the Atlantic. Hillary Clinton has been a hardline Israel supporter and defended Netanyahu in a recent interview with the Atlantic . She had several reported disagreements with the man while President Barack Obama's secretary of state but seems to have moved beyond their differences. 'I saw Netanyahu move from being against the two-state solution to announcing his support for it,' she told the magazine. 'To considering all kinds of Barack-like options, way far from what he is, and what he is comfortable with.' The Post reports that both the Clintons declined to comment on the exchange to Israeli paper Haaretz. | The former president's conversation was caught by C-Span cameras recording a political event in Iowa .
Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton were attending Harkin Steak Fry when Bill was approached by a pro-Palestinian activist .
Hillary has moved to support Netanyahu in recent interviews, saying the prime minister had been moved to support a 'two-state' solution . |
65,883 | bb026743fab323ea669cb8d9e9fb0e9257286e80 | Hairatan, Northern Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan visitors pose for photos and pretend to sell each other passenger tickets next to a rusty little locomotive in a shattered corner of the Afghan capital. Built in Germany in 1923, this little engine is all that is left of King Amanullah Khan's effort to modernize Afghanistan by constructing a 7 kilometer-long railroad in downtown Kabul in the 1920s. The locomotive is now a curiosity at the Kabul Museum, standing below the ruins of the former king's battle-scarred palace. For 24-year old Abil Ahmad, it is the first time he has seen a train in Afghanistan. "It's a very sad symbol," says the university student. "Unfortunately we don't have a train today." In fact, the first modern railroad in Afghanistan in nearly a century is nearing completion in the north of the country. Construction crews from Uzbekistan are putting the final touches on a brand-new, 75-kilometer long railroad that runs from the Uzbek-Afghan border to the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif. An eerie metallic "whump" echoes down the rails, as service locomotives and passenger trains carrying work crews and equipment trundle up and down the track. "Afghanistan is a land-locked country and its economic prospects depend quite a bit on connectivity with its neighbors," says Craig Steffensen of Asian Development Bank, which contributed $165 million dollars for construction of the project. "If we extend the railway across northern Afghanistan it will really be a shot in the arm towards Afghanistan's economic prospects." Due to poverty, isolation and war, Afghanistan skipped the age of railroads. Afghans went from riding horseback to traveling by car down bone-jarring dirt roads. The country's economy relies on convoys of trucks to ship goods. Steffensen says the new railroad will dramatically increase capacity for freight passing through Hairatan, the main shipping terminal at the Uzbek-Afghan border. Clusters of freshly-painted fuel depot tanks have cropped up in the sands around Hairatan. According to the Asian Development Bank, Hairatan is the biggest transit point in Afghanistan, accepting more than 50 percent of all imports, including more then 80 percent of the country's fuel. The new railroad is part of an ambitious plan to develop a new "North-South" trade corridor. Afghanistan has long been economically and politically severed from its northern, former Soviet neighbors. But for the past several years, the U.S. State Department has been promoting the construction of bridges, rail links and pipelines to the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The idea is to eventually link energy-rich Central Asia to energy-hungry South Asia through the war-torn mountains and deserts of Afghanistan. The plan has won support from another major player in the region: China. Last week, the Chinese state mining company China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) signed an agreement with the Afghan government to develop plans to construct a much longer railroad in eastern Afghanistan. MCC estimates the project's initial price tag would be between $6- to $7 billion dollars. The proposed railway would run at least 700 kilometers (434 miles) from the border of Pakistan to Kabul, past the Aynak copper mine south of Kabul. MCC won a tender in 2008 to extract copper from Aynak. The Afghan government is counting on untapped mineral resources to be the main engine for economic growth in coming decades. But officials say new transport infrastructure will be essential for mineral extraction to succeed. "For the transportation of iron ore or copper you must have a railway line," said Wahidullah Shahrani, Afghanistan's minister of mines. Chinese officials say there is another vital element before railroad construction can begin: security. The proposed MCC railroad runs right through heavily-contested Taliban country. "There really exists a problem of security," said MCC president Zou Jianhui, when asked by CNN how he planned to protect the multi-billion dollar railroad. Jianhui said the security environment would be assessed after two years, when the feasibility study for the railroad is expected to be completed. "If the security situation is getting worse, then of course we will see and discuss with the [Afghan] government how to go ahead with this investment. Definitely the security of the investment, the safety of the investment is very important to the investor," he added. Representatives of Uzbekistan's state railway company say they have not encountered a single security incident since the company began construction of the railroad in northern Afghanistan last January. Armies of guards protect the Uzbek work crews. Afghan police have erected guard posts every few kilometers along the railroad. Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, where the railroad is located, is considered to be one of the safer parts of the country. And yet a deadly suicide bombing targeted a NATO military convoy outside the main city of Mazar-e Sharif last week, killing and wounding several Afghan civilian bystanders. Despite the fear of possible sabotage attacks, residents of the rapidly-growing trade hub of Hairatan clearly see hope in the construction of the new railroad. "This connects Afghanistan to the world," says an 18-year-old high school student named Shakrullah. He says he hopes to one day get a job as an engineer for the railroad. "I want trains for all the provinces of Afghanistan, not just for Balkh province." Just a few yards away, an Uzbek operator brought a construction locomotive to a squeaking halt, allowing several women dressed in billowing blue burkas to lead their children by hand over the railroad's dusty tracks. | Afghanistan skipped the age of railroads .
A line is under construction in the north .
Rail lines seen crucial to extracting Afghanistan's mineral wealth . |
114,871 | 203ef454ff99bb3323928738c9c1bd754b98fa11 | By . Helen Weathers . Last updated at 10:13 AM on 27th October 2011 . Alex Hall: 'Haunted by Clarkson's fame for 20 years' Glamorous entrepreneur Alex Hall likes to describe herself as the wife who was ‘airbrushed’ out of Jeremy Clarkson’s life. There is no mention of her in the outspoken Top Gear star’s Who’s Who entry; not even a paragraph devoted to their brief 1989 marriage in his autobiography. In interviews, there is barely a mention of Wife Number One; only effusive praise for his second wife and manager Francie, mother to their three children. One can only ask: Why? Even though it was Alex who left Clarkson – long before he became a global celebrity – because, she told friends, he was a ‘lazy and opinionated slob’ who smoked heavily and ‘smelt of an ashtray’, his growing fame has seemingly cast a long shadow over her life ever since. ‘I have been haunted by his fame for the past 20 years,’ she told friends. ‘It is not easy when your ex suddenly becomes famous and is in the papers all the time. I am constantly reminded of him.’ She hinted that she regretted leaving Clarkson for one of his friends, and spoke of the difficulties to her second marriage caused by Clarkson’s fame and popularity. She spoke of an enduring friendship with her famous ex. Was this what Jeremy Clarkson was so worried about? It would certainly seem so. For we can now report that Alex Hall is claiming that far from divorce spelling the end of their relationship, it continued after Clarkson’s marriage to Francie. He denies the claims. Already dogged by rumours of infidelity, and then to be accused of conducting an affair with Wife Number One behind the back of Wife Number Two, it is perhaps not surprising that Clarkson fled to the High Court to suppress the claims with a super-injunction. It is perhaps no surprise either that Alex Hall might wish to tell her own life story, staking her rightful place in the colourful Jeremy Clarkson saga which he has – until yesterday – sought to suppress. Indeed, he reportedly produced evidence accusing her of trying to blackmail him when she told him of her plans by telephone. The super-injunction slapped on Alex last year meant she could go to jail just for talking about her relationship with Clarkson, despite the fact that she insisted hers was no ‘kiss and tell’, but a cathartic exercise. So who is Alex Hall, the first wife who effectively became a non-person after she walked out of Clarkson’s life? Who is this shadowy woman whose voice was silenced when she tried to drift back into Clarkson’s starry orbit and claim her place in his turbulent personal history? Convent-educated Alexandra James was 17 when she met Doncaster-born Clarkson; the public-school-educated son of a teacher and travelling salesman. He was three years her senior and although he was already opinionated and outspoken, Alex never imagined her mop-headed boyfriend might one day become famous. VERY close colleagues: With Phillipa Sage in Australia, left, and with long-suffering wife Francie, right . At just 19, Alex first revealed her entrepreneurial spirit when she set up her own company offering flexible secretarial services, which boasted three offices. Sharing a one-bedroom flat, she and Jeremy married seven years after they first met. It seems she did not consider him too much of a catch. Alex complained to friends that, apart from constantly stinking of cigarettes, he always wanted to be the centre of attention and when he was about, no one could get a word in edgeways. Even back then, she has told friends, he was ‘too big for his boots’ and didn’t care much who he upset. His presence was all-dominating. But intellectually he was very fast on his feet and woe betide anyone who couldn’t keep up. They had been married for less than two years when Alex claims she left Jeremy Clarkson for one of his friends, concluding that their relationship had become more like that of ‘brother and sister’ than husband and wife. Doorway clinch: Clarkson with Elaine Bedell . Clarkson, who had done four shows for Top Gear when Alex left him, was – according to his ex-wife – distraught. She claims he cut up all her clothes and lost five stone in weight. Alex went on to marry Stephen Hall, with whom she later had two children. The year was 1993; the same year that Jeremy Clarkson married Francie, his second wife; the woman he credits with shaping his fledgling TV career into what it is today. In interviews, Clarkson has spoken of how it was high-flying businesswoman Francie who was the driving force in their relationship. ‘Francie was keeping me,’ Clarkson has said of their early years. ‘We were living in her flat and I was up to my ears in debt. I didn’t tell her how bad my finances were or how I was so hideously overdrawn.’ Alex claims it is she who introduced Francie to Clarkson. The two women were apparently friends and Francie is believed to have attended the couple’s wedding. Consumed with guilt over leaving Jeremy, she has told some friends she was instrumental in getting them together. Furthermore, Alex has suggested privately that she believes it was Jeremy’s heartbreak over losing her that was the real force behind his later success, shaking up his life and giving him extra drive. She told another friend that she was the only person who had ‘ever broken his heart’. With the passage of time, and a second failed marriage under her belt, she can’t help wonder what might have been if she had stuck with Jeremy. Alex sold her secretarial company when she became a mother, at the age of 27. When she later separated from her second husband in 2001, she worked as a barmaid to help support her two children before launching her own company The Big O – selling packaged premium olives to bars. Alex claims that she and Jeremy have remained friends over the years, but that her friendship with Francie has petered out. Alex has told confidantes that she feels Francie might feel threatened by her status as Wife Number One. Certainly, long-suffering Francie had more than just a few reasons to look grim in April when the family’s holiday to a luxury tropical resort descended into chilly silences, after Clarkson was accused of having an affair with a younger woman. The Clarksons had just arrived in Barbados when the story broke that the Top Gear presenter was allegedly having an affair with Phillipa Sage, a 42-year-old events organiser who had been among the entourage of Clarkson’s International Top Gear Live Show. What people didn’t know, however, was that while Francie was having to deal with claims that Miss Sage spent nights with Clarkson as he travelled around Australia, South Africa and Norway, the pair sharing glasses of white wine together snuggled up under a blanket, she was also dealing with the controversy over the injunction her husband was using to silence his first wife. This was not the first time Clarkson had been in trouble either. Back in 2002, a red-top tabloid reported that the presenter had been seen passionately kissing television producer Elaine Bedell in a car and the pair were photographed cuddling in a doorway. So, knowing that Wife Number One was keen to write her life story – possibly warts and all – must have been a further weight on Francie’s shoulders. One she could not breathe a word about because of the super-injunction. On their return to Britain, Clarkson moved into a London flat – although Francie insisted they had not split up, and that he would be returning to the family home in the Cotswolds. And all the while, Alex Hall had to remain silent, alone with her thoughts on her ex-husband Jeremy Clarkson and quietly fuming at the seeming injustice of it all. With the super-injunction lifted, the first Mrs Jeremy Clarkson has her voice back. She is said to be considering writing a book. But what exactly does she intend to say and what on Earth will the second Mrs Clarkson make of it all? Last night Clarkson laughed at suggestions that he cut up Alex’s clothes and lost five stone after she left him. He said: ‘I beg of you, please print all those things. I so want my friends to read that because they do need cheering up.’ | Alex Hall left Clarkson long before he became a global celebrity .
She says: 'I've been haunted by his fame for the past 20 years' |
128,726 | 3253593b7d0d99a7adf0117fd291e1d99659d3e6 | TV regulator Ofcom has said it will investigate Channel 4 series Benefits Street to see whether it broke broadcasting guidelines following nearly 1,800 complaints. The documentary series sparked hundreds of complaints after featuring a thief showing how to shoplift. Other residents were revealed to be benefit cheats while a 15-year-old child bride was also featured on the show filmed in James Turner Street, Birmingham. Ofcom will examine whether the programme may have caused offence by being misleading or unfair, and whether enough was done to protect under-18s in the show, as well as the way it depicted possible crimes. Complaints: The five-part series Benefits Street attracted around 1,800 complaints to Ofcom - but was a huge ratings success for Channel 4 . Shoplifting: Danny Smith was filmed explaining how to dodge shop security and take the tags off clothes without damaging them during the first episode of Benefits Street . Benefit fraud: Mark and Becky, who live on James Turner Street, told programme makers they had their benefits stopped because of fraud . Child bride: Romanian husband Stefan Stana was filmed in episode two admitting he had married his wife, thought to be called Madalina Balasa, when she was 15 . The documentary series was supposed to portray the daily lives of people living in the road - many of whom are living off handouts. The watchdog was deluged with calls, letters and emails from viewers of the five-part documentary series. However, Ofcom said they would not look into the complaints until the end of the run, which finished last week. In the first episode, prolific shoplifter Danny Smith was shown explaining how to dodge security alarms and remove security tags from designer clothes without causing damage. Young couple Mark and Becky who live on the street told the film-makers they had all their benefits stopped because of fraudulent claims. Storm: Benefits Street, filmed on James Turner Street in Birmingham, living off handoutson benefits . 'Star': Benefits Street matriarch White Dee who featured heavily on the show . And in the second episode, Romanian husband Stefan Stana was show admitting that his wife had married him when she was 15. Only a few months later, the . teenager, thought to be called Madalina Balasa, gave birth to a baby . girl in a Birmingham hospital. The series generated around 960 complaints to Ofcom and another 800 to Channel 4. Benefits Street is the channel’s biggest ratings hit since its coverage of the Paralympics in 2012. Channel 4 and programme makers Love Productions claim the street is typical of hundreds of UK communities struggling to cope with economic and social decline. But some critics labelled it ‘poverty porn’ and said it is paints a false picture of life in modern Britain. Others praised it for exposing the truth of benefits fraud but said it failed to condemn crime and also exploits children, exposing them to bullying and victimisations. Some residents said the show - which shows children swearing and misbehaving - has left youngsters to ashamed and embarrassed to go to school. An Ofcom spokeswoman said: 'Following the conclusion of Benefits Street, Ofcom can confirm that it has launched an investigation into the series.' A spokesman for Channel 4 said: 'We are confident there has been no breach of the Ofcom code and will be providing a detailed and robust response to the investigation.' | Shoplifter explained how to remove security tags from stolen clothes .
Other residents of James Turner Street admitted Benefit Fraud .
Five-part series was a huge ratings success for Channel 4 . |
19,838 | 38565486e15a8602f0f2cd1c1ea91a8ae95b5749 | Jurgen Klinsmann watched this shambles play out from a comfy seat in the directors’ box at White Hart Lane. The temptation at half-time, when his beloved Tottenham trooped off 2-0 down to a chorus of boos, was to ask him to take charge after the break. Why wait? These days Klinsmann, who turned down the Spurs job last year in the build-up to the World Cup, is the USA’s head coach. That side, playing catch-up on Tottenham’s 132-year history, get the game better than the group of players allotted to Mauricio Pochettino. There will be another inquest at the training ground on Monday after Pochettino’s team slumped to their fourth home defeat in five Barclays Premier League matches. Tottenham legend and current USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann watched Sunday's clash at White Hart Lane . Erik Lamela (left) and Harry Kane (centre) show their despair as a chance goes begging near the final whistle . Bojan Krkic looks focused as he strikes the ball after six minutes to give visitors Stoke the lead against Spurs . Stoke were streets ahead: slick, organised, disciplined and focused — all the things Tottenham want to be. Doesn’t it hurt to be booed off at half-time? Isn’t it humiliating to be dragged off, as Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend were, after just 45 minutes? ‘Tactical reasons,’ claimed Pochettino. Code for dreadful. Pochettino, who is struggling to make an impact at Spurs, added: ‘We need to find the solution and I need to change the mentality of the players. They know my feelings like I know their feelings. We feel the same, very disappointed and frustrated, and not happy because our performance wasn’t good enough. ‘It’s clear we need to improve a lot, and quickly. This is my challenge in the next few weeks.’ Stoke were rampant in the first half, taking the lead through the wriggling figure of Bojan Krkic and doubling their advantage when Jonathan Walters scored with a simple tap-in. The Spanish striker celebrates breaking his Stoke duck but Pochettino preferred to focus on the second goal . Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino (centre) looks apprehensive during another disappointing display . Chadli celebrates after his volley with 12 minutes to go halved Stoke's lead and gave Tottenham hope . Bar Nacer Chadli’s glorious volley at the back post 13 minutes from time, this was dreadful. There is no pattern to Tottenham’s play. We were promised one of the best coaches in world football, one of the most innovative in the Premier League, when Pochettino was head-hunted from Southampton. He doesn’t have the answers. To watch Emmanuel Adebayor delay his arrival as a substitute when his team were 2-0 down by changing his boots makes you feel sick. That is what the half-hour warm-up is for and the weather conditions hadn’t changed. Instead, the storm clouds are gathering at Spurs again. When they were chasing the game seven minutes from time, right back Kyle Naughton was dismissed for a foolish nudge on Victor Moses. So, to Stoke, and this glitzy performance. Bojan’s first goal in English football was excellent, coasting past Tottenham’s defence to lash the ball beyond Hugo Lloris. Can Bojan, once tipped to be better than Lionel Messi at Barcelona, do it on a wet, windy night in Stoke? That’s not so clear cut, but what we do know is that the little Spanish forward found White Hart Lane to his liking. The beauty of playing Tottenham is that they always give you a chance sooner or later. Referee Jones (second right) waves the red card and Naughton (left) is off down the tunnel . Stoke manager Mark Hughes admitted he had to be patient with Bojan, saying: ‘We are really pleased that he is finally coming to the fore. He started off like a house on fire when he joined us in pre-season, and people got a little bit carried away because we all felt it was going to take him time to adjust. ‘He has had the benefit of three or four months’ training at the intensity he needs and he looks a very accomplished player again.’ Even when Stoke were forced into a defensive reshuffle, they were untroubled throughout a first half dominated by Hughes’s side. Phil Bardsley succumbed to injury after nine minutes and was replaced by Geoff Cameron. Marc Wilson was substituted for Marc Muniesa after 26. Moments later, Stoke scored again. This Spurs defence needs sorting out because the goal Walters scored was too easy. Mame Diouf bounced through unchallenged into the danger zone and placed the ball into the path of Walters for the Stoke forward to finish the job. It was borderline embarrassing. Jon Walters makes it 2-0, but Pochettino complained 'it is not possible to make these mistakes' Mark Hughes celebrates his side's win at White Hart Lane after keeping faith in Bojan, and being rewarded . There are rumblings of discontent around these parts and it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend Pochettino. Even Harry Kane — ‘He’s one of our own,’ the Spurs fans sing — couldn’t get going as Stoke’s giant centre half Ryan Shawcross handled him impeccably. The kid hardly got a kick. Chadli gave Spurs hope when he picked the ball out of the air to beat Begovic with an angled volley, but the dismissal of Naughton confirmed the worst. Kane’s desperate late attempt to repeat his last-minute free-kick against Aston Villa last week was drilled straight at the wall. That was enough for Klinsmann and the rest of the US Soccer delegation, who made their excuses and left. Whether the German can face returning is another matter. | Tottenham legend Jurgen Klinsmann saw his former club lose to Stoke .
Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend were taken off after 45 minutes .
Spurs supporters at White Hart Lane booed their side at the interval . |
110,240 | 1a215edbfff7971e5704fb0884019c2ae6fc5a83 | (CNN) -- Try this for a spine-tingling moment: An immensely popular novelist who specializes in eerie, conspiratorial mysteries portrays an evildoer who is, gulp, an awful lot like yourself. And the word "popular" doesn't really come close to describing this novelist, whose every book is launched in multiple languages and shoved into movie production (starring Tom Hanks) before the manuscript is bound in hard copy. It's Dan Brown, whose "Inferno," the latest tale of Robert Langdon, the Harvard iconographer-turned-homicide-hunter, hinges on the deeds of a dastardly biologist who kidnaps the director general of the World Health Organization and compels her to heed his insanity while locked inside the Council on Foreign Relations in Manhattan. I am the only trained biologist working in the New York headquarters of the Council on Foreign Relations, where I am senior fellow for global health. I've never kidnapped WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, but I have been known to corner her for some whispered one-on-ones. The day after "Inferno" was launched with the usual Dan Brown-associated brouhaha, my brother e-mailed "OMG!" telling me he was devouring the thing on his e-reader. All day long I received notes from worried friends and family, concerned that Brown's conspiracy-minded readership would turn its sights on the council, or me, and my global health work. Brown's ability to raise this kind of intrigue was demonstrated with his first blockbuster, "The Da Vinci Code" which spawned an entire genre of dark Vatican-oriented novels that imagine self-mutilating, power-grabbing monsters lurking in medieval dungeons beneath St. Peter's Basilica. With "Angels and Demons," Brown had millions of readers convinced that an 18th-century group called The Illuminati was secretly pulling strings of power all over the world, the group allegedly (in Internet conspiracy canon) dominated by David Rockefeller and his pals at ... you guessed it, the Council on Foreign Relations. So it was with more than a little trepidation that I opened "Inferno" on my Kindle. I can now report that Dan Brown has produced a silly, but interesting and provocative book, delving into biologist Paul Ehrlich's old "Population Bomb" ideas, synthetic biology, dual-use research, human genome alteration and even hypothetical germ line mutation of people. Perhaps Brown has grown bored with only castigating Catholicism, for he now chucks his aspersions on science. Of course it's not realistic or accurate science, given the author's penchant for mixing Dante's 14th-century poem "Inferno" with 21st-century gene sequencing. Dante's original "Inferno" guided readers through the most explicit journey of hell and purgatory ever committed to paper. Brown's "Inferno" takes a 21st-century spin through a hell of man-made microbes, pandemics and human overpopulation. The Brown hell is just close enough to the edges of biological reality to make for thriller reading. Biology as a discipline is indeed delving into human-directed evolution and creation of life forms in ways that ought to be scrutinized. And while the real work of science is not dark and genocidal, as Brown portrays, there are risks of accidental release of modified organisms and, less likely, terrorism that merit wider attention. For those who fear Brown's version of inferno might come true, here is some spoiler-alert news from the real world. The private C-130 that "Inferno" imagines the WHO owns, jetting about the world to stop disease, is not just a fantasy, it would be impossible. Far from affording its own jet, WHO is in deep financial straits, now facing its third year of painful budget deficits and layoffs, leaving its epidemic response division tapped-out for 2013, Chan has told me. In Brown's imaginings, the European Union's version of the Centers for Disease Control has a huge secret SWAT team of hulking, fully armed, military-trained disease-fighters that swoop into countries, violating all local law with impunity, to stop epidemics. Of course there is no such team, nor does the budget-strained U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have Kevlar-wearing, Uzi-toting microbe hunters. On Brown's version of planet Earth these disease-fighers have such limitless power that prime ministers immediately take their calls, and armies and police forces the world over are at their command. Margaret Chan might dream of having enough clout to command an obstinate national leader to cease covering up his country's epidemic, but in truth her only tools are persuasion, bluffing and the rage of world media. Wouldn't it be sweet if the impoverished WHO actually did have a budget large enough to finance an agency C-130 and rapid response team? The Kindle is switched off. Back to work at the Council on Foreign Relations, trying to create and push policies that spare populations of millions the scourges of disease, malnutrition and climate change. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Laurie Garrett. | Laurie Garrett: Evil character in Dan Brown's "Inferno" alarmingly close to her own job .
Character is biologist at Council on Foreign Relations, but similarity ends there, she says .
She says book silly but raises provocative issues about potentially dangerous biology .
Garrett: Book makes council seem nefarious, WHO well-funded . |
215,976 | a399230731786c762bb196ed6d80a2a473a61235 | A US defense contractor has been killed and a second injured after a shooting at a gas station in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh - and it was all over a workplace conflict, Saudi authorities believe. Abdulaziz Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashid, 24, opened fire at the gas station in a western district of Riyadh - killing one contractor in his car and wounding a second. He chased the second American into the gas station before police arrived. Alrashid - who is a dual US-Saudi citizen - had recently been fired for drug use by Vinnell Arabia, a US defense firm that is working with the Saudi National Guard. It is believed the victims were his former supervisors, Saudi authorities said. Alrashid was born to Saudi parents in Washington state. He had traveled to France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and most recently Bahrain. The attack occurred about half a mile from the Vinnell Arabia compound and 20 miles from the US Embassy. The victim was shot dead by a gunman at a filling station on the eastern outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . It is understood a second US defence contractor ran from the car into the nearby shop, escaping serious injury . A third American contractor, who was following in another vehicle, witnessed the attack, but was not injured. Police cornered Alrashid in the gas station and wounded him in a brief gun battle. He was later apprehended and charged. Saudi authorities were quick to say that the attack was not terrorism related. Instead, they said it was the act of a disgruntled former employee. Still, it rattled many of the thousands of Western expats who live and work in Saudi Arabia. With tensions in the region heightened due to conflicts with ISIS extremists in Syria and Iraq, and with Saudi officials concerned about rising domestic militancy, security at Western compounds is being stepped up. 'We will be heightening security around our compound,' said the manager of a Western residential compound in Riyadh. Most security at Western compounds has been provided by the Saudi Arabian National Guard since a string of attacks on foreign targets a decade ago. 'That area would be on my way to work and I'm in that area often stopping at local shops and buying things. I might avoid stopping there for a while,' said one US national living in Riyadh. Police said the attack happened when the two stopped their vehicle at a filling station in an eastern district of the capital. Saudi security forces surrounded the gunman shortly after the shooting and arrested him after a gunfight . U.S. officials were in close contact with Saudi government as they gathered details about the shooting and a possible motive, the official said on condition of anonymity because the investigation was at a very preliminary stage and he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly. U.S. authorities were also evaluating their security posture, and will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all U.S. Mission personnel, the official said. In September, Saudi police said they had arrested 88 people suspected of being part of an al-Qaida cell that was planning attacks inside and outside the kingdom. The attack happened on the eastern outskirts of Riyadh about 20 miles from the US embassy . Saudi Arabia and four other Arab countries are taking part in U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida fighters in Iraq and Syria. Militants have vowed revenge. The Islamic State group's spokesman has also urged sympathizers to kill Americans and those from other countries that are carrying out airstrikes against the group. Attacks by al-Qaida militants from 2003 to 2007 were aimed at destabilizing and toppling the Western-allied monarchy. Among the most stunning attacks were deadly bombings of residential compounds in Riyadh where foreigners lived in 2003. Saudi officials responded at the time with a massive crackdown that saw many al-Qaida operatives killed or arrested. Others fled to neighboring Yemen, giving birth to one of the group's most active branches. A group of al Qaeda-linked men suspected of carrying out the 2007 attack on a group of French nationals have been on trial in Riyadh and are currently awaiting a verdict. | American national gunned down in gun attack in Saudi capital Riyadh .
Second American wounded in the gun attack at a petrol station in the city .
Saudi security forces have arrested a US born Saudi national .
The man was shot in a gunfight but is understood to be in a stable condition . |
277,809 | f3e0a9e2b57c9578cee58df5074314acb2bd97ca | (CNN) -- The nonprofit that pushed last month for Venezuelan officials to investigate reports of a massacre in an Amazon indigenous community said Monday that it now believes there was no attack there. "Having received its own testimony from confidential sources, Survival now believes there was no attack by miners on the Yanomami community of Irotatheri," said Stephen Corry, director of Survival International. The statement comes after Venezuelan state media over the weekend published several reports detailing officials' accounts from the area, also concluding that no massacre had occurred. Venezuelan officials: Reports of indigenous massacre false . An aerial flyover and ground operation to the community in a remote region along the Brazil-Venezuela border showed no signs of an attack, Venezuelan Brig. Gen. Jesus Zambrano told state-run VTV. "We can testify that nothing happened," he said. Investigators "also visited other communities in the region, before reaching Irotatheri, and also nothing happened there." On Saturday, Venezuela's government ombudswoman said the report was fueled by second-hand hearsay. "It was a false, biased report," Gabriela Ramirez told reporters. "The report was made by an indigenous person that heard that another organization had said it." Last month allegations of the reported massacre trickled out of the area, where unauthorized Brazilian gold miners have long clashed with indigenous groups. A declaration on the Survival International website last month said members of a neighboring indigenous community had heard reports of a massacre from Irotatheri's residents. The declaration, purportedly from a group of organizations representing indigenous people and communities in the Amazon, said of about 80 Yanomami people who lived in the Irotatheri community, only three survivors had reportedly been found. Survival International, which advocates tribal peoples' rights worldwide, had described it as an "atrocity." In his Monday statement saying that Survival no longer believes there was an attack, Corry said visitors to the area "had heard stories of a killing in July." "We currently do not know whether or not these stories were sparked by a violent incident, which is the most likely explanation, but tension remains high in the area," he said. Venezuelan officials said last Wednesday that they were investigating the reports of an attack. Several days later, a top official said visits to the region revealed that reports about the alleged massacre were false. On Saturday, a report from Venezuela's AVN news agency said investigators from Venezuela's air force concluded that "levels of illegal mining in the area were minimal." On Monday, Corry disputed that claim, saying "many illegal gold miners are currently operating" in the area. "The Venezuelan government's reaction remains shameful. It has not said, even now, that it will remove the miners, and it immediately denied having found 'evidence' of killings, before even concluding its own investigation," Corry said. | Survival International "now believes there was no attack"
Last month, it urged officials to investigate reports of a massacre .
Venezuelan officials also say there is no evidence that a massacre occurred .
Hearsay fueled a "false report," an official says . |
82,221 | e91201e999ee2e51a5c289f77f39be316db77fec | (CNN) -- Rafael Nadal was glowing with pride after winning the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award, following in the footsteps of his greatest tennis rival Roger Federer. The Spaniard was honored along with American skier Lindsey Vonn, who won the top women's prize at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Monday. "It is very important (in terms of) personal satisfaction," the nine-time grand slam winner told CNN's Pedro Pinto. "This nomination is voted for by the world of sport ... the best sportsmen and sportswomen in the world voted for me, it's a real honor. It was an emotional season for me, probably the most emotional of my career, so thank you very much for everyone who made this possible for me." Federer won the men's award four successive times until champion sprinter Usain Bolt reigned in 2009 and 2010, but Nadal took this year's gong after reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking and winning three of the four tennis grand slam events. The 24-year-old, who won the best newcomer category in 2006, headed off footballers Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, basketball star Kobe Bryant and boxer Manny Pacquaio. He said he was looking forward to returning to action after a leg injury effectively ended his hopes of completing a grand slam at the Australian Open last month. "For me, the most important thing is not being No. 1 but to be healthy and keep being competitive in every tournament I play," Nadal said. It was a big night for Spain as the country's 2010 World Cup-winning footballers took out the team award, while German golfer Martin Kaymer claimed the sporting breakthrough prize and Kelly Slater notched a second U.S. success as he won the action sports category for the third time. Kaymer's compatriot, visually-impaired skier and biathlete Verena Bentele, won the sportsperson with a disability award while motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi was honored for best comeback achievement. French football legend Zinedine Zidane received a lifetime achievement award, while Europe's Ryder Cup-winning team -- which featured Kaymer -- won the spirit of sport prize. The 26-year-old Vonn won the top award for the first time after a year in which she won gold and bronze medals at the Winter Olympics in Canada and a third consecutive overall World Cup title. The most successful U.S. woman skier of all-time, she triumphed ahead of three-time winner Serena Williams, her compatriot's fellow tennis stars Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki, and athletes Jessica Ennis and Blanka Vlasic. Spain's football team continued the trend that has seen the FIFA World Cup holders triumph every time since the award's inception in 2000, this time heading off treble-winning club side Inter Milan, the Ryder Cup golfers, Bryant's NBA champions the LA Lakers, Vettel's all-conquering Red Bull outfit and rugby's New Zealand All Blacks. Kaymer, who was crowned Europe's No. 1 and has risen to second in the world rankings, was honored ahead of fellow golfers Louis Oosthuizen and Matteo Manassero, Germany World Cup star Thomas Muller and French athletes Christophe Lemaitre and Teddy Tamgho. Rossi recovered from a broken leg to return to the track in just 41 days, but could not add to his seven world MotoGP titles. The Italian won the comeback award from tennis star Justine Henin, athletes Carolina Kluft, Tyson Gay and Merlene Ottey, plus U.S. golfer Paula Creamer. Bentele triumphed ahead of fellow Paralympic star Lauren Woolstencroft of Canada, who also won five gold medals in Vancouver last year, skier Jakub Krako, swimmers Matt Cowdrey and Daniel Dias, plus wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer, a two-time winner. Slater, who won a record 10th world title in 2010, headed off nominees including Australian women's surfing star Stephanie Gilmore, last year's winner who like the American has also been shortlisted eight times. | Rafael Nadal and Lindsey Vonn win top Laureus awards for the first time .
Tennis star Nadal ends the two-year reign of sprint champion Usain Bolt .
Skier Vonn follows in the footsteps of her fellow American Serena Williams .
Spain's World Cup-winning team also honored, while Germans win two awards . |
9,731 | 1b89cffc2e69ce380a402e0b5587b0528650e534 | (CNN) -- The year was 1890. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiered his Sleeping Beauty ballet in St. Petersburg. Vincent van Gogh ended his life, apparently by shooting himself. And Idaho and Wyoming became the 43rd and 44th states of the United States. 1890 is also the year Carmelo Flores Laura was born, or at least, that's what his family and the Bolivian government claim. The Bolivian man, who lives in the town of Frasquia, in the arid highlands of Bolivia, showed CNN government documents that seem to confirm he's 123 years old. The documents include a birth certificate showing his birth date as July 16, 1890. There's also a national identity card with the same birth date. Several media outlets published stories about Flores calling him the oldest man alive. But there appear to be several problems with this claim. For starters, neither the birth certificate nor the national identity card is original. "We were skeptical from the beginning," said Stephen Coles, a professor of gerontology at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California in Los Angeles. He's also the director of the Gerontology Research Group, an independent organization that tracks, monitors and verifies claims of longevity. "He's not the real thing. Carmelo is not 123 years old despite the documents his family has shown. He was not born in the year 1890." Coles said the first red flag was the fact that Flores is a man. The gerontologist said more than 90% of cases of what his organization categorizes as supercentenarians are women. Jean Louise Calment from France lived to the age of 122. Her case is the longest human lifespan that has been verified with several documents. According to Coles, there are 57 documented and verified cases of people over the age of 110 around the world. Fifty-five are women and two are men. Four other cases are still pending final verification. The Gerontology Research Group has found a document that purportedly shows Flores is actually 107 years old, and not 123. The document is a baptismal certificate. Back in 1890, the Bolivian government didn't record live births or any other demographic data, so it was up to the Catholic Church to register births, deaths and marriages. In any case, the fact that Carmelo Flores Laura has lived for more than a century in the arid highlands of Bolivia at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet is striking. Not only does he walk on his own, but his voice is still commanding. His son Cecilio Flores, who's 65 years old, has to speak loudly in his ear to communicate with him, but his memory seems to be in perfect shape. He doesn't speak Spanish, but his native Aymara, an indigenous language in Bolivia. "I was born here in the highlands," Flores told CNN in Aymara, with his son translating into Spanish. "I was not a mischievous child. I was rather calm. I arrived as a young man in Frasquia and worked as herder and farmer. I was very happy with my wife. We never fought. I never cheated on her and we were both very happy." Flores' wife lived to be over 100 years old. According to family tradition, the secret to a long life is drinking the water that flows down the Illampu Glacier, located not far from Frasquia. Their diet includes no packaged or processed foods, but locally grown plants like barley and quinoa. They hunt a local fox that lives in the Bolivian mountains known regionally as "zorrino." 80 year old becomes oldest to climb Mount Everest . Before you get any ideas, the Gerontology Research Group has found that no particular diet, geographical location or kind of water makes people live longer. Coles said it's the genes. "People who have extreme old age have virtually nothing in common. They don't share the same religion, nutrition or exercise routine. They only have one detail in common: they have relatives who have lived a long time and children (who) also tend to live a long time," Coles said. Cecilio Flores said his supercentenarian father had five children, 16 grandchildren and 39 great-grandchildren. "I constantly congratulate my father," he said. "He took care of me when I was little so I'm now taking care of him. Now it's my turn to make sure he's taken care of." Cecilio is the only child of Flores still alive. No one in the Flores family doubts that the patriarch is 123 years old. There seems to be no doubt either when it comes to officials. In fact, the government of Bolivia plans to honor Flores by declaring him "a living heritage" of the Bolivian people. | Carmelo Flores Laura has two documents saying he is 123 years old .
Neither the birth certificate nor the national identity card is original, however .
The Gerontology Research Group has found evidence he is only 107 .
Either way, the government of Bolivia is declaring him "a living heritage" of the Bolivian people. |
192,251 | 84eafb6abce39366b5abb6e56585213712cfe338 | New York (CNN) -- Some Americans spent Friday night worrying about their next mortgage payment. Many prayed for loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others continued to clean up spilled oil in the U.S. Gulf. Paris Hilton, meanwhile, was tooling around the Las Vegas Strip with a male friend in a black Cadillac Escalade, until a traffic cop thought he smelled marijuana and pulled them over. As the incident unfolded, passing cars slowed down and a crowd of about 100 gathered to take photos and witness Hilton make news yet again. Just before a supervised bathroom break at the Wynn Hotel, Hilton asked to get lip balm from her purse. As she opened the purse, an officer noticed a "small bindle" in a "clear baggy" fall out, according to the police report. Hilton, who was arrested on suspicion of possessing less than a gram of cocaine, said the purse and powdery substance were not hers, the report says. This was not the 29-year-old heiress socialite's first brush with the law. Media outlets, bloggers and Hollywood pundits will surely scrutinize the arrest in great detail and speculate for days to come about whether it will be her last. With all the problems the world faces -- climate change, terrorism, economic malaise and more -- why do we care so much about celebrities such as Hilton getting into trouble? "In the last four years 28,000 people have been killed in a country that shares our border, and the country that is supposed to be our safest ally in the Middle East has now got 20 million displaced people,'' said Danny Bonaduce, a former child actor in the 1970s sitcom "The Partridge Family," referring to the drug wars in Mexico and recent floods in Pakistan. "The news is bad. Who wants to know that when we can watch Lindsay Lohan drown in a sea of Vicodin?" said Bonaduce, host of his own radio talk show on 94.1 WYSP in Philadelphia. From Hilton to Mel Gibson to Britney Spears, Tiger Woods and Martha Stewart to O.J. Simpson, Pee Wee Herman, George Michael, Michael Jackson and Fatty Arbuckle and even going all the way back to Adam and Eve, the appetite for celebrity misbehavior seems insatiable. These days, Americans and cultures around the world never get bored of dishing on celebrity mayhem and may even prefer it to pondering more pressing matters. "It's just way more fun than facing what is actually happening out there,'' said Bonaduce, 51, who openly speaks about the ''mountains of drugs'' he has done over the years and the times he was caught on the wrong side of the law. People have always been captivated by royalty and celebrities are the new royalty, says Jane Velez-Mitchell, an author and host of "Issues" on HLN. But there's a darker side to focusing on misfortunes of the rich and famous and the thrill that comes with it, says Velez-Mitchell, who writes and often speaks about her successful battle with years of alcoholism. "I think there's a certain perverse satisfaction that everyone experiences when they see somebody who has everything -- money, fame, power, good looks, the world at their feet -- and yet it seems like they're just as miserable as the guy next door or even oneself.'' Mario Lavandeira, better known as Perez Hilton and somewhat famous in his own right as a celebrity blogger, compares the compulsion to follow celebrity mischief to rubbernecking during a car accident. "It's on a bigger scale and more people can see it, therefore more people are prone to slow down.'' The main point is familiarity, says Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. When strangers gossip they often need a more common bond than friends or family can provide, Thompson says. "I don't know your Aunt Carol and you don't know my relative who's in trouble so there's no kind of connection there,'' Thompson said. "We can talk about the latest tape from Mel Gibson. He's all of our relatives. He's all of our crazy Uncle Mel.'' Watching celebrities fall from grace or go wild makes the rest of us feel better about ourselves, says Liz Miele, a New York-based standup comedian. "It's just that we like feeling better than them. We live these kind of mundane, lame lives or at least that's how we feel most of the time,'' said Miele, 25. ''Then when somebody [famous] curses off their girlfriend or somebody ends up in rehab or somebody gets a DUI all of a sudden we're like, 'well, I didn't mess up my life that much.''' Still, fame carries privilege, and sometimes the ability to get away with more than the average person. The fact that celebrities are much harder to replace in their work than a janitor or computer technician, for example, could be a key reason they may not pay the full price for misbehaving, according to a 2004 Clemson University study by Todd Kendall. But there's no red carpet treatment for Hollywood on its own turf, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which handles its fair share of famous people flouting the law. "From a law enforcement perspective, we treat everyone the same,'' says Officer Karen Rayner, a spokesperson for the LAPD. "When an arrest becomes a media event, the Los Angeles Police Department deploys sufficient resources to ensure the safety of the public and the individual." While it's clear millions like to kick back by picking up the latest magazines, clicking on countless blogs and watching TV shows rehash celebrity antics, is this form of escapism safe? Yes, but in moderate doses, says Judith Kuriansky, a New York clinical psychologist who teaches at Columbia University Teachers College. "If you do something that is much more related to your own life rather than comparing yourself to someone else, then that would be the highest rung of healthiness,'' Kuriansky says. "Going to a museum, learning a new sport, taking up a new hobby, going to a cooking class -- any of those things certainly are healthier than looking at someone else's life, whether it's your neighbor or a celebrity.'' | Paris Hilton has been charged with felony drug possession .
Ex-child star: People would rather talk about celebrities than deal with their own problems .
Sociology professor says a celebrity is like a common relative we can talk about .
While celebs seem to get off relatively lightly, LAPD says "we treat everyone the same" |
183,912 | 7a39cf22396f385b170e18a1dd4ac5898859acc7 | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 17:41 EST, 18 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:49 EST, 18 April 2013 . Tony Blair could get a funeral on the scale of that of Margaret Thatcher, the minister in charge of planning her ceremonial send-off has suggested. Despite claims that Britain is unlikely to see another political funeral on the scale of Baroness Thatcher’s, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said he would have no objection to a similar service when Mr Blair passes away. Whitehall sources dismissed claims that it had already been decided that future prime ministers would not be afforded ceremonial services of the type watched by tens of thousands in London on Wednesday. Honour: Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said that he would have no objection to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, getting a funeral on the same scale as that of Margaret Thatcher, right . Fitting: Mrs Thatcher's ceremonial service, pictured, was watched by tens of thousands in London on Wednesday . Mr Maude, asked about plans for Mr Blair’s demise, and whether he envisaged a similar funeral to that of Lady Thatcher, told BBC Radio 5’s Pienaar’s Politics: ‘I don’t think it’s for me to say actually. I certainly wouldn’t object to that at all. ‘I think that’s very much to be decided between the government of the day and the family. I think the wishes of the family should be paramount and the wishes of the person themselves.’ A Whitehall source said there had been no detailed discussion about funeral services for any of the surviving former prime ministers - Mr Blair, Sir John Major and Gordon Brown. At only 70, John Major is now the oldest living former prime minister - the lowest age for the holder of that position at any time since World War Two. But the source added: ‘Francis Maude has made it clear he would not object to a similar scale of funeral for Tony Blair, who like Margaret Thatcher did win three general elections. No decision: A Whitehall source said there had been no detailed discussion about funeral services for any of the surviving former prime ministers - Mr Blair, Sir John Major and Gordon Brown. ‘Whether you like him or not, that is quite a big deal. Given the relative youth of our former prime ministers there has not been any detailed planning for this. 'Margaret Thatcher left very detailed instructions and most former prime ministers will have a clear idea of what they want.’ Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the use of taxpayers’ money for Lady Thatcher’s funeral, dismissing the objections of some Labour MPs by pointing out plans had been agreed under the governments of Mr Blair and Mr Brown. Questioned: Mr Maude was asked about plans for Mr Blair's funeral on BBC Radio 5's Pienaar's Politics . ‘There’s nothing new about the government of the day supporting funeral costs for significant public figures and, of course, former prime ministers - that is actually quite an established convention and has happened before,’ he told LBC radio. ‘These plans were not suddenly invented out of thin air, these were worked on over a long period of time, were pretty well established in detail by the previous government, not this coalition Government, and of course with the full consent, co-operation and support of the family. ‘Of course, I can hear that there are people who have differing views but whether you are for or against Margaret Thatcher, everybody recognises she was a very significant political figure and this was a big occasion and that it was done on a cross-party basis.’ Mr Maude said the bill will be ‘much, much less’ than the widely-reported figure of £10 million, but no official estimate of the cost has yet been released. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘We will publish the costs in due course. I think people will understand it can take a little time to draw together the final costings for high-profile and significant events such as yesterday’s funeral. ‘That is what is being done, and we will publish the costs.’ Asked whether the figure would include the full cost of the thousands of police and military personnel who were present at yesterday’s event, the spokesman said: ‘It will take account of the fact that a significant proportion of the personnel involved in the funeral ceremony would already have been on working duty.’ Sir Mark Thatcher said yesterday that his mother would have been ‘profoundly moved and gratified’ by Wednesday’s ceremonial funeral, which was effectively elevated to a state occasion by the presence of the Queen. Defence: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the use of taxpayers' money for Lady Thatcher's funeral on LBC radio . | Francis Maude said he would not object to a similar service for Tony Blair .
Whitehall sources say there's been no detailed discussion on former PMs .
John Major is now that oldest surviving PM at the age of 70 . |
78,507 | de7caa264db34a163f194b678107db08cdc0e2e7 | By . James Groves . Support for Scottish independence is crumbling as the referendum approaches, a new poll revealed yesterday. The YouGov poll for the Times found that just 35 per cent of Scots would vote ‘Yes’ in a referendum tomorrow, with 54 per cent saying they would vote ‘No’. Just 11 per cent said they were still undecided or would not vote. First Minister Alex Salmond has staked his future on Scotland voting yes for independence . The findings are a major blow to Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond, who has staked his credibility on achieving a close result in the September 18 independence referendum. The poll suggests that concerns about Scotland’s economic prospects are uppermost in the minds of voters. Just 27 per cent believe the country would be better off economically on its own, while 49 per cent believed it would be worse off and 11 per cent said there would be no difference. Meanwhile, just 17 per cent said they would be personally financially better off under independence, compared to a substantial 43 per cent who said they would be worse off, and 23 per cent believed it would make no difference. Better Together leader Alistair Darling takes a tour round the Royal Highland Show . Blair McDougall, campaign director for the pro-union Better Together, said: ‘This poll is a major setback to Alex Salmond’s negative and divisive campaign. ‘The more people think about the consequences of breaking up the UK for jobs, pensions and public services, the more they are saying no thanks to separation.’ | YouGov poll found that just 35 per cent of Scots would vote ‘Yes’
Just 11 per cent said they were still undecided or would not vote .
Findings are a major blow to Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond . |
267,924 | e6fc6b377ebe4c909b2f3225831be9c4e7619081 | By . Andrew Levy . Neighbours in a small town are braced for a nasty surprise - after a python went missing and its owner warned it could be hiding in a coat sleeve. Charly Honey insisted Popeye was ‘only’ an 18in baby and posed no serious risk to the public. ‘I’ve got a puppy and a two-year-old stepdaughter and we’ve looked everywhere,’ said the 22-year-old, from Torpoint in Cornwall. Neighbours in Torpoint (pictured), Cornwall, have been warned a missing python may be hiding in a coat sleeve . ‘They turn up in the strangest of places, like the arm of a coat. But I can’t find her anywhere.’ Popeye – named because it has lost an eye – was safe in its tank last Tuesday when its owner gave it a mouse to eat. But when Miss Honey returned a little later, she found the mouse untouched and the snake missing. She said she would usually be confident of finding the three-year-old pet in the house, but the doors had been left open because of the hot weather. ‘The neighbours are not happy, and that’s understandable, but she’s of no risk to anyone,’ added Miss Honey. Ambush predators: Pythons are non-venomous but adults can eat animals the size of a cat (file picture) ‘She’s only small, she’s still a baby really. When she’s fully grown she’ll be around six foot long. ‘We’re starting to panic a bit. In the winter they go for the heat but it’s so warm she could have gone anywhere. I put another mouse in the tank in the hope that she would come back but she didn’t. ‘If she’s found I’d ask people not to touch her. If they’re brave they can put her in a pillow case.’ Miss Honey said Popeye had escaped once before, but it had happened when the python was being looked after by someone else during a house move. Pythons are native to Australia, Africa and Asia and are ambush predators – meaning they remain motionless and strike suddenly at passing prey. They are non-venomous but have sharp backward-curving teeth which are used to grab prey before killing them by constriction, leading to asphyxiation. Adults typically eat animals equivalent to the size of a domestic cat but some larger species have been known to devour adult deer. An RSPCA spokesman said: ‘We would advise anyone who finds a stray captive snake to contact our cruelty and advice line.’ | Popeye went missing from its tank in Torpoint, Cornwall, last Tuesday .
Owner Charly Honey, 22, has warned it could be hiding in coat sleeve .
But insisted python was 'only' an 18in baby and posed no serious risk . |
240,096 | c2d71d66b9da23cd5190ef1864e00cb7b826ccdd | (CNN) -- Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas has followed his country's surprise 2-0 Confederations Cup defeat to the United States by hinting he could be ready to leave English Premier League club Arsenal because of their limited success. Is Cesc Fabregas paving the way for a move away from London-based club Arsenal? The 22-year-old star told British newspaper The Sun that the loss to the USA was not the prime factor contributing to his depressed mood, instead he focused on his club's inability to win silverware. "The absence of titles at Arsenal is what angers me the most. Cristiano Ronaldo said he's leaving Manchester United because he had nothing else to win. For me right now it is the exact opposite, seeing the impotence," the playmaker and club captain said. Check out the world's 20 most wanted players. Fabregas, who joined the north London club in 2003, has not won a major club trophy since Arsenal beat Manchester United in 2005 to lift the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger's team have also not been crowned champions of the Premier League since 2004, a factor that has been increasingly of concern for the diminutive footballer. "This year we wanted [the title], we were giving everything - but we couldn't reach the level that everyone expected of Arsenal. When you win, you're well. But when you don't, everyone is in a bad mood. For four years now, we've needed a title to regain our belief in ourselves," he added. Fabregas signed an eight-year contract with the Gunners in 2006, a deal that should see him stay at the club until 2014, however, it seems he is already considering other destinations to ply his trade. "My seventh season is about to start. It's a lot when you're just 22. When you stop to think, you see that time flies. In football, you have to learn fast and take the best decisions for yourself and try to be happy. "If one day I'm not happy, I am the first who will tell the manager. I admire Arsene Wenger but each of us has his own life and looks after his own interests." The midfielder - who helped his national side win the European title in 2008 as well as guiding Arsenal to the semifinals of the Champions League in 2009 - hinted that the ambition shown by Real Madrid has attracted his attention despite descending from a family of Barcelona supporters. "Of course my family would understand if I signed for Real Madrid because they love me, they want me to be happy and what is best for me. They'd support me - whichever club I joined. My family will always be there for me - whatever decision I make. They're the ones who are always by my side." Since the re-election of president Florentino Perez, Real Madrid have embarked on a period of extravagant spending, buying Brazil's Kaka for $92 millions dollars from AC Milan and agreeing a $130 million transfer fee with Manchester United for World Player of the Year Ronaldo. Rumors have circulated that Fabregas could be a target for Los Merengues and the man himself speculated it would be a difficult choice to make if both Barcelona and Real were to bid for him. "At the moment it's not happened so I don't have to choose. For any player it gives great pride that those two clubs come to sign him. It would be a difficult choice," he added. Arsenal kick off the forthcoming season in England with an away visit to Everton on August 15. | Cesc Fabregas has lamented Arsenal's "impotence" over recent years .
The midfielder signed an eight-year contract with the Gunners in 2006 .
"Family would support a move to Real" player tells The Sun newspaper .
Arsenal have not won the English Premier League title since 2004 . |
137,881 | 3e510356f7c9c06ad3ecd4c0a434f73c5a8a25e4 | By . Bianca London . She's . no stranger to being handed awards for being sexy - she has won . Sexiest Soap Star five years on the trot and recently beat Kim Kardashian and Rihanna to be crowned best bikini body. But despite her enviable curves, you won't find Michelle Keegan breaking a sweat in the gym or starving herself on a juice diet. Speaking about her summer health regime, the former Coronation Street star told MailOnline: 'I haven't had any time for exercise, I'm gutted. I feel so much better when I do work out. 'I don't believe in crash diets or detoxes, I can't live like that. If I have a bad day then I'll have a good day the next.' Scroll down for video . How does she do it? Michelle Keegan, who . showcases her svelte figure in her new Lipsy campaign, has revealed that . she doesn't work out religiously, dress, £65 . The star, who shows off her enviable figure in her new Lipsy campaign revealed that she tries to fit in 40 minute workouts but 'doesn't like the gym'. When it comes to her diet, she isn't interested in sugary treats but has more of a 'savoury tooth' and loves crisps and sandwiches although, one look at her new Lipsy campaign, and you'd never guess. With her showstopping hourglass physique and savvy style, Michelle Keegan is the envy of women worldwide. Fashion brand Lipsy wanted to tap into the Michelle magic and called on Weatherfield's most stylish export to collaborate on a collection. After months of hard work, the range is finally here - all modelled by the former Coronation Street star herself, of course. It's not fair! Despite having one of the best . bikini bodies in Britain, Michelle doesn't even like the gym and enjoys . eating sandwiches and crisp, dress, £60 . Want her wardrobe? Now you can have it thanks to Michelle's new range for Lipsy, which is full of all the things she loves to wear herself . Michelle couldn't be prouder of the 30-piece Autumn 2014 . collection, which is available online at Lipsy.co.uk and across all UK . Lipsy stores. Speaking at the launch of her range on Wednesday, the 26-year-old told MailOnline: 'Coming in here and seeing the clothes and my name up in lights is amazing, it's made it really real now and I keep having to pinch myself. 'I have been working on it for so long and created collages of my favourite red carpet looks and colours and shapes that I love so it's full of things I wear myself. I would describe it as quite minimalistic, classic and tailored with a girly edge. 'It's my dream come true and I hope to design for many years to come.' The chic range of figure-hugging dresses, cosy coats and on-trend totes was based around Michelle's own fashion choices and outfits she's worn in the past. Too much choice: The 30-piece range is full of glamorous gowns, cute playsuits and winter coats and lands in stores and online today, dress, left, £60 and, right, sleeveless dress, £65 . Love her look: Michelle told MailOnline that she loves all the jumpsuits, which are both sexy and smart, jumpsuit, £75 . Flattering designs: The range has been created with women's varying shapes in mind and is designed to flatter the female form, dress, £65 . Wide range: Michelle couldn't be prouder of the 30-piece Autumn 2014 collection, which is available online, skirt, £40 . Party spirit: A lot of Michelle's key designs are perfect for a night out on the town with the girls, playsuit, £55 . Michelle added: 'I have spent a lot of time over . the last few months working closely with the Lipsy design team to make . sure that each piece in my collection is something I am excited about . wearing. 'My collection is classic, unfussy and feminine in style, and I can’t wait for it to hit the high street and see everyone wearing it.' Speaking about the inspiration behind her range, she cited a certain fashionista as her muse. 'I love Victoria Beckham's style, she is effortlessly chic and looks amazing whenever she steps out.' Michelle, who loves high street stores Zara, Mango and Topshop - because you can get 'value for your money' - also shares style tips with fiance, Mark Wright. 'He's good with his fashion choices and always looks stylish but he will ask for my opinion sometimes,' she said. Her hard work paid off! Michelle said she's spent a lot of time over the last few months working closely with the Lipsy design team to make sure that each piece is perfect, dress, £50 . Classy styles: Michelle says that she worked hard to ensure that each piece in the range is something that she would love to wear herself, dress, £75 . Michelle celebrated the launch of her range at . the Rosewood Hotel in Central London, Keegan was joined by her fiancé . Mark Wright, who turned up an hour later than his wife-to-be to no doubt . to let her enjoy being the centre of attention as she launched her . capsule collection. Michelle’s . soon to be sister-in-law and bridesmaid Jessica Wright was also in . attendance wearing a white and nude dress with a black waistline and . matching handbag. Masculine v feminine: Michelle Keegan showcases two sides of her style at the launch of her Lipsy collection in London . Biker style: First Michelle wore a leather jacket over a black cami with a pale pink pencil skirt at the Rosewood Hotel . | Star says she doesn't like the gym and has a 'savoury tooth'
30-piece Autumn 14 range for Lipsy landed online yesterday .
Michelle says she's included pieces that she loves to wear herself .
Cites Victoria Beckham as her style icon . |
116,020 | 21bfa126a180ca141427cea9d0a05f2604775b4e | (CNN) -- In his first in-depth TV interview since his dramatic escape from house arrest, Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng told CNN about his departure from China and his continuing concern for family and friends he left behind. He also spoke about tasting freedom recently. "I haven't been able to feel (nature) for a long time," said Chen, who is blind. "I had some time to soak in the sun and feel the breeze. I just felt I hadn't been able to do that in so long. I have missed out for too long. " Chen's brother fled village to seek legal advice, lawyer says . Asked about speaking out against China, he said, "It was natural for me, it was very natural for me. I feel it's in people's nature to want to stop evil and embrace the good." His experience being under house arrest in China, he said, brought much suffering. "I want to correct one thing here," Chen said. In the future, he continued, "let's not use the word 'house arrest,' but instead let's use the term 'illegal detention.' It's hard for me to describe what it was like during that time. But let's just say that my suffering was beyond imagination." He made his comments Thursday morning in an exclusive with CNN's Anderson Cooper. Chen's arrival in the United States on Saturday brought an end to a diplomatic firestorm between Beijing and Washington that erupted after he escaped from house arrest in the Shandong province. Chen, 40, and his wife and children are in the United States for Chen to study at New York University under a fellowship. Chen told CNN that he and his wife were beaten periodically in China. "Yes, it was beyond everybody's imagination," Chen said. "But I don't want to talk about it right now." Five days after arriving in the United States, Chen said he was still gathering his thoughts about his escape. "After evading danger and the obstacles, I was able to get out of Dongshigu village (his home town) and then I called my good friend Guo Yushan in Beijing. "He quickly led a team to find me and drove me to Beijing. I was able to talk extensively with him during the journey and found out what had been going on in the outside world. So Mr. Guo played a very important role in this process," Chen said. Though staying in a safe place in Beijing, he began to worry about his safety, he said. He was also getting treatment for a foot injury, he said. He came up with a safer place to stay, he said. He noted how acquaintances in China helped him. "There's one thing I want to mention that may be a surprise to many people," Chen said. "When a group of people come together and accomplish something, they often fight for credit. In my case, all those people who went to Shandong to pick me up, when the news broke, they were fighting for risk instead of credit. They were all trying to claim responsibility to make others safer." Chen, who's blind, fears the Chinese government may retaliate against acquaintances who helped him, he said. "Of course, I'm very worried. We can see their retribution against my family since my escape has continued and been intensified," Chen said. Shortly after Chen escaped from his village, his nephew, Chen Kegui, was arrested and accused of murder. Chen Kegui's father, who's Chen Guangcheng's brother, has fled his village in eastern China to Beijing to seek legal advice, his lawyer said Thursday. "When dozens of men break into someone's house with weapons in the middle of the night, taking away your parent with a hood over his head and detain him without any legal basis and then go back to assault my nephew, he only reacted when he could no longer bear the beatings, and his actions would be self defense according to any Chinese law," Chen told CNN. "They injured his head, and made him bleed for three hours, and his clothes were shattered and the sticks they used to beat him were bent, and if actions under such circumstances (were) not called self-defense, would there be any meaning left in having the term self-defense in Chinese law?" Chen added. Chen asserted that the Chinese government seeks to convict his nephew under an unfair legal process. "What they're doing now is not very different than what they did to me in 2006," Chen said. "They told my nephew no lawyers are willing to defend you. Then they tell lawyers outside (that) Chen Kegui has already hired lawyers. I experienced the same thing in 2006. Back then I told them clearly I have my own lawyers. I don't need you to appoint lawyers for me. But they forced ... a government-appointed lawyer onto me despite my protest." In 2006, Chen was sentenced by a local Chinese court to four years and three months in prison on charges of damaging property and "organizing a mob to disturb traffic" in a protest, charges that his supporters called preposterous. Chen rose to fame in the late 1990s because of his legal advocacy for what he called victims of abusive practices, such as alleged forced abortions, by China's family planning officials. Read about a report finding brutal methods by city enforcers . After he was released from prison in September 2010, he had been confined to his home along with his wife, mother and daughter. Regarding his 2006 trial, Chen told CNN: "That whole process was just a farce of them investigating, prosecuting, trying and convicting all by themselves." To ensure his nephew receives a fair trial, his case should be assigned to a court outside of Shandong, Chen said. "Chen Kegui's case should be moved elsewhere, so he can have a fair trial and have his innocence and freedom back," Chen said. "China's own criminal procedure law means Shengdong authorities cannot be involved in Chen Kegui's case." The case "is going to be a benchmark in testing China's rule of law. It's going to be a litmus test," Chen continued, "because in his case, what happened was not difficult to verify. The facts are clear. The key is whether or not they want to act based on facts and accordance with law." On Saturday, the activist indicated through a translator that the U.S. government granted him partial citizenship rights. He asked people to work with him to "promote justice and fairness in China." And Chen said he was looking forward to recuperating in "body and spirit." CNN's Roger Clark, Charlie Moore and Susan Chun contributed to this report. Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here. | Chen fears the Chinese government will retaliate against those who aided his escape .
His nephew's murder case will be "a benchmark in testing China's rule of law," he says .
Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng arrived in the U.S. on Saturday .
He escaped from house arrest in China and will study at New York University . |
230,075 | b5ee664863201975f73f9c30b7c0771c641f3cab | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Actor Johnny Depp has allegedly been subpoenaed by a lawyer seeking to prove his client, a woman accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian with a limousine, is insane. TMZ reported the star was served the papers on Thursday at the Los Angeles premiere of his new movie Transcendence. The client, Nancy Lekon, is accused of mowing down and dragging a pedestrian for nearly a mile under a battered limousine through downtown Los Angeles in 2009. Lekon will stand trial later this month charged with murder, after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. At the time of her arrest, Lekon allegedly told police she was in the area because she was meeting Depp, her 'boyfriend'. Her lawyer has now called on Depp to disavow Lekon's claims in court, in a bid to prove she is delusional. Scroll down for video . Summoned to court: Actor Johnny Depp was allegedly subpoenaed on Thursday at the LA premiere of his new movie 'Transcendence' Fun times: Johnny Depp was swarmed by adoring fans at the LA premiere of his new flick 'Transcendence', where he was allegedly summoned to court over a bizarre 2009 case . Depp, 50, has not commented on the reports. NBC News reported the disturbing incident unfolded in December 2009, when Lekon, then 43, and 25-year-old Sonia Taunauu began arguing about narcotics in an industrial area near Skid Row known for drug dealing. Lekon, who was driving a battered black . 1989 Cadillac limousine, left the area but then returned and allegedly mowed down Taunauu. The victim was known around Skid Row as 'China'. Vehicle: Nancy Lekon is accused of mowing down Sonia Taunauu with this battered black 1989 Cadillac limousine and dragging her for about 11 blocks through Skid Row in Los Angeles in 2009 . Victim: Sonia Taunauu, 25 (pictured left and right) died after being hit by a limousine and dragged for nearly a mile in downtown Los Angeles in 2009 . Police said Lekon then dragged Taunauu under the limo for nearly a mile through Skid Row streets, at one point driving past a police station. Pursuing officers tried to pull Taunauu out from under the vehicle, but she died at the scene. Lekon collapsed on the road and was taken to a hospital before being booked for investigation of vehicular homicide. She faces court at the end of this month. Crime scene: Witnesses and police officers gather to inspect the limousine after a woman was dragged to her death under the vehicle in Los Angeles in 2009 . Scene: Police said the victim, 25-year-old Sonia Taunauu, died at the scene. The driver Nancy Lekon, 43, collapsed at the scene and was taken to a hospital before being booked for investigation of vehicular homicide . Scene: Police said the limousine (pictured), with the body wedged underneath, stopped near 5th and Los Angeles streets in Skid Row in 2009 . Meanwhile, Depp has been in the spotlight this week over his relationship with fiance Amber Heard. While the private Pirates of the Caribbean star denied rumors his 27-year-old sweetheart was pregnant, he gushed about his feelings for Heard in a recent interview with John Hiscock at The Mirror. The father-of-two explained he 'loves kids' and would happily have a family of 100 with his new flame. 'As far as having more kids, it’s easy for me – and Amber should have the opportunity to have kids if she wants. Let’s face it, practising for it is fun and it’s all wonderful,' he said. The couple met in 2010 during filming for The Rum Diary, but only confirmed their relationship last year. Depp has been busy promoting his new film Transcendence, which opens April 18. Loved up: Amber Heard did not join her fiance Johnny Depp on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of Depp's new movie 'Transcendence' on Thursday . | The actor was allegedly served at the Hollywood premiere of his new movie 'Transcendence' on Thursday .
He's been called on by the public defender of Nancy Lekon, accused of mowing down a pedestrian in downtown LA in 2009 .
Lekon told officers at the time she was in Skid Row to meet Depp .
Her lawyer wants to use that statement to prove Lekon is delusional . |
229,980 | b5d33a6d3ec82d4941436e8acd22f0d4320f1199 | By . Reuters . and Associated Press . A women's college soccer coach has been suspended for a week without pay and most of the team is suspended for one game over a hazing incident. University of New Mexico officials say last Sunday's hazing involved seven freshmen and two were taken to the hospital for excessive alcohol consumption. Athletic director Paul Krebs said he expected coach Kit Vela's suspension to begin immediately, but university policy dictates she has ten days to appeal. Krebs says assistant coaches Jorge Vela and Krista Foo will receive letters of reprimand. Scroll down for video . University of New Mexico vice president of athletics Paul Krebs (left) and women's head soccer coach Kit Vela speak to reporters on Wednesday. She has been suspended following the hazing incident on the team . Twin sisters Danielle and Devin Scelsi quit the team on Monday, withdrew from school and returned to their home in Orange County, California. Friday's season opener against Texas Tech in the Mountain West Conference was canceled, resulting in a $5,000 fine for UNM. 'We are also assessing what our coaches did and didn't know (about the incident),' Krebs told reporters on Wednesday. Kit Vela sat alongside him and appeared visibly distressed. 'As a mother, I am upset and angered over what happened,' she said, adding that the teenager who went to hospital was released on Monday. University officials said heavy drinking was involved but they rejected local media reports that Sunday night's incident involved players being made to strip, or even being sprayed with urine. The OC Weekly reported that Danielle Scelsi called campus police to report her 18-year-old sister Devin was struggling to breathe and appeared to be vomiting after drinking. Officers found two other teens in the apartment with the teen sisters who also seemed drunk. Devin Scelsi was taken to a hospital and another 18-year-old was taken to a separate center. Two days after the incident, the sisters had left the school, the OC Weekly reported. Twins Danielle (pictured right) and Devin Scelsi (left) left the University of New Mexico following a drinking incident during hazing rituals with the soccer team. Devin reportedly had to be hospitalized last Sunday because she had trouble breathing . The two fraternal twin sisters, pictured with an unknown man, dropped out of the school after they were brutally hazed . Their mother Dawn Scelsi told KTLA her freshman daughters were brutally hazed by older members of the team. She said that they had been playing soccer since the age of four and that was all they wanted to do. They were now focused on their future education, the mom added. Two students have left UNM as a result of the initiations, the team's coach confirmed on Wednesday. The school said the UNM athletics department had let down its players. 'We failed the young women of our soccer program who did not understand the seriousness of hazing,' UNM athletic director Paul Krebs told a news conference in Albuquerque. 'These are good women, but they damaged the reputation of the university, the women's soccer program, and themselves.' Krebs said an ongoing probe has revealed that the majority of the team's players were consuming alcohol at more than one off-campus location, but that none of them were forced to drink. A report by UNM campus police said officers responding to a 911 call took one 18-year-old player to hospital who was extremely intoxicated and had trouble breathing. A soccer match scheduled between UNM and Texas Tech this Friday has been canceled resulting in a $5,000 fine for the New Mexico school. The team is pictured in a huddle in 2013 (there is no indication that any player pictured was involved in the hazing incident) | University of New Mexico coach Kit Vela's suspension to begin immediately, but university policy dictates she has ten days to appeal .
Last Sunday's hazing involved seven freshmen and two were taken to the hospital for excessive alcohol consumption .
Sisters Danielle and Devin Scelsi, from Trabuco Canyon, California, pulled out of the school following Sunday night's incident .
Devin, 18, was taken to hospital after becoming extremely intoxicated and having trouble breathing .
Friday's season opener against Texas Tech in the Mountain West Conference was canceled, resulting in a $5,000 fine for UNM . |
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