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23,474 | 42ae2354add968eaa66d43457c312c37573f339d | (CNN) -- The special court trying to bring the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to justice published Wednesday previously secret details of the case against four men it has charged. Prosecutors assert that the ringleader of the group had earlier been sentenced to death in Kuwait over the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies there. The suspect, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, escaped from prison in 1990 when Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait, the tribunal says in the indictment. He and three other men were indicted by the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in June, and their identities and the charges against them were made public last month. But they remain at-large. The tribunal says it asked Lebanese authorities on June 30 to arrest Badreddine, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra. As of August 9, there had been no progress, the court said Wednesday. The four are accused of involvement in the bombing that ripped apart Hariri's armored car in Beirut on February 14, 2005. It destroyed his motorcade, killing him and 21 others, and injuring 231 people. Badreddine was the ringleader, prosecutors charge. Ayyash was the head of what they call the "assassination team," and Oneissi and Sabra were involved in planting a false claim of responsibility in the media, prosecutors say. They add that all four are supporters of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group, and that Badreddine and Ayyash are related to one of its founders. In a speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the indictment contained "no direct evidence" against the men. "The text (of the indictment) is based on circumstantial evidence whose credibility is contested," he said. "This makes us more convinced that what is happening is highly unjust and politicized, and this is unfair to the suspects." Investigators pieced together a timeline of the assassination plot dating back at least as far as November 11, 2004, based on cell phone data. They identified five networks of cell phones, including one they claim was used by the assassination team. Prosecutors label that the "Red Network." A "Green Network" was used by leaders of the operation, with the last call between phones in that group made about an hour before the blast. Prosecutors assume that that 14-second last call was final authorization for the attack to go ahead. The last call on the Red Network was made about five minutes before the explosion, prosecutors allege. Cell phone data suggests that Hariri had been under surveillance for at least 15 days before he was killed. It also places Ayyash in the location where the vehicle used in the bombing was bought, the indictment says. Prosecutors concede in the indictment that the charges are based heavily on circumstantial evidence, but they argue that such information "can be stronger than direct evidence" because it does not rely on things like potentially faulty witness accounts. Hariri's supporters say the businessman-turned-politician was killed because of his opposition to Syria's long-time military presence in his country, and his death led to popular protests, nicknamed the "Cedar Revolution," that led Damascus to withdraw its troops. Syria has denied accusations that it was behind the bombing. The special tribunal's prosecutor welcomed the publishing of previously confidential parts of the indictment. Unsealing the indictment "answers many questions about the 14 February 2005 attack," Daniel Bellemare said in a statement. "The full story will however only unfold in the courtroom, where an open, public, fair and transparent trial will render a final verdict." Judge Antonio Cassese, the president of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, last week publicly urged the suspects to cooperate. He said in an open letter to the four men that they will be treated fairly if they appear before the court or participate in the trial proceedings without being present. Cassese issued the statement after Lebanese authorities told him they had been unable to serve the accused warrants and arrest them. In Washington, the State Department lauded the process. "This process is a means of ending the era of impunity for the terrible and tragic violence that has touched all of Lebanon's communities," the department said in a statement. CNN's Nada Husseini contributed to this report. | NEW: Nasrallah says the indictment contains "no direct evidence" against the four .
Prosecution: The ringleader was sentenced to death over bombing U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait .
Cell phone data suggests the politician was under surveillance for at least 15 days before he was killed .
The U.N.-backed tribunal asked Lebanon to arrest the four suspects in June but they are still at-large . |
253,854 | d49368246e64bc5cfc3ec0649eaf319d982af30a | By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 18:07 EST, 22 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:49 EST, 23 September 2013 . A 60-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday in Northern Missouri for abducting her infant grandson 13 years ago. Sandy Hatte is charged with kidnapping the boy while she was keeping an eye on him in his Florida home in 2000. When the boy’s father arrived home from work, he was gone. The boy was with Hatte for all those years until her arrest last week, at which point he was seized by police at a Livingston school. Nabbed: Sandy Hatte was arrested Wednesday after living on the run with the grandson she kidnapped from his father--her son--13 years ago in Florida . Hatte is behind bars at the Daviess/Dekalb County Regional Jail under $25,000 bond. According to WDAF, it was the unnamed boy’s presence at that school that set his rescue in motion. A school principal reportedly became suspicious when Hatte, who claimed to be his mother, tried to enroll him in the school. The principal contacted local police, who began an investigation. P.I.: Larry Jones helped track Hatte's past on the lam after the boy's aunt enlisted him, reportedly after authorities wrote off the kidnapping as a civil matter . But that was months before the eventual arrest and police failed to look too deeply into the situation, calling it a civil matter. ‘I don’t think anyone was pursuing it because it was grandma who had the kid,’ said Larry Jones, of Black Hawk Investigations. Jones was brought onto the case when the boy’s aunt, frustrated with the alleged police inaction, decided to hire a private investigator. ‘I’ve always been a team player and so I considered myself a part of the team, and I was going to do everything I could to have it resolved the way it’s been,’ Jones told WDAF. Finally: The unnamed boy was taken by authorities at this Missouri school Wednesday after Hatte's arrest. He's now in Alabama with his biological father . Along with Jones, local police detective Eric Menconi and Captain Sindy Fitzpatrick conducted background investigations, reports the St. Joseph Post, which led them to the boy’s biological father in Alabama. Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox told the St. Joseph Post that Hatte and the boy had only been living in Livingston County for around thirty days. He said they’d more than likely spent over a decade in ‘other cities, counties, and/or states.’ And at least one during that time, Hatte and her grandson were homeless. WDAF reports that Hatte and the boy were taken in by a Chillicothe, Missouri man when he learned they had no place to live. He learned they were on the run only when police showed up at his door to arrest Hatte. The boy was since reunited with his biological father at a Days Inn in Chillicothe, and they had a reunion dinner at a nearby Golden Corral. ‘It was a good reunion,’ Menconi said. ‘You could tell within the first three minutes they hit it off pretty well. Since then I’ve been on the phone with the dad and from what I’m understanding it’s going very well. He’s adjusting.’ Homeless: The boy was living in this Missouri house, where a man reportedly took in him and Hatte after learning they were homeless . Share what you think . The comments below have been moderated in advance. Missy, . Ohio, United States, . 1 day ago . I don't understand. You have to show ID and a child's birth certificate to enroll them in school. Slandah, . Ohio USA, . 1 day ago . Wow what does that say about the police?? Elizabeth, . Seattle, United States, . 1 day ago . Oh of course, poor dad, children should always have their biological parent because matching DNA always means that a person is a suitable parent. RedHev, . Lincoln. UK, . 1 day ago . Grandmothers do have a part to play in the upbringing of their grandchildren and love them very much but unless circumstances arise that they are given custody they are always just the backup to the parents. But we don't know the full story here. Who was the mother, why is only the father mentioned etc. Jim Donnelly, . Bangkok, Thailand, . 1 day ago . Quite the looker isn't she. tmt, . Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, . 1 day ago . the time the father and son have lost and cant get back is really heart wrenching :( best of luck for the future . Cllr Cabbie, . To the right, United Kingdom, . 1 day ago . Nice to hear the boy is back home! Bigbird, . Limerick, . 1 day ago . No mention of the biological mother , whom i assume is the daughter of Sandy Hatte. Is she alive or not. Confusing to say the least. So glad that father and child are reunited. I hope it all goes well for them. Tiger, . London, . 1 day ago . She's a pleasant looking lady isn't she? Where's the mother in all of this - she's not even mentioned? Limpand Totheleft, . Winchester, United Kingdom, . 1 day ago . Ye gods! A life on the run seems to have been damned hard on her. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. | Sandy Hatte disappeared from Florida with a family member's child in 2000 .
Hatte, 60, had just recently been homeless with the boy prior to her arrest .
The boy has now been reunited with his biological father . |
196,023 | 89b12f25c09349be5cdbf7c92c42e1d2ee955900 | An Oregon woman being . monitored for possible Ebola infection has been hospitalized . after registering a high temperature, state health officials . said on Friday. The woman, who was being monitored after traveling to an . Ebola-affected country, has been placed in isolation and is not . a danger to the public, the Oregon Health Authority said. The worst outbreak of the disease on record has killed . nearly 5,000 people, all but a handful in the impoverished West . African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Calming fears: There is no risk to the public, according to health officials such as Dr. Paul Lewis (pictured) who did not release specifics regarding her identity or the timeline of her return to Portland from Africa . Quarantined: Julie Sullivan-Springhetti (far right) of the Oregon Health Authority said the patient had been placed in isolation and is not a danger to the public . Julie Sullivan-Springhetti of the Multnomah County Health Department said the patient traveled from West Africa to the Portland area and had been self-monitoring for symptoms was hospitalized and quarantined after developing a fever, the Oregon Health Authority said. They woke up on Friday and after taking their temperature and learning it was over 102 degrees, was taken in a specially-equipped medical transport vehicle to Providence Milwaukie Hospital. There is no risk to the public, according to health officials, who did not release specifics regarding her identity or the timeline of her return to Portland from Africa. They said she visited one of the the three Ebola-stricken countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia), but did not specify which one. Health officials said the patient was brought to Providence Milwaukie because it was available and prepared. 'Safe care for patient, safety for health care workers, and safety for the general public,' said Dr. Paul Lewis. Treatment center: The patient is being isolated at the Providence Milwaukie Hospital . The people who live with the patient are now under a voluntary home quarantine. Health officials said testing is being obtained by a laboratory and will be sent to the CDC who will have to confirm the results. The timeline for the results is unknown and officials said, 'It will take time for them to run and confirm the tests.' There are a 'couple' patients who are currently being monitored for Ebola in Oregon currently, and this woman was one of those cases, health officials said. Plan of action: Earlier in the week Governor John Kitzhaber, right, standing next to next to health officials, designated six hospital systems as the go-to centers for treatment in case a person is suspected of Ebola . The Oregon isolation comes as a judge rejected Maine's bid . for a quarantine on a nurse who treated victims of the disease . in West Africa but tested negative for it. The judge instead . imposed limited restrictions. Also on Friday the Pentagon said that civilian U.S. defense . employees returning from Ebola relief work in West Africa must . undergo monitoring to ensure they are free of disease but can . choose between following civil health guidelines or the stricter . military regimen. | A female who traveled from West Africa to the Portland area and had been self-monitoring for symptoms was hospitalized and quarantined after developing a fever .
The patient woke up Friday, took her temperature and learned it was over 102 degrees, said Julie Sullivan-Springhetti of the Multnomah County Health Department .
She was taken in a specially-equipped medical transport vehicle to Providence Milwaukie Hospital . |
18,524 | 34641050a4872acfd910dec3851f4c07f5ac29f1 | (CNN) -- Known by many as Africa's "father of technology," software pioneer Herman Chinery-Hesse has been spawning innovations for two decades, helping to break down tech barriers between the continent and the rest of the world. The Ghanaian innovator and visionary founded SOFTtribe in 1991, one of the largest and most successful software companies in West Africa that has been creating computer solutions for businesses in the continent. More recently, Chinery-Hesse who is often described as '"Africa's Bill Gates," embarked on a mission to spark an entrepreneurial revolution in Africa by bringing e-commerce to the most remote corners of the continent. His latest creations range from virtual shopping malls and electronic ticketing to digital insurance and security. Here, CNN highlights some of the best innovations Chinery-Hesse and his teams have created over the years. Shop Africa 53: A subsidiary of Black Star Line, the company Chinery-Hesse create in 2007, Shop Africa 53 is a virtual shopping mall for African products and services that enables merchants to sell their goods on the internet and accept payments on a mobile phone. The website, which Chinery-Hesse describes as an African Amazon/PayPal type of service, allows shoppers anywhere in the world to look for African products and buy directly from local merchants -- from art, clothes and jewelry to food products, cookware and appliances. Read also: Web savvy Africans fuel growth in online shopping . Chinery-Hesse says enthusiastically that the marketplace can give poor African craftspeople access to global markets. "What's going to happen next is that we're going to augment it with the fact of the poor people in the villages being able to do international trade," he says. "Some of which might grow into multi-billion dollar companies and so on within the next 20 years -- watch this space, Africa is it!" Keba-Ekong!: This re-usable plastic card, whose name translates to "bring it again," is similar to the Oyster card, a form of electronic ticketing widely used in London, England for public transport. But more than just a travel card, Keba-Ekong! is an all-purpose, pay-as-you-go system that is also used for several other purchases, including concert and cinema tickets, inside and outside Ghana. "If you're going to watch a concert today in Ghana you'll probably receive one of those cards as your ticket -- when you get to the gate there's a scanner, peep it goes, wait, checking, you can go in," says Chinery-Hesse. Read also: Tech whiz brings gift of computers to Ghana's children . "We have orders for concerts outside Ghana and the same thing happens -- we just deliver the cards to them and on the day of the event we go onto our server and we setup the whole concert, number of seats ... and they can start selling tickets six months in advance and they make their money, their counting is transparent for everybody." Quickie: For "Quickie," Black Star Line collaborated with an insurance company to launch instant, on-demand cover through the use of scratch cards and mobile phone networks. Just like Keba-Ekong!, Quickie uses the potential of the cloud to offer smart solutions tailored for the Ghanaian market. The product is designed to accommodate the needs of those who are not keen to pay large sums for insurance once a year, says Chinery-Hesse. "Quickie" users can activate their cover by sending an SMS with the unique code that appears on the card that they've purchased from vendors of telecom products. "You scratch the card, you look at your registration number, you stick it in to our server, you're insured and the rest is history," says Chinery-Hesse. Akatua: Akatua was one of the first software to be developed by SOFTTribe some two decades ago. Today, the cloud-based product, which has been taken on by many major companies operating in Ghana, claims to be the most efficient, payroll solution in the country. Find out more: Underwater cables bring faster internet to West Africa . It is designed to simplify a series of complex payroll issues such as staff salaries, and maintenance of taxes as well as managing deductions and back pay. Hei-Julor!!!: Chinery-Hesse's latest technological solution aims to use the potential of the cloud to offer what is claimed to be superior protection against armed robberies. Dubbed "Hagelo," which translates to "Hey, you thief" the service incorporates scratch cards and crowd sourcing through an internet and mobile phone based application. A monthly $10 scratch card allows users to indicate to BSL's server that their house is under attack. Then, a protection system mechanism is deployed to make sure the thief is caught. "Within 2 minutes the whole neighborhood will be awake, the police are on their way, a security company is on their way, the radio stations are announcing [this house is under attack]," says Chinery-Hesse. "The security people we're working with predict -- this big sign board that's in the starter pack says: 'This crib is protected by Hagelo alert systems, don't even bother, you will run like a wet rat' -- and they say that sign board will put the fear of God into most thieves." Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report. | Herman Chinery-Hesse is a successful Ghanaian innovator and technology pioneer .
He's the founder of one of Ghana's biggest software companies .
He's embarked on a mission to spark an entrepreneurial revolution in Africa .
His latest creations include virtual shopping malls, electronic ticketing and digital insurance . |
60,973 | ad33d9d4f3151ec5e31a0d6e7d4878d7f0719de2 | By . Sara Nathan . and Eleanor Harding . For years, he has been one of the world's most sought-after bachelors. But any ladies still dreaming they will one day run away with George Clooney are about to be disappointed – as it has been reported he is finally engaged. His bride to be is Amal Alamuddin, a glamorous British humanitarian lawyer who has represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Scroll down for video . So in love: Actor George Clooney with Amal Almuddin, 36, on safari in Africa . Clooney is understood to have proposed recently after the couple enjoyed a series of exotic holidays around the world during a seven-month romance. His relationship with Miss Alamuddin, 36, is a departure from the long list of actresses and models he has dated in the past. Rumours of their engagement have been circulating in the US media after she was spotted several times in the last week sporting a 'huge ring'. US-based Entertainment Tonight reported that on Thursday, the lovers were spotted at celebrity restaurant Nobu in Malibu, California, with Clooney's friends Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber. At the dinner, Miss Alamuddin had a conspicuous ring on her left ring finger, according to an onlooker. The same ring was seen by another diner at another LA restaurant, Craig's, on Wednesday, when the pair were understood to be celebrating their engagement. A friend told US magazine People: 'George and Amal are trying to keep things very low-key but they also aren't really trying to hide this, it doesn't seem. Big news? George Clooney's girlfriend Amal Alamuddin, pictured here in October, was reportedly seen by multiple people showing off a ring at Nobu in Malibu, California, on Thursday. 'I think it's like they want the people they love to know that this is real, that they plan on being together for ever.' Clooney, 52, was first photographed with Miss Alamuddin last October in London. In March, they went to Tanzania, where they were photographed on safari, and they also visited the Seychelles. Earlier this year, a source who has worked with Clooney told People: 'He's with someone who is a very accomplished attorney. She isn't someone who is pursuing a career in acting or entertainment. She's on his level.' History repeating? While known as a diehard bachelor, George has been married before briefly to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993, pictured here in 1990 . Miss Alamuddin was once voted the 'hottest barrister in London' by a law blog, but her life could not be more removed from the celebrity world which Clooney inhabits. She comes from a prominent intellectual Lebanese family who fled war-torn Beirut when she was a child and settled in a large modern house in Buckinghamshire. Her mother, Baria, was a noted beauty when she was younger – a Liz Taylor of Lebanon, by all accounts. Her father, Ramzi, is a retired professor of business studies at the American University of Beirut. The family are believed to belong to the Druze religious sect, an offshoot of Islam. After leaving Oxford, where she gained a 2:1 in law, Miss Alamuddin studied at the New York University School of Law. Now working out of London's Doughty Street Chambers, she specialises in international law, human rights, extradition and criminal law. Asked about the engagement news yesterday, her parents' housekeeper beamed a large smile and said: 'I don't know.' But a neighbour said: 'I'm really happy for her – who wouldn't be happy with George Clooney as their husband?' Yesterday, Clooney's spokesman Stan Rosenfield did not deny the engagement rumours but just said: 'I do not comment on his personal life.' Clooney was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993. Since then he has said that although he is not completely closed off to the idea of another wedding, he is not the marrying type. Last December he told Esquire: 'I haven't had aspirations in that way, ever. I was married in 1989. I wasn't very good at it.' His previous girlfriends include British model Lisa Snowdon, former wrestler Stacy Keibler, cocktail waitress Sarah Larson, Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis and Baywatch star Krista Allen. | Bride to be is Amal Alamuddin, a humanitarian lawyer .
Clooney is understood to have proposed to her recently .
Rumours of their engagement have been circulating . |
40,271 | 71a7839207af6a4b7d971d74111eab565b963f9d | By . Michael Seamark . and Colin Fernandez . The Goldsmiths finally called a Twitter truce yesterday to their increasingly bitter marital row. After a week spent publicly trading insults on the social networking site, multi-millionaire Ben Goldsmith and his wife Kate decided their ugly break-up should become private. However, their apparent truce was immediately put to the test, after it emerged that the Rothschild heiress's alleged lover, US rapper Jay Electronica, posted a photo of her on his Twitter page. High-flyers: Jay Electronica posted a picture on Twitter of Kate Rothschild accompanying him on a helicopter ride to a Jay Z and Kanye West concert last month. Kate and her estranged husband Ben Goldsmith today confirmed they are to divorce . Outburst: Kate Rothschild took to twitter to attack her critics, telling them to 'get on with fixing' their own lives . The picture, captioned . '@KateRoundtable (her Twitter user name) at the Watch The Helicopter . tour', is likely to inflame the bitter break-up. The rapper also recently tweeted: 'The handling of the heart is a very delicate art cause it's paper thiiiiin (sic).' Mrs Goldsmith had been branded . 'appalling' by her husband over her relationship with Electronica – . prompting a succession of extraordinary tweets from her. She claimed her 'life had been saved' by the rapper, accused her husband of cheating on her and being . 'irrational', and said she was merely responding to the 'vultures' taunting her. Heading for divorce: Ben with Kate, who he has branded 'appalling' over her . relationship with a rapper . Rapper Jay Electronica who is believed to be having an affair with Kate Goldsmith leaving a flat in Cadogan Square, London . Yesterday, however, the prospect of . an acrimonious 'Twitter divorce' battle between two of the world's most . famous banking dynasties appeared to have led to an agreement. In a joint statement the couple said: 'We are both deeply saddened that our marriage has ended after nine years. 'It is a matter of regret that, at a . time when our emotions and those of our friends have run high, things . have been said in public which should have been kept private. We accept . our share of responsibility. Star: Jay Electronica, left with his ex . girlfriend Erykah Badu, with whom he has a child, and performing on . stage during The Big Chill Festival, last year, right, alongside . Hollywood actress Lucy Liu in the band Bullitts . Row: Kate Rothschild had tweeted that hip-hop star Jay Electronica, pictured, had 'saved her life' after her husband branded her 'appalling' for her relationship with the musician . 'There will be no further comment.' News of the split emerged last weekend after police arrested Mr . Goldsmith at the couple's £20million family home in Kensington, West . London on suspicion of actual bodily harm. It reportedly followed a confrontation . between the Eton-educated financier, the youngest son of Sir James . Goldsmith, and his 29-year-old wife over explicit texts and emails . between her and Electronica. Mr Goldsmith, 31, who inherited . £300million, was released without charge after accepting a caution. He . later announced he was filing for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Kate Rothschild posts Instagram picture of her children on a plane to Twitter, which was then given a 'like' by Jay Electronica (see small pic bottom right) Kate Rothschild posts cryptic tweet about being in a 'talespin' in first message since husband blasted her over relationship with rapper . It provoked an ugly war of words between the couple which culminated in the tweets by Mrs Goldsmith on Thursday. In 14 messages posted in quick . succession, the music producer – who calls herself Kate Rothschild on . Twitter – wrote: 'Our marriage went bad a few years ago and none of you . have any idea what I went through along with my husband. My husband is a . brilliant and incredible man... but relationships can go wrong. This is . the darkest time of my life.' In response to a Twitter user who . wrote: 'Imagine if you'd been cheated on', she replied: 'I have, several . times.' By yesterday morning all the messages had been deleted. Electronica, 35, refused to comment . last night. But a neighbour said: 'Jay is a perfect Southern gentleman. Kate is absolutely lovely. They are a lovely couple.' Kate Rothschild took to Twitter to defend herself in the latest move in the battle between the estranged spouses . Backing from women: Mr Goldsmith has been deluged with messages of support on Twitter since it was revealed he had split from wife Kate . It is not the first time that a Rothschild heiress has put everything on the line to pursue an edgy musician. The alleged affair between Kate Goldsmith and rapper Jay Electronica echoes that of her great aunt, who left her husband and five children to live with a jazz artist in the 1950s. In both cases, their family and friends were mystified and shocked by their behaviour. Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild, the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, who was nicknamed Nica, first became infatuated by pianist Thelonious Monk after being introduced to jazz by her brother, Victor Rothschild – Mrs Goldsmith’s grandfather. She moved to New York and became consumed by the jazz scene, where she was known as ‘The Baroness’. There she helped to support many struggling musicians, arranging for rehearsal space and transporting them to clubs in her Bentley. By 1954 her marriage to a wealthy French diplomat and war hero, Baron Jules de Koenigswarte, was over and she lost custody of her children. She later hit the headlines after Charlie Parker, the jazz saxophonist and composer, died in her hotel suite – a scandal that cast a dark shadow over the rest of her life. However, her relationship with Monk was to endure for three decades until his death in 1982. Monk – who would go on to become a giant of 20th century music – would later move into her New Jersey home, which served as a sanctuary for ageing jazz musicians. Bitter feud: Mr Goldsmith hunting in the English countryside with rapper Jay Electronica, who has been exchanging messages with the financier's estranged wife . | Ben Goldsmith split from wife Kate Rothschild after row over messages between her and rapper Jay Electronica .
She took to Twitter with cryptic message about 'talespins and head rolls'
She has previously said media has been given 'false and inaccurate information'
PR company issue statement on behalf of couple confirming marriage is over and declaring their intentions to play out the split in private from now on .
Kate also posts a picture of children getting off a plane which has been 'liked' by the U.S. rapper .
Legal expert says 29-year-old heiress will not be entitled to any of husband's £300m fortune in the first 'Twitter divorce'
Eton-educated financier accepted a caution after being arrested for ABH at couple's £20m home last week . |
150,026 | 4df61736af54f821505fae34162ddb9f761d86b9 | By . Allan Hall . UPDATED: . 10:11 EST, 7 March 2012 . A German clothes firm favoured by neo-Nazis has provoked outrage for calling its new store Brevik - which critics say is in honour of right-wing Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. Thousands of people have complained about the store in Chemnitz which, although not spelled the same, is frequented by the radical right who like to wear its Thor Steinar-brand clothes. 'This scandalous choice of name has shown a new level of aggression, and violent right-wing tendencies from Thor Steinar,' said Hanka Kliese of the Social Democratic Party. Criticism: German clothes firm Thor Steinar is under fire for calling its new store in Chemnitz (left) Brevik, similar to the name of Anders Behring Breivik (right) Outrage: The firm did have a store called Brevik, named after the Norwegian town, in Hamburg but it shut in 2008 . The chain has defended itself by pointing out that it names all its branches after the village of Brevik, south of Oslo. But critics say this is not enough to explain the choice of a name almost identical to that of Norwegian right-wing extremist who murdered 77 people in a shooting spree on a holiday island in Norway in July last year. Tribute: The Norwegian right-wing extremist murdered 77 people in a shooting spree on a holiday island in Norway in July last year . 'It is out of the question for a store to have a name like that,' city spokeswoman Katja Uhlemann told Die Welt's website. Anders Behring Breivik was today indicted on terror and murder charges for his bomb and murder rampage. But prosecutors said it was likely the confessed killer would not go to prison for Norway's worst peacetime massacre. They said they considered the 33-year-old to be psychotic and would seek a sentence of involuntary commitment to psychiatric care. This would happen, instead of imprisonment, unless new information about his mental health emerges during the trial set to start in April. As expected, they charged him under a paragraph in Norway's anti-terror law that refers to violent acts intended to disrupt key government functions or spread fears in the population. He has confessed to the July 22 attacks but denies criminal guilt, portraying the victims as 'traitors' for embracing immigration policies he claims will result in an Islamic colonisation of Norway. 'We have already contacted the landlord and will plan every step necessary to shut down this business as quickly as possible.' Saxony, the state in which Chemnitz . lies, has been making headlines in recent months because of the National . Socialist Underground. It is a neo-Nazi terrorist cell that . murdered 10 people over 13 years. The group lived for a time in both . Chemnitz and nearby Zwickau during their years in hiding. Thor Steinar is favoured by right-wing thugs. Norway has long sought to distance itself from the German brand, which has used the Norwegian flag and other Nordic symbols on its products. 'We consider it very regrettable that Thor Steinar uses Norwegian place names in order to associate Norway as such with Thor Steinar and the extreme right-wing scene,' said Anne-Kirsti Wendel Karlsen of the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin. 'Acting at the request of a number of communities, we have asked that Norwegian town names not be used. 'But we unfortunately have no legal recourse to pursue it through the courts.' | Comes as Anders Breivik formally indicted in court . |
13,279 | 25b867512c59eb2585dc7af875cf4a77ec2caff1 | By . David Kent for MailOnline . Jenson Button’s future is uncertain after McLaren boss Ron Dennis said on Thursday he was monitoring other leading drivers who might become available. Button, Britain’s 2009 world champion with Brawn, has been at McLaren since 2010 and, aged 34, is in the final year of his contract. The winner of 15 grands prix, he is the most experienced driver in Formula One. He made his debut in 2000, and sits eighth in the championship with 68 points. Final lap? Jenson Button will consider retirement if he loses his place in McLaren's team . True Brit: Jenson Button has been with McLaren since 2010 . Kevin Magnussen, his Danish rookie team-mate, has scored only 37 but, at 21, is seen as a face of the future. Dennis told the Formula One website that he was satisfied with his drivers, but added: ‘The fact that we’re keeping an eye on what a few other drivers are up to in no way contradicts that. ‘If opportunities arise, we’ll appraise them — we always have and we always will.’ Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso continues to be linked with McLaren even though he had an unhappy season at the team alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007 and fell out with Dennis. McLaren have not won a race since 2012 and failed to even get on the podium last year. But Honda are returning as McLaren’s engine partners next year and are said to be pushing for an ‘A List’ driver. Button acknowledged the uncertainty of his situation after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, saying: ‘If I have to retire at the end of the season then so be it, but I feel I have so much more to give.’ Hamilton’s future with Mercedes is also unsettled. Mercedes will now wait until this year’s championship is decided before continuing contract talks with the Englishman, who is locked in a bitter feud with team-mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton accused the German of deliberately driving into him in Belgium and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, who has already agreed a new deal with Rosberg, said: ‘Things are very intense. We are not going to talk to anybody else before having a very clear situation about how we can continue to work with Lewis.’ Reunion? Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has been linked with a return to McLaren . Next generation: Youngster Kevin Magnussen is regarded as one for the future at McLaren . Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes is uncertain following his clash with teammate Nico Rosberg in Belgium . VIDEO Ricciardo wins as Rosberg hits Hamilton . It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There’s £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… . | Jenson Button is in the final year of his contract with McLaren .
McLaren boss Ron Dennis revealed he is monitoring other F1 drivers .
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has been linked with a reunion with Dennis .
McLaren No 2 Kevin Magnussen is seen as a face for the future .
Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes is also uncertain . |
143,417 | 457869c5eac69eaf1a78c94ee65ec57321a8ca17 | The Met Office issued severe weather warnings across the country yesterday as experts predicted a weekend washout. Forecasters said wind and rain will continue to batter the country until Tuesday at the earliest, as fears grew that the Somerset Levels could be flooded again. The North will be wet and windy for the next three days, with showers also scattered across the South West. Scroll down for video . The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings across the country as experts predict a weekend washout. Above, heavy rain caused massive tailbacks yesterday as a pothole opened up across three lanes of the M25 . The 16-foot crater created delays of up to three hours, affecting more than 130,000 motorists . Forecasters said wind and rain will continue to batter the country until Tuesday at the earliest, as fears grew that the Somerset Levels could be flooded again . Heavy rain caused massive tailbacks yesterday as a pothole opened up across three lanes of the M25. The 16-foot crater created delays of up to three hours, affecting more than 130,000 motorists. Before the lane was closed, dozens of cars were left with shredded tyres. Others missed flights at nearby Gatwick due to the gridlock. It is thought the crater was initially caused by overnight works at junction nine in Surrey. Concrete intended to fill the hole failed to set overnight, due to heavy downpours. Yesterday also saw lengthy delays on the M3, M6 and M50. Meanwhile, residents on the Somerset Levels were warned that the River Tone and River Parrett were centimetres away from bursting their banks. Above, an army of volunteers has begun removing the field of ceramic Remembrance poppies from the Tower of London's moat after the once-in-a-lifetime installation that captured the nation's imagination . Sandbags lining the bank of the River Parrett in Burrowbridge, Somerset. With several days of rain predicted, the area - which suffered heavy flooding 11 months ago - is bracing itself for further water woes . Commuters shelter under umbrellas near London Bridge as they brave the rain in the capital yesterday . Officials finished dredging a stretch of the rivers less than a fortnight ago, at a cost of £6million, to prevent a repeat of the devastating floods there in January and February. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings across the UK. Drivers in the North East, Yorkshire, East Midlands and the East were warned of dense, heavy fog that could ‘linger well in to the morning’. There will be no immediate respite, with showers forecast for Sunday and another wet day expected on Monday. Students get a soaking in Cambridge yesterday as heavy rain hit the country . | Heavy rain caused massive tailbacks yesterday as a pothole opened up across three lanes of the M25 .
Fear grow that the Somerset Levels could be flooded again .
North will be wet and windy for next three days, with showers also scattered across the South West . |
138,747 | 3f6f43f02844880de15d00097a0876c17aff57c0 | By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 11:05 EST, 26 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 15:11 EST, 26 February 2014 . A group of Danish teenagers filmed a boy and a girl posing as a boyfriend abusing his partner to see if ‘the man on the street’ would intervene. The experiment follows on from the viral video showing a freezing boy at a Norwegian bus stop where a majority of people offered up their clothes for the shivering child. However, the Danish were not as kind as their Scandinavian neighbours when it came to a young woman being subjected to threats and violence. Scroll down for video . Social experiment: Two Danish teenagers staged domestic abuse on the streets and in the parks of Copenhagen to see if people would intervene - the results were disappointing . The four-minute video was shot around Copenhagen by local 18-year-olds Arian Kashef and Emil Behrndtz on Valentine’s Day. Mr Kashef was filmed in several locations, in a park and on busy streets, pretending to mentally and pysically abuse their friend Soraya, posing as his ’girlfriend’. Shockingly, it is not until a minute into the video that a lone man interrupts the experiment when se sees Mr Kashef grabbing and slapping his ‘partner’ on a park bench. Before this, a group of young women, stronger than Mr Kashef in numbers, are filmed walking past the ‘arguing couple', and although they look, they do nothing. In the video, Mr Kashef can be heard shouting things such as ‘You know what you've done!’, I’m going to kill you!’ and ‘Are you not listening to what I’m telling you?!’ while also being physically abusive against his pretend partner. Watch more on YouTube . 'If I don't look it's not there': The two witnesses on the park bench barely glance at the young couple as the boy slaps her and shouts verbal abuse . Shocking: The young woman to the left has just unlocked her bike from right behind the 'arguing couple', but does nothing to stop the abuse . Exposing the truth: Arian Kashef and Emil Behrndtz, both 18, filmed the video on Valentine's Day where Mr Kashef pretended to abuse his 'girlfriend', a friend of theirs, in public . In the description on their YouTube page the pair explains: . ‘This experiment was filmed on Valentine’s Day as this day represents love between two people. ‘Unfortunately, not all live in a healthy relationship, but rather one in which they are subjected to violence. ‘We wanted to see how people here in Denmark would react to a young lady being threatened and subjected to physical violence.’ Mr Kashef who runs YouTube channel ArianPlanet with Mr Behrndtz, said a majority of people who stopped him were women. ‘A quarter of witnesses helped out, a majority of which were younger women,’ Mr Kashef told MailOnline. ‘There were also a lot of older women who said something, but did not physically confront me, which is understandable. ‘I don't think this behaviour is specific for Denmark, I think people across Western society are scared of taking responsibility. ‘Personally I think we have a responsibility to stop this, like myself and Emil Behrndtz for example, we are just two teenagers who do these videos for no financial benefit, just in hope of changing the way people think.’ Hero: A lone man intervenes in a park, and pushes the 'boyfriend' away from the girl . Faith restored: A witness walks in between the pair to stop the pretend abuse . The pair were disappointed that so few intervened and shocked that a majority of people simply walked past, doing nothing. This . includes the jawdropping moment towards the end when a woman towards . the end when the pair are arguing in front of a row of parked bikes, who . unlocks her bike next to the arguing pair and almost has to nudge them . out of the way to get it out. Earlier in the video, Mr Kashef subjects Soraya to physical and verbal abuse next to two people sitting on a bench who do not even appear to acknowledge the fighting ‘couple’. ‘I grew up with women and have a huge respect for them and staged this experiment to see how people would react,’ Mr Kashef told MetroExpress. ‘I wanted to see if, for example, my little sister can feel safe on the street in that situation. ‘It was disappointing to see so few intervene and so many people just walk past, including grown men. ‘I was standing there saying “I’m going to kill you,’ and two girls next to us just hurried off. Is it really going to take a black eye for people to react?’ | Danish teens conduct 'girlfriend abuse experiment' in Copenhagen .
Filmed 'couple' where the boy verbally and physically abuses girl .
Despite slaps and death threats only a few people steps in to intervene . |
272,955 | ed8a27a237d9bed21cd8c6b5012932ed2f892431 | Germany began their World Cup campaign with a 4-0 rout of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Monday and immediately vowed to lift the trophy in honour of stricken Formula One star Michael Schumacher. A Thomas Muller hat-trick lit up Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova as Portugal were flattened by a brilliant German performance and the sending-off of defender Pepe. Afterwards, Germany’s players revealed they had been heartened by news that Schumacher had left hospital for the first time since a skiing accident left him in a coma in France at the end of last year. Heartening: Germany's players were boosted by the news Michael Schumacher has left hospital for the first time since falling into a coma following a skiing accident . Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski — a close friend of the driver — said: ‘It is important to all of us to hear the news that he’s come out of hospital. He’s doing well and he’s getting better and it’s really good news. ‘Of course it helped us. When you hear the news about a good friend it always helps and you get a little bit of a boost and I was very happy when I heard. ‘He’s a good guy and he’s also crazy about football. Maybe he watched the game or he knew about the result. Yeah if we win the title of course it would also be for a good friend as well as ourselves.’ Germany surged into a two-goal lead in the first half and were able to switch to cruise control once Pepe had been dismissed for a headbutt on Muller. It seemed the correct decision and the Real Madrid star will now miss the rest of the group stages. Happy: Germany's players come together to celebrate the hat-trick by Thomas Muller (left) Portugal coach Paulo Bento appeared to suggest Serbian referee Milorad Mazic was biased against his team, not only for that but for the 12th minute penalty that allowed Germany to take the lead. ‘The first half of the game — apart from our mistakes — had some things on behalf of the referee that penalised us,’ said Bento. ‘The sending off seemed to be forced and the penalty was the same. They were two things that led to us chasing the game. ‘I never said it was only the referee’s fault. We made mistakes in defence and we showed a lack of accuracy. ‘Compare that to the accuracy of the Germans and you see the difference. ‘But there seemed to be some bias towards the Germans. The first was the penalty and the second was the sending off.’ 'Unusual': Thomas Muller says he has a vague recollection of this incident which led to Pepe's sending off . Muller was able to offer his own view of the red card incident after being presented with the man of the match award after the game. He said: ‘As far as the sending off is concerned it’s unusual. I didn’t see a replay. Things went very fast. I have a vague recollection. ‘His hand struck me in the face. I fell on my back and he approached me with his head towards mine. I can’t really recollect. ‘I can’t say if it’s a red as that’s not up to me. But the entire action from Pepe was unnecessary. ‘I have scored a hat trick and that doesn’t happen every day. I have had a good run in World Cups and I wanted to carry that on.’ Accusation: Portugal coach Paulo Bento said there seemed to be 'bias' towards Germany from the officials . Germany would already appear to have one foot in the last 16 while Portugal must beat USA and Ghana in their remaining group games to progress. German coach Joachim Low said: ‘Muller has an instinct to create danger and he scores from situations that you don’t expect. ‘He makes diagonal runs and it’s hard for opponents to track him. ‘He is unorthodox. You can’t predict them and as an opponent he is difficult to face. ‘He has one aim and that is to score a goal. He is an innate scorer.’ | Lukas Podolski says news Schumacher had left hospital following his coma .
Schumacher has been in a coma since skiing accident at end of last year .
Portugal coach Paulo Bento says referee Milorad Mazic was biased towards Germany .
Pepe was sent off for butting Muller and will miss rest of group stages .
Germany have one foot in World Cup last 16 . |
228,690 | b41c0197b8ebcd2a5de5bc10c424ab08669efa44 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 01:36 EST, 29 June 2011 . Every family in Britain is propping up the public sector pension scheme by £1,000 every year, David Cameron revealed as he called on thousands of civil servants, teachers and lecturers to quit Friday's planned strikes. About 750,000 public sector workers - about one in eight - are expected to walk out of their jobs tomorrow in protest against the Government's pension reforms. Government offices will shut, and nine in 10 schools are expected to close in some parts of the country disrupting the lives of millions. The cost of public sector pensions is the equivalent of £1,000 for every family in Britain David Cameron revealed . But speaking at a local government . conference in Birmingham yesterday, the Prime Minister said his . controversial pension reform plans were a "good deal" which would enable . affordable pensions to be secured for millions of public sector workers . for years to come. He said it was not fair that the . public purse contributed more than two thirds of the cost of . maintaining the public sector pensions - the equivalent of £1,000 per . household, according to the Daily Telegraph. Mr Cameron insisted change was necessary and the whole system was at risk . of going broke if it continued as it is. Pension reform is part of the government's effort to effectively wipe out a record budget deficit by 2015. Like other European governments, the Conservative-led coalition says reform is needed to make pensions affordable when people are living longer. Workers will pay more money into their pension savings and have to stay in their jobs for longer. Pensions will no longer be based on a worker's final salary before retirement. Mr Cameron said about 50 per cent of the public service pensioners receive less than £6,000 a year . Today, if a public sector worker retires . at 60, they can claim a pension for nearly 30 years, as opposed to 20 . years in the 1970s. Hitting back at critics who say public service pensions are too . generous, the Prime Minister said about 50 per cent of the public service pensioners . receive less than £6,000 a year. Free market think tank Reform said Mr Cameron needed to . reform the public sector pensions as the country was facing a "bleak . future" of rising taxes and rising deficit, the newspaper reported. A report by the think tank said pensions and health care will soar by £72billion a year by 2041. In a plea to workers planning to strike tomorrow, Mr Cameron said: ''In a democracy, people can go out and protest. But the people marching should know what they're objecting to, and I believe there are some misconceptions flying around.' 'So to those considering strike action, at a time when discussions are ongoing, I would say to you: these strikes are wrong -- for you, for the people you serve, for the good of the country. It's the changes we propose that are right.' Labour leader Ed Miliband agreed the strikes were a mistake but accused the coalition government of "botching" reform. Disruption: Thousands of teachers are set to take industrial action . Yesterday, it was revealed the cost of paying teachers’ pensions last . year was £7billion – and by 2015 it is expected to rise to £10billion. The average pension for teachers retiring at their normal pension age is around £10,300. But that figure includes many teachers with shorter careers, including some with just a few years’ service. A teacher retiring at their normal pension age after spending their whole career in the profession, with between 35 and 40 years of service, can on average expect to receive a pension of around £24,000. In addition, teachers who entered the scheme before 2007 receive an automatic lump sum worth three times their annual pension – so on average, £72,000. A secondary head teacher could expect to receive £42,000 a year, with a lump sum of £126,000. To enjoy such benefits in the private sector, you would need a pension pot of over £1.5million, ten times the average. The average pension in the UK is just £3,900 a year, which represents a pension pot of just £150,000. When the teachers’ pension scheme started, members put in the same as the taxpayer – 5 per cent of salary each. Today, members pay 6.4 per cent of salary in contributions, with employers contributing more than double that, at 14.1 per cent. For teachers working in the state sector, the employer contribution is met from funding provided by Government. The Treasury – and therefore the taxpayer – must meet the cost of any gap between the combined contribution of employees and employers and the cost of paying pensions. Surprisingly, private school teachers also qualify for a public sector pension, ostensibly so that teachers can move easily between the independent and state sectors. | David Cameron said public sector pension reform was essential or the system will go broke . |
78,918 | dfb0bf5fd86898e5adc540f1bd3b829d46dea02f | A U.S. veteran who has experienced combat all over the world and was once a special aide to military top brass has been reduced to living in his van as he can't find a job. But it's not for a lack of trying. Homeless Robert Freniere, 59, told his story to Philly.com, and explained how he has been rejected for dozens of jobs he has applied for from public libraries, despite having excellent references and three graduate degrees. When people ask why don't you get a job as a janitor, Freniere replies: 'Well, I've tried that.' He lives out of his blue minivan in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Frustration: Despite having a wealth of military experience and three graduate degrees, Colonel Robert Freniere is currently living in his van with all of his possessions in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania . Pride: Robert Freniere displays his Air Force Colonel's uniform in his van (and his home) Freniere, who served in the military for 30 years and reached the rank of colonel, said he hasn't had regular employment since 2012 when he worked as defense contractor. Though he receives an annual military pension of $40,000 a year, he told Philly.com he has been overwhelmed by debt since retiring from the Air Force and splitting up from his wife two years ago. The colonel explained that the bills mounted up - such as the cost of putting his two sons through college - and he couldn't return home, so he moved into his van. Freniere said he stays in motels when he can afford it, and also occasionally sleeps on friends' couches. Yet he has impressive experience behind him. Top brass: At the peak of his career, Freniere (left) was a special assistant to General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan (right) According to Philly.com throughout his prolific career he has served with the military in Somalia, Panama, Haiti, and Kuwait. Freniere also holds masters degrees in political science, criminal justice, and national security and strategic studies . He started life in the army by investigating drug dealing among soldiers, before moving to the Air Force and working in intelligence. The colonel started at the Pentagon in 2000 and says he was in the building during the terrorist attack there on September 11, 2001. Freniere then worked as a special assistant to General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, between 2003 and 2005. After . that he says he volunteered for counter-terrorism work in Iraq, but was . stopped from going by necessary surgery on his back. Freniere ended up retiring from the military in 2006 and turning to contractor work, which took him to Afghanistan twice. Tough: Freniere explained that military thinking has prepared him for his current situation. 'You stay calm. That's what we were trained for when I went through survival training,' the colonel said . Freniere has also has had a full life outside of the military. Among other things, he has reportedly written screenplays, started businesses and enjoys leaning foreign languages - his nickname is Lightning. He told Philly.com that he has been diagnosed with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. Yet he keeps applying for jobs all day and every day. 'How many applications can you fill out . in a day? And it takes you six or seven hours, and then you don't hear . from any of them. You start getting hopeless,' Freniere said. But he told the site that military thinking has prepared him for his current situation. 'You stay calm. That's what we were trained for when I went through survival training,' the colonel said. | Colonel Robert Freniere, 59, was once a special assistant General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan .
He has served his country in Somalia, Panama, Haiti, and Kuwait .
Freniere now lives out of his minivan in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania, as he can't find a job . |
187,170 | 7e664c5830d16028e2d23f73ee93ab744508f204 | It was the most treasured craft in Britain's possession when the Nazis declared war, but all of the Mk I Sunderland sea planes were thought to be long-lost after being gunned down in WWII. The nation's only long-haul vessel, the 40 Sunderland flying boats were dispatched over the Atlantic Ocean and Germany to keep advancing submarines at bay. But as the Germans upgraded their equipment over the years, the entire fleet was obliterated by being gunned down into the sea. Exciting: This is what historians believe could be the only intact Mark I Sunderland flying-boat in the world as the others were gunned down in the Battle of the Atlantic . Prime: The craft was treasured by the RAF's commanders and Winston Churchill as the only planes that could fly long-haul. They were used to deter German U-boats . But decades on, in 2000, one of the prized crafts has been found wrapped in coral 65ft below the coast of Wales in what historians are touting as one of the most important discoveries this century. And though it is in bits, the thick coating of mud and barnacles have preserved the Sunderland's structure perfectly. Now, 73 years since it sank in 1940, naval historians are on the cusp of finally piecing the unique vessel back together in a project worth half a million pounds. A . deep sea diver accidentally discovered the wreckage after seeing a lobster-pot had become snagged on something below . the waves 13 years ago. The diver followed the rope down to the seabed and came across the world’s only surviving Mark I Sunderland flying-boat. Experts identified the craft as Sunderland T9044 of No 210 Squadron, RAF. Extraction: A major operation is now under way to lift the components out from the Welsh sea bed. Pictured here is a Sunderland propeller being raised onto shore . Last pilot: Wing Commander Derek Martin OBE, pictured left aged 20 in 1940, was the last pilot to fly this Mark I Sunderland when he was training a young aircrew. Now aged 93, Martin is helping the Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust to identify different parts. He hopes the discovery will make people remember the work those pilots did . Prized: The first were created in 1937 and by 1948 they were already being used by the RAF. Pictured here is a Sunderland taxiing up the slipway at Pembroke Dock in 1943 . To confirm the identity, they tracked down the bomber's last pilot: 93-year-old Wing Commander Derek Martin OBE. Martin . was aged 20 in 1940, training young aircrews, when he flew the . Sunderland out of Pembroke Dock, in West Wales, the day before it sank. He said: 'I flew it on a routine flight around the dock and then moored it up. 'There was a gale during the night and it must have been holed by some floating debris and down it went. 'In the morning it wasn’t there. Well, it was at the bottom of the sea.' Sunderland flying-boats flew out of . Pembroke Dock during the Battle of the Atlantic - when they were used to . attack German U-boats sinking vital supply ships. Newer models were created over time but for the large part of the war, RAF commanders adapted the Mark I Sunderland, which was feared by enemy crafts . Tarnished: Now in pieces and covered in barnacles, historians are desperate to piece it back together to recreate the 1940s state-of-the-art model . Between 1940 and 1943, Winston . Churchill made it repeatedly clear to his troops that he wanted U-boats . to be a priority, writing: '...the only . thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat . peril.' More than 6,000 RAF aircrew were killed during the Battle of the Atlantic. More than a year before the first prototype was built, the RAF ordered 21 production examples of the Mark I Sunderland flying-boat. With a deeper hull and turrets on the nose and tail, it was a military version of the Empire crafts used by Imperial Airways. Desperate to roll out the new model, the Air Ministry filed an order in 1937 to strengthen defences. The first was received in Singapore in June 1938. By the start of the war, they had a fleet of 40, which acted as one of the major components of the UK's overseas operations for at least the first few months. In total, 75 were built. Initially, it carried 910kg of bombs, mines and other weaponry. A year into the war, amendments were made to combat Nazi tactics. Two Vickers K machine guns were attached to the wing, a second gun was added to the nose turret, and constant speed propellers and deicing boots were installed. Many were kept at Pembroke Docks (above). Martin, . who now lives in the village of Colnbrook, Berkshire, was an instructor . at a training unit based in Pembroke Dock when he last flew the plane . in 1940. Aircrews would have . to fly up to 600 miles out into the Atlantic to escort convoys and . attack German submarines who were slowly starving the British into . submission. They would be . sent out across the oceans to intercept German U-boats using . co-ordinates picked up by the secret codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Having been brought in to work on the 15-year project, Martin became Patron of the Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust in 2001 and has helped . identify the parts of the plane dive teams have raised from the seabed. The operation costs thousands of pounds, and it was only this year that the Trust managed to extract the front two turrets of the flying-boat. They hope to have the entire vessel extracted and pieced back together in about a year's time. Martin said: 'Sunderlands were the only long range British aircraft which . could reach the middle of the Atlantic for the first couple of years of . the war. 'We would fly out day and night to patrol around the convoys and protect them. 'If . you were lucky you would sink a submarine. But just by being there you . could force submarines to submerge and not get in a position to torpedo . our ships. 'Ships crews would say once they saw us overhead they felt they were safe, which was very nice. 'Everyone . rightly commemorates the sacrifices of Bomber Command airmen but it’s . almost as if our contribution has been forgotten. 'Hopefully this Sunderland will help tell the story of what the crews of the flying-boats did for the nation.' John Evans, who is project manager Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust, said: 'We now have the world’s only Mark I Sunderland. 'We have identified it as Sunderland T9044 of No 210 Squadron, RAF, which sank at its moorings in a gale in November 1940. 'There was no crew on board and the aircraft was lost for decades before being re-discovered by divers. 'Despite all the years in the water it is immediately recognisable. 'Much of it is covered in mud and sediment - which has preserved the structure and turned it into a perfect time capsule. 'Two of its massive Pegasus radial engines and propellers have been raised from the wreck and are now being conserved and displayed in our museum.' The Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust was set up to preserve and protect the plane wreck and have begun raising it from the seabed. Mr Evans, who is running the conservation operation, said: 'Derek has visited a number of times and has been a tremendous support to us. 'He piloted this plane and brings that incredible personal link with him - he would’ve heard the engines roar into life all those years ago. Time capsule: The mud and barnacles covering the structure have preserved it. Experts are now matching the propellers they have lifted up with pictures like this . 'Since the plane was first re-discovered around the millennium our volunteers have spent thousands of hours raising the plane in parts. 'This year we have raised a significant part from the turrets at the front of the aircraft and we intend to raise as much as we can from this unique wartime survivor. 'To raise it all is a massive undertaking but we intend to bring up as much as we can by the 75th anniversary of its sinking in 2015.' | Mark I Sunderland was Britain's only long-haul aircraft at start of WWII and used to deter German U-boats .
Winston Churchill, who saw U-boats as the biggest threat, valued the 40-strong fleet highly .
Most gunned down in the Battle of the Atlantic, which killed 6,000, and experts thought they were lost to history .
A diver found one off Welsh coast, identified as a Sunderland by its last pilot, Wing Commander Derek Martin OBE . |
59,387 | a8a028c5c1c17459549795e7b71ef97f16045d22 | By . Amanda Williams . Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman has risked the anger of Scottish nationalists - by claiming the kilt was invented by the English. The controversial BBC host, who is set to retire from the show, also said there was a 'head of steam in Scotland for hating the English' during an interview with Radio 4’s Saturday Live. Mr Paxman went on to suggest that the Highland clearances, often associated with English repression of the Scots, was one of the 'great sustaining myths' of the country. Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman has risked the wrath of Scottish nationalists - by claiming the kilt was invented by the English . Asked by Saturday Live presenter Aasmah Mir, how he liked the inclusiveness of ‘Britishness’, Mr Paxman said: 'Increasingly, since there is now such a head of steam in Scotland for . hating the English, I describe myself as English, although I am in fact . one quarter Scottish. 'It’s interesting, isn’t it, that in this union of supposed equals, only one side gets to vote on whether the union continues.' A spokesman for the Yes Scotland independence campaign said Mr Paxman’s comments were as 'mad as ever', the Independent reports. The veteran presenter later added that . 'hate' was an overstatement, but that is was more to do with a . detestation of being 'ruled from London'. Paxman, . who has penned a book on national identity called The English, said . that he would love to write a book abut the Scottish. It has been claimed since the 18th century that the short philabeg currently reognised as the traditional kilt was invented by a Thomas Rawlinson, a Lancashire Quaker . He said: 'We might start tackling some of the great sustaining Scottish myths, like the kilt, which was actually invented by an Englishman as far as I can tell. And the Highland clearances...' The Highland clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries saw poor Highland farmers evicted from the land their family had called home for centuries, devastating Gaelic culture and clan society. Some historians have claimed that clan leaders were as responsible for the clearances and resulting devastation as English - in their support for Bonnie Prince Charlie. Paxman did not elaborate on what he meant in his reference to the clearances. His comments about the kilt were also unexplained. It has been claimed that the short philabeg currently recognised as the traditional kilt was invented by a Thomas Rawlinson, a Lancashire Quaker . The origin of the kilt, as we know it . today, has been traced back to an English Quaker from Lancashire, . according to the last book written by the late Lord Dacre of Glanton. The . book, The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History, was written by Lord . Dacre, formerly Hugh Trevor-Roper. He claimed that the traditional dress of . the Highlanders was a long Irish shirt and a cloak or plaid. The stripes and colours of tartan were actually worn by the higher classes, he said. He claimed that Thomas Rawlinson shortened the plaids of his workmen in the Highlands after they said they were uncomfortable. This theory has also been contested by . historians who claim that there is evidence of the short kilts being . worn long before Rawlinson arrived in Scotland in the 1720s. It has been claimed since the 18th century that the short philabeg currently reognised as the traditional kilt was invented by a Thomas Rawlinson, a Lancashire Quaker. This theory has also been contested by historians who claim that there is evidence of the short kilts being worn long before Rawlinson arrived in Scotland in the 1720s. In a statement, the Yes Scotland campaign told the paper: 'We’d be very interested to read a book on the Scots by Mr Paxman. He would realise very quickly that he is mistaken in his assertion that there is a ‘head of steam for hating the English’.' | Also said there was a 'head of steam in Scotland for hating the English'
He suggested Highland clearances were one of Scotland's 'great myths'
Paxman made comments during an interview with Radio 4’s Saturday Live . |
122,360 | 2a287f71877a860b3bc7ab251e893ceee40fd4db | As its 75th anniversary approaches, 'Gone With the Wind' is again being celebrated as a timeless movie classic. But now, even the film's distributor acknowledges the Civil War epic's portrayal of slavery is dated and inaccurate. 'Gone With the Wind' will be screened this weekend in 650 theaters nationwide, broadcast Monday by Turner Classic Movies and reissued Tuesday in a lavish home-video box set, including a music box, an embroidered handkerchief and more than 8 hours of bonus features. To produce something new for yet another 'GWTW' box set, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brought in filmmaker and historian Gary Leva. As its 75th anniversary approaches, 'Gone With the Wind' is again being celebrated as a timeless movie classic even as the film's distributor acknowledges the Civil War epic's portrayal of slavery is dated and inaccurate . A documentary 'Old South/New South' drew a surprisingly frank conclusion for a studio-commissioned commemorative project . `There's been a ton of stuff about the making of the film,'' Leva recalls the studio telling him. ''Can you give us a deeper look at how the movie portrays the Civil War?'' Leva responded with the 30-minute documentary 'Old South/New South,' which drew a surprisingly frank conclusion for a studio-commissioned commemorative project: One of the world's all-time great films also has great shortcomings. In the documentary, which is included in the box sets out Tuesday, historians discuss how the film has perpetuated mythology dubbed 'The Lost Cause,' which proposes Southern involvement in the Civil War was solely for noble reasons, including defense of states' rights. In the documentary, which is included in the box sets out Tuesday, historians discuss how the film has perpetuated mythology dubbed 'The Lost Cause,' which proposes Southern involvement in the Civil War was solely for noble reasons, including defense of states' rights . 'But when you get right down to it, what state right are you talking about?' asks University of North Carolina history professor David Goldfield in the Leva film. 'You're talking about the right of individuals to own slaves.' Based on Margaret Mitchell's 1936 best-seller, "Gone With the Wind" is fiction, about a spoiled Old South socialite, Scarlett O'Hara. But the real-life war that serves as her story's backdrop looms too large in the film for many to overlook. Based on Margaret Mitchell's 1936 best-seller, "Gone With the Wind" is fiction, about a spoiled Old South socialite, Scarlett O'Hara and her struggle to survive the Civil War . Historians discuss how the film has perpetuated mythology dubbed 'The Lost Cause,' which proposes Southern involvement in the Civil War was solely for noble reasons, including defense of states' rights . '(Slavery) is such a component of the movie, and the characters who you are rooting for are oblivious,' noted film critic and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Actress Hattie McDaniel, who played Scarlett's devoted nanny Mammy, a slave, became the first African-American actor to be nominated for and win an Academy Award. Nevertheless, the film's portrayal of black characters has been criticized ever since the world premiere in Atlanta on Dec. 13, 1939. '(Slavery) is such a component of the movie, and the characters who you are rooting for are oblivious,' noted film critic and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz . "In `Gone With the Wind,' slavery is portrayed in the most benevolent terms," Leva said. "Characters like Mammy are looked at like family members. And there's no hint at any sort of wrongdoing - the slave masters do nothing in the film that seems inappropriate." At least the movie got one thing right: Tomorrow is, indeed, another day; Hollywood is finally offering a grittier, more honest view of slavery in films such as "12 Years a Slave" and "Django Unchained." "Compare `Gone With the Wind' and `Django' - very different films about the same period of time, with a lot of the same imagery, dealt with in very different ways," observed actress Kerry Washington. Nevertheless, the film's portrayal of black characters has been criticized ever since the world premiere in Atlanta on Dec. 13, 1939 . The "Scandal" star is one of the leads in 2012's "Django," Quentin Tarantino's violent pre-Civil War saga, which includes such scenes as an owner forcing his slaves into gruesome death matches.Washington said the final scene in "Django," a plantation in flames, is a direct reference to "Gone With the Wind." But she added 'GWTW' 'has a really important place in the history of filmmaking, and in the history of African-Americans at the Oscars, in the history of messaging and how we portray history. And all of that is worth talking about.' Leva, a Texan who said he considers himself a Southerner, acknowledged he's conflicted over 'Gone With the Wind.' 'For me, as a film, just looking at it cinematically, it is a masterpiece,' said Leva. 'But politically? ... If you were to do the film today, you wouldn't make the film nearly as romantic. You'd make the film much grittier. And you could show, I think, in a balanced way, that some Southern slave owners were, perhaps, kind human beings, and some of them were brutal.' Today Hollywood is finally offering a grittier, more honest view of slavery in films such as '12 Years a Slave' and 'Django Unchained' And that's precisely what director Steve McQueen did with this year's best picture Oscar-winner, '12 Years a Slave.' 'The fact that the 75th anniversary of `Gone With the Wind' comes in the same year that `12 Years a Slave' wins - it makes it, for a change, a little bit simple," Mankiewicz said. "Like, `Look what kind of progress we've made?' And if somebody has, what, 6 1/2 hours to view both? That's a pretty good way to get a little cross-section of studying America and studying Hollywood simultaneously." So what is McQueen's take on 'Gone With the Wind'? 'I haven't seen it,' he said. | Classic film will be screened at 650 theaters nationwide this weekend .
Lavish new home-video box set set to be released along with a broadcast Monday on Turner Classic Movies .
Producers admit that despite the film's other artistic merits its treatment of slavery is as best dated and inaccurate and at worst offensive and revisionist . |
53,838 | 98ab729eb453311bdb1687875141d7e4103f6cfb | By . Daily Mail Reporter . The average British worker can be tempted into a new job for less than £2,000. The loyalty of workers here can be had for a pay rise of only 5.3 per cent, making employees here among the cheapest for companies luring away staff. At the average UK wage of £26,500, this means British staff need be offered a pay rise of just £1,722 to swap jobs. The average British worker will move to a new job for as little as a five per cent pay rise, a new study has shown (picture posed by models) Their readiness to jump ship contrasts sharply with workers in fast-growing economies who require much bigger incentives to leave their current positions. On average, employees in Indonesia would require a 20.6 per cent pay rise to change jobs, the going rate in Brazil is 20.1 per cent, 17.1 per cent in South Africa and 12 per cent in China, according to a study of 18,000 workers by global advisory firm CEB. Closer to home the size of carrot to lure people drops, but even workers in recession-hit Spain would want 5.9 per cent and those in France say they would need an 8.6 per cent rise in pay to move. The Scandinavian nations, which have largely avoided the effects of the global financial crisis, also require more to move than those in the UK, with an average raise of 6.7 per cent cited. In Europe only workers in Italy at 4.5 per cent, Germany at 3.9 per cent and Belgium and the Netherlands at 2.8 per cent are more cheaply bought than a British worker. The research shows that despite global economic recovery, pay expectations among workers have fallen on a worldwide basis. This year the all-country average for the compensation increase to move was a modest 8.6 per cent, down from 10.3 per cent a year ago. Despite the ending of the recession, the survey found that British workers feel the best way of securing a pay rise was to move job . Jean Martin, executive director at CEB, said: 'Britain’s great recession is over, but employees here remain surprisingly negative about their pay prospects in comparison with elsewhere. 'Perhaps Brits have absorbed the persistent message of a recessionary squeeze on budgets more than their counterparts. 'Our research in the first quarter of 2014 shows the percentage of HR executives in Europe expecting to see their budgets increase in the next 12 months has doubled compared to the same time last year. 'Economic prospects look better than they have for a long time but poor expectations on pay may mean our best talent is on the move just as we have more money to invest in them.' CEB also looked at the strongest drivers for moving jobs, with work-life balance the biggest attraction in the UK, followed by location, stability and then respect. Compensation was rated fifth most important by British workers, compared with first by those employed in Canada, China, France, Germany and the US. How actively people are seeking a new role was also investigated, with a reading of 39.9 in the UK for staff hunting jobs, a drop of 8.2 per cent on the previous quarter and just below the global average of 41. The most active job seekers are to be found in India, where the reading was 55.8, then South Africa at 51.9. The most passive nations are Japan at 30.2 and then Germany at 33. | Survey finds that workers feel moving job is the best way of getting pay rise .
Dutch workers need only a two per cent increase to hand in their notice .
Loyal Indonesians will not resign for anything less than a 20 per cent offer . |
263,090 | e0c2fde4db6b0c6b0bf7f5d5737a9ec16780cdb8 | Intrepid: Jac Holmes has left his job and moved to Syria after becoming outraged at the atrocities committed by ISIS in the country . An IT worker from Bournemouth has quit his job and travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State terrorists - despite having no military training. Jac Holmes, 22, has joined up with the Kurdish peshmerga militia and hopes he will be allowed onto the front line in the battle against the Islamist extremists who rule vast swathes of Syria and Iraq. He says he is keen to take up arms against ISIS as soon as possible even though he has never fought in battle before and has received little training from the Kurdish forces. Mr Holmes was until recently working on the service desk for an outsourcing firm which provides services to Bournemouth Council. But now he has resigned from the company and left his parents in order to go to the Middle East. He told the BBC World Service he flew to Iraqi Kurdistan, where he was met at the airport by a peshmerga contact and taken to a safe house in the city of Sulaymaniyah. From there, fighters smuggled him over the border with Syria - which is now partly patrolled by ISIS - and transported him to a camp in the war-torn country. An initial attempt to join up with the peshmerga was foiled when he was deported from Erbil airport in northern Iraq and forced to leave the country. Mr Holmes said he was inspired to oppose both ISIS and the murderous regime of Bashar Al Assad after seeing Western governments fail to intervene in the mounting chaos. Asked if he found the idea of fighting in Syria exciting, he replied: 'I see it as a necessity, something which if our governments were supporting the Kurds in the ways that they should probably wouldn't need to happen.' Fight: Mr Holmes has now joined up with Kurdish peshmerga troops at a training camp in Syria (file photo) Opponents: The IT worker is planning to battle against ISIS, left, and dictator Bashar Al Assad, right . He said that he was just one of many Westerners at the pershmerga camp, adding that those with military experience had helped him build his own fighting skills. Mr Holmes added that he was prepared for the possibility of being taken hostage, saying: 'It's something you take into account when you think about coming here - but I'd rather die than be captured by Islamic State, because we all know what sort of brutality they get up to.' He said that his parents were resistant to his decision to put himself in danger, but were nonetheless continuing to support him. Mr Holmes told the BBC he was likely to start fighting on the front line soon despite his inexperience. 'We are expecting to move out of the training camp fairly soon,' he said. 'There is an operation planned in our area but it has been delayed at the moment due to weather and we are waiting for NATO air strikes too.' However, a peshmerga leader insisted that no one was allowed to take up arms until they had been thoroughly trained in the militia's tactics. Conflict: Berkshire bouncer Tim Locks, pictured, is another Briton who is now fighting against ISIS terrorists . Last week, a bouncer from Berkshire revealed that he had sold his home in order to join the fight against ISIS. Tim Locks has joined up with Dwekh Nawsha, a Christian military group based in Iraq which is opposed to Islamic extremism. The Foreign Office currently advises British citizens not to travel to any part of Syria due to the civil war there which has raged for nearly four years. A spokesman said that British authorities would be unable to offer consular assistance to anyone who got in trouble in the area. The Home Office warns that anyone who travels to areas where ISIS is active could face arrest on their return, due to the high volume of terrorist groups in the region. 'The UK advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq,' a spokesman said. 'Anyone who does travel to these areas, even for humanitarian reasons, is putting themselves in considerable danger. 'The best way for the public to help is to donate to or otherwise support UK-registered charities with ongoing relief operations.' | Jac Holmes, 22, was working in IT for Bournemouth outsourcing firm .
But now he has given up his job and travelled to Syria via Iraqi Kurdistan .
He has joined peshmerga forces and plans to join front line against ISIS .
Insists that he would 'rather die than be taken hostage' by terrorists . |
87,475 | f83175664116f1983935569716bb1c348192a5aa | (CNN) -- Canadian police on Friday identified the victim of a grisly killing in Montreal as a university student from China who was reported missing by a friend earlier this week. Jun Lin, 33, was attending Concordia University in Montreal, said Montreal police Commander Ian Lafreniere. He was last seen May 24. Police believe the murder took place May 24 or May 25 . The Chinese consulate in Montreal said Lin was from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Police believe Lin was killed and his body dismembered in a Montreal apartment. A massive international manhunt is ongoing for the prime suspect, Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29, a self-professed porn star. Before police released the name, a reader identified as lancelot16 who commented on a CNN story about Magnotta said he or she knew Lin. "I'm a friend of the victim," the comment said. "He was an international student from China. They met just weeks ago, but were starting to go out. Not his boyfriend. They had a casual relationship." The commenter said Lin had a party at his apartment and sent his cat to a friend's house, promising to pick it up the next day. He never did. Magnotta, who was born as Eric Clinton Newman and also uses the alias Vladimir Romanov, fled by plane from Montreal to Europe, Lafreniere said. That prompted Interpol, the global police agency, to alert authorities in 190 countries. Police have reason to believe Magnotta might have gone to eastern Europe, given his Russian pseudonym and writings on his Web page. Lafreniere said there was a possibility he might have re-entered Canada under another name. He said Magnotta is good at disguising himself. A 10-minute video of the killing and dismemberment was posted online. "We believe he filmed himself," Lafreniere said. "It's gross." "This is a very deranged person," he said. "He is looking for attention and he got it, but not in a positive way." Police began searching for Magnotta after a severed hand and foot were mailed to the Ottawa headquarters of Canada's Liberal and Conservative parties and a torso was discovered stuffed in a brand new suitcase and tossed in the trash heap of a Montreal apartment building. In apartment 208, where Magnotta lived, dried blood stained the table, the bed, the bathtub and the refrigerator. Magnotta knew Lin, Lafreniere said, but would not say with certainty what their relationship was or whether it was sexual in nature. Normally, the name of a victim would not be released in a case like this but Lafreniere said police identified Lin to put the families of other missing persons at ease. He said police would do a DNA match to get a 100% confirmation of Lin's identity. "There are still some parts we are missing at this moment," Lafreniere said, adding he did not want to be disrespectful to Lin's family. The much-talked-about killing was the worst police officers in Montreal have seen in decades, Lafreniere said. The video, which police tried to take down from the Web, was back online on another site. Lafreniere said he could not understand what person could watch a human being getting decapitated in front of a camera. Magnotta's name may not have been known before this week but his digital footprints were large. He was notorious among online animal rights activists who pegged him as a serial kitten killer who used the carcasses in sexual acts. He was dubbed the "Vacuum Kitten Killer" by a Facebook group started in December 2010 to track down the man responsible for posting a video on YouTube of kittens being killed by suffocation and drowning. "We are patiently waiting for more information on the case and have faith in the Montreal Police," the website said Thursday. "Members of this group have spent over a year searching for this individual, who we believe is also responsible for several videos where animals were killed. Information gathered by group members was passed on to the authorities in Canada, and we were informed that they were actively working on locating the person seen in the videos hurting animals." Lafreniere said police are aware of the animal allegations. On what appears to be his own website, Magnotta defended himself as a victim of cyberstalking. "Once and for all I will set the record straight," he wrote. "Many hoax websites are created using my image and name, posing as me to seem more believable in respect to the type of audience these website (sic) have, I feel I don't need to list them specifically but people need not be told, not to believe what they read and to take it as fact." The website has writing in Arabic and Russian and images of Magnotta, half naked and with lips in a perfect runway pout. Several Canadian newspapers also reported that Magnotta had dated notorious Canadian killer Karla Homolka. Lafreniere said he could not confirm any links and Homolka is not part of the investigation. Police described Magnotta as being 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 135 pounds, with black hair and blue eyes. They said they are asking the public for help in finding Magnotta, after a "coast-to-coast" warrant was issued for his arrest. Police say they plan to charge him with murder once he is apprehended. "We need to bring him to justice," Lafreniere said. | Jun Lin, 32, was a Chinese student at Montreal's Concordia University .
He apparently knew the suspect, Luke Rocco Magnotta .
A massive manhunt is under way for Magnotta .
He is suspected of killing and dismembering his victim and capturing it on video . |
205,935 | 9697c46ca105b4320e9e53779254b52799979bb4 | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 07:10 EST, 13 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:52 EST, 14 June 2012 . Coalition relations hit an all-time low yesterday after Liberal Democrats refused to back Jeremy Hunt as he was branded a ‘liar’ in Parliament. Tory MPs called their partners ‘traitors’ and vowed revenge – promising to vote against Nick Clegg’s plans to reform the Lords and to withdraw support for Lib Dem ministers in difficulty. But there was uproar as Speaker John Bercow allowed Labour to accuse the beleaguered Culture Secretary of lying to MPs over his handling of Rupert Murdoch’s take-over bid for BSkyB. Scroll down for video . 'Politics': David Cameron and Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude during Prime Minister's Questions . Commons Leader Sir George Young protested that such remarks – normally ruled out of order – did nothing to enhance the reputation of Parliament. The Culture Secretary, who is widely expected to be moved from his job in a forthcoming reshuffle, told MPs the accusation was ‘disgraceful’. But he admitted he may have ‘inadvertently’ provided incorrect information when he claimed in the Commons to have released all his correspondence relating to the deal. A Labour motion calling for Mr Hunt to be referred for investigation by Sir Alex Allan, the independent adviser on the Ministerial Code, was defeated by 290 to 252 votes. This was despite Mr Clegg ordering his Lib Dem MPs to abstain, a move seen as an unprecedented slap in the face for David Cameron. On his bike: Jeremy Hunt leaves his London home yesterday . One Tory MP, Justin Tomlinson, had to return from his honeymoon in Mauritius to take part in the vote, while another, Conor Burns, was forced to leave his hospital bed. Mr Cameron decided less than half an hour after Mr Hunt concluded his evidence to the Leveson Inquiry a fortnight ago that he would not order a further investigation into whether ministerial rules had been broken. It emerged at the inquiry that hundreds of texts and phone calls were exchanged between Mr Hunt’s special adviser Adam Smith and News Corp. Opposition MPs also allege Mr Hunt misled Parliament when he said he made no intervention in the bid while Business Secretary Vince Cable was handling it, since it has now emerged that he sent Mr Cameron a memo effusively backing the Murdochs. The Culture Secretary suggested that he had not lied, but may have ‘inadvertently’ misled Parliament by failing to disclose the note, in which he said that failing to agree to the bid for the broadcaster would set Britain’s media sector back a decade. Shadow minister Chris Bryant said Mr Hunt had told MPs that it would be too expensive to detail all of his exchanges on the subject. ‘How much would it have cost to reveal he sent a letter to the Prime Minister? He has lied to Parliament!’ Mr Bryant shouted, prompting angry protests from Tory MPs. Mr Hunt said there was a ‘huge difference between misleading Parliament inadvertently and lying’. The Prime Minister told MPs that he ‘understood’ the motives of the Lib Dems in not backing Mr Hunt, saying it was ‘politics’. Mr Clegg told his Lib Dem MPs to stay away from yesterday’s vote, but caused confusion when he then backed Mr Hunt’s handling of the bid during his own evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. Rowdy: Commons Speaker John Bercow intervenes during the debate for Labour's motion calling for Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to face an inquiry of his handling of the BSkyB bid by News Corp . He said the Culture Secretary had given a ‘full, good and convincing account of himself’. Lib Dem aides said Mr Clegg believed Sir Alex should investigate a potential breach of the Ministerial Code, nonetheless, given that ministers are meant to take responsibility for the actions of their special advisers. Tory party bosses asked MPs not to attack Lib Dems publicly for their failure to back Mr Hunt. But several ignored the edict. Conservative MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘Everyone is furious on our side. Jeremy is a good man and the questions about him have all been covered. Split: The decision by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is said to have angered his partner in Coalition, David Cameron . ‘I think it will hit home to a lot of people that they are traitors, that they are not proper members of this Government.’ Louise Mensch, a Tory member of the culture select committee, said the Lib Dems were ‘being silly’. Another senior MP said privately: ‘On our side we’ve fought for Lib Dems who got into trouble, like David Laws. ‘This is a fundamental breach of faith and a turning point in the Coalition. ‘It has actually had the effect of rallying our benches behind Jeremy Hunt and ensuring that very many people will be less willing to go along with Liberal Democrat hobby horses like Lords reform.’ By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 07:10 EST, 13 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:52 EST, 14 June 2012 . David Cameron was accused of a ‘smokescreen’ last night after insisting he had the support of the ministerial sleaze watchdog for his decision not to refer Jeremy Hunt for investigation over his handling of Rupert Murdoch’s takeover bid for BSkyB. The Prime Minister yesterday brandished a letter in which Sir Alex Allan, suggested that because the Leveson Inquiry into media standards was ongoing and taking evidence under oath, it would not be appropriate for him to hold a further fact-finding probe. ‘I do not believe I could usefully add to the facts in this case, though I remain available should circumstances change or new evidence emerge,’ Sir Alex, the independent adviser on ministerial interests, wrote. Debate: Mr Cameron said Mr Hunt, top left of the picture, had handled himself well and needn't be probed over the issue . Labour critics accused Downing Street of a ‘stunt’ designed to take the heat off Mr Hunt ahead of the Commons vote and Mr Cameron as he prepared for his own appearance before the Leveson Inquiry today. They said that Sir Alex was not being asked to establish the facts, but whether the Culture Secretary broke the Ministerial Code in his handling of the £8billion takeover application. The full exchanges, published by the Cabinet Office during Prime Minister’s Questions, made it clear that Sir Alex had not been asked to make any judgment on whether the code had been broken. Given that both letters bore yesterday’s date, Downing Street also faced questions over the startling speed with which the watchdog replied, raising suspicions that the exchange had been pre-planned. Labour frontbencher Chris Bryant, a victim of phone hacking, said it was ‘suspicious’ that the Prime Minister and Sir Alex had exchanged letters yesterday morning, given that two weeks have passed since Mr Hunt gave evidence. | Tory MPs have called Lib Dem abstention from vote an 'act of war'
Mr Hunt declared he never lied but may have 'inadvertently misled' MPs .
He defeats a Labour motion calling for him to be investigated by 38 votes .
Ed Miliband accuses PM of 'clinging onto' the Culture Secretary to save his own reputation .
Letter from Sir Alex Allan says he would not have anything to add to the Leveson Inquiry's probing of Mr Hunt last month . |
11,759 | 2165bb8c4a4f2be13f0c42bc54924935e08c1a73 | Willy Twiston-Davies believes the fifth-placed finish of First Class Mail on his second career start at Brighton should not be taken too negatively. The Daily Mail and Mail Online are experiencing the ownership experience this summer with the chestnut colt trained by Mick Channon. Hopes were high that our horse could step up on a promising debut sixth at Windsor but, ill at ease on Brighton’s undulations, First Class Mail could never reach a threatening position before running on when meeting the rising ground in the final furlong. VIDEO Scroll down to watch full coverage of First Class Mail in his second outing at Brighton . In action: First Class Mail on his debut outing at Windsor, when he finished sixth out of 13 . Surge: Willy Twiston-Davies rides on during the 14:35 at Brighton on Thursday . Talking tactics: Willy Twinston-Davies discusses his plan pre-race to Mick Channon and co . The six-furlong Bibby Financial Services Median Auction Maiden Stakes was won by well-backed 2-1 favourite Jargon, ridden by George Baker and trained in Newmarket by Michael Bell. First Class Mail, who broke from the stalls slowly, was beaten by five lengths. Twiston-Davies said: ‘He didn’t like the ground, which has become very fast, or the track and he was taken off his feet in the early stages. ‘There are more positives than negatives to that run and, maybe, we should look to trying seven furlongs. I am not disappointed.’ Dejected: Willy Twiston-Davies was hoping for better at today's outing in Brighton . Battle: Twiston-Davies in action during the race in Brighton on Thursday . Support: Willy Twiston-Davies and Mick Channon pictured alongside friends pre-race . First Class Mail, a son of sire Winker Watson who was calmer in the preliminaries than he had been at Windsor, was at the back of the field for much of the six-furlong race but did run through the line with some purpose, as it ended the race strongly. He is not be the first inexperienced horse to find the course at Brighton tricky to handle but should hopefully learn from the experience. Providing First Class Mail emerges from the run in good shape, a third outing should not be too far away. After a third run, he will then become eligible to run contest nurseries - handicap races for two-year-olds. | First Class Mail finished fifth in the 14:35 race at Brighton on Thursday .
It was an improvement on their debut outing last month in Windsor where they finished in a respectable sixth position .
Willy Twiston-Davies remains confident for the future despite having higher hopes for the race at Brighton . |
275,185 | f07bc8b3ec7a04c64beb7a2e46333dae7dd33298 | (CNN) -- Fantasy role-playing takes a staggering step forward as "Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale" lurches along with uneven visuals and spotty artificial intelligence but a combat system that is easy to learn and even easier to use. The first D&D electronic game (Bedlam Games, Atari) that features use of the new Fourth Edition rules from Wizards of the Coast, "Daggerdale" allows players to create and develop a character from first level, much like the classic tabletop version of D&D. Ability scores, hit points, attack and damage rolls are all part of making up your character, but without the use of any dice. There are four base characters: male human fighter, male dwarven cleric, female elven rogue and male halfling wizard. You cannot mix and match: no female elven fighters or male human rogues. Each race and class has its own bonuses and class abilities to help perform their actions. The adventure begins in a dwarven mine overrun by goblins. As with any D&D campaign, the story builds from there into a rousing battle with a major enemy at the end. There are major quests that help move the main plot along and minor quests that offer opportunities to earn more gold and experience points. Experience points are the backbone of character development, allowing for increased abilities, powers and weapons. Only one quest can be tackled at a time. Once you start one, you need to complete that mission before moving on to the next. This often results in a lot of back and forth through some of the same areas. Gold and weapons can be gathered from fallen enemies or from barrels that seem to be everywhere and in every setting. Improved weapons, armor, rings, amulets and potions can also be purchased from local merchants. Sounds like a typical D&D game, right? Visually, the game conveys the fantasy setting well. The dwarven mine appears foreboding but doesn't quite reach the creepy darkness it could have. A jail also is well-lit when it could have been a better mood-setter with some lighting adjustments. A mini-map in the upper right-hand corner was very helpful in pointing to merchants, non-player characters who might send you on quests and the locations of those quests. A larger map was easily accessible using the character menu. Player characters appear different as they don different armor and hold different weapons. Enemies look unique from type to type (e.g., a minion looks different from a controller) and can be readily identified by appearance alone. Each enemy has a small box above its head that lists out what it is, what level of power it possesses, how many hit points it has and other information. Of course, in a traditional tabletop D&D game, these things would be hidden so players wouldn't be able to target weaker foes first in order to whittle down the opposing forces. The information box would sometimes appear if the enemy were hidden around a corner, thus ruining any surprise that could have occurred. There were also instances in which there would be an info box but no enemy. Enemy artificial-intelligence was also hit and miss. Although the overall tactics of groups of enemies was good (minions charged as their archers and magic-users pinged from afar), they would also stand in place as I lobbed fireball after fireball at them. Those battles were less than epic. However, combat was pretty good all in all, and that's where I thought the game shined over its table-top counterpart. I played through the single-player campaign as the halfling wizard, and switching from normal weapons to spells was incredibly easy. All four buttons on the controller can be mapped directly to weapons, spells or potions. There are four more locations that can be used by pressing the left trigger button (Xbox 360) or the L2 button (PS3) and then utilizing the standard buttons. Spells had cool-down times after casting, so you could either stand there and get pounded or find another way to attack as you powered back up. As I increased in levels, more spells became available so I could fire off spell after spell in a cycle. Action was quick and intense. Battles didn't last very long against weaker opponents and were appropriately longer against stronger opponents. There are some "boss" battles before the final conflict, and those required some use of tactics (run-and-gun) to be successful. My biggest gripe about the game has to do with when those tactics fail and you die. In single-player mode, there are healing potions you can carry with you to regain hit points. There are also clerics in the settlements who will heal you for free. However, there are occasions during a quest when an enemy gets some really good hits in, and, in the heat of battle, you lose track of your hit points, and you die. Here is the gripe: No matter what stage you are at in the quest, you have to restart it from the beginning. There are no checkpoints during the quest. There are no "save and reload" points other than in between quests. Although this is very much like the table-top version of the game (dead is dead, after all), it was insanely frustrating from a video-gaming standpoint. On more than one occasion, I completed a rather lengthy fight, defeated multiple big bad guys and got killed on the way back to the quest-giver (having forgotten to heal myself on the way). This was particularly maddening during the climactic battle, in which you have to defeat multiple high-level characters in rapid succession. Get through some but lose in the last one? Too bad. If playing with a party of characters is more your speed, there is a co-op mode that allows for up to four players to combine talents toward the common good. The enemies are stronger, and the loot gets better with more people. Completing the game's main quests can be done in less than four hours (a good length for a D&D campaign), but doing all the side quests will add some time to your play. Overall, "Daggerdale" was enjoyable but a bit buggy. The story and combat were good and made for an exciting experience. The spotty visuals and enemy AI weighted down the overall fun, but not enough to make me want to stop playing. Is it good enough to live up to the D&D name? Depends on how much actual roleplaying you like to do. There is little to none to be had here. Interactions with other non-player characters happen largely in grunts and subtitles. No dialogue exists other than during cut-scene cinematics. It won't replace your tabletop game, but it might give you some good ideas how to run your next campaign while allowing you some enjoyment along the way. "Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale" is available now on the PC and through the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. It is rated T for Teen. This review was done playing the Xbox Live Arcade version as a halfling wizard in the single-player campaign. | "D&D" has uneven visuals and spotty artificial intelligence .
Video game is much like the table top version of D&D .
Completing the main quests can be done in less than 5 hours . |
55,619 | 9db01ae3086946dc985c4fdf0cc4abe258fc0b21 | (CNN) -- For gay teens Constance McMillen and Ceara Sturgis, high school has ended, but acceptance of their sexuality in each of their Mississippi towns is just beginning, they say. McMillen made headlines in the spring when she asked to attend her prom wearing a tuxedo and escorting a girl. Her school district in Itawamba County canceled the prom entirely. (On Tuesday, McMillen is in the spotlight again as she travels to the White House to meet President Obama at a ceremony recognizing the contributions of LGBT Americans.) The superintendent of the Itawamba County school district told CNN that she couldn't comment on the case while the case is pending. Around 250 miles away in Wesson, Sturgis wore a tuxedo, instead of the traditional drape or dress, for her senior portrait. She believes that she was penalized by being omitted from the senior section in her yearbook. Neither the principal nor the school's superintendent would talk with CNN. After repeated calls, the district office administrator told CNN, "We're done." In October, the principal told a Jackson TV station he wasn't able to comment "on that particular situation." "Everything happens for a reason," Sturgis said in an interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien. "This is the start of something new. I think that this can be the change for gay youth. One day it's going to be different. And somebody has to start it, and why not us?" The two women have become a support system for each other, connected, in part, by the Mississippi Safe School Coalition. The group is made up of mostly college and high school students who are working to make schools in Mississippi safer for, and more accepting of, gay youth. McMillen reached out to Sturgis after viewing a Facebook site the MSSC set up to promote Sturgis' cause. In 2004, the national gay rights group GLSEN -- Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network -- issued a report that said of all 50 states, Mississippi had the most hostile environment for gay youth. "Even starting a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance club) at your school or taking a same sex date to prom is a revolutionary act," explains Izzy Pellegrine, a gay youth activist and 19-year-old sophomore at Mississippi State. "Just being out in your high school... you can be the only LGBT person that anyone in your high school has ever met." Pellegrine is a board member of the group that has hosted training sessions in how to start gay-straight alliance clubs, lobbied for anti-bullying bills and started a "prom-watch" to identify schools where they think kids might be discriminated against. McMillen transferred schools and completed the final weeks of her senior year in Jackson, Mississippi. She says the stress was just too overwhelming. "At one point I was walking through the lunchroom and there were people booing. I've gotten a lot of hateful text messages." In March, a federal judge ruled McMillen's first amendment rights were violated when her school district refused to let her attend her prom in a tux with a girl and canceled the prom. The judge didn't order the school to host the prom because parents had already planned a parent-sponsored prom. McMillen believes the alternative prom she was sent to was a sham because only a handful of people attended. "A lot of people were talking about how it was a joke just set up for me," she says. The ACLU has filed a complaint in response and another court hearing is pending. The school district denies it directed McMillen to a fake prom. McMillen says despite the difficult times, she wants to return to Itawamba and begin studies at the local junior college. She wants to be near her high school girlfriend. She says it won't be easy. "My best friend -- we had been friends for like seven years -- has not spoken with me since the day they canceled prom," she says. Sturgis says her classmates are more accepting than McMillen's classmates, but that didn't lessen the sting. "Let's say we put [my tuxedo picture] in the yearbook. Would anybody hurt like I hurt since I'm not in the yearbook?" she says tearfully. "It wouldn't hurt anyone." She says she's considering suing, but knows that won't get her picture in Wesson's 2010 yearbook. "Hopefully it will help somebody else in my same situation," she says. "And that's what I'm really aiming for. I don't want anyone else to go through what I'm going through. This was a lot to handle in one year. I think people should be able to wear what they want to wear for their senior picture. It's not hurting anyone else and this yearbook is for them. It's not for the teachers." | Constance McMillen finished out her high school senior year at another school .
She made headlines over her request to escort a girl to prom, she says .
Ceara Sturgis says her school's yearbook omitted her picture because she wore a tuxedo.
Both teens say they found support through groups such as Mississippi Safe School Coalition . |
1,704 | 04ddcdf4e5b871bb6eea736d3a463f206e8d7d6a | By . Sam Webb . and Alasdair Baverstock . The beauty queen and TV star gunned down with her British ex-husband in front of their daughter spoke of their enduring friendship in a poignant interview before she died. Miss Venezuela 2004, Monica Spear Mootz, 29, was shot to death alongside Thomas Berry, 39, from London, by thieves after their car broke down on the Puerto-Cabello to Valencia highway at about 10pm on Monday. Police made five arrests in connection with the case earlier today, including two who were said to be under 18. Scroll down for video . Happy: Despite separating Thomas Berry and Monica Spear holidayed together for their daughter's sake . Horrific: Robbers shot through the car windscreen when the terrified family locked themselves in . Nightmare: A friend of Berry said he had spoken to him on Sunday and was told they were having a great time . In an interview in Venezuelan magazine Panorama, she said they had remained close despite the divorce and agreed to they would still spend time together with their five-year-old daughter Maya. She said: 'It was a spectacularly civilised divorce. My friends ask me if I have suffered and are amazed because I say no. 'I married a very civilised person and when we decided to separate we decided that we would continue seeing each other with our child. 'I want him to have a good life and and he wants the same for me. I assure you there are no problems.' Armed men came up the car as the couple waited . for a repair truck, and the terrified couple locked themselves in their . Toyota Corolla. But the robbers opened fire through the windows. The bodies of Mr Berry and Ms Spear, who had American citizenship, were found in the car with their daughter, who had been shot in the leg. Monica Spear posted a video on Instagram of her horse riding just hours before she died . The five-year-old was taken to hospital where family and friends are helping to care for her. Her ex-husband, an . independent travel consultant, lived in the capital . Caracas, reports El Universal. He moved to Florida for a short time after he was shot 15 years ago in a robbery that killed his friend. 'He had already been shot once by robbers trying to steal his car,' close friend Luis Dominguez told The Telegraph. 'His . friend died in the incident and although doctors saved his life, they . couldn't extract the bullet and he still had it in his stomach.' ['Mr Berry] moved to the States to get . away from things here for a while but missed Venezuela and came back,' Mr Dominguez added. He said the family had spent New Year's in the mountains of the western state of Merida then traveled to the plains. Mr Dominguez said they were people 'who really loved the country' and had a good relationship despite the divorce. Monica was pictured with a child, believed to be her daughter Maya, a few days before they were attacked . A still from a short film showing the actress riding before she blew a kiss to the camera on the day she died . According to Telemundo, the car was already on the back of a tow truck at the time of the attack. Two tow truck drivers who had arrived to help the couple are said to be under 'intense interrogation' by police. All . the tires on the couple's car had been punctured after it hit 'a sharp . object that had been placed on the highway', director of investigative . police, Jose Gregorio Sierralta, said. Police believe the couple may have been targeted by bandits who put obstacles in the road to force victims to stop. The ploy is commonly used on the country's highways after dark. Venezuela is one the most violent places in Latin America and armed robberies, carjackings and kidnappings are rife. The annual murder rate in Caracas alone is an average of 80 murders per 100,000 people, the third highest in the world. Most . murders occur in the slums where police presence is minimal. Eastern . Caracas is home to South America’s largest slum, named Petare with more . than two million residents, where the police to public ratio is 1 . officer to every 3,000 people. There . were an estimated 24,000 murders in 2013, one of the world’s highest . homicide rates. It has tripled in the previous decade. Gun ownership is also high, with an estimated 15 million unlicensed weapons in circulation. At . least six shots are believed to have been fired, hitting Mr Berry in . the chest, his ex-wife in several places and their daughter in the leg. The . attack appeared to follow a pattern of recent robberies, where cars are . disabled by obstacles left in roads, or drain covers removed. A photo . believed to be the couple's car was pictured behind police tape by . Gilbert Angustia on Twitter. Ms . Spear was a famous TV actress following her pageant victory and . appeared in a number of telenovelas [South American soap operas], with . her roll in 'Forbidden Passions' the most notable. The University of Central Florida graduate had American citizenship and her parents live in Orlando, Florida. Pictures of the model enjoying the vacation with her young daughter were posted on Ms Spear's Instagram account in the days leading up to her death. In a short video posted on the day she was shot dead, the actress blows a kiss to the camera during a horse riding trip. Another photo shows Ms Spear holding hands with a girl, believed to be her daughter, as they gaze across a lagoon. Thomas Berry and Monica Spear Mootz on their wedding day in June 2008. They were murdered by gunmen in front of their daughter . Police tape cordons off the couple's car, which had ground to a halt after the tires were punctured . The former beauty queen's Instagram showed her looking relaxed and happy . Monica Spear was visiting Venezuela so her daughter could learn about the country . His parents are at the hospital with the couple's daughter. It is not known if his sister, Katie, who lives in Scotland, will fly out to be with the family. In the Panorama interview, the actress spoke of her ideal man. She said: 'I want a man who respects me, who lets me be me, who shares my feelings. 'I need someone to make me feel positive, regardless of whether the relationship lasts a lifetime or not. 'It is also imperative to have a sense of humor, I love a man who makes me laugh. 'I'm super romantic and I'd like him to sing to me, to cuddle me and love me in all ways. 'That's what I live for - a fine, beautiful love.' Ms Spear's parents were flown from Florida to Venezuela by private jet, provided by Venezuela's president, so they could be with their granddaughter. 'It is the deepest pain, the deepest pain. It is unbelievable,' her father, Rafael, told the Orlando Sentinel. 'She was very charismatic, a very good daughter, a very good mother, and she loved Venezuela.' He recalled how his daughter had come to him for advice when she wanted to change from her chemical engineering course to study acting instead. 'I told her she had to decide what she wanted to do to be happy for the rest of her life,' he said. 'When my children were young, I wouldn't let them watch telenovelas, and then she began acting in soap operas, and I began watching all of hers.' Mr Dominguez, who ran an adventure tour company with the actress's ex-husband, told NBC he last spoke to Mr Berry on Sunday. 'They were having the greatest time. He said, I'll see you soon,' Mr Dominguez said. A friend of the family, Carlos Drakkar, 38, a Colombian graphic designer who lives in Caracas, said: 'This is a very difficult moment for all of us to deal with. We are doing all we can to help out friends in this difficult moment. These things happen all too often in this country. Something has to change.' Mr Berry, with his daughter Maya, 5. She was injured in the attack and is now in the care of the authorities . Loving: Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear Mootz and Thomas Berry had maintained a good relationship following their divorce and family say they were close to getting back together for the sake of Maya . Ms Spear's family had asked her to move to the U.S. with them after she was robbed six times, but the model refused. Her brother, Ricardo Spear Mootz, said: 'She loved her country too much. It was her home.' Family friend Marytza Sanz said Miss Spear loved Venezuela and even though she could have remained in the U.S. she chose to return so her daughter could spend time there. The network Miss Spear worked for released a statement describing her as a 'great actress' who had 'extraordinary drive and determination'. Venezuela's public prosecutor has appointed two separate investigators to the case, while the CICPC, Venezuela's SWAT police force unit, has been deployed to nearby slums for answers. Commissioner Daniel Alvarez , head of the CICPC's homicide division, promised 'fast results in this awful case'. Beauty: Monica Spear Mootz represented Venezuela in the 54th annual Miss Universe competition . Ms Spear with Maya, who was born in October 2008. The little girl was shot in the leg during the attack . During the 2005 Miss Universe contest Spear visited the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok . The Foreign Office says it is aware of the reports and are looking into it with the assistance of its offices in Venezuela. A . spokesman said: 'We are aware of reports of the death of a British . national on 6 January in Venezuela. We stand ready to provide consular . assistance to the family.' Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to respond to the violence gripping his country with 'an iron fist, the BBC reported. 'There . will be no tolerance to those who carry out acts like that, killing . decent men and women, who have a right to live,' he said. | Thomas Berry and Monica Spear Mootz killed in front of daughter Maya .
The divorced couple were still close and were holidaying together .
In a last interview, she said they had remained good friends .
Five people, including two under-18s, arrested over attack .
Mr Berry was shot in another robbery in Venezuela 15 years ago . |
78,384 | de2a68d3dd29f729ef68ff297c66bae3d51b4d1e | Adolf Hitler's personal copy of Mein Kampf which was found in his Munich apartment after his death in 1945 is to go up for auction. The book, a 1932 version of the Fuhrer's autobiography, is believed to be the only of Hitler's personal copies in existence. Auctioneer Craig Gottlieb, who has sold Nazi memorabilia in the past, believes it could fetch more than £62,000 in the online sale. A copy of Mein Kampf found in Adolf Hitler's Munich apartment in 1945 is expected to fetch £62,000 as it goes up for auction online . While it is likely that Hitler owned many copies of his own autobiography, he almost certainly read this one as it was found in his personal library - making it one-of-a-kind . Mein Kampf – or My Struggle - is the autobiographical manifesto by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, where he outlined his political ideology and future plans for Germany. The book was written by Hitler following the failed Munich Putsch in November 1923 and was first published in July 1925. Hitler's personal copy was part of a group of the German leader's belongings that were liberated from his Munich apartment in 1945 by US soldier Joseph Ben Lieber. The book, along with others from his library, was sold to Gottlieb last year along with Hitler's hat, shirt, medals, and other items. The manifesto, which Hitler wrote in prison after the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, even has the German leader's own bookplate on the inside cover . The text was found in the Fuhrer's Munich apartment after the defeat of Germany in 1945 by US soldier Joseph Ben Lieber who kept it until now . Mr Gottlieb added: 'The chain of custody of the book is unbroken since 1945. 'This particular artifact is one of the most profound in the group, which makes the provenance that supports the artifact so crucial to its value.' 'This artifact is historically significant and I would love to see it go to a museum. 'However, market realities are such that it will probably find a home with a book collector who appreciates its historic significance.' The book is described and mentioned in several key documents that Gottlieb has, copies of which will be included in the sale. Another book from Hitler's personal collection, which was liberated from his Munich apartment in 1945 . The book, along with others from Hitler's library, was sold to Gottlieb last year along with the leader's hat, shirt, medals, and other personal items (file image) Mr Gottleib has attracted criticism for his sales of Nazi artifacts in the past, which have included two oil paintings of Hitler's parents, likely commissioned by the Fuhrer himself. He added: 'I am acutely aware of the controversial nature of some of the things I sell but controversial or not, they're a part of history and shunning them is like shunning the history they represent. 'For some, a museum or a book does it, but for me, I have to hold an artefact in my hands - they're like little time machines.' | Book liberated from Hitler's personal Munich library by US soldier in 1945 .
Inside is stamped with Fuhrer's bookplate meaning he likely read it himself .
Personal copy is thought to be only one in existence and may fetch £62,000 . |
203,264 | 9322c69c277944301a3a85dbc6193d918c3a1648 | Three or four years ago, it was supposed to be the next big thing in consumer tech: the magic of 3-D, right in your living room. Fast-forward to today, however, and the truth comes right at you. Despite waves of hype, 3-D TV has never caught on. And now that one of its biggest early champions is abandoning the format, some are wondering whether the 3-D experiment should be declared dead. ESPN, which in 2010 announced that it would offer events like World Cup soccer and the NCAA national championship football game in 3-D, now says it will stop doing so this year. "ESPN 3D was great at home but due to low adoption of 3D to home, we are discontinuing to focus on other products for fans and affiliates," ESPN spokeswoman Katina Arnold announced on Twitter. She followed up by promising that the network will keep trying to push the boundaries of the viewing experience. "ESPN 3D production unmatched!" she wrote. "As tech leader, ESPN will continue to experiment with things like UHDTV (ultra high-definition)." Analysts say ESPN's reasoning reflects a sad truth for an industry that once thought the runaway success of movies like "Avatar" meant consumers would have similar interest in watching 3-D in their living rooms. "The excitement around 3-D TV was coming from many places: the industry, the TV manufacturers and the content providers," said Carolina Milanesi, a technology analyst for Gartner Research. "But not the consumers, and ultimately that is what proved fatal." According to data from research firm DisplaySearch, adoption of 3-D TV in North America peaked in early 2011, when about 11% of TV owners had one. But growth has stalled and even dipped since then. The technology fared better among TV owners in the rest of the world, growing to about 20% of the market before beginning to slide late last year. Quite simply, Milanesi said, consumers just haven't considered it worth the money. Combine that with consumer-tech trends moving in the opposite direction, and it's a recipe for failure, she said. "The lack of content and the higher cost of the hardware made adoption slow," she said. "And now we see consumers focus their money on other consumer electronics such as tablets, adding screens to their home rather than focusing on the main screen." Complaints about home 3-D have centered around high prices, the limited number of 3-D offerings and the awkward glasses that made viewing uncomfortable over long periods of time. And many consumers, having recently traded in their clunky tube TVs for high-def flat screens, weren't ready to replace their sets yet again with newer models. ESPN's 3-D channel has been carried by several cable networks, but AT&T's Uverse dumped all 3-D in 2011, saying it was too expensive. That's not the sort of thing that's going to encourage many producers or networks to make their own 3-D shows or pay for the pricey equipment needed to shoot live events in three dimensions. A few other 3-D providers remain, most notably 3net, a channel jointly owned by Discovery, Sony and IMAX. In a statement, 3Net said ESPN's decision would have "no impact on our business." "It's understandable that content creators are hesitant to continue investing in costly new technologies if the viewer base is not growing at an attractive rate," said Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch's director of TV research in North America. "This move by ESPN might signal that the momentum has shifted away from 3-D in the U.S., and TV manufacturers and retailers would be wise to take note." That momentum appears now to be swinging toward the technology Arnold mentioned in her post: ultra HD, also known as 4K TV. Screens on that emerging format promise definition that's four times sharper than regular HD. Sony is leading the pack with a giant 4K model already on the market and others hitting stores soon. But other manufacturers aren't far behind. As with 3-D TV, there's still not a ton of available content for that level of definition. But 4K is in its infancy, and observers, including Milanesi, predict it will catch on in a way that home 3-D never has. | ESPN announced it will suspend 3-D TV broadcasts by end of the year .
The prospect of 3-D excited the TV industry, but consumers never took to it .
Consumers complained about cost, awkward glasses, scarce 3-D content .
Analysts say ultra-HD, 4K television may be the next wave . |
212,819 | 9f93b238bb45c945bc3cdee66d971278976495b9 | By . John Hall . PUBLISHED: . 06:25 EST, 30 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:16 EST, 30 December 2013 . The 'prolonged squeeze' on workers' wages must come to an end as the economy continues to strengthen, a business leader has demanded. John Cridland, director general of the CBI lobby group, said recovery is taking hold and businesses have a 'spring in their step' compared with a year ago. This is in stark contrast to the mood of hard-working families, who continue to earn around £1,350-a-year less in real terms than when David Cameron became Prime Minister in May 2010. Decline: When adjusted for inflation, average earnings have fallen from just over £500-a-week when David Cameron became Prime Minister in May 2010, to just over £480-a-week in May 2013. In his new year message, Mr Cridland said: 'Businesses must support employees in every part of the country to move up the career ladder, while also giving a helping hand to young people taking their first tentative steps into the world of work.' He added: 'As the financial situation of many firms begins to turn a corner, one of the biggest challenges facing businesses is to deliver growth that will mean better pay and more opportunities for all their employees after a prolonged squeeze.' Growth: John Cridland said recovery is taking hold and businesses have a 'spring in their step' compared with a year ago . Mr Cridland said it was positive news that jobs were being created, adding it was shaping up to be a full-time recovery with the majority of new jobs being permanent. His statement comes as the GMB union warned that the real value of national average earnings has fallen by 14% since the start of the recession in 2008. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average national wage in 2008 was £26,137, compared with £27,174 today. When adjusted for inflation and the rising cost of living, that amounted to a 13.8% fall in real terms. Mr Cridland said that for the first time . since the start of the recession, 2014 will see most firms increasing . the size of their workforce, boosting their graduate intake and the . number of apprentices they take on. 'The good news is that wages will pick up . in the year ahead as growth beds down and productivity improves...But . there are still far too many people stuck in minimum wage jobs without . routes to progression, and that’s a serious challenge that businesses . and the Government must address.' Mr Cridland spoke of the importance of . skills, calling for a Ucas-equivalent vocational system to help raise . awareness and parity of esteem for alternative routes to higher skills. 'If . 2013 was the year that business trust took a hammering on a range of . issues from corporate taxation to energy prices, then 2014 must be the . year that business leaders take action to rebuild that trust,' he said. A prolonged squeeze: Percentage pay increases have been outstripped by rising inflation since May 2008 . Rise: The UK is set for growth of 1.9% in 2013,rising from 0.5% in the first quarter . | CBI director John Cridland says businesses must support employees .
Families still earn around £1,350-a-year less in real terms than in May 2010 . |
236,921 | bea66072621a4363bcf1f8351fedcf91cf8e0df4 | By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 09:43 EST, 7 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:12 EST, 7 June 2013 . A two-year-old British girl drowned in a Spanish holiday villa swimming pool as her mother sunbathed nearby, an inquest heard. Patrick Crump, 38, from Ludlow Shropshire, told how he found Isabella May Crump floating in the water of her grandparent's pool in San Miguel de Salinas, Alicante, in August last year. Her mother Deborah Ridgway, 27, had been lying on a sun lounger facing the other direction at the time, the hearing heard. Mr Crump dived in and pulled his . daughter, known as Izzy, from the water and desperate efforts were made . to revive her. But tragically she was pronounced dead when paramedics . arrived. Tragedy: Two-year-old Isabella May Crump from Ludlow, Shropshire, drowned in the swimming pool of her grandparents Spanish holiday villa last year . South Shropshire deputy coroner Andrew . Barkley said it will probably never known how she came to be in the water. Both parents told the court Izzy and her older sister had been drilled not to go in the water alone and to always wear armbands if they did. A distraught Mr Crump told the inquest . that he and his eldest daughter had gone inside leaving his wife and Izzy . stayed outside for a 'cuddle' on the sun lounger. He said: 'The programme we were . watching had finished and I said to my daughter "right, we need to go . and get changed for tea. I will go and see what Debs and Izzy are . doing". 'I went outside and saw Debs on the sun lounger, facing away from the water, and Izzy in the pool. 'Izzy knew she was not supposed to go into the pool without her water wings.' The inquest held at the council . chamber in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, yesterday heard that the family had been staying with Deborah's grandparents Arthur and Thelma Keeley, who owned the holiday home. They had spent most of afternoon enjoying the pool - a day . before they were due to fly back to Britain. Ms Ridgway told the inquest: 'Both of them were told not to go near the pool unless either me or Pat was with them and they were wearing armbands. 'Izzy would even say it back to me.' Speaking at the time, Izzy's grandfather said: ''We are all totally devastated. The brightest light in our lives has been switched off.' Deputy coroner Andrew Barkley said: 'Clearly she was playing in and around the pool, and appeared to understand she was not allowed in the pool without at least one of her parents or without armbands. 'Exactly how it was she ended up in the pool will, I regret to say, never be known.' | Isabella May Crump found floating in pool in Alicante last August .
Patrick Crump, from Ludlow, Shropshire, dived in to pull her out .
Mother Deborah Ridgway was on sun lounger facing the other direction .
Toddler died despite desperate attempts to resuscitate her, inquest hears . |
257,918 | d9cab245e336c2cf971989fe8322edc45720c41e | The 'Peking Man', an ancient human ancestor, donned clothes and may have been an expert fire-builder. Scientists have built up a remarkable account of what life was like for the early human, who existed between 750,000 and 200,000 years ago. They have been studying the Chinese cave where the Peking Man fossils were first discovered in 1923. Scientists have re-excavated the cave in the village of Zhoukoudian, near Beijing, where fossils of early humans, dubbed the Peking Man, were initially found . The famous Peking Man skull went missing after in 1941 when it was being transported to the U.S. from China during WWII. Scientists have revisited the site to discover more details about our ancient ancestor . The re-excavation, in the village of Zhoukoudian, near Beijing, has unearthed fascinating details proving our ancestors were more advanced than previously believed. The Peking Man was outfitted, wearing animal hides that had been softened using stone tools. Belonging to the species Homo erectus, the Peking Man was able to make fire, work wood and bizarrely drilled holed in objects for as yet unknown reasons. Discoveries: A bust of the Peking Man at the Zhoukoudian World Heritage Site, Beijing . Using powerful microscopes, the scientists are examining tools used by the Peking Man to gain more details about their use. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science said that a 3,000-year-old living room, or 'activity floor', had been discovered in the cave, containing what could be a fireplace. Chen Shen, a curator at the Toronto Museum and a special member of the academy, said that it was also likely the species had attached stone points to sticks, creating spears. The discovery could be significant as it shows the Peking Man potentially joining two materials to form a tool. The Chinese cave system is one of the most important Palaeolithic sites ever discovered. Archaeologists unearthed thousands of stone tools and hundreds of fragmentary remains from about 40 early humans as they worked on the site between 1921 and 1966. The human remains discovered in the cave were later assigned to the species Homo erectus. The original fossils of the Peking Man vanished in 1941 as they were being transported to America at the peak of World War II. A number of techniques have attempted to accurately date the remains numerous times over the years but have failed to find a definitive answer. Early discovery: Scientists originally found the fossilised remains of the Peking Man in 1923 but only now are they establishing details, such as that the homo erectus species may have been able to build and master fire . Likeness: Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History putting muscles on a cast of the Peking Man's face . Scientists believe the discoveries at the Zhoukoudian cave may finally prove that the Peking Man could control fire despite the low temperatures of northern China. The team also believes that the Peking Man was working wood, with the possibility that they were creating wooden tools. While the exact details of the dig have not been finalised, the initial findings will fascinate scientists. The fossils revealed that the ancestors drilled holes but scientists have no idea what purpose this activity fulfilled. The findings may also be significant because of their timing with scientists in South Africa recently discovered that another early human ancestor was making spears 500,000 years ago. Similarities: A modern human (Homo sapiens) skull, left, compared with the Peking Man skull (Homo erectus), right . Swedish . scientist Johan Gunnar Andersson and American colleague Walter W. Granger first arrived in Zhoukoudian in 1921 where they were directed to . the site by quarrymen. Upon arrival at the cave Andersson announced: 'Here is primitive man, now all we have to do is find him.' The . confidence was well-founded as the scientists had just discovered what . would become one of the most important paleontological sites in the . world. Anderrson . found human molars at the site but it was Canadian scientist Davidson . Black who made some of the most significant discoveries, despite his . initial findings being treated with scepticism by scientists around the . world. Around 200 fossils were gathered until excavation came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. Fossils . were placed in the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Peking Union . Medical College for safe-keeping, before being packed up for the U.S. in . 1941. But the fossils were inexplicably lost as they were being transported through northern China. It is still unknown what happened to the fossils with some believing they sank on Japanese ship the Awa Maru in 1945. U.S. financier Christopher Janus appealed for information on their . whereabouts in 1972, promising a reward of $5,000. One woman made . contact, demanding $500,000, but this failed to materialise. The . Chinese Government also initiated a committee to locate the fossils to . coincide with the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. | Scientists are re-excavating Chinese cave to examine ancient human tools .
The Peking Man was first discovered in the cave in 1923 - and lived between 750,000 and 200,000 years ago .
But crucial fossils were lost during WWII so new details are emerging .
Revealed the early humans may have mastered fire and built spears . |
195,765 | 8962f5e553b6d18b04facd78a994d97bea4a486d | Baghdad (CNN) -- Three security contractors, two of them American veterans and one from Fiji, have been freed in Iraq almost three weeks after they were detained by the Iraqi Army, U.S. Rep. Peter King said Wednesday. The men, who were working for a security firm, were arrested by Iraqi Army forces in Mahmudiyah on December 9 but were not charged with any offense, said King, a New York Republican. "I am pleased that these three men have been released after having been detained," King said. "With the unfortunate and clearly deteriorating security situation in Iraq and with al Qaeda in Iraq still very active, these men were in increasing danger with each passing day." King said he got involved after being contacted by the wife of one of the men, Army veteran Alex Antiohos of Long Island, New York. The other two contractors are Jonas March of Savannah, Georgia, and Kevin Fisher of Fiji, he said. The congressman asked the U.S. State Department for help and wrote to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to appeal for their release, he said in a statement. King said the three men were detained because the Iraqi military "did not like the 'mission request authorization' paperwork that had been issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior." The United States is still negotiating with the Iraqi government about whether U.S. contractors will be granted any diplomatic protections under Iraqi law. The final U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq 10 days ago, after a war that lasted almost nine years. CNN's Adam Levine contributed to this report. | NEW: Rep. Peter King got involved after the wife of one of the men appealed for help .
The three contractors were detained in central Iraq on December 9 .
Two of them are U.S. citizens and military veterans, the third is from Fiji . |
203,853 | 93ef29d6ca6712a795e38ae363940f841249b98b | (CNN) -- Retired U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, on Sunday questioned whether Sen. John McCain's military experience qualified him to be commander-in-chief. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who ran for president in 2004, questioned John McCain's qualifications Sunday. The McCain campaign called for Obama to condemn the remarks. The dust-up began with Clark's appearance Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," where moderator Bob Schieffer asked him about his interview with the Huffington Post earlier this month. In the interview, Clark said McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, was "untested and untried." When Schieffer asked to explain the comment, Clark said he was referring to McCain's experience, or lack thereof, in setting national security policies and understanding the risk involved in such matters. "I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility," said Clark, a former NATO commander who campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. "He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not," Clark said. Schieffer noted that Obama did not have any of those experiences, nor had he "ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down." "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president," Clark said. In a statement released by the McCain campaign Sunday afternoon, retired Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith criticized Clark's comment. "If Barack Obama wants to question John McCain's service to his country, he should have the guts to do it himself and not hide behind his campaign surrogates," Smith said. "If he expects the American people to believe his pledges about a new kind of politics, Barack Obama has a responsibility to condemn these attacks." | Retired U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark questions John McCain's executive experience .
In "Face the Nation" interview, Clark says McCain hasn't "ordered the bombs to fall"
McCain campaign calls for Barack Obama to condemn the comments . |
249,224 | ce803890ef65211e70c50d23fa76bc50ac8cbb9f | A Houston quarterback lost a chunk of his ear during a game on Sunday after an illegal hit so forceful that his helmet went flying off. Matt Schaub, who was playing for the Houston Texans against the Denver Broncos, was in possession of the ball when linebacker Joe Mays crashed into him. Schaub was left rolling around the field in agony clutching both sides of his head before being walked off by medical staff with his left ear bloodied. Scroll down for video . Ouch! Houston quarterback Matt Schaub lost a chunk of his during an illegal hit by Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Mays on Sunday . Agony: Schaub rolls around on the ground at the Denver stadium after taking a blow to the head . After Schaub was brought down by Mays, a second roughing-the-passer penalty was given against the Broncos, causing the Texans to make a field goal and take a 24-11 lead. Schaub skipped one play in the third quarter but then returned to the field to make his final touchdown, drawing praise from his teammates and opponents alike. Despite his injury, it was still a good game from Schaub, who threw four touchdowns against the Broncos defense leading to a 31-25 victory for his team. Texans coach Gary Kubiak said: 'We did what we had to do to win, convinced them that we had to make some big plays and they did.' Following the game in Denver, Schaub said that he and rival Mays shook hands and there was no hard feelings. 'I felt fine,' Schaub said. 'I just lost a . piece of my ear. I was bleeding and my helmet came off. So, I had to . come out for a play, but I was fine.' Schaub, 31, who stands at 6ft 5 inches and weighs 241lbs, was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2004 after playing college football in Virginia. Good sports: Shaub shook hands with Mays after the game and said there were no hard feelings . Forceful: The quarterback had his helmet knocked clean off during the Sunday game . | Matt Schaub had his helmet sent flying by Broncos linebacker Joe Mays .
Houston Texans won 31-25 over the Denver team on Sunday . |
275,136 | f069cd5cb2bc372ea13e6ef86b5e27031422c380 | By . Sarah Griffiths . It may not be the most glamorous of archaeological finds, but the discovery of 700-year-old stinking toilets has got experts excited. Human excrement described as being in ‘excellent condition’ has been found at the 14th century site, which features a number of special purpose-built barrel latrines. Amazingly, the medieval faeces inside them still smell pungent, despite having had centuries to mellow. Whiffy: Human excrement described as being in 'excellent condition' has been found at the 14th century site, which features a number of specially-purposed barrels used as toilets . The 700-year-old barrels were used as lavatories but were previously used to transport goods and store fish. The names of their owners, before they were transformed into makeshift toilets, can also be seen on them. Three barrels were stacked on top of one another to form a well. They were tied together and lined with clay, as well as having pipes at the bottom of them. It is not yet known whether the two toilets were attached to a house or acted as a public lavatory. It is hoped that the excrement will give scientists a better idea of what people ate in Denmark at the time and it is now being analysed by experts. The waste was found on an archaeological dig at Vilhelm Werners square in Odense on the island of Funen, according to The Copenhagen Post. Markings on the wooden barrels, one of which is pictured, include the owner's details and reveal that some of them were used to transport goods, as well as store fish . Archaeologists also found three barrels (pictured) stacked on top of one another that are thought to have been used as a basic well . The find is especially useful to experts . as the barrels were used for a different purpose before they were . transformed into toilets. Markings on the wooden barrels include the owner’s details and reveal that some of them were used to transport goods, as well as to store fish. Archaeologists also found three barrels stacked on top of one another that are thought to have been used as a basic well. They were tied together and packed with clay to make them waterproof, while a system of pipes at the bottom of the structure was also discovered. Excavation of the site is continuing and it is now the largest excavation in an urban area in Danish history. Odense is the country’s third largest city. People can visit the site and have a free tour of the excavations every Tuesday and Thursday, as well as popping into the archaeologist’ workshops. While the discovery is impressive, the toilets are some way off being the oldest ever discovered. The earliest examples of toilets and sewers date to 2,800 BC when lavatories were built into the outer walls of houses in parts of India and Pakistan. Ancient people built the toilets from bricks, some of which even had wooden seats and chutes to carry waste to drains and cesspits. | Human excrement described as being in ‘excellent condition’ has been found at the 14th century site .
It is hoped that the faeces will give scientists a better idea of what people ate in Denmark in the 14th century .
The barrels that make up the toilets were previously used for transporting goods and even storing fish . |
16,006 | 2d5eebf14e5f46e795877eb01c4de87d14e9bc8a | A teenager who suffered a deadly stroke after taking the contraceptive pill has defied the odds to become a beauty queen. Georgie Holland, from Thrapston, Northamptonshire, was left partially blind when she suffered a blood clot on the brain at the age of 17 brought on by the popular Yasmin contraceptive pill. The 19-year-old collapsed in the middle of a dance class in 2013 and was rushed to A&E where a scan revealed the blood clot was affecting the flow of blood. Georgie Holland has overcome suffering a stroke two years ago and is entering the Miss Galaxy competition . Georgie first became involved in pageanting when she began taking part in charity work . Georgie spent a week in hospital and has to take daily medication to thin her blood, but she has bounced back to compete in a number of beauty pageants. Coming first in the Miss Galaxy competition next month would earn her a trip to Orlando, Florida, to compete internationally. Georgie said the experience had been the most terrifying of her life. 'When it happened, it was terrifying. I felt really dizzy and had to call my dad to come and pick me up from a dance class at school,’ she explained. 'It came completely out of nowhere. I had to sit down but couldn't think clearly and wasn't sure what I was doing or where I was. If the 19-year-old wins the prestigious competition she will travel to Orlando to compete . Georgie says that having a stroke had only made her more determined to compete in the competition . 'I ended up walking out of the school and stumbling down the road like a drunk. My dad was passing as he was coming to get me and he found me collapsed in a bush. 'I spent two days in bed before being rushed to the hospital - a doctor was called out to my house as I was too ill to move. 'He was waving his hands in front of my face but I couldn't see them, that's when everyone realised that something was terribly wrong. 'I felt really sick and it was really frustrating because I knew what I was thinking but I was unable to speak without slurring.' Georgie says that when they finally realised that she had had a stroke it had come as a huge shock for her and her family. Georgie will be representing her home county of Northamptonshire in the Miss Galaxy contest . Georgie's stroke left her with impaired sight but she says she's not going to let that get in the way of winning . 'When my parents and younger brother were shown my brain scan their faces just dropped, I was so worried what had they seen. 'There was a big black blob in my brain where there had obviously been a clot or something. 'I lost my peripheral vision, so I couldn't see the top right corner of my sight, and I've still got that a bit. I'm much better now, though, and I have to take aspirin every day.' Georgie will take part in the competition on Feb 6 . But despite her setback Georgie is now gunning to win one of the country's most prestigious beauty pageants prizes after making a remarkable recovery. She is in the running to be named Miss Galaxy UK after reaching the finals of the competition, which will be held at The Park Hall Hotel, Chorley, Lancashire, on February 6. She is in the running to be named Miss Galaxy UK after reaching the finals of the competition, which will be held at The Park Hall Hotel, Chorley, Lancs, on February 6. Georgie will be representing her home county of Northamptonshire where coming first would earn her a trip to Orlando, Florida, to compete internationally. Georgie says that since her accident she has been concentrating on volunteering which eventually saw her enter the world of pageanting. 'Since my stroke, I have been doing a lot of charity work and that's how I got back into doing pageants because you do a lot of charity work for them.' The beauty queen says that without the pageanting she doubts she would have been able to overcome the experience. 'It has given me a lot of confidence to move on with my life and live every moment to the fullest. 'I hope the competition will help me forget and move on from such a horrifying experience.' Georgie whose sight has deteriorated says that she is still determined to win the contest despite her condition. 'Losing sight in your eye is very scary - but I'm ready to compete and win the competition. 'It would be amazing for me if I did. It would be a dream come true.' Georgie moved from Thrapston, Nothants, to Nottingham last year with her friend Nancy Burrows, to study at Nottingham Trent University. Nancy, 20 says that moving away from where the bad experience had take place had really helped Georgie to move on. 'It's been good for her to get out of the small town we come from and move to Nottingham. 'She's been able to meet new people and do something different. She's a really happy girl, she wakes up smiling and that's why I think she does well in these competitions. 'I don't see any reason why she couldn't win it.' Georgie's mother, Kim Holland, added that she was extremely proud of her daughter's inpiring story. 'I think Georgie has got back on her feet because of her determination. If she gets something in her head, then she does it. 'I'm really proud of her and I'd like to think she will do really well.' Georgie says that as well as being a huge triumph for herself, winning would mean proving to other women that you can move on from bad experiences. 'It would be great to win it - I want to show other women out there that no matter what life throws at you, it can be overcome.' Anyone wanting to sponsor Georgie can do so by visiting virginmoneygiving.com and searching Georgie Holland. | Georgie Holland had a stroke after taking the Yasmin contraceptive pill .
At 17 she was left fighting for her life and spent a week in hospital .
Just two years on the 19-year-old is about to take part in Miss Galaxy UK . |
137,483 | 3dce89caeb752241fd09d7e65d8de9b3789b1360 | By . Rachel Quigley . and Daily Mail Reporter . Sleeping pills: Last week Kerry Kennedy blamed a July 11 car accident on a seizure but now blood tests show she was on the sleeping pill, Ambien . Kerry Kennedy pleaded not guilty in court tonight and blamed Friday’s car accident, where she careered into a truck and was later found slumped over the wheel, on a seizure. Speaking outside court, JFK's daughter claimed numerous neurological tests show that she suffered a 'partial seizure' which was the result of a previous head injury. 'I want to apologise to the driver of the truck who I apparently hit and all those who I apparently endangered,’ she told reporters outside North Castle court in Amonk, New York, this evening. The 52-year-old twice repeated that no drugs or alcohol were found in her system after the crash. On Friday, the ex-wife of Governor Cuomo, was . found by police slumped over her wheel of her 2008 silver-white Lexus RX . 350 at one of the exits of the highway and charged with driving while . ability impaired by drugs. Surrounded by relatives this evening, Kennedy also detailed how she underwent an MRI and 'a comprehensive battery of neurological tests' at Mount Sinai medical center after the crash. ‘A MRI showed an area of hypo-density which appears to be the result of a head injury sustained some time ago,' she said. Kennedy concluded that doctors believe the accident was caused by a partial seizure. She added that this was the only seizure she had ever suffered and would continue to get treatment over 'the months ahead and, perhaps, indefinitely.' Recalling Friday's accident she said, 'I remember getting onto the highway and then I have no memory until I was at a traffic light and a police officer was at my car door.' 'I have never had any history of drug or alcohol abuse and in my discussion with the police officer I was confused and erratic,' she continued. She told the officers that she had possibly mixed up two prescription drugs before getting behind the wheel and taken the sleeping pill Ambien instead of a daily prescription that she takes for a thyroid problem. Scroll down for video . Family affair: Kerry Kennedy, centre, is flanked by her sister Rory, left and brother Chris right, as she arrived at court on July 17. The Kennedy family have been accused of behaving like an 'organised crime' clan following her arrest . Remorse: Kennedy apologised to the truck driver and everyone else she 'apparently endangered'. She finished her speech by asking for privacy and thanking her supporters and family . Heartbroken: Ms Kennedy speaking before the funeral of her best friend and sister-in-law, Mary Richardson Kennedy, in Bedford, New York in May . The driver of the truck Kerry Kennedy . crashed into on Friday spoke about the accident and recalled how RFK's . daughter's was driving erratically for more than three miles on the . Westchester highway before the Lexus slammed into his rig and careered . off the interstate. He told . the New York Post: 'My first impression was that she was really, really . drunk. She's very lucky she didn't kill somebody. 'I’ve been a truck driver for 22 years. I’m pretty sure she was half-asleep or very, very intoxicated. 'She scared the heck out of a lot of people. She was completely out of it.' He told the Post that right before the crash, he saw Kennedy's head drop down to the steering wheel before snapping up again and nodding off again, all while veering in and out of lanes. 'She started . coming at me, like she didn’t see me. She was starting to nod off, . her head was bobbing toward the steering wheel,' he said. 'I hit the horn. I couldn’t go back into . the breakdown lane because there was a disabled truck up ahead. I could . either hit that truck or let her do whatever she was going to do. 'I hit the brakes, but she hit the brakes at the same time and veered right into me. 'When she hit me, my left tire tore up . her passenger-side door. She woke up a little bit, not a lot — not the way you’d wake up if you’d just hit a 6,000-pound truck.' Arrested: Kerry Kennedy has been charged with driving while impaired with drugs in New York . One of the tires on her car came free and shot into oncoming traffic and smoke was pouring out of the Lexus, the truck driver said. Mr Scuitello told the Post he first thought she must be 'really, really . drunk' and recalled when he saw her she looked like she had just rolled . out of bed. Kennedy gave blood and urine samples at a nearby police barracks, which she said Tuesday evening showed that she had no alcohol or drugs in her system. On Sunday, one of Kennedy's family claimed she had had a seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to crash. Friday's collision came just two months . after her best friend and sister-in-law Mary committed suicide after . struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse. Political marriage: Ms Kennedy is the ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, left . Family: Kerry with her brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and his (now deceased) wife Mary at a gala event in 2006 . Ms Kennedy, 52, crashed into the big rig . about 8am om Friday then drove off the highway. The collision damaged . her car and left it with a flat tire. Police arrived at the scene after a 911 call reported erratic driving on the freeway. They then discovered Ms Kennedy passed out at the wheel of the white 2008 Lexus RS 350. There were no passengers. Ken Sunshine told the New York Times: 'Kerry Kennedy voluntarily took breathalyzer, blood and urine tests – all of which showed no drugs or alcohol whatsoever in her system. Ambien: Ms Kennedy said she was 'confused and erratic' when she told officers she may have taken the sleeping pill Ambien, which has been known in rare cases to cause 'sleep-driving'. But on Wednesday she said her 'first instinct' appears to be right after tests showed it WAS in her system the day of the crash . The 'Ambien defense' is a relatively new strategy that has been successfully used to clear drivers who had taken the medication before being arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Doctors have recorded rare cases of the drug causing people to eat, walk and even get behind the wheel of a car while under the effects of the popular sedative. In those cases, the patients claimed to have no memory of their actions. As a result, courts have found they are not criminally liable for their actions. However, most successful uses of the defense argument have come in cases where the defendants were found during normal sleeping times and often when they were discovered wearing pajamas. Ms Kennedy, one of the most prominent members of the legendary Kennedy family, is the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and the niece of President John F. Kennedy. Celebration: Ms Kennedy with Mr Cuomo during his first New York gubernatorial campaign in 2002 . Her father was Senator for New York then U.S. Attorney General before being assassinated during his 1968 presidential campaign. She re-entered the public eye as the wife of Mr Cuomo, a member of Bill Clinton's cabinet who was elected as Governor of New York in 2010. The couple have three children but divorced in 2005 after 13 years of marriage. Ms Kennedy was best friends with her sister-in-law Mary Richardson Kennedy, who killed herself at her New York home in May after her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr disintegrated. Kerry delivered an emotional eulogy at Mary's funeral, describing her friend as an 'angel' who had been destroyed by her own 'forces of evil'. Watch video here . | Pleaded not guilty in court today blaming Friday's crash on a 'partial seizure'
Said tests showed no alcohol or drugs in her system .
RFK's daughter and ex-wife of New York governor seen 'driving erratically'
Arrested on Friday morning and charged with driving while impaired .
Comes two months after suicide of best friend and sister-in-law Mary .
Truck driver claims he saw her nod off at the wheel several times . |
209,961 | 9beac703fc7962b67f625c3ca0c28f194438ff41 | By . Rob Shepherd . Follow @@robshepherd5 . Ahead of the clash with Chile, Brazil pin-up star Neymar – who so far is living up to his billing as Pele’s heir, has admitted he came close to joining Chelsea as an 18 year old. The Blues tried to tempt him away from Santos when they were alerted of his potential after West Ham had £12million bid turned down that summer for the then ‘unknown’ mega-star in the making. His first season at Barcelona after his transfer last summer was not sensational – Gareth Bale has made a bigger impact after his move to Real Madrid. Stardust: Brazil's Neymar is realising his potential in this World Cup and Thiago Silva expects him to get even better . But Neymar is coming of age at this World Cup and his Brazil skipper Thiago Silva reckons he can eventually reach the level of Lionel Messi. Silva said: ‘Neymar is growing into a crescendo. ‘Messi is one of the best strikers in the world, one of the very best players. But Neymar is growing into a crescendo and he will be soon considered one of the best in the world. ‘Technically, he has all the skills. Messi is one of the best of all, but I’m sure Neymar will get to that level.’ There is an old newspaper saying: Dog bites man, no story. Man bites dog, big story. But far from losing his livelihood or even liberty, Suarez arrived back in Uruguay following his ban after an unprovoked assault on Italian Giorgio Cheillini hailed as a national hero. Indeed he can look forward to a pay rise if a move to Barcelona goes through. Banned: Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez (pictured with his children) is banned from playing against Colombia . Sometimes justice and morality around modern football seems to be upside down. After all, his grandmother has been quoted as saying the FIFA ban was ‘barbaric’ and he has been treated like a, er, ‘dog’ as if HE has been the victim of rough, rough justice. Talk about barking. Despite a lot of unpleasant baggage at this World Cup there is no doubt most of the football has been fantastic. There have been the most goals at the end of the group stage since it became a 32-team tournament in 1998 – 136 at an average of 2.83 per game. The lowest total in that period was the last World Cup, when only 145 were scored during the entire competition at a rate of 2.27. No World Cup has averaged more than three goals a game since 1958. The question is, now it is sudden death, will teams become more cautious? Well according to statistics it has been, er, Iran. On the basis of 92 attempts in or around their goal, they unleashed 72 tackles, made eight blocks and there were eight saves. But they still finished bottom of Group F with one point from a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, losing to Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Numbers Game: Statistically Iran have the best defence in the World Cup so far, yet exited in the group stages . So much for the having the best defence. Mind you, Iran’s goals for and against column (For one, Against, four) was only marginally worse than England’s (also one point) of For two, Against four. But it was sufficient for Carlos Queiroz to resign as manager – something Roy Hodgson has refused to do. As the above shows, always beware of every stat and sometimes one can’t be quite sure how these things are assessed, but according to FIFA anoraks this is the World Cup best XI so far. The stats XI: Enyeama (Nigeria), Chiellini (Italy), Van Buyten (Belgium), Medel (Chile), Alves (Brazil), Rodriguez (Colombia), Robben (Netherlands), Cuadrado (Colombia), Neymar (Brazil), Benzema (France), Messi (Argentina). Inevitably, there have been some dodgy refereeing decisions, but there are always going to be honest mistakes. Although there are some conspiracy theorists who say Brazil have benefited more than most from officials. Under the spotlight: English referee Howard Webb will be in charge for the clash between Brazil and Chile . After all, could you imagine the furore among many already angst-ridden protesters about the cost of staging the tournament if Brazil hadn’t have got out of their group? But in general, the match management of officials has been good and a lesson to some Premier League refs who are overkeen to issue cards. So far there has been an average of just 2.7 yellow cards per game and 0.2 reds. English ref Howard Webb goes under the spotlight on Saturday evening, taking charge of the Brazil Chile game. With Suarez gone, Edinson Cavani – a possible target for Manchester United – takes on the role of lead striker. But don’t underestimate former Manchester United forward Diego Forlan. He was joint top scorer at the last World Cup. Even though he is now 35 and playing out his career in Japan he could still make an impact against Columbia. Pressure: With Luis Suarez banned the pressure is on strike partner Edinson Cavani to step up and supply the goals . Let’s not forget what Suarez did at the last World Cup, cynically handling on the line to prevent a late winner for Ghana in the quarter finals. Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent penalty – the sent-off Suarez celebrating on the sidelines – and Uruguay went on to win the penalty shootout. Brazil are 1-2 with most bookies to win but this could go to the wire. And 14-1 to be 0-0 is worth a look. It could go to penalties on that basis and Brazil are 3/10 to qualify Chile 5-2 . | Brazil captain Thiago Silva says Neymar is 'growing into a crescendo'
The hosts go up against Chile for a place in the last eight .
Luis Suarez's hero's welcome on returning to Uruguay after being banned for biting Giorgio Chiellini is bizarre .
Uruguay take on fellow South Americans Colombia on Saturday in their last-16 clash . |
83,212 | ebf3f9e9cdb9135edea060acd455f73fa753e5b4 | (CNN)Well isn't that non-dairy delightful? Starbucks announced it will begin offering coconut milk as a non-dairy option for an additional 60 cents. The Internet, at least, loves this plan -- and the company's customers can thank themselves for the move. "Providing a non-dairy alternative to dairy and soy is the second most requested customer idea of all time from MyStarbucksIdea.com, generating more than 84,000 votes," says a press release on the company's newsroom site. The news had some consumers practically foaming at the mouth. Starbucks will start offering Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk at its U.S. stores starting February 17. | Coconut milk is a non-dairy alternative .
Starbucks customers will be able to buy it for an additional 60 cents .
An alternative to dairy and soy was the most customer requested idea . |
250,378 | d008209757b90620852f2c67680a64c997e1535d | Claims: Scotland Yard has reportedly interviewed the wife of a soldier that said Princess Diana was assassinated by the SAS . Critics today dismissed claims that the SAS murdered Princess Diana as a 'mystifying stunt' based on 'nonsense' evidence from an 'erratic' sniper in jail for illegally keeping guns at home. Royal bodyguards and MPs have brushed off accusations that the Princess of Wales' death 16 years ago in Paris was carried out by British special forces who then 'covered it up'. Scotland Yard confirmed yesterday that . officers from its specialist crime and operations command are assessing . information handed to it ‘recently’ by the Royal Military Police. But experts say that the evidence is flimsy and from a 'loose cannon' military man - known as Soldier N. His extraordinary allegation emerged during the second court martial of . Sergeant Danny Nightingale, who was found guilty of illegally possessing . a gun and ammunition. It was outlined in a letter written by Soldier N's mother-in-law, who was a key witness for the prosecution. Ken Wharfe, who was Diana's Scotland Yard bodyguard told the Evening Standard: 'If this was 30 years ago the police desk sergeant would have thrown out this kind of nonsense before it went too far. But we live in different times. 'If . these parents were so concerned that this information was relevant or . had some general import, then they should have delivered it to the . inquest. 'Why has it taken so long to air this new . information? It seems so shallow to me. I just think it's a bit of a . publicity stunt. For what reason I'm not certain, but in the absence of . any real evidence, I'm sure this will go away', he added to the Daily Telegraph. Colonel Tim Collins, a former SAS officer, added: 'It's utter nonsense. This is just wishful thinking on the part of somebody.' Another former soldier said: 'This is a preposterous claim and highly insulting to the name of the regiment which exists to serve Queen and country'. Dai Davies, who was in charge of royal . protection when Diana died said: 'I'm mystified ... how any new . information can possibly allege anything other than [that] this was a . tragic accident'. Princess Diana and with Dodi Fayed (pictured together on the night they died) were killed alongside Henri Paul when the car crashed in a Paris tunnel . As well as hiding weapons in his . house, in a 'reign of terror' on his family Soldier N allegedly attacked . his son after mistaking him for the Taliban. His children were also allegedly driven around in the boot of his Land Rover and he had hung his son 30ft above the ground in a tree. The . eight-page correspondence claims Soldier N boasted it was the SAS that . had ‘arranged Princess Diana’s death’ and that it had been ‘covered up’. An inquest in 2008 found that Princess . Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were unlawfully killed due to the ‘gross . negligence’ of driver Henri Paul, a security manager at the Paris Ritz Hotel, who . had been drinking. The jury in the 2008 inquest concluded its verdict as 'unlawful killing, grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes', the Met said . Evidence which emerged at the weekend revealed that Soldier N is also accused of saying he . could enlist the help of his colleagues to ensure his wife – the mother . of his two children – would ‘disappear’. The families of Henri Paul and Dodi al Fayed (pictured with Princess Diana) have always believed there was a murder plot . Sergeant . Nightingale, 38, was found guilty last month of illegally possessing a . pistol and ammunition at a Hereford house he shared with Soldier N. Soldier . N, who is serving a custodial sentence for possessing firearms at the . same address, was originally reported to the police by his wife, from . whom he is now separated. The letter was sent to Soldier N’s . commanding officer in September 2011 and passed to the Service . Prosecuting Authority before the start of the Nightingale trial. All references to the SAS were removed by the SPA. The . paragraph referring to the death of Diana says: ‘He also told her (his . wife) that it was the XXX who arranged Princess Diana’s death and that . has been covered up.’ The . letter says Soldier N told his wife there is a ‘box which members of . his unit use for private jobs’. ‘They put in the box the name, address . and details of what they want done and then one of them who wants to . earn extra money does that job.’ When . Soldier N was challenged by his mother-in-law, he is accused of saying: . ‘Let me stop you right there – I kill women and I kill children.’ Scotland Yard confirmed officers from its specialist crime and operations command are assessing information handed to it by the Royal Military Police. Pictured: The couple at the Ritz Hotel before they both died . The . Metropolitan Police has confirmed officers are ‘scoping’ the details of . the new information and ‘assessing its relevance and credibility’. Pleased: The family of Henri Paul (pictured) who was driving Princess Diana when she died have welcomed the news that Scotland Yard are assessing information that she was killed by a SAS soldier . Former member of the Territorial SAS and now Tory MP for Canterbury and Whitstable, Julian Brazier, questioned why the Met have opened a new inquiry based on this evidence. 'I am very surprised by the police decision to start yet another inquiry based only on this extremely indirect testimony,' he said. Henri Paul's mother Gisele . said she believed her son was murdered together with Diana and Mr Al . Fayed when the Mercedes he was driving crashed in an underpass. Mrs Paul, 83, said: ‘We believe there was a plot to kill the Princess that terrible night in August 1997. ‘We know in our hearts that our son was murdered and we still live with the hope that one day the truth will be known.’ The . new information was also welcomed by Dodi’s father, former Harrods . owner Mohamed Al Fayed, who also insists the couple were murdered. He . said he trusted the Metropolitan Police would investigate the new claims . ‘with vigour’. A royal spokesman said there would be no comment from the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry or Clarence House. | Soldier N - sniper who made claims - is in jail for hiding guns in his house .
He was called 'erratic' and a 'loose cannon' who allegedly attacked his family .
Allegations emerged in second court martial of Sergeant Danny Nightingale .
Prosecution letter detailed claims that SAS assassinated Diana in 1997 plot .
'This is insulting to regiment which exists to serve Queen and country'
Experts say they are 'mystified' and called allegation 'utter nonsense'
Scotland Yard's specialist crime and operations command assessing claims . |
96,272 | 07d34d37ebc67883c293ace16736e4dd7f188b42 | WhatsApp is set to add the ability to send and receive voice messages through its app for the first time.. The firm, bought last week by Facebook, will launch the service within weeks in a bid to take on phone firms. CEO Jan Koum said the voice service will be deployed for Android and iPhones this spring, with Blackberry and Microsoft and Nokia phones coming later. Scroll down for video . WhatsApp Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Jan Koum at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The app will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of this year. Over 450 million people using the service each month . Firm has 50 employees . 70% of those people active on a given day; . Messaging volume approaching the entire global telecom SMS volume . Service adds more than 1 million new registered users per day . 600m photos uploaded each day . 200m voice messages sent each day . 'We are going to introduce voice in WhatsApp in the second quarter of this year,' Koum said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. 'I think we have the best voice product out there. 'We use the least amount of bandwidth.' WhatsApp currently has a voice function but only in note form. This new service will be live. On Wednesday, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in a deal that is by far the biggest by the social networking company and any other done by Google, Microsoft or Apple. Wearing a gray shirt, jeans and a black jacket, the 38-year-old Koum quipped - 'last week we added a new Facebook friend. 'I don't know if you guys heard.' However, the firm was hit by technical problems days later as 'server issues' caused a crash on Saturday. The popular application's chat conversations - used by more than 450 million people across the world each month - showed a loading asterisk and alert, 'Connecting...' while the problems persisted. The blockbuster deal made serious waves with those in the telecommunications industry who gathered this week in the Catalan city, but also sparked concern among users that Facebook would introduce advertising to WhatsApp. Koum insisted that there are no designs to add 'marketing' to the messaging service. 'There are no planned changes,' said Koum. 'Our vision and mission are aligned. We both want to make the world more connected.' Facebook is paying $12 billion in stock and $4 billion in cash for WhatsApp. Koum along with fellow founder Brian Acton and their 55 employees were also granted restricted stock worth $3 billion that will vest over four years after the deal closes. Boom: The free instant messaging service created in 2009 has grown faster than Facebook in its five years, and now has more than 450million monthly users around the world . Koum said that he didn't expect that WhatsApp's staff would grow in number very much, saying that 'we want to operate as a startup.' Relatively unknown until now in the U.S., WhatsApp is popular in other countries, both in Europe and in emerging economies. The Mountain View, California, startup already has almost twice as many users as the better known short messaging service, Twitter. WhatsApp has 465 million monthly users and 330 daily users, according to Koum, and costs users $1 a year after a first free year. The world's biggest social networking company said last week that it is paying $12 billion in Facebook stock and $4 billion in cash for WhatsApp. In addition, the app's founders and employees will be granted $3 billion in restricted stock that will vest over four years after the deal closes. Facebook says it is keeping WhatsApp as a separate service, just as it did with Instagram, which it bought for about $715.3 million. 'The acquisition supports Facebook and WhatsApp's shared mission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world by delivering core internet services efficiently and affordably,' the social network said. WhatsApp has more than 450 million monthly active users. In comparison, Twitter had 241 million users at the end of 2014. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp is on path to reach a billion users. 'The combination of WhatsApp and Facebook will allow us to connect many more people round the world,' Zuckerberg said. Boost: WhatsApp is still growing and is predicted to have a billion users soon . 'We want to develop more mobile experiences like Instagram and Messenger. 'WhatApp fits this vision perfectly, it has incredibly strong engagement and growth.' 'It's the only app we've ever seen that has grown more quickly than Facebook itself.' 'Their product roadmap is very exciting and won't change. 'Overall, I'm very excited about this deal. 'WhatsApp had every option in the world, so I'm thrilled they chose us.' As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and Chief Executive Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, and the social network will grant an additional $3 billion worth of restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders, including Koum. The sale of WhatsApp to Facebook for $19 billion has made its founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton billionaires overnight. But they are not your typical Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Success came to them late. The pair were well over 30 when they launched their messaging app in 2009. The duo stand out in Silicon Valley for their unusual approach. They both hate advertising and have paid for almost no marketing to make the five-year-old app a success. This may be because 37-year-old Koum and 42-year-old Acton had unusual backgrounds. Koum was born and raised in a small village outside of Kiev, Ukraine. Growing up, his home had no electricity or hot water. His parents, a housewife and a construction manager, avoided talking on the phone in case it was tapped by the state. Koum and his mother immigrated to Mountain View when he was 16. By 18, Koum had taught himself computer networking by buying manuals from a used book store and returning them when he’d finished. In 1997, Koum took a job at Yahoo sitting across a desk from Acton. They hit it off, because they enjoyed each others straight-down-the-line style. Michigan-born Acton studied engineering at the University of Central Florida and graduated in 1988. In May, 1992 he got a job at Rockwell International as systems administrator. Acton became Yahoo employee 44 in 1996, worked as software engineer, then senior software engineer, principal software engineer and director of engineering. The pair stayed with Yahoo for over a decade building their bond through games of ultimate frisbee. In September 2007 Koum and Acton finally left Yahoo. They both applied to Facebook and were rejected. Instead they decided to set up their own venture, Whatsapp, now sold to Facebook for billions. According to reports, the success of Whatsapp hasn’t changed Koum or Acton. When a journalist visited the company's headquarters in July 2012, the Koum was barefoot and Acton was sporting flip-flops. 'This is an incredible moment for me,' Mr Koum said. 'Every day over 19bn messages are sent, with over 1m new users every day. 'We wanted it to be simple, and a better service than SMS.' 'We're excited and honoured to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world,' 'WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide.' The deal instantly makes WhatsApp cofounders Jan Koum and Brian Acton billionaires. Forbes estimates that Koum held about a 45% stake in the company, while Acton’s stake was over 20%. Proud moment: Jan Koum, pictured at a digital conference in January, described the deal as 'incredible' Facebook promised to keep the WhatsApp brand and service, and pledged a $1 billion cash break-up fee were the deal to fall through. WhatsApp will remain based in Mountain View, Calif., and Facebook said its own messenger app and WhatsApp's core messaging product will continue to operate as separate applications . Shares in Facebook slid 5 percent to $64.70 after hours, from a close of $68.06 on the Nasdaq. Facebook was advised by Allen & Co, while WhatApp has enlisted Morgan Stanley for the deal. The deal is the latest aquisition for Facebook, which last year bought Instagram. It also reportedly offered to pay close to $3 billion or more to acquire messaging service Snapchat, though that offer was spurned by the site's founders. WhatsApp in numbers . Zuckerberg said WhatsApp would operate in the same way as Instagram, as a separate firm. 'It would be pretty stupid of us to interfere,' he said. He also said he was not planning to put ads on the service. 'Our strategy is to grow and connect people. 'Once we get to 2-3 billion people there are ways we can monetise. 'Now we want to focus on growing users. I don't think ads are the right way here.' Koum also pledged not to add ads to WhatsApp, which makes money from a subscription model. 'We think advertising is not the way to go - we create a direct relationship with customers,' said Koum. 'We want to make the product better, faster and more efficient.' Experts say the deal could help Facebook attract teens. Professor Will Stewart from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) said: 'Obviously WhatsApp adds instant messaging to Facebook which must strengthen their position for the moment. 'Equally, all app types rise and fade, so established social media formats like Facebook will be overtaken by something new, and picking up candidates that might have ultimately replaced them may be a good survival strategy for a while. 'This does show the growing significance of mobile, though of course Facebook is on mobile anyway. 'But, Facebook has been around a while now so the real question is what comes next?' | Comes says after Facebook agreed to buy firm for $19bn .
WhatsApp suffered fist major outage over weekend .
Founder claims service will be 'best voice product out there' |
118,308 | 24c06ecdc6d5642e8c9f694db295e2fabfcd6ea7 | A mother who was so fat that struggled to climb the stairs to her flat, lost ten stone after realising she would have to diet or move house. Weighing 19st 6lbs and wearing size 24 clothes, Charlotte Cassar, 30, from Southampton was left breathless and sweating every time she tackled the three flights of stairs to her two-bedroom maisonette. With three young children and a pushchair, it felt like climbing a mountain several times a day to morbidly obese Charlotte. Scroll down for video . Charlotte Cassar, 20, from Southampton, weighed 19st 6lbs (left) after having a third child and lost her breath each time she took the stairs to her flat. She decided it was crunch time - move house or diet and then lost ten stone in under a year (right) Charlotte was faced with either moving or losing the weight. But after losing lost ten stone and going from a size 24 to a size eight she can handle the stairs with ease. In fact, instead of dreading them, they have now become part of her new healthy workout regime. Charlotte who is 5ft 8ins tall said: ‘At my size, the stairs were the blight of my life. Sometimes I wouldn’t even bother going out because I was so heavy that I was already tired out just getting to the bottom, never mind climbing back up. ‘I hated them and started looking at other properties to move into just because I was too fat to cope with them.' Charlotte at the top of the stairs to her flat - now she has lost ten stone, she incorporates them into her exercise regime . She continued: ‘It was hard enough when I had two children, but when my youngest son was born and I had to try and carry a baby and a buggy as well as all my fat, I knew I could not continue. 'It was diet or move. ‘Now I run up and down them in seconds, it’s great.’ Charlotte admits that she used pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever she wanted without feeling guilty . Charlotte admits the stairs were already a battle for her and her two older sons Bradley, 11 and Riley, six, but it was falling pregnant with Finley, now one, that was the tipping point. She said: ‘I’ve always been a bigger girl, even at school I was a size 16, but with each pregnancy I’ve gained more and more weight and with Finley, I put on more than five stone.’ Charlotte admits that she used the pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever she wanted without feeling guilty. She said: ‘I think a lot of women will identify with that feeling. It’s the one time you don’t have to feel bad about it.' So on top of carb-heavy meals she regularly snacked on extra toast, sandwiches and crisps. She said: ‘Savoury food has always been my downfall. I could take or leave sweets and chocolate but not crisps and sandwiches.’ But it still came as a surprise to learn that after Finely was born in December 2013, she weighed 19 stone 6lbs. Charlotte said: ‘ I was mortified. It was the heaviest I had ever been in my life and I felt awful for allowing myself to get so fat. 'I used to tell myself that because I was tall I could carry the weight but I was clearly very unhealthy not to be able to climb the stairs without sweating and panting.’ She also suffered back pains and anxiety, both caused by her weight. But it was trying to navigate the dreaded stairs with her newborn and pushchair that was the final straw. She said: ‘To me it was like climbing Everest even before I’d started the school run. ‘I’d get to the bottom a sweaty out of breath mess, I felt embarrassed and ashamed that it had come to that.’ As well as struggling to reach her own home, Charlotte claims her weight also impacted on the way she parented her sons. Charlotte with her youngest child Finn, who was born in December 2013, she weighed 19st 6lbs . She said: 'My older sons would want me to play dance games with them on their Wii but I couldn’t even finish one song. ‘If they wanted to go to the park, my heart sank because I just wasn’t fit enough to keep up with them.’ So 12 weeks after giving birth in March 2014, she signed up to the Cambridge Weight Loss Plan. She swapped all food for meal replacement products from a range of shakes, cars and soups. She said: ‘ The Cambridge Plan just took all food out of the equation for me, which is what I needed. ‘I thought I would be starving considering the amount I had been eating, but I actually felt better and less sluggish.' Charlotte went from a size 24 to a size 8 in under a year . In the first week she lost ten pounds and then continued to lose around three or four pounds a month until she reached her target of 10 stone 10 pounds in just seven months and a dress size 12. She used the dreaded stairs as part of her exercise routine and found they became easier to tackle as the weeks passed. But Miss Cassar was so thrilled with the results of her diet physically and emotionally that she continued on the plan until she reached a size eight weighing 9 stone 10 pounds in December last year. She said: ‘I cannot tell you how much easier my life became after losing the weight. Not just because I could handle the stairs so well, but also what I could do with my sons. ‘When my eldest told me he was proud of me I was over the moon because they are the reason I did it. ‘However my middle son is a little annoyed that I am not as comfortable to snuggle up to now all my padding has gone.’ Charlotte after her weight loss with her youngest son Finn . Charlotte's only regret is not losing the weight earlier. She said: ‘ I have never been a size eight in my life and it feels amazing. I’m just gutted I missed out for so long and there is no way I will ever let myself go like that again. ‘I don’t just look better, I feel a million times better.’ A move is still on the cards, but only because she would prefer her son’s to live in a home with a garden. ‘I’m looking for a house that suits as better, but now it’s because that’s what our family needs, not because I’m too fat to climb the stairs.’ | Charlotte Cassar was breathless each time she took the stairs to her flat .
20-year-old from Southampton weighed 19st 6lbs after having a third child .
She decided it was time to move house or diet and lost ten stone in a year . |
105,750 | 1461a3e128ca0f6533ce946d08e2a77fa75a5a3b | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:05 EST, 19 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:10 EST, 20 March 2013 . The final plans for the observation deck atop New York's One World Trade Center are set to be approved on Wednesday with a New York-based company owned by the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees revealed as its chosen operator. Legends Hospitality LLC has been . selected to run the $62 million observation deck that will host an . estimated 3.8 million annual visitors at the tallest structure in the . western Hemisphere upon its completion in 2014. Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey announced their choice of Legends on Tuesday with the land owned by the Port Authorities of both New York and New Jersey. Future: An artist's rendering of the One World Trade Center's observatory, scheduled to open in 2015, is seen here showing the entrance to one of its interactive exhibits . Inside: The estimated 3.8 million annual visitors will walk through an interactive gallery, as depicted here, telling the stories of both New York City and One World Trade Center . When completed the observation deck, . slated to open in 2015, will provide . visitors an airview from 1,250 feet (381 meters) with an elevator . sweeping guests through the 104 stories in 60 seconds’ time. Inside visitors will face interactive displays capturing the story of both New York City and One World Trade Center, according to Legends' submitted design. A glass-walled dining room will also provide guests with surrounding birds-eye views of both New York and New Jersey. As part of Legends' 15-year lease they are projected to provide $875 . million in rent revenue to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, according to a statement from Cuomo . and Christie on Tuesday. Views: Visitors will be subjected to views of both New York City and New Jersey while 1,250-feet over lower Manhattan . Dining room: A restaurant will additionally provide guests to take in the 360-degree views with every comfort provided . Story to tell: The building, One World Trade Center that's due to open in 2014, is part of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site in downtown Manhattan that was the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks . Profit: Legends is projected to provide $875 million in rent revenue to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey over the term of its 15-year lease atop the 104 story, pictured earlier this month . It was the largest amount of any of the submitted bids according to the New York governor's office. 'People . from around the world have watched as One World Trade Center is poised . to once again become the anchor of Lower Manhattan,' said New Jersey . Gov. Chris Christie. 'Tourism has been the backbone of our bistate region for many generations, and this observatory will be among our region's premier attractions that will draw tourists from around the world who want to experience the best that our bistate region has to offer.' One World Trade Center, due to open . in 2014, is part of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site in . downtown Manhattan that was the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In addition to the two sports teams, Legends is owned by Checketts Partners Investment Fund, which was founded by David Checketts, a former president and chief executive of Madison Square Garden. The selection of Legends is subject to approval by the Port Authority's board at its monthly meeting on Wednesday. 'Today's . announcement builds on the tremendous progress we have made at the . World Trade Center site over the past couple of years and marks the . continued rebirth of Lower Manhattan,' New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said . in a statement. 'The observation deck will add hundreds of jobs in New York and add to the resurgence of the state's economy.' The redeveloped World Trade Center site will include a memorial, a transit hub, a performing arts center, and four office towers. | Exhibit will host an estimated 3.8 million annual visitors atop the tallest structure in the .
western Hemisphere after completed in 2014 .
Visitors will experience interactive displays capturing the story of both New York City and One World Trade Center from 1,250 feet in the air .
Legends Hospitality LLC is .
selected to run the observation deck while expected to provide $875 million in rent revenue . |
57,495 | a2f421703d1296d8958472df6ab9d69201f478f0 | Washington (CNN) -- The son of U.S. Sen. James Inhofe radioed that he was having control problems with his twin-engine airplane and that one of the engines had shut down shortly before the plane crashed November 10, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Perry Inhofe, an orthopedic surgeon in Tulsa and the only person on the plane, died in the Owasso, Oklahoma, crash. In a preliminary report, safety board investigators said Perry Inhofe had been cleared to land on runway 18 Left at Tulsa International Airport and had cleared the runway's outer marker when the plane began a left turn. When the air traffic controller asked Inhofe about the deviation, Inhofe reported that he had a control problem. "The left turn continued, and the controller then cleared the pilot to maneuver to the west and asked if he needed assistance," the report reads. "The pilot informed the controller that the left engine was shut down." The controller declared an emergency for the pilot and asked about the number on board and the fuel remaining, but got no answer, the report says. The plane, a Mitsubishi MU 2B-25, completed a 360-degree turn before radar contact was lost. Several witnesses to the crash said one engine propeller appeared not to be rotating as the plane made a left turn and the wings began to rock back and forth. The plane then made a right turn, followed by a left turn, and a steep spiral to the left before it descended out of view, according to the report. The plane's fire-damaged wreckage was found in a wooded area five miles north of the airport. Eight days after the crash, Sen. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, spoke on the Senate floor of his "horrible loss," thanking the Senate chaplain and others for their tributes for his son. | Perry Inhofe radioed that one of his engines was out, plane had control problems .
The twin-engine aircraft went down north of the Tulsa International Airport .
Inhofe, an orthopedic surgeon, was the son of Sen. James Inhofe . |
4,018 | 0b927960cb97296586de3be749c8abafc7cdce3f | By . Chris Richards . PUBLISHED: . 03:53 EST, 2 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:40 EST, 2 June 2012 . Hundreds of thousands of families are set to be offered tax breaks on so-called 'granny flats' under plans to ease the housing crisis. The Government is expected to abolish council tax on these annexes, typically used by householders to home older members of their family. Ministers are also considering overhauling planning regulations and fees to make it easier for people to convert garages and other outbuildings into 'granny flats'. At present, residents are required to pay council tax on both their main home and any annex they own. Tax break: The Government is looking to abolish council tax on annexes dubbed granny flats . Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the existing taxation regime was 'fundamentally unfair'. 'We are keen to remove tax and other regulatory obstacles to families having a live-in annexe for immediate relations,' he told the Daily Telegraph. More... Record high of 4m homes where no one goes to work blamed on recession and benefits . House prices 'stable' but market still suffering from lack of supply, says Nationwide . 'We should support home owners who want to improve their properties and standard of living. 'These reforms should also play a role in increasing the housing supply.” At present, granny flats are treated as separate dwellings and, as such, can be charged full rates of council tax by local authorities, which often exceed £1,000 a year. Government officials believe the change could benefit as many as 300,000 households in England. Reforms: Communities Secretary Eric Pickles says cutting council tax on annexes could help increase housing supply. However, shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn says the move is 'cynical spinning' The reforms, which would likely require legislation, are expected to form part of a raft of policies to address the nationwide shortage of affordable homes over the next two years. Ministers have already supported plans to encourage pensioners to downsize and allow local authorities to rent out their homes. It is believed that as many as 25 million bedrooms in England may currently be empty. Annexes do not presently need to have a front door to be counted as a separate dwelling, although they are required to have distinct living and sleeping quarters, plus a bathroom and a kitchen. The Government is also planning to review existing legislation to make it easier for home owners to adapt properties. Granny flats are self-contained annexes, built as extensions an existing residential property . They derive their name from the fact that many of these annexes are occupied by pensioners who downsize in their retirement to be closer to their children or other relatives . At present, a granny flat is not required to have a front door to be treated as a separate dwelling, although they would need to have their own bathroom and kitchen . Currently, these annexes are liable to council tax, typically around £1,000 a year . This means that, at present, householders who own a granny flat are required to pay council tax on both their main property and the annex . At the moment, garage conversions need planning permission and Whitehall officials believe too many councils refuse to approve such schemes. The housing review will also consider axing the need for residents to pay for planning agreements on how the annexes would be used, which can cost more than £1,000. “Such a policy would make it easier for families to expand their homes and offer accommodation to extended families, without the hassle and cost of moving home,” a Whitehall source said. Ros Altmann, the director-general of the over-50s group Saga, told the Daily Telegraph that the reforms could be a 'benefit' for families that would otherwise find it difficult to afford the cost of care for relations. She did, however, warn that the elderly should not be forced to move out of their own homes. Labour said it was unclear who would benefit from any further relaxation of the tax rules as annexes occupied by dependants aged over 65 are already exempt. Such a move would also reduce the income of local councils at a time when town halls are already being forced to implement severe spending cuts. Shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn said: "This is a decidedly peculiar claim by Eric Pickles as occupied 'granny flats' have been exempt from council tax since 1997. 'It is therefore extremely unclear exactly which pensioners the Government expects to benefit from these changes, and the granny tax fiasco doesn't give us confidence that they will get this right. 'This cynical spinning shows that once again the Tory-led Government are over-claiming and under-delivering for our nation's pensioners. 'This seems to be nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from their housing crisis. 'What we need is to get building and get the economy moving again. 'That's why Labour is proposing to build 25,000 new affordable homes and a temporary cut to the rate of VAT.' Under the 1997 regulations, council tax is not paid on annexes occupied by relatives who are over 65, mentally impaired, or substantially and permanently disabled. A spokesman for Mr Pickles said the proposal was to extend the exemption to allow annexes inhabited by any family member, not just pensioners, to be free from council tax. No decision had been taken on whether town halls would be compensated by central government for the lost revenue, he said. Housing minister Grant Shapps added: 'We should support homeowners who want to improve their properties and standard of living. 'At every opportunity Labour want to find a way of raiding the pockets of the public.' | Ministers believe the move could help to increase housing supply .
Labour says occupied 'granny flats' are already council tax exempt . |
215,844 | a36171c4a48bff71a893f18baba7233ce76016cc | Three matches and three comfortable wins. Rafael Nadal has made the perfect start to his bid for a record seventh French Open title, but the Spaniard will not face his first serious test until the clay-court grand slam enters its second week. The two-time defending champion will next play Juan Monaco in the last 16, having crushed one of the Argentine 13th seed's lesser-rated compatriots Eduardo Schwank 6-1 6-3 6-4 in the third round on Saturday. "I have started well in the tournament -- into the second week now, that is the most important thing," Nadal told reporters. "Now I have a big confrontation against Monaco. He is having a fantastic season." Monaco has never gone past round four in a grand slam, but like Nadal he is adept on clay -- having won five ATP Tour titles and reached seven other finals on the dirt surface. Chinese fans track Li's Paris progress . Monaco has won only once in their four meetings, when Nadal retired hurt during a hard-court event in 2007, but he showed his mettle against big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic on Saturday as he came from behind to triumph 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4. Nadal has lost only once at Roland Garros since his first appearance in Paris in 2005, when he began a run of four successive French Open titles, while Monaco's best effort is a fourth-round defeat in 2007. If he wins, Nadal will then take on his 12th-seeded compatriot Nicolas Almagro or Serbia's world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic in the quarterfinals. The 10-time grand slam champion could face a semifinal against world No. 4 Andy Murray, who showed no sign of his worrying back problems on Saturday as he set up a last-16 clash with French 17th seed Richard Gasquet. "I felt like I moved pretty well today. When you're playing in slams, I just think each day you need to take as it comes. And I felt much better than I did the other day. I felt better than I did yesterday," Murray said after beating Colombia's 50th-ranked Santiago Giraldo 6-3 6-4 6-4. "So I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll feel good again, and that's all you've got to do is each day just be a little bit better." Murray had been accused of being a "drama queen" by former tennis star Virginia Wade after receiving lengthy on-court treatment during an earlier match against Jarkko Nieminen, but revealed he had refused pain-killing injections to counter the back pain he has been suffering since the start of this year. "Guys often during tournaments have numbing shots, if they're just trying to get through a match and are deep in a tournament or whatever," the Scot said. "But I didn't do that. We got a lot of advice, I saw the doctor here and spoke to him as well, and took all the right medication and did all the right treatments." Gasquet fought back from a slow start to defeat former world No. 2 Tommy Haas 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-0 6-0. The 34-year-old German, now ranked 112th, capitulated as he lost the last 14 games of the match. "I knew that he had not played long matches in a while. There were quite a lot of people out there, so I really wanted to win this match, to give everything I could," said Gasquet, who lost in the fourth round last year and beat Murray in Rome in April to level their head-to-head record at 3-3. "It was a beautiful match, and I played really well during the third and fourth sets." The winner of the Murray-Gasquet match is likely to face world No. 5 David Ferrer in the last eight. The Spaniard thrashed Russian 27th seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-0 6-2 6-2 to set up a clash with compatriot Marcel Granollers, who beat a tired Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Frenchman overcame American John Isner in the second-longest match in French Open history in the previous round, which lasted five hours 41 minutes, but he could not repeat the effort as he went down in another five-setter 6-4 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-1. | Six-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal through to the last 16 in Paris .
Spaniard crushes Argentine qualifier Eduardo Schwank in Saturday's third round .
He will next play 13th seed Juan Monaco when tournament moves into second week .
World No. 4 Andy Murray also reaches the fourth round, where he faces Richard Gasquet . |
89,065 | fcc6149c09be9e014a7378a2b280282300dab7ce | By . Leon Watson . A new survey into drug use in Britain has found that one in ten people have tried 'legal highs' - double the global average. And Britain's drug users are increasingly going online to feed their habits rather than use street dealers, research has found. The 2014 Global Drug Survey said buyers look online because they say the quality is better, there is more choice and it is more convenient. Deals are made using hidden online drug marketplaces such as Silk Road, which was the largest online black market site in the world until it was shut down last year. Marijuana is increasingly being bought online, the 214 Global Drugs Survey has found . The most likely drug to be bought online was cannabis, followed by MDMA, LSD and ketamine. The 2014 Global Drug Survey questioned almost 80,000 drug users from 43 countries, 7,326 of them from the UK. It is the largest research of its kind. It is an anonymous . study that provides a rare look into the illegal drugs being used at any . point in time and they way they are traded. Because the study isn't random, it doesn't show the . prevalence of certain drugs or habits but it can show, comparatively, which ones . seem to be on the rise and how their users take them. While most users still get their drugs from dealers, researchers found the UK has the highest percentage of people who had ever bought drugs over the internet. Almost a quarter of UK respondents to the survey said they had bought drugs over the internet. Hallucinogenic so called magic mushrooms are one of the most popular drugs being sold online . Available online: Triangle shaped white MDMA drug pills (stock picture) Reincarnated: Silk Road 2.0 is the reincarnation of Silk Road, the online black market that was dramatically shut down last year following a high-profile FBI sting . Silk Road provides anonymity to drug dealers and buyers . using a sub-layer of the Internet unreachable by normal search engines . known as Deepnet, the Invisible Web, the Undernet or the Hidden Web. Most of the Web's information is buried far down on dynamically . generated sites, unable to be found or seen by traditional search . engines - sites or pages don't exist until created as the result of a . specific search. An Internet search is like dragging a net across the . surface of the sea - a great deal of information is caught, but a . majority is deep and therefore missed. Just under 60 per cent of UK responders knew about Silk Road, and of these, 44 per cent had accessed the site. Almost a quarter said they had bought drugs over the internet. Dr Adam Winstock, a consultant addictions psychiatrist in London and director of the survey, said that the results suggested a new . trend. 'The fact that 44 per cent of respondents who had bought drugs online said they'd done it for the first time recently says to me there is growing recruitment,' he told The Guardian. 'It is currently a minority way to get drugs, but it really mimics the growth in e-commerce – we buy things online becuase it is convenient, cheap, and there is a better product range.' He added that the survey also reveals that the UK, more than any other country, is a nation of hedonists. Figures revealed 73.8 per cent of respondents had taken at least one illegal drug over the last 12 months. Alcohol was the most common drug taken, followed by tobacco and cannabis. | Survey said buyers look online because they say the quality is better .
Buyers also said there is more choice and it is more convenient .
Most likely drug to be bought online was cannabis, followed by MDMA .
Survey also suggests that the UK is a nation of hedonists . |
201,292 | 90a29ea8b2dba2cdd33c343478d39f9f2426b76e | (CNN) -- Jonathan Walton was walking through Bishop Eddie Long's church one day when he saw something that disturbed him. He stared at a 30-foot banner draped behind the pulpit of New Birth Missionary Baptist. Church. It displayed a profile of a grinning Long with the caption: "What is God up to?" "Everywhere you went in that church, his name and face was there," says Walton, an assistant professor of religion at Harvard Divinity School in Massachusetts. "His image has replaced the cross." Long's image is now under assault. Four young men have filed civil lawsuits accusing him of abusing his spiritual authority to coerce them into sexual relationships, allegations he has denied in a statement issued by his attorney. While most people focus on the men's allegations, few have paid attention to how Long acquired and maintains his authority at New Birth, which has an estimated 25,000 members. Long and New Birth are virtually synonymous. The 57-year-old pastor has built a devoted following at his church in Lithonia, Georgia, by preaching the prosperity gospel, making savvy business decisions and through public displays of generosity. But Long has also talked about ridding his congregation of its deacon board during his early years, and by consistently telling his congregation that he speaks for God. Long's controversial megachurch 'mentor' Long's leadership style at New Birth follows a similar pattern at many megachurches (congregations of 2,000 and above). Pastors can acquire so much unchecked power that members are afraid to challenge them, says Scott Thumma, co-author of "Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches." If members of such a megachurch dare to bring any accusations against a minister, they are often greeted with hostility by the congregation, says Thumma, a religion professor at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Connecticut. "If somebody comes and brings an accusation against the pastor, people ask, 'Who are we going to trust? The person I don't know or the person I've been giving 10 percent of my income to for the last eight years?' " Thumma wrote his dissertation on an Atlanta megachurch near New Birth that collapsed after its pastor was caught in a sex scandal that involved his brother's wife and many other women. That pastor, Earl Paulk, was a "quasi-mentor" to Long, Thumma says. They appeared in public together. Read more stories about faith on CNN'S Belief Blog . Sarah Posner, author of "God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters," says Long considered Paulk his "spiritual mentor." Thumma says the problems at Paulk's church festered for years because Paulk convinced his congregation that questioning him would be seen as an act of rebellion. Paulk's church, Chapel Hill Harvester Church, once had at least 15,000 members who worshipped in a soaring cathedral. The church was forced to sell the cathedral after its pastor's scandal became public. Paulk died in 2009. "That church was a sick place and even I didn't know it until after two years of studying it," Thumma says. 'He is finished' Some church scholars wonder if New Birth will suffer the same fate. On Sunday, New Birth appeared to throw its support behind Long. New Birth members leapt to their feet to cheer Long as he vowed to fight the allegations. Long took to the stage with his wife, Vanessa, and compared himself to David fighting Goliath. "I've got five rocks, and I haven't thrown one yet," Long said. Long during his church appearance did not address the specific allegations contained in the four lawsuits filed against him. Long, in a statement read on a syndicated radio show Thursday, denied the allegations. "Let me be clear: The charges against me and New Birth are false," the statement said. "I have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply, but my faith is strong and the truth will emerge." Shayne Lee, a sociology professor at Tulane University in Louisiana, says Long had to unequivocally deny the allegations from the pulpit to maintain New Birth's support. "His ministry is over," says Lee, author of "Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace," which looks at the appeal of celebrity preachers. Lee has written extensively about how big business has shaped megachurch pastors. "What I saw was more lamb than lion," Lee says. "I didn't see the truculent, masculine preacher. There should have been some pent up sense of outrage." Long's demise will take place over time, but it is inevitable, Lee says. Read details about the suits . "I have seen many pastors survive scandals where it was a woman," he says. "But it's unprecedented for a leading black evangelical of his reputation to survive the taint of same-sex charges." How Long took charge at New Birth . Long's ascension at New Birth didn't seem likely at first. When he started as a pastor, he was so nervous before preaching that he often threw up. He started with 300 members. When Long arrived at New Birth, he had to consult with a deacon and trustee board. Long wrote in his book, "Taking Over," that New Birth's deacon board was "gripping the purse strings" of the church, and "telling the man of God when to jump and how high." After the church grew, Long told the congregation that he received a revelation from God that New Birth's governing structure was "ungodly," he recounted in "Taking Over." Long said the board relinquished its authority over him with his congregation's approval. "That was the day I became pastor," Long wrote in "Taking Over." "Up until that time, I was the hired preacher." As time went on, Long also embraced a more charismatic approach to ministry (charismatics encourage Christians to develop "gifts of the Holy Spirit," such as speaking in tongues). The minister's job wasn't just to preach, Long once said in a profile in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A pastor is called to minister to God," he said. "Then God ministers back to him the word, and he comes before the people to tell them what God said." It is not unusual for pastors to portray themselves as vessels of God's revelations. Long also, in time, became something else to some of his parishioners: "God's anointed," says Lee, the Tulane University professor. When outsiders would question Long's leadership, New Birth members would often cite Psalms 105, verse 15: "Touch not my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.'' Lee says some charismatic leaders invoke Psalms 105 to discourage criticism. "It's a great scripture to try to keep people from questioning their leader and keep them in line," Lee says. "But there's another scripture in Matthew 7: 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' '' Walton, the Harvard professor who saw the giant banner of Long behind the pulpit, says Long's stature at New Birth as God's anointed inspires fierce devotion. "People come to believe that to turn on him is to not be committed to God," Walton says. Walton asks Long: Did you or didn't you? Marketing a megachurch . There are business reasons, though, for some megachurch pastors to consolidate authority in a church, says Thumma, the megachurch scholar. "It's much easier to market a personality than it is to market a church," says Thumma. Many megachurches are financially dependent on the appeal of a solitary pastor, Thumma says. The pastor's sermons, television broadcasts, books and tapes -- all bring in the crowds. As the pastor grows in popularity, though, he loses accountability, Thumma says. He or she becomes a celebrity. "What ends up happening is the authority structure goes from having a church with a board of elders who consult and fight over power with the senior pastors to one where the pastor has selected people on the board who are more or less yes people," Thumma says. Retaining the loyalty of a congregation, though, is another challenge for a megachurch pastor like Long, says the Rev. Gerald Durley, senior pastor of Providence Missionary Church in Atlanta. He says Long can retain New Birth's support if he appears transparent before his congregation in the days ahead. "What people want to see is a certain sense of humility, a certain 'I'm back under the will of God and he has appointed me to lead if you trust me.' At that point, he can pick and go on and do what God has called him to do." But if Long doesn't seem sincere, he will suffer, Durley says. "If he's perceived as manipulative," Durley says, "he's finished." | Bishop Eddie Long ascension at New Birth raises questions about megachurch culture .
Some New Birth members consider Long "anointed"
Megachurch culture creates potential for abuse, scholar says .
Religious sociologist on Long: "His ministry is over" |
193,845 | 86e9e9b7956cc35ce193d7f7c100013c72d5ac9f | By . Tammy Hughes . PUBLISHED: . 08:15 EST, 11 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:06 EST, 19 July 2012 . A gay couple are thought to have become the first in the UK to hold a civil partnership ceremony in a church building. Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley made a commitment to each other at the Ullet Road Unitarian Church, in Liverpool, last month and are currently enjoying their honeymoon. The couple, who described the event as a 'milestone for equality', only received council approval that the church could register civil partnerships a week before their big day. Plans to allow religious buildings to host civil ceremonies were announced last February but the legislation was only implemented in December after public consultation. Kieran, 41, who runs a youth group, said: 'The pace of change is extraordinarily remarkable, but there is still work to be done. Life partners: Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley have become the first gay couple to hold a civil ceremony in a religious building, but do other want the same? 'There has been a lot of controversy over the government’s consultation over the equality of marriage and civil partnerships. 'When we booked our blessing over a year ago we had no idea this would be possible. We are delighted to have achieved this milestone on the road to equality.' The couple, from Toxteth, Liverpool, have been together for four-and-a-half years and met through their involvement in groups for gay people of faith. Warren, 36, an administrator originally from Sydney, said: 'Bringing the two elements together means we are able to integrate our sexuality and our spirituality, to celebrate our love for each other and our love of God.' Around 150 people attended the service at the Grade I-listed building, where Angela Howard, the lay minister, of the Ullet Road Unitarian Church led the blessing service and the couple made a commitment to each other. Angela Howard, said: 'Many of our Unitarian churches have conducted blessings for same sex couples, either to complement a legal civil union or simply to affirm a relationship, for many years. 'We are so pleased to have the first civil partnership on religious premises, but we will continue striving for all couples to have equal access to civil marriages, religious marriages and civil partnerships.' The Unitarian Church is traditionally a far more liberal Christian tradition than the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. They proclaim to be an open community celebrating diverse beliefs that does not discriminate 'on grounds of gender, age, race, religion or sexual orientation'. Last month’s ceremony is understood to have contained elements of both the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions. Kieran said there was a 'lot of . ignorance and fear' around the issues of same-sex marriages but the . Unitarian Church had been very welcoming. Registrar Janet Taubman said: 'I am delighted that the couple got what they wanted - a religious celebration and legal recognition.' The Chief Executive of lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall, Ben Summerskill said: ‘This is an important matter of religious freedom and tolerance. 'Faiths like the Unitarians, the Quakers and Liberal and Reform Judaism are committed to celebrating unions between loving and committed same-sex couples, which is why Stonewall lobbied hard to make sure religious groups can celebrate civil partnerships if they wish. 'Kieran and Warren are pioneers, and we send them our very best wishes. We hope to see many more registrations take place in tolerant places of worship in the years ahead.' Pioneers: Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley held their blessing service in a church . Legislation allowing such same-sex ceremonies in churches was brought in as part of Equalities Act. But the Church of England, the country’s largest denomination, has refused to allow civil partnerships, while the Roman Catholics Church’s views on homosexuality has stood in the way of same-sex ceremonies in its churches. The Government has begun a . consultation on allowing gay couples in England and Wales to marry. But the . proposal is fiercely opposed by some senior church figures, as well as a . number of Conservative MPs. Civil partnerships, introduced in 2005, give gay couples similar legal . rights to married couples. But the Government wants them to be legally . allowed to make vows and declare they are married before the next . General Election, due in 2015. David Cameron threw his weight behind the proposals in a speech to last . year’s Tory party conference. The Prime Minister’s parliamentary . secretary Desmond Swayne has also backed the plans. He said marriage was a blessing he wants extended to everyone and added: . ‘I have come at this issue of equal marriage principally because I’m a . Christian.’ But a number of Tory MPs have voiced their opposition to the measures and a poll by ComRes found that 70 per cent of the public want to keep the current definition of marriage. Alistair Thompson from The Coalition For Marriage said: 'We are happy that this wedding has taken place as long as the church has not been in anyway coerced into performing the ceremony. 'We accept that some churches will choose to hold them as they already do in America. But we are strongly opposed to anyone forcing churches to perform same sex marriages against their will.' The proposed reform of the marriage laws, on which consultation will finish this month, would cover only civil marriages for gay and lesbian couples and would not affect religious marriages or offer heterosexual couples the option of civil partnerships. The reform would have the force of law in England and Wales, but not Scotland or Northern Ireland. Under the plans, lesbian and gay couples who are already in civil partnerships will be offered the option of an 'upgrade' to civil marriage status. Launching the proposals, the equalities minister, Lynne Featherstone, described marriage as a celebration of love that should be available to everyone. 'I believe that if a couple love each other and want to commit to a life together, they should have the option of a civil marriage, whatever their gender,' she said. *In a previous version of this article words normally reserved for traditional marriage and not civil partnerships were used. The terminology has now been amended. | Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley had a commitment ceremony at the Ullet Road Unitarian Church last month .
The couple, who never thought they would be able to register their civil partnership in a church, have called the day a 'milestone for equality'
The couple have been hailed 'pioneers' by leading gay charity Stonewall . |
76,941 | da340eb7ecef6cd510510e783f30b57dba6cb1ec | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:34 EST, 29 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:41 EST, 30 January 2014 . In a trip that one journalist described as a 'floating group therapy' session, more than 100 victims, their families and first responders from last year's tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon have just returned from a trip to southern France where they celebrated some of the incredible bonds that were created by the tragedy. In all, 114 survivors, family members and emergency responders were given an all-expenses-paid cruise through the south of France where they made stops to drink wine and explore the culture as they briefly set aside the nightmare that was occurred on April 15, 2013, when two brothers detonated two explosives near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Reunited: Carlos Arredondo (right) helped save the life of Jeff Bauman (left) eight months prior to their December cruise . Tragedy: This image of Arredondo and Bauman is one of the most iconic photos taken on the day of the bombing . 'This has been the largest gathering of the survivors since the . bombing,' Casey Sherman, a crime writer who is writing a book about the bombing with journalist Dave Wedge, told FoxNews from Avignon, France last month. 'People have . come together at different events marking the bombing, but they haven’t . had a chance to sit down, relax and just talk to each other.' Sherman and Wedge have recently published an article about the trip in Esquire magazine. The article goes in-depth about the experience these survivors had together during both the bombing and the trip to France. The trip was paid for by Boston-based Vantage Deluxe World Travel, the same company that hosted similar getaways for wounded war veterans in the months leading up to the Boston bombing. Wedding bells: Krista D'Agostino was James Costello's nurse after the bombing. They're now engaged to be married . Dazed: This is a photo of Costello on the day of the bombing. His burns were so bad he needed skin grafts from pigs . Challenges: Bauman - like many of the survivors - face challenges as they attempt to re-learn how to do everyday tasks . The group includes many of the familiar faces from the tragedy - bombing survivor James Costello and nurse Krista . D’Agostino, who are now engaged after falling in love while D'Agostino was helping Costello revocer at Massachusetts’ Spaulding . Rehabilitation Hospital. Also on the trip were survivor Jeff Bauman and hero Carlos Arredondo, who are seen in an iconic image of the terror in Boston the day of the bombing rushing Bauman to safety, famously holding the tourniquet that was keeping Bauman from bleeding out - Bauman lost both of his legs in the bombing. Both Bauman and Arredondo were honored at Tuesday's State of the Union Address. Also on the trip were many of the unknown survivors, like Lu and Ling Jun, who lost their daughter Lingzi in the attack. Speaking through an interpreter, the Juns and Arredondo bonded on the trip and comforted each other through hugs and other gestures. Boston Strong: Crime writer Casey Sherman accompanied the survivors on their trip for his upcoming book Boston Strong . Dave Wedge also was on the trip. The book he is writing about the bombing with Sherman is set to be released later this year . By the end of the trip, the Juns invited Arredondo to their native China - an invitation he happily accepted. 'We hope that this vacation will give these Boston heroes a . well-deserved break, and a chance to connect with other inspirational . people who may understand the experiences they have gone through,' Kevin . Wallace, chief operating officer of Vantage Deluxe World Travel, said . in a statement. 'The south of France is one of our most popular . destinations, so we felt this was a wonderful way for our company to . show our support and express our pride in Boston’s tremendous spirit.' Sherman and Wedge's book is titled Boston Strong. It's expected to be released later this year. | The trip was paid for by Boston-based Vantage Deluxe World Travel .
The cruise was the largest gathering of the survivors since the .
bombing .
Two journalists writing a book about the bombing joined the survivors on the trip . |
85,889 | f394e5f9bf15464f38b79662c974f6ed8dbd52fe | By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 15:31 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:34 EST, 3 September 2013 . Prosecutors today vowed to appeal the 30-day sentence handed down to a high school teacher who repeatedly raped a 14-year-old student before she killed herself. The meager sentence given by Judge G. Todd Baugh to Stacey Rambold, 54, in a Billings, Montana court last month sparked protests and an online petition calling for the judge's resignation. 'Certainly I'm disappointed in this sentence, but I have a job to do, and my job right now is to figure out if this case can be appealed because of some legal error,' Scott Twito, the county attorney told NBC on Tuesday. Last Thursday, around 400 protesters headed to the the county courthouse to call for the resignation of the state district judge, while around 45,000 people have signed a petition demanding he resign. Meager sentence: Cherice Moralez, left, shot herself dead after she was raped by her teacher, Stacey Rambold, right. A judge has caused outraged by giving him just a 30-day sentence for his crimes . Controversial: Judge G. Todd Baugh sentence has sparked outrage and will be reviewed . Organizers have endorsed Baugh's description of himself as a 'blithering idiot' for having said the victim, Cherice Moralez, acted 'older than her chronological age' and was in control of the situation. 'We will no longer stand by while individuals speak about victims in this way,' Kate Olp, the petition organizer, said. Baugh has defended the 30-day sentence and said he did not intend to resign. The victim's mother told Today that the sentence left her 'horrified'. 'I don't believe in justice anymore. It was a joke,' she said. Victim: The judge said that Cherry, pictured, acted older than her age - comments which sparked outrage . Rambold was originally charged with three felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent in 2008 when officials at Billings Senior High School first became aware of the sexual relationship. Victim Cherice Moralez committed suicide . on February 6, 2010. She shot herself in her mother’s bed just three . weeks before her 17th birthday. According to her mother, Auliea . Hanlon, the pending trial of teacher Stacey Rambold - 49 when the rapes . were committed - and trauma of the abuse were 'major factors' in her . daughter's death. Speaking . to MailOnline Mrs Hanlon said that her daughter had been 'in hell,' shunned by classmates and bullied following the revelations of the . abuse. Her death complicated the prosecution . of former teacher Rambold, now 54. Heartbroken: Her mother Auliea Hanlon listens during a protest last Thursday against the sentence . Prosecutors who had sought to put Rambold behind bars instead settled for a three-year deferred prosecution. According . to the terms of the agreement the case would be dismissed after this . term if Rambold pleaded guilty to one count of sexual intercourse . without consent and entered a three-stage sex offender treatment . program. But he was kicked out of the treatment program for missing meetings and having unsupervised visits with his nieces and nephews, who are minors. In April, he pleaded guilty to a single felony count. At his sentencing hearing last Monday, prosecutors asked the judge to put Rambold behind bars for 20 years, but Baugh said he didn't think the violations were serious enough. In a written explanation, the judge maintained that these violations were 'not significant'. Outrage: An estimated 400 people attended a protest rally against the sentence in Billings, Montana . Anger: Protesters have called for the judge's resignation but he has said he will not step down . He . stated: 'There were violations of the treatment program, but involved . no violence, no inappropriate sexual conduct, and no new criminal . activity. 'Defendant's old . treatment provider recommended that the Defendant still be assessed as a . low risk offender and treatable in the community. 'Knowing that the Defendant had enrolled . in another sexual offender treatment program, the Court is faced with . deciding if the Defendant should go to prison for relatively minor . infractions.' After Rambold's 30 days in jail, he will be on probation for 15 years and he must register as a sex offender. Speaking to MailOnline Cherry’s mother . said: ‘Rambold took away everything beautiful in my life and he just . gets to walk away. He confessed. He did it. ‘With this sentence the judge just lets everyone off – he lets the school off and he lets him off.’ | Cherice Moralez, 14, shot herself after she was bullied by classmates when charges were brought against her .
Montana teacher Stacey Rambold, 48 .
Rambold admitted to raping the teenager on several occasions in 2007 .
Judge G Todd Baugh gave .
Rambold 30 days in jail because Rambold .
had 'suffered enough' and Cherry was 'in control'
Protests held and nationwide petition launched calling for judge's removal . |
172,434 | 6b27ec5f8e0091618264de65a8b272bbddc1396d | By . Dan Ripley for MailOnline . Follow @@Ripley_77 . In an era when supporters seem more distanced from their heroes than ever, it's refreshing to see Villarreal give one fan an experience many football followers only get to dream about. The Spanish top-flight club took on Celtic in a recent friendly, but in their starting XI they named 13-year-old Gohan, who sadly suffers from an aggressive form of cancer. Gohan had informed his nurses of his dream to play for Villarreal at the Madrigal Stadium, and the club were more than happy to oblige. VIDEO Scroll down for Villarreal start 13-year-old cancer suffering fan in friendly . Dream come true: Cancer sufferer Gohan, 13, started and scored for Villarreal in a friendly against Celtic . Centre of attention: Gohan (on halfway line) poses with the Celtic and Villarreal team before kick-off . Battle for the ball: Celtic's Jo Inge Berget (left) challenges Villareal's Jonathan dos Santos . Calling the shots: Celtic assistant manager John Collins instructs his players from the touchline . All for a good cause: Former Villarreal player Ernesto Boixader (centre) presents charitable plates to club captain Juan Carlos Sanchez (right) and Celtic counterpart Lukaz Zaluska . Villarreal even threw in the full VIP treatment as Gohan got to meet the side in the dressing room before the game, where he even had his own space and player board behind him. The night would only get better for the 13-year-old, who scored straight from kick-off after showing a few tricks (and judging by Celtic's woeful showing in Europe this term, we reckon his goal was not the result of generosity from the Scottish champions.) Having celebrated his strike with his team-mates, Gohan was substituted to warm applause from the fans soon after as the Spanish outfit went on to win the game 5-2. See the full length video HERE . Netting the opener: Gohan scored straight from kick-off for Villarreal . Boy wonder: Villarreal players raised the 13-year-old in the air to celebrate the opening goal . All smiles: Gohan got to meet his heroes from the Spanish outfit before the game . Standing with the stars: Every Villarreal player greeted the 13-year-old before the game . The two teams have joined forces for charity in recent years to raise both funds and awareness for child cancer sufferers. Former Villarreal player Ernesto Boixader lost his son to the disease before a UEFA Cup against Celtic game 10 years ago and was so taken back by the generosity from the Scottish side's fans, he decided to work on the Submari Celtic Supporters’ Club, who have since raised nearly £120,000 in the name of charity. | Villarreal fielded 13-year-old cancer suffering fan in friendly against Celtic .
Gohan fulfilled dream of playing at Spanish side's Madrigal Stadium .
Gohan scored goal from kick-off as Villarreal won 5-2 . |
137,500 | 3dd1db4ce0b32c729b34a8136c541e2fba646449 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:14 EST, 5 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:40 EST, 5 October 2013 . A retired joiner has said he hopes to change the way people see the humble nail after spending the last 50 years collecting more than 3,000 of them. Richard Jones, 78, has amassed his hoard of thousands of nails from across the globe - and has now declared: 'I’m not the world’s most boring man'. He described his collection, which features nails from as far as Australia, Germany, Italy and the United States, as 'fascinating'. Collector: Over the course of 50 years, Richard Jones has collected more than 3,000 nails from across the globe . Nails: Mr Jones has collected the nails from as far away as Australia, the United States, Italy and Germany . Mr Jones claims to have one of the largest collections in the world kept at his home in Blackwood, South Wales . Mr Jones said he hoped the collection will change the way people see nails. He said: 'Nails show the history of civilisation. I have nails from all over the world and some of them date back to the Romans. 'The nails really need to be seen to be believed - photographs just don’t do them justice. 'A lot of people say: “They are just nails,” but they don’t see all of the history behind them. 'A lot of people think nails are boring but I think I have changed a lot of people’s minds about nails. 'It’s great I can share my passion and excitement for nails with people and convince them nails are not boring. Retired: Mr Jones started his collection in the 1960s after starting work as a joiner . Historic: Mr Jones said some of the nails date back to the Romans . 'I want to educate people about nails - if you think nails are boring come and see my collection it will change your mind.' Mr Jones started his collection in the 1960s after starting work as a joiner. His interest 'snowballed' and he now . claims to have one of the largest collections in the world kept at his . home in Blackwood, South Wales. Mr Jones spends hours with his nails, the shortest of which is around 4mm and the longest around 75cms. Passion: Mr Jones's wife Dorothy shared his interest and encouraged his passion up until her death four-years-ago . Exhibit: Mr Jones's wife helped him put his collection onto 32 display boards, with descriptions . On show: Mr Jones exhibits the nails at steam fairs around the country . He says his wife Dorothy 'shared my interest and encouraged my passion' up until her death four-years-ago. She helped him put his collection onto 32 display boards, with descriptions, which he exhibits at steam fairs around the country. He said: 'I would say 80 per cent of people walk on by but those who do stop spend a lot of time looking. 'There’s . more interest shown by woman than men - I think that may be because men . just associate them with work while women are more interested in how . artistic they are. Education: Mr Jones has said he hoped the collection will change the way people see nails . 'Some of the nails are fascinating, it’s all the different shapes, heads and different metals. 'I could spend hours looking at them and there are still a lot of nails out there which haven’t been found. 'My nails keep me very busy but I find it very exciting, so I don’t mind spending all my time on it - I like exhibiting the nails and you make a lot of friends with them. 'I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t get out a lot - but it’s nice to meet people with similar interests to discuss nails with them.' | Richard Jones, 78, has amassed thousands of nails from across the globe .
Retired joiner has said he hopes to change the way people see nails .
He says he believes he has the largest collection of nails in the world . |
15,463 | 2bf5b35b397dc81e1286218734b3433ee92f6222 | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 07:50 EST, 15 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:03 EST, 15 August 2012 . Saudi Arabia has tried to block a series of requests for new web addresses ending with words like 'gay', 'sucks' and 'catholic'. In a letter sent to ICANN, the body in charge of web addresses, the kingdom claimed some of the suffixes were 'offensive'. ICANN plans to allow hundreds of new 'top-level domains', the first of which will go live next year, to supplement .com, .co.uk and other existing addresses. Objection: ICANN plans to allow hundreds of new 'top-level domains', the first of which will go live next year, but the Saudi government has launched objections to 160 of them . The Vatican had bid to create domains ending in .catholic, saying it was 'a recognition of how important the digital space is for the church'. But the Saudi authorities have argued that it 'cannot demonstrate that it possesses a monopoly over the term "Catholic'". It also objected to .gay labelling it 'offensive' adding that 'many societies . and cultures consider homosexuality to be contrary to their culture, . morality or religion'. These objections are just some of more than 160 sent by the Saudi Communication and Information Technology Commission to ICANN, The Daily Telegraph reported. In its complaint about The Vatican's request, the commission said: 'Many other Christians use the term "Catholic" to refer more broadly to the whole Christian Church regardless of denominational affiliation. 'Other Christian communions lay claim to the term "Catholic" such as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church. The Vatican has bid to create domains ending in .catholic, but the Saudi government is opposing it . 'Therefore, we respectfully request that ICANN not award this.' The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communication, which already controls .va, paid the $185,000 fee to bid to create .catholic earlier this year. It said the domain was 'a recognition of how important the digital space is for the church'. The Saudi government added that it objected to any group being put in charge of web addresses based on religious terms, The Daily Telegraph reported. It complained about bids to create top-level domains for .islam, .halal and .ummah on similar grounds. 'Many other Christians use the term . "Catholic" to refer more broadly to the whole Christian Church . regardless of denominational affiliation.' The Saudi government . Among the other moral complaints the kingdom made was one about the used of .baby. Three bidders including the baby powder maker Johnson & Johnson have applied to create .baby, but the Saudis said it could be used to host and promote pornography. 'Pornography undermines gender equality and threatens public morals by objectifying and exploiting women,' the Saudi government said. 'The values expressed in pornography clash with the family concept and they undermine the traditional values that promote marriage, family, and children.' The Saudis also objected to .tattoo as tattooing is prohibited in Islam and Judaism and to .bar on grounds that because of its association with alcohol the term 'promotes activities that can be detrimental to public order and morals'. A similar plan to create a .pub top-level domain aimed primarily at British landlords also angered the Saudi government. There are currently only 364 top-level domains, most referring to countries, but the U.S.-based quango is now considering applications to create almost 2,000 more. Observers fear that the process will be bogged down with complaints from trademark holders seeking to protect their brands online. The organisation is already battling criticism that it is dominated by Western interests, and especially those of the U.S.. | ICANN plans to allow hundreds of 'top-level domains'
Saudi authorities have objected to 160 applications . |
97,853 | 09fb35c8a6e323b399e0c4a04db2d1f0fb6985e6 | Conspiracy: Nazis hid the fact Erwin Rommel, who led the Afrika Korps before trying to kill his leader Hitler, committed suicide, a police report revealed . A police report from 1960 has surfaced in Germany showing the shabby Nazi conspiracy to cover up the forced suicide of heroic ‘Desert Fox’ Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Rommel killed himself with cyanide on October 14 1944 after he was implicated in the failed plot of July that year to kill his master Hitler with a bomb at his HQ in East Prussia. Thousands died in the whirlwind of revenge unleashed by the Nazi state after the botched assassination. Rommel, the most high-profile warrior of his country, exalted by the newsreels and adored by the people, was promised that his family would be spared revenge if he took his own life. He was given a full state funeral in Berlin with the regime claiming he was killed by a heart attack following an Allied strafing of his car. Now the man who falsified his death certificate, Dr Friedrich Breiderhoff, has spoken from beyond the grave of the cynical charade he was forced into to cover up his death. A seven-page report he made to Cologne police on July 22 1960 has now been found in the city’s archive in which he details how he was threatened with pain of death by an S.S. man to lie on Rommel’s death certificate. Dr Breiderhoff was brought from his post at the reserve military hospital at Ulm where he was the chief physician. He was told to inspect a person in a car outside by two senior army officers. He told police: 'It was Herr Rommel. His hat and his marshall’s baton were lying to the right of his upper body on the floor. 'Then a man in civilian dress appeared and ordered me to begin resuscitation attempts and told me that I must not tell the staff that he was dead. Served the regime: Field Marshal Rommel made his name fighting the British with the Afrika Korps (pictured) 'I made a direct cardiac injection and then attempts at resuscitation with heart massage and breathing exercises, as if the Field Marshall had drowned. 'I felt completely that Rommel was a dead man already. Then an S.S. man ordered me to remove the vomit from his mouth and I found an empty cyanide capsule in his throat covered with brown and yellow mucus. 'I was then ordered that I had to put ‘heart attack’ on the death certificate on the express orders of the High Command of the Armed Forces. Denial: Hitler held a state funeral for Rommel in Berlin, branding him The Fuhrer's General . 'An S.S. man told me to maintain confidentiality otherwise I must expect revenge against my family and "other consequences." 'He pointed to a gun laying on a table as if to emphasise the point.' The certificate was filled in with the wording: 'Death as a result of a heart attack suffered while in service of the Reich in the west.' Four days later the Nazis gave Rommel the hero’s send off they told the people he deserved. He was honoured at his burial as ‘The Fuehrer’s General.’ Dr Breiderhoff’s statement was never made public until historians found the report this week. | Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide after failed Hitler murder plot .
Dr Friedrich Breiderhoff wrote seven-page report for Cologne Police in 1960 .
Claims Nazis forced him to try to resuscitate the corpse and hide vomit .
They threatened to harm his family if he didn't write 'heart attack' |
110 | 0058a370ff12386a55b24ee56dd277e9c3b23a72 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:46 EST, 8 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:14 EST, 8 October 2013 . It's been dubbed the 'most unfortunate typo ever.' Senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer sparked outrage on Twitter today after he accidentally wrote the n-word instead of 'bigger' in a tweet. Pfeiffer was responding to a post from Johnathon Martin early Tuesday morning when he tweeted: '@jmartNYT also a much [n-word] factor on the right.' Oops: Senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer, pictured right with the President, has sparked outrage on Twitter after he accidentally wrote 'n*****' instead of 'bigger' in a tweet . Pfeiffer apologized soon after, . clarifying that the racial slur was obviously 'a horrendous typo' but it . was too late, the Twitter universe had already taken aim. Just four minutes after he clicked post, Twitter user Elise Foley tweeted: 'Dan Pfeiffer, check your Twitter' and Miss Laura declared to the Twittersphere the mistake was 'the most unfortunate typo ever.' Cuffe tweeted: 'Umm, what??,' and Alex Parker declared: 'Woah dude might want to delete this tweet fast.' Unfortunately for Pfeiffer, deleting isn't an option, given tweets from the official White House Twitter account are archived. Then users started suggesting . auto-correct didn't pick up the mistake because Pfeiffer uses the offensive term regularly. In context: Pfeiffer was responding to a post from Johnathon Martin early Tuesday morning when he tweeted: '@jmartNYT also a much [n-word] factor on the right' Apology: Pfeiffer apologized and clarified his mistake in a follow up tweet, pictured . RB tweeted: 'Better explanation: @Pfeiffer44 meant to write "bigger" but because he uses the n-word so much, his phone auto-corrected to the n-word.' Geoff Hamby added: 'So @pfeiffer44 is . accidentally tweeting out the "N-word" huh? Funny thing about . auto-correct is it only substitutes commonly used words.' Jonathan . Martin's original post, which Pfeiffer was trying to answer, read: 'Glad @NBCFirstRead acknowledged a . major factor in polarization: how Amers get information, rise of . Internet/cable.' Backlash: The typo tweet sparked outrage on Twitter almost immediately . Auto-correct: Some suggested auto-correct didn't pick up the mistake because Pfeiffer uses the n-word regularly . In response, Pfeiffer wrote: '@jmartNYT @NBCFirstRead it's a very smart point and massive factor in political polarization.' Then he followed up with the headache-inducing post, hitting the 'n' key instead of the 'b.' No doubt Pfeiffer will be proof reading his tweets from now on. | Senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer sparked outrage on Twitter with the typo early Tuesday morning .
Pfeiffer was responding to a post early Tuesday morning when he tweeted: '@jmartNYT also a much n***** factor on the right'
He quickly apologized labeling the mistake 'a horrendous typo'
Some critics suggested auto-correct didn't pick up the mistake before he posted the tweet because Pfeiffer uses the offensive term regularly . |
207,897 | 992a3672be7e318ad57c1a57076639d0f12dfbaa | For James Williamson, now 67, life got off to a bad start. The sixth child of a feckless mother, he was handed over to a childless couple in East London 'like a UPS parcel'. Although his adoptive mother was kind to him, his scaffolder father was abusive and inflicted eye-watering violence on the child, even, on one occasion, attempting to stab him. But all that paled in comparison with what came next. Aged nine, Mr Williamson fell victim to a predatory paedophile. Survivor: James Williamson, now 67, suffered years of vile sexual abuse at the hands of his Scoutmaster . In many ways, Mr Williamson's childhood was typical of the East End at the time. 'If you watch Call the Midwife, that sums up what it was like,' he explains. 'We lived in Violet Row which started in Whitechapel and ended in Poplar - that was my environment. Handed over: His feckless mother handed him over to his adoptive parents 'like a UPS parcel' 'We had a shared house with outside toilet. Two families lived in it, one upstairs and one downstairs. There was no bath or shower so I was washed down in the kitchen sink.' The sixth child of a dozen born to a feckless woman called Ellen, he was handed over to a couple named Ivy and Jim for adoption as a baby. It was not a loving upbringing. 'My adoptive mother was always working and my father did too,' he remembers. 'I can remember a child minder called Mrs Edmonds and the house always being very quiet.' Although Ivy was kind, his adoptive father, a man with 'an unpredictable and violent temper', would often terrify him with his rages. 'I didn't love him and I don't think he loved me,' says Mr Williamson. But for all that, he says he did at least put food on the table. 'Whatever he was, whatever he did, he always put food on the table,' he explains. 'I always had clothes. Lots of kids in the East End didn't even have that.' Nevertheless, his childhood was a lonely one and Mr Williamson says he was 'a latchkey kid' - free to come and go as he pleased. But while such freedom was not unusual, it proved to have devastating consequences, when, at the age of nine, Mr Williamson fell prey to a child molester. 'I remember I liked war films as a kid,' he says. 'So one day, I decided I wanted to go and see a film called The Battle of the River Plate. Difficult: James with his adoptive parents Ivy and Jim. Jim had a 'violent and unpredictable' temper . 'I went in and the film was rolling. But the next thing I knew, this guy had come and sat next to me. I was wearing shorts. He had his hand on my knee and it went on from there.' When he left the cinema, the man followed. Unsuspecting, the trusting little boy allowed himself to be led into a nearby storeroom - and a horrific sex attack ensued. 'I was inquisitive and followed him in there like a little sheep,' he says ruefully. 'I could have been a headstone by now. That's how it could have ended.' Luckily, Mr Williamson was allowed to go. He ran home and kept what had happened to him secret, never telling anyone what had taken place. Lonely existence: James as a toddler. He says he spent much of his early years with a child minder . 'At the time, I thought: "What was that? I can't tell anyone". I knew it was wrong.' Heartbreakingly, he was also convinced that should his parents find out, they might blame him instead. 'What I was most concerned about was that if I told my parents, they might be angry and maybe put me in a home. 'I thought they might think they'd adopted a duff one. So I just carried on and a year later, I joined the Scouts.' His decision to join the Scouts was to prove a fateful one and what came next left him with mental scars that have lasted all his life. 'The first thing I thought when I saw him was that he was smart,' says Mr Williamson of the moment he was introduced to his Scoutmaster, a man named Tom. 'He was well-presented. His trousers had real nice creases on the front. He came to the meeting because our Scoutmaster was leaving. 'In the end, it was announced that Skip [former Scoutmaster] was going and Tom would be taking over. I didn't think he was good looking because he wasn't.' The meeting, when Mr Williamson was aged 10, signalled the start of what would turn into almost a decade of sexual abuse. Showered with attention and affection, the lonely little boy was easily groomed and, when Tom offered to take him to the cinema and said he could stay the night afterwards, the relationship became a sexual one. Unable to tell anyone, in particular his parents, Mr Williamson felt trapped and unable to sound the alarm. Even today, he is unwilling to condemn his attacker and calls what passed between them 'conditional kindness'. 'My father had a violent and unpredictable temper and Tom's place was a place of tranquillity and safety,' he explains. 'I felt that I was being offered something - a trade. I called it conditional kindness.' Heartbreakingly, he still feels disloyal by talking about what transpired between him and Tom. 'I sort of feel that I'm betraying someone who helped me,' he admits. 'There's a sort of mixed feeling. I also feel disloyal in some way.' Escape finally came when he left the Scouts aged 18, although he reveals he had tried to escape Tom's attentions many times before. Scout: James aged 10, proudly wearing a poppy and his Robertson's Jam Boy Scout Golly . 'I kept trying to get away,' he says. 'But he [Tom] would say things like, "How do you feel about going to Belgium?" and I'd think, "Wow, me an East End boy in Belgium!" And then I'd be right back in it again. I did try.' Aged 16, he met his first girlfriend and, determined to make it work, he tried again to make a break with his paedophile Scoutmaster. 'I tried so hard to make that break,' he says. 'In the end, I was too old for him. We became sort of friends.' He went on to marry his girlfriend and together, they had one child. But the marriage broke down when his daughter was a few months old. Mr Williamson, who has now been with his partner Phil for 30 years, says that the break-down was the result, in part, of him coming to terms with his long-suppressed homosexuality. 'All I knew was that you had a girlfriend, got married and had a family,' he says. 'Everything else was just with him [Tom] and not quite right.' But while coming to terms with being gay, which was a criminal offence until 1967, coming to terms with his abusive childhood was even harder. Happy moment: James with his adoptive father (left) and mother (right) at a cousin's wedding in Nottingham . 'I never told anybody. Not once,' he says. 'Not until I wrote the manuscript [for his memoir]. My partner was the first one to read it. 'He took it calmly. He wasn't disgusted and he took it all in his stride. We've been together for 30 years so It was good to say what had happened.' Telling his story: After keeping his experiences secret for more than 30 years, James is finally telling his story in the hope of helping others . And as the litany of historical sex abuse cases relating to Jimmy Saville began to emerge, Mr Williamson grew even more determined to tell his story. 'I used to read all that and think: "That could have been me".' Nevertheless, he says he has no plans to take his own attackers to court and questions the motivation of some of the people who have so far come forward. 'With Yewtree, I wonder why these people have left it so long,' he explains. 'If that was what they wanted, if they were so embittered, why didn't they do it before? I think the motivation sometimes is wrong. Now this has gone from not enough has been done to endless court cases and inquiries. The powers that be have gone from one extreme to another.' For his own part, Mr Williamson says life, his childhood apart, has treated him well. 'I feel incredibly lucky,' he says. 'You've got to be brave enough to create your own luck. If you sit with your bum on a sofa, nothing will happen. But if you get out and work, you will get that opportunity. I wanted to be somebody. I didn't want to be somebody working in a factory. Now I am somebody. I've now been retired for 20 years and I've had a great time.' | James Williamson, now 67, was first attacked aged nine by a stranger .
At 10, he was groomed by his Scoutmaster and a decade of abuse followed .
Convinced that parents would send him to an orphanage if they found out .
Kept abuse secret for more than 30 years and only recently felt able to talk .
Now retired, he lives in the countryside with his partner of 30 years .
They Can’t Touch Him Now by James Williamson (£8.99, Clink Street Publishing) will be released on 8th April . |
271,753 | ebfef75bfd7852e7734589e5233681a17971536a | Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Monday appeared to call out Mitt Romney over what he said about going after Osama bin Laden on the campaign trail four years ago, as opposed to on the eve of the first anniversary of the raid that killed the terrorist leader. Asked about Romney's comments earlier in the day that the decision to go after bin Laden was a clear one and that "even Jimmy Carter would" have made the call, Obama referred to a difference between what Romney said during his 2008 presidential campaign and on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack. "I assume that people meant what they said when they said it," Obama said during a joint appearance with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. "That's been at least my practice. I said that I'd go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did. If there are others who said one thing and now suggest they'd do something else, I'd go ahead and let them explain." Obama also appeared to take exception with a reporter's question that suggested there was excessive celebration around the anniversary of the al Qaeda leader's death, repeating a charge that Republicans have made. "I hardly think that you've seen any excessive celebration taking place," Obama said. "I think that the American people likely remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3,000 of our citizens." Romney's spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, responded in a statement that Obama was using the anniversary of bin Laden's death as "a cheap political ploy" that she said distorted Romney's policies on fighting terrorism. "While the Obama administration has naively stated that 'the war on terror is over,' Gov. Romney has always understood we need a comprehensive plan to deal with the myriad threats America faces," Saul said. U.S. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden on May 2, 2011 during a raid in Pakistan. The war of words around the bin Laden death anniversary started last week when Obama's campaign made it an issue in a Web ad that questioned whether Romney would make the same call in the Oval Office. Former President Bill Clinton narrates parts of the video, in which he praises Obama's decision to order the attack. It also points out Romney saying in 2007 that, "It's not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person." Days later, he said, "We'll move everything to get him (bin Laden)." Asked by a reporter at an event Monday morning whether he would have made the call, Romney said "of course" he would have. "Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order." Surrogates took up the argument over the bin Laden raid on the Sunday talk shows. Senior Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs defended the campaign, while senior Romney adviser Ed Gillespie characterized it as a "bridge too far." Gibbs, the former White House press secretary, said the video was "not over the line" and criticized comments Romney made on the issue during his first White House bid as "foolish." "There's a difference in the roles they would play as commander in chief, and I certainly think that's fair game," Gibbs said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Gillespie, a former aide to President George W. Bush and former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said using the raid for political purposes is one of the reasons Obama has "become one of the most divisive presidents in American history." "He took something that was a unifying event for all Americans, and he's managed to turn it into a divisive, partisan political attack," Gillespie said in a separate interview on the same NBC program. "I think most Americans will see it as a sign of a desperate campaign." The day Osama bin Laden died . Arizona Sen. John McCain, Obama's 2008 opponent, called the minute-long spot "a cheap political attack ad." White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan avoided politics and praised the president's decision-making skills on the talk shows and in an address Monday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "One year ago today, President Obama faced the scenario that he discussed here at the Wilson Center five years ago, and he did not hesitate to act," he said. "The death of bin Laden was our most strategic blow yet against al Qaeda," Brennan said. "Credit for that success belongs to the courageous forces who carried out that mission, at extraordinary risk to their lives; to the many intelligence professionals who pieced together the clues that led to bin Laden's hideout; and to President Obama, who gave the order to go in." Vice President Joe Biden previewed the theme in a Thursday campaign-style address. "If you are looking for a bumper sticker to sum up how President Obama has handled what we inherited, it's pretty simple: Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive," he said during a speech at New York University. Clinton appeared in a fundraiser with Obama on Sunday night, characterizing Romney as "an opponent who basically wants to do what they did before -- on steroids. Which will get you the same consequences you got before -- on steroids." Obama will pick up the message with what the campaign has billed as his re-election kick-off Saturday. He is expected to attend campaign rallies in Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia, two likely battleground states in the November election. He cited Ronald Reagan on Monday as he rallied building trade union members, trying to draw a distinction between the conservative icon and the Republican Party that the president is running against now. "Ronald Reagan once said that rebuilding our infrastructure is common sense; an investment in tomorrow that we need to make today," Obama told the Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference. "Ronald Reagan said that -- that great socialist Ronald Reagan said that. Couldn't get through a Republican primary these days." Biden will attend campaign events in Missouri and Indiana on Monday and in Washington on Thursday. Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina, said that Saturday will mark the end of the Republican "monologue." Romney's campaign, meanwhile, announced that its candidate will mark the anniversary of the bin Laden raid in an event with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was dubbed "America's mayor" for his response in the days after bin Laden's 9/11 attacks against the U.S. Romney's Jimmy Carter comments came at an event in New Hampshire with Sen. Kelly Ayotte, another of those believed to be on Romney's vice president candidate search list. The freshman senator was an early backer of Romney's and appeared with him repeatedly on the stump ahead of her state's primary. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida got the VP scrutiny treatment last week when he appeared with Romney in Pennsylvania. Many political observers see Rubio as the favorite for Romney's vice presidential pick, given his ties to the swing state of Florida, the Hispanic community (he is the son of Cuban immigrants) and members of the grassroots tea party movement. Rubio was one of three potential candidates mentioned by House Speaker John Boehner in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." Boehner said there is a "long list" of qualified candidates for the GOP ticket, including Rubio, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, all of whom fit his criteria that the pick be capable of serving as president. Romney will spend much of the coming week fundraising, with events in Pennsylvania and Virginia. He is expected to meet with former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Friday, a long-awaited rendezvous, given that the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania has yet to endorse his party's presumptive nominee. Santorum danced around the issue last week with CNN's Piers Morgan during his first televised interview since he suspended his candidacy on April 10. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to announce the suspension of his campaign Wednesday, at which point he will back Romney, sources told CNN. | Obama seems to call out Romney on what he has said about bin Laden .
Romney was reacting to Obama ad questioning his resolve on bin Laden .
Obama says Ronald Reagan wouldn't have made it out of 2012 GOP primaries .
Romney campaigns with another potential vice presidential candidate in New Hampshire . |
3,275 | 097688e1a5077edd2875aaac19ca4b22a8c668d2 | (CNN) -- Bill Tilden was a controversial tennis legend who dominated the sport in the 1920s, but died in disgrace. The American achieved fame and fortune through his tennis exploits and befriended Hollywood stars such as Charlie Chaplin, but he spent over a year in jail in the 1940s on a morals charge, which ruined his reputation before his untimely death in 1953. Tilden won his six straight U.S. Open titles from 1920-1925, a record since the tournament abolished the challenge system -- where the champion automatically qualified for the final -- in 1911. Under that system, Richard Sears won the first seven editions of the U.S. Open (then the U.S. National Tennis Championships) in the 1880s. Last year, world No. 1 Roger Federer failed in his bid to match Tilden's record when he was beaten in the final by Juan Martin Del Potro. Tilden, who claimed his seventh U.S. Open title in 1929 as well as being twice a losing finalist, goes down in the history books as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. A relatively late starter, Tilden struggled to get into his college tennis team in Pennsylvania, but years of dedicated practice started to bear fruit after the First World War as he reached the U.S. Open finals of 1918 and 1919. He reached his peak in the 1920s, winning his first U.S. Open title and holding the world number one spot for seven straight years. Tilden also led the United States to a record seven straight Davis Cup titles as well as claiming three Wimbledon titles. His famed "cannonball" serves worked particularly well on the fast grass surfaces on which the U.S. Open and Wimbledon were staged. Tilden never won the French Open, being losing finalist in the last year it was held on grass courts, in 1927, and 1930 on clay. He won the last of his 10 grand slam titles at Wimbledon in 1930 before deserting the amateur ranks for the fledging professional circuit . Eventually joined by the likes of Ellsworth Vines, Fred Perry and Don Budge, Tilden remained a star attraction until well into his 40s, filling arenas such as Madison Square Garden in big-money matches. But off the court, Tilden was a controversial figure, battling with tennis officials as his amateur status was called into question, and he was accused of being arrogant and inconsiderate. Tilden, who never married, saw his reputation destroyed in the 1940s when he was found guilty of a morals charge in connection with a minor. He served seven-and-a-half months of a year's jail term, but was arrested again in 1949 after picking up a 16-year-old male hitchhiker. Tilden served a further 10 months for his probation violation and was shunned by the tennis community. His friendship with Hollywood stars such as Chaplin and a love of the theatrical world saw Tilden pour much of his riches into less-than-successful Broadway productions. He died a tragic figure in 1953, having a stroke in Los Angeles as he prepared for a trip to play in the U.S. Pro Championships despite his 60 years of age. Tilden was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1959, and in any polls of all-time great tennis players he always features in the top order. | Bill Tilden holds record of six straight U.S. Open crowns, but was a controversial figure .
Tilden dominated tennis in the 1920s, winning 10 grand slam titles .
The American legend served two prison sentences on morals charges in the 1940s .
Tilden was shunned by the tennis community and died at the age of 60 . |
48,250 | 8836ebb2ca05a30bb5f5d577df3e77068ad63a75 | Quito, Ecuador (CNN) -- Ecuadorian law prohibits polling firms from releasing data in the 10 days before Sunday's presidential election, but unless something surprising happens, incumbent Rafael Correa can expect to win re-election. Earlier this month, four of the country's major polling firms gave Correa a more-than-comfortable margin over his seven challengers. To avoid a runoff, the winner of the election must obtain at least 40% of the vote and more than 10 points' difference from the runner-up. Correa is poised to meet both those criteria. From abroad, the leftist president is often characterized as a disciple of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Indeed, the U.S.-trained economist has created his own "Citizens' Revolution," a socialist-oriented economic program with some similarities to what Chavez has done in Venezuela . Correa has been criticized by press freedom groups for his government's aggressive legal battles against media outlets unfriendly to him. At the same time, Ecuador is housing Julian Assange in its embassy in London, and Correa has offered him asylum. Yet, domestically, Correa's social and economic programs have made him a popular president. He enjoys an approval rating of nearly 85%, according to a December survey by pollster Perfiles de Opiniones. Ecuadorians will elect the president and vice president, 137 legislators in the National Assembly and five members of the Andean Parliament. Correa's closest challenger is Guillermo Lasso Mendoza, who ran on a platform promising lower taxes and the privatization of state media companies. Lasso complained that the short electoral campaign period allowed in Ecuador -- 42 days -- gives an unfair advantage to the incumbent. "This has been an uneven campaign, but we have given our strongest effort to share our proposal full of hope," Lasso said at his campaign closing. In his last campaign event, Correa warned of a return to what he said were corrupt leaders who looked after themselves at the expense of the public. Ecuador, the smallest of the Andean countries, is known for its oil production and tourism. Since Correa became president, he has aligned himself with other countries in the region who reject the influence of the United States. Correa assumed the presidency in 2007 and under a new constitution ran again and won the presidency in 2009. If re-elected, Correa would serve until 2017. The possibility of 10 years under Correa's leadership is a contrast with the political landscape in Ecuador before he became president. The country had seven presidents in the 10-year span 1996 and 2006. Correa's administration has stabilized Ecuador, but more must be done, political analyst Hernan Reyes said. "We're living in a moment of transition," Reyes said, adding that six years of Correa's presidency have not been enough time to completely shift away from the neoliberal economic model of his predecessors. "I think Correa has succeeded in making the economy dynamic through state investment in public works (and) social projects. This has created an increase in employment rates. Unemployment and underemployment has fallen." According to the World Bank, the percentage of the population living in poverty dipped from 36.1% in 2007 to 28.6% in 2011. School enrollment is higher than the average in Latin America and the gross domestic product of the oil-based economy has risen $20 billion since Correa took office. Other experts are wary of what they say are Correa's authoritarian tendencies. "Unfortunately, this government, despite its social and economic successes, institutions have been weakened and there is a control over everything by the executive," political analyst Ana Maria Correa said. Journalist Andres Lopez reported from Quito and CNN's Mariano Castillo from Atlanta. | Ecuadorians will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president .
President Rafael Correa had a sizable lead according to latest polls .
Correa's leftist policies make him popular at home . |
210,319 | 9c6b34b674bd6a2ea81764c96e6d1dfac278b516 | The Government increasingly views Muslim organisations and individuals with 'suspicion', a former Conservative party chairman has said. Baroness Warsi, who quit as a Foreign Office minister last August, criticised what she called a policy of non-engagement with the Muslim community. The first Muslim member of the Cabinet hit out at the failure to develop a friendship with the three-million strong Muslim community in Britain. Scroll down for video . Baroness Warsi said there had been a failure to tackle anti-Muslim sentiment . Writing in The Observer, she said: 'The obsessive checking of the backgrounds of those on guest lists to Eid events, the refusal to attend events where there may 'possibly' or 'potentially' be a speaker whose views we find unsavoury, even when attendance would provide the perfect opportunity to challenge those views, has created a unique approach within government over the last four years. 'This is to view ever-increasing numbers of Muslim organisations or individual activists with suspicion and dangerously narrow engagement to a dozen people from a community of more than three million.' Baroness Warsi warned a letter sent by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles urging Muslim leaders to do more to root out extremism had backfired. The letter was condemned as 'patronising and factually incorrect' by some Muslims, with many saying it gave the idea th at Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British society. While largely supportive of the intentions behind the letter from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, whom she describes as a friend, Lady Warsi said the storm of criticism it provoked from some sections of the Muslim community was unsurprising. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, at an event organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews last weekend, wrote a letter urging Muslim leaders to do more to root out extremism . She said there had been almost six years of non-engagement, both by the previous Labour Government and now the coalition. 'The reaction to the Pickles letter underlines what I consistently argued for in government - that it was important for us to engage with a broad range of groups and individuals who purported to speak for the British Muslim community, while accepting that, inevitably, some didn't do it very well,' said Lady Warsi. She said there had been a failure to tackle anti-Muslim sentiment, and described the current climate within the Muslim community as one of concern, worry and fear. 'So it's no surprise there is a trust deficit, a questioning of motive to a letter sent with the best of intentions. For too many, the hand of friendship felt like an admonitory finger that was once again pointing at Britain's Muslims,' she said. Lady Warsi also said it was sad that her calls for a meeting, similar to the annual one the Prime Minister has with the Jewish Leadership Council, with members of other major faith communities had not been answered. Sadiq Khan, Labour's shadow justice secretary, said: 'When the most senior Tory Muslim is so scathing about her own party, we should all sit up and listen. These comments confirm that David Cameron's Conservatives are out-of-touch and have nothing to offer British Muslims. Only Labour truly represents all of Britain's communities.' | Former Foreign Office minister criticised policy of non-engagement .
Slammed failure to develop friendship with the three-million Muslims in UK .
Storm of protest over anti-terror letter to mosques was unsurprising . |
32,990 | 5db7c40c47448ab55b7b7a06c20c24b3833f554d | By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 05:27 EST, 7 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:49 EST, 7 August 2013 . Jailed: Alexander Oades, 20, his girlfriend and friend lured their victim to a flat in Hull, East Yorkshire . A gang who subjected a man to two hours of humiliation and threats has been jailed for more than seven years. The trio ordered Christopher Hipkiss, 24, to take all his clothes off and eat potpourri in a row about a missing £90. Alexander Oades, 20, his girlfriend Holly Norman, 22, and friend Jamie Mullenger, 20, lured Mr Hipkiss to a flat in Hull, East Yorkshire, and subjected him to almost two hours of humiliation and threats. Oades held a knife to Mr Hipkiss’s face ordered him to strip, before forcing him to eat the potpourri and cutting up his clothes because he thought Mr Hipkiss had stolen £90 from one of the gang, Hull Crown Court was told. Recorder Nick Barker has now jailed the three culprits for a total of seven and a half years. In a statement read in court, Mr Hipkiss said: ‘I was humiliated, tortured and held against my will. I want them to know this is not acceptable. ‘I never want them to do this to anyone else. I have never been so scared in my life.’ Oades cut Mr Hipkiss’s clothes during his ordeal last April and told him: ‘Look how easy the knife cuts through your clothes, think what it will do to you.’ Mr Hipkiss, 24, said: ‘Alex pulled out a knife, it looked like a shaving razor. He looked angry and was very intense and glaring at me. Attack: Oades, 20, his girlfriend Holly Norman (left), 22, and friend Jamie Mullenger (right), 20, subjected Christopher Hipkiss, 24, to almost two hours of humiliation and threats . ‘He held the knife towards my head and told me to get undressed. I was so scared, I didn’t question him. Alex said if I didn’t get the money, he would stab me. ‘I didn’t scream for help, as I was so frightened about what was happening. At one point, Alex held the knife to me and told me to eat potpourri or he would stab me. ‘I ate some of it, it tasted awful. I didn’t feel I had a choice. They were playing with me, trying to humiliate me. I was shaking with fear. I have never been so frightened. 'I honestly thought they were going to kill me. I didn’t take their money but I was so frightened I thought if I give them their money they might leave me alone.’ Involved: Norman and Mullenger (pictured left and right at earlier court appearances last year), also took part and both pleaded guilty to false imprisonment . Norman and Mullenger also took part and both pleaded guilty to false imprisonment. 'I ate some of it, it tasted awful. I didn’t feel I had a choice' Christopher Hipkiss . Recorder Barker sentenced Oades and Mullenger to two years and nine months of imprisonment and Norman to two years in jail. He told them: ‘It is clear your intention was to detain him and make threats to him with weapons. You made threats and carried out degrading conduct towards him. 'A knife was produced and held towards him, threats were made and he was told to strip down to his boxer shorts and he was made to eat potpourri. ‘When the police arrived, he was in a terrifying state and it is hardly surprising given what had occurred.’ | Alexander Oades, his girlfriend and friend lured victim to a flat in Hull .
Subjected Christopher Hipkiss to two hours of humiliation and threats .
Oades, 20, held knife to 24-year-old's face and ordered victim to strip . |
275,123 | f0661e994f0f489c765e70dd3ca99e3d8c3dd438 | It may be the must-have smartphone accessory this year. But a photo has emerged that shows the 'selfie stick' is not an entirely new invention and is in fact almost 90 years old. An image, taken of a couple in 1926, shows Arnold and Helen Hogg using a stick to take a picture of themselves on the street they lived in in Rugby, Warwickshire, just a year after they were married. Scroll down for video . A photo taken using a 'selfie stick' has emerged showing the popular modern device was being used in 1926 . The photograph, annotated with the words 'Self Taken, Oct 1926' is evidence that people were using selfie sticks to capture images of themselves long before the phenomenon was made popular this year by celebrities. The picture is only two inches wide and was found stuck in the back of a family album by the Hoggs’ grandson Alan Cleaver, of Whitehaven in Cumbria. It features the couple and shows the stick visible and being held by Mr Hogg. 'In our family it's always been a favourite photo and the fact that there is so much interest in it now would have been loved by granddad,' said Mr Cleaver. 'My granddad didn't take too many photos throughout his life but he took quite a few after he got married in the 1920s. We have a few photo albums of that time but most of them were quite boring, and then we found this photo stuck at the back. 'He was obviously trying something new. 'Sadly we think it's the only one he took like this that he felt happy enough to include in the album.' Mr Cleaver said his grandfather was an entertainer and musician but admits he never saw him use the 'selfie stick' . Alexander Remnev used a selfie stick to take this photo after he scaled the 1,350ft Princes Tower in Dubai . Celebrities have also got into the act, with Dan Snow (left), Ben Fogle and June Sarpong using a selfie stick . Selfie sticks were named one of the greatest inventions of 2014 by Time magazine and has gained popularity . His grandfather used to play the piano at silent films where he lived in Rugby and would often entertain people wherever he went. During a family holiday to Benidorm in 1969 he was given a medal by a hotel owner after he delighted guests with his piano playing. Mr Cleaver added: 'I don't really know what was going on or why he chose to use the stick. His wife Helen looks suitably bemused in the photo. 'But it's absolutely no surprise he took something like this. He was always mucking about and trying to entertain people. I think he looks a bit like Charlie Chaplin in the photograph and he was a bit like him in real life. If you were in a pub and heard laughter it was always guaranteed to be him. He was an absolute star and a granddad you would dream of. The selfie stick has become a modern day gadget for tourists keen to picture themselves at landmarks . Celebrities have popularised the selfie, such as this picture taken on a mobile phone and featuring Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres, Bradley Cooper, Peter Nyongío Jr., and, second row, from left, Channing Tatum, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyongío and Angelina Jolie . Scots adventurer Will Copestake took this picture of himself on a sheet of ice close to a glacier in Patagonia . 'He never spoke about the selfie stick. And I have no idea how he used it. Various photographic experts have had in depth discussions about what he was doing. Cameras in those days worked by the shutter being pulled on the side of the camera. He was probably just using the stick to hold the camera in position.' Selfie sticks have risen in popularity this year, with people going to great lengths to capture the perfect images of themselves leaning over precipices, in impossible poses and with stunning landmarks in the background. The devices were named as one of the greatest inventions of 2014 by Time Magazine and the modern-day contraption originated in Asia. They work by holding the camera in place at the end of the stick, usually about 3ft long, and have a button on the handle which presses the shutter so the photo can be taken. Selfie sticks are similar to monopods used with digital cameras but were invented specifically for smartphones this year. | Photograph taken 88 years ago shows selfie being taken with aid of a stick .
The image shows the modern phenomenon was being used back in 1926 .
Alan Cleaver found the photo which was taken by his grandfather in Rugby .
It shows Mr and Mrs Hogg using stick to take the selfie in their garden .
Selfie sticks for smartphones have risen in popularity in the last 12 months .
Time magazine named the device one of the greatest inventions of 2014 . |
56,595 | a05c19974b83344c689c03d21c1fb7f306b017b3 | Single parents finding a job have taken the number of working families in Britain to a record high. New figures today showed 87.3 per cent of families have at least one person earning in work, the highest since records began almost two decades ago. Ministers claimed the data was proof that welfare reforms are ensuring that people will always be better off in a job than claiming benefits. 87.3 per cent of families have at least one person earning in work, the highest since records began almost two decades ago . Compared to 2008, the biggest rise has been among lone parent families finding work, the Office for National Statistics said . The government insists that efforts to tackle so-called troubled families, where no-one works, have helped to tackle long-term unemployment. The Office for National Statistics found that 87.3 per cent of families were classified as working families, the highest since comparable records began in 1996. The biggest increase was among lone parent families with dependent children up from 57.4 per cent in 1996 to 71.1 per cent this year. In the 2million workless families, more than half (53.8 per cent) have had no one in work for three or more years. More than one in 10 children (12.6 per cent) were living in workless families, also the lowest percentage since records began in 1996. Thera er now almost 14million working families in the country, up from 12million in 1996, the figures show . Parents of children under five were almost twice as likely to be in employment if they were in a couple (78.6 per cent) than if they were lone parents (40.9 per cent), the ONS said. Employment of single mothers was also at a high, hitting 62.3 per cent this year. Women were more likely to be in work if they had children than if they did not. Almost 70 per cent of women with dependent children have a job, compared to 67.5 per cent of women without children. Young mothers aged 16 to 24 were around half as likely to be in employment (36 per cent) as mothers aged 25 to 64 (71.6 per cent) in 2014. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the Government's welfare reforms were encouraging more people to work. He said: 'The benefits system this Government inherited was broken, often trapping the very people it was designed to help in cycles of worklessness and welfare dependency. 'We are reforming the system so that people are given the skills as well as the opportunities to get into work, with Universal Credit meaning that they can take employment safe in the knowledge that they will be better off than they would be on benefits. 'And our reforms are clearly working - with figures released today confirming that the proportion of families where no-one works is now at an all-time low. Furthermore, lone parent families have seen the biggest increases in employment rates and lone mothers now have the highest employment rate on record. 'As part of our long-term economic plan, we’ll be continuing to help people to break free from welfare dependency so they can look forward to a better more secure future for themselves and their families.' | 87.3% of families now have at least one person in employment .
It is the highest level of working families since records began in 1996 .
Office for National Statistics says change driven by lone parents .
Half of 2million have had not one in work for three or more years .
12.6% of children live in a workless family, lowest figure for 18 years . |
200,430 | 8f72e35ff1517e46e2da9caf3f3494528974eb2e | By . Steve Doughty, Social Affairs Correspondent . Sir Michael Wilshaw branded Birmingham 'a national disgrace' Birmingham has been branded a 'national disgrace' by Ofsted's chief inspector, who said the city is one of the worst places to grow up in the developed world. Sir Michael Wilshaw highlighted the infant mortality rate in Britain’s second city, which is higher than Cuba's and almost twice the national average. He singled Birmingham out in a scathing report that found 20 areas in England where councils do not have ‘the most basic acceptable practice in place’. Sir Michael blamed Birmingham, where a third of children live in poverty, for ‘failure of corporate governance on a grand scale’. Birmingham recently published a review . of the cruel murder of two-year-old Keanu Williams by his mother in . 2011. His case was dealt with by unqualified staff and students. Birmingham City Council, one of the 20 to be classed as 'inadequate', . has now failed on seven inspection judgements, Ofsted said. Sir . Michael said: ‘It is an absolute disgrace and government needs to look . at this with real urgency. If better governance means breaking [the . department] up so children are better protected, then that’s what needs . to happen.’ He added: ‘Why . is it that nearly a third of children in the city live in households on . low incomes? Why is it that infant mortality is almost twice the . national average, worse than in Cuba and on a par with Latvia and Chile? ‘These are shocking . statistics and a national disgrace. They are a testament to failure of . corporate governance on a grand scale. ‘What . is shocking is that this is the city council with responsibility for . more children than any other, our second city, the largest unitary local . authority in the country. ‘This is a city that should be nipping at London’s heels for power, status and influence.’ He implied that the council would work better to protect children if . it was smaller, saying: 'As somebody said about the banks not so long . ago, if they are too big to fail, they are too big. The same could be . said about this council. Two-year-old Keanu Williams (left) was beaten to death by his mother Rebecca Shuttleworth (right). A review into his death found his case was dealt with by unqualified staff and students . 'It is an absolute disgrace and . government needs to look at this with real urgency. If better governance . means breaking it up so that children are better protected, then that's . what needs to happen.' The chief inspector spoke as Ofsted released its first report on England’s 152 children’s services departments. Just 3 per cent of councils were rated as 'outstanding' and 86 - more than half - were deemed to be 'less than good'. The report highlights that across . England 700,000 children live in a home with an alcoholic parent, . 100,000 children have parents who are being treated for a hard drug . addiction, 130,000 live in domestically violent homes and there are . 17,000 children living with a parent who has a severe or enduring mental . illness. Sir Michael said children’s services had been undermined because one in three departmental directors have either quit or been sacked in the past year – 50 out of 152. ‘Incompetent and ineffective leadership must be addressed quickly,’ he added. ‘But where those in leadership positions have capacity and potential, this must be recognised and nurtured.’ Birmingham City Council has now failed on seven inspection judgements. Pictured: Council buildings . The report found 86 of the 152 councils had children’s services that were ‘less than good’. A spokesman for Birmingham council . said: ‘We are already on record as saying that we have failed to meet the basic expectation of keeping vulnerable children in this city safe. 'This is a long-standing problem which we acknowledge and the leader has said that improving children's services is his number one priority. 'While we can only agree with the seriousness of what Sir Michael has said with regard to children's services - indeed we have said it ourselves - we now need improvement rather than further diagnosis lacking any offer of solutions. 'We must work with Ofsted on this and we repeat our determination to improve the safety of children in this city as the highest priority for this council.' The 20 judged inadequate were Barnsley, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackpool, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire East, Cumbria, Devon, Doncaster, Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, Kingston on Thames, Medway, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Rochdale, Sandwell, Slough and Somerset. | Sir Michael Wilshaw singled Birmingham out in scathing report .
Highlighted infant mortality rate which is higher than Cuba's .
Blamed Birmingham for 'failure of corporate governance on a grand scale'
Birmingham City Council .
has failed on seven inspection judgements .
Implied the council would work better to protect children if .
it was smaller . |
37,184 | 6963971357560d82656287eed9969d91fdcc4d4d | By . Wills Robinson . A wide-ranging investigation has been launched into Fifa's involvement in a £58million World Cup ticket-touting racket. Detectives are keen to establish whether football's global governing body were aware of deals that saw thousands of tickets sold on the black market at hugely-inflated prices. Police are trying to establish the source of the scam, but believe 'someone from Fifa' and a middleman from hospitality partners, MATCH, channelled tickets to illegitimate distributors. The firm has become the centre of the scandal after the arrest of its British director, Ray Whelan, who is now considered a 'fugitive' after fleeing his Rio de Janeiro hotel last week. Scandal: Brazilian police have said that 'someone in Fifa', based at the headquarters in Zurich (pictured) and an 'intermediary' from MATCH hospitality chanelled tickets to the black market . Fled: Ray Whelan, an executive at MATCH Hospitality, is the centre of a multi-million pound ticket-touting investigation and is now considered a 'fugitive' after fleeing from his Rio de Janeiro hotel last week . He is one of 12 suspects, along with Algerian businessmen Lamine Fofana, who have been arrested and questioned for their alleged part in the criminal conspiracy. Police are believed to have filed charges against Whelan, Fofana and 10 others. MATCH have been reported as saying that the charges against Whelan are baseless and that his arrest was illegal. Around 22,000 hours of phone calls between a 'ringleader' and the Fifa headquarters in Switzerland are said to have been intercepted by police officers and will be used as the basis of the probe. Brazilian prosecutor Marcos Kac, who is heading up the inquiry, is set to enlist the help of Interpol and a number of other foreign police forces to aid what could be the biggest investigation into illegal ticket sales in the tournament's history. He said he wanted to identify the source of the tickets and also probe the possibility that tax evasion and money laundering was involved. Kac, who exposed the touting ring, told The Sunday Times: 'This next part of the investigation will be huge. We are going to get to the bottom of it and everyone involved.' The prosecutor has also said he will look into the roles of Mexican brothers Jaime and Enrique Byrom, directors of MATCH Hospitality who also own their own company, Byrom, in Cheadle, Cheshire. Probe: The prosecutor in the inquiry is Marcos Kac who claims he wants to 'get to the bottom of it and everyone involved' The scandal has grown since the initial investigation which centred around Whelan, who is the former agent of England legend Sir Bobby Charlton. Police in Rio de Janeiro have declared him 'a fugitive' after they attempted to re-arrest him as part of the investigation. Officers arrived at the lavish Copacabana Palace hotel last week with an arrest warrant, but he was not there and police said they had CCTV footage of him leaving through a service door. He has been described as the 'facilitator' who allowed a large ring of scalpers to have access to tickets, which they re-sold at vastly inflated prices. The Copacabana Palace is also where police conducted parts of an undercover operation known as Jules Rimet — named after the former FIFA president who launched the World Cup in 1930. Police received recordings of mobile phone conversations between Whelan and Fofana, who is alleged to be the leader of the ticket touting ring, negotiating the sale of hospitality packages for £14,605 each in cash. Whelan is now said to be on the run and could face ten years in jail if he is caught, but his legal team have said his arrest was 'illegal'. MATCH were allocated about 445,000 World Cup tickets. The latest set of allegations is part of a series of scandals involving Fifa. In June, the body, headed by Sepp Blatter, faced pressure to strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup following corruption claims. Sponsors Adidas, Visa and Sony expressed their anger after allegations emerged that the former vice president, Mohamed Bin Hammam, used bribes to secure votes for the country's bid. Fifa made £1billion from sponsorship at the previous World Cup in South Africa and relies heavily on continued advertising revenue from major firms. The governing body has said it takes a strong stance against ticket touts and will co-operate with any police investigation. Armed presence: Brazilian National Force police officers stand guard outside the Copacabana Palace where Ray Whelan, of MATCH Services, had been staying . | Detectives want to establish whether governing body was aware of deals .
Money laundering and tax evasion allegations also part of worldwide probe .
Brazilian prosecutor will enlist help of Interpol and other foreign forces .
Has said he wants to 'get to the bottom of it and everyone involved'
Follows the arrest of Ray Whelan, the director of MATCH Hospitality . |
183,257 | 795cfd632a42fc61a184d16c2352139f00e2ceef | (CNN) -- Frustrated that you can't share files the size of your entire music collection via e-mail? Google wants to help. Gmail users can now send files of up to 10 GB using Google Drive, the Web giant's cloud-storage service. That's 400 times bigger than files that can be shared in a regular e-mail, according to a blog post by Google's Gmail team. And because the files are stored in the cloud, all recipients will always have the latest version of the file -- in the case of a document that's being amended over time, for example. How a fake Google news story spread online . "So whether it's photos from your recent camping trip, video footage from your brother's wedding, or a presentation to your boss, all your stuff is easy to find and easy to share with Drive and Gmail," the post reads. Drive, and before that Google Docs, already allowed users to share large files. But the new feature is more streamlined, letting them do so without leaving Gmail. Launched in April, Google Drive offers users 5 GB of free storage, with each additional 25 GB going for $2.49. The move is part of an ongoing effort by Google to synchronize its various services, from Gmail to social network Google Plus to the Android mobile operating system. The ability to sync with Gmail offers Google a built-in edge over standalone cloud storage tools like Dropbox. "Should services like Dropbox be concerned? Sort of," wrote Ricardo Bilton of VentureBeat. "As the move shows, Google's core strength is in its ability to connect and integrate its various services -- even the unpopular ones -- into one cohesive product. This gives Drive a clear edge over competing standalone cloud services, so expect Google to leverage it as much as possible." The file-sharing feature will be rolled out over the next few days, according to Google. Users must have opted in to Gmail's "Compose" tool in order to use it. Google announced this year that Gmail has more than 425 million active users. | New Gmail tool allows sharing of files up to 10 GB .
Feature uses Google Drive, the company's cloud storage .
10 GB is 400 times the data currently shareable with Gmail . |
271,210 | eb4f0840698ca80f97366c514bf43ca25090ea3d | By . Sebastian Shakespeare . Nick Clegg failed to make the 25-mile trip from Westminster to Windsor Castle for a private meeting with the Queen last month, but he has managed to spend a staggering amount on long-haul travel. I hear that in just two months this year the Deputy Prime Minister racked up a bill of more than £83,000, to be picked up by the taxpayer. Cabinet Office records disclose that the Liberal Democrat leader spent £54,537 in February and £28,692 the previous month. The jet-setting son of a Dutch oil executive has made as many major foreign trips in the past few months as he had in the previous three years. British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg talks to media during his visit to the archeological site of Great Temple in Mexico City in February. He has spent £83,000 on long-haul travel in two months . The claims for January and February cover his visits to Spanish-speaking Colombia and Mexico. Clegg’s wife, Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, 45, is Spanish. He spent another £31,859 last September when he led a delegation of six to a United Nations gathering in Washington. Justifying the South American trade missions, the Cabinet Office says they helped to secure business deals worth ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’. It stresses that the travel costs include all other ministerial travel during the same month to engagements in the UK. The Cabinet Office said the visits have helped secure 'hundreds of millions of pounds' for UK business . ‘It was the biggest UK delegation ever to visit Colombia, and one of the biggest to visit Mexico,’ Clegg’s spokesman tells me. ‘Hundreds of millions of pounds of business was done during the visit and companies were introduced to new markets and potential customers that will increase trade for years to come. ‘In addition to the obvious trade benefits, political links were strengthened as the Deputy Prime Minister held meetings with the presidents and senior ministers from both countries.’ Clegg, 47, who speaks Dutch, German, Spanish and French, was joined on his trip to Colombia and Mexico by Trade and Investment Minister Lord Livingston, Mexico trade envoy Baroness Bonham-Carter and more than 40 UK business leaders. Companies represented included HSBC bank, engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce, oil and energy firm Shell, commercial banknote printer De La Rue and architects Zaha Hadid, plus senior representatives from British universities. Clegg should be applauded for reaching Latin America. As I may have mentioned before, after he failed to turn up for a fourth meeting with the Queen last year, his aide spluttered: ‘The f****** fact is he can’t f****** be everywhere, but I know you are going to go off and write that the DPM has f****** snubbed the Queen once a-f******-gain.’ | Deputy Prime Minister spent £54,537 on travel in February, records show .
Has spent £28,692 the previous month, Cabinet Office data suggests .
Cabinet Office says visits helped secure 'hundreds of millions of pounds'
Say costs include all other travel the same month to UK engagements . |
70,410 | c793d676a750b1c68b640468931966872c6a03aa | (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Cristobal formed early Sunday in the Caribbean, having strengthened from a tropical depression, the National Hurricane Center said. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The hurricane center issued tropical storm warnings on Sunday for the southeastern and central Bahamas as well as for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Cristobal is moving to the northwest but is expected to turn to the northeast in the coming days and miss the U.S. coastline. | It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph .
Tropical storm warnings have been issued in parts of the Bahamas .
NWS forecast puts the storm east of the United States early next week . |
281,130 | f82fec7ea1d4a47613c83f343738fdc9fa56b3a2 | (CNN) -- There's a new "Terminator" on the way -- and this time, he's guarding Sarah Connor. Entertainment Weekly reports that, as a way of rebooting the successful series, Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 isn't the villain he was in the first film, but closer to the reprogrammed version he was in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." And Connor is an orphan who's been raised by T-800 and isn't all that comfortable with the future she's been told about. "Since she was 9 years old, she has been told everything that was supposed to happen," producer David Ellison told EW. "But Sarah fundamentally rejects that destiny. She says, 'That's not what I want to do.' It's her decision that drives the story in a very different direction." Emilia Clarke plays Connor and Jai Courtney plays soldier-from-the-future Kyle Reese. In the original "Terminator," from 1984, Reese was sent back in time to defend Connor and ends up the father of the resistance leader he works for, John Connor. "Terminator: Genisys," the first of a planned trilogy, is due out July 1, 2015. | "Terminator: Genisys" due in 2015 .
In new film, Sarah Connor has been raised by T-800 .
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator . |
227,627 | b2bc3977799e4ceb7c52290a8d0a86eadd20def2 | Facing court threat: Princess Cristina could be named as a suspect in a multimillion euro fraud case . The daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos may be formally named as a suspect in a multimillion fraud case, it was reported today. Princess Cristina faces a possible indictment as her husband Inaki Urdangarin - the Duke of Palma - appeared in court to be questioned about allegations of money-laundering. Politicians are already calling for the abdication of her father after 37 years on the throne as anger grows over the corruption scandal engulfing the family. The preliminary request by prosecutors to name the princess is likely to be made next week based on the evidence of Diego Torres, her husband's business partner. Today on the Mediterranean island of in Palma de Mallorca, Urdangarin faced questions over allegations he and Torres funneled millions of euros to companies they controlled via a foundation on which Cristina served as a board member. Around 170 police kept noisy protesters away from the courthouse as Urdangarin, who has not been charged with a crime, went into the building. The investigating magistrate has ordered that he and Torres post a joint bond of €8.1m (£7m). They are alleged to have done fraudulent deals with politicians in regional . governments in Valencia and the Balearic Islands while running the not-for-profit Nóos Institute. Part of the money was then laundered through offshore accounts, it was claimed. Both Urdangarin and Torres deny any wrongdoing. Scroll down for video . Questions: Urdangarin and Princess Cristina who served on the board of his foundation . Family: Princess Cristina holds her daughter Irene beside her husband Inaki Urdangarin in 2005 . Miguel Bernad, head of the far-right Clean Hands movement told the Guardian: 'If the princess sits in the dock, the blow to the monarchy's prestige will be huge.' King Juan Carlos: Reported to be outraged by his son-in-law's behaviour . Clean Hands sent a prosecutor to join the case and has made earlier requests to magistrate José Castro to name Cristina as a suspect. Now Bernad has claimed new evidence had cast serious doubts over her husband's statement that his wife had a 'hands-off ' relationship with the foundation. Castro was set to question Urdangarin about three alleged offences . against the Treasury, including corporate tax fraud related to his . foundation and matters linked to his personal income tax returns. The judge also intends to ask about alleged bank accounts in tax havens such as Andorra, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Last week Torres revealed he had copies of dozens of emails that allegedly show that King Carlos tried to help his son-in-law land big contracts. The Guardian reported that he has hundreds of emails stored, and has slowly been releasing them in as an attempt to force the royal family to help him avoid jail . The investigation into the alleged financial misdeeds has deeply embarrassed the monarchy in a country hard hit by a financial crisis and sky-high unemployment. Urdangarin was given the title of Duke of Palma by the king, now 75, after his daughter married the Olympic-medal winning handball player in 1997. | Duke of Palma alleged to have done fraudulent deals with politicians .
Allegations of money-laundering by using off-shore accounts .
Calls for abdication of the king over corruption scandal . |
15,832 | 2cef95a57fc08168e899e7c30b428e3b149f1f3d | By . Associated Press Reporter . and Daily Mail Reporter . Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi said Friday that it's 'unfortunate' and 'sort of bizarre' that somebody photographed his ailing wife in a . nursing home and posted her image online in a political video against . him. A conservative blogger and three others . have been arrested in the past week and charged with at least one felony . each in what Madison police call a conspiracy to take unauthorized . photos of 72-year-old Rose Cochran, who has dementia. Cochran spoke to a small group of reporters Friday outside a campaign event in Jackson, according to WAPT-TV . Scroll down for video . Conservative blogger Clayton Thomas Kelly, 28, is accused of taking a picture of Rose Cochran in her nursing home . Tea Party member Mark Mayfield and John Mary were allegedly planning to use the image of Rose Cochran in a ad claiming her senator husband was having an affair . School teacher Richard Sager was also arrested for his part in the plot . 'It's . an unfortunate, sort of bizarre incident, but it's being handled by the . authorities and I trust in their good judgment,' said Cochran, who has . been in Washington most of the week. He also . said: 'The nursing home people are worried, you know, about the impact . it might have on their reputation. But I think everybody is trying to do . the right thing.' The photo incident has . created turmoil during the final two weeks of a campaign in which a tea . party-backed candidate, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, is trying to defeat a . former Senate Appropriations Committee chairman who's been in . Washington more than 40 years. The primary is June 3. McDaniel . has said repeatedly that his campaign had nothing to do with the . photos. He called the violation of Rose Cochran's privacy 'reprehensible.' She has lived in St. Catherine's Village nursing home in Madison for the past 13 years.The couple have been married 50 years and have two children together. The . Cochran family says she has lost the ability to speak and is receiving . hospice care. Police investigator Vickie . Currie said in city court Thursday that when blogger Clayton Kelly . photographed Rose Cochran on Easter Sunday, it was his third attempt to . do so. Kelly told investigators that he photographed her through a door . that opened to a hallway, his attorney, Kevin Camp, told The Associated . Press. Cochran's campaign has started running a . TV ad that mentions the photo incident, shows Kelly's jail mug shot and . identifies Kelly as a McDaniel supporter. A narrator says: 'Rise up . and say `no' to dirty politics.' McDaniel . responded in a statement Friday: 'It is disturbing that a United States . Senator would resort to dishonest attacks and using this incident for . political purposes in order to hold on to power. I call on Senator . Cochran to immediately take down this disgusting negative ad and instead . start talking about the issues of importance to Mississippians.' Senator Thad Cochran has called an alleged plot to film his wife in hospice care for a political ad 'bizarre' Kelly . was arrested May 17, and is charged with exploitation of a vulnerable . adult, conspiracy and photographing or filming of a person without . permission where there is an expectation of privacy. The . three people arrested Thursday were attorney Mark Mayfield of . Ridgeland, a Central Mississippi Tea Party board member who has helped . raise campaign cash for McDaniel; elementary school teacher Richard . Sager of Laurel; and John Mary of Hattiesburg, who took over hosting a . conservative talk radio show formerly hosted by McDaniel. Mary used John . Bert as his on-air name. McDaniel left the radio job before his . election to the state Senate in 2007. Mayfield . is charged with conspiracy. Sager is charged with evidence tampering . and conspiracy. Mary is charged with conspiracy involving the . exploitation of a vulnerable person and photographing or filming of a . person without permission where there is an expectation of privacy. Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan . Russell said any suggestion that the 76-year-old six-term senator is . having an inappropriate relationship with another woman is 'outrageous . and offensive and the dirtiest form of politics. As we see from the . arrests today, these people will stop at nothing to smear Thad Cochran, . including a despicable act like the one committed against Rose Cochran.' The Cochran family says Mrs Cochran has lost the ability to speak and is receiving hospice care. During . questioning in court, Madison police investigator Vickie Currie said . investigators believe the conspiracy was intended to use images of Mrs . Cochran to advance allegations Cochran was having an inappropriate . relationship. Currie said it was Kelly's third attempt to photograph the . 72-year-old woman. | Cochran called the move an 'unfortunate' incident .
Mark Mayfield, a Tea Party board member, school teacher Richard Sager and John Mary were arrested Thursday .
The activists were hoping to use the picture of Rose Cochran in an ad claiming Thad Cochran is having an affair .
Mrs Cochran has been suffering from dementia for 13 years and is in hospice care .
The men were hoping to support the campaign of Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel . |
79,279 | e0b9146d9831e9469c203c58be3521677ada430c | Harry Kane's brace secured the north London derby bragging rights for Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Saturday afternoon. Mesut Ozil had given Arsenal a dream start with his 11th minute strike but Kane stepped up in the second-half to settle the contest as Spurs stormed to a 2-1 victory. Here, Sportsmail's Sami Mokbel rates each player as Mauricio Pochettino's side saw off their London rivals. TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1) Hugo Lloris - 6.5 . A spectator for large chunks of the afternoon but was ready when called upon. Kyle Walker - 7 . Spent the majority of his afternoon supplementing his side's attacking options than defending such was Spurs' dominance. Danny Rose (left) puts in a strong challenge on Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck . Eric Dier - 7 . Surprise inclusion in place of Fazio, didn't have the busiest of afternoons but stood firm at the end. Jan Vertonghen - 7.5 . Organised his back-four well and coped with Giroud's physical presence for the most part. Danny Rose - 6.5 . Poor defending for Arsenal's first before becoming embroiled in an unnecessary tussle with Welbeck. Erik Lamela (left) was industrious against Arsenal but lacked a creative edge in the final third . Nabil Bentaleb - 8 . Straight back in the team after returning from AFCON and looked assured in the heat of battle. Ryan Mason - 7.5 . Wasteful in possession at times but ran his heart out on an intense afternoon at the Lane. Erik Lamela - 6.5 . Worked incredibly hard in pressing Arsenal but lacked a creative edge in Spurs' attacking third. Christian Eriksen (left) had a quiet afternoon by his own high standards but his deliveries were still top class . Moussa Dembele - 6.5 . Brilliant one minute, dreadful the next. Solid on the whole, but can do so much more. Christian Eriksen - 6.5 . Not his most influential afternoon but the quality of some of his deliveries were exceptional. Harry Kane - 9 . His first goals in a North London Derby. It'll be the first of many. Spurs' hero again. Harry Kane races away to celebrate after he equalised in the second-half at White Hart Lane . Subs . Chadli - 6 (for Dembele 75) Stambouli - 6 (on for Lamela 88) Mauricio Pochettino - 8 . Will be delighted with his side's display. Big afternoon for the Argentine. ARSENAL (4-2-3-1) David Ospina - 7 . Took an early blow but recovered to deny Spurs on several occasions. Hector Bellerin - 6.5 . Struggled to contain Eriksen and Rose down Spurs' left, left exposed by Welbeck. Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina impressed despite being twice beaten by Kane . Per Mertesacker - 7 . Looks so much more comfortable alongside Koscielny. Stood up well to bundles of Spurs pressure. Laurent Koscielny - 7 . A tower of strength for the Gunners in defence but lost Kane for Spurs' second. Nacho Monreal - 6.5 . Did well in keeping Lamela's threat to a minimum. No frills display from the left back. Laurent Koscielny (right) was a tower of strength in the centre of defence for the Gunners . Francis Coquelin - 7.5 . Has been a revelation in recent weeks and did so much of Arsenal's dirty work again. Aaron Ramsey - 6 . Couldn't get to grips with the game as Spurs dominated the game in the middle of the park. Mesut Ozil - 6.5 . Third goal in as many games, but not enough to save his team. Welbeck (left) played a crucial part in his side's opening goal but could have been better defensively . Santi Cazorla (left) shows his frustration during the game; the Spaniard was replaced in the second-half . Santi Cazorla - 6 . Couldn't replicate the dazzling displays of recent weeks. Replaced in the second half. Danny Welbeck - 6.5 . Returning from injury, the forward played a crucial role in the Gunners' opener but could have done more defensively. Olivier Giroud - 6 . Played a (lucky) part in Arsenal's opener, but this wasn't his best afternoon. Mesut Ozil (left) wheels away to celebrate after his 11th minute strike gave Arsenal an early lead . Subs: Rosicky - (for Cazorla 67); Walcott - 6 (for Welbeck 77); Akpom 6 (for Coquelin 88); Paulinho - 6 (for Mason 90) Arsene Wenger - 6.5 . Will have hurt to see his side dominated by Spurs. | Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-1 in the north London derby .
Mesut Ozil fired the Gunners into the lead in the 11th minute .
Harry Kane struck twice in the second-half to secure the win for Spurs . |
162,385 | 5df4593a08e61887a1bdc3f9d704e70f6491b40f | By . Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 05:12 EST, 15 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:23 EST, 15 February 2013 . Member: LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant has joined the popular Chinese social networking website Sina Weibo . Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant has become the latest household name to sign up to China's answer to Twitter. The LA Lakers player posted his first message on giant Chinese microblogging website - Sina Weibo - this morning, about an hour and a half before his team were due to play the LA Clippers. Bryant is the latest famous name to sign up to the site, which has more than 400 million users, including celebrities such as the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd. Twitter, which has around 500 million users worldwide has been banned in China since 2009 - along with a number of other western websites, including the video-sharing site You Tube. Hundreds of websites are blocked in mainland China under the . country's policy of internet censorship . News that Mr Bryant had joined Sina Weibo caused huge excitement amongst its users, with 200,000 following him within hours. Mr Bryant's first message on Sina Weibo read: 'Valentine's day sneaks ready to break Clippers hearts. Big game tonight.' Sina Weibo verified that the NBA . superstar has set up an individual account on the site. His account was created just days after a message appeared on Nike . Basketball's Sina Weibo account, named Black Mamba, which read: 'Hey it's Kobe, I've decided to take over Nike basketball's Weibo . handle for a few days and I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year.' Mr Bryant . is widely known and extremely popular in China, rivaling the country's homegrown basketball star . Yao Ming. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, billboards featuring Mr Bryant dominated China's commercial districts. The Los Angeles Lakers star already has several fans pages on Sina Weibo. One . of them — 'Home of Kobe' — has more than 200,000 followers. Along with . other sites, it posted a welcome message for him. Popular: The site boasts 400 million users. Several western-based websites, including Twitter, are currently banned in China . Celebrity users: Mayor of London Boris Johnson (left) and former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (right) are both believed to use Sina Weibo . By Friday, it was . translating fans' comments into English. 'Hello, Black Mamba, welcome to Sina Weibo. It's been a long time for Chinese fans to wait for this moment,' the page wrote. Sina Weibo is one of the most popular websites in China, and is reportedly used by well over 30 per cent of the country's internet users. It was launched by SINA Corporation on 14 August 2009, and now hosts around 100 million messages a day. Weibo means 'Microblog in Chinese. Other users of the site include a host of Chinese celebrities, famous business and media figures, athletes, scholars, artists, and religious figures. The German national Football team also reportedly posts on the site. Despite Sina Weibo's success, many Chinese people are believed to have defied the censors and used Twitter. | Fans rush to follow superstar after he posts on Sina Weibo for first time .
Microblogging site is China's answer to Twitter and has 400 million users .
Other celebrity users include the Mayor of London Boris Johnson . |
264,435 | e27f4317e96bacb99f13621b6ed7afd6b0546e72 | Aberdeen have reported Celtic’s Aleksandar Tonev for allegedly racially abusing Shay Logan during their Premiership clash at Parkhead on Saturday. Press Association Sport understands the Dons defender immediately reported the alleged second-half incident to referee Bobby Madden and skipper Mark Reynolds before informing manager Derek McInnes. Fourth official Crawford Allan and Celtic were also made aware of the allegation by the Dons management team. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sepp Blatter: Zero tolerance on racism in Football . Aberdeen's Shay Logan has accused Aleksander Tonev, taking on Niall McGinn here, of racial abuse . Tonev was making his Celtic debut after joining on loan from Aston Villa . The Scottish FA is awaiting the referee’s report which should arrive on Monday. Celtic were contacted by Press Association Sport but have yet to comment. Bulgaria winger Tonev, 24, was making his belated Celtic debut after arriving at Parkhead this summer on a one-year loan deal from Aston Villa with a groin injury. | Tonev accused of racially abusing Aberdeen's Logan .
Bulgarian international making his Celtic debut after joining on loan from Aston Villa .
Dons management team informed Celtic, who are yet to make a comment .
The Scottish FA is awaiting the referee's report which should arrive on Monday .
Ronny Deila's side won 2-1 at Celtic Park . |
126,790 | 2fe73baded14c1b4beae29a4a60a0b60c25e664b | (CNN) -- A few years ago, Chicago resident Craig Benzine worked as a waiter. Now his day consists of planning, editing and posting a show for a large audience. His sound stage? His home. Benzine is part of a new breed of celebrity: the successful YouTuber. Not only that, he now makes a living just from his videos. Under the name "Wheezy Waiter," Benzine puts on a regular show for 480,000 subscribers. He's part of the community of YouTube users who don't just think of the site as a place for fun videos (and with 1 billion unique users monthly, there are certainly plenty of casual viewers), but actively post to the site, putting a great deal of time and effort into entertaining their audience -- some of whom become "Internet famous" in the meantime. Benzine is one of the subjects of a documentary, "Please Subscribe," which examines the hardcore YouTube community, which ran in theaters earlier this year and is now available streaming online. Maintaining YouTube fame and making a living . For a lot of people, the idea of becoming famous -- and even making money -- on YouTube would appear to be something that just happens overnight. But in cases like Tay Zonday - whose song "Chocolate Rain" went viral - that's not the whole story. Zonday was already uploading a series of videos to YouTube, when one became wildly popular, increasing his following on the site and leading to more videos. With the number of YouTube subscribers having doubled in the last year, it should come as no surprise that we're seeing more success stories like this as well. "The people on YouTube are hard-working people, and they make a good living doing it," which is something that director Dan Dobi said he wanted to show with "Please Subscribe." That living is made through Google's AdSense program, which allows users to open their YouTube accounts to advertisers, after which Google selects the highest bidder. YouTubers get a cut of the profits. Some, according to Socialblade.com, earn millions of dollars a year. Dobi pointed out that most people on YouTube are not "one-hit wonders." "'Wheezy Waiter' uploaded hundreds of videos before getting recognition. To get successful is a hustle." "I wish more people took the plunge into it and created an account, and realized it's not just cat videos," said Mitchell Davis, another subject of "Please Subscribe," who posts stream of consciousness vidoes as "LiveLavaLive," for his 638,500 subscribers, and then some. The nature of YouTube celebrity . At the same time, the top YouTubers have fans just like other celebrities. "The Internet celebrity aspect is almost more of a personal thing. They come up to you, they see you on a regular basis," said Davis. "Some YouTubers upload five times a day. It's like 'I know you, I was just with you yesterday.' It's just like seeing a friend." Benzine remembers being pointed out by a woman on the street once, saying "It's Wheezy Waiter! I love Wheezy Waiter!" "I expected she was going to talk to me, but they walked right past," he said. "It was funny because she treated it as if I was just on her computer screen, not actually there." Zonday, who was suddenly everywhere in 2007 with his original song "Chocolate Rain," said he has gotten anecdotes from those among the video's 93 million views telling him he changed their lives. "Their 2-year-old can't stop singing 'Chocolate Rain' at bedtime. Their grandmother loves to hear me sing 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.' They made their boss laugh by playing my 'Old Spice' video and got forgiven for being late. These are the most rewarding [things to hear]." The Denton, Texas, YouTuber who only goes by the name Laina hit it out of the park with her very first video parodying "Beliebers." It made her an Internet meme for what became known as the "Overly Attached Girlfriend" face, which earned her more than 844,000 subscribers, a full-time YouTube career that pays her bills, and an invite to appear on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." "It was the most surreal, crazy, fun experience of my entire life. Not only to be on TV, or to be on a late-night talk show, but to be on Jimmy Fallon -- a show I love and watch all the time -- that was crazy." "Double Rainbow" fan Vasquez was invited to appear at a high school in Iceland after his video got 38 million views. "They toured me around the country, made me a festival where they sang, danced, did a play, made me a mural and a throne to watch it all. The parents came out, they made me protector of the student body, decorated the school in rainbows and after the performance surrounded me, hugging and kissing me like I was a king." And what of the other benefits? "AdSense alone pays my phone and Internet bill," he said. "I was a starving artist, for six years, prior to going viral, I made $6,000 a year or less breeding dogs, doing photography, eBay and cutting firewood. When I went viral, money started coming in from TV ads that I was in, the Gregory Bros. 'Double Rainbow' song, (which I still get checks from), licensing my videos, and public appearances." YouTubing as a business . This experience has taught Benzine about how the business of creativity works. "Being my own boss gives me a perspective I never had before. I understand that to be creative for a living, especially by yourself and on the Internet, you have to be able to roll with the punches, be versatile, connect with your audience, and be very prolific." And he wishes that the public at large knew how much work went into making YouTube success happen. "I used to sit back and critique TV and movies and YouTube much more harshly," he said. "But now I fully understand the process and what it means to come up with stuff on a regular basis, and it's hard work if you want to do it for a living. I actually work more hours a day now than I ever have in my life. Luckily, I love what I do. But that's what you have to do to make this work." Zonday -- who was posting to YouTube for four months before hitting it big and now has more than 700,000 subscribers -- said, "I work months on some songs and videos that never see the light of day. There are other videos that take mere minutes, like my reading of Dr. Seuss." For Laina, comedic YouTube videos come naturally. "To be honest, most are done in a day," she admitted. "I generally come up with an idea the day before, or maybe not even that early, and I write, record, and edit all in the same day. And to be honest, I've found that that's usually best." The YouTube community - or something more? Laina draws her inspiration from the "crazy, awesome thing" she calls the YouTube community. "I had no idea before I posted that first video that there was anything even close to it out there. I've met people and made friends that motivate and inspire me to make better, more creative videos every time I get to spend time with them. It's a wonderful thing, really." Several years and many viral videos into its success though, one has to wonder, why YouTube? What has sustained this community for so many years? "There's a deeper connection between the creator and the audience than with traditional media," Benzine explained. Indeed, one thing all of these YouTubers have in common is a consistent point of view and a conversational tone. "YouTubers are often talking directly to the camera. This gives the audience a sense that they are talking directly to them. It's because of this that I think the community is very tight and viewers and fans with take on a sense of ownership of the stuff created by the people they watch." Vasquez put it this way: "The YouTube community is humanity's consciousness, the site is our memory." In Zonday's view, though, YouTube is so big that it's gone beyond the term "community." "Calling YouTube a 'community' in 2013 is like saying rock 'n' roll is a 'community.' The term is too small." Benzine just hopes that YouTube continues to expand and that will benefit the individual YouTuber. "We're in the middle of a time of big change in the entertainment world. This could turn into something even bigger or I could be left in the dust. I don't know. I'm enjoying the ride, though." Who are some of your favorite YouTubers? | In eight years, YouTube has created Internet celebrities with large followings .
YouTubers with a large number of subscribers can make a living just making videos .
In the view of some, YouTube has even grown beyond the term "community" |
103,599 | 11a1661ffdab05ff5b378d79931b72557cbbbefb | The prime minister of Turkey embraced new technology this week by addressing a rally via hologram. Recep Tayyip Erdogan recorded the message in advance, which was beamed to an audience of thousands and a political gathering on Sunday. Mr Erdogan turned to the technology, famously deployed to bring rapper Tupac to the stage years after his death, because he was too far away to make the journey to Izmir in western Turkey. Hi-tech: Prime minister Erdogan appears to crowds in Izmir . Message: Mr Erdogan, who could not be at the event in person, encouraged members of his party ahead of elections in Turkey . The full-body hologram, which stood at around 10 feet, was greeted with whoops and cheers by appreciative members of Mr Erdogan's AKP party. In the flesh: Mr Erdogan delivers a speech in person last year . The message had been recorded in advance against a green-screen by technology company Polyvision. Mr Erdogan used his remote address to encourage his supporters ahead of a round of elections. According to Breitbart, he also warned of 'treasonous networks' working against him. He told the crowd: 'We are going to the elections in the shadow of attacks prepared by treasonous networks. I urge all my mayoral candidates to not waste any of their time.' However, despite the obvious spectacle of Mr Edrogan's delivery, he is not the world leader in holographic political speeches. In 2012 Narendra Modi, an Indian opposition leader, used hologram technology to broadcast himself to 26 different audiences at once. He said this was a demonstration of India's technological prowess. Reception: Mr Erdogan, seen on-screen to the right, was greeted enthusiastically by the audience . Preparation: The message had been recorded in advance using a green screen . | Mr Erdogan spoke to members of the AKP part in Izmir, western Turkey .
The message, delivered on Sunday, had been recorded in advance .
He encouraged supporters ahead of forthcoming elections . |
171,228 | 699d17496d8d5681c4d1009a42e1a499f7e0152d | Washington (CNN) -- They are the nation's first African-American President and attorney general, so Barack Obama and Eric Holder always were going to face extra scrutiny over their approach to racially charged issues. Conservative critics howled when Obama said in 2009 that police acted "stupidly" in arresting black Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates outside his home. Holder prompted a similar outcry earlier that year when he called America a "nation of cowards" about racial issues. Now past the two-thirds mark of the Obama presidency, the pair have avoided such loaded language in response to the August 9 shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer in suburban St. Louis. Root causes . While Holder recently reiterated his "nation of cowards" statement, he and Obama have tried to focus attention on root causes of racial division in the aftermath of Brown's killing, which has sparked more than a week of unrest on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, chronicled by widespread media coverage. "The eyes of the nation and the world are watching Ferguson right now," Holder said Wednesday during a visit to the community. "The world is watching because the issues raised by the shooting of Michael Brown predate this incident. This is something that has a history to it, and the history simmers beneath the surface in more communities than just Ferguson." On Thursday, he said "few things have affected me as greatly" as his trip to Ferguson, and he cited a "sense of mistrust and mutual suspicion" between law enforcement and residents as something that needs to change. "I wanted the people of Ferguson to know that I personally understood that mistrust," Holder said. In commenting on the matter earlier this week, Obama also spoke of troubled minority communities that "as a consequence of tragic histories, often find themselves isolated, often find themselves without hope, without economic prospects." "You have young men of color in many communities who are more likely to end up in jail or in the criminal justice system than they are in a good job or in college," he said. "And, you know, part of my job -- that I can do, I think, without any potential conflicts -- is to get at those root causes." Racial issues . To CNN political commentator LZ Granderson, a series of divisive racial issues since Obama took office have shaped the President's approach. First came a white police officer's arrest of Gates, a prominent African-American scholar, as he tried to get into this own locked home. In 2012, the shooting of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman roiled the nation, and now there's the Brown killing. "Any time a situation like this occurs, he becomes more of a more centrist, emotionally," Granderson said Wednesday. "But in terms of what he is actually saying to the American people, he's becoming much more thoughtful." In the aftermath of the Martin killing and soaring gun violence in Chicago and elsewhere, Obama this year launched the My Brother's Keeper program to provide mentoring and other support for African-American and Hispanic boys in rough neighborhoods. Holder, meanwhile, has launched 20 investigations of police practices and alleged discriminatory enforcement patterns in the past five years, more than twice the number of such inquiries in the previous five years. Calming affect? He said Wednesday that he hoped his visit to Ferguson would have a calming affect by showing the federal government was investigating. At the same time, Holder made clear that federal authorities were examining possible civil rights violations under their jurisdiction, while state and local authorities would continue their criminal investigation of Brown's killing. A child of the civil rights era, Holder told his own stories of racial profiling -- his car being searched during a traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike; police officers stopping him as he ran to a movie theater in Washington's tony Georgetown neighborhood. "At the time that he stopped me, I was a federal prosecutor," Holder said. "I wasn't a kid. ... I worked at the United States Department of Justice. So I've confronted this myself." "A good step" Antonio French, a St. Louis city alderman, called Holder's visit "a good step" because it showed that the community's plight was "at the top of his priority list." A decade younger than Holder, Obama has taken a present-day approach to personalizing his experience as black in America. After Martin was killed by Zimmerman two years ago, the President called for a full investigation, noting that "if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." In his remarks Monday, Obama avoided any assessment of blame in the Brown killing, saying "I have to be very careful about not prejudging these events before investigations are completed." He admonished an overzealous police response that has dispersed peaceful demonstrators, as well as looting and other protest violence that he said undermined the goal of seeking justice. Magazine: The Aftermath in Ferguson . Read more about the flash point in the Heartland at CNN.com/US . CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report. | NEW: Holder cites mistrust between police and residents of Ferguson .
No loaded language this time from President Obama, Attorney General Holder .
In the past, both made controversial statements in response to racial issues .
Granderson: Obama has become more centrist in response to racial issues . |
239,745 | c25eaa87d7ff1d1fd503bfb7049a41bbf282e916 | (CNN) -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre will meet this week with an NFL official as part of the league's investigation into allegations that he sent sexually explicit messages to women, an NFL spokesman said Monday. "It's no secret," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Any time you review a matter like this, you're going to talk to the person involved. What we've said is, 'Yes, we will be interviewing him as part of the process.' " Aiello said the meeting with Favre would not include Commissioner Roger Goodell, but the spokesman would not divulge with whom or where the meeting was to take place. "We don't generally provide these kind of details," Aiello said. Asked Sunday what he expects to come out of the meeting, Favre said, "I don't expect anything. As I said last week, during the week, tonight, I'm concerned about the next game. I'll let that take its course." Sunday's news conference came after Favre led the Vikings to a 24-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, going 14 for 18 with 119 yards, one touchdown and one turnover. The claims were first published by the sports website Deadspin.com, which has posted nude pictures, text and voice messages it alleges he sent to a model and former television host who worked for the New York Jets in 2008. The Jets have given National Football League officials all the information they have regarding the incident, a team spokesman said last week. Jesse Derris, a spokesman for the Jets, told HLN's "Prime News" that the team has no role in the allegations against Favre, who played one season in New York and now plays for the Minnesota Vikings. Favre, who has been married for 14 years, has had no public comment on the allegations. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in August 2009 after emerging from retirement for the second time in as many years. Deadspin first reported in August that Favre sent text messages, left voice mails and sent pictures of himself naked from the waist down to Jenn Sterger, who worked as a sideline personality and host for the Jets at the time. It also published what it said were excerpts from the messages. Afterward, Deadspin reported that a second woman had come forward to allege that she had received other lewd messages from the quarterback and that a third woman, whom the site did not identify, had received similar messages. The site reported the two women were massage therapists hired by the Jets and identified them only by pseudonyms. Derris said the therapists were hired for two days in the team's 2008 training camp and would not confirm whether they had any direct contact with Favre. CNN could not independently confirm whether the voice in the recordings belongs to Favre or whether he sent the notes. Sterger's representatives have declined comment. A.J. Daulerio, Deadspin's editor-in-chief and author of the Favre stories, told CNN last week that no one from the NFL has contacted him about an investigation into Favre. He acknowledged that third-party sources were paid for the story about Sterger and that he could not say definitively that the messages or photos the site posted came from the 41-year-old quarterback. Favre played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, leading the team to a Super Bowl title in 1997. He was traded to the Jets after the 2007 season. | Vikings quarterback to meet with NFL official over conduct investigation .
Meeting will not include Commissioner Roger Goodell .
Favre: "I'll let that take its course" |
270,109 | e9d296864ee23e09ff5473dac57d765c43c9ccf5 | London, England (CNN) -- A trial against six environmental activists accused of conspiring to shut down a power station in the UK has collapsed amid questions over the role of an undercover police officer in infiltrating the group. The six were among 114 people originally arrested in a police raid at a school in Nottingham, central England, in April 2009. The protesters planned to trespass and shut down a coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Twenty protesters received suspended sentences and conditional discharges earlier this month after they were convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass at the power station. But a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement that information which had "significantly undermined the prosecution's case" against the six had come to light on January 5. "In light of this information, the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the case and decided there was no longer sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. We offered no evidence at a hearing this morning, thereby discontinuing the case." Defense lawyer Mike Schwarz said he believed the prosecution's actions were influenced by defense plans to disclose material relating to the discovery that one of those arrested in the raid had been undercover police officer called Mark Kennedy, known to the protesters as Mark Stone. "My clients were not guilty. They did not agree to join in any plan to occupy the power station. The evidence of PC Kennedy presumably confirmed this," Schwarz said in a statement. "Yet that evidence, had it been kept secret, could have led to a miscarriage of justice." Danny Chivers, one of the six defendants, questioned police motives for the raid, telling CNN: "This investigation was not in the public interest. It was political policing -- we had done nothing wrong." Bradley Day, one of the activists involved in plans to protest at the power station, told CNN that Kennedy had played a "key role in organizing the action," including taking part in a recce to the power station. He also offered to pay more than £700 ($1,090) for the cost of a rental vehicle, he said. But most of those at the school had not been aware of the plan prior to that evening's meeting and so had not actively committed to any illegal action, he said. Day said defense lawyers had become aware of Kennedy's role as an undercover police officer while researching the backgrounds of all 114 who had been initially arrested. In an anonymous statement forwarded to CNN by Chivers, one of the defendants said they had known "Mark Stone" for five or six years and "liked and trusted him." "Mark was at the meeting for the Ratcliffe action in the late afternoon/early evening of 13/04/09 (so he knew the plan in detail)," the statement said. The defendant said the pair planned to suspend themselves in a hanging climbing tent beneath the power station's coal conveyer. "We were going to climb together and I think he was also driving one of the vehicles," the statement continued. After their release from police custody, the defendant said he had slept the night on Mark Stone's sitting room floor: "I remember being awake at about eight the next morning and seeing Mark sitting at the bottom of the stairs with his head in his hands. I assumed that this was him being upset about the arrest rather than anything more complicated." Schwarz said the case raised "serious questions relating to the policing of protest, from the use of undercover officers, to the use of expensive and legally questionable mass pre-emptive arrest of protesters, to the use of stringent and unaccountable pre-charge police bail conditions, to the seemingly arbitrary nature by which the 114 initially arrested were reduced to the final 26 who were eventually charged." CNN's Geoff Hill, Antonia Mortensen and Laura Perez Maestro contributed to this story. | Trial of environmental activists collapses as prosecution offers no evidence .
Prosecution says new information had "significantly undermined" its case .
Defense planned to disclose information about an undercover police officer .
Activists say Mark Kennedy played a "key role" in organizing the action . |
188,506 | 8022678c02e87024479501b35104a0df4b6370db | Benjamin Wilson, from Billingham, was jailed for six years after admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm . A son has been jailed for a horrific hammer attack on his father after snapping over tears of 'excessive and extreme' domestic violence. Benjamin Wilson, from Billingham, was defending his mother when he beat his father Craig with a lump hammer . The attack left his father - who was described as a 'violent nasty drunk' in court - with brain damage and holes in his head. The 22-year-old, who is a new father himself, had grown up in 'an atmosphere of violence, fear and intimidation' and was subjected to violence himself. He was jailed for six years after admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but the sentence has sparked outrage. Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Benjamin Wilson to be freed. The 'Free Ben Wilson' e-petition has more than 20,000 signatures from around the world, and a 'Help Free Ben Wilson' Facebook page has thousands of likes. The petition, which was set up by Marie Taylor, says: 'Ben got 6 years for protecting his mother and himself from an abusive man under the influence of alcohol. 'Ben has recently become a father and is not going to be able to bring his child up and give him a better life than what he was brought up in. 'Save this boy from more years of [torture] he has suffered enough and his family.' Tammy Jones, from Portsmouth, wrote: 'He was defending his mum after years of both physical and to both mental abuse.' Anita Homer added: 'This is appalling!!! We have a wonky, unfair and non standardised jurisdiction. 'There are so many cases where a person has intentionally killed someone and only received very short sentences. 'This lad's behaviour was not intentional. He only wanted to protect his mom.' Alex Loveridge, from Christchurch in New Zealand, added: 'I'm signing because even though using a hammer to stop someone is wrong in his circumstances it's completely justifiable and my heart breaks for him.' Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC told Teesside Crown Court that the case was a sustained attack with a 'fearsome weapon' on a defenceless man. The court heard the 22-year-old, pictured, had grown up in 'an atmosphere of violence, fear and intimidation' and was subjected to violence himself . But he said the alcoholic father, described in court as a 'violent nasty drunk' had subjected his family to domestic abuse, and the son had been the victim of such abuse and violence. Craig Wilson was described in court as a 'Jekyll and Hyde', who once served a two-year sentence for assaulting his wife. During that assault on New Year's Eve 2007, the 46-year-old put both hands around his wife's neck and pressed so hard her eyes bled and she passed out. Benjamin Wilson's sentence was reduced by the judge from 12 years to six, because of his good character and 'the degree and nature of the provocation that you've faced, not only on that occasion but on other occasions'. Teesside Ctrown Court heard Craig Wilson was like 'Jekyll and Hyde' and once served a two-year sentence for assaulting his wife . | Benjamin Wilson was defending his mother when he beat his father Craig .
22-year-old had grown up in 'an atmosphere of violence and intimidation'
Was jailed for six years after admitting wounding with intent to cause GBH .
A petition calling for him to be freed has attracted thousands of signatures . |
251,637 | d1b74e8902e1f0457bf1c97cce725b489b3ac5db | PUBLISHED: . 06:42 EST, 3 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:06 EST, 3 October 2012 . A Minnesota man who veered into oncoming traffic last year while allegedly having sex, killing two people, has pleaded guilty in exchange for a recommended four-year prison term. Mark Anders Chalin, 24, entered his guilty plea to criminal vehicular homicide on Monday in Blue Earth District Court. Prosecutors say Chalin, of Mankato, smashed into a car being driven by Jonna Martin, a 35-year-old engaged mother of four on August 7, 2011, on County Road 90. Mark Chalin and Amber Menezes were having sex when Chalin crashed his car, killing her as well as a mother-of-four in the another car . Jonna Martin, a mother of four, was also killed in the collision when the car she was driving was hit . Witnesses told police that just before . the collision, they saw Amber Menezes straddling Chalin in the driver's seat, . blocking his view of the road. Martin, of Lakeview, and Chalin's passenger, 23-year-old Menezes, were killed and Chalin was hospitalised for 45 days with 26 broken bones. An obituary in the Mankato Free Press said Mrs Menezes is survived by her husband Chris. Chalin told Judge Bradley Walker Monday that he agreed to plead guilty because he doesn't remember what happened, but understood a jury had enough evidence to convict him. He said he remembered leaving his father's house in Delavan with Menezes in his car and making a couple of turns while driving to his apartment in Mankato. Amber, seen here on her wedding day, was survived by her husband Chris. She was blocking Mark Chalins view while he drove as she was straddling him . 'The next thing I remember is waking up in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,' Chalin said. 'I don't remember which day.' Assistant Blue Earth County Attorney Chris Rovney is recommending a 48-month sentence as part of the plea agreement. Chalin's attorney, Jacob Birkholz, said he planned to argue for a lesser sentence. Menezes' mother, Michelle Scholl, who attended the hearing, said she doesn't support the plea agreement. She said: 'I will never have grandchildren from my daughter. She was somebody who did something with her life. He is a repeat offender. Country Road 90 in Minnesota, where the fatal smash took place. Chalin will be sentenced in December. 'He has taken no responsibility. How can . you be sorry for something if you don't think you did anything wrong? That's my question.' Chalin has a record of more than a dozen past charges, including harassment and trespassing. Martin's fiance, Roger Thompson, didn't attend. He said during a June hearing that he had already used up all of his vacation time to be at earlier hearings. Chalin's sentencing hearing is scheduled for December. | Mark Anders Chalin pleads guilty to criminal vehicular homicide after veering into oncoming traffic .
His view was blocked by Amber Menezes 'straddling' him in drivers seat, said witnesses .
Head-on crash killed Jonna Martin, an engaged 35-year-old mother of four .
23-year-old Menezes, who was married to another man, was also killed .
Chalin suffered 26 broken bones and spent 45 days in hospital . |
159,031 | 5992b64f6ccb9eee9978a161e753a3140886f3f2 | By . John Drayton . As his new Manchester City team-mates were preparing to face Sporting Kansas City in the sweltering heat on Wednesday, Bacary Sagna was still enjoying a sunshine break. The right back, who joined the Premier League champions from Arsenal this summer, was relaxing 1,600 miles away in Miami with wife Ludivine. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Bacary Sagna and wife Ludivine swimming off Miami beach . Cooling off: Bacary Sagna takes a dip with his wife Ludivine in Miami . Fun times: Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna and wife Ludivine take a dip in the sea in Miami . Sunshine break: Sagna was relaxing 1,600 miles from Man City team-mates as he enjoyed extended holiday . Snap happy: Bacary Sagna poses for a picture with young fans on the beach . Sagna has been on an extended holiday since France crashed out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals to Germany, . He spent eight years at Arsenal before agreeing to join City on a deal worth £150,000 a week. Manuel Pellegrini’s side take on Sporting Kansas before friendlies against AC Milan and Liverpool in the next week. The Blues jetted out to America following a short spell in Scotland where they lost to Dundee before beating Hearts. Time out: Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna and wife Ludivine relax in Miami after a long season . Resolved: After a long contract stand-off with Arsenal, Sagna departed the club to join City . Take a break: Since resolving his future, Sagna has holidayed in Miami with wife Ludivine . Recuperating: City have already begun their pre-season but Sagna is on break due to playing in the World Cup . VIDEO Pellegrini calm over squad despite Negredo injury . Sagna joined Premier League champions Manchester City at the end of his Arsenal contract putting an end to months of speculation about his future. The France . international will compete with Pablo Zabaleta for a spot in Manuel . Pellegrini's side, but both men are on extended summer breaks after . their World Cup exploits. Sagna . helped Les Bleus reach the World Cup quarter-finals where they lost to . Germany, while Zabaleta's Argentina reached the final where they also . succumbed to the Germans. Bacary . agreed to join City on a £150,000-a-week deal with Manchester City . after eight years with the Gunners, but denies he left for financial . reasons. Happy ending: Sagna ended his seven-year spell at Arsenal with silverware by winning the FA Cup . Les Bleus: Sagna represented France at the 2014 World Cup where they reached the quarter-finals . 'I’m going to clear everything up because I keep reading that I did it for money and I’m greedy,' he said. 'What I want to say is I have stayed with Arsenal on the same contract since 2008 and I never asked for more money. 'For . people who think it’s for money, it’s not. I just wanted to change. I . needed a boost in my career and I think it was about time. 'It . was not an easy time because we were still involved in the FA Cup and . it was hard to stay focused. I stayed focused on my team because I have a . lot of respect for Arsenal.’ | Bacary Sagna and wife Ludivine enjoying holiday in Miami .
Defender completed free transfer to Manchester City from Arsenal .
France international yet to link up with new club due to World Cup exploits . |
171,841 | 6a6810e16e14b80e5fe796995f4f1966943e758f | By . Jill Reilly . An Indian woman was gang raped, strangled and then had acid poured on her face in an apparent attempt to hide her identity. Police are now trying to find out the identity of the woman who is believed to be aged about 22, after her body was discovered in a field in Aithpura, close to the city of Bareilly on Saturday. Her face had later been mutilated with acid and petrol, apparently in an attempt to hide her identity. Protestors shout slogans as police use a water cannon as they protest against two rape of two teenage girls last week in India . The result of a post-mortem examination released on Monday showed the woman had been assaulted, made to drink acid and then strangled, according to the Press Trust of India news agency, reports The Independent. Her face had later been mutilated with acid and petrol, apparently in an attempt to hide her identity. The attack took place about 60 miles from the village where two girls were gang raped and hanged from a tree last week. Today police used water cannons to disperse hundreds of women who were protesting against a rise in violence against women. Three men were arrested for the crime in Uttar Pradesh that underscored the enduring culture of sexual assault in India and the capacity for appalling violence between Hindu castes . All India Democratic Youth Organization(AIDYO) and All India Democratic Students' Organization (AIDSO) activists block a road as they shout slogans against the Bengali government . Indian Bharatiya Janata Party demonstrators are hit by water cannon as they stand behind a police barricade . Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demonstrators argue with policewomen during the protests . An Indian woman, left, one among the protestors demonstrating outside the office of Uttar Pradesh state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, demanding that he crack down on an increasing number of rape and other attacks on women and girls, . The protesters in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, were demonstrating outside the office of the top elected official, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, demanding that he crack down on an increasing number of rape and other attacks on women and girls. Hundreds of police officers, including female officers, pushed and shoved the protesters before deploying water cannons to disperse them. The protesters also demanded that the government curb police indifference, which they said was encouraging attacks on women. Police failed to take any action when the father of one of the girls reported to police that the two cousins were missing. Two police officers were fired for dereliction of duty after the girls were found gang-raped and killed. Shocking: The dead bodies of two teenage sisters hanging from a mango tree in Uttar Pradesh . Victims: Teenage cousins Pushpa, left, and Murti, right, were raped and murdered before their bodies were hung from a tree . One of their fathers said police took more than 12 hours to respond to his report that the girls were missing. He said if the police had acted promptly, they could have been rescued. Yadav has recommended a federal inquiry, but his government has been widely accused of a lackadaisical approach toward women's safety. India has a long history of tolerance of sexual violence, but the attack on the girls has caused outrage across the nation. Activists and ordinary people said it was as if nothing had changed since the December 2012 fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman aboard a moving bus in New Delhi, India's capital. The nationwide outcry following that attack led the federal government to push through legislation doubling prison terms for rapists to 20 years and criminalizing voyeurism, stalking and the trafficking of women. The law also makes it a crime for officers to refuse to register cases when complaints are made. | Police are trying to find out the identity of woman believed to be aged 22 .
Woman was gang raped, strangled and then had acid poured on her face .
Body was discovered in a field in Aithpura, close to the city of Bareilly .
Last week dead bodies of two teenage sisters hanging from a mango tree . |
115,392 | 20e7007cab5203963d3940c1af2373ee5dec1480 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Fall: The number of slugs, spiders, worms and other invertebrates across the world has fallen by 45 per cent over the past 35 years, a study has revealed . The world’s population of creepy crawlies has fallen by nearly half – but that is bad news for us, experts warn. A study published in the journal Science, reveals that the number of slugs, spiders, worms and other invertebrates has fallen by 45 per cent over the past 35 years as the human population has doubled. Experts fear this will harm the planet as creepy crawlies play an important role in pollinating crops, pest control, decomposition and ensuring soil remains packed with nutrients, as well as water filtration. The fall in invertebrate numbers is thought to be linked to the loss of their habitats and climate change. In the UK the number of beetles, butterflies, bees and wasps has fallen by up to 60 per cent. Experts warn that fewer insects would have a huge effect on crop production as up to 75 per are pollinated by insects, amounting to around 10 per cent of the world's food supply. And the cost of pest control without natural predators could be more than £2.6 billion pounds in the United States alone. Scientists fear a drop in the insect population could also spark a decline in birds, which prey on pests that damage crops, and amphibians, which help keep water supplies free from algae. Decreasing invertebrate numbers are also known to compromise food production due to reduced pollination, seed dispersal and insect predation. But the impact the continuing loss of animals, including invertebrates, has on the spread of human disease needs to be better understood as a priority, experts claim. Dr Ben Collen, from University College London's Biosciences Department, said: 'We were shocked to find similar losses in invertebrates as with larger animals, as we previously thought invertebrates to be more resilient. Decline: In the UK alone, the number of beetles, butterflies, bees and wasps has fallen by up to 60 per cent . 'While we don't fully understand what the long-term impact of these declining numbers will be, we are currently in the potentially dangerous position of losing integral parts of ecosystems without knowing what roles they play within it. 'Prevention of further declines will require us to better understand what species are winning and losing in the fight for survival and from studying the winners, apply what we learn to improve conservation projects. 'We also need to develop predictive tools for modelling the impact of changes to the ecosystem so we can prioritise conservation efforts, working with governments globally to create supportive policy to reverse the worrying trends we are seeing.' Lead author Prof Rodolfo Dirzo, of Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment in the US, added: 'Where human density is high, you get high rates of defaunation, high incidence of rodents, and thus high levels of pathogens, which increases the risks of disease transmission. 'Who would have thought that just defaunation would have all these dramatic consequences, but it can be a vicious circle. 'We tend to think about extinction as loss of a species from the face of Earth, and that's very important, but there's a loss of critical ecosystem functioning in which animals play a central role that we need to pay attention to as well. 'Ironically, we have long considered that defaunation is a cryptic phenomenon, but I think we will end up with a situation that is non-cryptic because of the increasingly obvious consequences to the planet and to human well-being.' | World's population of creepy crawlies has fallen by 45% over past 35 years .
Insects play a vital role in pollinating crops and pest control, claim experts .
Fall in numbers thought to be linked to loss of habitats and climate change .
In UK, the number of beetles, butterflies, bees and wasps has fallen by 60% . |
214,144 | a153519b3ef19a3093488be56dca083928eea0b7 | More than 1,500 Yazidi women seized by Islamic extremists in Iraq are being forced to 'marry' their captors, it was claimed today. Witnesses in the town of Sinjar say Al Qaeda-inspired Islamic State fighters separated the younger women from the rest of the local population and most were shunted off in buses or trucks. It is believed to be an attempt to co-opt them into service as the wives of fighters. Up to 3,000 women and girls have been kidnapped by the jihadis in the north of the country in just a fortnight - and hundreds of men who refuse to convert have been shot dead. The kidnappings appear to have happened in villages where residents took up arms against IS - and the women are being held separately from the men in IS-controlled Tal Afar, east of Mount Sinjar. Scroll down for video . Innocent: A displaced Iraqi child from the Yazidi community (left) holds a juice carton after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, Iraq. Another Yazidi refugee child is seen (right) in Zakho, Iraq . Shelter: A young Yazidi child takes shelter among unfinished buildings in the Zakho district, a few miles from the Iraqi-Turkish border . Family: A Yazidi mother comforts her baby as she and her family huddle together on the construction site in Zakho . A Yazidi child receives a polio vaccine at Khanke, outside Dahuk, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad . A Yazidi child receives a polio vaccine. The Yazidis are a centuries-old religious minority viewed as apostates by the Islamic State group, which has claimed mass killings of its opponents in Syria and Iraq . Iraqi clerics from the Yazidi Yazidis found refuge after Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar . An Iraqi Yazidi girl holds a baby under a bridge on the outskirts of the Kurdish city of Dohuk . Yazidi community gather under a bridge where they sought refuge after Islamic State militants attacked the town of Sinjar . Yazidi community settle at the Qandil mountains near the Turkish border outside Zakho, 300 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq . Young faces: An Iraqi Yazidi girl poses for a photo on the outskirts of the Kurdish city of Dohuk (left), while another is seen standing among clothing at Silopi refugee camp near Sirnak, at the Turkish-Iraqi border (right) Caught up in conflict: An Iraqi Yazidi girl on the outskirts of the Kurdish city of Dohuk (left), and another is seen (right) after crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing . Some 200,000 people escaped to safety in Iraq's Kurdish region, but others remain on the mountain. Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser, told the Agence France-Presse news agency: ‘The victims are of all ages, from babies to elderly men and women.’ ‘It seems they took away entire families, all those who did not manage to flee. We fear the men may have been executed.’ A place to rest his head: A little boy takes a nap in a makeshift hammock at his family's camp . Picture of innocence: Two young girls staying at the makeshift camp on the Xakho construction site . Too much, too young: Many of the displaced Yazidis fleeing from the Islamic State forces are children . All ages: Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser, says the victims are of 'all ages, from babies to elderly men and women' Help: The US began strikes against IS a week ago, in part to prevent the massacre of tens of thousands of Yazidis in northern Iraq . Escape: Many Yazidi families fled the militants by scrambling up a barren mountain, where they became stranded . Support: Most of the Yazidi families were eventually able to escape with help from Kurdish fighters . Left empty: The unfinished building where many of the families have been living after they were forced to flee their homes . Meal time: A young girl with other members of her family as they settle in for the night at the Zakho settlement . Heartbreaking: The upheaval was clearly too much for this little girl, who was left in tears . Making do: Displaced families have filled the unfinished building, setting up home in the empty rooms . Two women - Leila Khalaf and Wadhan Khalaf - were among those kidnapped from Mujamma Jazira village, said their relative Dakhil Atto Solo. He added that the abductions happened after residents tried to resist the IS attack, telling AFP: ‘Of course we tried to defend our villages, but they had much bigger weapons. ‘All we had were our Kalashnikovs. They executed 300 men, and took the women to their prisons. Only God can save them now.’ Their children, said Mr Solo, were rescued by the family. Nowhere to go: A young child plays with a discarded food can as his family takes shelter . Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle yesterday at the Qandil mountains near the Turkish border . Some 200,000 people escaped to safety in Iraq's Kurdish region, but others remain on the mountain . ‘But the women were in a house surrounded by IS. We had to escape. Now, the children cry for their mothers all the time. "Mama, mama," they wail. But there is no mama, we tell them.’ His comments on the dire situation came as Islamic extremists shot dead scores of Yazidi men, lining them up in small groups and opening fire with assault rifles before seizing their wives and children. 'The victims are of all ages, from babies to elderly men and women. It seems they took away entire families, all those who did not manage to flee. We fear the men may have been executed' Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International . A Yazidi politician cited the mass killing in Kocho as evidence that his people were still at risk after a week of US and Iraqi air strikes on the militants. Meanwhile, warplanes targeted insurgents around a large dam that was captured by the IS extremist group earlier this month. US Central Command said the strikes were launched under the authority to support humanitarian efforts in Iraq, as well as to protect US staff and facilities. Central Command says the nine air strikes conducted so far had destroyed or damaged four armoured personnel carriers, seven armed vehicles, two Humvees and an armoured vehicle. The US began strikes against IS a week ago, in part to prevent the massacre of tens of thousands of Yazidis in northern Iraq. Yazidis fled the militants by scrambling up a barren mountain, where they became stranded . Displaced Iraqi Christians and Yazidis settle at the Diocese of Zakho, 300 miles north-west of Baghdad, Iraq . They fled the militants by scrambling up a barren mountain, where they became stranded. Most were eventually able to escape with help from Kurdish fighters. IS fighters surrounded the nearby village 12 days ago and demanded that its Yazidi residents convert or die. On Friday afternoon, they moved in. 'All we had were our Kalashnikovs. They executed 300 men, and took the women to their prisons. Only God can save them now' Dakhil Atto Solo, relative of kidnapped women . The militants told people to gather in a school, promising they would be allowed to leave Kocho after their details were recorded, said an eyewitness and the brother of the Kocho mayor, Nayef Jassem. The militants separated the men from the women and children under 12. They took men and male teens away in groups of a few dozen each and shot them on the edge of the village, according to a wounded man who escaped by feigning death. The fighters then walked among the bodies, using pistols to finish off anyone who appeared to still be alive, the 42-year-old man said from an area where he was hiding. ‘They thought we were dead, and when they went away, we ran away. We hid in a valley until sundown, and then we fled to the mountains,’ he said. Displaced Yazidis who fled the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar march in a demonstration at the Iraqi-Turkish border crossing in Zakho district of the Dohuk Governorate of the Iraqi Kurdistan province . Demonstrators demanded protection and evacuation from Iraq to safer areas such as Europe and the US . A Yazidi politician, a Kurdish security official and an Iraqi official from the nearby city of Sinjar gave similar accounts, saying Islamic State fighters had massacred many Yazidi men on Friday after seizing Kocho. 'They thought we were dead, and when they went away, we ran away. We hid in a valley until sundown, and then we fled to the mountains' Man who escaped from militants . All said they based their information on the accounts of survivors. Their accounts matched those of two other Yazidi men, Qassim Hussein and Nayef Jassem, who said they spoke to other survivors. It was not clear precisely how many men were killed. Iraqi and Kurdish officials said at least 80 men were shot. Yazidi residents said they believed the number was higher, because there were at least 175 families in Kocho, and few were able to escape before the militants surrounded their hamlet. Yesterday Britain deployed a US-made spy plane over northern Iraq to monitor the humanitarian crisis and movements of the militants. The converted Boeing KC-135 tanker, called a Rivet Joint, was monitoring mobile phone calls and other communication. | Islamic State militants have kidnapped more than 1,500 women in Sinjar .
It is believed they are trying to co-opt them as the wives of fighters .
Yazidi children have also suffered harrowing ordeals in northern Iraq .
Kidnappings 'happened in areas where residents took up arms against IS'
Women are being held separately from the men in IS-controlled Tal Afar .
200,000 people escaped to safety but others remain on Mount Sinjar . |
77,543 | dbe0fe9c7d659029685178dcc6ef3fc19496026d | It was 'very sweet' of Bill to take on her critics, but she doesn't need her husband rushing to her defense when she gets bullied on the political playground, Hillary Clinton told PBS yesterday. 'I don’t need anybody to defend my record. I think my record speaks for itself,' Hillary said after Bill's remarks yesterday at the annual Clinton Global Initiative America conference. Enough is enough: Hillary says she regrets saying she and Bill were 'dead broke, 'but my unartful use of those few words doesn't change who I am, what I've stood for my entire life, what I stand for today' Thanks but no thanks: Hillary told PBS' Gwen Ifill she doesn't need her political heavyweight husband fighting her battles . At the CGI America event yesterday in Denver, Colorado, Bill Clinton struck back at his wife's critics, telling NBC host David Gregory in an on-stage interview that Hillary is not 'out of touch.' In law school, she advocated for legal assistance . for the poor, and in the '70s she fought for paid leave for new mothers, he said. 'We go to our local grocery store on the weekend. We talk to people in our town. We know what's going on.' The former president was responding to complaints lodged against his wife since she told ABC's Diane Sawyer that she and Bill were 'dead broke' when they left the White House in 2001 and in debt. 'We . had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece . together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's . education,' Hillary told Sawyer in an interview earlier this month. 'You know, it was not easy.' Republican . National Committee Chair Reince Priebus pounced on Hillary's comments immediately after the interview. 'This is outrageous,' he tweeted. 'How out of . touch is Hillary Clinton when "dead broke" = mansions & massive . speaking fees?' Bill told Gregory yesterday, 'It is factually true that we were several million dollars in debt.' 'Someone is always trying to change the subject,' he said of people making attacks on he and his wife's finances. Republicans promptly criticized Bill as out of touch, too, pointing out that Clintons live in a wealthy neighborhood in New York. The people they talk to on the weekends from their town are most likely rich like them. 'The Clintons have lived in a 1 percent bubble for so long, their . experience has become warped, and that’s a major problem in a . presidential campaign,' America Rising PAC Executive Director Tim Miller told The Hill. 'The couple’s home is in Chappaqua, . N.Y.' By the time Bill did an interview with Bloomberg Television today, he had effectively been put back in his place by his wife. Asked about Hillary's 2016 plans, Bill told Bloomberg TV's Willow Bay, 'I don’t know, but I’m for whatever she wants to do. 'If . she were to run and become president, the last thing she needs is for . me to be under foot,' he said. 'She’s the ablest public servant I’ve . ever known.' Bill insisted . that if he were back in the White House, he'd mind his own business and . wouldn't attempt to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. He would only get involved in White House affairs, he said, if his wife requested him to. 'I . would help. Whatever I was asked to do, I would do. I believe -- just . like I do for President Obama, just like I did for President Bush. I . think that’s -- you’ve been a former president, you need to show up when . you’re summoned,' he said. In her PBS interview Hillary admitted saying she and Bill were 'dead broke' was a mistake but said the misstep shouldn't negate the time she's spent championing the causes of the less fortunate. 'I shouldn’t have said the five or so words that I said, but my unartful use of those few words doesn’t change who I am, what I’ve stood for my entire life, what I stand for today,' she said. 'Bill and I have had terrific opportunities, both of us, you know, have worked hard, but we’ve been grateful for everything that we’ve been able to achieve, and sadly that’s just not true for most Americans today.' Clinton proceeded to tell Ifill about the plight of middle class Americans and recounted her 'long record' of fighting for the downtrodden before accusing naysayers of trying to 'take things out of context or try to create some caricature' of her that's not accurate. When Ifill interrupted her to point out the similarities between the way she's being portrayed by Republicans to the way Democrats castigated 2012 Republican presidential nominee and wealthy businessman Mitt Romney, Clinton shut her down. 'That’s a . false equivalency,' she said. 'People can judge me for what I’ve done.' 'So I’m fully comfortable . with who I am, what I stand for and what I’ve always stood for,' she said. | In an interview with ABC that aired earlier this month Hillary Clinton said she and her husband Bill were 'dead broke' when they departed the White House in 2001 .
Hillary has been relentlessly attacked since making the comment as 'out of touch' with average Americans who really are broke and don't have the options to get out of debt the Clintons had .
At a Clinton Global Initiative America event yesterday Bill reminded his wife's critics of the work Hillary has done to improve the lives of the poor .
In an interview with PBS after the event, Hillary called her husband's chivalry 'very sweet' but said she didn't need his help .
'I don’t need anybody to defend my record. I think my record speaks for itself,' she told Gwen Ifill .
After Ifill pointed out the similarities between the way Hillary's being portrayed by .
Republicans to the way Democrats castigated 2012 Republican presidential .
nominee and wealthy businessman Mitt Romney, Clinton shut her down .
'That’s a .
false equivalency,' she said. 'People can judge me for what I’ve done.'
In an interview with Bloomberg Television taped after his wife's sit down with Ifill, Bill butted out of his wife's business . |
89,444 | fdf0b68ffc7969905778f906abd9638dbb3242a9 | (CNN) -- American University professor Adrienne Pine began her first day back in the classroom this semester the same way she has since her teaching career began: making sure her research was up to date, her notes reviewed, and the lecture she was about to give was ready. But before she left for school, she noticed her infant daughter wasn't feeling well. Since her usual daycare center doesn't allow children with fevers, Pine decided to bring her baby to class. What started as a challenging day for the single working mother soon exploded into a national controversy because after her daughter started fussing, the professor began nursing -- in front of 40 students -- to get her to stop. The campus newspaper quickly heard about it and a student reporter from the Eagle asked the professor for a comment. Pine, angered that her actions were seen as provocative, fired back -- hard -- on the website CounterPunch, saying she was "annoyed that this would be considered newsworthy" and that she "had no intention of making a political statement or shocking students. I merely had a sick baby who I couldn't leave at daycare on the first day of class. ... As it turned out, the baby got hungry, so I had to feed it during lecture. End of story." Her remarks ignited a small protest on campus in Pine's favor and against the student newspaper. Pine's comments, which went viral, also forced the Eagle to defend its reporting. Meanwhile, some criticized Pine's response to the student journalist and the tone of her rebuttal. Today professor Pine spoke with CNN: "Frankly I felt, and I continue to feel, that the most professional thing I could do was to carry out the class with as few as possible interruptions. Leaving class for 10 minutes would have been a serious interruption for my students. And I also feel that since I've been breastfeeding inp public in every place possible -- in buses, on planes -- I didn't realize the degree to which people are afraid of breasts in this country and in particular, in the workplace." American University, which today acknowledged it does not offer any emergency backup child care for its faculty or staff, says this controversy has given rise to a much-needed internal debate. "We want our faculty to be the best teachers and scholars possible and, at the same time, we are sympathetic to the need for work-life balance. Now that this important question has been raised, we consider it healthy to discuss it and we are indeed addressing it in our community," said Phyllis Peres, senior vice provost and dean of Academic Affairs. Latch on NYC: In support of breastfeeding . Missing in all this finger-wagging is a discussion about access to emergency backup child care for working parents. Is there enough, and if not, should employers of all stripes -- public, private, big, small -- be compelled to offer more? And if it's the child who is sick, and not the babysitter, what provisions do these centers reasonably need to provide? According to the latest Families and Work Institute National Study of Employers, only 6% of companies surveyed in 2005 offered backup child care. This year, the number has dropped to 3%. Bright Horizons, a leader in the field of backup care, serves the emergency needs of more than 750 companies and even provides services when a child runs a fever. Last year, a representative of the company said, it provided backup care to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, as well as disabled, ill, and elderly adults on more than 640,000 occasions -- meeting the emergency needs of 4.6 million employees. I know about Bright Horizons because like professor Pine, I'm also a working parent, and Time Warner, the parent company of CNN.com, is a client. When my children were younger and I worked for another network, I've used a similar center on various occasions when my regular child care imploded. But unlike professor Pine, if my son or daughter was ill, I thought ahead and had a plan. I never brought a sick child to work. And the fact that professor Pine did on August 28 only fueled the uproar over her actions. Breastfeeding intuitive and easy? No! I recognize Time Warner is a big company and many smaller organizations and schools of higher learning don't have the budget to offer backup child care to employees. But that's not an oversight in my thinking -- it's central to my point. Perhaps in this election year, uneven access to emergency backup child care is something President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney need to address for all working parents. While I am not a single mother, I've known my own brand of child-care challenges. My husband's parents never wanted to play backup babysitter -- they had their own full and busy lives -- and my parents are deceased. In reality, working parents always need to have reliable, go-to options when a child gets sick -- a friend, a neighbor, a relative -- and if you can't come up with even one alternative, you may want to consider if you're honoring your end of the bargain when accepting a job. There does seem to be good news in all this, particularly for professor Pine. Between 2009 and 2011, Bright Horizons reports, the field of higher education has seen the second fastest growth rate of all industries it serves in terms of number of employees covered by backup child care. Liz Kennedy, a spokeswoman for the company says, "One of the reasons we are seeing a shift in demand for backup care in higher ed is the changing demographic makeup of college faculty and professors." And if American University chooses to move in that direction, professor Pine might feel she has real backup child care options as a working parent, instead of believing, as she currently seems to, that she has no choice at all. Do you think breastfeeding in a professional setting is appropriate? Share your take in the comments section below. The opinions expressed in this story are solely those of Allison Gilbert. | American University professor Adrienne Pine breastfed her daughter in a class .
The student newspaper found out and sought comment from Pine .
The incident and Pine's response led to heated debate about public breastfeeding .
Allison Gilbert hopes the controversy brings the need for emergency child care to the fore . |
61,922 | afe85b5c09735ed7d8f34abda13b45838fcfcf6a | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 13:01 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:19 EST, 28 October 2013 . The billionaire owner of the Grangemouth fuel refinery was spotted relaxing on his luxury yacht just hours after winning beating union bosses at the imperiled complex into submission. Jim Ratcliffe's company Ineos forced through a survival plan for the huge petrochemical complex in Falkirk, Scotland, which saw workers swallow a pay freeze, redundancies and changes to their pensions. And almost as soon as the ink dried on the humiliating deal, which also bans strike action at the plant for three years, Mr Ratcliffe jetted off to his luxurious ship, moored on the Cote d'Azur in the south of France. Luxury: Mr Ratcliffe's £130million Hampshire II was seen in the waters of the Mediterranean in the south of France . Extravagant: The handsome vessel has an upper deck bar and a below-deck wine cellar with a underwater viewing area . He entertained 23 guests on the 255ft Hampshire II superyacht, attended by his personal staff. The extravagant vessel, valued at £130million a year, also costs the billionaire tens of millions a year in maintenance costs. Billionaire: Mr Ratcliffe headed to the south of France after a tense week for his Grangemouth refinery . Guests on the boat could enjoy a bar on the upper deck, or visit a wine cellar below, which has a underwater viewing area. Mr Ratcliffe's floating palace also mingles sophistication with fun, as the 82ft-tall crow's nest features a zip-wire to carry guests back to the deck. A full-sized tennis court on the deck can be converted into a helipad. The vessel, built by Feadship completed its sea trials in 2012. It replaces the older Hampshire I. His luxury retreat came after a tense week in Grangemouth, which saw Ineos almost close the plant after failing to reach a compromise with union leaders. Bosses at the company had announced they would close the Grangemouth petrochemical plant after a majority of workers refused a last-ditch plan to make sure the ageing plant remained commercially viable. Closure of the plant - said to be costing Ineos £10million a week to run - would have resulted in hundreds of job losses. It was also feared that the oil refinery in the complex could quickly follow, costing still more jobs. The Grangemouth complex alone is responsible for ten per cent of the entire Scottish economy. But Mr Ratcliffe seemed not to be . phased by how close the complex - Scotland's only remaining oil refinery . - came to oblivion as the keen sailor headed to his home on the waves. After . union leaders backed down in the dispute, and took on the survival plan . in its entirety, he hailed 'a victory for common sense'. The . industrialist, who gained the nickname Dr No for his refusal to . compromise with his workers, has said publicly that he is unabashed . about his extreme wealth. The . reclusive businessman made his money by buying up unwanted assets from . large industrial companies - BP in the case of Grangemouth - and . ruthlessly cutting costs to maximise profits. Just nine years after its foundation, . Ineos is the third-largest chemicals company in the world, and Mr . Ratcliffe features prominently on lists of Britain's richest people. Pricey: The Hampshire II is Mr Ratcliffe's second yacht, and costs millions a year just to maintain . Take it easy: The ship was sighted near Port de la Madrague on the Cote d'Azur . Assets: Mr Ratcliffe owners two thirds of Ineos, which in turn owns the Grangemouth plant and refinery . He owns two-thirds of the company, giving him a fortune estimated in the billions. He is also said to have a passion for sit-on lawnmowers and own a substantial collection. The grammar-school educated businessman used to live in Hampshire, where locals said he would often come and go by helicopter, but moved to Switzerland in 2010 for tax purposes. He is separated from his wife Amanda, . whom he married in 1985. She now lives in a farmhouse near Salisbury, . Wiltshire, where she owns a horse riding company. They have two sons, Samuel, 21 and . George, 19. Mr Ratcliffe graduated with a degree in chemical engineering . from Birmingham University and spent 15 years as a humble chemical . engineer. But he then developed a taste for . business, acquiring an MBA from the London Business School. In 1989, he . was appointed a director of Advent International, an American private . equity group, and became steeped in the world of finance. Industry: The Grangemouth petrochemical plant in Falkirk, Scotland, has been saved from immediate closure . Survival plan: Grangemouth workers found out last week that their jobs would be saved after union leaders caved in to Ineos's demands . In a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, he said that he felt he had 'done his bit' for Britain after investing in its industry, even though other countries are much more attractive prospects. He also defended the fruits of his wealth, and played down the significance of his £130million 'nice boat'. He told the newspaper: 'Yes, I’ve made some money. But I started off in a very poor part of Manchester. 'I don’t feel hair-shirted about the fact that I have a nice boat. It’s not relevant.' | Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive of Ineos, jetted to the Cote d'Azur after pitched industrial battle .
The company forced union bosses to accept pay freezes and pension cuts in a controversial survival plan .
The billionaire then entertained guests on his expensive vessel .
It features a below-decks wine cellar, a helipad and a zip-wire . |
158,506 | 58eba6759f022e272b7f36fc0350d67a21427ffb | By . Martin Robinson . A judge who allowed a paedophile to walk free in a case where the 13-year-old victim was described as a 'predator' was forced to alter his sentence today, but still failed to jail him or apologise. Neil Wilson, 41, was given a suspended sentence last week after Judge Nigel Peters QC said the child may have looked and acted older than her years. The judge today called back Wilson because his sentence contained an error and added four months to his initial eight months in jail, still suspended for two years. But separate to this the Attorney General's office has confirmed it is still investigating if this is too lenient, and will come to a decision in the next 21 days. Under fire: Judge Nigel Peters is being investigated for suggesting the victim was 'egging on' paedophile Neil Wilson, and today he was forced to change his sentence because of a technicality but still failed to jail him . The case caused controversy when . Robert Colover, the barrister prosecuting in the case, had labelled the . young girl 'predatory' and 'sexually experienced' and has been suspended . from similar cases. Judge Peters then repeated his comments and is also being . investigated for telling Wilson the girl was ‘egging you on’. The CPS described Mr Colover's remarks as 'inappropriate' and suspended him from prosecuting sexual offence cases pending a review. Judge Peters is currently being investigated by the judicial watchdog and this morning decided to extend the sentence to 12 months after ruling two counts of possessing indecent images, for which Wilson was given four months imprisonment suspended for two years, should run consecutively. He made no reference to the storm surrounding the case during the 10-minute hearing. Explaining the decision to Wilson, who appeared via videolink from York Magistrates' Court, the judge told him: 'I have had the matter listed before me today as part of the sentence, not that part relating to sexual activity with a child, requires correcting. 'It was not appreciated by the parties that I could not pass a community order with a supervision requirement for three years to run alongside a suspended sentence on the same indictment or indeed another indictment sentenced on the same occasion. 'In amending the sentence I have sought to ensure that all parts of the order will be complied with by the defendant and that any breach will be brought before a court and consideration given to further penalty, including immediate imprisonment.' 'Disgrace': Barrister Robert Colover has been criticised by campaigners for describing a 13-year-old victim of a sex abuse case 'predatory' and was replaced at today's hearing . David Cameron had condemned a prosecution barrister and had urged the courts to ‘stand up for victims’ after Neil Wilson, 41, escaped jail despite luring the girl to his home, where she performed a sex act on him. 'It isn’t appropriate. We need a . criminal justice system that stands up properly for victims. The victims . should always be at the centre of our thinking. ‘The . CPS themselves have said that this isn’t appropriate, the Attorney . General is going to look into the case and we need a system that . properly stands up for victims.’ Child protection campaigners labelled barrister Robert Colover a ‘disgrace’ and called for his dismissal. They also warned that his ‘crass’ comments would stop other young abuse victims from coming forward. Mr Colover has been suspended from prosecuting sex trials after he told Snaresbrook Crown Court in London that the girl ‘forced’ herself on Wilson, describing her as ‘predatory in all her actions’ and ‘sexually experienced’. He said: ‘She appeared to look around 14 or 15 and had the mental age of a 14 or 15-year-old. There was sexual activity but it was not of Mr Wilson’s doing. ‘You might say it was forced upon him despite his being older and stronger than her.’ Wilson admitted two counts of making extreme pornographic images and one count of sexual activity with a child. His own solicitor told Monday’s sentencing hearing that the paedophile could still pose a risk to children. Marilyn Hawes, director of child protection charity Enough Abuse, said: ‘This needs to be nipped in the bud. Are we in 1913 or 2013? Judges and barristers should be removed if they use language like this. ‘Vulnerable witnesses won’t come forward if they are going to be treated this way in court. They are fragile children, they are not just pieces of evidence to be used in a case.' Emily Thornberry, Labour’s Shadow Attorney General, said: ‘It is appalling that after the scandals of Jimmy Savile and Rochdale these awful Lolita prejudices are still being served up in court, and by the prosecution of all people.’ She has written to the Bar Standards Board to examine whether Mr Colover violated its code of conduct. Investigation: The Crown Prosecution Service has launched a probe following the case at Snaresbrook Crown Court, which returned there this morning . Charity Victim Support also condemned the teenager’s treatment. Its chief executive Javed Khan said: ‘It is completely unacceptable for victims to be blamed in any way for the abuse they have suffered. ‘The state owes a duty of care to victims and witnesses, which in this case appears to have been woefully neglected. We have strenuously campaigned for cultural change to this often adversarial, aggressive courts system.’ There was further anger as a high profile human rights lawyer appeared to defend the prosecutor’s comments. Barbara Hewson, a barrister for Hardwicke Chambers, tweeted: ‘It takes two to tango. Disgusting tho’ these men are, frankly the girls are often not much better – and no shrieking martyrs.’ The CPS said: ‘The word predatory in this context should not have been used and is of real concern to the CPS. The Director of Public Prosecutions will be undertaking a review of this case to determine what happened and to decide what action needs to be taken. The Attorney General’s Office said the case had been drawn to its attention ‘as a possibly unduly lenient sentence’. The Office for Judicial Complaints said it would consider a number of complaints it had received . Shock: Wilson's crimes led to a suspended sentence where the girl victim was accused of egging him on (posed by model) Neil Wilson spotted his victim amid the bustle of Romford town centre at the start of March last year. The 13-year-old girl was playing truant from school and wandering the streets asking strangers for cigarettes. Wilson . obliged when she asked him – offering her an entire packet. He then . took her back to his flat near the town centre for coffee. The girl allegedly looked around 14 or 15 and acted as if she was older than her years. However, she was clearly underage – and nearly three decades younger than Wilson who was 39 at the time. Over the next two weeks the pair enjoyed a brief ‘fling’, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. The . girl was described by the prosecutor and judge as a ‘sexual predator’. But during this time it was Wilson who bombarded her with phone calls . and text messages as she continued to visit his home, the court heard. On . March 20, exactly two weeks after her first visit, the girl went back . to Wilson’s flat after they agreed to meet. They sat in his lounge and . talked about their relationship. Wilson claims at this point he told her they had to stop seeing each other because they would get in trouble. The . girl, who was dressed in her school uniform, asked if she could change . out of it and Wilson left the room. When he returned she had undressed . and was sat wearing a T-shirt. Wilson . claims he asked her to put her clothes on, but she started kissing him . before touching his genitals. He said he pushed her away and told her he . did not want to see her any more. At no point did they have sex. Robert . Colover, prosecuting, told the court that the sexual activity was ‘not . of Mr Wilson’s doing’. He added: ‘You might say it was forced upon him . despite being older and stronger than her.’ The abuse came to light only when the girl told a friend what happened and the police were called. When officers went to Wilson’s home, they found images of child sexual abuse and videos depicting bestiality on his computer. Four . of the images were surreptitiously taken photographs of children in . play areas or other safe environments showing either underwear or . varying degrees of nakedness. There were also 11 sexually explicit images involving horses and dogs. Wilson told police that he watched hardcore pornography but that he had deleted it from his computer. | Neil Wilson handed an 8 month jail term suspended for 2 years last week .
Today it was extended to 12 months still suspended during short hearing .
Judge Peters changed sentence but did not mention his or QC's comments .
Attorney General's Office still considering whether it is too lenient .
QC Robert Colover called 'disgrace' after his 'predator' comments .
Colover stopped from prosecuting sex trials and CPS investigation launched . |
44,740 | 7e21b14ab43e3dd5ed1777fa3ad8cdabb5bf4209 | (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy rescued a survivor from an Iranian cargo vessel that sank in the Persian Gulf, killing at least three other crew members, the military said Sunday. It was the latest incident in a string of rescues since the beginning of the year, against a backdrop of high tensions between the United States and Iran. The coastal patrol boat USS Firebolt and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Maui conducted a search and rescue mission for survivors of the capsized Iranian dhow -- a sailing vessel typically used to haul cargo -- on Saturday and Sunday, the Navy said in a statement. The Firebolt's crew also recovered the remains of three of those who had died in the sinking, the Navy said. One survivor was recovered and treated for shock and hypothermia. He said the dhow sank in bad weather Friday night with six mariners aboard. The sailor reported that four of his shipmates died and one was missing, according to the Navy. The U.S. ships searched for the possible survivor and the fourth body, in an effort that also included two Seahawk helicopters and the dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor. But they could not find them, and ultimately ended the search due to bad weather, the Navy said. The Iranian mariner was transferred to the Maui, and then to an Iranian Coast Guard vessel. In January, U.S. sailors from a carrier strike group rescued 13 Iranian sailors from a hijacked fishing boat, and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued six Iranian mariners from a flooded vessel at the northern end of the Gulf. | The Iranian dhow sank in bad weather, a survivor tells the U.S. Navy .
Several ships searched for another possible survivor, to no avail .
It was the latest in a string of rescues by U.S. personnel . |
232,483 | b90730ea6b6ec44a8d59c24a209d45ea78fb14cb | (CNN) -- For most of American history, a Supreme Court with no Protestant Christian judges would have been unthinkable. Nearly three quarters of all justices who've ever served on the nation's high court have been Protestant. And roughly half of all Americans identify themselves as Protestant today. But since John Paul Stevens announced his retirement last month, legal and religious scholars have begun entertaining the unprecedented prospect of a Supreme Court without a single Protestant justice. Besides Stevens, who is Protestant, the current Supreme Court counts six Catholics and two Jews. "It's an amazing irony given how central Protestantism has been to American culture," said Stephen Prothero, a religion scholar at Boston University. "For most of the 19th century, Protestants were trying to turn America into their own heaven on Earth, which included keeping Jews and Catholics from virtually all positions of power." Many religion scholars attribute the decline of Protestants on the high court to the breakdown of a mainline Protestant identity and to the absence of a strong tradition of lawyering among evangelical Protestants. "Mainline Protestantism isn't a pressure group," said Prothero, "It's not like the National Council of Churches is lobbying Obama to get a Lutheran appointed to the Supreme Court." And while Judaism and Catholicism have their own sets of religious laws that date back millennia, many branches of Protestant Christianity do not. For much of the last 150 years, evangelical Christianity has stressed an emotional theology of "heart" over "head" -- not a recipe for producing legal scholars with eyes fixed on the Supreme Court. "Evangelicals have put more effort into getting elected than in getting onto the bench," said Michael Lindsay, a Rice University professor who has studied evangelical elites. "Electoral politics is more similar to the style of rallying of around revival campaign than it is to the arduous journey of producing intellectual giants that could be eligible for the Supreme Court." President Obama is expected to nominate Stevens' replacement early this month. Of the three candidates who are reported to lead Obama's short list, two -- Solicitor General Elena Kagan and federal appeals judge Merrick Garland -- are Jewish, while one, federal appeals judge Diane Wood, is a Protestant. Obama's first Supreme Court appointee, Sonia Sotomayor, is Catholic. One explanation of Catholics' and Jews' high court hegemony is that members of both traditions have long pursued legal degrees as a way to assimilate into a majority Protestant country. "Most American Catholic law schools were not formed to be elite institutions of lofty legal scholarship, but as way to respond to the fact that other law schools were excluding Catholics," said Richard Garnett, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School. "It was a vehicle to get Catholics into the middle class." "Early on, those schools admitted a lot of Jewish students who were being discriminated against," Garnett said. Today, Catholic law schools at Georgetown University, Fordham University, and Notre Dame are considered among the best in the country. Evangelical Protestant colleges, meanwhile -- including Regent University and Liberty University, founded by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, respectively -- have opened law schools only since the 1980s. And law schools with Protestant roots -- like Harvard and Yale -- shed their religious identities a long time ago, part of the broader fading of a distinct mainline Protestant identity in the U.S.. Some legal and religious scholars say the dearth of qualified evangelical candidates for the Supreme Court came into sharp relief in 2005, when President George W. Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to the high court. An evangelical Christian who the White House promoted strenuously among evangelicals, Miers' nomination was brought down largely by conservatives -- nonevangelicals, mostly -- who said she was not qualified for the position. In the last couple of decades, however, more evangelicals have begun pursuing legal degrees, including at elite colleges. "There are now vibrant Christian fellowships at Harvard and Yale," said Lindsay. "Ten years from now, it will be entirely possible to see an evangelical Protestant on the Supreme Court." Rachel Heflin, a senior at Patrick Henry College -- a Virginia school whose students are mostly evangelicals from homeschooling backgrounds -- said many of her friends are heading to law school next year. "When your circle of friends is comprised of aspiring lawyers, the joke is about who's going to make it to the high court first," said Heflin, an evangelical Christian who will be attending George Washington University Law School on scholarship. Which means that a Protestant Supreme Court resurgence may not be too far off. | Current Supreme Court has six Catholics, two Jews and one Protestant .
Absence of a strong tradition of lawyering among evangelical Protestants .
Only one of the Supreme Court candidates on Obama's short list is a Protestant .
More evangelicals have begun pursuing legal degrees in the last few decades . |
140,800 | 42106d38171c5ea690af9fda8f15dc1968f1dba6 | (CNN) -- You've heard of snakes on a plane, now here come bugs on a plane. A North Carolina couple is suing AirTran Airways, alleging that cockroaches crawled out of air vents and overhead carry-on bins during a flight from Charlotte to Houston in September. Attorney Harry Marsh and his fiancé Kaitlin Rush say the insects appeared soon after takeoff, and when Marsh pointed them out to flight attendants, they did nothing to help. "These roaches and other pests caused great distress to a number of passengers throughout the flight," the complaint states. All paying guests of the airline are entitled to "clean, pest-free" accommodations, it goes to to say. The couple accuses AirTran of negligence and recklessness, infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, false imprisonment and unfair and deceptive trade practices, and is suing for more than $100,000 plus the price of their tickets. In a response to the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, AirTran denies most of the allegations. CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin predicted the case would never go to trial. "This is a case that's going to settle. Bottom line, I foresee a lot of free flights for this couple if they want to get back on AirTran," Hostin said. "It's certainly not a pretty picture. The roaches were out long enough for them to take video and photographs, so that's exhibit A." | Couple alleges cockroaches crawled out of air vents and overhead bins during flight .
Lawsuit seeks more than $100,000 plus the price of their tickets .
AirTran denies most of the allegations in response to the complaint . |
51,978 | 9332cdd1f0dbd9189a97f15e960da1d72bb8b5be | Philadelphia (CNN) -- "Good afternoon," Megan Zor calls out over the din of the seventh-grade English class taking their seats inside Mastery Charter School's Shoemaker Campus. "Good afternoon," the class repeats before reciting the school's code of conduct. A hush comes over the room when Zor holds up three fingers, signaling a student to stop talking, her compact frame pacing across the front of the classroom. "We're not speaking," she scolds, her face stern. Zor's no-nonsense approach is the Mastery way, and motto: "Excellence. No Excuses." And that teaching style is getting results: Better test scores, more college-bound students. But in other Philadelphia communities, student walkouts and community unrest are raising questions about charter-based turnaround programs. Some said their public schools haven't been given a chance to succeed. Some don't trust charter school operators. Similar debates are happening in school districts across the country, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Los Angeles. Nationwide, more than 1.6 million public school students attend nearly 5,000 publicly funded, independently operated charter schools. Charters were first established in Pennsylvania in 1997, and there are now 135 charter schools with more than 50,000 students. Success in Philly . In 2005, the School District of Philadelphia asked the Philly-based charter school operator Mastery Charter to take over some of the city's violent, low-performing schools, including Shoemaker. Since then, Pennsylvania state test results show that Shoemaker's seventh-graders are scoring 80% proficient in math and 66% proficient in reading, up from 16% in math and 20% in reading. It will graduate its first class this year. Senior Leroy Hayes attended Shoemaker before Mastery took over, when it was a failing middle school on the city's north side. "If the school stayed the same, I would not be going to college," said Hayes, who will attend the University of Vermont with a partial cycling scholarship in the fall. "When I was in middle school at Shoemaker, I didn't really care about even going to high school. All I cared about was going out there and making that money." Mastery's academic gains caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who recognized the charter school provider in a speech to the National Urban League in July. In September, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, through her Angel Network, gave Mastery Charter $1 million to continue its teaching efforts in Philadelphia. The gift came on the eve of the release of the controversial documentary "Waiting for Superman," which touted charter schools as a possible solution to public education's biggest problems. Today at Shoemaker, droves of students wearing a uniform of white polo shirt and khakis quietly make their way down the hallway during the change of classes. As they pass the dean's office, an oversized hand-painted poster of Winfrey watches over them. "My students have just as much potential as every other student in the country, regardless of what ZIP code they were born into, regardless of what social-economic level they were born into. And, our students the past five years have proven that," said Zor, a former traditional Philadelphia public school teacher turned co-founder of the Shoemaker Campus. "There's no debate around it anymore." In January, the district announced 18 public schools were slated for turnaround as part of the city's Renaissance Schools Initiative. Six more schools will become charter schools, two of them overseen by music mogul Kenny Gamble's Universal Companies. Universal Companies received a $500,000 planning grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a Promise Neighborhood within an impoverished area of south Philly. The area will offer intensive social services for children with the aim of improving educational outcomes. Audenried High School in South Philadelphia is on the list. Universal pledges to revamp Audenried and create a neighborhood similar to the Harlem Children's Zone, led by Geoffrey Canada, which is designed to keep student on track through college by focusing on a specific geographic area while providing a comprehensive range of services. Some students, teachers and community members aren't sold on the plan. Another school, another debate . Audenried was closed by the school district in 2005 because of its failing status. After erecting a new building and hiring new staff, it reopened as a public school with a clean slate in 2008. This year, Audenried students took state standardized tests for the first time since it reopened, but results aren't in yet. According to the district's predictive assessment, Audenried has 37% of students proficient or advanced in math and 38% proficient or advanced in English. Still, many thought the new school and staff were making great strides. Some aren't convinced charter schools can solve their problems, and they're leery of Universal, which has operated in the city since the 1990s but has never before operated a charter high school. The Obama Administration's "Race to the Top" program encourages charter school expansions, but the Center on Reinventing Public Education warns that that the schools aren't an automatic success. According to a 2009 National Charter School Research Project report, "States and localities can use charter schools as a tool for better schools, but they must be prepared to close charter schools when they fail to succeed. Some states rarely close a charter school; others consider it a regular and necessary function." Hope Moffett, an English teacher at Audenried, was shocked to learn her school would be converted to a charter school. "It's a short-term solution for a long-term problem," Moffett said of the charter takeover. "In the end you will underserve more students in the future." Students and parents were upset, too, saying it was too soon to label Audenried a failure. "Recognizing that a 'one-size fits all' approach would not yield maximum results, I encourage parents and community members to take an active part in the process," Superintendent of Schools Arlene Ackerman said in a statement regarding the changes. Participate they did. In February, frustrated Audenried students staged a walkout, saying they had been displaced enough already and did not want to convert to a charter operated by Universal. The walkout was one of three protests in a single week by district teens upset that their schools were slated for overhauls. Eva Reeves, a junior at Audenried, led her classmates in protest. Although not totally opposed to charter takeovers, Reeves said her school has the right mix of student and teachers and fears the new operators will disrupt their progress. "We should have a say in what they were trying to do to our school," she said. "Just because it turns into a charter school doesn't mean it's going to be a good school." Moffett, who allowed her students to leave school to attend the protest rally, was removed from the classroom after the walkout. The district said her actions endangered students. Moffett waited out the suspension in the district's "rubber room" while officials decided her job status. She returned to her classroom in March. "There was no justification for why they considered Audenried a failing school," she said, adding that the decision was made before standardized tests scores were available. There are more challenges ahead for Pennsylvania schools, too. In April, the district announced that it stands to lose $292 million in funding, or 10%, if Gov. Tom Corbett's state budget is passed. The overall school operating budget would be reduced from $3.2 million to $2.7 billion. As a result, Philadelphia would need to cut the work force by more than 3,800 positions, including 1,260 teachers and a 50% personnel reduction at district headquarters. "This is unprecedented," Michael Masch, the district's chief financial officer, said at a recent school board meeting. "But we have to balance the budget." Reeves' grandfather and community activist, Charles Reeves, is concerned the district and Universal do not have the best interests of the students in mind, but are more interested in saving money or making money. He was removed from the recent school board meeting where the district voted to approve Universal's takeover of Audenried after he spoke without registering. "I will die and go to hell before I sit back and let them pull this trick they trying to pull on us," Reeves said. "They just gonna tell people they gonna give (Universal) a public school in September ... for what?" Eva Reeves, who will enter her senior year in a high school under new management, said she will continue speaking out. "I would like for Audenried to be just left alone the way it is," she said. "We won't be silenced." | Mastery Charter School's Shoemaker Campus has seen big rise in students' test scores .
Some students, parents don't want their schools taken over by charter school operators .
Student protest leader: "We should have a say in what they were trying to do to our school"
The debate over charter schools is happening in communities across the country . |
97,524 | 098412822d608676887b93c77f61e260b9352572 | By . Associated Press . A Connecticut teacher who helped save her 15 first-graders' lives during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012 has signed a book deal. G.P. Putnam's Sons announced today that 'Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Your Life's Darkest Hour' by teacher Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, 30, will be released next spring. The publisher says the book will be a 'poignant account of personal triumph over unbearable tragedy.' Robin Gaby Fisher is co-writing it. Sandy Hook teacher Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, who saved 15 first-graders in the massacre, has a book deal (pictured in her Connecticut home in December) Roig-DeBellis hurried 15 first-graders into a bathroom upon hearing gunfire at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, saving their lives. The gunman, Adam Lanza, eventually shot himself to death after gunning down his mother, six teachers and 20 children. Last year, Roig-DeBellis founded Classes 4 Classes, a nonprofit that advocates teaching children that all lives are connected. After the massacre, Roig-DeBellis took almost a year off from teaching and said in December that it was still the first and last think she thinks of every day. She told the Daily Telegraph: 'I remember, in the days after, it was so hard to get out of bed. 'I just walked around singing Amazing Grace just over and over and over, because it was so incredibly hard. Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis said a year after the tragedy that it's still the first and last thing she thinks of every day . 'In my mind constantly is what my students went through, and I think about the lives that were lost. So it's not so much a realization that a year has passed. It truly is a constant, all the time.' The tragedy at Sandy Hook, among the most deadly school shootings in U.S. history, rocked the leafy, suburban town 70 miles northeast of New York City. Lanza, a 20-year-old loner who appeared to have had severe emotional problems, used guns that had been bought legally by his mother, Nancy. He killed her in her bed, then drove to the elementary school he had once attended, shooting his way in just as the school day was getting started. After the rampage, he shot himself. When he entered the school, Mrs Roig-DeBellis's class was seated in a circle, sharing their holiday traditions. Children pictured as they are led out of Sandy Hook Elementary School on the day of the shooting in December 2012 . 'I got up, I closed the door, I turned the lights off and I turned to my students and I said: 'We need to get into the bathroom - right now',' she said. The bathroom was not more than 3ft by 4ft, too small to even hold a sink. Children climbed on to the toilet, behind the toilet. One perched on the toilet paper dispenser. Mrs Roig-DeBellis used a storage unit to barricade the door. About 45 minutes later, when the police arrived, Mrs Roig-DeBellis would not let them in. For days after, she was in a daze, unsure if she was dead or alive. The shootings shocked the nation and led President Obama to propose a series of new gun-control measures, including an expansion of federal background-check laws. Those efforts were blocked in the U.S. Senate after some lawmakers argued the changes would be onerous to law-abiding gun owners. | Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis's book is titled Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Your Life's Darkest Hour and will be released next spring .
She helped save her 15 students from gunman Adam Lanza in 2012 .
She took a year off from teaching after the tragedy . |
24,906 | 468fe3d835a8dc6d6224cecb43c55877683a54a0 | A woman charged with drink driving after consuming four bottles of wine in three hours recorded the highest blood alcohol level a Victorian court had ever seen. Ruth Spycella, 48, allegedly drank the alcohol between 8.30am and 11.30am on July 24, before driving around Geelong and crashing into the back of a parked off-duty police car. When police attended the scene, Ms Spychella, from Clifton Springs, recorded an astounding blood alcohol level of .423, which magistrate Ann McGarvie said was the highest she had ever seen in a person who was alive, reported news.com.au. A woman charged with drink driving after consuming four bottles of wine in three hours recorded the highest blood alcohol level a Victorian court had ever seen . Ms Spychella was driving when she crossed onto the wrong side of the road, mounted the curb and collided head on with the car, and was later pulled from the vehicle slurring her words. She smelled strongly of alcohol and had to be carried to the ambulance, and was taken to Geelong Hospital where she was administered the blood alcohol test. The Geelong Magistrates Court found Ms Spychella guilty of exceeding the .05 blood alcohol limit and of careless driving. Police prosecutor, Leading Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney, said that it was possible for Ms Spychella to have drunk four bottles of wine in the three hour time frame. 'She did not recall driving along Beacon Point Rd or turning into Camberwarra Ave,' Senior Constable Moroney said. When police attended the scene, Ms Spychella, from Clifton Springs, recorded an astounding blood alcohol level of .423 . Dr Alex Wodak, President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation said that the blood alcohol was certainly very high, and indicated not only the driving incident she had been charged with but also posed a serious health issue. 'If a person is not tolerant to drinking alcohol very frequently, then that level of alcohol would have made it impossible for her to control her body, or even to speak,' Dr Wodak said. 'The fact that she was capable of driving a vehicle indicates that she was very tolerant to alcohol and to drinking at high levels.' Ruth Spycella, 48, allegedly drank the alcohol between 8.30am and 11.30am on July 24, before driving around Geelong and crashing into the back of a parked off-duty police car . Ms Spychella's defense council, Richard Concha, said that she had been suffering from alcohol and anxiety for 13 years, and that she was currently undergoing rehabilitation. Mr Concha said 'I don’t know how she was alive, let alone able to move,' reported The Courier Mail. Dr Wodak said that the risk of having a car crash increases 'quite spectacularly' with the consumption of alcohol, doubling at .05 blood alcohol and tripling at .08. Geelong Magistrates Court heard that it was the highest blood alcohol the court had ever seen in a living person . 'There have not been many people who have been recorded with a breath alcohol concentration of that level. It's not the world record but it's extremely high.' 'The problems that people have when they drunk range from their judgement and reaction time decreasing, to being less able to cope with multiple tasks and have focus or attention,' he said. 'It's not just creating defects in one area of driving performance, it's in all of them.' Ms Spychella was ordered to serve 120 hours of community service under a two-year community corrections order. | Ruth Spychella allegedly drank four bottles of wine between 8.30am and 11.30am before climbing into her car .
She drove onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a parked off-duty police car .
When police attended the scene was called she reeked of alcohol, was slurring her words, and had to be carried to the ambulance .
She was taken to Geelong Hospital where she recorded a blood alcohol level of .423 .
Geelong Magistrates Court heard that it was the highest blood alcohol the court had ever seen in a living person .
Dr Alex Wodak, President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation said the levels indicated she was used to drinking high volumes of alcohol . |
81,705 | e78abb00536f9475fa873864beabe5dbbb1b68a7 | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 11:11 EST, 27 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:46 EST, 27 September 2013 . It may look more like a Disneyland attraction than a place you would actually live. But, believe it or not, this topsy-turvy piece of work is actually a hotel in Vietnam, known locally as The Crazy House. Designed by eccentric architect Dang Viet Nga, and described by some as 'expressionist', the bizarre building in Da Lat City is covered in bizarre wooden sculpture, features a life-size model tiger to leer at guests, and contains no square windows. Crazy: The bizarre structure rises several stories above the buildings around it, and from this angle looks like a kind of convoluted tree stump . Wild: This inner area of the house features railings painted to look like giraffe skin and trees growing out of the house's roof . Uneven: The rooms inside feature mismatched furniture made from tree stumps, and have undulating ceilings. This room also has a tiger with glowing, red eyes . All natural: The house is decorated with bizarre wooden features, such as this textured wall (left) and a wooden staircase (right), which appears to have been cut straight from a tree trunk . Officially known as Hang Nga Villa, the house, still a work in progress, has been expanding steadily since it was begun in 1990 by Ms Dang. It was converted into a hotel, where rooms are available for around £40 a night, as a way of dealing with the huge losses it incurred. It now attracts 90,000 visitors a year. It contains ten rooms, each of which are themed after a different animal, including the ant, tiger, kangaroo and bear. At first it caused quite a stir with the locals, but they have since grown to appreciate the odd construction. Attraction: The Crazy House, which welcomed 90,000 people last year, can command a sizable audience . Eccentric: The steeply-slanted roof of this portion of the house is just one of its out-of-the-ordinary features . What lies within: All the doorways in the house are an unusual shape, and wood and sculpted concrete interweave in the walls . Business manager Thang Viet Nguyen, 38, said: 'At the beginning most of people . did not accept Crazy House because it was too abnormal, odd, and . strange. 'Gradually people understand it more, little by little. 'Now Crazy House has become acceptable, and is a place that attracts tourists from many other countries.' Ms Dang, who is said to draw paintings of her ideas then give them to local craftsmen to make a reality, said the design of the house is aobut bringing people back in touch with nature. Leafy: Ms Dang, the architect, says she wants the house to bring people and nature closer together . United: Wood used as part of the structure and trees which grow free around the house are almost indistinguishable . Ornate: The house, which seems to look different from every angle, has a rich mixture of features and styles . She said: 'Although I was trained in the mainstream of architecture, I wanted to step out of it, and feel I did so when I created Hang Nga Villa. 'Since the end of the last century till now, nature and the environment have been destroyed. 'I would like to bring people back to nature to be more friendly with it and to love it. 'I do not just want them to make full use of it then destroy it, as people in many places of the world including Vietnam have been doing. 'Everyone aspires for independence and freedom and through the Crazy House I want to realise my dreams of independence and freedom in the art of architecture.' | The Hang Nga Villa in Da Lat City was built in 1990 in a bizarre style .
It is known locally as The Crazy House, and is a functioning hotel .
The architect Dang Viet Nga says she wants the house to help people reconnect with nature . |
197,479 | 8b9c44d42e49852cbf8e61eb0cda441e419aa2e8 | Dave King held talks with influential Rangers shareholder Sandy Easdale on Wednesday as he attempts to advance a £16million bail-out plan for the club. The South African-based businessman is heading an alliance of potential investors offering substantial financial input in return for control via a new share issue. Easdale’s position is significant as he currently holds voting rights for 26 per cent of existing shares. That provides an effective power of veto over the King group plan, as a new share issue would require the backing of 75 per cent of existing shareholders at an AGM. Dave King, pictured in Glasgow earlier this year, held talks with Sandy Easdale on Wednesday . Neither party made any comment after they attempted to address numerous issues in their telephone discussion, but King is expected to release a statement on Thursday. The Castlemilk-born tycoon is hoping to reach an agreement-in-principle with the Ibrox board before he returns to Johannesburg, although it remains to be seen if that will be possible. King is working in conjunction with other individuals including former director Paul Murray and shareholder George Letham, who loaned the club £1m in emergency funding earlier this year. It’s believed another loan could form part of the new package the group has put forward, with the aim of providing a financial bridge to the AGM. Rangers need for cash is pressing, with doubts about the ability to meet the December, or possibly even November, wage bill. That means the club would likely run out of money before any income arrives from a new share issue. Rangers director Sandy Easdale (left) with brother James (right) and chief executive Graham Wallace during a match in Forfar in January . The situation is further complicated by the fact club accounts should be signed off ahead of an AGM. However, auditors Deloitte need to see a clear picture of the financial future before doing so. Formal agreement over a loan plus equity deal could be the answer, but it’s thought the King group would only agree to offering a loan if assured they will gain the 75-per-cent backing required for their larger investment plan. Should that proposal flounder then a loan from Mike Ashley would seem the likely alternative source of funding for the club. Ashley recently increased his Rangers shareholding to 8.9 per cent and has requested an EGM to remove chief executive Graham Wallace and ally Philip Nash from the board. The Newcastle United owner is thought to have been in talks over a loan prior to last month’s stop-gap £3.13m share offer, but those discussions reportedly broke down when Ashley wanted club trademark rights included in the deal. Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley (centre) watches his club in action against Leicester City on Saturday . | Dave King held talks with influential Rangers shareholder Sandy Easdale on Wednesday .
King is attempting to advance a £16m bail-out plan for the Ibrox club .
The tycoon is expected to release a statement on Thursday . |
63,648 | b4bd07cf12a33071992946ddaa80d0dea25e3690 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government has charged an international arms dealer with conspiring to sell a rebel group millions of dollars in weapons "to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Viktor Bout is accused of selling missiles, rockets and other weapons to FARC, a Colombian rebel group. Viktor Bout, who was recently captured in Thailand, had agreed to sell the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. There was no immediate public response from Bout, who remains in custody in Thailand. Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Bout with four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. FARC is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. Justice Department officials said they are seeking Bout's extradition to the United States. The indictment alleges that Bout made agreements with FARC between November 2007 and March of this year. In their news release, federal prosecutors said Bout agreed to sell weapons "to two confidential sources" working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who had "represented that they were acquiring these weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia." The news release also refers to a "covertly recorded meeting in Thailand on March 6, 2008." "With the unsealing of this indictment, we are one step closer to ensuring Bout has delivered his last load of high-powered weaponry and armed his final terrorist," DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Loenhart said in the news release. Attorney General Michael Mukasey last month singled out Bout as a leading example of a new breed of organized crime leaders who operate across international boundaries to amass wealth without regard to political ideology. "Viktor Bout has long been considered by the international community as one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in the news release Tuesday. Bout's assets in the United States were frozen in 2004 after he allegedly shipped weapons to Liberia in violation of U.S. government restrictions. | Viktor Bout offered to sell surface-to-air missiles, rockets to FARC .
Arms dealer captured in Thailand. U.S. seeks extradition .
U.S. says Bout is an example of a new breed of organized crime leaders . |
261,637 | ded8393dc18ad192265130b888e406403e981be8 | Reunited: Edwina Currie with daughter Debbie . Spicing things up a bit is her speciality. So when Edwina Currie was sent into the celebrity jungle, she did exactly what was expected. But it wasn’t her frank confessions about her love life that raised eyebrows (after all, she is the woman who told all about her affair with Prime Minister John Major). It was her open admiration and flirtatious approach to the young men in the jungle that seemed to rile so many viewers. Last night, back in her five-star hotel after being voted off I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, Miss Currie, 68, was unrepentant about her behaviour and the open way she discussed sex on the show. Indeed she said it was precisely because of her age that she was happy to talk about it. ‘It may be a taboo subject for young people,’ she declared. ‘When you get to a certain age, you talk about it all the time. It’s one of the issues of the WI.’ Forget the Women’s Institute traditions of jam making, arts and crafts and even more modern pursuits such as learning to surf the internet. Miss Currie said what her generation really want is to talk about sex. ‘I am a baby boomer, for God’s sake. I was born in October 1946. My parents were married in January 1946. 'We were part of a generation who changed the world – and I think we changed it entirely for the better with issues like racism and sexism. Our generation of women are just about reaching our prime.’ Miss Currie’s flirtatious behaviour in the jungle involved ogling male campers as they worked out, in particular X Factor star Jake Quickenden, at whom she directed much of her attentions. She marvelled at his muscles and toned figure as he lifted logs as weights. And the mother of two, who has written several racy novels, led discussions about sex and virginity while in the camp. Smooch: Carl Fogarty plants a kiss on Edwina Currie on 'I'm A Celebrity, .Get Me Out Of Here!' Miss Currie’s flirtatious behaviour in the jungle involved ogling male campers as they worked out, in particular X Factor star Jake Quickenden (pictured), at whom she directed much of her attentions . She happily spoke about her own sex life, going into detail about having one-night stands. She justified herself by saying: ‘I don’t mind talking about what happened half a century ago. ‘If it enlightens and assists other people to overcome that extraordinary obstacle and gets them to a state of maturity and sexual awareness, I’m happy.’ However, she complained that other contestants’ stories might have been edited out of the programme. ‘We were all talking about losing our virginity,’ she said. ‘If the programme producers have only broadcast my remark, that is unfair. It was so long ago anyway.’ Miss Currie also offered sex tips to her camp-mate Nadia Forde. Asked what she told the singer, Miss Currie said she drew on advice from her late mother. She said: ‘I probably just said, “Enjoy it while you can, love!” My mum made it to nearly 93.’ ÷ Last night former World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty was crowned King of the Jungle in the final of the show. The 49-year-old beat Mr Quickenden, who came second, and TV presenter Melanie Sykes who came third. Miss Currie came fourth. | The former MP, 68, was seen admiring male contestants on hit TV show .
Miss Currie also spoke candidly about sex while on the show .
She also spoke about her own experiences, including one night stands . |
282,391 | f9be747db9a4d0a6382f6f02971f5c3a347bbdbc | By . Iona Kirby . PUBLISHED: . 09:24 EST, 25 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:41 EST, 26 July 2012 . Liberty Ross' world was turned upside down when allegations emerged that Kristen Stewart had an affair with her husband Rupert Sanders. And the model and actress, who played 22-year-old Kristen’s mother in . Snow White and the Huntsman, responded with just one word: 'Wow.' She posted the message on July 24, just moments after Us Weekly called her director husband's spokesperson for comment, according to the magazine. The 33-year-old, who has two young children with the British director, 41, has since deleted her Twitter account, presumably due to being bombarded with messages after the news broke. Scroll down for video . Bad news: It emerged yesterday that Kristen Stewart (R) had an affair with Liberty Ross' (L) husband Rupert Sanders . Before deleting her page Liberty had also posted a series of cryptic tweets that seemed to be referencing the alleged affair. She retweeted a quote from Marilyn Monroe which read: 'Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.' She later followed this with another retweet, this time quoting American author and poet Maya Angelou, saying: 'If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.' 'Wow,' was her final note before signing off. Too much: Liberty, pictured with Rupert on the set of Snow White and The Huntsman, has deleted her Twitter page . Passionate: Kristen and Rupert, at a May screening of their movie, were reportedly caught in a romantic clinch . Should Robert Pattinson forgive Kristen Stewart for cheating? Liberty played Queen Eleanor to Kristen’s Snow White in the box office hit, which was directed by Rupert and released last month. Last Tuesday, Kristen was caught in the arms of Rupert, with Us Weekly running photographic evidence of their intimate dalliance in it's new issue. Kristen today issued a grovelling apology to her boyfriend, Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, in a uprising public statement. In a statement to People magazine, she said: 'I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry.' Cryptic: Liberty retweeted this Marilyn Monroe quote shortly before deleting her Twitter account . Co-stars: Liberty, pictured with (L-R) Charlize Theron, Kristen, and Lily Cole, played Kristen's mother in the fantasy film . Rupert quickly followed suit and issued a statement to People which said: 'I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.' Only a few weeks ago, Liberty gushed . to YOU magazine about how proud she is of her husband since he found . fame in his own right, compared to when she was the bigger star. She recalled how she used to call him . 'the Hand' and explained: 'In every picture that was taken of me at a . party or a premiere, he'd be chopped off, and all you would ever see was . his hand. 'At the world premiere in London, I . had tears in my eyes, because we got out of our fancy car and all of his . fans started screaming his name. The tables had really turned!' The pair married when Liberty was 24 . and Rupert was 31, and Liberty said of the beginnings of their romance: . 'Once we started going out, I knew he was the one for me. He is a very . special soul.' Mum's the word: Liberty played Queen Eleanor, the late mother of Snow White in the film . Star of the show: Kristen played a grown-up Snow White in the modern adaptation of the fairytale . More trouble ahead?: Rupert has signed on to helm the sequel to the Snow White saga starring Kristen . They have a seven-year-old daughter named Skyla and a five-year-old-son named Tennyson together. However Liberty has said that all the time they spent apart has caused difficulties, and told YOU: 'I would never say out loud that I am raising my children alone, but a lot of the time it has felt like that.' Kristen's . alleged infidelity came just months after Robert gave an interview to . Italian Vanity Fair magazine saying that he has 'never understood' people who cheat. He . said: 'There is one thing I've never understood: Why people cheat. My . parents met when my mom was 17 and my father 25, they are still . together, and seem very happy. 'I grew up believing that you can be together all of your life.' The . pair made their latest public appearance when they took the stage . together at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday – just two days before the . news broke. Caught on camera: Us Weekly magazine claims to have photographic evidence of the alleged affair . Teamwork: The cast and crew of Snow White and the Huntsman, including Rupert and Liberty (second and third from left) and Kristen (centre) Getting close: Rupert and Kristen (pictured at the Australian premiere with Chris Hemsworth), spent a lot of time together due to commitments with the film . Speaking about his lead actress in . the role at one of the movie's premieres last month, Rupert said he was . thrilled by Kristen’s performance. He . told E! News: 'She's got a great spirit, she's really quite . rebellious...and feisty and kind of wild. And that's really what I . wanted the modern Snow White to have. 'I didn't want her to be timid and I didn't want her to be frightened and relying on men, you know. 'She's . very strong and very driven, and I think that's true in her personal . life... She's got a big weight of the world on her shoulders and she . carries it incredibly well.' Snow . White And The Huntsman marks the first major motion picture that Rupert . directed - but he has already signed on to take the helm of the sequel. What a difference two days makes: Kristen and Rob looked happy when they appeared together at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday . Tough times: Rupert and Liberty aare married and have two children together . Loved up: Kristen and Robert have been together since meeting while filming the Twilight saga . | Liberty Ross, 33, played Kristen Stewart's mother in Snow White and the Huntsman .
Model and actress has two children with the British director .
Kristen issues grovelling public apology to Robert Pattinson .
Rupert follows suit apologises to his 'beautiful wife and heavenly children' |
122,530 | 2a5c8be16305db04a7dfb488044174048f598ede | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:14 EST, 22 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:28 EST, 22 November 2013 . More than 43 million Americans are expected to head to a holiday destination, making it busiest travel day of the year, but the weather forecast could affect those plans. Almost 39 million or 90 percent are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home by motor vehicle, according to AAA projections. However, meteorologists are predicting rain and a sudden drop in temperatures that could lead to a possible nor'easter for next week. Forecast: An East Coast storm scheduled to arrive on Thanksgiving is threatening to create travel chaos for millions of Americans . Bearing the brunt: It appears as though the Eastcoast and Midwest are in for a shivery few days . Having already experienced November temperatures colder than most for the last few years, brace yourself - there are are several heavy doses ahead. The first Arctic blast will arrive this weekend with another by turkey day. Abnormally cold air will plunge into the Midwest and Northeast and there could well be a snowstorm on Turkey Day. The storm is expected to bring a lot of rain to the Northeastern United States. Monday: A nor'easter is swirling together and it could hit the east coast just in time for Thanksgiving . Tuesday: The storm looks like it will stretch from New England down to the Carolinas, bringing snow, wind, cold, and rain along with it . Wednesday: It's a particularly dreary picture for Cape Cod. The area could receive hurricane-like gusts of wind . Thursday - Turkey Day: Given the storm's current trajectory, the nor'easter is expected to strike sometime between Tuesday evening and Thursday, during the busiest travel days of the year . Chilly outlook: Arctic blasts and a developing storm are making for a frosty reception during Thanksgiving . The storm could bring strong winds and heavy rain to much of region, with snow possible, especially in higher-elevation areas in eastern Pennsylvania and northwest New Jersey. Those traveling for the holiday could face delays on the road and at airports and train stations. Forecasters say it's still too early to tell exactly how much precipitation, or what type, to expect in specific areas. At this point, forecasts say the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic is more likely to see a 'chilly rain,' instead of snow, according to AccuWeather. The storm system is on track for the Northeast, with some initial rain and low clouds moving up past Washington D.C., by late Tuesday. Although it will not be a crippling snowstorm for holiday travel, it has the possibility of making air and road trips more difficult. The storm will for the most part be gone come Thanksgiving Day in most areas, but an impending cold front should still leave snow on the roads. Predictions: Forecasters are warning Thanksgiving travelers to beware, as a sweeping winter storm system could bring icy roads, flight delays and more headaches to the holiday next week . Disruption: The Northeast will likely see¿massive flight delays on Wednesday in all major airports, because of rain, snow and low-lying clouds that wreak havoc with flight plans . On its way: The system has already brought freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow in parts of the southern Plains and desert Southwest . Predictions: Although it's still six days away, forecasters are predicting there will be travel disruption thanks to a winter storm . November 27 will be the 'busiest single day of travel' with 37 percent of travelers expected to leave for the holiday. Holiday travelers can be thankful for significantly lower gas prices which have retreated nearly $1 a gallon since the Memorial Day holiday period. AAA expects prices to remain favorable through the remainder of the ye . 'While the economy continues to improve, the sluggish pace of the recovery is creating uncertainty in the minds of some consumers and therefore AAA is projecting a slight decline in the number of Thanksgiving travelers this year,' said AAA Chief Operating Officer Marshall L. Doney. Good news for drivers this holiday season is gas prices are the lowest for the Thanksgiving holiday since 2010. 'The primary focus of Thanksgiving, more so than any other holiday, is to gather with friends, family and loved ones and celebrate with each other. Travelers attempting to carve out a travel budget will be happy to know that Thanksgiving will be the least expensive holiday of the year,' Doney said. | Abnormally cold weather to descend on the Midwest and Northeast this weekend and midweek .
Freezing rain more likely than snow .
Forecasters suggest traveling on Tuesday to avoid any weather-related problems . |
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