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73,332 | cff0a89da9907ab3717cf58fdd0c67e980834022 | By . Luke Augustus . Follow @@Luke_Augustus29 . Atletico Madrid have landed in Lisbon ahead of their Champions League final against bitter rivals Real on Saturday. The La Liga champions were led out by boss Diego Simeone as they look to win the competition for the first time in their history at Benfica's Stadium of Light. Atletico talisman Diego Costa was in good spirits as he joined the side in touching down in Portugal. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Diego Costa and the Atletico squad arrive in Lisbon . Touching down: Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone leads the side out as they land in Lisbon on Friday . All smiles: Atletico talisman Diego Costa (left) travelled with the squad to Portugal ahead of their final vs Real . Big blow: Costa (right) is a doubt for the Champions League final after injuring his knee last Saturday . History makers? Atletico are looking to win the Champions League for the first time in their history on Saturday . The . forward stepped up his recovery to be fit for Saturday's showpiece by . training with team-mates on Thursday, before they flew out. The . Brazil-born Spain international was thought to be doubtful for . Saturday's match against Real Madrid due to a nagging right thigh . injury, but the Vincente Calderon outfit is not giving up. The . club sent Costa to Belgrade to seek treatment from Marijana Kovacevic, . who uses fluid derived from horse placenta to repair damaged cells, . after he injured himself early in the first-half during their 1-1 draw . title decider at Barcelona last Saturday. Costa, . who has been heavily linked with a summer move to Chelsea, has enjoyed a . stellar campaign - scoring 36 goals in all competitions for Los . Rojiblancos. On the ball: Costa took part in Atletico's training on Thursday after undergoing treatment on his knee . Safe hands: Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is looking to add the Champions League to his La Liga title . Boyhood dream: 18,000 Atletico supporters will be at Saturday's showpiece at the Stadium of Light . | Atletico Madrid face arch rivals Real in Saturday's Champions League final .
Atletico landed in Lisbon on Friday ahead of the Stadium of Light showpiece .
Diego Costa flew with Atletico after injuring his knee next week .
Atletico are looking to win their first-ever Champions League on Saturday . |
182,163 | 77da488ab27e468dbfbbb6e0981eace65b169166 | By . Peter Allen . In his youth, he prided himself on his fitness and physical appearance. But at the age of 55, Prince Albert of Monaco clearly doesn’t realise his days of wearing figure-hugging Lycra sports kit are long behind him. Albert’s choice of ultra-thin, figure-hugging white top, teamed with baggy blue shorts, served only to draw attention to the monarch’s middle-age spread as he spent the day on a beach in Norway at the weekend. Not so trim: Prince Albert stretching up in a volleyball game in his figure-hugging outfit . Action man: Prince Albert at the holiday resort of Kragero in Norway . And unfortunately the presence of his . superfit wife, former South African swimming champion Charlene . Wittstock, 35, merely highlighted how Albert has put on weight since . their marriage two years ago. Albert, . a former Olympic bobsleigh competitor, floundered around as he joined . in a few games of beach volleyball at the belated 50th birthday . celebrations of retired player Jan Kvalheim near the holiday resort of . Kragero. ‘Albert is a . friend, I’ve known him for many years,’ said Mr Kvalheim. He said the . prince was ‘passionate about volleyball’, adding: ‘He has his own beach . volleyball court at home.’ Albert and Princess . Charlene, who still works out every day and follows a strict diet, are . enjoying a tour of Scandinavia before returning to Monaco to attend the . lavish private wedding of Andrea Casiraghi, the oldest son of Albert’s . sister, Princess Caroline. Active holiday: The Prince was there to celebrate the birthday of his friend former beach volleyball player Jan Kvalheim . Tight fit: The white lycra top was a bold choice for the 55-year-old . Trim: A superfit Prince Albert in 1985, left, and his wife Charlene, right, who is still in shape . Family trip: He was joined by Princess Charlene, a former South African swimming champion . Little and large: Despite Prince Albert's love of volleyball, he looks as though he could do with spending more time on his private court back home . Mr Casiraghi, 29, who is second in line to the principality’s throne, is due to marry Colombian heiress . Tatiana Santo Domingo in the Royal Palace in Monte Carlo at the end of . the month. The couple have a son, Sacha, born in London in March. Mr Casiraghi may one day accede to the throne of Monaco, if Albert and Charlene do not produce an heir of their own. Albert, . son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, is the father of at least two . illegitimate children and supports them from his multi-million-pound . fortune. Neither has a claim to the throne. | Albert of Monaco used to be an Olympic standard bobsleigher .
Now the 55-year-old is struggling to contain his waistline in white Lycra as he played volleyball on the beach . |
30,485 | 56ac49817ab3ff7c94dc2d6d3b021653757d7725 | A toddler is recovering after having his genitals chopped off as part of a 'sorcery ritual' in India . Shoaib Bali, 3, had been playing in a sugar field in the small village of Peeran Kaliyar in India's northern Uttarakhand state when he was seized by five men who pinned him to the ground and severed his genitals with a rusty razor blade. They then ran off leaving the bleeding youngster to make his way home. His mother Gulshan, 25, who was at home at the time, said: 'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him coming from the fields. Innocent: Shoaib Bali, 3, had been playing in a local sugar field near his home in a small Indian village when he was seized by five men who pinned him to the ground and severed his genitals with a rusty razor blade . 'He was covered in blood and in shock. 'When he fainted in my arms I thought had I lost him.' Father Salim, 30, said: 'I ran into the fields to try and find the b******s who did this. 'There was no sign of them but I found the old shaving razor in a pool of blood. 'We know someone took his vital parts for sorcery. 'They sought out a male child to carry out their heinous act. We are sure of this because his parts are missing.' The boy was rushed to hospital where doctors operated to stem the flow of blood. Paediatric surgeon Madhukar Maletha at the Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital in the nearby town of Patel Nagar said: 'There is no chance of reconstructing the genitals as the degree of injury was too severe. 'We carried out a skin graft to cover the wound and we will now make a urine passage with leftover nerves.' Police say five men have now been arrested. A police spokesman said: 'The men were seen in the vicinity both before and after the incident. 'Two off them are known as self-styled religious healers. 'We are now carrying out investigations and are looking at the theory that this was done for sorcery reasons.' The incident comes a few weeks after the sexual organs of a 17-day-old boy were chopped off over an alleged family rivalry in the state of Rajasthan, western India. | Helpless toddler was attacked by five men and mutilated .
Shoaib Bali staggered home bleeding to his horrified mother .
Five men, two believed to be 'religious healers', have been arrested . |
121,675 | 29448339d2ba310ea613e1a228aa06df2cbeb49f | London (CNN) -- Five men picked up in a series of recent terror-related arrests have now been charged, London's Metropolitan Police said Friday. Four of the men, who range in age from 20 to 24, were charged under the Terrorism Act and are accused of taking an oath of allegience to ISIS, according to a statement from police. The extremist group operating in Iraq and Syria has urged lone followers in the West to stage terror attacks in their home countries. The fifth man arrested was charged with a firearms offense, according to police. Three other men arrested in the same series of raids over the last 10 days have been released. A woman who was arrested was released on bail until next week, police said. Authorities arrested the suspects after searching residences and vehicles in west and central London. At the time of the arrests, authorities said they may have foiled an early-stage terror plot with the arrests. CNN's Richard Greene contributed to this report. | Four men charged under Terrorism Act, police say .
Another man accused of firearms offense .
The men were arrested in a series of recent terror-related raids . |
230,786 | b6d8fa2eaaf60d493943df35da777d1d8152de8a | By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 12:23 EST, 21 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:00 EST, 21 October 2013 . Bridget Jones fans reacted with sadness and fury when it was revealed that the beloved character Mr Darcy had been killed off in Helen Fielding's latest novel, Mad About The Boy. Now the author has revealed why she felt her heroine had to find herself suddenly single again at the age of 51 with two children. She explains in a video you can watch below: 'I . wrote this book from the inside out, that is what happened, Mark died. No-one gets to Bridget's age without suffering some sort of loss, life . doesn't turn out as you expect.' Scroll down for video . 'Life doesn't turn out as you expect': Author Helen Fielding explains why character Mark Darcy is dead in her latest Bridget Jones novel . No happy ending: Bridget, played by Renee Zellweger, is a widow following the loss of Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth . The 55-year-old British writer said she also had to do something to make the book sufficiently different from the previous two novels in which hapless Bridget finally found love with the dashing lawyer. 'I didn't want this book to be a . weak copy of the other books,' she said. And despite the sad subject matter of Bridget becoming a widow, Fielding said the book is still funny and uplifting. Daniel is back: Fielding said she kept the character played by Hugh Grant, right, because 'an ex can become a friend' 'The thing about Bridget is the comedy . has always come from something real,' she explained. 'Tough things happen in life and she gets . through and she survives, she had her friends, she deals with it and she . comes through the other side and she's still finding things funny. 'It . hurts but she's still laughing, that was something important that I . wanted to say.' But while Mr Darcy - who was played by Colin Firth - in the films will only be referred to in flashbacks in the new book, Fielding was keen to ensure the character Daniel Cleaver still had a starring role. He was the lovable rogue who cheated on Bridget and almost cost her her happy relationship with Darcy. So it is plausible they would still be friends decades later? Fielding believes so. 'The . thing about Daniel is, people do stay in people's lives, old boyfriends . do become friends. Not all sad: Fielding said the new novel still has humour despite the loss of Bridget's husband . Still mad about Bridget: The book has been selling well despite poor reviews . 'He's still Daniel saying "what colour are your . panties" and having a crack at seduction but he's still in her life and . they accept each other as they are.' Fielding concedes his inclusion is also because she has a soft spot for the character - which was increased after Hugh Grant played him so charmingly in the film adaptations, adding his own improvised lines to the script. She said: 'I love Daniel as a character and I . love Hugh as a character. Hugh contributed a huge amount to the funny . lines in the movie. 'For example when he's seducing Bridget and she's . wearing the big pants, and he says "don't worry, I'm wearing something . similar myself" and "oh mummy!" that came from him. 'So I really wanted to . keep him present and he's now godfather to Bridget's children.' Despite some mediocre reviews and the loss of Mr Darcy, Mad About The Boy has still been snapped up by readers, topping the hardback chart the week it went on sale. | Fans saddened by loss of hero in latest Bridget Jones novel .
Author Helen Fielding said it makes it more realistic .
She didn't want third book to be 'weak copy' of previous two .
Daniel Cleaver remains because she loves the character and Hugh Grant's portrayal . |
180,887 | 762e3a5b29e244df5c0620af617242992954a105 | This year's Christmas will be hard to top for Joseph Riquelme. Riquelme, creator of iPhone video editing tool Videoshop, gave his parents a gift that brought them to tears. "Your house is paid off. Merry Xmas," Riquelme said in a handwritten letter that he shared in a Facebook photo. An undeniably heartwarming video that Riquelme posted on YouTube under the name JoeyTrombone shows the exchange. Riquelme pulls an envelope of out his hoodie and hands it to his mother. She takes a few seconds to read it and gasps, bursting into laughter and tears as she hands it to Riquelme's father. "Oh, hijo," his father says to him after reading the good news. "Sometimes the best gifts come in the lamest packages. Merry Christmas everyone!" Riquelme said in a caption accompanying the photo. The video was shared widely after being posted on reddit, drawing more than 1.9 million views since being posted on Friday. "Good job buddy. You are the type of person in the world who deserves to be rewarded," one YouTube commenter said. "This is beautiful... I want to do this for my parents one day and I know I have to work hard for it," another said. "Thank you for this, you made your family proud and you made me get motivated." Riquelme's Facebook friends shared similar sentiments, along with some others we all were thinking. "Way to make everyone else's 6 pack of Costco brand socks for dad look even worse." | Joseph Riquelme paid off his parents' home for Christmas .
A YouTube video showing the exchange will warm the iciest of hearts .
"Way to make everyone else's 6 pack of Costco brand socks for dad look even worse," friend jokes . |
72,272 | ccdb2bf152b14c8390911ae762ce111cb2c6a623 | Look around the cabin during the safety demonstration on any flight, and you are sure to see the majority of passengers reading their magazines, looking at their phones, even carrying on their conversations. Flying has become so commonplace that many completely ignore the essential safety information being explained. But in the event of an emergency - would you actually remember what to do? British Airways are offering a Flight Safety Awareness Course to increase knowledge and awareness of safety procedures and give them the opportunity to experience a simulated aircraft evacuation from a smoke-filled Boeing 737 cabin simulator. Emergency slide: British Airways offer passengers the opportunity to experience emergency evacuations in their Flight Safety Awareness Course . Training: The course takes place on a Boeing 737 simulator at the Cranebank training centre near Heathrow . Participants in the half day course learn to open real aircraft doors and over-wing exits, fit life jackets, jump down emergency evacuation slides and go through a smoke chamber. The team of six safety instructors are all former cabin crew or flight engineers. Far from a dull lecture, the class are seated in a full motion Boeing 737 simulator, experience the usual safety demonstration, taxi and takeoff as usual before the cabin fills with smoke and the passengers are 'evacuated'. Brace! The class experience a simulated emergency landing and evacuation . Afterwards, the class is given a full debrief with advice on techniques and procedure, as well as tips for travelling safely both on board and in hotels. Participants are told what to do in the event of ditching over water, and loss of cabin pressure. 'Customers will learn what they should and should not do in just about any emergency situation that could happen on an aircraft, any airline’s aircraft,' Flight Safety Awareness Course leader, Andy Clubb tells MailOnline. 'They get the opportunity to ask any questions that they have ever had about flying and flight safety to British Airways’ experienced training team. 'The most important thing they will learn is just how staggeringly safe flying is and how much is invested in crew training.' Remain calm: The cabin fills with smoke in the simulated emergency, to give participants an idea ofthe real-life experience . Since its inception in 2003, more than 15,000 people have taken the course. While most participants are employees of corporate companies, individuals are able to participate in classes with spare places available. The recent air disasters have not resulted in an increase in bookings for the course so far, Clubb says. 'Most courses are booked by people who have heard about the course from previous delegates who have recommended it to colleagues and friends,' he says. 'It ultimately demonstrates just how safe flying is.' Not so fun in real life: Passengers try out using the emergency evacuation slide . 'It ultimately demonstrates just how safe flying is': Crew show the class how to operate the doors in the event of an emergency . The Flight Safety Awareness Course was originally designed for the petrochemical industry who fly their staff to wherever oil and gas is located in the world. 'This can be in some very remote and unusual places that are not always served by national airlines,' says Clubb. 'They request the course as part of their Corporate and Social Responsibility towards their staff.' The courses take place at BA's Cranebank training centre near Heathrow. Valuable experience: The half-day course, originally developed for petrochemical company employees, costs from £135 . Safety first: Participants are also shown how to use life jackets, and learn about ditching over water and loss of cabin pressure . | Flight Safety Awareness Course costs from £135 for half-day class .
Courses give travellers opportunity to experience aircraft evacuation .
Participants learn to use real aircraft doors and emergency evacuation slides . |
265,013 | e3424e1a57bd30b58f210ba4270a23d94ffe2478 | (CNN) -- A male University of Virginia lacrosse player was charged with first degree murder Monday after a member of the school's women's lacrosse team was found dead in her apartment, police said. Police were initially called to the off-campus apartment by a roommate who reported "a possible alcohol overdose," said Tim Longo, chief of police in Charlottesville, Virginia. "It was quickly apparent to them this young lady was the victim of something far worse," Longo said. Police identified the dead student as Yeardley Love, 22, a senior from Cockeysville, Maryland. Investigators "fairly quickly" focused on George Huguely from Chevy Chase, Maryland, as a suspect, Longo said. Huguely, a senior, is on the men's lacrosse team and was charged with murder, he said. Police are interviewing friends of Love and Huguely to determine what their relationship was, he said. "That she appears now to have been murdered by another student compounds this sense of loss by suggesting that Yeardley died without comfort or consolation from those closest to her," University of Virginia President John Casteen said. "We know no explanation of what appears now to have happened," he said. | Yeardley Love, member of Virginia's women's lacrosse team, found dead in apartment .
George Huguely, member of school's men's lacrosse team, charged with murder .
Police interviewing friends to determine what relationship between Love, Huguely was .
The lastest on the investigaton on tonight's "Nancy Grace", HLN 8 p.m. ET . |
252,176 | d25d0b06b02e1c39a505b755ef040f6446cba4f1 | Suzanne Porter, 25, was arrested after she urinated in the street and 'exposed backside' to officers . A young mother who punched a policewoman’s teeth in after she was arrested for urinating in the street gloated about it on Facebook and posted pictures of her blood stained dress. Suzanne Porter, 25, from Clitheroe in Lancashire, had been drinking shots on a night out with nine friends when police were called to move the rowdy group along. Officers were driving along when Porter, a barmaid, went out in the middle of the road and bent over before lifting up her dress and ‘exposed her backside’. Burnley Crown Court heard that PC Kirstie Pitcher then pulled the van over and got out but Porter ran off. The officer was able to catch up on foot and challenged her about urinating in the street, after the group were kept under CCTV observations, and exposing herself to police. Prosecutor Joseph Allman told the court that when challenged Porter replied ‘Oh, did I?’ before PC Pitcher was joined by colleagues who decided to make an arrest. PC Pitcher initially attempted to detain Porter before assisting in arresting her Porter’s brother, Gary Place, 29, who was also drunk and threatening officers with his sister’s stiletto shoes. When the officer went back to arrest Porter she was punched in the face, knocking off her glasses and causing her to stagger and fall over the other detainee. Mr Allman said: ‘It was without provocation and knocking her teeth back in her mouth so that she could feel they were dislodged.’ She was said to have felt immediate pain to her face and when she realised her teeth were loose in her mouth, she spat one out into her hand and shouted down her radio to her colleagues to arrest Porter. Porter ran off but was arrested and was found to have the victim’s blood on her white dress. When questioned, she said she had been drinking shots after work before the incident in May. She apologised to police but Mr Allman added: ‘She was later gloating about the incident. She posted a picture of her blood-stained dress with the comment: ”Ruined”. PC Kirstie Pitcher had been attempting to detain Porter when she thumped her in the mouth in May this year . ‘One of her Facebook associates says: “All she will want for Christmas is her two front teeth.” The defendant replied: “Ha, ha.” ‘The posting, along with another, a picture of a broken tooth, again accompanied by “ha, ha,“ added to the victim’s distress and disgust over her ordeal.’ PC Pitcher had a broken front tooth and three others were loose and also suffered distortion of the cartilage in her nose. The prosecutor said: ‘She was off work four weeks and when she did go back, she was accompanied by a colleague because of the impact this has had on her confidence. ‘She had emergency dental treatment costing £1,300 and was on soft food for two weeks. In a number of ways, it has profoundly affected her confidence. ‘Her front teeth are discoloured and that plainly is a matter of great upset to her.’ Porter, a barmaid, posted a picture on Facebook of her blood-stained dress after the attack and wrote 'ruined' A friend replied to Porter's Facebook post with 'All she will want for Christmas is her two front teeth', while Porter wrote back 'Ha ha' and posted a picture of a broken tooth . Porter, who had a previous conviction for violence and intimidation, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and was sentenced to ten months in prison. In mitigation her counsel James Heyworth, said there were ‘positives and negatives’ to her character. The previous conviction for violence went back to when she was a teenager in 2005. The barrister continued: ‘The Facebook messages do her no credit whatsoever. She has been banned from all pubs in Clitheroe, which will help mitigate against this type of behaviour happening again. 'She knows she’s done something very, very wrong.’ Judge Miss Recorder Tina Landale, passing the sentence, told Porter: ‘The victim was particularly vulnerable in the circumstances. You targeted her.’ Porter was sentenced to 10 months in prison and it was revealed she has a previous conviction for violence . Judge Landale said PC Pitcher ‘took particular pride’ in her teeth and had been caused anxiety, distress and pain. She continued: ‘A serious aggravating feature is the public boasting and celebration. It added to the impact upon her.’ Porter’s brother Gary Place, of Chatburn, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and was fined £75, with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge at an earlier hearing. | Suzanne Porter, 25, had been drinking shots on night out with nine friends .
Police were called to move group along and she 'exposed herself' to them .
PC Kirstie Pitcher attempted to detain Porter who punched her in the face .
She required emergency dental treatment and had damaged nose cartilage .
Porter put picture of blood-stained dress on Facebook saying 'ruined'
She was sentenced to 10 months in prison at Burnley Crown Court today . |
155,542 | 550c0c663e1dda07b064d1f797405cf811c6e85c | British athletics hero Mo Farah's brother has been jailed after trying to break into an elderly couple's home. Omar Farah, 21, who has 15 previous convictions, was caught trying to break into the pensioners' home after visiting his girlfriend in west London. He was caught when he unwittingly tried to climb into their ground-floor bedroom thinking it was unoccupied. Scroll down for video . Omar Farah, 21, right, the younger brother of Olympic gold champion Mo, left, was jailed for 15 months after admitting one count of attempted burglary with intent to steal at a hearing at Kingston Crown Court . Omar Farah said in an earlier interview that his brother Mo, pictured, has been an inspiration for him . According to police it was his 20th offence in a string of convictions which include burglary, robbery and handling stolen goods. Omar is the Olympic champion's half-brother as they share the same father Mukhtar. Farah, 21 pleaded guilty to one count of attempted burglary with intent to steal at Kingston Crown Court today. He had previously spoken about the support Mo, 31, had given him, seeing him as a role model, while in a 2013 interview he said he had been training as a graphic designer in a bid to avoid getting into trouble. Today a judge branded his criminal record 'unimpressive', although the court heard he had not committed any further crimes since he tried breaking into the pensioner's home at around 7am March 2 last year. Prosecutor José Olivares-Chandler said: 'There were two elderly Polish occupants in a downstairs bedroom of this residential premises. 'There were woken by noise and it became clear there was a stranger at the window. 'The male occupant saw an arm, shouted and disturbed that stranger who ran off across the front garden, through the gate and away.' The elderly couple slept in a ground floor bedroom which overlooking their front garden. Despite being woken by Farah they did not see him but his fingerprints were found on the window. The prosecutor continued: 'He was arrested at a later date after details were circulated and gave no comment during interview.' Kingston Crown Court heard that Farah, 21, had 'numerous offences for dishonesty' and two for burglary . The court heard how Farah, who lived in Brentford, west London, had a string of previous convictions including two for burglary. Mr Olivares-Chandler said: 'Your honour will see that he has 15 convictions for 20 offences. 'There are numerous offences for dishonesty, but the two the Crown would like to draw reference two are domestic burglaries. Farah, who has been in Wandsworth prison since May, appeared in the dock in a grey cricket jumper and dark blue jeans. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted burglary with intent to steal after prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious charge of burglary with intent. Andrew Turton, defending, claimed he was an 'opportunist' who had seen the chance to break into the property after visiting his girlfriend nearby. He said: 'On the same road lived his girlfriend, this was an opportunist, spur-of-the-moment burglary.' Sentencing him to 15 months imprisonment Judge Jones said: 'You are 21 years of age and you have got an unimpressive criminal record. 'Apart from matters of theft you have two previous residential burglaries and you have offences of robbery and handling stolen goods - not an attractive record [and] have been in custody for a fair amount of time. 'I arrive that a final sentence of 15 months' imprisonment, you have been in custody for a good while but not long enough.' | Omar Farah admitted one count of attempted burglary with intent to steal .
The younger brother of Olympic hero Mo left his fingerprints at the scene .
Farah, 21, tried to break into a west London house in March 2013 .
He was jailed for 15 months at Kingston Crown Court by Judge Jones .
Judge Jones described Farah's 15 previous convictions as 'unimpressive' |
80,479 | e4279c7d39d76b50dd445a180ad62a4194383382 | By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 19:04 EST, 27 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:04 EST, 27 October 2013 . An Oklahoma family has shared the heartbreaking tale of how three of four unrelated daughters-in-law were diagnosed with breast cancer, with one tragically losing her life. Robert and Wilma Wehrenberg had four boys - Mark, Michael, David and Paul. The couple had wanted a girl but decided their sons' wives would be the daughters they never had. 'And that's what we had - four wonderful daughters-in-law,' Robert told NewsOK.com. Stacy Wehrenberg, Michael's wife, was the first to be diagnosed, in 2010. The couple worked together at the University of Oklahoma and married on New Year's Eve 2002. Not long after, they had their daughter Abbey, who's now 9. Tragic: Stacy Wehrenberg, pictured right, was the first to be diagnosed, in 2010. She lost her battle in 2012. Tammy, pictured left with her husband Paul, was next, however she has now finished treatment . It was around the holidays that doctors told the family Stacy had a type of breast cancer that was fairly simple to treat. In January 2011, they told her they were wrong. It turned out she had a rare form of breast cancer known as metaplastic carcinoma, which is already considered invasive at diagnosis. Doctors removed the tumor but the cancer was aggressive and had already spread through her blood system. Stacy finished her chemotherapy in October 2011 and had two good months, including a happy Thanksgiving that her family will always cherish. Not again: Amy, pictured left, was the last to be diagnosed but is now cancer free . But predictably her cancer came back. In March 2012, she went to the doctor complaining of aches and pains. She was told the cancer had spread through her bones and she was given six months to live. 'I think most doctors agreed that she just really never got over it,' her husband Michael said. Despite . the grim prognosis, Stacy didn't give up. She enrolled in a drug trial . at a cancer center in Houston. But while two patients on the trial made . complete recoveries, Stacy's cancer got worse. Meanwhile, . in April 2012, David's wife, who is also called Stacy, found a lump in . her breast. The couple kept it to themselves at first and later learned . it was not cancer. They . were relieved, but her guilt at being healthy when one, and later two . more Wehrenberg sisters-in-law weren't so lucky, gave her a heavy heart. 'I kept telling her, "There's a reason — maybe there's a reason. Maybe you need to be the rock,"' David told the news website. Tammy, Paul's wife, was next. After she turned 40, she decided to have her first annual mammogram. Soon it was an ultrasound, a biopsy and then doctors were taking a sample of her breast tissue. 'We . think this is cancer,' the doctors told her. Though hers was in an . early stage - 0 or 1 - the diagnosis got worse and worse, Paul said. After she was told 17 of her lymph nodes were involved, she chose to have a double mastectomy.Michael's wife Stacy was nothing but supportive. 'The . best thing Stacy ever told me when I was diagnosed was "Just because . I've been given my death sentence doesn't mean you're not allowed to . have your feelings. So don't feel like you can't call me and talk to me . about how you feel,"' Tammy said. 'What a gift. I don't know how she . knew how to say that.' And she did lean on her sister-in-law. Scare: David's wife, right, who is also called Stacy, found a lump in her breast in April 2012 but later learned it was not cancer . In summer 2012, when she was sitting . on her bed with one of her two daughters Allison, Tammy pulled out a . chunk of her hair. She called Stacy, sobbing. Twenty minutes later, she . had got her head shaved. As she suffered the brutal side effects of chemotherapy and recovered from her mastectomy, she was in a great deal of pain. 'It's . very hard on a family,' Paul said. 'It got to where she was hurting so . much, if I would touch her or Della would touch her ... it hurt. It . scared Della. She still has problems in not wanting to hurt her mom.' Meanwhile, . Stacy's cancer had doubled while she was on the drug trial. With little . left that doctors could try, Stacy decided to come home. And she and . Michael, with their family and friends around them, renewed their vows. After almost 10 years of marriage, . they wed again at the McFarlin United Methodist Church in Norman, and at . the reception Stacy danced. 'She had a natural high that whole evening,' David said. 'You wouldn't think she was as sick as she was.' Wedding: After Stacy was given a short time to live, she and Michael, with their family and friends around them, renewed their vows . After . a final family vacation in Disneyland in July, Stacy started losing her . vision and doctors found a tumor behind her eye. They decided to bring . hospice care into their home. She passed away on September 26, 2012, aged 52, surrounded by her family. 'I . never saw her not upbeat,' her father-in-law, Robert told the . newspaper. 'Even though she was so down, she kept it to herself if she . felt bad. She kept cheering us up, too. We wanted to keep her spirits . up, but it wasn't hard to keep her spirits up. She was a special . person.' Just days later, Tammy finished her chemotherapy. She threw a party to celebrate with 60 friends, and toasted her brave sister-in-law. 'It . was still very hard with her not being there because her death was . still very fresh and raw. I still carry that with me,' she said. But the family's battle with breast cancer was not over. Mastectomy: After Tammy, Paul's wife, turned 40, she decided to have her first annual mammogram. Soon it was an ultrasound, a biopsy and then doctors were taking a sample of her breast tissue . On October 10, 2012, Mark's wife Amy went to get a mammogram after discovering a lump on her breast a few months earlier. Her . mother and grandmother had had the disease, and having watched Stacy . and Tammy fight so valiantly, she was understandably scared. On October 17, Mark's birthday, Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer. 'It . was a big surprise to all of us, especially since it was a few weeks . after Stacy's service,' Michael said. 'We're like, "Three, in the same . family, yet not blood relatives. How does that happen?"' Amy . had eight rounds of chemotherapy over the next few months and opted to . remove the lump, rather than undergo a full mastectomy. She lost her hair, and her children , Matthew and Amanda, cut theirs short to show their support. However, her hair has now grown back. Supportive: Tammy, pictured, said Stacy was nothing but supportive and told her 'Just because I've been given my death sentence doesn't mean you're not allowed to have your feelings' Amy finished her chemotherapy in May, 2012 and radiation in August. 'We're going to say I'm cancer free,' Amy told the news website. Meanwhile, on January 31 this year, Tammy had her last radiation treatment on and doctors told her simply: 'Go live your life.' The Wehrenbergs hope their harrowing story will encourage other women to get regular mammograms and inspire breast cancer sufferers to fight hard for their families. 'If you do get the worst of it, you've just got to fight,' Amy said. 'You've got to take it and fight like a girl because there's not a female who won't fight to the death for her family. You've just got to fight for your life for your family.' Today, three pink ribbons made from wood sit outside Robert and Wilma's home, representing the three 'wonderful daughters-in-law' who, despite only being related through the brothers they married, shared so much more. | Oklahoma women, Stacy, Tammy and Amy Wehrenberg, who are only related by the brothers they married, were all diagnosed with breast cancer .
Stacy tragically lost her life in September 2012 after a two year battle but Tammy and Amy are now cancer free .
The family is sharing their sad story in the hope it will encourage other women to get regular mammograms and inspire breast cancer sufferers . |
173,332 | 6c5566d3a84c70801915dc4694f13006d0639ab6 | By . Ben Ellery . PUBLISHED: . 16:58 EST, 14 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:13 EST, 16 September 2013 . The Turkish gunman who shot his British lover caught her chatting to a man on Facebook and suspected she was cheating on him. Veli Acar, 46, told police he killed Anne Bury, 56, after he found her talking online to a man from Saudi Arabia. When Acar, who had been in a relationship with the qualified midwife for six years, questioned her, she told him to ‘mind your business’. Anne Bury and Veli Acar at Ekincik, Turkey pictured here in 2010. The couple had been together for six years before Acar shot Ms Bury at point blank range . Days later he returned to her Turkish villa with a shotgun and killed Ms Bury while wounding her son, Alex, 24, and her mother Cecilia, 87. It is unknown whether the man Ms Bury was talking to on Facebook was Iain Cameron, 61, the estranged father of her son who lives in the Middle East. The Mail on Sunday has discovered Ms Bury and Acar would sleep together in her villa when she was in Turkey but when her family came she hid their relationship by moving him to a villa she owned next door. Acar told arresting officers he felt ‘humiliated’ by this. Since her death on Monday, Ms Bury’s family has denied they were a couple but last night a photograph emerged of Acar smiling and with his arm around her waist. The picture was taken in a popular Turkish hotspot in 2010. Acar told police they met in 2006 on a river cruise in Dalyan. Shortly afterwards they began a relationship and Ms Bury made frequent visits from her home in Saudi Arabia to see him. The home of Catherine Bury in Dalyan, Turkey, where she was murdered by lover, Veli Acar after allegedly speaking to another man on Facebook . Anne Bury was celebrating a birthday with her family at the home in Turkey when the enraged gardener rained fire on them, killing his lover and injuring others . Acar divorced his wife of ten years, Glaswegian Ruth McGarry, to be with Ms Bury in 2010. But after Acar racked up debts the couple began to argue and Ms Bury planned to break up with him on her latest visit. She was horrified when she arrived and found Acar had printed six poster-size pictures of them to hang in his living room. Ms Bury’ son is in hospital in Turkey and is set to fly home tomorrow. His grandmother has been released from hospital. Last night Ms Bury’s brother Jerome said: ‘We have been told her killer will spend a long time in prison and that is a comfort to us.’ | Veli Acar shot Anne Bury at her home in Dalyan, Turkey, where she celebrating a family birthday .
It is alleged Ms Bury didn't tell her family about the pair's relationshi, sparking Acar's rage .
The 46-year-old gardener has told police he found his lover talking to a man online before shooting her . |
1,230 | 0378749049e11ad34b0760d5201dae9a00ab2dfb | (CNN) -- A Yemeni rights activist, whose arrest sparked an international outcry and domestic protests, was released from prison Monday and said there is a revolution taking place in her country. Authorities arrested Tawakkol Karman over the weekend, accusing her of organizing anti-government protests in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. They let her go after more than 5,000 protesters gathered in her support. She had initially refused to leave prison until officials also agreed to free other activists detained over the weekend, she said. Karman is a leader of the protest movement in Yemen that is calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. "This revolution going on in Yemen was inspired by Tunisia's 'Jasmine Revolution' and we are now having a 'Jasmine Revolution' in Yemen," Karman told CNN soon after her release. "The huge amount of pressure coming from the people here will force President Saleh to leave office." Protests in Tunisia ended 23 years of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's rule. They have ignited unrest elsewhere in the region, including Algeria and Egypt. Karman, who heads the Women Journalists Without Chains organization in Yemen, said she was arrested Saturday night near her home. "The police asked me to get out of the car but I refused. I asked to see if they had a warrant for my arrest and if there were charges against me. I was removed from the car by force," she said. Karman was arrested under a warrant for leading unlicensed student protests in Sanaa last week, according to a statement from the interior ministry. Known as one of the most-prominent rights activists in Yemen, she has helped to organize several protests that have drawn hundreds of demonstrators. People in Yemen are upset because the parliament is considering loosening the rules on presidential term limits. That has sparked concerns among the opposition that Saleh might try to appoint himself president for life. Saleh has been in office for some 32 years and was last re-elected in 2006. Yemeni authorities ordered Karman's release after she spent more than 30 hours in jail. "My message is that we, the protesters who have been out there in the streets, are actually looking out for the welfare of our republic -- that we are making sure our leaders are accountable. They have taken our republic as a kingdom for themselves and we are holding our corrupt leaders accountable," she said. Journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this story. | NEW: Tawakkol Karman is calling for Yemen's president to step down .
NEW: "We are now having a 'Jasmine Revolution' in Yemen," she says .
NEW: Karman had initially refused to leave prison until other activists were also freed . |
147,152 | 4a4498f89573c95da51fc322805ccd1d0af47c4c | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:00 EST, 2 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:03 EST, 2 August 2012 . Controversy: The brother-in-law of Florida Lt Gov. Jennifer Carroll has been indicted on conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute prescription painkillers . The brother-in-law of Florida Lt Governor Jennifer Carroll has been indicted on charges of illegally distributing prescription pain medication. Edward Beckles, 59, who owns and operates his own pharmacy in Pasco County, appeared in court Monday on charges of providing prescription pain medication such as Oxycodone to two drug rings that have known activity in the area. The allegations come days after Carroll’s damaging statement saying that women who look like her are not lesbians, and her own legal headache over an alleged affair with a female staffer. Beckles, who is married to Carroll’s sister, is accused of filing fraudulent pain killer prescriptions for the drug rings. His pharmacy was raided earlier this month on the conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, the Grio reported. It was the culmination of a gruelling two-year investigation by the DEA and the Pasco County Sheriff’s office. Carroll’s office issued a statement Tuesday saying that the Lt Governor was ‘not familiar with Mr Beckles’ arrest or his business practices and she has never visited his pharmacy. 'She is surprised and saddened that this has happened to her sister’s family.’ Last week, she apologised for offending lesbians when she said black women who engage in same sex relationships don't look like her. Carroll made the controversial remarks more than two weeks ago while denying allegations from a fired staffer who claims she walked in on the politician and a female travel aide in a compromising position. Family business: Edward Beckles owns and operates Ed's Family Friendly Pharmacy, centre . Pill mill? Beckles allegedly was filling false prescriptions for Oxycodone at his pharmacy (stock photo) 'It is wrong and inexcusable to make a comment that hurts people, and that was not my intention,' Carroll wrote in a letter to Equality Florida, a group that seeks equal rights for gays and lesbians, on Thursday. 'As a Christian, my faith guides me to love and respect all people. The false charges that have been lodged against me are no excuse for what I have said.' The claims about Carroll were made by fired staffer Carletha Cole, who is charged with secretly taping a conversation with Carroll's chief of staff. Cole allegedly gave the recording to a newspaper reporter. 'Please know that I am committed to treating every person with the utmost respect and dignity and I hope you will accept my heartfelt apology,' Carroll, who has been married for 29 years and has three children, wrote. Nadine Smith, Equality Florida's executive director, said the governor also called her to apologise for her comments. 'I want to thank the lieutenant . governor for taking responsibility for her words and for responding to . the harm those words inflicted,' Smith said. 'Apologies by elected leaders for . public mistakes are rare and it is to the lieutenant governor's credit . that she has taken this step.' Sex scandal: Florida governor Rick Scott and his deputy Jennifer Carroll have been mired in allegations from a former aide about affairs and phone tapping . When asked about the claims made by her ex-employee Cole, the Republican replied: 'Usually black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that.' The controversy arose after Cole was fired and subsequently prosecuted for allegedly taping a conversation with another aide and illegally leaking it to a newspaper. However, she claimed that the real reason she had been sacked was because she walked in on Carroll having sex with a female aide, Beatriz Ramos. When the lieutenant governor was asked about the sensational allegations by WTSP, she said: 'The problem is that when you have these accusations that come out, it's not just one person you're attacking. It's an entire family. 'My husband doesn't want to hear that. He knows the type of woman I am... I'm the one that's married for twenty-nine years. The accuser is the one that's been single for a long time. 'So usually black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that.' Sensational: Carletha Cole, 48, was fired from her job and is on trial for giving an illegally taped phone conversation to a newspaper . Cole said earlier this month that she witnessed Carroll and Ramos, in a 'compromising position' inside Carroll's office. She also claimed that Carroll's chief of staff secretly recorded conversations at the direction of those working for governor Rick Scott, and that the trash can at Cole's desk might have been deliberately set ablaze following an argument between her and Ramos. Cole also said Ramos was living at the lieutenant governor's home and at one point she was ordered by Ramos to find adjoining hotel rooms for the pair when they traveled. The disgruntled aide said that she was 'scolded' by Carroll's security team when she placed Ramos next door to Carroll when the lieutenant governor and her husband traveled to Puerto Rico last summer. The agent told her to not do it again, Cole said, but did not explain why. Lieutenant governor Carroll, a former Navy officer who is also a mother-of-three, said the allegations are all lies. 'That's . totally false and absurd,' said Carroll, a former Republican legislator . who was chosen by Scott as his running mate in 2010. Carroll . said the allegations are an attempt by Cole and her attorney to get the . criminal charges against Cole dropped. The former aide was charged with . a third-degree felony and could serve up to five years in prison. Carroll said: 'They are trying to pull at straws. All this stuff you mentioned doesn't excuse what happened.' Political power: Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll (with Governor Scott) allegedly had a relationship with a female aide . | Jennifer Carroll slammed for saying 'black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that'
Brother-in-law indicted by federal government for allegedly filling false prescriptions for Oxycodone for two drug rings . |
141,226 | 42a051057656dd9b286a5f2d4a1c8cbb9f695a51 | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A judge declared a mistrial in the murder case against music legend Phil Spector after a jury announced for the second time in eight days that it was hopelessly deadlocked. Phil Spector did not testify at his five-month murder trial. The jury said it was split 10-2. The jury deliberated for 12 days, taking six ballots, but was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Jurors told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler they were split 10-2, without indicating which way they were leaning. They added there was nothing Fidler could do to help them arrive at a unanimous verdict. Fidler discharged the nine men and three women, thanking them for their service. Watch what the jurors have to say » . Spector went on trial in April, charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of B-movie queen Lana Clarkson after a night out in the clubs of Hollywood. The judge told attorneys to return to his Los Angeles, California, courtroom on October 3 to discuss the next legal move. Spector, 67, did not take the witness stand at the trial. Deliberations were arduous, entering the third week on Monday. Last week, jurors received new instructions on the law and were told to start over after the foreman declared the panel was deadlocked 7-5. The jury's inability to reach a verdict capped a five-month trial that played like a Hollywood film noir classic -- with a twist of the bizarre. A 6-foot-tall, blue-eyed blonde with a toothpaste commercial smile, Clarkson was known for her roles in "Barbarian Queen" and "Amazon Women on the Moon." But at 40 the parts were few and far between and she had taken a $9-an-hour job as a VIP hostess at the House of Blues in Hollywood. Spector invented the "wall of sound" in the 1960s and worked with the Beatles, Ike and Tina Turner and other acts. Normally reclusive, Spector had spent a rare night out on the town, found Clarkson at the House of Blues at closing time and invited her home for a drink in the wee hours of February 3, 2003. After initially turning him down, she agreed to accompany him, according to testimony. Hours later, police were summoned to Spector's mansion in Alhambra, a suburb of Los Angeles. The diminutive music producer had wandered into the driveway in the predawn and told his Brazilian-born chauffeur, "I think I killed somebody," according to the driver's testimony. Clarkson was found inside, slumped in a chair in the foyer. She had been shot in the mouth. A .38-caliber Colt Special revolver lay at her feet. It appeared someone had attempted to clean up the blood with a diaper found in the guest bathroom. Spector's attorneys argued that Clarkson was depressed over a recent breakup, grabbed the gun and took her own life. But prosecution witnesses painted Spector as a gun-toting menace, with five women telling harrowing tales on the witness stand of the music producer threatening them with firearms. Spector's driver testified he heard a loud noise and saw the producer leave the home, pistol in hand, saying, "I think I killed somebody." At issue was whether Spector pulled the trigger -- or whether Clarkson did. In photos projected on a large screen, the gruesome crime scene resembled a set decorated for a horror film. In all, 77 witnesses testified and more than 600 pieces of evidence were submitted. The evidence cart wheeled into the jury room was piled high with exhibits. The jury even toured the scene of the alleged crime. The experts' testimony differed widely on what the physical evidence showed. Prosecutors pointed to the leopard print purse slung over Clarkson's shoulder as evidence she was trying to leave when she was shot. The defense argued that blood-spatter evidence on the white women's jacket Spector wore showed he was standing too far away to place the gun in Clarkson's mouth. Spector hired and fired a who's who of legal talent for his defense. High profile defense attorneys who have left the case include Leslie Abramson and Bruce Cutler. He also changed hairstyles several times during the trial, and wore flamboyant clothing, including frock coats and pastel-colored ties and pocket handkerchiefs. E-mail to a friend . | Judge to meet with lawyers next week to discuss options .
Actress found dead at music legend's home .
Prosecutors said Spector shot Lana Clarkson when she tried to leave .
Defense said Clarkson shot herself in the mouth . |
122,892 | 2ad41ea4cfaff7fc90b25ebf8ed5de287268bbc8 | The tennis dress from one of the world's most famous posters is to be auctioned - and is valued at £1,000. The little white-lacy number is recognisable from the Athena tennis picture where a blonde model shows her bare bottom. Taken on a court at the University of Birmingham in 1976, it has now sold more than two million copies internationally. Remember this? A dress from one of the world's most famous posters, the Athena tennis picture, is going under the hammer in the Midlands . Despite its fame, the teenage star wasn't identified until 35 years later, when she was named as freelance illustrator Fiona Walker. The dress, made by Fiona's friend Carol Knotts, has been hidden away in a cupboard until now. Carol, now a barrister, said: 'I used to get an allowance from my parents but to make it stretch further, I made my own clothes. Under the hammer: Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge is auctioning the original dress and tennis racquet as used in the famous Athena poster of the young women holding her bare left buttock . Revealed: Fiona Walker, 53, poses with a picture of herself as the eighteen year-old 'Athena tennis poster girl' 'As I played tennis at the local club, I bought a "Simplicity" pattern and made my own dress, complete with lace trim. 'Fiona one day asked if she could borrow my dress and racquet and when she returned them, she gave me a big box of chocolates as a thank you. 'It's a little piece of tennis history and I hope someone might find it an interesting novelty item to buy.' Fiona, a freelance illustrator, was the girlfriend of unknown 29-year-old commercial photographer Martin Elliot when the picture was taken and she had never played tennis before. Vintage: Auctioneer Nick Davies poses with the dress which Fiona Walker wore on a court at the University of Birmingham in 1976 . Guess who? The snap of Fiona holding her buttocks was taken on a tennis court at the University of Birmingham in 1976 and has now sold more than two million copies internationally . Unsurprisingly the photograph, since recreated by superstars such as Kylie Minogue and Ricky Gervais, shot Martin to fame. The couple split in 1979, three years after the photo was taken. Fiona was never officially paid for the shot, but Martin always said: 'I looked after her.' The dress, racquet and two posters are estimated to fetch £1,000 to £2,000 at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Iconic: The photograph, since recreated by superstars such as Kylie Minogue and Ricky Gervais, shot Martin to fame . Hiding away: The dress, made by Fiona's friend Carol Knotts, has been hidden away in a cupboard until now . Historical: Dressmaker Carol says the dress is a little piece of tennis history and she hopes someone might find it an interesting novelty item to buy . The lot will be auctioned on July 5 - Wimbledon ladies' finals day next month - and is valued at between £1,000 and £2,000. Fieldings' director Nick Davies said: 'A generation of people will remember this poster so it's a good time to put it up for auction. This is the most famous tennis dress of all time, yet it has never graced Centre Court. 'It's an unknown quantity in terms of value but we are sure will create plenty of interest.' Under the hammer: The lot will be auctioned on July 5 - Wimbledon ladies' finals day next month - and is valued at between £1,000 and £2,000 . | Dress from Athena tennis picture to go under hammer .
Worn by Fiona Walker on a court at the University of Birmingham in 1976 .
Sold more than 2m copies internationally .
Teenage star, Fiona Walker, .
wasn't identified until 35 years later .
Will go on auction in Stourbridge, West Midlands . |
73,070 | cf33d6010880a15bd3dd330ac5dec12b627e2971 | By . Mike Dawes . Billy Hurley III continued to lead the chase for the Greenbrier Classic title - and an Open Championship place - with a third-round 67 at White Sulphur Springs. The 31-year-old has never even recorded a top-three finish in his six seasons on the PGA Tour but put himself in prime position to break his duck by advancing to 12 under par in West Virginia and a two-stroke lead over nearest challenger Angel Cabrera. An opening birdie on day three was offset by a poor chip at the third but the rest of his front nine was exemplary, starting with a calm 10-foot putt at the fourth to move under par again. Eyes on the prize: Billy Hurley III leads the Greenbrier Classic heading into the final round . A precise spinning approach to the ninth set up a birdie and an outward nine of 32 shots. His pitch onto the green at the par-five 12th struck the pin and set up a short birdie putt, and he holed a good left-to-right breaker at the next to move four under par for the day. A miss from 12 feet at the 15th was the one blemish thereafter but the former Navy lieutenant will be happy with his efforts. With Open places on offer to the top four finishers not already qualified - so long as they are in the top 12 - Hurley has a fine chance of a place at Royal Liverpool, albeit with plenty of challengers waiting for him to slip up. Open possibility: Hurley looks set to qualify for next week's Major at Royal Liverpool . Second-placed Cabrera has no such concerns, the Argentinian already in the field for a shot at his third major to add to the 2007 US Open and 2009 Masters. He was 10 under after three trips round The Old White, his third a fine 64 which finished on a high with birdies at 16 and 17 including a huge breaking right-to-left putt from 30 feet on the former hole. Cabrera aside, though, Steve Stricker was the only member of the top 11 not playing for an Open place. The American Ryder Cup player was one of seven players at eight under, a shot behind Kevin Chappell who held third place outright after a one-under-par 69. In contention: American Ryder Cup star Steve Stricker is the only member of the top 11 already qualified . Stricker is alongside compatriots Michael Thompson, Cameron Tringale, Will Wilcox, Joe Durant and Chris Stroud and Colombia's Camilo Villegas. Durant produced one of the shots of the day off the 18th tee, spinning his yellow ball to within six inches before tapping in for a closing birdie. Jim Renner was alone on seven under with seven players sharing 12th place on six under. Five of those - Canada's David Hearn, Swede David Lingmerth and Americans Hudson Swafford, Luke Guthrie and Troy Matteson - are among the host of players chasing a trip to England, though Bubba Watson and Bill Haas are merely warming up for the Merseyside event. | Billy Hurley III has two-stroke lead heading into final round .
Hurley needs to finish in the top 12 to qualify for next week's Open . |
70,035 | c694c7253808c95b17c17ce41ea411a83ecc09c9 | The technology has been deemed exciting enough for Google to have invested around $500 million, but until now, details about how Magic Leap actually works has remained a mystery. Now, an extensive patent has not only shown how the augmented reality headset could look and work, it also provides a number of example uses for the secretive technology. Its Florida-based makers said it is a realistic version of virtual and augmented reality, which it calls 'cinematic reality', and it could revolutionise how people shop, watch TV and even how doctors operate. Scroll down for video . Until now, very few details about the Florida-based technology had been revealed. The patent shows that, in terms of design, the headset resembles skiing goggles, connected to a battery pack. It connects to a network, which then connects to a so-called 'passable world model.' This model is created using a database of objects . In October, Magic Leap announced it had raised $542 million in a funding round, led by Google. Other investors included Qualcomm, the world's leading phone chipmaker, Andreessen Horowitz, KKR, and Legendary Entertainment. In October, Magic Leap announced it had raised $542 million in funding, led by Google. Other investors included Qualcomm, the world's leading phone chipmaker, Andreessen Horowitz, KKR, and Legendary Entertainment. The patent was filed in July 2014 by chief executive Rony Abovitz, and was awarded earlier this week. In terms of design, the headset resembles skiing goggles, connected to a battery pack. It connects to a network, which then connects to a so-called 'passable world model.' This model is created using a database of objects and 'object recognisers'. Sensors can also track the wearer's location and position, to make sure images are overlaid on the real world as accurately as possible. Buttons on the visor could act like a 'home screen', to take wearers to menus, for example. While other sensors could recognise finger commands such as focus, copy, select, back or cancel, and right clicks. In one drawing from the patent, a mother and child are in a supermarket, and a virtual version of their list appears on the trolley. Other drawings show a man watching sport on this TV, with scores, player ratings and other related content appearing on virtual menus in front of him. The patent was filed in July 2014 by chief executive Rony Abovitz, and was awarded earlier this week. It features a total of 180 pages and drawings detailing the look, functionality and uses for the device. In terms of design, the headset resembles skiing goggles, connected to a battery pack. The headset connects to a network, which then connects to a so-called 'passable world model.' This model is created using a database of objects and 'object recognisers'. Sensors can also track the wearer's location and position, to make sure images are overlaid on the real world as accurately as possible, with the correct depth and proportions. Buttons on the visor could act like a 'home screen', to take wearers to menus, for example. While other sensors could recognise finger commands such as focus, copy, select, back or cancel, and right clicks. Mr Abovitz said last February that his company's mission was to 'develop and commercialise...the most natural and human-friendly wearable computing interface in the world.' Further into the patent, a number of case uses are shown in the form of drawings. In one, a mother and child are in a supermarket, and a virtual version of their shopping list appears on the trolley. Following the same usage case, the headset could turn shopping into a game for the child, in which characters are located in the veg aisle, for example, or monsters jump out from behind tins. Other drawings show a man watching sport on his TV, with scores, player ratings and other related content appearing on virtual menus in front of him. The headset could also turn everyday tasks into games, such as chopping a cucumber, seen in another drawing. Magic Leap's Florida-based makers said it is a realistic version of virtual and augmented reality, which it calls 'cinematic reality'. The firm's website features an elephant (pictured) moving realistically in a person's hands . Sensors can track the wearer's location and position, to make sure images are overlaid on the real world as accurately as possible. Buttons on the visor could act like a 'home screen', to take wearers to menus, for example. While other sensors could recognise finger commands such as focus, copy, select and back . Further into the patent, a number of case uses are shown in the form of drawings. One shows a man watching sport on TV, with scores, player ratings and other related content appearing on virtual menus in front of him . And, in hospitals, surgeons could wear the headset during surgeries to locate specific areas of a heart, for example, or follow step-by-step guidelines on a virtual screen. As part of Google's investment, Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps at the search engine, will join Magic Leap's board. Paul Jacobs, executive chairman of Qualcomm, will join Magic Leap's board as an observer. An example image, showing the blurring of a fantastical virtual reality object and the real world produced by the technology, is pictured. As part of Google's investment, Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps at the search engine, will join Magic Leap's board . In another patent drawing, a mother and child are in a supermarket with a virtual version of their shopping list on the trolley (left). The headset could also turn shopping into a game for the child, in which characters are located in the veg aisle, for example, or monsters jump out from behind tins (right) In hospitals, surgeons could wear the headset during surgeries to locate specific areas of a heart, for example, or follow step-by-step guidelines on a virtual screen (pictured) Mr Abovitz recently said: 'We have the term 'cinematic reality' because we are disassociated with those things. 'When you see this, you will see that this is computing for the next 30 or 40 years. 'To go farther and deeper than we're going, you would be changing what it means to be human.' The soon-to-be defunct Google Glass, already lets users see augmented reality. Using a particular app for example, runners can wear the glasses to see monsters chasing them. The Magic Leap patent shows how its headset could be used in a similar way by cyclists, for example. The headset could also turn everyday tasks into games, such as chopping a cucumber, as illustrated in another patent drawing (pictured). The patent was filed in July 2014 and awarded earlier this week . The soon-to-be defunct Google Glass already lets users see augmented reality. Using a particular app for example, runners can wear the glasses to see monsters chasing them. The Magic Leap patent also shows how its headset could be used in a similar way by cyclists, for example (pictured) Magic Leap's system claims to be more realistic than the Oculus Rift (pictured). The firm was bought last year by Facebook for $2 billion, and gamers are waiting for a consumer version of the headset to be launched . Google Glass also superimposes information on the periphery of a wearer's vision. Facebook spent $2 billion buying Oculus last year, which makes a virtual reality headset, mostly aimed at gamers. Unlike Magic Leap's future device, it blocks out the real world around the user. Gamers hope Facebook and Google's involvement in the virtual reality space will accelerate the technology, which would make playing games and watching films more realistic, as well as creating other immersive experiences. A release date and price for the Magic Leap headset have not been revealed. While it is not clear exactly what form the technology will take, it could be added to future versions of smart glasses (Google Glass pictured). A release date and price for the headset have not been revealed . | Google recently led a $542 million investment in the Magic Leap company .
Florida-based firm claims to have made a realistic version of virtual and augmented reality, which it calls 'cinematic reality'
Until now, very few details about the technology had been revealed .
Extensive patent shows how the headset could potentially look and work .
Proposed uses include showing scores and details over a sports game .
It could also be used to show lists, or turn shopping into a children's game .
Elsewhere, doctors could use the headset during complex surgeries .
Unlike Oculus Rift, the wearable could mix virtual reality with the real world .
A release date and price for Magic Leap have not been revealed . |
32,838 | 5d44a33f928a2e7d6f515bd490c5208487e7866a | (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quick to suggest that the death of Osama bin Laden offered a unique opportunity for a wider settlement in a region riven by warfare and insurgency. "Our message to the Taliban remains the same," she said Monday. "You cannot wait us out, you cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon al Qaeda and participate in a peaceful political process." That has been a long-cherished ambition of U.S. foreign policy -- to delink the "good" Taliban from the "bad" Taliban and al Qaeda as a way of bringing peace to Afghanistan. As Clinton put in a speech to the Asia Society in February, the Holy Grail was to "split the weakened Taliban off from al Qaeda and reconcile those who will renounce violence and accept the Afghan constitution." Achieving that goal has become all the more urgent with the looming deadline to begin the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan, and President Obama's goal to complete that withdrawal in 2014. Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has argued that the West had effectively announced the date of the end of the war; and that was an invitation to the insurgents to bide their time. Now -- "post OBL" - the omens may be more encouraging. The secretary of state apparently thinks so. Events across the Middle East, she said Monday, are changing the political landscape. Muslims are "rejecting extremist narratives and charting a path of peaceful progress based on universal rights and aspirations," she said. A deathblow to al Qaeda? And there is polling to suggest that the appeal of al Qaeda's message among Muslims around the world has sharply eroded, according to regular polling by the Pew Research Center. Even in Pakistan, only 18 percent had confidence in bin Laden in 2010, compared to 52 percent in 2005. Jihadist online forums were full of hand-wringing in January and February that the uprisings in the Middle East had passed them by, while offering a variety of strategies for co-opting or taking advantage of the unrest. Beyond this cultural shift, there are other reasons the Taliban/al Qaeda linkage may now be weaker. Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, author of "The Taliban" and "Descent into Chaos" wrote in the Financial Times Monday that "the Taliban do not owe al Qaeda anything now that Osama bin Laden is dead." No obvious replacement to succeed bin Laden . "Renouncing their links with al Qaeda and negotiating as Afghans rather than as members of an international jihad has just become much easier for the Taliban," he added. The Afghan Taliban, a home-grown movement whose principal goal is to expel foreigners, has never had that much in common philosophically with the Arab jihadists bent on using Afghanistan as the starting point in building a worldwide Caliphate. They have no record of terrorist acts beyond Afghanistan's borders. To many observers, it was a marriage of convenience. There may also be more prosaic reasons prodding the Taliban to distance themselves from the al Qaeda leadership. If the U.S. Navy Seals did indeed come across what CNN Terrorism Analyst Peter Bergen described as a "boatload" of evidence during the raid in Abbottabad, some of it may (just may) help in tracking down members of the Quetta leadership of the Taliban. However, analysts say it's by no means certain that the Taliban will perceive this watershed in the way that Clinton would wish. The day before the operation that killed bin Laden, they declared the beginning of their spring offensive. They even made a point of warning that members of the Afghan Peace Council, established with great fanfare last year by President Hamid Karzai, would be targets. And they reiterated their central demand: "The war in our country will not come to an end unless and until the foreign invading forces pull out of Afghanistan." How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden . The Taliban have been weakened in critical areas in the south of Afghanistan, losing strongholds in Kandahar and Helmand provinces and seeing scores of rank-and-file fighters give up the cause. But the fight in the east is as hard as ever -- and non-governmental organizations in Kabul have also spoken of a growing Taliban presence in the north. U.S. commanders acknowledge that gains made so far have been fragile -- and are reversible. A Pentagon report published last week said that expanding the Afghan government's influence and control outside Kabul had not kept pace with recent security gains. So there are few signs that the Taliban -- even if they are tired of fighting -- can yet be strong-armed into suing for peace. In a report for the New America Foundation last year, Anand Gopal argued that the Taliban have been able to exploit the ineptitude of the government in Kabul. "They were able to take advantage of growing disillusionment in the countryside," he wrote. "In particular, the dominance of one particular set of tribes caused members of other, marginalized tribes to look to the insurgency as a source of protection and access to resources." The late Richard Holbrooke, who was the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, acknowledged that victory on the battlefield was not on the horizon, telling CNN's Fareed Zakaria last October that "some kind of political element to this is essential, and we are looking at every aspect of this." Holbrooke also made the point that the Taliban did not have a single address, a principal interlocutor like Slobodan Milosevic or the Palestinian Authority. "There is a widely dispersed group of people that we roughly call the enemy," he said. Referring to the diffuse nature of the Taliban, Miliband argues the West needs to reappraise its goals in Afghanistan. He described Afghanistan as "a country of 40,000 villages and valleys," where a political settlement needs to be "internal with all the tribes and regional with the neighbors." That means a political role for the Taliban. "We have to be absolutely clear, I think, that we do see a place for conservative Pashtun in the political settlement, helping govern the south and east of the country," Miliband told the Council on Foreign Relations recently. Some of the previous contacts between the Taliban leadership and the government in Kabul have been managed by Saudi Arabia. In September 2008, an eleven-member Taliban delegation went to Mecca for talks mediated by King Abdullah. CNN's Nic Robertson reported at the time that the delegation was keen to stress that Mullah Omar, the Taliban's spiritual leader, was no longer allied to al Qaeda. But vigorous Saudi involvement might be problematic now given the Kingdom's focus on its "near abroad:" the chaos in Yemen and conflict in Bahrain, where Saudi troops are now stationed. Add to that the deterioration in the Kingdom's relations with Washington over the "Arab spring" and what the Saudis regard as a reckless abandonment by the Obama administration of long-time allies like former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Another complicating factor: Saudi Arabia is also looking to improve its relationship with Pakistan as a regional counterweight to Iranian expansionism, and Pakistan (which supported the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan) very much wants a place at the table in any negotiation on Afghanistan's future. In the "plus" column, the initiative by Turkey -- an increasingly assertive regional player -- to allow the Taliban to open an office there, to help accelerate the peace process. But for now it's just an initiative, not a reality. So while bin Laden's demise brings opportunities, there are also great obstacles in making it the first downpayment of a peace dividend. Clinton acknowledged as much when she said Monday: "Which way it breaks is not clear yet," she said. "Managing these reactions will be part of our challenge." | Clinton sees death of Osama bin Laden as a potential avenue to peace .
U.S. secretary of states says Muslims are "rejecting extremist narratives"
Polls suggest that the appeal of al Qaeda is eroding among Muslims around the world .
The Taliban shielded bin Laden in Afghanistan for a time . |
95,546 | 06cbcf37f1629fae22826083735b2073d6120375 | Rory McIlroy went from flirting with a third consecutive missed cut to a place inside the top 10 in the BMW PGA Championship on Friday. With a swirling wind and intermittent rain making conditions difficult for the early starters, McIlroy covered the front nine of his second round at Wentworth in three over par. That left McIlroy one under for the tournament with the halfway cut projected at that point to fall at level par, but just as he did in the recent Players Championship at Sawgrass, McIlroy rallied strongly on the back nine. Bad start: Rory McIlroy began his round with back-to-back bogeys at Wentworth on Friday . Cheer up, Rory: The Northern Irishman made three birdies in the last four holes to end on one-under par . An eagle on the 12th for the second . day running was followed by a bogey on the 13th, but birdies on the . 15th, 16th and 18th gave McIlroy a 71 and halfway total of five under . par. And with overnight leader Thomas Bjorn starting his round with a bogey on the first, that was within four shots of the lead. 'I . did not start off particularly well and made a mess of the seventh, but . came back well and hit some quality shots on the back nine,' said . McIlroy, who thinned a bunker shot on the seventh to run up a . double-bogey six on a hole he eagled on Thursday. 'Anything under par this morning was a decent score and to birdie three of the last four holes is pretty pleasing.' Yellow peril: Caroline Wozniacki takes to the practice court on Friday ahead of next week's French Open . McIlroy . announced on Wednesday that he had called off his planned November . wedding to former world No 1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, even . though the invitations had just been sent out. The . 25-year-old admitted he would therefore find it very difficult to . concentrate on his golf in the European Tour's flagship event, but . managed an opening 68 and felt slightly better on Friday. 'I . was apprehensive going out yesterday, I honestly didn't know what to . expect and it was good I had the quick turnaround to get back on the . golf course. 'I have . exceeded my expectations so far. Once you get inside the ropes you are . concentrating on your golf and it's almost a nice four or five-hour . release to concentrate on the job at hand.' Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello had set the clubhouse target on six under . after a round of 73, with Sweden's Jonas Blixt - joint second in the . Masters last month - alongside McIlroy on five under following a 71. On the move: McIlroy has moved into contention for the Wentworth title with an impressive back nine . | McIlroy, who split from Caroline Wozniacki earlier this week, is five-under par heading into the weekend at Wentworth .
The Northern Irishman recovered from a poor start to his second round .
He made three birdies in the last four holes to finish with a score of 71 . |
217,221 | a53ac1c2a0f3618500b6aae2c9da14d3931114e3 | By . Lydia Warren, Helen Pow, Thomas Durante and David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 08:37 EST, 17 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:11 EST, 17 May 2013 . Amanda Knox’s former boyfriend has explained why he refused to cut a deal with Italian authorities which could have spared him prison but implicated the American student in the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher. Raffaele Sollecito said he defended his and Knox’s innocence ‘because it’s the truth.’ ‘The situation was dramatic and serious,’ said Sollecito. ‘So I had to be very serious (and not play) a game with some people who wanted this game to be played.’ Scroll down for video . Raffaele Sollecito told the Today show that he had repeatedly defended Amanda Knox's innocence 'because it's the truth' Sollecito had been dating Amanda Knox in Italy for just one week when the couple came under investigation for the murder of British university student Kercher back in 2007 . Sollecito had been dating Knox in Italy for just one week when the couple came under investigation for the murder of British university student Kercher back in 2007. Even when his own parents begged him to cooperate with the police and implicate her in the murder, Sollecito said he couldn’t because he knew she was innocent. ‘(Amanda) told me that she thinks that I’m a kind of hero, but I don’t feel so,’ Sollecito told the Today show on Friday morning. ‘And I don’t need any kind of gratitude... I did it because I know it’s the truth. It’s the good thing to do. It’s the only way for me.’ Sollecito, who now lives in Switzerland, said he wasn't worried about a re-trial as he said there was the evidence to prove his and Knox's innocence . Sollecito and Knox spent four years . in prison for the murder of Kercher until an appeals court acquitted . them in 2011 due to insufficient evidence. Then two months ago, Italy’s highest court overturned that decision and ordered a new trial to begin within the next year. Sollecito, who now lives in Switzerland, was asked if he was worried about going back to prison. ‘We already got evidence of our innocence, so we will fight until the end without any worry,’ said Sollecito. When asked if he had faith in the . Italian justice system, Sollecito said his faith was in God. ‘The . Italian justice system... you don’t know what to expect.’ Sollecito has written a book about his experience of being accused of the murder of Meredith Kercher . He also revealed that he and Know remain 'good friends' and that he recently visited her in Seattle, where they had talked about how to proceed with their legal battle. Sollecito has just released a book about his experience of the whole affair to date. ‘Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox’ is released less than a month after Knox released her own memoir. Knox received a grilling from various U.S. media outlets following the release of ‘Waiting to Be Heard' on April 30. Earlier this month she told CNN's Chris Cuomo that despite her characterization in the Italian media as a sexual deviant, she has not experimented with any sort of sex games. Knox was adamant as she told Cuomo: 'I've never taken part in an orgy - ever.' Setting the record straight: Amanda Knox claimed in a CNN interview earlier this month that she's not the sex deviant that she was painted as during her epic murder trial in Italy . Interview: Knox told CNN's Chris Cuomo that despite her characterization in the Italian media, she has not experimented with any sort of sex games . She said she was shocked during the trial, when lawyers for the prosecution were calling her a 'whore' and a 'deviant.' She says that Italian prosecutors made up allegations that she was a sex and drug-crazed party girl to bolster their case. Knox said that her book, Waiting to Be Heard, is aimed at debunking those criticisms. She said: 'In the book I talk about all my sexual experiences... I was not strapping on leather and bearing a whip.' Knox added: 'No one has ever claimed that I was ever taking part in deviant sexual activity. None of my roommates, none of my friends, no witnesses have ever come out saying things like that.' She also told Cuomo that now that she's home in Washington, she doesn't go to parties - and no longer smokes pot. Watch video here . The many faces of Amanda: The CNN interview, in which Knox often appeared nervous and overcome with anxiety, was the latest stop in her media blitz since her book hit store shelves on April 30 . Knox said: 'I don't [smoke marijuana]. After being in prison and seeing how drugs destroyed the lives of so . many people around me. I just can't get near it.' The CNN interview, in which Knox often appeared nervous and overcome with anxiety, was the latest stop in her media blitz since her book hit store shelves on April 30. Last week, she appeared on Good Morning America with her mother, Edda Mellas, father, Curt Knox, and younger sister, Deanna Knox, as they described the effect the grueling experience has had on the Seattle family. 'I was never alone. And when everything is this storm around you and you feel like you’re being pinpointed it's terrifying to feel alone and I wasn't,' Knox said, flanked by her mother and her sister. The day before, she appeared on ABC by herself in her first live interview with Robin Roberts. Close: Amanda Knox appeared on Good Morning America with her family earlier this month . Tears: Knox's mother, Edda Mellas, pictured left, teared up when she was asked about her daughter's murder conviction . Photographs showed Knox, wearing a . floral shirt and khaki trousers, smiling as she was pampered by makeup . artists ahead of the program, while later images show her timidly . leaving the studio after the emotional interview. When . on air, she made a tearful plea to the family of the roommate she was . acquitted of killing - Meredith Kercher - saying: 'I really hope we can . connect one day.' Knox . said she hopes the Kercher family will read her new book detailing her . experiences in the aftermath of the slaying in November 2007 - even . though they have said they will not. 'Meredith Kercher is the victim, . Meredith Kercher died,' Knox said, struggling to contain her emotions. 'Her family deserved answers; the prosecution didn't give that to them. On trial: Knox claims that Italian prosecutors made up the fact that she was a sexual deviant to bolster their case against her . Getting ready: Amanda Knox appears relaxed ahead of her recent appearance on Good Morning America . Apprehensive: Outside of GMA's New York City studio Know appeared more timid . On April 30, the same day as the release of her book, Knox opened up to ABC's Diane Sawyer, saying that she is considering returning to Italy for the trial. But she . said the prospect of the case made her feel as if she had 'another field . of barbed wire to crawl through.' And asked of those who have called her a 'she-devil,' a sexual . thrill-seeker and a seductress, she firmly defended herself saying: 'They're wrong.' Knox also opened up about the first time she met Kercher when they moved in together. 'I . was putting away my things in the room when she came to my room and . introduced herself,' Knox said, adding that she thought: 'Wow, this is someone who, who I can get along with.' Others have contrasted that Kercher found Knox's loudness and lack of ambition annoying. 'It bothers me when people suggest that she wasn’t my friend,' Knox said of their relationship. Account: Knox has written about her experiences . in her book, left, which was released on April 30. In it she says she . details her friendship with Meredith Kercher, right, who was killed in . their apartment in 2007 . Defense: In an emotional interview with Diana . Sawyer, which aired on April 30, Knox said she was upset about how . she had been branded in the aftermath of her roommate's murder . Foxy Knoxy: Knox said those who penned her as a 'she-devil' and seductress were wrong and branded her as guilty before a fair trial . On November 1, 2007, the Kercher's . bloody body was found in the Perugia home she shared with Knox, . sustaining 47 wounds including a fatal slash across her . throat. Knox's seemingly bizarre behavior - joking around and kissing her Italian boyfriend Raffaele . Sollecito, who was also convicted of the murder before he was acquitted - made her prime suspect. Knox says she was never at home when it happened but was at the apartment of her boyfriend of just one week, Sollecito. Following Knox's and Sollecito's release from prison last year, . Sollecito moved to Switzerland while she returned to Seattle to finish . her creative writing degree at the University of Washington. A . third suspect, Rudy Guede, whose DNA and bloody footprints were found . all over the crime scene, is serving a 16-year prison sentence for Miss . Kercher’s murder. She faces a possible re-trial in the case. Amanda Knox and then boyfriend Sollecito spent four years in jail until their convictions for Ms Kercher's death were overturned . | Raffaele Sollecito has said he defended Amanda Knox's innocence 'because it's the truth'
They face a re-trial for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher after being acquitted in 2011 .
Sollecito said he isn't worried about a re-trail because they have the evidence to prove their innocence .
He also revealed that he and Knox remain friends and he has visited her in Seattle .
Sollecito appeared on Friday's Today show to talk about his memoir 'Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox' |
212,423 | 9f16d9c8cf838e5f0bea88176c71ed74de8a7c0a | By . Will Stewart . Charged: Nadiya Savchenko, 31, was abducted by Russia and charged with involvement in the 'murder' of two Moscow journalists, Kiev claimed yesterday . Russia abducted a glamorous Ukrainian military pilot before charging her with involvement in the 'murder' of two Moscow journalists, Kiev claimed yesterday. Nadiya Savchenko, 31, was seized inside Ukraine and smuggled across the border for prosecution, alleged the country's Foreign Ministry in the latest dispute between the ex-Soviet countries. She has been charged in connection with the deaths of journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton . Voloshin, from state television channel Rossiya. The pair were killed on June 18 . after being hit with shrapnel during an attack by Ukrainian forces near . the city of Lugansk. The Moscow Investigative Committee, the equivalent of America's FBI, said Savchenko was detained after posing as a refugee on the frontier without any identity documents. 'Having . gained the coordinates of a group of Russian journalists and other . civilians near Lugansk, Savchenko passed them on to the combatants,' it said. But yesterday, Kiev pointed out that the pilot had been interviewed as a prisoner of pro-Russian . separatists in eastern Ukraine in late June. This suggests she was in captivity when she supposedly freely crossed the border, it claimed. The Foreign Ministry, which has issued a 'categorical protest' demanding Savchenko's 'unconditional release', alleged the pilot was kidnapped in Ukraine and smuggled into Russia, before being held in detention in Voronezh. It said the case 'is further proof that . terrorists plan and carry out their crimes in Ukraine in close . cooperation with Russian security services'. Interview: Savchenko is pictured talking to journalists from jail shortly after her capture in Luhansk, Ukraine . Charged: The pilot has been charged over the deaths of Rossiya journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin . It added: 'By openly abducting citizens of Ukraine on the territory of their state, the Russian authorities not only violate all international norms but also exceed basic norms of decency and morality.' Savchenko is regarded as a role model for women in Ukraine, having earlier served in Iraq in a peacekeeping mission. It is believed she was wounded in fighting before her alleged seizure by pro-Moscow fighters. Destroyed: It comes as rebels in Donetsk have vowed to fight on against Ukranian forces who have surrounded the key eastern city. Above, a couple drive a scooter through the village of Semyonovka, near Slavyansk, today . Taking shelter: A Ukrainian sapper hides behind concrete slabs as he pulls on a string attached to a live shell . After being captured in June, Savchenko . reportedly admitted killing pro-Russians, telling local media at the time: 'I was killing people.' Yesterday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin demanded the pilot's' 'unconditional release'. It comes as rebels in Donetsk have vowed to fight on against Ukrainian forces which have surrounded the key eastern city. Insurgent leader Igor Strelkov, accused by Kiev of being a Russian intelligence officer, said: 'We are taking urgent measures to prepare Donetsk for battle.' Left behind: The fins of a mortar shell lie on a piece of cloth in front of a destroyed house in Semyonovka . | Nadiya Savchenko, 31, was abducted by Russian authorities, Kiev claims .
She was then allegedly smuggled across border, before being detained .
Savchenko charged in connection with deaths of two Moscow journalists .
Russia says female pilot was arrested after posing as refugee with no ID .
But Ukraine dismissed claims and demanded her 'unconditional release' |
157,801 | 58088392f309d47f49beb12ef8fa941b278871ea | At least 17 men from a small town in southern France have reportedly joined Al-Qaeda or Islamic State to fight in Syria. Three of the men from Lunel, which has a population of just 27,500, have even taken their wives or girlfriends with them. One of them even gave birth in the war zone. Six men from the town have died, which accounts for 10 per cent of the French jihadists killed in the conflict, Adam Sage wrote in the Times. Sleepy town: At least 17 men from the town of Lunel in southern France have reportedly travelled to fight in Syria . Fatalities: The six men from Lanel who have died fighting alongside IS (pictured) and Al-Qaeda in Syria account for 10 per cent of French jihadists to die in the conflict . Five people were arrested during anti-terror raids in the Abrivado neighbourhood only last month, according to France 24. The French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the people arrested - aged between 26 and 44 - were 'suspected of active involvement in a jihadist network'. He also claimed the network's members 'were recruited and indoctrinated, and who also indoctrinated and recruited several other French youngsters from Lunel'. The town's mayor Claude Arnaud had previously doubted the existence of such a network and suspected the men were 'self-radicalised' by online propaganda. Herault regional police office estimated as many as 50 young people had travelled to Iraq and Syria from the Languedoc-Roussillon in which Lunel lies. Local officials including Mayor Arnaud are struggling to understand why their quiet town has become a source of radicalisation. It is worrying for country in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January and the hostage situation at a kosher supermarket that followed. Lunel's jihadists allegedly attend a Mosque in the town's suburbs, which the government has described as a 'hotbed of fundamentalism'. The Mosque is split between the more fanatically religious followers and opponents of the resident imam, who preaches in Arabic. A local man who prays at the Mosque said: 'I told him to his face that we couldn't understand a word he said, and that we wanted a French imam. He told us that, in that case, we should pray in a room outside the Mosque.' Some of the worshippers allegedly meet to discuss the suffering caused by the Syrian civil war and encourage people to go there. A local councillor Philippe Moissonnier said: 'These groups operate like a sect... And sects manipulate people. Once you're out there, it's easy to get you to take up arms. They turn sheep into lions.' 'Hotdbed of fundamentalism': Five people were arrested during anti-terror raids in the Abrivado neighbourhood (pictured) only last month . Extremists: The French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the people arrested in the Abrivado neighbourhood (pictured) were 'suspected of active involvement in a jihadist network' Once they are radicalised, they return to the now notorious Abrivados estate to coax other youngsters to join them. The neighbourhood has produced many extremists who have gone on to fight in Syria, including two who were killed in a bomb attack last year. The rise to fanaticism for one of the deceased fighters, Karim, was especially quick. His neighbour said: 'He never seemed particularly religious when he was younger and used go out to nightclubs, like all the kids around here when they've got a bit of money. 'He opened a cafe, but dropped everything a couple of years ago when he found religion. The next thing I heard he was in Turkey and was heading for Syria.' Another councillor in Lunel , Taher Akermi, said he knew most of the six men who died fighting alongside jihadists in Syria. The distraught man said: 'This has been my work for 25 years and I feel this as a failure What am I doing here?' | 17 men from town of Lunel have joined Al-Qaeda or Islamic State in Syria .
The town's would-be jihadists allegedly attend a Mosque in the suburbs .
Five arrested in anti-terror raids on Abrivado neighbourhood last month .
The area has become notorious for producing fanatics heading to Syria . |
247,555 | cc5b7eea04c92200772521792740e1fd367792da | Brazil star Neymar is visiting Japan on Thursday to film an advert for mattresses for athletes. The frontman, who injured his back during Brazil's World Cup quarter-final victory over Colombia, will also appear on a number of television shows during the trip. Neymar was met on his arrival by huge crowds having initially planned to travel a day earlier but for flight delays. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Neymar get mobbed in Japan as he arrives to film mattress ad . Thumbs up: Brazil star Neymar is in Japan to film adverts for mattresses for athletes . Star attraction: Mass crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the Barcelona frontman at the airport . Coming through! A security guard guides Neymar through the crowds as fans try to get close to the Brazil star . Such was the clamour to meet the Barcelona star that the airport barrier was broken by the surging Japanese fans. The 22-year-old cracked vertebra in his back following a robust challenge from Colombia's Juan Zuniga and subsequently missed Brazil's 7-1 drubbing to eventual world champions Germany in the tournaments semi-finals. Neymar had scored four World Cup goals before being sidelined. Making an appearance: Neymar, who injured his back during the World Cup, waves to the fans . Getting comfortable: Neymar will also appear on a number of television shows during his time in Japan . VIDEO I will return 100 percent fit - Neymar . | Brazil star Neymar will film mattress advert for athletes in Japan .
Barcelona frontman mobbed by Japanese fans at airport .
Neymar injured back during World Cup quarter-finals against Colombia . |
89,666 | fea3714f2d7e1001dc07358b298577c73463b986 | Lewis Hamilton feels relaxed rather than relieved after reclaiming the lead in the battle for this year's Formula One world title. In taking the chequered flag at the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed victory number 29 of his Formula One career and his seventh of the season, two more than when he won his only title in 2008. Championship rival and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg suffered his second retirement of the campaign - a wiring loom breaking in the steering of the German's car, leaving him without a number of vital functions ahead of the start of F1's only night race. Lewis Hamilton celebrates after taking the lead in the drivers' championship with victory in Singapore . Hamilton's Mercedes leads the field en route to an important victory that changes the balance in the title race . As the field filed away on the formation lap, Rosberg was left on the grid frantically attempting to engage his car into life. It was to no avail, forcing his mechanics to rescue the 29-year-old and push him into the pit lane, from where he managed to get going. But running 21st and last - Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi retired on the formation lap - he made little headway, even against the likes of Max Chilton and Marcus Ericsson. After 14 laps, as he pulled in for his pit stop, the team's bid to change the steering wheel and coax his car into some sort of fighting mode ultimately failed, and with it came retirement. After a consoling hug from Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff in the garage, Rosberg then watched Hamilton win to take a three-point lead in the drivers' championship. Hamilton sprays second placed Sebastian Vettel after securing victory at the Marina Bay Circuit . It is only the second time this season Hamilton has had his nose in front, the other being for one race going into a highly-contentious Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton said: 'I just feel relaxed. I came here to do a job, and I came through it without any issues on our side of the garage all weekend, which was a real blessing. 'I also came here hoping to gain seven points on Nico (the difference between first and second), with anything more than that a bonus. 'Of course, the extra points are a huge help, and you would think I should be relieved, but that's not the case. At the moment I'm not thinking that.' Instead, Hamilton is more concerned with Mercedes' reliability record that has now resulted in five mechanical retirements overall - three against him and two for Rosberg. Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg could only watch after being forced to retire from the race . That does not factor into account the brake failure which resulted in a crash in qualifying in Germany, nor the car fire in qualifying in Hungary that was sparked by a fuel leak. 'We've had several DNFs (did not finish) now on our cars,' reflected Hamilton. 'I know the team will not be 100 per cent happy because we want to win collectively, to get those one-twos, to be the dominant team. 'So by not getting that result they'll be going back to the drawing board trying to figure out what happened. 'They're constantly coming up against things and perhaps other people are starting to be a bit more reliable than us, so that's an area we can still definitely improve on.' McLaren driver Jenson Button was another driver forced to retire from the race, 8 laps from finishing . Rosberg was despondent but philosophical as the fight now goes down to the final five races. He said: 'It was the toughest day for me this year, even worse than Silverstone (where he retired with a gearbox problem). 'None of the steering wheel functions worked, so I had no DRS, the gears were all over the place, my brake balance was totally in the wrong place. Sitting on the grid I felt helpless. 'From a team perspective unreliability is our weakness and we need to get to the bottom of it and try and improve on that.' There was still drama for Hamilton to negotiate before he claimed his win with the deployment of the safety car on lap 31 after the front wing of Sergio Perez's Force India shattered across the track following a collision with Sauber's Adrian Sutil. After six laps to clear the debris, Hamilton was left running on the supersoft tyre - but needing to make a final stop - whilst those behind were looking to go to the end on soft rubber. Force India's Sergio Perez prompted the introduction of the safety car after a collision with Adrian Sutil . Hamilton then wrung the life out of his car for 16 laps in a bid to come out ahead of as many cars as possible. He filed in between Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo but on fresh tyres needed only one-and-a-half laps to take over at the front, from which point he stormed to victory, with the race reaching its two-hour limit after 60 of the planned 61 laps. Second for Vettel was his best result of a troubled year, with third for Ricciardo moving him to within 60 points of Hamilton. McLaren's Jenson Button suffered his first retirement for two years eight laps from home, whilst Chilton was 17th and last in his Marussia. | Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix .
Brit 'relaxed' after taking the lead in the F1 drivers' championships .
Teammate Nico Rosberg was forced to retire with a steering loom fault .
Mercedes have suffered five mechanical faults in races this year . |
72,963 | cee29d4d611be5e2a0120c772aeb5434fb5092ed | An Indian drug company executive allegedly tampered with and destroyed evidence after a dozen women died following sterilization surgeries, an official said Friday. Ramesh Mahawar, the head of Mahawar Pharmaceuticals, and his son Sumeet are also accused of forgery, Sonmoni Borah, commissioner of Bilaspur district in India's Chhattisgarh state, told CNN on Friday. In addition, all sales of their company's products have been banned until further notice, Borah said. The two men's arrests follow a police raid Thursday evening on a Mahawar Pharmaceuticals facility in Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh state. A day earlier, the surgeon involved in more than 80 sterilization operations Saturday at a mobile clinic -- after which a dozen women died and scores more were hospitalized -- was taken into custody. Dr. R.K. Gupta was charged with negligence and attempted culpable homicide in the women's deaths, according to Borah. He remains in custody Friday. Gupta had defended his actions before his arrest, telling CNN that he and his team had followed all necessary safety procedures. He also said the women died because of drugs they received in their villages after the surgeries. Mahawar Pharmaceuticals produced the antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin, that the women took after Saturday's surgeries, Borah said. The current charge that Ramesh Mahawar and his son face doesn't implicate either of them directly in the women's deaths. But authorities -- who are waiting on lab results to specify the women's cause of death -- could decide to bring more charges against them later. The deaths have put a spotlight on India's decadelong initiative to curb population growth. Voluntary sterilization surgeries at mobile "camps" are part of that program, though some activists said they are too often conducted in unsafe and dangerous conditions. | Official: The head of Mahawar Pharmaceuticals and his son are arrested .
Executive allegedly tampered with and destroyed evidence, the official says .
Twelve who died after surgeries took an antibiotic from the company, he says .
The surgeon is charged with negligence, attempted culpable homicide . |
81,805 | e7cf83cac864a47258887128ccd7f0677f109d09 | (CNN) -- Roger Federer says it's naive to think tennis doesn't have drug cheats. But Janko Tipsarevic, who has played at the year-end championships the previous two seasons, is of the belief that his fellow professionals aren't doping -- or at least not on a widespread basis. Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray -- the sport's most influential players who have combined won more than 30 grand slam titles -- have all called for either more tests or stricter controls, and last month the International Tennis Federation duly announced that it was adopting the biological passport program. "I live in the belief that we are playing a clean sport," world No. 10 Tipsarevic told CNN's Open Court. "If there is doping involved, maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But I can guarantee you that the people I'm hanging around with, none of them (are) doping." In the new initiative a player's blood profile can be tracked, similar to cycling, a sport still reeling from Lance Armstrong's admission that he used performance enhancing drugs. Significant changes can alert authorities to a potential doping infraction and more blood tests will also be carried out. According to ITF statistics, Tipsarevic was among the minority of players who had to provide samples both in competition and outside of it in 2012. The number of samples he provided in competition, in the highest category listed as seven or more, put him in the minority, too. The figures didn't include tests carried out by national doping agencies and at the Olympics and Paralympics. As a top-50 player, Tipsarevic must adhere to the so-called whereabouts rule by making himself available to be tested in an one-hour slot for an out-of-competition test if the drug testers randomly come calling. The rule has often given players headaches, with Serena Williams, the women's world No. 1, telling reporters in Dubai in February that testers had once paid her a visit in Mauritius. "I like things as they are because the international doping agency needs to know every single day of my life where I am and if I'm changing locations," Tipsarevic said. "We need to fill out this form to say today we're going to be there and at any time they can come and test us. On top of that you have the local drug testing. "You have the tournament testing when you play tournaments ... I don't want to take it too far." In February, Murray called for more blood testing, saying that tennis needed to do everything it could "to ensure that everyone competing at the highest level and below is clean." While just under 2,000 urine samples were collected in 2012, less than 200 blood tests were conducted. | Janko Tipsarevic is adamant that none of the players he hangs around with are drug cheats .
A biological passport program was launched after players called for more tests .
Tipsarevic was among a minority of players tested both in and out of competition in 2012 . |
14,238 | 2867e6a623736d65b7e9ac38cfe57bc7c0a25151 | By . Jill Reilly . Nine North Korean teenagers forcibly repatriated from China have spoke of the horrors they endured in their homeland. The defectors, aged between 14 and 22, are classed as 'ggotjebi in North Korea - a term for vagrants who stay . alive by begging, scavenging and stealing. They had been detained in Laos some 17 . days earlier, along with a South Korean missionary who tried to help . them get to a foreign embassy in the Southeast Asian country, according to activists in Seoul. Before . they were flown back from China last week, the group of young North . Korean defectors told an activist . how some of them were beaten with sticks for trying to steal noodles in . their homeland. Scroll down for video . Returned: Nine young North Koreans have been repatriated from China after fleeing their homeland . Evicted: The North Korean youths playing Janggi or Korean chess to pass the time at a residence at an undisclosed location in China before they were deported . They talked about a South Korean movie they saw, and wondered if prison cells there were really as clean as the film depicted. Most are believed to be orphans found roaming around a Chinese border town by a South Korean missionary who took them in. China, North Korea's neighbor and ally, frequently returns North Korean defectors hiding in its territory to their homeland under a bilateral treaty, but analysts said it was unusual for the news of the return of teen ggotjebi to become so public. The term ggotjebi is believed to originate from a Russian word meaning nomad. It refers to those who manage to stay alive by begging on the streets, stealing food and goods at markets, rummaging through trash heaps, pickpocketing and burglary. Protest: North Korean defector Ko Mi-hwa reads a statement during a rally protesting against Laos' repatriation of nine young North Korean defectors . Emotional: North Korean defector Ko Mi-hwa holds a picture of the North Korean defectors who were flown home as she cries during a rally protesting against Laos' repatriation . North Korean defectors say the . government considers ggotjebi a headache because they don't abide by . regulations and undermine the country's image. Though . it is unclear how many ggotjebi are in North Korea, the number was . believed to have sharply surged in the 1990s, when the country was . devastated by a famine that foreign economists estimate killed hundreds . of thousands of people. Many people sneaked across the border to China in search of food. In . recent years, as more North Koreans have left their homeland - . sometimes without telling immediate family members - the number of . children abandoned by their parents has risen as well, defectors say. Anger: A protestor holds a sign reading 'We shed tears of blood due to indiferent government; and the sign, left, reads, 'human rights accountability is compulsory provisions of international law' Pray: A group of human rights activists holding a rally in downtown Seoul to pray for the nine North Korean youths recently taken back to Pyongyang by North Korean agents from Laos . 'We left our children with a promise that they will only have to wait for just three days (until we can stay together again), but now we cannot even count how old they have become,' defector Kim Tai-hee said at a rally in Seoul on Wednesday. 'We don't know the whereabouts of the children in North Korea.' Eight of the nine had been ggotjebi at markets in the city of Hyesan in North Korea's northern Ryanggang province, and in the Chinese border town of Changbai, according to South Korean human rights activist Ahn Kyung-su. He said he met the defectors in China in mid-April, for one day. Ahn said he was told that a South Korean missionary had looked after them for months at a shelter in the Chinese border town of Dandong after bringing them from Changbai. Ahn traveled to Dandong to see if any of the defectors wanted to come to his organization in Seoul. Ahn said most of the defectors were 'very active and playful' and knew one another well. 'They . just playfully told me about what one another did as ggotjebi,' he . said. Marking: South Koreans burn incense. South Korea today marks the 58th anniversary of the Memorial Day for those killed in the 1950-53 Korean War . Respect: A woman visits the grave of her relative who died during the Korean War at Seoul National Cemetery . Ceremony: South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, left, speaks during a ceremony and right, South Koreans visit at National Cemetery during a ceremony . 'They talked about being beaten with sticks by restaurant owners . after being caught for trying to steal noodles. They were smiling as . they told these stories but actually, they're miserable stories.' He . said the defectors were interested in South Korea's pop culture and . asked him about a recent hit movie in which inmates help one of their . own reunite with his daughter in prison. 'One of the questions was . whether prison cells in South Korea are really as clean as shown on the . movie,' he said. North Korea alleged Wednesday that the youths were not defectors but had been kidnapped by South Koreans. A spokesman for the Central Committee of North Korea's Red Cross Society accused South Korean traffickers of attempting to abduct the teens, and subjecting them to brainwashing and beatings. The teens also were forced to convert to Christianity, according to a statement carried Wednesday by North Korean state media. Under North Korea's penal code, repatriated defectors face a minimum of five years of hard labor, and up to life in prison or death for cases deemed serious. The U.N. human rights chief criticized both China and Laos for allowing the nine defectors to be repatriated. The U.S. has said it is very concerned about the case, and South Korea has demanded that North Korea not punish the defectors unfairly. Taking a tour: Kim Jong-un tours an orchard in Gangwon Province, North Korea . Walk: The North Korean leader toured the orchard with dozens of officials - it is not clear when the trip took place . [caption . China urged the U.N. not to make 'irresponsible' comments, and Laos cited human trafficking as a reason for the detainment of South Koreans who helped the defectors. Not all ggotjebi become vagrants because of economic reasons. Kim Hyuk, a 31-year-old North Korean defector now living in South Korea, said he ran away from home in the northeastern city of Chongjin when he was 7 after finding out his mother was actually his stepmother. He said he started out scavenging for leftovers in garbage bins, and later stole food from shops, broke into vacant houses, stole clothes that were hanging out to dry and even used razors to slit open other people's bags to steal their lunch at a crowded train station. 'At first I felt a little bit guilty, scared and nervous, but I also thought I would die if I didn't do those things,' he said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. Caught by police, he was frequently sent home and beaten by his father, but he kept running away. He said he never fit into strictly controlled North Korean society. Kim said he fled to South Korea in 2001 after serving more than a year at a North Korean labor camp for smuggling and other charges, and now works for the government as an instructor on North Korea. | The nine repatriated defectors ranged in age from 14 to 22 .
They were detained in Laos some 17 days earlier with a S Korea missionary .
Most believed to be orphans found roaming around a Chinese border town .
China, North Korea's neighbor and ally, frequently returns defectors .
Today is 58th anniversary of Memorial Day for 1950-53 Korean War . |
178,212 | 72b7e086099cc200c08e2c6746c2505e3eb604ff | Homeopathy has long been slated as witchcraft, due to the lack of proper scientific evidence that it works. Now, one scientist has taken matters into her own hands to prove the point. Yvette d’Entremont, a forensic chemist from southern California, filmed herself downing 50 homeopathic sleeping tablets in one go to prove they were nothing but 'sugar pills' with no active ingredients. Ninety minutes later, she reported feeling no different - and says this proves thousands of people the world over are being misled. Scroll down for video . Yvette d’Entremont, a forensic chemist from southern California, filmed herself downing 50 homeopathic sleeping pills to prove they were nothing but 'sugar pills' with no active ingredients . However 90 minutes later, she reported feeling no different. Her experiment was part of her campaign to stop national pharmacy retailers selling homeopathic products that 'have no medicine in them' Her experiment was part of her campaign to stop national pharmacy retailers in the U.S. selling homeopathic products, which, as she puts it 'have no f***ing medicine' in them. Ms d’Entremont, who goes under the alias Science Babe, wrote in a recent blog: '[The theory is] that diluting a substance makes it more powerful. By this line of thinking, the dilutions continue in succession several times. 'In the homeopathic remedies that are sold over the counter, they dilute the medications to the point where there is no measurable dose of the alleged active ingredient. 'Allow me to rephrase: THERE'S NO F***ING MEDICINE.' She adds that homeopathic remedies rely on the notion that water has a 'memory' - and the more you dilute a medicine, the stronger that memory gets and the more potent the medicine becomes. During her six-minute film, she slates national pharmacy brands that even sell their own branded versions of homeopathic treatments - accusing them of endorsing 'pseudo science' and saying customers deserve better. She goes on to say: 'I don’t know about you, but if I’ve just had an allergic reaction I don’t want the homeopathic version of epinephrine for my medication.' The petition reads: . Please stop carrying homeopathic treatments at your pharmacies. Your stores carry real medications that are proven to work. Homeopathic remedies are defined to be diluted to the point were they no longer contain any of the active ingredient. By selling homeopathic remedies, you are endorsing remedies that may prevent people from seeking real treatments that work. Because of this, they can be dangerous. To clarify, this is not targeting 'natural' remedies like supplements. This is solely about the products labeled 'homeopathic' and with active ingredients measured in 'HPUS' units, indicating that there is no measurable active ingredient. 'If I’ve just had surgery, I don’t want the homeopathic version of morphine. I want the real shot, not no medicine.' To prove her point, she opens a bottle containing 50 homeopathic sleeping pills and begins to take the whole bottle, washing handfuls of pills down with Diet Coke. 'There is more actual drug in the caffeine in the Coke I'm drinking,' she adds. To test the theory that homeopathic pills are purely a 'sugar pill', she even crunches one to see. 'It does taste like sugar - it's delightful,' she says. However she urges caution on repeating her experiment at home. 'I really know how to read these labels so I can tell these pills have no medicine in them. 'Never try this with anything like melatonin or Benadryl.' Fast forward 45 and then 90 minutes and how is she feeling? Exactly the same - and 'not even slightly drowsy'. Ms d’Entremont has now started a petition on Change.org calling for national chains to stop selling selling homeopathic medicine. It states: 'People will still buy products from your stores, but instead they'll buy products that actually work with proven claims.' But both the British Medical Association and the UK Government's science and technology committee say the NHS should stop funding homeopathic treatments because of a lack of evidence they work. The BMA has described homeopathy as ‘witchcraft’, and last summer the Advertising Standards Authority said homeopaths were putting people’s lives at risk by discouraging them from seeking medical treatment. To test the theory that homeopathic pills are purely a 'sugar pill', she even crunches one to see. 'It does taste like sugar - it's delightful,' she says . And earlier this year, an Australian study concluded that homeopathy was no more effective than placebo. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council analysed research into the effectiveness of alternative medicines on 68 health conditions and found ‘there is no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective’ on any of them. The review, conducted by a working committee of medical experts, said homeopathy had no impact on a range of conditions including asthma, arthritis, sleep disturbances, cold and flu, chronic fatigue syndrome, eczema, cholera, burns, malaria and heroin addiction. Earlier this year, an Australian study concluded homeopathy was no more effective than placebo . The authors of the report said: ‘No good-quality, well-designed studies with enough participants for a meaningful result reported either that homeopathy caused greater health improvements than a substance with no effect on the health condition [placebo], or that homeopathy caused health improvements equal to those of another treatment.’ They went on to dismiss anecdotal support for the effectiveness of homeopathy, and urged health professionals to take account of scientific evidence when informing patients. ‘It is not possible to tell whether a health treatment is effective or not simply by considering individuals’ experiences or healthcare practitioners’ beliefs,’ they said. Homeopathy is a complementary medicine, the central principle of which is that ‘like cures like’ – that a substance that causes certain symptoms can also help to remove them in tiny doses. In England there are several NHS homeopathic hospitals and some GP practices offer the treatment but it is not widely available. The report prompted medical professionals to call for governments to stop legitimising homeopathy. Professor John Dwyer, an immunologist and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of New South Wales, told Guardian Australia the report was long overdue and said homeopathic treatments should now be ‘put away’ once and for all. He said: ‘Obviously we understand the placebo effect. We know that many people have illnesses that are short lived by its very nature and their bodies will cure them, so it’s very easy for people to fall in trap that because they did A, B follows.’ He added he did not think it ethical to prescribe a placebo. facebook.com/sciencebabe, @sciencebabe . | Yvette d’Entremont is a forensic chemist from Southern California .
Campaigning to stop pharmacy chains selling homeopathic products .
Argues they contain no medicines and consumers are being misled .
Downed 50 homeopathic pills that claim to help insomnia in one go .
Ninety minutes after taking 'sugary-tasting pills', she felt no different . |
152,467 | 510ba66d56377b1abfcf9df077672d6de04d9faa | Firefighters staged a dramatic rescue attempt in China after a woman attempted to throw herself off the 10th floor of an apartment block. The woman had reportedly quarrelled with her family members shortly before attempting to commit suicide in Changchun, the capital of northeast China's Jilin Province. After locking herself in her bedroom she made her way out onto the balcony before the emergency services were called to the scene. When they arrived, they discovered that residents on the 11th and 12th floors of the building weren’t at home meaning they struggled to access the woman. They initially tried to persuade her to step back inside, before dangling a rope from the 13th floor. Firefighters in China staged a dramatic rescue attempt after a woman attempted to throw herself off the 10th floor of an apartment block in Changchun . The woman has reportedly quarrelled with her family members shortly before attempting to commit suicide . After locking herself in her bedroom she made her way out onto the balcony before the emergency services were called to the scene . The woman suddenly started to jump off when she found her family members had entered the room with the help of a locksmith. Firefighters then rushed down from the 13th floor, each dragging one arm of the woman, before hauling her back inside the building . The woman suddenly started to jump off when she found her family members had entered the room with the help of a locksmith. She was caught by her husband, but did not stopped struggling. The firefighters then rushed down from the 13th floor, each dragging one arm of the woman, before hauling her back inside the building. | The woman had reportedly argued with family members before the incident .
She attempted to jump from the 10th floor of her building in Changchun .
Rescuers had Initially tried to talk her down without success .
Firefighters hauled her back in after the woman was dangling off the edge . |
152,510 | 5116aeeb5cd9a1e7a832970390284e36ed69e0de | (CNN) -- It is such a cruel disease, one that can sneak up on a person and catch him unawares. The last time I saw Bobby Vee, he seemed just fine. The name will be familiar to many of you, but today's column is intended just as much for those readers who are too young to remember him. He was one of the young rock-and-roll idols of the early 1960s. His hits included "Take Good Care of My Baby," "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," "Run to Him" and "Rubber Ball." He continued to tour as the years went by. We were on an Italian ocean liner in the first weeks of 2009. The ship had been booked by a company presenting a different early-years-of-rock act in concert each evening in the big theater onboard. Bobby was one of the performers; I was there with the Jan and Dean band. One midnight after the show, somewhere off the coast of the Dominican Republic, I was walking around an upper deck and saw that Bobby was taking a walk, too. We met up and talked about some of his first recordings. His recall was precise and acute; he gave me details of what the sessions had been like. He is a gentleman, and a gentle man. Walking and talking with him was a wonderful way to end the day at sea. So I was startled to hear recently that he is battling Alzheimer's disease, the irreversible, progressive brain disorder that destroys memory and thinking skills. It is estimated that more than 5 million Americans suffer from it, a number that is only expected to increase unless advances in treatment and prevention are achieved. The federal government recently announced new initiatives that, it is hoped, will add urgency to the efforts. The millions of families dealing with Alzheimer's are aware of its devastation. But when people with familiar names -- Ronald Reagan, Glen Campbell -- are blindsided by it, the world tends to stop, and think, and try to learn. What we can learn from Bobby Vee is how to face adversity with genuine grace and perspective. He is 69; in a letter to his friends and fans, he said that it was a little over a year ago that he was diagnosed with the initial stages of Alzheimer's. Getting the news, he said, "was a moment that stunned my family and myself to the core. Since this time I have chosen to remain private and to focus on what is most important to me: my family and my music. It has been a time to reflect and to just be. To create memories for my grandchildren and to celebrate life's goodness. To throw baseballs and catch fish. To be the audience. ... "Shortly after this all came down, I hopped into an RV with my family and we embarked on a little odyssey from Minnesota to Tucson, AZ. Together we explored the depths of our reality. ... the depths of my reality. With very few words, no solutions and a lot of heart, we did what we do. We shared time. We shared laughter, tears, stories, meals and music. We shared thousands of miles of hi-way as familiar to us as the pillows on our beds. As if nothing had changed, as if everything had changed. ... "So without a song or a script I am stepping onto a stage that we all share: the mystery of life. While in Tucson we set up some amps and drums in the garage ... We just did what we have always done, only this time there was no stage. There were no spotlights and no audience. We made music every day for a week ... just for us. For the joy of making music. For the joy of being together. For all of the reasons I ever picked up a guitar or sang a tune in a Fargo, N.D. garage back in '59. I have truly come full circle! We played songs I grew up with, songs the kids grew up with, songs we wrote, songs that had meaning and memories for us all. No agenda, no set list, no tickets to sell ... This was all we have ever done, and all we could do. So we did it." When you are young you never think that Alzheimer's will enter your own life. But unless something is done to defeat the disease, years from now people who are today young and strong will be fighting it, and -- when the disease strikes their favorite actors, athletes and singers who are in 2012 so full of youth and energy, and who will inevitably grow old -- they, too, will be reminded of the passing years, and of life's memories lost and found. Bobby Vee was at one time the kid wonder of kid wonders. He was only 15 when, the night after Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in that 1959 Iowa charter-plane crash, he was recruited to somehow help make the show go on at the tour's next stop in Moorhead, Minnesota. He and his friends from nearby Fargo filled in that night, and his career began. He and his band were much admired in that Minnesota/North Dakota area. A young piano player, wanting to make music with Bobby Vee, showed up and asked to play in some shows. He said his name was Elston Gunn, which it wasn't. Later he would choose another name: Bob Dylan. In Dylan's autobiography, he writes with great regard, warmth and true professional respect for Vee, starting with the days when they were both little more than kids ("Bobby Vee and me had a lot in common, even though our paths would take such different directions ... Bobby had a metallic, edgy tone to his voice and it was as musical as a silver bell."). These are especially tense hours for the Vee family. He wrote in that letter about his Alzheimer's diagnosis: "My beautiful wife of 48 years, Karen, is also dealing with serious health issues as we await a lung transplant for her at Duke University." Last week, Bobby's son Jeff told me that the operation had been performed the night before, and that the family is praying for the best outcome. As Bobby neared the end of the letter to his friends and fans, he wrote: . "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for every musical moment we've shared. It has truly been a magical odyssey. We have been blessed ... and the road goes on." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene. | Bob Greene says 60's pop star Bobby Vee is suffering from Alzheimer's .
He says since diagnosis, Vee has tried to spend good time with friends, family .
In letter to friends, fans, he writes movingly about his new priorities as his memory fails .
Greene: Any of us could get Alzheimer's. Vee's grace in handling his is inspirational . |
98,822 | 0b44710ad28fe29130a50616a7b06cb28ae63235 | Washington (CNN) -- It's the oldest trick in the political playbook: Call together a "summit" of fancy people so you'll appear to be focused on work that must get done. Thursday, the White House convened CEOs from companies such as Boeing, AT&T, Comcast and Dow Corning, top leaders of the United Steelworkers, United Food and Commercial Workers, American Federation of Teachers unions, Ivy League academics and a few small-business representatives to brainstorm how the country might generate much-needed jobs. A schmooze-fest is nice, but the hard work of putting America back to work will be done by entrepreneurs, not the leaders of the biggest companies in the nation and the heads of big unions. The mom-and-pop shops, garage start-ups and small businesses across the country will put Americans back on the payroll. According to the Census Bureau, nearly all net job creation in the U.S. since 1980 has been generated by firms operating less than five years. This means that our job generators are likely not on the White House guest list. They are home working long hours to meet payrolls on tight deadlines and scraping by with limited resources. While others can advocate for the merits of entrepreneurship, and will hopefully do so, our job creators are strangely left out. Innovators from Oregon to Tennessee are the ones who will generate new jobs. Commerce Department data show that small companies represent 99.1 percent of all employer firms (a firm is an aggregation of all establishments owned by a parent company, even in multiple locations.). They pay nearly 45 percent of U.S. private payroll and have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the past decade. A few start-ups from the last century may be familiar: Disney, Burger King, Fed-Ex, CNN and Microsoft all started during a period of economic downturn. Today, each of these companies employs thousands of people in the U.S. and abroad. Recent research shows that more than half of the 2009 Fortune 500 companies were launched during a recession or bear market. In 2002, when the tech bubble burst, I graduated from business school just a few miles from Google. The start-up was a mysterious algorithm-based business, little known and lesser understood. Today, Google employs 20,000 people worldwide. So the question is how can we foster the next Google? Policy-makers can't predict breakthrough technologies, but they can create an environment that will encourage innovation. How to start? First, provide further access to capital. Last week, two Small Business Administration stimulus provisions that helped to get millions of dollars to small-business owners ran out of funding. The provisions, passed as part of the Recovery Act, raised the maximum guarantee on SBA loans to 90 percent and reduced or eliminated fees associated with the loans, making it more attractive for banks to lend during the downturn. Access to capital is the lifeblood of small businesses. We must renew these provisions and provide even greater access to credit. Helping fledgling companies grow fuels the economy from the bottom up. Second, welcome immigrants who are job generators. We are a country of immigrants, and yet in recent years, we have made it incredibly difficult for immigrants to launch companies in the U.S. Why not create a new visa for entrepreneurs? Increasingly venture capitalists, angel investors and innovators are advocating a "start-up visa" offered to immigrant entrepreneurs who want to start a company in the United States. In 2008, nearly 40 percent of technology company founders were foreign-born; 52 percent of Silicon Valley company founders were foreign-born, including the founders of Google, Yahoo, eBay and Intel, to name a few. Why chase these innovators away when we need jobs and should be hanging an "innovators wanted" sign on our front door? Third, match funds for early investors. Early investors need incentives to put money behind companies that will create U.S. jobs. We have channeled billions of dollars to preserve "too big to fail" institutions. Why not make federal matching dollars available to catalyze smart investment in next generation businesses? Investors could keep their normal returns and a share of returns on federal matching funds could go back to the government to further revitalize our weakened economy. Instead of preserving outdated jobs, we need to fuel the creation of future employment prospects. Early-stage investors with a track record of success can help make this happen. Obama came into office on an entrepreneurial platform. His campaign catalyzed involvement at the grassroots level. Tapping into new technologies such as YouTube, Facebook and other social networks, our president benefited from entrepreneurial advances. It is time for the White House to return to its campaign roots. Since Obama's inauguration, our unemployment rate has risen from 7.6 percent to 10.2 percent. It is time to stop propping up outmoded and overleveraged institutions and start betting on the new men and women who offer hope for greater prosperity. Supporting entrepreneurs is change we can believe in. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amy M. Wilkinson. | Amy M. Wilkinson says Obama's summit had mostly CEOs, union reps, academics .
But, she says, most job creation in the U.S. since 1980 has been from start-up firms .
Wilkinson: Government funds and policies should target entrepreneurs . |
82,564 | ea1a62c2ef2bc205d728958222d98920d1a15d8a | Mystery last night surrounded the whereabouts of a portrait of the Queen painted by shamed entertainer Rolf Harris. The shamed star was commissioned by the BBC to mark the monarch’s 80th birthday and although not well-received by critics, it did, briefly, hang on the walls at Buckingham Palace. But last night the national broadcaster was denying all knowledge of its whereabouts. Scroll down for video . Unknown whereabouts: The BBC has denied all knowledge of where Rolf Harris' portrait of the Queen is being stored. Meanwhile the gallery known last to have it have taken down all references on their website . Meanwhile the gallery last known to have had possession of it was not answering enquiries - and appeared to have taken all references to Harris down from its website. Even sources close to the presenter and artist said they could not offer a ‘definitive answer’ as to where the picture was being stored. The Queen sat for Harris twice at Buckingham Palace in 2005, with the oil, which took two months to complete, finally being unveiled around the time of her landmark birthday the following year. In it she can be seen wearing an emerald green dress, her favourite pearls and a brooch made to mark her late mother’s 100th birthday. The presenter personally unveiled his finished work to the monarch in the Yellow Drawing Room and later boasted about how she had been ‘very friendly’. His efforts were filmed by the BBC and shown in a special edition of his programme, Rolf On Art. Critics lambasted the portrait as ‘amateurish’ - singling out her toothy grimace and awkward hands for particular scorn - but the palace duly hung it for a few months in the Queen’s Gallery, which is open to the public, as part of their 2006 summer opening display. It was handed straight back to the BBC afterwards, in around October of that year. A royal source said last night: ‘It was commissioned by the BBC for the Queen’s 80th birthday and was returned to the BBC – end of story. ’The portrait never belonged to the Queen and was never gifted to her. There was, however, a great deal of interest around the painting and the programme that accompanied it which is why it was displayed in the Queen’s Gallery for a short period. ‘It was handed back to the BBC afterwards and we haven’t seen it since.’ But a spokesman for the broadcaster told the Mail in a statement yesterday: ‘We have been asked about this before and out position hasn’t changed. The BBC does not have this painting in its collection.’ Landmark: The shamed star, pictured arriving at Buckingham Palace, was commissioned to paint the Queen to mark her 80th birthday . Remarkably, given that the BBC used public funds to commission both the portrait and programme, a spokesman added: ‘It was commissioned by us… but I can’t speculate as to where it may be.’ Enquiries have since revealed that the painting was put out on loan again to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool in 2012 as part of a wider exhibition of paintings by Harris. Later that year, it seems that it was handed back to Whitewall Galleries, which is understood to deal with the sale and display of all Harris’s personally-owned paintings. Callers to the firm – which has more than 25 branches across the country and sells work by Jimi Hendrix and even, bizarrely, Timmy Mallett - were last night asked to send in their questions by email. At the time of going to press, the Mail had not received a response. Intriguingly, while internet searches still show several historic links between Harris and Whitewall Galleries – he frequently appeared at promotional events for the firm around the country as well as having his artwork sold by them – all references to him appear to have been deleted from their website. One source in the art world suggested last night that Mr Harris may have taken the portrait back for his personal collection. Whether that was simply for sentimental reasons or that he had an eye on selling it should he have been cleared of the charges he now faces jail for, may never be known. The only certainty is that it is unlikely to ever hang in public again. | Shamed star was commissioned by the BBC to mark her 80th birthday .
National broadcaster has denied all knowledge of its whereabouts .
Whitewall Galleries have taken down all references to Harris on their website .
The gallery was the last known place to be in possession of the painting . |
188,149 | 7fa676ff3bd5eac7df95dbc338c2e460ff1c374f | Google's deal with Apple as the default search engine on Safari (pictured) expires in 2015. Reports claim Yahoo and Microsoft are pitching for the slot . Firefox turned its back on Google as its default search engine last week, and Apple may be looking to do the same. Google has been the default engine on Apple's Safari browser for the past five years, but the deal is due to expire in early 2015. This could see Microsoft's Bing or Yahoo taking its place - or the tech giant could be working on developing a search engine of its own. Both Yahoo and Microsoft have already started canvassing Apple about becoming the default engine on iOS devices and Macs, according to The Information's Amir Efrati. Mr Efrati said Apple is likely to base the decision on the 'quality of the product as much as the potential money made from search ads.' Google reportedly paid Apple $82 million (£52 million) in 2009, and $1 billion (£636 million) last year for the partnership. Search engines make money from such partnerships by sending traffic to their servers, and profiting from ad revenue. But Apple has been distancing itself from its rival for sometime. When it launched iOS 7, the default search engine for Siri was Microsoft's Bing. While Yahoo was the default weather app until Apple launched iOS 8, at which point it was replaced by the Weather Channel. Apple also replaced Google Maps with its own proprietary service, and stopped pre-installing Google-owned YouTube on devices. Within Apple Maps, local searches are made using services such as Yelp. The reports follow an announcement from Firefox last week that it is ditching Google as its default search engine. From the start of December, people using the browser in the US will be switched to Yahoo as the default service. Mozilla said the UK will remain unaffected, for the time being . Back in 2010, analysts at Piper Jaffray claimed there was a 70 per cent chance Apple would launch its own mobile search engine by 2015, and the impending end of the Google and Apple deal has bolstered these claims. After a decade, Mozilla announced last week it is ending its partnership with Google as the default option for Firefox web searches. From the start of December, people using the browser in the US will be switched to Yahoo. In Russia, Firefox will start using local search engine Yandex, and Baidu will continue to be the default search engine in China. Mozilla said the UK will remain unaffected, for the time being. Firefox is an open-source browser that was launched by California-based Mozilla in 2002. As of October 2014, it was the third most used web browser in the world, behind Google's Chrome, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Safari. In November, Apple Insider reported that a so-called web-crawling bot had been spotted on Apple's servers. This could be the start of developing its own search engine, but may also simply be used to boost its local and built-in search options. For example, OS X Yosemite's Spotlight Search tool scours the desktop, but also the web, maps and Wikipedia. In 2013, Re/code reported Yahoo was 'aggressively' working to increase revenue and the focus was to become the default on Apple products. Firefox signed a deal with Yahoo last week to replace Google as the default search option - although users can revert back in Settings. Five years ago, Yahoo signed a deal with Microsoft to have Bing to carry out behind-the-scenes indexing of online content. Yahoo and Microsoft agreed to split ad revenue under terms of the 10-year search deal, which let Yahoo focus on customising query results for users. Yahoo boss Marissa Mayer has repeatedly stressed that Yahoo remains devoted to the search market that the company pioneered, but which Google eventually dominated. Even if Apple does replace Google as its default engine, users are expected to be able to revert back, or select an alternative in the browser's settings. Google told MailOnline is doesn't comment on speculation. Apple has not replied to MailOnline's request for information. As of October 2014, Firefox is the third most used web browser in the world, behind Google's Chrome, Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Safari . | Google's partnership with Apple is due to expire in early 2015 .
Reports claim both Yahoo and Microsoft have begun pitching for the slot .
It follows news Firefox is replacing Google for Yahoo as its default engine .
Search engines make money from partnerships by sending traffic to their servers, and profiting from ad revenue .
Alternatively, Apple may be working on its own search engine . |
15,817 | 2ceaa02854ecffe426d23b9f8b469c041d46ceff | Samantha Cameron is famous for her love of Scandinavian minimalist style and it seems she's also a fan of IKEA furniture and Danish butter. The Prime Minister's wife was hosting a breakfast for disabled children at Downing Street and served up crumpets with a £6.20 1kg tub of Lurpak spread. The feast, which saw Stevie Tyrie, who has cerebral palsy, and Down's Syndrome sufferer Philip Kiley, take their places around the £795 marble table by A Modern World, also featured a bumper 500g pot of Marmite (£3.95) and a jar of Tiptree jam. Behind the children was the Cameron's £25,000 kitchen, which boasts some stylish new pieces that have been added since the doors to the Camerons' flat at No.11 were last thrown open during Angela Merkel's visit in February last year. Scroll down for video . What's in Sam's kitchen? The Prime Minister's wife has a family room crammed with luxury homeware - and a couple of bargains . Big breakfast: Samantha Cameron welcomed two disabled children and their families to Downing Street for breakfast this morning . While some bits, among them the Jamie Oliver stainless steel saucepans stacked on a shelf beside the range and the £665 Oka bookshelf remain the same, an eye-catching new lamp and a series of hand-drawn pictures were visible. The aluminium lamp, a £1,615 Flos Arco floor lamp, could be seen bending down towards the breakfast table, its white Carrara marble base clearly visible beside a considerably cheaper £250 Hemnes black wooden dresser from Swedish furniture suppliers, IKEA. The toast and crumpets were washed down with orange juice and coffee served in black ceramic Barista Latte mugs by Whittards, which are currently reduced from £8 to £3. Lining the Oka shelves visible next to the Camerons' £799 hood cooker by Sigma were saucepans from the Jamie Oliver cookware range, which starts at £43, and a cheaper set from John Lewis which comes with a starting price of £30. Finishing off the Camerons' £25,000 Roundhouse kitchen is a £60 clock from Habitat which can just be seen peeking out from beside the Prime Minister's brushed steel fridge. Chic: Behind them could be seen the Camerons' new £1,615 Flos Arco floor lamp while breakfast was eaten from a £785 marble table . Cheap chic: Not everything was expensive. Mrs Cameron's glass-fronted cabinet is a £250 flat Pack affair by IKEA . Drink up! Coffee was served in £8 (now reduced to £3) black ceramic barista mugs by Whittards alongside crumpets and croissants . Tasty: Also on the table was a bumper tub of butter by Danish brand Lurpak, a 500g jar of Marmite and jam by Tiptree . Dark walnut flooring by Swedish flooring specialist Kährs, which costs £75 per square metre and is handcrafted in one of the oldest flooring factories in the world, can be seen underneath. The Camerons' Oka bookcase is as well stocked as the kitchen shelves, with an eclectic mix of titles just visible. Among them are high end foodie tomes such as The Ginger Pig Meat Book and River Cottage Every Day, as well as political reads such as Jeremy Paxman's On Royalty. Both the Prime Minister and Mrs Cameron appear to be fans of a box set with Star Wars, a Desperate Housewives, Brideshead Revisited, Band of Brothers, Michael McIntyre Live and Kill Bill among the DVDs on their shelves. Although the Camerons benefit from an £30,000 grant awarded to maintain the No.11 flat, any extras, including the £25,000 kitchen, are paid for out of their own pockets. Mrs Cameron was hosting the breakfast in support of the charity, Contact A Family, which offers support and advice to families with children who suffer from disabilities such as cerebral palsy. She is patron of the charity and has her own experiences of raising a disabled child to draw on. Tragically, the Camerons' 'beautiful boy' Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, unexpectedly passed away in February 2009. 'Contact A Family’s exhibition is a fantastic way to highlight the joys and challenges of raising a disabled child,' said Mrs Cameron, speaking during the breakfast at No.10. 'I am delighted to support such a positive initiative and also to welcome Stevie, Philip and their families to Downing Street for breakfast and to hear how Contact A Family makes such a difference to their lives.' Not the first time:The £1,151 'Fancy Nancy' sofa was the scene of high level talks between Cameron and Chancellor Merkel in February 2014 . Cosy: The Camerons' pristine kitchen played an even more prominent role in the photos of Michelle Obama visiting Sam Cam in May 2011 . Oka bookshelf, £665 . Flos Arco Floor Lamp, £1,615 . IKEA Hemnes glass door cabinet, £250 . Modern World marble dining table, £795 . Jamie Oliver saucepans, from £43 . Sigma hood cooker, £799 . John Lewis cookware, from £30 . Dualit two-slice toaster, £139 . Whittard Barista Latte mug, £8 (now reduced to £3) Habitat Flap wall clock, £60 . Maldon sea salt . Kährs walnut flooring, from £70 per square metre . Roundhouse design kitchen, £25,000, with Corian white work top, from £310 per linear metre . Fancy Nancy sofa, £1,151 . | Photos taken during a charity breakfast at No.10 reveal new additions to Samantha Cameron's famous kitchen .
Among them are a £1,615 Flos Arco floor lamp, a £250 IKEA cabinet and a customised £795 marble table .
Breakfast included toast and crumpets served with a 1kg tub of Danish Lurpak butter and a 500g pot of Marmite .
Kitchen was partly funded by £30,000 annual maintenance grant with the rest paid for by the Camerons .
Pictures From Home opens tonight at La Galleria in Pall Mall and runs for a week . |
213,280 | a033f08dcb8ebce1e93c8bdb0bf11836a4210230 | By . Ben Spencer . Butterfly numbers have nearly halved in the last four decades – despite last year’s sizzling summer, say conservationists. The insects, which thrive in warm and sunny conditions, are still recovering from an onslaught of washout summers. The wet summer of 2012 was the worst on record for butterflies –with some rare species in certain parts of Britain being wiped out. Butterfly numbers have nearly halved in the last four decades, but last . year's hot summer was excellent for the insects with numbers up . significantly. Among those breeds seeing a resurgence is the Clouded . Yellow (top) Small tortoiseshell butterflies are among the breeds that saw an increase last year, their population rising 278 per cent . Last year’s hot weather was excellent for the insects, with numbers up significantly compared to 2012, according to the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. But despite the 2013 boost, numbers were still at a worrying 53 per cent of the population in 1976 – well below average. Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, which led the survey, said there was still a long way to go before butterflies returned to their former glories. He said: ‘We had successive bad summers from 2007 to 2012, it was terrible. Last summer was better and there was a real bounce back, but we need another good spring and summer for them to breed successfully.’ Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, which led the survey, said there is still a long way to go before butterflies returned to their former glories . Some 46 of the 56 species in the Monitoring Scheme in 2013 saw numbers increase. Rare species such as the Lulworth skipper were up 162 per cent compared with 2012, and the critically endangered high brown fritillary by 133 per cent. Common species also saw a revival – the small, large and green-veined whites bounced back from their worst year on record in 2012 to above average numbers in 2013. The small tortoiseshell had its best year in a decade and migrants such as clouded yellow butterflies from the Continent also increased. | Butterfly numbers have nearly halved in the last four decades .
The insects thrive in warm and sunny conditions .
The wet summer of 2012 was the worst on record for butterflies .
In 2013 46 of the 56 species monitored saw population increases .
Expert Dr Tom Brereton says it will be years before the species return to their former glories . |
145,758 | 4877b645c9e2fcce83a4efdaf86f5bc3267a96d9 | These emotional portraits show the final moments of stray dogs before they are put to death in an animal pound. The series, taken in government-run pounds in Taiwan, show the dogs as little as half an hour before pound workers humanely put them down. Photographer Yun-Fei Tou used human portrait techniques to bring the scruffy animals' faces fully to life, and wants viewers to 'witness the decay of life moments before death' in the dogs' unknowing expressions. Scroll down for video . At death's door: This dog, photographed in a Taiwanese pound, died just under two hours after this photograph was taken . Piercing: Photograph Yun-Fei Tou used portrait techniques to emphasize the facial expressions of the doomed animals. This dog was killed 43 minutes after this picture was taken . None of the animals is named - instead each portrait is simply identified by how long after the image was taken they were killed. The times vary from 14 hours to 29 minutes. Explaining the series, dubbed Memento Mori (Latin for 'remember you will die), he said: 'These nameless animals, by virtue of the size at, which they are printed and the approximations to human scale, are transformed into existence... The status of power between humans and other sentient beings, those considered "the other" is diminished.' Fatal encounter: The dogs were all being held in publicly-run dog pounds in Taiwan. They were humanely killed - this dog 40 minutes after her photograph was taken . Lost: The dogs in the photo series were all gathered up by dog pound workers, who then put them down . Soulful: This dog, emaciated and with patchy fur, gives the camera a sideways glance an hour and a quarter before its death . Full-faced: Tou took the series to humanize the animals. This dog died just over an hour after the picture was taken . Downcast: The dogs' final moments were captured in the photo series. This dog had the longest gap between photograph and its death - it was put down 13 hours later . Facing it head-on: This black dog was killed around an hour and a half after the photograph was taken . | Photographer Yun-Fei Tou took the photos, styled like human portraits .
Show the dogs shortly before humane killings - some as close as 30 minutes . |
49,535 | 8c03180754c0f75b8cbd7c82cbd72b185bd8d2bf | ISIS militants have blocked all mobile phone networks in the largest Iraqi city they control, as they fear people may tip off coalition forces about their whereabouts. The move represents a change of tactic by the extremist organisation who, up until now, have tried to win support of locals by targeting them through phone services. It also comes in the wake of a string of recent victories by Iraqi troops, backed by Shiite and Kurdish militiamen. Scroll down for video . ISIS militants took control of Mosul in June during their rapid advance across northern Iraq . Residents in Mosul described a scene of 'chaos' and paralysis' in the city after the militants announced their decision on their Mosul-based radio network. Businesses were at a standstill as residents tried to understand what was happening, they said. Some are still able to access the Internet, which operates under a different network. The militants took control of the city, in northern Iraq, in June during their rapid advance across northern Iraq, after the Iraqi military virtually crumbled when confronted by the group. The U.S. began launching airstrikes on August 8 and has conducted at least 22 strikes around the city of Mosul alone. The city has come to represent the expanding power and influence of the extremist group, which started in Iraq but spread to Syria, where it grew exponentially in the chaos of the country's civil war. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's reclusive leader, made his first video appearance in Mosul in July to announce his vision for a self-styled caliphate, a form of Islamic state. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi outlined his vision for a caliphate, a form of Islamic state, in July . Baghdad-based political analyst Hadi Jalo said that the latest move by the IS group shows the militants are losing confidence after the recent victories by Iraqi troops. 'Even the people in Mosul, who hate the Shiite-led government, are becoming less sympathetic with the militants - whose main victims are Sunnis, not Shiites, nowadays,' said Jalo. An official in one of the Iraqi mobile phone operators said his company is investigating the issue, but declined to give further details. Until now ISIS had tried to win local support by targeting people's phones - but have now blocked all phone networks in Mosul, the largest city they have control over . In parts of Syria under its control, the group now administers courts, fixes roads and even polices traffic. It recently imposed a curriculum in schools in its Syrian stronghold, Raqqa, scrapping subjects such as philosophy and chemistry, and fine-tuning the sciences to fit with its ideology. In Syria, government warplanes kept up air raids on the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, killing at least seven people today, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one of the raids struck the house of a judge facing the Islamic State group's tax collection centre. Another air raid targeted an ISIS group checkpoint. An activist who uses the name Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi said eight airstrikes killed at least seven people, including four women and a child. Al-Raqqawi, who is based outside Syria, heads a collective of activists on the ground in Raqqa. On Tuesday, similar airstrikes killed at least 95 people in Raqqa, most of them civilians. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she is 'horrified' by the reports that Syrian government airstrikes had killed dozens of civilians and demolished residential areas. | ISIS militants have blocked mobile phone networks in Mosul, north Iraq .
Extremist group had previously tried to target local support via phones .
Comes in the wake of a string of recent victories by Iraqi troops over ISIS . |
20,203 | 3957f3319969b1473ddda4edfd3b658bcf7dc5f6 | Animal lovers are in for a real treat this weekend, with not one but two pet-dominated Super Bowl specials to choose from. The wildly popular Puppy Bowl returns for its 11th annual showdown courtesy of the Animal Planet at 3pm EST on Sunday, with Hallmark Channel's Kitten Bowl - back for its second year - kicking off at noon. Both tournaments will see a bevy of adorable critters tussle it out with pint-sized footballs on pet-friendly stadiums, all to them available for adoption; the puppies hailing from the Arizona Humane Society and the kittens provided by several New York-based shelters. Scroll down for video . One fur all! Hallmark's Kitten Bowl is back for its second year, kicking off at noon EST on Sunday. Pictured, two tiny felines from the event, which was pre-recorded this week in New York . Playing ruff: Puppy Bowl returns for its 11th annual showdown courtesy of the Animal Planet at 3pm EST on Sunday. Pictured, puppies from last year's event . 'Everybody loves a puppy,' Chris Finnegan, a senior vice president at Animal Planet told Reuters. 'The amount of attention that we've got has been fantastic. 'People just can't get enough. They're so sweet. They're so cute, and we're excited because it's getting the word out about animal adoptions.' Twenty-five pups have been on display each day this week outside a Phoenix cafe where a fake football field has been set up, as spectators gather to cheer them on. A black-and-white shirted human 'referee' kept a score, of sorts, and Team Fluff was soon beating Team Ruff by two goals to zip. 'That's a flag! That's unnecessary roughness, plus it's embarrassing because you're on the same side!' said the referee, blowing his whistle as onlookers laughed. Puppy love: Former Playboy playmates Stacy Fuson (left) and Jaime Edmondson (right) attend Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl Cafe from Super Bowl Central yesterday in Phoenix, Arizona . Competition time: Josh and Jesse Feldman, both stars of Discovery Channel's Ice Cold Gold, arrive at the event and get cozy with two canine players . Pre-game: Model and sportscaster Bonnie-Jill Laflin (left) and musician Ingrid Michaelson (right) hedge their bets . Debbie Mykitiak, who works for an Arizona animal charity called Rescue, was among the crowd watching yesterday's game. 'I came down to see the puppies, and the live Puppy Bowl, and in the hope that all of these little guys will have homes by Sunday afternoon,' she said, as play was delayed while one Labrador puppy took a bathroom break on the 30-yard line. All the puppies will be available for adoption from the Arizona Humane Society beginning Sunday. Animal Planet says it will cover part of the cost of adoptions. Look sharp: Puppies this year will hail from the Arizona Humane Society, and are all currently up for adoption. Pictured, last year's event . Look sharp: 'Everybody loves a puppy. The amount of attention that we've got has been fantastic,' Chris Finnegan, a senior vice president at Animal Planet said. Pictured, last year's event . As for the kittens, the North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation will provide over 90 adoptable kittens for the feline showdown. All of them will be adopted out immediately following the games. Last year, all 71 of the feline players found homes. Kitten Bowl II will be hosted by Beth Stern, a television personality and spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League America, as well as sportscasters Mary Carillo and John Sterling. Winning streak: The North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation will provide over 90 adoptable kittens for the feline showdown. Pictured, a scene from this year's event . The action will kick off with semi-final matches between the Northpole Panthers and Hallmark Channel Hearties, and the Good Witch Wildcats versus the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Mountain Lions. Both specials will no doubt score well with viewers. Last year's Puppy Bowl drew 13.5 million viewers, with the Kitten Bowl watched by 1 million. | Animal Planet's 11th annual Puppy Bowl will air at 3pm on Sunday .
Hallmark Channel's second Kitten Bowl kicks off at noon, also on Sunday .
Last year's Puppy Bowl drew 13.5 million viewers, with the Kitten Bowl watched by 1 million . |
106,895 | 15e5706ac342858022a682fb0f154470f04cdd79 | A three-year-old girl is in a 'critical' condition in hospital after being shot in the head by her four-year-old brother, police have said. The unnamed toddler and her sibling were allegedly playing in a room at their home in Lorain, northeastern Ohio, on Sunday morning when the boy picked up a loaded gun. Seconds later, he accidentally pulled the trigger, causing a bullet to pierce his sister's head, according to authorities. Three other family members were reportedly in the house at the time. Scene: A three-year-old girl is in a 'critical' condition in hospital after being shot in the head by her four-year-old brother at their family home on the 1300 block of West 28th Street (above) in Lorain, northeastern Ohio . Police and paramedics were called to the property on the 1300 block of West 28th Street at around 10am, where they discovered the girl's father cradling her in his arms. The youngster was flown to Rainbow Babies Hospital Children's Hospital in Cleveland with a single gunshot wound, the Lorain Police Department told Cleveland.com. She remains in a 'critical' state. Following the shooting, investigators interviewed the three other people who were in the house at the time. They also recovered the gun from the scene. Prosecutors are now reviewing the incident to determine if charges will be filed. It is not the first time a young child has accidentally shot a sibling with a loaded weapon. Hospital: The girl was flown to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital (above) with a single gunshot injury . In April, a three-year-old girl killed her two-year-old brother after shooting him in the stomach with a .22-caliber rifle at their home in Utah. Although emergency crews arrived within minutes and rushed the badly wounded toddler to a local hospital, he could not be saved. Police later said the girl had picked up the gun after her father had placed it down and walked away. In Sunday's shooting, the police investigation is ongoing. | Girl, three, was playing with brother, four, at their home in Lorain, Ohio .
Boy stumbled across loaded gun, before accidentally pulling the trigger .
His sister, who was shot in head, was airlifted to hospital in Cleveland .
She currently remains in 'critical' state; no charges have yet been filed .
Three other relatives were in the house on West 28th Street at the time . |
112,164 | 1cad711c6802a29a2b4bc972b57b7f7c645aac2e | Cardiff is set to host next year's Ashes opener and Edgbaston returns to the schedule meaning that no Tests against Australia will be held in the north of England. The SWALEC stadium was the venue for the first Test of the 2009 series, which ended with James Anderson and Monty Panesar blocking out for a famous England draw. Edgbaston is one of the England team's favourite grounds and was the scene of one of the greatest Test matches in history, the two-run Ashes victory in 2005. It and Cardiff returning mean Emirates Old Trafford and the Emirates ICG in Durham miss out. Saving the day: James Anderson (centre) celebrates after he and Monty Panesar (right) secure a famous draw for England at Cardiff in 2009 . Wed July 8 - First Test (Cardiff) Thu July 16 - Second Test (Lord’s) Wed July 29 - Third Test (Edgbaston) Thu Aug 6 - Fourth Test (Trent Bridge) Thu Aug 2 - Fifth Test (Kia Oval) Mon Aug 31 - T20 (Cardiff) Thu Sept 3 - First ODI (Ageas Bowl, D/N) Sat Sept 5 - Second ODI (Lord’s) Tue Sept 8 - Third ODI (Old Trafford, D/N) Fri Sept 11 - Fourth ODI (Headingley) Sun Sept 13 - Fifth ODI (Old Trafford) Former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Twitter: 'Cardiff is a ok venue. I am just surprised they kept their Ashes status after handing back the West Indies Test in 2012..!!!'. He was referring to the SWALEC being unable to host a match two years ago. Lord's and Trent Bridge will also host Tests against Australia, while the final contest will be at The Kia Oval as the hosts look to retain the urn. England will be looking to clinch a fourth successive home Ashes victory after triumphs in 2005, 2009 and 2013 (the latter being 3-0), and will hope to banish the memory of the disastrous 5-0 whitewash Down Under in the winter. There will also be one NatWest Twenty20 international between the sides, at Cardiff, and five Royal London one-day internationals, two of which will be staged at Old Trafford, which misses out on a Test after hosting last summer and being the venue at which England retained the urn. Before the clash with Australia, New Zealand will visit England for a two-Test series, five ODIs and a Twenty20. Incredible scenes: England's players go wild after beating Australia by two runs at Edgbaston in 2005 . Thu May 21 - First Test (Lord's) Fri May 29 - Second Test (Headingley) Tue June 9 - First ODI (Edgbaston, D/N) Fri June 12 - Second ODI (Kia Oval, D/N) Sun June 14 - Third ODI (Ageas Bowl) Wed June 17 - Fourth ODI (Trent Bridge, D/N) Sat June 20 - Fifth ODI (Emirates Durham ICG) Tue June 23 - T20 (Old Trafford, floodlit) This again mirrors last summer, when England won the two-match series 2-0. The five-day matches will be held at Lord's and Headingley, which again misses out on an Ashes Test. ECB chief executive David Collier said: 'Next summer promises to be a hugely exciting international season with England’s bid to regain the Ashes set to be one of the major highlights of the sporting year. 'We’re also delighted to be hosting New Zealand again across all three formats of the international game and would like to thank all those county and international venues who will be hosting our touring teams next year.' | Lord's, Trent Bridge and The Kia Oval will also host Ashes Tests next year .
Edgbaston will stage the third Test after six-year absence .
Series starts on July 8 at the SWALEC Stadium .
Emirates Old Trafford and Emirates dropped and Headingley misses out again, meaning there are no Ashes Tests in the north of England .
Two-Test series against New Zealand precedes Ashes clash . |
113,412 | 1e61b532526d55e1d6da1dba66a826f96a019d92 | (CNN) -- He became the first man in Olympic history to defend both his 100 meter and 200 meter crowns and Usain Bolt's gold-plated 2012 could be about to get a little better. The fastest man on the planet was untouchable during the Games in London, completing his unprecedented sprint double and also picking up gold with Jamaica's 4x100m men's relay team. It is no surprise then that Bolt leads the nominations for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) male athelete of the year award. Bolt is joined on the list by two other male stars that enjoyed a successful summer in the English capital. Olympic hero Bolt to play for Manchester United? The second athlete chosen is American Aries Merritt, who took the men's 110m hurdles crown in London, before breaking the world record at a meet in Belgium shortly after. Merritt took seven hundredths of a second off the previous mark, held by Dayron Robles, which had stood for four years. The 27-year-old also took gold over the 60m distance at the World Indoor Championships held in the Turkish city of Istanbul in March. The third nominee is David Rushida, who holds one landmark Bolt will never gets his hands on after the Kenyan became the first man to break a world record on the track in London's Olympic Stadium. The 23-year-old was the first person to run under one minute and 41 seconds in the 800m as he broke his own world record storming to gold. His performances drew praise for the chairman of the London Organizing Committee, Sebastian Coe, who called Rushida "the most impressive track and field athlete at these Games." But there is no place for Britain's Mo Farah, who joined an elite list of distance runners by taking Olympic gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. Bolt will be favorite to take the award after dominating the sprint category in London just as he did in Beijing four years previously. The 26-year-old held off the challenge of compatriot Yohan Blake to secure his 100m and 200m double, labeling himself the "greatest athlete" to have lived after his triumph. Bolt's holds the world record in both disciplines and holds six Olympic gold medals, after also winning the men's 4x100m relay in 2008. The winner will be crowned on 24 November during the IAAF's Centenary Celebrations in the Spanish city of Barcelona. | Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt leads nominations for IAAF male athlete of 2012 .
Bolt became the first man to retain his 100m and 200m Olympic titles in London .
Kenya's Olympic 800m champion and WR holder David Rushida also included .
America's 110m hurdles Olympic champion Aries Merritt completes list . |
115,915 | 21a276442d6b525e7788545a2dac71f761637b0e | By . Allan Hall . Waking Michael Schumacher from his artificially-induced coma could plunge him into a natural one, a top German professor has warned. The seven-times Formula 1 champion is currently being kept under anaesthetic at the University Hospital in France. But Professor Heinzpeter Moecke says waking him may leave him in a 'permanent vegetative state'. Devoted: Michael Schumacher has been at University Hospital in Grenoble since December. Above, Schumacher is pictured with his wife Corinna in Italy . Schumacher, the seven-times Formula 1 champion, is being kept under constant scrutiny to detect any movement at all . 'There is unfortunately the risk that in sneaking out of a deep artificial sleep the patient is then in a waking coma,' said Professor Moecke, director of the Institute for Emergency Medicine at the Asklepios Clinic in Hamburg. 'This would mean a permanent vegetative state where Schumacher would effectively be paralysed.' However, he said that even if the F1 legend does not plunge into another coma, doctors may be forced to send him into a 'light sleep'. 'Waking up from an artificial sleep can leave the patient initially confused, not sure of who he is or where he is,' he said. Treatment: Schumacher is currently being kept under anaesthetic at the University Hospital (above) in France . 'If he is so agitated and attempted to remove tubes from his body, the doctors could induce him into another light sleep.' Schumacher, 45, has been at the hospital in Grenoble since he fell and hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French resort of Meribel on December 29. However, doctors believe that the toughest phase in his recovery is yet to come. They have warned his wife Corinna, and children Gina Marie, 16, and son Mick, 14, that it could take weeks for all of the sleeping drugs to be out of his body. During this time, Schumacher will be under constant scrutiny to detect any movement at all. And even if he does come around, he may require intensive physical and speech therapy over a series of months, if not, years. | Heinzpeter Moecke warns Schumacher may plunge into natural coma .
Claims waking F1 legend could leave him in 'permanent vegetative state'
Schumacher has been at University Hospital in Grenoble since December .
Doctors believe the toughest phase of his recovery is still to come . |
79,144 | e05614d06771b8fbcc332fb3421ee4b7e6e25416 | Michael Clarke has capped arguably the most remarkable Test match in his long and successful career by bringing up a hundred in the same match in which the cricket world paid tribute to his 'little brother' Phillip Hughes. Those writing screenplays could scarcely have dreamt up such a script, as it is barely believable even in the often incredible pantheon, which is world sport. Clarke, 33, defying painful back spasms to bat again and only after a night of intense physiotherapy and painkilling injections, joined Steve Smith at the crease when play resumed on day two. He brought up a magnificent century at the Adelaide Oval after a second rain delay. His celebration was subdued at first, kissing the helmet and hugging Smith before allowing himself a small smile. Smith had earlier dedicated his own majestic ton to fallen mate Hughes, pointing to the number 408 painted on the ground and then just moments later Clarke brought up Australia's 408th run, the crowd standing as one to applaud the significance of the score. Scroll down for video . Surely among the most courageous centuries in recent memory. Dogged by an injury which put him in hospital the day before and carrying the weight of his mate Phillip Hughes' death into the match, Michael Clarke scores a century on day two of the first cricket test between Australia and India . The magic moment for Michael Clarke is celebrated by his wife Kyly and other Australian fans at the Adelaide Oval. The Australian captain became the home side's third century maker of the Test before rain stopped play . Michael Clarke enjoys a laugh with his wife Kyly ahead of the resumption of play late on day two of the first cricket Test. Clarke went on to become Australia's third century-maker in the innings a short time later . A tender moment between husband and wife before Michael Clarke headed back out to the middle to bring up a remarkable hundred against all the odds . Captain courageous on the attack. Michael Clarke underwent intense physio through the night and pain-killing injections to return to the crease for Australia on day two of the first cricket test against India . Paying tribute to his mate. Steve Smith celebrates his hundred at the number 408, signifying Phillip Hughes' Test number, painted on the turf at the Adelaide Oval . There's been pain in almost every movement Michael Clarke has made in his courageous innings at the Adelaide Oval. The 33-year-old captain became the home side's third century-maker in the first Test . Michael Clarke and Steve Smith walk past the number 408 emblazoned on the Adelaide Oval turf in honour of their former NSW and Australian team-mate, the late Phillip Hughes . Decision made, Michael Clarke returns to the field of play for Australia despite a serious back injury which threatened, at one point, to keep him out of the rest of the match . Michael Clarke's wife Kyly is all smiles as the Australian captain returns to the crease less than 24 hours after his summer looked over because of a chronic back injury . Some experts said he would be unable to play again in the match, others even dared to suggest this could be the beginning of the end of a glittering career, yet the Australian cricket captain made a truly remarkable recovery from his back injury after retiring hurt on day one to bat again in the first innings. But Steve Smith knows what his skipper is made of and confidently predicted Clarke's reappearance at the crease when he said before the start of day two 'he (Clarke) has had a few injections and he's keen to get out there and bat today'. Clarke, joined Smith for the resumption after being forced from the field on 60 during a dramatic first day of play in which David Warner scored a magnificent century and Smith also racked up a half century. Clarke's first scoring shot of the morning was a boundary through the covers to move him onto 64 but he is clearly restricted and in considerable pain, wincing with almost every shot. Feeling better. Michael Clarke of Australia comes out of the nets next to Dr Peter Brukner after testing out his injury before day two of the First Test match between Australia and India . The Australian skipper takes to the nets to test his injured back ahead of day two of the cricket Test . The brains trust of the Australian cricket team including coach Darren Lehmann and selector Rod Marsh discuss Clarke's injury with the medical experts . When rain interrupted play Australia was 6 for 405. Physio Alex Kountouris admitted he didn't have much sleep after Clarke's injury and subsequent hospital visit. 'We were certainly treating it into last night. He had an injection while there (hospital),' Kountouris said. 'He's got a chronic back injury, he dived to get back into the crease when David Warner was on 99, it's quite a significant back injury. It's poor timing and he's struggling at the moment. 'I don't think it's directly related to the hamstring injury which is on the other side.' Down but not out. Michael Clarke succumbed to a chronic back injury on day one but was determined to play on in the first cricket Test, joining Steve Smith at the crease when play resumed on day two . The moment Michael Clarke realised he would have to retire hurt on 60 after re-injuring his back . 'He hasn't had anything like this for 18 months, the last time was at the Champions Trophy in England,' Kountouris said. Australia resumed at 6-354 with Steve Smith unbeaten on 72 and Clarke 60. The skipper had to overcome a recurring left hamstring injury to play the rescheduled first Test. Kountouris believed his current woes were unrelated to the hamstring issue. Before he was hurt Clarke was in typical mood, playing shots like this through the off-side on his way to 60 and in support of David Warner's century . 'This is his right lower back. This is his old injury, what he's had in the past,' he said. 'I don't think it's directly related to his hamstring, because it's the other side. 'We believe it's related to his old disc injuries. With that comes a lot of muscle spasms and other things that cause pain. 'So we're just trying to relieve those elements of it and make sure we give him the best possible chance.' The skipper ducked inside a short ball from Indian quick Ishant Sharma in the 44th over and instantly grimaced in pain. Clarke stretched his back and spoke to Kountouris and doctor Peter Brukner before trudging off the field. Kountouris revealed the initial flare-up occurred seven overs earlier when Clarke dived to make his ground at the non-striker's end. 'He felt it a little bit there. Then he tried to get out the way of a bouncer and it really grabbed,' he said. | Michael Clarke has scored his most emotional hundred, notching up the third century for Australia against India in the first test .
Clarke has been forced to retire hurt with a back injury on day one .
The 33-year-old underwent intense physio and painkilling injections .
Clarke has been in considerable pain, grimacing with almost every shot .
Steve Smith followed in David Warner's footsteps to score a ton . |
140,408 | 4191fb01b4deb9440e0dd4dd1780a07a5a41b42a | (CNN) -- Mexico and the United States will be going to the 2010 World Cup finals after winning their penultimate matches in CONCACAF qualifying on Saturday night. Francisco Palencia (left) celebrates his goal as Mexico secured their place in the finals. Mexico, who struggled in their earlier qualifying matches while former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge, had an easy 4-1 home win over El Salvador, while the U.S scored a memorable 3-2 victory in Honduras. The wins keeps the U.S. top of the group with 19 points from nine games with Mexico a point further adrift. Costa Rica won 4-0 against Trinidad and Tobago to move into the third and final qualifying spot in the group ahead of next Wednesday's final round of matches with Honduras one point behind them. Costa Rica visit the U.S. with fourth-placed Honduras in El Salvador. The fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF group face the fifth-placed team from South America, which could be Diego Maradona's Argentina, in a playoff for a World Cup place. Honduras will be ruing lost opportunities against the Americans as they led through Julio De Leon goal early in the second half before Conor Casey scored twice for the visitors to put them ahead. De Leon scored the equalizer before Landon Donovan curled home a free kick in the 70th minute to give the visitors the lead again. Still the drama was not over and Honduras were awarded a penalty in the 86th minute after a handball by Stuart Holden but Carlos Pavon, the leading scorer for Honduras in internationals, sent his effort over the crossbar. Mexico scored three goals in the last 20 minutes after an own goal from Marvin Gonzalez of El Salvador had put them 1-0 up in the 25th minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the 70th minute and Francisco Palencia added a third. Julio Martinez scored a consolation for El Salvador in the 87th minute before Arsenal's Carlos Vela rounded off the scoring for Mexico as they sealed their place. New Costa Rica coach Rene Simoes saw his new charges move to the brink of automatic qualification with an easy win over eliminated Trinidad. Alvaro Saborio scored twice and Walter Centeno added another, after Radanfa Abubakr's own goal had put them on their way. | Mexico and United States both qualify for World Cup finals in South Africa .
Mexico defeat El Salvador 4-1 with three goals in the last 20 minutes of game .
U.S. come from a goal down to defeat Honduras 3-2 to also secure their place .
Honduras and Costa Rica battling for third automatic place from CONCACAF . |
113,194 | 1e1ce92c5307d5df3544ce33479570d40d24c7cd | (CNN) -- An October three-vehicle collision that left eight people dead in eastern Tennessee was caused by a blown front tire on a church bus, investigators said Monday. The bus was traveling east on Interstate 40 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, when the tire blew, causing the driver to lose control. The bus veered into the median and ran through a cable barrier before crashing into a Chevy Tahoe and tractor-trailer in the westbound lanes. "This tragedy was the result of blunt-force impact to the front tire that weakened its internal structure and caused the tire's failure. There was no evidence of any pre-existing condition to the tire," Col. Tracy Trott of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. He added that there is no evidence any of the drivers in the crash were impaired or distracted. There was also nothing to indicate the bus wasn't well-maintained, he said. The bus, which was owned by Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville, North Carolina, was carrying 18 passengers, five of whom were ejected and killed. Another died inside the bus, while one of the three occupants of the Tahoe died, as did the tractor-trailer's driver. The bus was carrying a group of seniors on their way back home from a religious conference. The group was called "Young at Heart," pastor Rick Cruz said at the time. They were returning home from the 17th annual Fall Jubilee conference in Gatlinburg after three days of preaching and singing. "We do know that there were several that went on to be with the Lord," Cruz told his congregants during a sermon after the crash. | October 3-vehicle crash in eastern Tennessee left eight people dead, police say .
Highway patrol says blunt-force impact caused tire to blow, bus to veer across median .
Inquiry turns up no evidence that drivers were impaired or bus was in disrepair .
Bus was carrying seniors home from religious conference in Gatlinburg . |
247,775 | cc9e41e56deb381015acb568467c63d9d0240846 | (CNN) -- Start with 19 gorgeous half-naked models, throw in a $2.5 million bra and a few wings that weigh up to 50 pounds a pair, and you have the elements of this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show. The 2011 show airs Tuesday in more than 90 countries, proving that the definition of "sexy" may be the same on all seven continents. Dazzling women in glitter, wearing sky-high heels with elaborate underwear, are some of the obvious reasons more than 9 million viewers tuned in to last year's show. But with this year's scheduled performances by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj, who knows how many fans are also anticipating the celebrity showcase? Joining the group of stars, Adam Levine will perform as he walks the runway with girlfriend and Victoria's Secret model Anne Vyalitsyna. Nine million viewers may sound like an large number of people gazing at pretty women in bras and panties. But who wouldn't want to see this spectacle? "The show fulfills a fantasy, and not just the obvious one of gorgeous women in their underwear," said Glamour magazine contributing style editor Tracey Lomrantz. "Everything about it is over the top, from the performances to the sets to the shoes. It lets the audience have a kind of escapist moment to a place where everything is sparkly and idyllic," Lomrantz added. Glitter won't be the only thing glistening on the New York runway. This year, model Miranda Kerr will be wearing the traditional $2.5 million Fantasy Treasure Bra. That's right, this Angel will be gleaming in a bra encrusted with more than 3,400 hand-placed gems. Aside from the million-dollar rocks, beauty products from the Victoria's Secret collection will be used on all 19 models. If you're keeping track, almost 40 cans of hairspray will be used, and 21 makeup artists will use products exclusively from the VS makeup collection, according to HollywoodLife.com. The combination of the fashion, makeup and celebrity performances will help create this year's spectacle on a grand scale. Pretty faces on bodies with killer curves don't hurt. Famous VS models -- or should we say Angels -- like Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman and Erin Heatherton have some of the most envied bodies that both men and women admire. "It's interesting how many women say they use the show as a motivator to hit the gym or to finally start their diets," Lomrantz said. And although men often gaze at the toned bodies strutting the catwalk, some are sure not to confuse fantasy with reality. "It is important to remember, as with all fashion shows, that what you see on the runway is not what you will see in a store -- it's a projection of desire," Esquire magazine's Matt Sullivan said. These angels aren't always naturally blessed with the bodies they have. Many of the models follow a strict diet and exercise regimen. Lima admited to The Telegraph that she has been working out with a personal trainer every day since August. Fast-forward to nine days before the show, and the only thing she eats or drinks are protein shakes made with powdered eggs. Speed up to the final 12 hours, and Lima doesn't consume a speck of anything -- not even water. "No liquids at all, so you dry out. Sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," Lima told The Telegraph. Although they put in hard work, the VS Angels end up envied. Not only do these tall beauties effortlessly balancing heavy decorated feathers in nothing but lingerie and a smile attract Nielsen ratings, but the taping of the show enjoys its fair share of media coverage. "When there is an event this big, people pay attention," fashion blogger Mark St. James said. "When models look this flawless and graceful, you can't help but fall victim to their provocative lingerie, powerful femininity and, of course, sex appeal." Ladies, it's almost time to whip out your little pink bag, pump up the hair and put on your best "Vicky C" garments in anticipation of this year's show. Men, pop the popcorn, call your friends and get ready to gather around the TV to admire the models and rock out to the musical guests. According to St. James, "Victoria's Secret is the Cirque du Soleil of lingerie. The ever-increasing popularity of the Victoria's Secret shows comes from the excitement of being apart of a world where Angels are stunningly beautiful, the industry's top musical talent performs live, and power and sexual energy pour from the runway every year." And thanks to the Victoria's Secret fashion show, we're even closer to seeing a real-life heaven on Earth. | The 2011 Victoria's Secret fashion show will air on CBS at 10 p.m. Tuesday .
Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine will perform .
Miranda Kerr will wear a $2.5 million bra with more than 3,400 hand-placed gems .
Adriana Lima admitted to following a strict diet in preparation for the show . |
199,789 | 8ea2941373c0654f20b86e088dfbd60ced513582 | By . Tom Rawstorne . Up in the back bedroom of a three-storey terrace house in a Northamptonshire town, a young couple have been busy making the most of the good weather to boost their online business. Where a bed and wardrobe should be, there are now filing cabinets filled with packs of pills and phials of liquid. On a nearby desk sit two computers and a stack of padded envelopes ready to deal with the flood of incoming orders. Exactly how much money this internet ‘pharmacy’ was turning over each week will no doubt emerge in time. But last week, when I accompanied a team of investigators from the medicines watchdog on an early-morning raid, more than £50,000-worth of illegal drugs were crammed into this one room alone. Slimming pills: Their main market is women desperate to find a quick-fix way of shedding the pounds ahead of their summer holidays . It became apparent who these banned medicines were targeted at as the team sifted through their haul — packet after packet of multi-coloured capsules in boxes branded with the image of a trim, young woman showing off her toned body in a crop-top and shorts. They are slimming pills and their main market at this time of year are women desperate to find a quick-fix way of shedding the pounds ahead of the summer holiday season. The trouble is that what is on offer here is banned in this country because the ingredients, manufactured in unregulated laboratories in China and India, could cause serious illness or death. ‘In the spring, women will go online and buy a couple of months’ worth of tablets which they think will help them fit into their bikini,’ explains Danny Lee-Frost, head of enforcement operations at the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). ‘But buy from websites like these and you don’t know what you are getting — these pills can cause strokes and heart attacks. They are dangerous. ‘You also have no idea where this stuff is being manufactured or stored, and you cannot guarantee how much active ingredient each pill contains. In the past, we have raided places where different chemicals were being mixed up in cement mixers, with the stuff on the floor being swept up and shovelled back in. They just don’t care.’ And make no mistake, the sale of illegal diet pills and other banned medicines over the internet is big business. What is on offer here is banned in this . country because the ingredients, manufactured in unregulated . laboratories in China and India, could cause serious illness or death . In the UK over the course of the past few days, the MHRA and Home Office Border Force have seized some 3.6 million doses of medicine worth £9.5 million as part of a crackdown on the illegal internet trade in harmful counterfeit, unlicensed and adulterated medicines. They have also shut down almost 2,000 websites and removed nearly 20,000 links to these sites that were supported by social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The nationwide haul included steroids, numerous types of erectile dysfunction products and a wide variety of slimming pills. The vast majority are bought in bulk from abroad, imported into Britain and sold on via the internet. In the raid I witnessed, the drugs had first been shipped to a mail-forwarding address in London and then on to the couple, both of whom are Polish immigrants, in Wellingborough. And it was from there that the pills were then sold via their website. Two of the products on offer — Slimex 15 and Slim Trim — contain sibutramine, a weight-loss drug previously available on prescription as Reductil. But in October 2010 it was withdrawn from the market and is now a controlled substance. Action was taken after some of those taking sibutramine reported adverse health effects, including raised blood pressure and pulse rate. There were also concerns it could pose a significant risk in patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or strokes. Lilla Goatcher, 28, was prescribed slimming pills twice and had extreme reactions . Before it was banned in Britain, Lilla Goatcher, 28, was among those to be prescribed the drug — and experienced first-hand its worrying side-effects. Lilla, of Hove, East Sussex, first tried it as a teenager after her weight climbed to 13st. Despite trying conventional diets and joining Weight . Watchers and Slimming World, she could not shift the pounds. Her doctor suggested she try Reductil. The pills work as an appetite suppressant, and over the course of the two months that Lilla was taking the drug she lost a stone. But all the time she was battling against deeply unpleasant side-effects. ‘For the first couple of weeks it wasn’t too bad — a racing heart as if I had drunk far too much coffee,’ says Lilla, who is now married and works in digital marketing. ‘But then I started not to be able to sleep and would be up all night. That was followed by really excruciating stomach ache and pains in my chest which in the end got so bad I decided to stop taking the pills.’ Despite that experience, Lilla was once again prescribed the pills shortly before they were banned in 2010. This time she requested a lower dosage — but even so she suffered as before. ‘I started having heart palpitations and once again couldn’t get to sleep,’ she says. ‘I couldn’t concentrate and started to feel terribly light-headed. The reaction was still quite extreme.’ After a month, she binned the remaining tablets and was not at all surprised subsequently to learn that Reductil had been withdrawn from sale in the UK and many other countries around the world. She was lucky the health problems she suffered were only temporary. Two years ago, an 18-year-old girl from Dublin who bought slimming pills online containing sibutramine ended up fighting for her life. After just five days taking the pills, the teenager developed ischaemic colitis, a severe swelling of blood vessels supplying the intestines. It rarely occurs in young women and resulted in her having her colon surgically removed. The girl, who was not named, was not overweight. She told doctors she had bought the drugs to ‘tone up’ for a holiday. It is not just pills containing sibutramine that are causing concern. The MHRA is seeing increasing online sales of ‘herbal’ and traditional Chinese slimming medicines. Some of these concoctions contain dangerous levels of heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and lead. After just five days taking the pills, . the teenager developed ischaemic colitis, a severe swelling of blood . vessels supplying the intestines . The herbal medicines often contain some sort of active ingredient which is not disclosed on the labelling. This month the MHRA has issued warnings about three products found to contain undeclared prescription-only ingredients. A recent batch, aimed at women, was found to contain sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagra. These pills won’t help with slimming but will give a reaction, such as facial flushing, which dupe the consumer into thinking they are working. Other herbal medicines have been found to contain substances such as the plant extract ephedra, which is classed as a prescription-only medicine in the UK because of the serious side-effects it can cause. These include insomnia, psychosis and heart palpitations leading to serious cardiac complications. Of course, the added risk when buying online is that it is impossible to know how strong the pills are, what they contain and how the individual will react to them. It is something 31-year-old dance teacher Samantha Ntritsou, from the West Midlands, learned to her cost when she bought slimming pills from eBay. Although she was a size 12 and weighed 10st, she was keen to lose weight around her stomach. Samantha Ntritsou, 31, who experienced psychotic episodes after taking a course of slimming pills that she bought online . ‘I paid £90 for three months’ supply,’ she says. ‘It was a lot of money but I thought it would be well worth it. When they arrived in the post I couldn’t wait to get started.’ But shortly after beginning the course, Samantha began to notice a change in how she felt. ‘I was full of excess energy,’ she says. ‘I began to feel constantly agitated, too, I kept snapping at my family and I couldn’t sleep.’ Stranger behaviour also began to manifest itself. Samantha started to experience feelings of paranoia. Convinced she was being spied upon, she suffered a breakdown. ‘At the hospital I totally freaked out,’ she says. ‘I was screaming and running around the wards where patients were sleeping.’ Hospital security were called and wrestled her to the ground. The police were summoned and Samantha was sectioned to a psychiatric ward where she was given sleeping pills and mood stabilisers. I had done humiliating things and put my . family through hell — all because I had wanted to be thin. I’d developed paranoid psychosis just so I could get a flat . stomach . Samantha Ntritsou . At first, doctors believed she might be bi-polar until a paramedic discovered the slimming pills — and that they contained ephedra. They quickly linked the drug to her behaviour. After two weeks, Samantha was allowed home with daily visits from a psychiatric nurse. Three months later the fuzzy unreality gave way to a shocking truth. ‘I had done humiliating things and put my family through hell — all because I had wanted to be thin,’ she recalls. ‘I’d developed paranoid psychosis just so I could get a flat stomach. ‘My parents were wonderfully supportive, but many of my friends dropped me or shied away. I was dating a man, but he didn’t contact me again after I was sectioned.’ In the six years since, Samantha has made a full, if slow, recovery and got married recently. ‘I haven’t had any long-term psychiatric problems,’ she said. ‘But it took a year to put my life back together. I’m lucky — if that paramedic hadn’t discovered my pills, I might still be in that unit and on heavy-duty medication for life.’ The fear is that given the scale of the trade in these drugs on the internet — and the lengths people are prepared to go to lose weight — others will be less fortunate. | Main market are women desperate to find a quick-fix .
Lilla Goatcher, 28, experienced excruciating stomach ache and chest pains .
An 18-year-old girl from Dublin ended up fighting for her life .
Samantha Ntritsou, 31, was sectioned after pills induced psychosis . |
245,520 | c9ca0de1208c7cefc7ac5c224be09c3d34491379 | By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 00:00 EST, 8 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:08 EST, 8 August 2012 . If you thought the former college roommates of Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg might be living a little in his shadow, then you'd be wrong. For Samyr Laine, who lived with . the Facebook founder at Harvard and was the 14th person to join the social network, has an Olympic gold medal firmly in his sights. Laine, 28, was born in the U.S. but is competing in the triple jump for Haiti as his parents come from the Caribbean nation. Leap for glory: Samyr Laine, who roomed at Harvard with Mark Zuckerberg, is hoping to win a medal for Haiti at the London 2012 Olympic Games . Olympic standard: Laine, 28, chose to compete for Haiti, the country where his parents were born . Laine believes he could have made Team USA - he competed nationally and internationally while at college and then Georgetown law school - but chose to fly the flag for his ancestral home. The New Yorker first visited Haiti following its devastating earthquake in 2010 which ravaged the country, leaving 300,000 dead and thousands more homeless. Now the triple-jumper hopes to return with the country's first Olympic medal in 84 years. Four of Haiti's five Olympians competing at the London Games were not raised in the country. With millions of Haitians living on $2-a-day or less and hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the earthquake, the country struggles to produce world-class athletes. Giving back: The Olympic triple jumper visited Haiti for the first time in 2010 following the earthquake which killed 300,000. He hopes to start a charity in the country to promote sports . Going for gold: Samyr with Moïse Joseph, Haitian middle-distance runner, on the beach . Three of the country's five competitive running tracks are home to thousands of people in tents and shanties who were displaced by the natural disaster in January 2010. The office of the Haitian Olympic Committee overlooks a hillside shantytown and has a budget of only $400,000 - compared to the U.S. team's $170 million fund. Laine's personal best in the triple jump is 17.39 meters. He goes up against American world champion Christian Taylor - who has leapt 17.96 meters and British athlete Phillips Idowu who has reached 17.81 meters. He made it through the qualifying stages last night, ranking 6th with a jump of 16.81. Laine will compete in the triple jump final on August 9. Flying high: Laine hopes to use the Olympic attention to start a charity helping Haitian children to become engaged in sports . Alumni: Mark Zuckerberg, who lived with the Olympic triple jumper at Harvard, said he was 'proud of him'... on Facebook, of course . He hopes to use the attention generated by the Olympics to form a nonprofit group called the Jump for Haiti Foundation, a sports program that would try to produce future Olympic athletes from the country through camps and clinics. The goal is to have future teams made up of athletes who were born and raised in Haiti. Laine said he plans to call on friends, including his roommate-turned-billionaire, to donate a few dollars. 'I hope they see the merits of my cause,' Laine said. 'I will definitely try to reach out to Mark as well.' According to the Wall Street Journal, Zuckerberg said he was proud of his college friend, writing on Facebook: 'He was always incredibly hard working and . serious, both as a student and as an athlete. He's . also just a really nice guy.' | Samyr Laine, 28, born in U.S. to Haitian parents .
Chose to compete for ancestral home of Haiti at London 2012 .
He competes in the triple jump final on August 9 .
First visited Haiti after devastating 2010 earthquake which killed 300,000 . |
21,503 | 3d1bf1482c113f788b9d3dcd31dc87d68752c467 | (CNN) -- Actress Raven-Symone knows exactly who she is, and that person can't be defined with the usual labels. That's what the former "Cosby Show" star told Oprah Winfrey on OWN on Sunday night, as she explained why she doesn't like to be labeled as gay or African-American. The actress confirmed that she's in "an amazing, happy relationship" with her partner, who is a woman, but added that she doesn't "need a categorizing statement for it." "I don't want to be labeled gay," Raven-Symone said. "I want to be labeled a human who loves humans." Raven-Symone says she's a lesbian, grateful for legalized gay marriage . The former Disney star's sexuality has been in headlines since she tweeted in August 2013 that she was happy for the legalization of gay marriage, as it meant that she could "finally get married!" But that wasn't exactly a statement on her love life, Raven-Symone told Winfrey. "That was my way of saying I'm proud of the country. ... My mother and people in my family have taught me to keep my personal life to myself as much as possible. I try my best to hold the fence where I can. But I am proud to be who I am and what I am." Raven-Symone recalled realizing her sexuality "when I was like 12; I was looking at everything," she said with a laugh. But she added that she "doesn't need language" to explain whom she likes -- or, for that matter, her race. Raven-Symone: My sexuality is my business . "I'm tired of being labeled," Raven-Symone told Winfrey. "I'm an American; I'm not an African-American. I'm an American." Her statement caught even Winfrey off-guard, as the media mogul took a moment to process the actress' comment while jokingly warning her, "don't set Twitter on fire!" Raven-Symone defended her stance, explaining that she doesn't "know where my roots go to; I don't know how far back they go. I don't know what country in Africa I'm from. But I do know that my roots are in Louisiana. I'm an American, and that's a colorless person, because we're all people. I have lots of things running through my veins." Winfrey, telling Raven-Symone that she was in for "a lot of flak for saying you're not African-American," gave her another opportunity to be precise about her perspective. "I don't label myself. What I really mean by that is I'm an American," the actres continued. "I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with black. ... I connect with each culture. ... Aren't we all (a melting pot)? Isn't that what America's supposed to be?" | Actress Raven-Symone eschews labels like gay and African-American .
The former "Cosby Show" star said she's just a "human who loves humans"
She also sees herself as just an American, "a colorless person, because we're all people" |
166,387 | 6328a9d14dc4f6cf7a0ac2476bfe387b625f7719 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:46 EST, 18 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:54 EST, 18 June 2013 . A mother has claimed she and her five-year-old developmentally disabled daughter were thrown out of a theater as the girl was making giggling and humming noises that she makes when she is happy. Samantha Torres had taken her daughter Nadia to see Beauty and the Beast at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on June 2 for the girl's first trip to the theater. Once the show began, Nadia, who has a chromosome abnormality and is unable to speak, started laughing and giggling, in a sign she was enjoying the show, her mother said. Complaint: Samantha Torres says she was asked to leave a theater after her developmentally disabled daughter Nadia, pictured, started laughing and humming during a show - a sign that she was happy . Although no one around them was put off by the sounds, staff made her leave, Torres told South Coast Today. 'They did not ask me to leave; they told me I had to leave,' she said. Scene: Staff at the theater, pictured, said the mother and daughter were offered other seats . But staff at the theater insisted they acted properly and offered the family different seats, rather than telling them to leave. Marketing Director P.J. Prokop said the theater has a responsibility to ensure everyone can hear the show, but audience members 'were turning around, they were looking, they were also kind of gesturing', she said. But Torres insisted only the ushers . were bothered by her daughter. She now wants the art center to carry out . sensitivity training for its ushers. She is also working with Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities . Council to help develop a guide on how venues can prepare for . people with disabilities. 'I think its going to have a happy ending for a lot of people,' she said. Attorney Christine Griffin, executive director of the Massachusetts Disabilities Law Center, said the incident could have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of public accommodation, as well as exclusion, segregation and unequal treatment. Learning lesson: She says she wants ushers at the theater to be given sensitivity training . Griffin said the law allows the staff to act only if Nadia was distracting other audience members. She . said they could ask the upset audience member to move, or if a group is . distracted, the disabled person could be asked to move. | Nadia Torres has a chromosome abnormality and is unable to speak .
Her mother Samantha took her to Beauty and the Beast for her first show .
But she says they were asked to leave when Nadia made 'happy noises'
Theater staff insist the family was asked if they wanted new seats . |
214,258 | a1773dbb16931fc05514e6dafd2831c8c8cdc453 | (CNN)In Japan's Sagano Bamboo Forest, on the outskirts of Kyoto, towering green stalks of the famously versatile plant sway in the wind, creaking eerily they collide and twist, leaves rustling. The sun filters through the densely packed grove, projecting thin slashes of light onto the dozens of camera-clutching tourists shuffling down the wide trail that cuts through the middle of the forest as they awkwardly angle their shots, attempting to crop human forms out of their frames. Long gone are the days when you'd get this place to yourself. If you've ever clicked on a rundown of "places to see before you die" or a compilation of the most beautiful forests in the world, chances are you've seen a photo of Sagano. Located in the gorgeous Arashiyama district of western Kyoto, the Sagano Bamboo Forest's popularity has expanded in recent years, coinciding with the growing number of Buzzfeed-esque articles that include it on superlative-heavy travel lists. Though it's the beauty of the bamboo that brings in the masses, those distinct rustling sounds have become an attraction in their own right. A few years ago the Ministry of Environment included the Sagano Bamboo Forest on its list of "100 Soundscapes of Japan" -- a selection of everyday noises intended to encourage locals to stop and enjoy nature's music. For the best experience, head out early in the morning or late evening and avoid weekends completely, when Japanese day-trippers descend on the area -- especially in the fall and spring. (There's no admission fee and it's open 24/7.) A 'major' temple and a film star's former home . Right outside the Bamboo Forest entrance is the northern gate of Tenryu-ji Temple (open daily, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., admission 500 yen, about $5), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Kyoto-gozan -- five major temples of Kyoto. This is no coincidence. In Japan, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are often situated near bamboo groves, which are viewed as a clever means of warding off evil, while the bamboo is seen as a symbol of strength. Built in the 14th century by a shogun in honor of the passing of Japan's emperor, Tenryu-ji has one of the country's most incredible Zen gardens and is today the headquarters of the Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism. At the other end of the Bamboo Forest trail sits Okochi-Sanso Villa (open daily, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., admission 1,000 yen), the former home of late silent film star Denjiro Okochi. A massive complex of gardens with plants and trees that are famed for catering to all four seasons, there's also a temple, study, tea hut and museum highlighting the life of Denjiro. Exploring Arashiyama . The bamboo forest and its bookend attractions of Tenryu-ji and Okochi-Sanso Villa may be the stars of the area for international tourism crowds, but the entire Arashiyama district is worth exploring. With its low-lying tree-covered mountains that tumble into the Hozu River, historic temples and charming streets, Arashiyama has been designated a National Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty by Japan. It's been attracting moneyed locals since the 8th century, when vacationing aristocratic families visited to check out the changing seasons' colors and go boating on the Hozu River. Today, one of the top ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the area is by hopping on the Sagano Scenic Railway -- also known as the Sagano Romantic Train. A retro-style steam train that runs seven kilometers along the Hozu River, it departs once every hour from the Sagano Torokko Station -- a short walk from the JR Arashiyama Sagano Station -- daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Wednesdays. (The train shuts down from December 30-February 28.) The entire ride takes less than 30 minutes. Afterwards, many opt to hop on the bus that connects the train station to the river, where Hozu River Boat Rides depart for the two-hour, 16-kilometer trip from Kameoka back to Arashiyama. Boats run daily from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with reduced hours from December 1-March 1. Private charters are available. On land, bike rentals are among the best ways to explore Arashiyama's web of temples, shrines, restaurants and gift shops. The area's main icon, however, is the Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge), which flows over the Hozu River. Built during Japan's Heian Period (794-1185), when Kyoto was Japan's capital, it was reconstructed in the 1930s. Here, Japanese tourists can be seen posing for photos while dressed in colorful kimonos -- a nod to Kyoto's status as the cultural capital of Japan. After all that touring, a pit stop at one of the many soft-serve ice cream stands is a fine way to end the day -- the vanilla/green tea twists are particularly addictive. Arashiyama sidetracks . The Arashiyama crowds can get annoying, but the fantastic Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple is oddly overlooked by most tourists as it's a bit more remote than most of the district's attractions. About a 30-minute walk from the Sagano Bamboo Forest, it features over 1,000 little stone rakan (statues of enlightened ones) made from 1981 to 1991 during the reconstruction of the temple. Some laugh joyfully. Most pose serenely, covered in a green layer of moss. The odd one holds a tennis racket. On weekdays, the lovely uphill walk from the Sagano Bamboo Forest to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is also surprisingly tourist-free yet full of unique gift shops -- including one owned by an artist who creates his works out of silk worm cocoons -- a massive traditional torii gate, tea rooms and private residences. If the kids are crying out for something a bit more lively, up on Mount Arashiyama sits the Iwatayama Monkey Park, home to some 100 Japanese macaques. What's cool about this place is that it's the humans who are in the cage, and the monkeys -- which you can feed -- on the outside. Getting in/where to stay . From Kyoto Station, take Kyoto City Bus #28 or Kyoto Bus #71, #72, #73, or take the JR Sagano Line to Saga Arashiyama station. From downtown Kyoto, take City Bus #28 or #11. For trains, take the Keifuku Arashiyama Line to Arashiyama Station. For private tours of Arashiyama, Virtuoso-affiliated Windows to Japan offers an excellent western Kyoto itinerary that includes the highlights of the area. For those who want more than a day trip, the top hotel in Arashiyama is luxury ryokan Hoshinoya Kyoto, which can only be reached by ferry. Rates from 20,400 yen per person/night. CNN Travel's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy. | Kyoto's Sagano Bamboo Forest is considered one of the world's most beautiful forests .
Nearby Tenryu-ji listed as one of Kyoto's five most significant temples .
Best ways to explore Arashiyama include Sagano Scenic Train, bike rentals . |
148,603 | 4c277288da8d246333c4a31d03833b9619c4093e | By . Sophie Borland . PUBLISHED: . 18:25 EST, 25 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:35 EST, 5 March 2014 . Union bosses have spent thousands battling to reinstate two bullying nurses at the centre of the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal. Sharon Turner, 44, and Tracy White, 47, were struck off last year for ruling their wards through fear. But it has now emerged that the Royal College of Nursing spent £4,000 trying to get the decision reversed at the High Court . Bullying: Sharon Turner (left) and Tracy White (right) were struck off last year for ruling their wards through fear . The union – which claims to promote excellence in care standards – paid lawyers to argue that the damning evidence against the nurses was just ‘hearsay.’ A judge threw out the case in a one-day hearing earlier this month, ruling that it was indisputable for the pair to remain barred. The union, which is funded by nurses’ subscription fees, initially refused to say how much it spent on the case later admitted it cost £4,000. Families who lost loved ones at Mid Staffordshire are now demanding to know why an organisation that supposedly promotes excellence tried to reinstate Turner and White. Scandal: It has now emerged that the Royal College of Nursing spent £4,000 trying to get the decision reversed at the High Court. The two nurses are at the centre of the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal . Up to 1,200 patients are feared to have died needlessly at the trust between 2005 and 2009 and the authority is currently facing a multimillion-pound fine over a string of care blunders that led to the death of a diabetic patient. Today, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce the dissolution of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust – which is currently in administration and which experts say has become a ‘toxic’ brand. Tracy White forged waiting times, humiliated the elderly and made vulnerable patients wait at the A&E unit. The former ward sister, 47, routinely ordered junior staff to massage data and once refused to lift a frail elderly patient. Whistleblowers said the woman, who died the next day, had been given ‘a very uncared-for and undignified last 24 hours’. Sharon Turner, by her own admission, did not ‘give a flying f***’ about patients and also helped fiddle care figures. The . 44-year-old casualty nurse branded Asian doctors ‘suicide bombers’ and . said of a male nurse that she had bullied into an attempted overdose . that he should have ‘done the job properly’. Some of the worst neglect at the Stafford hospital occurred in the A&E unit where staff admitted they became ‘immune to the sound of pain’. Turner and White were said to have ruled the casualty unit with fear, presiding over a ‘toxic’ environment by bullying young nurses to fiddle care figures. The Nursing and Midwifery Council struck the pair off in July to protect the public after what it said was among the worst cases it had seen. They are two of only four nurses to have been struck off for their involvement in the scandal. But campaigners and grieving families last night condemned the nursing union for trying to allow them to carry on working. They also accuse it of failing to stick up for whistleblowing nurses who have lost their jobs after speaking out about poor care. Jennie Fecitt, lead nurse at Patients First, a campaign group that represents whistleblowers, said: 'Although Patients First cannot directly quote on this case, it believes every nurse must have the right to representation. 'Some of our members have stated they are deeply upset and disappointed that they are not supported by unions when they have raised concerns about patient safety.' Julie Bailey, who set up campaign group Cure the NHS after her mother died at Mid Staffordshire, said: ‘Nurses are paying their subscription fees only for the RCN to use it too defend bullying and racist nurses. I think the public would be horrified to know what is going on.’ Announcement: Today, Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce the dissolution of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust . Last year Mr Hunt implied the union was partly to blame for the Mid Staffordshire scandal because it was too preoccupied with sticking up for bullying nurses. Following a damning report, the RCN later resisted calls to split into a union and a professional body. A spokesman for the union, which has about 410,000 UK members who pay annual fees of up to £200, said: ‘In this instance, we felt it was fair and appropriate to represent the defendants in their High Court appeal due to anonymous hearsay evidence having been submitted at the NMC hearing.’ An RCN spokesperson said: 'All of our members are entitled to representation at Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearings. 'In this instance, we felt it was fair and appropriate to represent the defendants in their High Court appeal due to anonymous hearsay evidence having been submitted at the NMC hearing. 'Indeed those findings which were based on hearsay evidence were quashed by Justice Mitting, upholding an important principle of fairness.' | Sharon Turner and Tracy White struck off last year for bullying on wards .
Union bosses have spent up to £4,000 battling to reinstate the pair .
Royal College of Nursing paid lawyers to argue evidence was 'hearsay'
This is despite union claiming to promote excellence in care standards .
High Court judge threw out case in a one-day hearing earlier this month .
Comes as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce the dissolution of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust . |
47,180 | 84f362864714eeb7494212e77eb485d6fafbf338 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:59 EST, 15 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:32 EST, 15 February 2014 . This is the moment a masked robber brandishing a gun gave a shop worker 60 seconds to fill a bag with £180 in cash and cigarettes. The 28-year-old was looking after his uncle's Best One corner shop when a man wearing a ski mask burst in with a gun, threatening to shoot. He pointed the weapon at the victim's head and roared: 'I swear I'll shoot you'. Scroll down for video . Threat: The 28-year-old was shaken after a man held a gun to his face and gave him 60 seconds to fill a bag . Placing a holdall on the counter, the thug ordered the shop worker to fill it as fast as he could, keeping the gun held to his face. As the terrified worker scrambled to open the till, the man kept shouting and pushing the gun closer. Within just 60 seconds, he grabbed the load and ran off. The victim, who did not wish to be identified, now fears going back to work at the shop in Urmston, Manchester, after the incident at 8.40pm on Thursday. He said: 'It was very frightening and I have had a lot of hesitations about going back to work because I am scared of it happening again. He was looking after his uncle's corner shop in Urmston, Manchester, for an evening when the thug burst in . The worker rushed to fill the bag as the gunman continued shouting: 'I swear I'll shoot you!' 'I was sitting behind the counter and he just burst in and held a gun at me and shouted 'give me the money otherwise I will shoot you'. 'I started to panic and I think he wanted me to go faster so he shouted again, "I swear I will shoot you". 'I wanted him out of the shop because I was afraid he was going to shoot me. 'I filled up his bag as quickly as I could to get him away.' Terrified: Mohammed Mansit, owner of the Best One shop, is concerned for his shaken nephew . The offender was wearing a blue jacket with the hood up, a black ski mask, dark trousers and purple latex gloves. The shopkeeper also said the raider spoke with a 'local accent'. Police are appealing for witnesses and have released CCTV of the incident. Detective Constable Amanda Tootill said: 'We have released CCTV of the robbery and would ask the public to get in touch with police if they know who may be responsible or who may have any other information about the robbery that day.' Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 7652 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. | 28-year-old forced to put cigarettes and cash in bag with gun in his face .
Was looking after uncle's Best One corner shop for an evening this week .
A man burst in wearing ski mask and brandishing gun demanding money . |
226,332 | b11261a663a498f395431cf00443d94ddebb347b | Project Underskin: The next big thing in wearable technology may be a tattoo implanted in the skin . From smartphones to Google Glass, this past decade has brought a wave of new technology and technological advances, and in the next five years, those advances are expected to go beneath the surface -- literally. The next big thing in wearable technology may be a tattoo implanted in the skin, according to Fast Company. The folks at NewDealDesign, the San Francisco-based design company behind the Fitbit Force wellness watch, drafted a mock-up of the tattoo for Fast Company's Wearables Week. They called it 'Project Underskin.' The foundation of Underskin would be a visible tattoo implanted in the knuckle of the thumb and a larger, invisible tattoo implanted in the palm, according to Fast Company. The tattoo would interact with everything the consumer touches and would recognize the consumer's location as well as movements within the body. The sub-dermal tattoo will run off of the body's electro-chemical energy and will have the ability to monitor blood sugar, exchange information through a simple handshake, unlock front doors, protect credit card information by allowing use only when the card is in the owner's hand, glow when holding hands with a loved one and more, according to Jaeha Yoo, Director of Experience Design at NDD. Two tattoos: The foundation of Underskin would be a visible tattoo implanted in the knuckle of the thumb and a larger, invisible tattoo implanted in the palm . Human: Gadi Amit, the CEO of NDD, said that with the sub-dermal tattoo 'we'll actually become more human and more free' As far as privacy goes, Fast Company reports that the tattoo would encode the consumer's data into a shape specific to that person, like a thumbprint. Gadi Amit, the CEO of NDD, said in a CNet interview that electronics 'will become inherent to our existence,' he used mobile phones as an example and described them as 'the most personal object you have.' 'They won't be gadgets. they'll be who we are and what we are,' Amit told CNet. 'People immediately jump to the conclusion that we’ll be cyborgs. Actually, my goal in designing is that we won’t be cyborgs. We’ll actually become more human and more free from the technology.' Amit told From The Grapevine that Underskin is in the concept stages now and is simply a vision for what Wearables industry will look like in the next five years. There are no prototypes or contracts as of now. Though a sub-dermal tattoo has never been done and marketed, Yoo said that there is a lot of cultural precedent for the idea. “When we started working on it, everyone was a little squeamish about implanting something...' Yoo said, 'Obviously tattoos, piercings--people are implanting birth control. This stuff is going on now. It’s not a huge step forward to implant something like Underskin.' Thumbprint: The tattoo would encode the consumer's data into a shape specific to that person, like a thumbprint. Though the innovators say this new technology will help people become more' human' and 'free,' some have already expressed their concerns about the tattoo. One Tumblr user posted in response to the NDD's unveiling of Underskin and wrote: 'My immediate thought: Employers could brand their employees, with the argument they’ll need a smart tattoo to enter the workplace!' Other comments on the Fast Company's site have included statements like 'It would be misused...' and 'No thanks....a bit too Orwellian for me.' Features: The sub-dermal tattoo will run off of the body's electro-chemical energy and will have the ability to monitor blood sugar, exchange information through a simple handshake, unlock front doors, protect credit card information by allowing use only when the card is in the owner's hand, glow when holding hands with a loved one and more . Though the innovators say this new technology will help people become more' human' and 'free,' some have already expressed their concerns about the tattoo . Precedent: Though a sub-dermal tattoo has never been done and marketed, Yoo said that there is a lot of cultural precedent for the idea, according to Jaeha Yoo, Director of Experience Design at NDD . Concept stage: Underskin is in the concept stages now and is simply a vision for what Wearables industry will look like in the next five years, there are no prototypes or contracts as of now . | The future of 'wearable' technology may be a sub-dermal tattoo currently called 'Project Underskin,' it may be on the market in the next five years .
It will be implanted into the skin with a visible tattoo in the thumb's knuckle and a larger, invisible tattoo in the palm .
The tattoo would interact with everything the person touches .
The tattoo would be able to unlock doors, monitor vitality, protect credit card information and more . |
64,341 | b6b37b9bc60519fd214d6e980fcbb16da066eb68 | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:15 EST, 1 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:07 EST, 1 October 2013 . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to copy millions of other British families by building a conservatory on their new 10-bedroom country bolthole in the grounds of Sandringham. William, Kate and Prince George are likely to move into Anmer Hall in a matter of months and are spending large sums to make the Norfolk mansion more private, secure and comfortable. Royal aides have now applied for planning consent to put a glass-roofed extension on the kitchen at the Georgian property, which has been given to the couple by the Queen. New life: A conservatory is to be built on Anmer Hall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's future home in the grounds of Sandringham . Second home: If as expected the Cambridges move in, the new conservatory could be built in the place of the current one, which overlooks the grand gardens . Their proposed conservatory is an adaptation of a planned 16ft by 16ft garden room which has already been approved by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council. But the application is not being published 'for reasons of national security'. The original plans for the garden room showed it having panoramic views from its windows on all three sides with a tiled roof. But a new planning application for the Georgian mansion on the Sandringham estate asks for a glazed roof on the extension instead of tiles, allowing even more sunlight to flood in. An architect's drawing submitted with the application, shows a 10ft by 6ft table as the room's centre piece where William and Kate and baby Prince George will eat and entertain guests. The Queen has asked the current tenant to vacate the property as soon as possible, four years before his lease is up, and he may be gone by the end of the year. The conservatory will overlook a patio with a new pergola made from stone columns with oak beams for plants to trail through and provide shade. Grand: The 10-bedroom Georgian mansion already has a tenant, but the Queen has asked him to leave four years before his lease is up . The Grade Two listed hall already has a conservatory, but it is unclear if it will be kept or knocked down to make way for the new one. The new plans have been drawn up by architect Charles Morris, who was behind a controversial extension for Prince Charles at his own country home Highgrove House. The amended application, submitted by the Sandringham estate, includes plans to install a generator to ensure that security equipment still functions in the event of a power cut. It also asks the council to do away with an earlier requirement for an archaeological dig to take place on the route of a proposed new driveway to the ten bedroom house. The dig was originally proposed as the field which the driveway will cross was once the site of the village of Anmer which dates back to Anglo Saxon times. Last week it was revealed that the path of the new driveway had been carved out by diggers and archaeologists had begun a preliminary investigation to see what was under the surface. New home: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, pictured with their son Prince George, are expected to move into Anmer Hall in the next few months . Plans: A church situated near Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate is having to change its entrance to allow the couple their own private entrance . Royal aides state in the application that the foundations of the road will not be deep enough to disturb any ancient remains. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's plans for a conservatory on their new home is based on a trend started more than two centuries ago. Britain's love of them dates back to the early 19th century, when they were a signature of the grandest properties. The glass structures allowed people to enjoy their gardens all year round, and they were often doubled as greenhouses to grow fruit and vegetables. They became more mainstream thanks to the Crystal Palace, which housed the 1851 . Exhibition in London, and a glass extension soon became a must for the rich and famous. There was a further boom in the 1920s but it was not until the 1970s that they became affordable for many and became the emblem of the upwardly mobile, now often called Worcester Woman and Mondeo Man. Today homeowners can construct their own ones using DIY kits costing just £995, but the most expensive can cost more than £60,000. They propose that archaeologists will monitor building work and that a full dig will only be carried out if any important relics are unearthed. Council officials are due to decide in days whether the amendment will be allowed, possibly using delegated powers so the plans do not have to go before councillors. The change will speed up work on the new driveway, although alterations to the hall are unlikely to be completed for some months. The start of work has raised speculation that William, 31, and wife Kate are set to move in within a matter of months. Work has also started on creating a new car park and path for St Mary's church next door to the hall as the existing church gate will become a private entrance for the Duke and Duchess. Anmer Hall is set to become the couple's second luxury home following the prince's decision to leave the RAF last month after three years as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey. He and Kate are in the process of moving into their new London home - the 21-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace - which has been renovated at a cost to taxpayers of £1.1million. But all the work to Anmer Hall will be paid for by the Royal family as it is privately owned by the Queen. The hall which includes a tennis court and swimming pool is around two miles from Sandringham House. It is surrounded by farmland on the Queen's 20,000 acre estate, meaning that Kate and William will have a high level of privacy to bring up baby George. The Queen is believed to have asked the current tenant to leave even though he has four years left on his lease. Businessman James Everett has rented the hall from the Queen for the last 13 years and has been running his bespoke timber company, Norfolk Oak, from its stables. His company's blog confirmed in July that the hall would soon be 'faced with Royalty once more'. Norfolk Oak has already moved its workshops and offices to new premises at the former RAF West Raynham base in Norfolk. Mr Everett and his family are understood to be moving soon, but he has not responding to requests for comment. King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council gave planning permission in March for improvements to Anmer Hall including the garden room. Home sweet home: Kensington Palace, where the royal couple have given their apartment a £1million makeover, pictured shrouded in scaffolding and coverings . Consent was also given for a garage block and wood store to be converted into storage areas and accommodation which could be used by police guards or baby George's nanny . The re-routing of the driveway will mean that the front gate to the house will be moved so members of the public will be kept away. It is understood that dozens of extra armed officers are being recruited to help provide security at Anmer Hall. Norfolk Police confirmed in July that the force was looking for extra firearms officer to 'address a current shortfall in numbers'. The hall was used as an illicit bolt-hole by Prince Charles and the then Camilla Parker-Bowles during their long-running affair when it was rented by the prince's late friend Hugh van Cutsem. Prince William, who is close to the van Cutsems' four sons is also said to have enjoyed many happy visits to the hall as a child. A Clarence House spokeswoman refused to discuss the plans for Anmer Hall, saying: 'It is a private matter. We won't be making any comment on it at all.' The house was previously leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent as their country house from 1972 until 1990. | New garden room on kitchen part of changes at Anmer Hall in Norfolk .
Royal couple and Prince George are set to move in within months .
Mansion would be the couple's secondary residence after Kensington Palace . |
205,168 | 95977c3bcaacfd4c69234dd12e4761e20e5dfe7e | By . John Naish . Warfare may be an awful thing, but it has a habit of accelerating health technology in ways that are helpful to everyone. For example, in World War II the Allies made significant medical advances in vital areas such as developing antibiotic drugs — which the Germans didn’t possess — and performing lifesaving blood transfusions. Now, however, the military is developing an alarming new interest in the human body and brain. It wants to create armies of mutant soldiers, equipped with unstoppable physical and mental powers. Within 30 years, according to newly released Ministry of Defence papers, British soldiers should be able to lift huge weights, run at high speeds over extreme distances, have infra-red night vision built into their brains, and even be capable of transmitting thoughts by electronically aided telepathy. And this is not just pie-in-the-sky planning. Science is now emerging that may make these army dreams real. A recent Freedom of Information request revealed details of a two-day future-gazing summit by the MoD’s obscure Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre, where military spooks swapped ideas with experts from universities, industry and government. The summit concluded that by 2045, advances in medical technology could create a class of genetically superior humans — rather like the super-powered science fiction characters Wolverine, Storm and Rogue from Marvel Comics. Further details of the military boffins’ thinking are on the internet, in an MoD report titled: Global Strategic Trends Out to 2040. This predicts that advanced drug and genetic technologies will enable armies to reprogram soldiers’ genes, in order to transform them into daunting fighters. High-tech implants in brains could also help to turn square-bashing squaddies into super-intelligent man-machines. The defence ministry forecasters have given the process a chilling clinical name: ‘human augmentation’. They predict that these brain implants (called ‘cognitive prostheses’) could give solders bionic vision and hearing, as well as towering IQs and total recall. The MoD report adds that such ‘augmented’ soldiers could even have bodies that self-repair wounds, through the use of what it terms ‘regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and artificial immune systems’. It all sounds far too fantastic to be real. But, in fact, some of these outlandish predictions are already turning out to be true. Arms race: In the future a British, currently limited in the amount of equipment he can physically carry, could be given superstrength. (File picture) For example, America’s Lockheed Martin company is developing an advanced robotic exoskeleton known as the Human Universal Load Carrier, which will enable men to carry massive loads with minimal effort, either on their front or their back. The skeleton is ultralight, highly mobile and attached to the outside of the body with its own titanium legs, which transfer the weight of any load to the ground. Microcomputers sense the soldier’s body movements and enable it to do exactly what he does, whether it is running, lifting or even crawling. Prototype versions are already entering combat trials in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, super-vision came considerably closer last year after pioneering surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford restored some sight to Tim Reddish, a Paralympic swimming champion in his 60s who had been blind for 17 years. The key to the operation’s success was a 3mm microchip with 1,500 light-sensitive cells implanted into each retina and connected by wire to a power unit implanted behind his ear. When light enters the eye and hits the chips, it stimulates light-sensitive cells which send signals to the brain, enabling him to see. Military experts see huge potential. Experiments in the U.S. have shown that implant technology could also give normally sighted soldiers amazing extra senses, such as night vision, and even the ability to see magnetic fields. Science fiction: What seems like science fiction today could soon become a battlefield reality if technology being worked on by Ministry of Defence boffins sees the light of day. (File picture) The breakthrough has been made by Dr Miguel Nicolelis, a neurobiologist at Duke University in North Carolina, who announced earlier this year that he had given rats the ability to detect infra-red light, normally invisible to them, by fitting them with an infra-red detector wired to microscopic electrodes in their brains. The military are interested in super-blood, too. Surgeons and emergency doctors have long hoped for the advent of artificial blood that can safely be stored for months or years, and be given to any patient. Now that possibility is nearing reality, thanks to the work of British teams such as those at the University of Sheffield. Chemists there have created a ‘plastic blood’ that mimics red blood cells and can be successfully donated to over 98 per cent of patients. Military scientists are predicting a wealth of potential breakthroughs in human capability that could be created by advanced future versions of artificial blood. For example, nanotechnology could fill them with synthetic platelets, the naturally occurring cell fragments vital for clotting, enabling wounds to heal faster. Artificial blood could also be adapted to increase its power to carry oxygen and nutrients round the body, thus boosting muscle and brain power. But artificial blood would not be the only way to muscle power. Back in 2004, Lee Sweeney, a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania, showed it was possible to create genetically modified mice that produced a natural stimulant in their muscles called ‘insulin-like growth factor’. Some of the finest minds are working away on military technology which could transform the British soldier into bionic superhumans, according to newly released documents . Mice with such enhanced genes had more than 30 per cent stronger muscles, enabling them to run for much faster and longer than normal. Dr Sweeney’s mice were modified as embryos. Since then, genetics researchers have been working on ways to boost muscles in adults. In 2008, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania created GM mice that could run six times further than normal without suffering from exhaustion, by altering a gene called interleukin-15R alpha, which shifts how energy is used in the ‘fast-twitch’ muscle fibres that provide sprinting ability. Such breakthroughs promise to create armies that appear unbeatable. The Pentagon is now working on manipulating human brainwaves to optimise performance. American military chiefs are seeking a technology system that would synchronise gamma waves (which facilitate memory creation) and theta waves (for turning short-term memories into lasting ones), so they work together in the best way. This would boost the ability of soldiers to retain lots of information in high-stress situations, for longer. Telepathy is being considered as well — and already a machine has been developed in Dr Nicolelis’s laboratory to make it happen, facilitating telepathic communication over distances of thousands of miles, though so far only for rats. The implications for the military are extraordinary. If commanders could simply pass on their thoughts to their troops without the need for radios, it would confer a huge tactical advantage. Given the extraordinary pace of technological development, one thing is certain — the toughest man in the Armed Forces could soon be the one with a silicon chip on his shoulder. | High-tech implants in brains could turn square-bashing squaddies into super-intelligent man-machines .
Ministry of Defence report says 'augmented’ soldiers could even have bodies that self-repair wounds . |
49,013 | 8a67311a58c7db771083fabb39118deed9957ecd | (Wired) -- Like Optimus Prime or Al Gore, the Droid Bionic is a robot in disguise. Sure, the Bionic looks like it's just a massive, industrial-styled phone, just like our favorite Transformer looked like nothing other than a badass eighteen-wheeler. But the Droid Bionic can also change into a laptop, a desktop workstation, and other things which are decidedly un-phone-like. We've been waiting to see a finished version of this phone since Motorola first showed off the Bionic in January. Though it was supposed to launch months ago on Verizon's 4G LTE network, Moto sent the phone back to the drawing board for improvements (ostensibly to better stack up against HTC's 4G LTE offering, the Thunderbolt). The phone came back as a connectivity beast with lots of optional peripheral attachments, turning the Bionic into a successor of sorts to the Atrix, Motorola's most recent dual-core, peripheral-enhanced handheld. Moto's premise is simple: Our phones are increasingly becoming more powerful, useful and versatile in our everyday lives. Why not allow them to adapt — or transform, if you will — to what we need them to be in different situations? The "Lapdock," for instance, is literally a laptop shell driven by the Bionic. After plugging the phone into the station on the back hinge, the Bionic launches Motorola's "webtop" interface, which is essentially a desktop-lite environment powered by the phone's hardware. There's a catch to all of this connectivity, however: You'll have to pony up a lot of dough. The Lapdock accessory will run you $300, while the HD station — which gives you access to the same interface but lets you use your own keyboard, mouse and display — costs a C-note. Add a car charger, HDMI mini-display adaptor and navigation dock to that, and you're closing in on $1000. That's a hell of a lot of money to spend on tricking out your phone, even if it's no longer just a phone once you plug these things in. Of course, you don't have to buy an accessory to get a good experience out of a Bionic. But it somewhat misses the point if you don't. The draw of the device is in its shape-shifting capacity, a re-imagination of what a smartphone should be able to do. Otherwise, you'd probably be better off going with a similarly spec'd phone for a lower starting price — and those are definitely out there. Conceptually, ultra-connectivity is brilliant. With the Atrix and the Bionic, Motorola is trying to hard to differentiate from the existing glut of Android smartphones on the market. Execution, however, leaves much to be desired. Casual browsing on the Lapdock was wonky, stutter-filled and nothing like cruising the web on my tried-and-true laptop. The keys on the board were chintzy and small, most likely a casualty of keeping the cost of the peripheral below $300 (unlike the launch price of the Atrix's lapdock, which was a hefty $500). Desktop simulation on an HDTV through a webtop dock was a little less jerky, but still subpar. It takes some beef to run all the peripherals, and the handset itself is no slouch. Under the hood, this bad boy is packing more power than a Plymouth. It's running on a dual-core 1GHz chip backed by a gigabyte of RAM, 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot. It ships with a 16GB card, but it can accept a card up to 32GB. Swiping through menu screens was snappier than most of the other phone I've tried this year — it's definitely one of the most responsive phones you can buy. My gaming experience on resource-heavy apps like Nova 2 HD was excellent. Given all the brawn, the Bionic requires a lot of juice to keep it running — and it certainly shows. After starting my day with a fully-charged phone, my battery was dead before the end of the workday. That's after moderate-to-heavy use. I made a few phone calls, used my data connection liberally, and pumped the screen brightness up to full blast (the display, by the way, isn't the sharpest I've seen). This is how we all use our phones, so I expected better battery performance. The real battery suck comes from the LTE radio. Leave your 4G turned on all day and you'll be dead before nightfall. Use your high-speed connectivity judiciously, however, and you may make it to midnight or beyond, even under normal use conditions. It's sad that we have to ration our own bandwidth use, but alas, that's the name of the game with today's devices. Thankfully, using Verizon's 4G network at full tilt is worth the energy drain. Our average download speeds clocked in around 10 Mbps in the San Francisco Bay Area on average, with upload speeds ranging from 4 to 6 Mbps. In short, the handset itself is speedy, powerful and — battery life aside — has all the stuff you want in a high-end smartphone. But so do four or five other Android options currently on the market. Unfortunately, the extra products that were supposed to tip the scales in the Bionic's favor end up falling far short of their potential. WIRED: Power, speed and connectivity options are damn near unrivaled in the mobile space. Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is current, and well-skinned. HDMI, expandable microSD, DLNA, oh my! TIRED: Unless you're a baller, dropping this much coin on the Bionic and its accessories might leave you eating ramen noodles for a month. Battery life sucks. Peripherals don't live up to their potential. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com. | Droid Bionic is a massive smartphone that can also work as a laptop, work station .
The phone's shape-shifting ability re-imagines what a smartphone is designed to do .
Accessories are expensive and, sometimes, their integration with the phone is wonky .
The Bionic is powerful, but its battery life leaves something to be desired . |
239,422 | c1fb4a9917b49e1c73e0ae3f0cec02f50c6585ab | Twin birth rate rose by 76% between 1980 and 2009 . Twins accounted for one in 53 babies in 1980 . Dramatic rise down to older mothers and fertility drugs . Twin births doubled among non-Hispanic white women . By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 10:04 PM on 4th January 2012 . American parents are seeing double more than ever before with one in every 30 babies born as a twin. The twin birth rate in the United States rose by 76 percent in 2009 since 1980, when only one in 53 babies was a twin, according to a government report published today (Wednesday). Experts are attributing the astounding increase to older mothers and fertility treatments. Older mothers: Jennifer Lopez, 42, had her twins Max and Emme when she was 38-years-old . 'When people say it seems like you see more twins nowadays, they're right,'said Joyce Martin, an epidemiologist who co-authored the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Some increase was expected as more women are waiting until they are over 30 to have babies. For some unknown reason, mothers in their 30s are more likely to have twins than younger or older women. As much as a third of the increase can be attributed to that, Martin said. The rest of the rise is due to fertility drugs and treatments, experts said. 'You have a double whammy going on. There are more older moms and more widespread use of fertility-enhancing therapies,' Martin said. Starting in the early 1980s, couples who had trouble conceiving began to benefit from medical advances like fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization and other procedures. On the rise: This graph shows how the twin birth rate in the United States rose by 76 percent from 1980 to 2009 . These treatments became fairly widespread in the 1990s but are expensive, and availability and insurance coverage varies. The twin birth rate rose by more than two percent a year, on average, from 1980 through 2004. It leveled off to less than one percent annually although the rise from 2008 to 2009 was nearly two percent. In 2009, twin rates increased in all 50 states, though the jumps were highest in lower New England, New Jersey and Hawaii. In Connecticut, twins now account for nearly five percent of births, where nationally, 3.3 percent of all births were twins in 2009, up from two percent in 1980. • In 2009, 1 in every 30 babies born in the United States was a twin, compared with 1 in every 53 babies in 1980. • The twin birth rate rose 76 percent from 1980 through TO 2009, from 18.9 to 33.3 per 1,000 births. • If the rate of twin births had not changed since 1980, approximately 865,000 fewer twins would have been born over the last three decades. • Twinning rates rose by at least 50 percent in the vast majority of states and the District of Columbia. • Twin birth rates rose by nearly 100 percent among women aged 35–39 and more than 200 percent among women aged 40 and over. •The older age of women at childbirth in 2009 compared with 1980 accounts for one-third of the rise in twinning over the 30 years. Over the last three decades, rates rose for white, black and Hispanic women, but the increases were not uniform. Rates doubled for whites, rose by half for blacks and by about a third for Hispanics. Historically, black mothers have twins most often, but white mums have almost caught up. 'That's changed with infertility treatments,' said Barbara Luke, a Michigan State University expert on twin births. Twinning: The bar chart highlights the twin birth rate for different age groups with mothers over 40 have the highest number . Handful: Angelina Jolie had her twins Knox and Vivienne when she was 33-years-old . The greatest increase in twin rates was for women 40 and older. They . are more likely to use fertility treatments and to have two embryos . implanted during in vitro fertilization, whereas younger women are more . likely to get just one. About seven percent of all births for women 40 and older were twins, compared to five percent of women in their late 30s and two percent of women age 24 or younger. Older mums: This bar chart shows how more and more women are having children over the age of 30 . While a lot of attention is focused on the impact of fertility treatments, that's not the only factor. Before . fertility treatments existed, about 2.5 percent of the babies born to . women in their late 30s were twins, compared to under two percent for . younger and older women. Some research has suggested women in that age group are more likely to produce multiple eggs in a cycle, increasing their chances of twins. In 2009, twin rates increased in all 50 states, though the jumps were highest in lower New England, New Jersey and Hawaii . Break-down: The birth of twins among non-Hispanic white women has nearly doubled, as shown in the graph, over the last three decades . Clearly, there are more older mothers. In recent years, more than a third of all births are to women 30 and older, up from just one-fifth in 1980. Some experts say the trend is worrisome, noting that multiple births are more dangerous for the mother and their babies. The infants tend to be born earlier, smaller and weaker, and require much more care. But for some older women worried about conceiving, 'having twins is a blessing,' Luke added. | Twin birth rate rose by 76% between 1980 and 2009 .
Twins accounted for one in 53 babies in 1980 .
Dramatic rise down to older mothers and fertility drugs .
Twin births doubled among non-Hispanic white women . |
111,619 | 1bf1dbb04e19536943c06a39fc4ee911946df3b7 | By . Lillian Radulova For Daily Mail Australia . The parents of a two-year-old boy who was living with his grandparents, have been arrested in Malaysia after allegedly kidnapping him and fleeing the country last weekend. The South Australian couple, aged 26 and 23, were arrested by Malaysian authorities on Thursday and have been charged with aggravated unlawful removal of a child from a jurisdiction. In accordance with South Australian law, the offence could see them sentenced to a prison term of up to 19 years. Arrangements for the toddler's safe return to Australia are currently being made. Scroll down for video . A South Australian couple have been arrested in Malaysia after kidnapping their two-year-old son and fleeing the country last weekend, Chief Superintendent John Venditto revealed . Australian police have also charged the child's 64-year-old grandfather and 52-year-old grandmother' with aiding and abetting in the unlawful removal of a child from a jurisdiction', according to a police statement. The grandparents failed to notify authorities, for more than 24 hours, that the two-year-old had left their care. It has also been alleged that they 'handed the boy over to his parents on Saturday August 2'. Police refused to reveal why the parents had lost custody of their child or if they had a criminal record, however they did reveal that 'the child was under an assessment and investigation order that was issued by the courts' at the time he was taken. Police refused to reveal why the parents had lost custody of their child or if they had a criminal record at a press conference on Friday, however they did reveal that 'the child was under an assessment and investigation order that was issued by the courts' Chief Superintendent John Venditto said at a press conference that the entire operation took only six days from the moment police were informed that the child was missing until the arrest of his parents. 'It is an extraordinarily quick and rapid response to something that would generally take a lot longer,' he said. Chief Inspector Tony Crameri, the officer in charge of the investigation, said the child's well-being was the priority throughout the operation. 'This was an incredibly delicate investigation and we were mindful that the parents could flee at any moment with the boy to an unknown location,' he said. The parents could face up to 19 years in jail according to South Australian law, while the grandparents, who have also been charged, are expected to appear at the Holden Hill Magistrates court (pictured) in October . 'Such a quick and positive outcome could not have been achieved without the cooperation of a number national and international agencies, including Interpol, the Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Government, Commonwealth Attorney Generals Department, Department of Foreign Affairs, South Australia DPP and the Australian Federal Police,' he said. The parents have so far appeared at a Malaysian court and will now be remanded for the customary 60 days until the case will resume. Australian authorities are awaiting for decisions surrounding their extradition and any further charges to be decided by Malaysian authorities. Meanwhile, the toddler's grandparents have been granted bail and are set to appear in the Holden Hill Magistrates Court on 14 October. Their charges could also lead to a lengthy jail sentence, according to police. | The couple, from South Australia, have been charged with aggravated unlawful removal of a child from a jurisdiction .
The child's grandparents, who he was living with, have also been charged for aiding in the kidnapping .
Arrangments for the toddler's safe return to Australia are being made . |
101,624 | 0efb4aa5395ca2cabf5658d381b9201075524952 | By . Jenny Hope . Thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer could be denied a new drug after a U-turn by the NHS rationing body . Thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer could be denied a new drug after a U-turn by the NHS rationing body. Enzalutamide extends life by at least five months in men who have run out of treatment options – with some patients surviving more than 18 months. It was initially recommended for NHS funding last October but revised draft guidance issued today imposes curbs that will deny many men the chance to use it. It will be banned for patients in England previously treated with abiraterone, another new drug currently used in advanced cases. Men in Scotland are getting enzalutamide without restrictions. Rationing watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says lack of evidence about the two drugs has led to its revised decision, which is now out for consultation. Cancer specialists are outraged, saying it is a perverse U-turn based on fears about the cost. Around 10,500 British men have advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to standard hormone treatments. Doctors say enzalutamide could help turn prostate cancer from a killer disease into a chronic illness. Dr Alison Birtle, consultant oncologist at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, Royal Preston Hospital, described the ruling as a tragedy. ‘Thousands of men have been prescribed abiraterone or are using it in trials, and they will be denied this new drug at some point,’ she said. ‘New drugs have shown that advanced prostate cancer can be turned into a chronic disease, with men having good quality of life for months or even years. They are able to work and reach the milestones in life that matter to them. ‘I’m outraged by this perverse decision. This would not happen in breast cancer.’ Enzalutamide, a new type of hormone treatment, was assessed in 1,199 patients with advanced prostate cancer who had previously received chemotherapy. Their survival rates were significantly extended, with almost half having a better quality of life as a result. Around 10,500 British men have advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to standard hormone treatments . Enzalutamide, which is a pill taken at home, costs around £25,000 for an average course of treatment. But manufacturer Astellas Pharma has reduced the price through a patient scheme that makes it cost-effective, according to Nice. Owen Sharp, chief executive at the charity Prostate Cancer UK, criticised Nice. ‘Adding this restriction to their draft decision, without any explanation, leaves hundreds of men, who have few treatments anyway, with no hope of accessing enzalutamide,’ he said. ‘Nice is playing fast and loose with men with prostate cancer in the advanced stages of the disease who may become resistant to other treatments, and what’s worse, without saying why. ‘We will fight this decision, but it will not help the men who could be benefiting during this delay. We hope Nice follow the decision made in Scotland, and allow clinicians to make the decisions about what drugs are best for patients.’ Professor Jonathan Waxman, a leading prostate cancer specialist, said Nice was an organisation ‘not fit for purpose’ that persists in using a faulty system for rationing drugs that disadvantages patients in England. ‘It continues to evaluate drugs using calculations that do not reflect reality and exaggerate the cost,’ he said. ‘These nonsensical decisions are made on behalf of patients but conflict with what specialists consider is best for them.’ He accused Nice of creating a postcode lottery. ‘This iniquitous guidance means men in England will be treated differently from Scotland,’ said Professor Waxman. Professor Carole Longson, director of Nice’s Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said: ‘There are few treatments available for patients at this stage of prostate cancer so we are very pleased that we are able to produce draft guidance recommending enzalutamide.’ | 10,500 British men have advanced treatment resistant prostate cancer .
New drug Enzalutamide can extend life by more than 18 months .
It was initially recommended for NHS .
funding last October .
Revised draft guidance imposes .
curbs denying many men chance to use it . |
240,191 | c2f1efac8c2fd5196755beb811e755d385812c4d | By . Travelmail Reporter . It isn't wise to get too close to a monkey - even if it is behind bars. One tourist discovered this to his cost when he peered into a cage while filming some furry locals near a restaurant in Koh Samui,Thailand. Stu Lang filmed one monkey eating a mango before attempting a close-up shot of another monkey behind bars . Having . filmed one monkey happily munching on a mango, Stuart Langrish then moves . around to the other side of the cage get a closer look at one of the monkey's friends. As he bends down to get a better shot, the cheeky inmate immediately reaches out through the bars and snatches the phone out the man’s hand. To add insult to injury, he then slaps the man’s girlfriend, who can be heard to scream out. Having grabbed the phone, the monkey turned the camera on himself before filming his lunch on the floor . The nimble thief then appears to take a selfie with the camera before trying to eat the phone. After realising it doesn't taste all that good he decides to film his lunch on the floor instead. Mr Langrish eventually got the phone back, complete with added teeth marks. Video courtesy of WillYouBeMineBaby . | Footage posted on YouTube was taken in Koh Samui, Thailand .
Monkey reaches out through the bars of its cage and snatches the phone .
He then slaps the man’s girlfriend, who is heard crying out . |
41,234 | 745bbe4bc79a1b72e38108d15d0c47425a853450 | (CNN) -- Retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, who rose from being an Army draftee to serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has died of complications from a stroke, his executive assistant said Saturday. He was 75. Shalikashvili died Saturday at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, according to assistant Rachel McLain. An open memorial service will be held on August 6 at the Tacoma Convention Center. A funeral will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. Born in Poland in 1936, Shalikashvili became the first foreign-born chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993. He held the post until his retirement in 1997, serving under former President Bill Clinton, who awarded Shalikashvili the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Prior to that, he was NATO's 10th supreme allied commander in Europe. "The United States has lost a genuine soldier-statesman whose extraordinary life represented the promise of America and the limitless possibilities that are open to those who choose to serve it," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "From his arrival in the United States as a 16-year old Polish immigrant after the Second World War, to a young man who learned English from John Wayne movies, to his rise to the highest ranks of our military, Shali's life was an 'only in America' story." Shalikashvili was drafted into the Army in 1958 and rose through the ranks, serving in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 and heading up the 1991 international relief operation that airlifted food to and provided protection for the Kurds in northern Iraq. Obama said the general forged closer ties with Russia and improved the quality of life of U.S. service members and their families. Shalikashvili was granted U.S. citizenship after his family immigrated to Peoria, Illinois, from southern Germany, where they had sought refuge after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising in Poland. Shalikashvili suffered a stroke in 2004, but continued to work in several capacities. Most recently, he was in the news because of his support for a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the ban of gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. military. He also had served as a visiting professor at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. The retired general is survived by his wife, Joan; their son, Brant; and other family members. | Obama says soldier-statesman represented promise of America .
A funeral is expected to be held at Arlington National Cemetery .
Shalikashvili dies of complications from a stroke at 75 .
He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Clinton . |
129,727 | 33b40ad6ba03ce2110c5bd5765d7f64b5e64e3c8 | A Polish gang who launched a brutal attack on a top academic walked in through Britain’s open borders despite horrific criminal records. Professor Paul Kohler, 55, suffered appalling injuries when he was beaten in front of his family at his £2million home. Images of the battered face of the law expert, a father of four and university friend of Prince Edward, shocked the nation as police mounted an international manhunt. Now it can be revealed that the four men are all career criminals who saw Britain’s wealthy suburbs as a soft target. Their burly ringleader was on the run from a Polish prison and had already served three sentences for a gun attack, theft, burglary and drugs offences. Scroll down for video . Celebration: Paul Kohler with his family. They were playing a board game when the raiders burst into their £2m home. Inset: His face after the attack . Academic Paul Kohler (pictured left after the attack and right today), 55, needed facial reconstruction surgery for a fractured eye socket after he was set upon by a gang of balaclava-clad men . He and all three accomplices have a string of convictions in their homeland, including similar violent robberies. The revelations will increase the pressure on ministers to regain control of the borders and carry out proper checks on violent EU nationals coming to Britain. They follow the row over the murder of schoolgirl Alice Gross by Latvian Arnis Zalkalns, whom police discovered was a convicted killer. Yesterday, Prof Kohler sat silently with his wife Samantha MacArthur at Kingston Crown Court as the four men pleaded guilty. The head of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London still bears the scars of the attack. He was badly beaten when the masked gang burst into his three-storey Edwardian home in Wimbledon, South West London, on August 11 while his family were playing a board game. They pinned him to the floor and threatened to smash a heavy wooden cabinet over his head while screaming: ‘Where’s the money?’ Gang members: Pawel Honc, 23, and Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, were arrested by police at the scene of the attack and today admitted aggravated burglary and causing grievous bodily harm with intent . Co-accused: Oskar Pawlowicz, 29, of Mitcham, and Dawid Tychon, 29, of no fixed abode, also admitted aggravated burglary, but charges of GBH were dropped against the pair after they pleaded not guilty . His wife was also threatened by two of the intruders, who tried to tie her to a chair with duct tape. The terrified couple were saved by one of their four daughters, Eloise, 24, who barricaded herself in her room and dialled 999. Officers arrived within seconds and arrested Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 23, who were both covered in blood. Ringleader Dawid Tychon, 29, was arrested six days later driving a suspected stolen car – while wearing an England football shirt – and later linked to the robbery by his mobile phone. He was caught with a bewildering array of drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and other stimulants. Police also found a potentially deadly gas-powered flame thrower in the boot of his car. The fourth man, Oskar Pawlowichz, 29, was captured a month later when police traced him to a property in Leominster, Herefordshire. Police quickly discovered that the men were all career criminals who used their size and strength to overpower victims. None of the four, who all practised bodybuilding and martial arts, knew each other in Poland but they became friends through a heavy-drinking clique. Victims: Mr Kohler’s wife, Samantha MacArthur (left), was also threatened by two of the intruders who tried to tie her to a chair with duct tape during the break-in on August 11 . Panic: As Mr Kohler was attacked, he called out to Ms MacArthur asking her to ring the police, a move he said he instantly regretted because it alerted the burglars to her whereabouts . Tychon fled his homeland in 2012 while on the run from prison where he was serving a long sentence for theft and burglary. His right hand man was football hooligan Tomaszewski, who came to Britain in 2013 after being released from an eight-year jail sentence. Labelled a ‘very dangerous person’ on police files, he is a dedicated follower of the Cracovia football club in Krakow, his hometown. Police suspect he was a member of a criminal gang associated with the club and is responsible for badly beating other men during street brawls. Shaven-headed Pawlowichz was caught on CCTV fleeing Prof Kohler’s home and went on the run. Home: Mr Kohler said he was 'ecstatic' that the gang had admitted the burglary at his home in Wimbledon, south east London (right) The thug, from Tarnow in south-east Poland, has served two jail sentences in his homeland for violent assaults. Their guilty pleas come just weeks after a devastating report revealed the £1billion-a-year failure by successive governments to police Britain’s borders. Foreign offenders are able to walk into the country unchecked, commit new offences – then avoid deportation on human rights grounds once their jail terms are complete, spending watchdog the National Audit Office found. It said 1,400 foreign criminals are living here who should have been turned away at the border. Conservative backbencher Peter Bone said yesterday: ‘This is yet another one of the very many reasons why we need to control our borders, stop the free movement and only let in people we want.’ Notorious: Career criminal Dawid Tychon . Each gang member was let into the UK despite a long criminal record. Here, we reveal the shocking scale of their offending. The Bodybuilder . Dawid Tychon is a violent career criminal who masterminded the raid but tried to persuade police he was only the getaway driver. Wanted by the Polish prison authorities and at least two forces, the 29-year-old is a violent gangster linked to robberies, drugs and car crime. He has already served three jail sentences in his native country for an attack involving a gun, theft, burglary and drugs offences. Tychon, an unemployed labourer, revelled in his notoriety, flexing his muscles and wearing hooded tops for photographs he posted online. The soccer thug . Die-hard football hooligan Mariusz Tomaszewski fled Poland where police files described him as a ‘very dangerous man’. He served eight years in prison for violent offences and arrived in Britain in 2013 to continue his life of crime while living with his pregnant girlfriend. Tomaszewski lost a job at Heathrow Airport after oversleeping on the first day and instead spent his days drinking and smoking cannabis. His ex-wife, who divorced him in 2003 and has started a new life in Austria with their teenage son, said she was horrified at what he has done. ‘I knew that he was only recently let out of jail in Poland so for him to be back inside again so soon is crazy,’ she said. The Henchmen . The final gang members Oskar Pawlowichz, 29, and Pawel Honc, 23, both have lengthy criminal records, police said. Pawlowichz, 29, who was caught on CCTV fleeing the robbery, has served two jail sentences in his native country for violent assaults. A brunette, who appears to be his estranged wife Eliza, posted a series of messages online after his arrest, including a social media ‘status update’ that read ‘DEAD!!’ Apparently referring to his crime, she added: ‘When a person dies there remains after him on this earth nothing but the good which he did to others.’ Speaking after the guilty pleas, Prof Kohler – whose view of the defendants was blocked by frosted glass – said the motive behind the attack remains a ‘complete mystery’. One theory police investigated was that the gang were looking for takings from the family’s tiny cabaret bar, the Cellar Door, on The Strand in Central London. But Prof Kohler remains convinced it is a simple case of mistaken identity and said police could find nothing linking the gang to him. He said he is recovering well, despite problems with his left eye, but said his wife and children remain ‘quite traumatised by it all’. ‘They pleaded guilty because the evidence against them was overwhelming. But I still want to look in their eyes and see their faces,’ he added. Asked whether his part ownership of the bar could be behind the robbery, Prof Kohler said: ‘There was no money, I have never got anything for God’s sake. They just didn’t believe it. Academics do not attract enemies – well, we do but they are not those who would employ violent thugs.’ Family: Mr Kohler with his daughters Saskia and Tamara. His other daughter Eloise was in the house at the time of the attack and called police to the scene . Honc, of no fixed abode, and Tomaszewski, from Mitcham, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and aggravated burglary. Pawlowichz, of Mitcham, and Tychon, of no fixed abode, both admitted a single charge of aggravated burglary. Barristers for all four men said they wanted to express their ‘sincere regret and apologies’. Judge Susan Tapping remanded them in custody and warned them that they can expect to receive substantial prison terms. They will be sentenced on January 29. Detective Inspector Dan O’Sullivan, who led the inquiry, said: ‘This was an cowardly and vicious attack on an innocent family.’ Aftermath: Mr Kohler said he was ‘unrecognisable’ with swelling on the side of his head the size of a football, and blood flowing from his mouth and eyes . | Paul Kohler, 55, needed facial reconstruction surgery after raid in August .
Gang had burst into his £2m home in Wimbledon and attacked him .
Each gang member was let into UK despite long criminal records .
They beat him up and threatened to hit him over the head with a door .
His wife Samantha MacArthur was also threatened by the intruders .
Police burst in and arrested Mariusz Tomaszewski and Pawel Honc .
Tomaszewski, 32, Honc, 23, Oskar Pawlowichz, 29, and Dawid Tychon, 29, all admitted aggravated burglary at Kingston Crown Court today .
Honc and Tomaszewski also admitted causing grievous bodily harm .
They will be sentenced for their parts in the attack on January 29 .
Mr Kohler say he is 'ecstatic and pleased' with the gang's pleas .
But he says he wants to meet gang to find out why they targeted him . |
262,751 | e055a7aaffe78b4f936aac7526a596e3652812e9 | (CNN) -- Alabama rode the tide of a commanding halftime lead to beat Notre Dame 42 to 14 to win the BCS National Championship game at Miami Gardens, Florida. The No. 2 Crimson Tide scored on drives of 82, 61 and 80 yards against the top-ranked and undefeated Irish in its first three drives of the game. They added a 71-yard scoring drive with 31 seconds left in the half to take a dominating 28-0 lead. By that time, despite the fact that the half of the game was yet to be played, many commenters on Twitter were jokingly wondering if Notre Dame would come out of the locker room for the second half. The Irish did, but it did not get much better for them. In fact, one of the biggest hits of the game on Alabama's quarterback A.J. McCarron came from his own teammate Barrett Jones. The two teammates disagreed on a play call and had to call a timeout to get it cleared up. McCarron got in his lineman's face and Jones pushed him some three yards back, a feat that Notre Dame could never do throughout the game. Notre Dame also couldn't stop Alabama's running game. Crimson Tide runners Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon both ran for more than 100 yards. Alabama has now won three national titles in the last four years, which had some calling them a dynasty. "You can call us whatever you want but this was a total team effort," McCarron said after the game. Alabama coach Nick Saban did not shy away from the D- word. Saban said it was the team's work ethic that has brought so many victories. "Because we have a great team we have been able to have a significant amount of success," Saban said. The last team to win three national championships in four years was Nebraska in 1994, 1995, and 1997. The '97 championship was split with Michigan. Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly said his team will learn from the loss. "We are not there yet," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Alabama showed us that in the way they played the game. We got a lot of work left to do to get back here." Bleacher Report coverage of the national title game . | Alabama scored on its first three drives .
Tailbacks Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon both rush from more than 100 yards .
Notre Dame was ranked No.1; Alabama was No. 2 . |
277,492 | f3817731a3e383c6b50c90f6cc0af3b3b78c6053 | BELGRADE, Serbia (CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is evacuating all nonessential personnel following Thursday's attack on the building by a crowd of protesters, a spokesman for the embassy told CNN Friday. Serbian riot police stand in front of the damaged U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on Friday. The U.S. ambassador, Cameron Munter, is staying, officials said. The embassy was closed Friday, and a handful of riot police holding shields stood outside the building, its outer walls blackened from fires set the night before and some of its windows smashed. It will remain closed until Monday or Tuesday so officials can assess the damage, said Bill Wanlund, the embassy's spokesman. He said embassy staff were still in a heightened state of alert but there were no specific threats against any staff members. The United States has warned the Serbian government that it has a responsibility to protect its assets. A top U.S. diplomat was asked during an interview on CNN if the Serbian government "gets" the warning. "They'd better get it, because they have a fundamental responsibility to protect our diplomats and our embassy and to protect American citizens," said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns. "What happened yesterday in Belgrade was absolutely reprehensible." Watch Burns' angry comments on Belgrade attack » . Thursday's violence erupted after demonstrations by thousands of Serbs against Kosovo's declaration of independence. The anger directed against the United States and other countries for recognizing the breakaway province as a nation sparked attacks on Western embassies and shops by hundreds of people. Burns said there was an "insufficient" number of security people guarding the U.S. Embassy at a demonstration everyone knew would take place. He said security "melted away" as "the mob attacked our embassy." "This kind of thing should not happen in a civilized country. It doesn't happen in the United States of America. It doesn't happen in most world capitals. So the Serb government needs to reflect seriously about the responsibility it has under the Vienna Convention," he said. Burns, the third highest ranking diplomat in the State Department, said he told the Serbian prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, and his government that the U.S. "would hold them personally responsible for the safety of our people." "They assured me that they would have adequate security on the ground today and for every day to come. We will hold them to that commitment," Burns said. Demonstrators only managed to break into one U.S. embassy building, which Wanlund said was rarely used by staff. He said the protesters didn't manage to get any documents or embassy materials. Only Marines and security guards were present at the embassy when the angry mob of about 100 approached the walls. In addition to the U.S. Embassy, the protesters attacked other Western interests including the embassies of Britain and Germany, as well as a McDonald's restaurant and a Nike shop. "One might understand the emotion, but not the violence, and that's what the Serb government needs to remember," Burns said. Burns, who is stepping down in March, has long been involved in trying to resolve tensions in the former Yugoslavia. The situation was complicated by Sunday's unilateral declaration of independence by Serbia's predominantly Albanian region of Kosovo. Kosovo is revered historically by Orthodox Christian Serbs but also is claimed as separate and distinct by its ethnic Muslim Albanians. The wisdom of recognizing Kosovo independence has been questioned by many observers, who say the United States won't recognize other unilateral declarations of independence. Some opponents of Kosovo's independence say recognition is a bad precedent if it's unilateral and not done in a bilateral, diplomatic setting. They say it will give others the incentive to stage their own breakaway nations. Burns said every situation has its unique set of circumstances, as does Kosovo, which was the victim of ethnic cleansing policies by the Slobodan Milosevic regime in 1999. NATO troops fought Serbia in an air war then and pushed Serbian forces out of the region. Since then Kosovo has been run by the United Nations and with security supplied by NATO forces. E-mail to a friend . | U.S.: An event like embassy attack "should not happen in a civilized country"
U.S. warns Serbia of responsibility to protect U.S. diplomats, building .
Embassy evacuating nonessential personnel; ambassador will stay in Belgrade .
No embassy documents taken during Thursday attack and fire, spokesman says . |
217,607 | a5b87d67780d3f9f409f903ee40026f27e2b9813 | Washington (CNN) -- Miami police have engaged in a pattern of excessive use of force through officer-involved shootings, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The Justice Department conducted a comprehensive investigation and found that officers intentionally shot at people on 33 separate occasions from 2008 until 2011 and the police department concluded three of those instances were unjustified. The Justice Department said a number of additional shootings were "questionable at best." The findings also noted that seven officers participated in more than a third of the shootings in question. The Justice Department also concluded the police department did not conduct timely investigations of such shootings. In addition, the findings said the police had "deficient tactics" and that improper actions had been taken by specialized police units. The review started in November 2011 after seven young African-American men were fatally shot by officers over eight months. Community leaders appealed to the federal government to take action. Roy Austin, the deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, said there had been a similar investigation of the Miami Police Department a decade ago. Officials thought improvements had been made and closed the case without obtaining a court-supervised agreement. Austin said the Justice Department this time plans to get a plan that would fall under judicial oversight. "Miami has to reform deadly force and has to do it for a sustainable period of time so we don't have to come back in a decade," said Austin. The civil rights investigation looked only at patterns within the police department and did not address whether specific officers should face criminal charges. | Justice Department review looked at shootings involving police .
Officials conclude police intentionally opened fire 33 times from 2008-11 .
NEW: Shooting of African-American men in Miami prompted review .
NEW: Justice Department will want judge to oversee any agreement with police department . |
148,417 | 4bebcb9a15536d6d80182f391baebfe6c1b47c21 | (CNN) -- Within the last month, our country has witnessed two senseless, high-profile acts of criminal violence that would have been labeled terrorism if brown-skinned Arab Muslim men with foreign-sounding names had committed them. Because two white men committed these acts of violence, however, our political and media chattering class never used the word "terrorism" in its discussions. Most recently, John Patrick Bedell, a 36-year-old man from California, walked up to two security guards outside the Pentagon Metro station in suburban Washington and started shooting. He was then shot and killed. According to The Christian Science Monitor, Bedell appeared "to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent anti-government feelings" and also battled mental illness before his shooting rampage. A few weeks ago, on February 18, another white anti-government extremist named Joseph Stack flew his small airplane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin, Texas, killing two people and injuring 13 others. According to media reports, Stack had left behind a disjointed suicide letter in which he expressed his hatred of our American government and outlined grievances with the IRS, chillingly stating that "violence not only is the answer; it is the only answer." Both the Pentagon Metro and IRS attacks come at a time of "explosive growth in [domestic] extremist-group activism across the United States," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. A recently released law center report showed so-called patriot groups -- steeped in anti-government conspiracy theories -- grew from 149 in 2008 to 512 in 2009 -- a 244 percent increase that the Southern Poverty Law Center report judged to be an "astonishing" rise in the one-year period since President Obama took the oath of office. The number of these groups that are domestic extremist paramilitary militias grew from 42 in 2008 to 127 in 2009, the report said. Even so, for any reasonable observer who is still skeptical about labeling the recent Pentagon area shooting and IRS attack terrorism, keep one thing in mind: . Let us imagine that these Pentagon and IRS attacks had been committed by an olive-skinned Arab Muslim man named Ali Muhammad. Our national media and political commentators would have wasted little time in calling both of these acts terrorism, and some might have also called for the closings of other IRS and federal government office buildings around the country as a necessary counter-terrorism safety precaution. Instead, shortly after the IRS plane attack, some prominent media commentators immediately asked why people -- especially conservatives on the right -- were not calling the IRS attacker a terrorist. "If this had been done by a brownish-looking Muslim guy whose suicide note paralleled Islamist political themes," wrote media commentator Matthew Yglesias, then right-wingers would "demand that anyone who refused to label the attack 'terrorism' be put up on treason charges." In a recent piece, Robert Wright, of the New America Foundation, wrote: "In common usage, a 'terrorist' is someone who attacks in the name of a political cause and aims to spread terror -- to foster fear that such attacks will be repeated until grievances are addressed." Following suit, the IRS attacker's suicide manifesto before his aerial kamikaze attack reads in part: "I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after ... I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be whitewashed and ignored" -- at which point, God willing, -- "the American zombies wake up and revolt." If this same above-mentioned suicide letter had been instead written by an Arab Muslim man named Ali Muhammad right before crashing his airplane into an IRS building, most of the right-wing blogosphere would instantaneously erupt with screaming headlines of another act of Muslim terrorism. Because Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber; Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh; Atlanta, Georgia, Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph; the Pentagon shooter and IRS attacker were all white men motivated by their respective ideologies, surprisingly, the term "terrorism" has never seemed to stick to any of them. To prove my point even further, the recently indicted American woman Colleen LaRose, who called herself "Jihad Jane," can rightfully be termed a wanna-be terrorist. But why does this not apply to other white extremists? If our nation is truly conducting a ''war on terror'' and not a "war on Islam," it is our duty as Americans of all colors, political persuasions and nationalities to condemn and distance ourselves from all acts of terrorism, regardless of the race or religion of those who commit violent acts in the name of extreme ideology. Simply put, terrorism is terrorism, whether it is committed by a white, black or brown person anywhere in the world. If we as a nation fail to adequately condemn all acts of terrorism equally, the only clear message that we will be sending to the rest of the world is that the word "terrorist" applies only to those with olive skin and foreign-sounding last names. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Arsalan Iftikhar. | Arsalan Iftikhar: Imagine if recent violent acts had been committed by Arab Muslim men .
White man Joseph Stack flew plane into IRS building; another shot Pentagon guards, he writes .
Iftikhar: Outcry would ensue if Muslim left note calling violence "the only answer," as Stack did .
Terrorism is terrorism, whether it is committed by a white, black or brown person, he says . |
44,824 | 7e59a25366a6031cba778dd71d3df9cd744b9fab | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 06:12 EST, 30 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:14 EST, 30 April 2013 . A nurse was sacked after she paid a pound into a vending machine only for it to start spitting out free cans of pop. Melanie Milner was captured on CCTV helping herself to 27 tins while working in Blackpool as a mental health nurse for the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. Milner kept 16 of them and gave the rest to her colleagues but her employers reported her to police for theft and she was dismissed for gross misconduct in January last year. Nurse Melanie Milner was captured on CCTV helping herself to 27 tins while working in Blackpool as a mental health nurse (file picture) She got her job back after appealing her sacking and was handed a written warning to appear on her file for two years. Milner, from Ingol, Preston, has now been given a 12-month caution order by the Nursing and Midwifery Council after referring herself to the tribunal. Panel chair, Lesley White, said: 'Ms Milner has shown deep remorse and shame for her actions and a determination to ensure that they do not recur. 'The panel is of the view that she has demonstrated insight into her actions and how they impact on the profession and her colleagues. 'The panel considers that this caution order is necessary to mark the importance of maintaining public confidence in the profession, and to send to the public and the profession a clear message about the standard of behaviour expected of a registered nurse.' She had accepted a police caution for the August 2011 theft and was then sacked for gross misconduct. Milner did not attend a London hearing of the NMC but apologised in a letter. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, which has its headquarters in Portland Place, London, gave Milner a 12-month caution order . She wrote: 'I would like to express my deep regrets and remorse for my actions and apologise for my actions. 'It was disrespectful, wrong and lacked the professionalism that you and my colleagues expect from a qualified nurse. 'While I cannot alter what has transpired, I have taken steps that this will not occur again, and made the right decision by informing the NMC. 'It was an inexcusable lapse in judgment and moral behaviour on my part. While it was an embarrassing experience it is an experience I intend to learn and grow from.' MPs said her dismissal was excessive and an 'overreaction'. Mark Hendrick, Labour MP for Preston, said: 'She shouldn't have taken what didn't belong to her and should have made whoever was responsible aware. 'However, the investigation has dragged on and it seems they have over-reacted.' Ben Wallace, the Conservative MP for Preston North and Wyre said the incident could have been sorted out between Milner and her line manager. He added: 'I think it is a bit heavy-handed.' Milner is now free to continue in the profession without restrictions. A Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: 'This is an extremely regrettable situation as the Trust sets very high standards for its staff in terms of their conduct while at work. 'This matter was investigated and dealt with in accordance with trust policies.' | Melanie Milner filmed helping herself to 27 tins .
Nurse kept 16 of them and gave the rest away .
But bosses reported her and she was dismissed .
MPs said her dismissal was an 'overreaction' |
139,484 | 405c841118a7fa31ce513641c9cccc59aec4b177 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:41 EST, 12 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:09 EST, 12 September 2013 . A young girl's quick thinking and protective instincts helped police capture two burglars who broke into a Chattanooga, Tennessee home Saturday. Bre'Asia Morrow, 12, and her 11-year-old sister Azariah were home alone that day when two men broke in through the backdoor. Bre'Asia remained calm as she called police to report the burglary. Scroll down for video . Safe place: When two men broke into their home, Bre'Asia, right, took her younger sister Azariah, left, to hide in their bedroom closet until police could arrive . Home alone: Zackaree Howard and Carlos Jones broke into their home through the back door - looking for TVs and other pricy equipment . The girls were sitting on the top-bunk in their bedroom when they heard the two men attempt to break in. Bre'Asia called 911 and the operator, Amanda Miller, told her to find a safe palce to hide so she took her sister into their bedroom closet. She says one of the men came into their bedroom while they were hiding and grabbed some cash on a dresser, but didn't notice them. She stayed on the phone with the operator until police arrived, relaying everything that was going on through whispers. 'You're doing a great job, you're very brave okay, you just stay right where you're at,' Ms Miller said. Police say they were after the family's televisions and computers. Because of Bre'Asia's quick thinking, police were able to arrest the two men while they were still in the house. Burglars Zacakaree Howard, 19, and Carlos, Jones, 18, have now been charged with aggravated burglary and vandalism. Caught: 19-year-old Zackaree Howard, left, and 18-year-old Carlos Jones, right, were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary and vandalism . Little-sister Azariah thanks her big sister for protecting her. 'She really told me stuff. She was telling me I'm glad you're okay and stuff. That's good that they didn't find us,' Azariah told WTVC. 'And we were keeping calm, my sister told me it was good that I kept calm. Operator Miller was surprised by how composed the 12-year-old was under stress. 'If she keeps that cool head through her whole life, she will be successful,' Miller said. After the incident, the girls' father said he might get a guard dog, and may take his daughters to weapons training when they are older. | Bre'Asia Morrow, 12, and Azariah Morrow, 11, were home alone when Zackaree Howard, 19, and Carlos Jones, 18, broke into their home last Saturday .
Older sister Bre'Asia called 911 to report the burglary and took her sister into their bedroom closet to hide until police arrived .
She remained calm as the operator dispatched police, who arrived in time to capture the burglars still at the house . |
103,071 | 10deca9cfbfd79abd10641535821d5b6161238e4 | Where do England go from here? Stuart Lancaster’s team still face unanswered questions less than 10 months out from the World Cup and defeat next week against Australia would complete a hat-trick of losses to the Southern Hemisphere super powers. Clive Woodward’s team began their World Cup countdown with famous wins over New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on successive weekends but Lancaster’s team appear miles behind. Here Sam Peters speaks to series of former players and coaches to get their take on where England must learn and improve if they want to be contenders at next year’s tournament. England’s 2003 winning flanker, former captain Lewis Moody, 71 England caps, 3 Lions caps . Take the chances presented to you . England’s driving maul and set-piece play has been very effective but they are not using that ball anywhere near wisely enough. The frustrating thing is that England have created chances against South Africa and New Zealand, but have not taken them. I’m thinking of Mike Brown’s dropped pass against New Zealand and Dave Attwood not straightening and giving a pass against South Africa. Those moments make or break you at the highest level. England failed to take their big chances against South Africa and New Zealand . Attack the gainline . If you watch New Zealand closely then you’ll see how many times a forward carries the ball up at first receiver before off-loading out of the tackle to a second runner on their shoulder. It may only take them two or three metres past the gainline but it means they always have quick ball. At the moment England’s runners are on their own and getting isolated. That means slow ball. They have to work on that area because if we can generate quick ball there are exciting runners who can thrive on it. Back-row needs competition . I would have liked to have seen a different player at No 7 against Samoa because we need to know what someone like Matt Kvesic, Luke Wallace or Will Fraser can do in that key position. If Chris Robshaw gets injured then there is no obvious replacement in that position. Steffon Armitage is also a player I’d be pulling all the stops out to get involved ahead of the World Cup. At the moment England’s back row feels a bit predictable and I’d like to see some other players being given an opportunity in that area. Ultimately we know what players like James Haskell can do. I understand why they’ve picked him but there are other players out there England need to learn about. England should pull out all the stops to get Steffon Armitage in the team . Beat Australia . It’s not all doom and gloom with this England team. Lancaster will have learned a lot about his players in this series — not all of it good — and will have a clearer idea about which players can survive at the highest level. But they have to start winning soon, starting with Australia next week, because otherwise the rot can set in very quickly. EX-England scrum-half, Sky commentator Dewi Morris, 26 England caps, 3 Lions caps . Build on the set piece . England will always produce yeomen for the team to build a platform off, but at the moment England are wasting their hard-earned set-piece possession. Despite injuries to guys like Dan Cole and Joe Launchbury, the pack is still rock solid so why on earth aren’t the backs doing anything when they have it? England have one of the best openside flankers in the world in Armitage . Breakdown — bring back Armitage . I watched the South Africa game alongside Zinzan Brooke and Neil Back and I can tell you they were tearing their hair out at the lack of balance in England’s back row. Robshaw is a fine workhorse but he is out of position at No 7 and England’s breakdown work is suffering as a result. In Armitage England have one of the best openside flankers in the world, but he’s kicking his heels in France because of this selection ruling. Stuart Lancaster — who I’m a big admirer of by the way — has to change his policy on this or England will never produce the quick ball they crave. The Farrell conundrum . I’m sorry but it really does seem to be one rule for one and one rule for another in terms of selection at the moment. Danny Care has a couple of bad games and is booted out of the squad while Owen Farrell — who is patently not fit — is just as bad but gets shifted to inside centre. Am I missing something here? For me, Farrell is not even the best attacking fly-half at his club, where Charlie Hodgson is superb, and he is very fortunate to get another go at inside centre. I hope that midfield combination works, but I fear Farrell is just too functional where England need creativity and world-class distribution. Owen Farrell was very fortunate to get another go at inside centre . The need for speed . If England are going to pick Farrell they have to have speed everywhere around him and at the moment that is not the case. Brad Barritt is another trusted workhorse but where is the searing pace that England’s midfield and wingers should provide. I don’t understand why Jonathan Joseph doesn’t get a look in. I’d have picked Bath’s midfield of Ford, Joseph and Kyle Eastmond for last night’s clash. England’s 2003 World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward, 21 England caps, 2 Lions caps . Width . England are simply not getting enough width on the ball and that is largely down to them not having played a ball-playing 12. I believe Farrell can do that job and I’m excited England have finally gone down that path of two playmakers in the midfield. Look at every great team in the world, they all play that way, and England must stick with that combination going forward. Breakdown . I’m a huge advocate of Steffon Armitage and I find it utterly baffling the RFU won’t make an exception for such a world-class talent. England’s back-row balance is not right at the moment, with the excellent Robshaw much better suited to the blindside flank, and yet they have this world-class talent across the channel who is ready and willing to play. Question marks over Farrell's fitness means England should pick Danny Cipriani . Go for broke: pick Cipriani . Danny Cipriani is such a talented fly-half who has produced consistent performances for Sale for more than a year now. I’m a big fan of Farrell when he’s fit and firing while Ford has huge potential with his quick feet and good hands. But for me, Cipriani is a cut above any other fly-half in England and he now has experience to add to undoubted quality. Why won’t England pick him? Pace at 13 . If England are going to play Farrell at No 12, they simply must pick a flyer at 13. Barritt is not that man. When fit, Manu Tuilagi has all the credentials in terms of pace and size, but if he is not in the side, England need to discover a 13 with pace to burn. England’s 2003 World Cup winner and former captain Phil Vickery, 73 England caps, 5 Lions caps . Come in No 7 . The openside spot still bothers me but that will be a constant dialogue until the World Cup. If Robshaw falls over on the eve of the tournament then Lancaster will have to throw in a rookie. Even New Zealand rotate Richie McCaw with Sam Cane and if he is unavailable, then they have a ready-made re-placement. Saturday's game against Samoa should have been an occasion for Lancaster to look at another option whether that be Fraser, Kvesic or... Armitage. Find the extra edge . The difficulty at that level is to work out where you can find that extra couple of per cent from, either within yourself or the team. You are the best man in the country in your position, that is why you have been picked, but you have a duty to look at your game and mindset and work out where you can get those marginal gains from. Under Clive Woodward we had the constant message of trying to find those extra ‘one percenters’, the England players must adopt that mindset and find the belief. | Lewis Moody says England need Steffon Armitage in the back row .
Sir Clive Woodward urges England to make exception for Toulon forward .
Phil Vickery wants back-up for captain Chris Robshaw . |
31,791 | 5a700fe158242c3ec349488bbd3041cc0a7882dc | At least 120 people were killed and 270 others wounded on Friday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire on a Muslim congregation at Friday prayers in the central mosque in northern Nigeria's largest city of Kano, a rescue official said. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the toll could rise, as some of the wounded were in critical condition and may not survive. A third bomb exploded outside the mosque among a crowd of worshipers. The attacks come two weeks after the emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, one of Nigeria's most influential monarchs, called for self-defense, urging people to procure arms and fight Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has a significant presence in the area. The emir made the call at the same mosque where Friday's attack occurred. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram is the main suspect. Many believe the attacks were reprisals for the emir's call to arms against the terror group. A CNN reporter at the morgue of the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital -- one of two hospitals treating victims of the attacks -- counted 94 bodies and was told by a health professional involved in collecting bodies that 38 bodies already had been identified and taken by relations for burial. "We have around 140 dead bodies brought from the mosque and more than 160 being treated for various injuries," the health professional said, asking not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on casualties. "This is only for this hospital. Other corpses and wounded victims have been taken to Nassarawa Specialist Hospital," he said. At Nassarawa Specialist Hospital, a rescue worker said the facility had received scores of injured and dead. "We brought in more than 150 people injured in the attack at the mosque along with dozens of dead bodies," the rescue worker said. Hundreds of relations have thronged the morgues and emergency units of the two hospitals to identify their dead relations and tend for those wounded, with doctors and nurses overstretched by the huge number of casualties. At the Murtala Mohammed hospital, relatives were taking turns entering the morgue in groups to identify loved ones killed in the attacks, then to take bodies for burial after documentation by morgue attendants. National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said the two bombers detonated explosives strapped to their bodies within short intervals while gunmen opened fire on worshipers who were trying to escape. At least three men, wearing explosives and armed with AK-47s, arrived in a Toyota Sienna van and opened fire on people fleeing the mosque, Kano Deputy Police Commissioner Sanusi N. Lemo told reporters. An irate mob pursued the gunmen who had opened fire on worshipers, and people in the mob killed the gunmen, Ojukwu and witnesses said. "The fact that the people pursued and killed the gunmen with bare hands shows the people have heeded to the call of the emir to fight back," said resident Sani Akarami. The emir, who had urged resistance against Boko Haram, was not at the mosque when the attack took place. He is in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage, sources close to the emir said. If Boko Haram is found to be responsible for these latest attacks it would be the second worst attack on Kano by the militants. On January 20, 2012 at least 185 people were killed and scores injured in coordinated bomb and shooting attacks on security formations in the city by Boko Haram gunmen. Kano is one of the areas where Boko Haram has fought an anti-government campaign to institute Sharia, or Islamic law. Attacks attributed to the group in Kano include a wave of bombings that killed 180 people in one day in 2012 and a suicide bombing that killed six people, including three police officers, at a gas station this month. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is a sin," still is believed to be holding more than 200 girls it abducted in April from a school in Chibok, Borno state. Also this month, Boko Haram's leader said the girls had been converted to Islam and married off, and he denied the government's claim that it had reached a ceasefire agreement with the group. President Goodluck Jonathan extended his condolences to the victims of the mosque attack and directed officials to conduct a full-scale investigation, Nigerian state broadcaster NTA. | Reporter counts 94 bodies at one hospital .
A rescue official says at least 120 dead, more deaths likely among injured .
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Kano, in northern Nigeria .
The blasts come in a city where Islamist group Boko Haram has waged anti-government attacks . |
123,602 | 2bc8745b678bb611902a968adb2089097ecb1a30 | It can be easy to dismiss talks on global warming if your part of the world is feeling colder than usual. But a new study claims that while the world is getting warmer, the heating effect on the Earth has not been uniform across the planet. The research provides the first detailed analysis of global land surface warming trends over the century. A new study claims that while the world is getting warmer, the heating effect on the Earth has not been uniform across the planet. This graphic shows how temperatures have changed from 1910-2000 over different latitudes . ‘Global warming was not as understood as we thought,’ said Zhaohua Wu, an assistant professor of meteorology at Florida State University. Professor Wu used a newly-developed analysis method on historical temperature records to examine land surface temperature trends from 1900 onward for the entire globe, minus Antarctica. Previous work by scientists on global warming could not provide information of non-uniform warming in location and time due to limitations of analysis methods. Pictured is Fitz Roy mountain om Patagonia, Argentina. From 1910 to 1980, while the rest of the world was warming, areas south of the equator - near the Andes = were cooling down according to the study . The research comes as UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, urges the world's policymakers to do more to address the threat of climate change . A spike in Pacific Ocean sea . temperatures and the rapid movement of warm water eastwards have . increased fears that this year's El Niño could be one of the strongest yet. El . Niño - a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific - affects . wind patterns and can trigger both floods and drought in different parts . of the globe. Although previous research has suggested extreme El . Niño events could occur later this year, experts claim this recent rise . hints they are likely to be more significant than first thought. Dr Wenju Cai, a climate expert at . Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research . Organisation, said the rises in Pacific Ocean temperature were above those seen . in previous El Niño years. ‘I think this event has lots of characteristics with a strong El Niño,’ said Cai. He based his conclusions on studying data released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The research team found that noticeable warming first started around the regions circling the Arctic and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. But the largest warming to date has been at the northern mid-latitudes. The research team also found that in some areas of the world, cooling had occurred. ‘The global warming is not uniform,’ Professor Eric Chassignet said. ‘You have areas that have cooled and areas that have warmed.’ For example, from about 1910 to 1980, while the rest of the world was warming up, some areas south of the Equator, such as those near the Andes, were cooling down, and then had no change at all until the mid-1990s. Other areas near and south of the Equator didn't see significant changes comparable to the rest of the world at all. The detailed picture of when and where the world has warmed or cooled will provide a greater context to global warming research overall, Professor Wu said. The research comes as UN secretary-general urges the world’s policymakers to do more to address the threat of climate change. The largest warming to date has been at the northern mid latitudes, according to the Florida State study . Speaking to hundreds of international delegates at the start of a climate gathering in Abu Dhabi, Ban Ki-moon warned that time is running out to reduce harmful emissions and that political leaders need to offer bold commitments to drive meaningful change. ‘If we do not take urgent action, all our plans for increased global prosperity and security will be undone,’ he warned. Ban was in the United Arab Emirates capital to mark the start of a conference meant to lay the groundwork for a climate summit he has called for world leaders in September. The aim of the process is to get governments to agree to cut emissions after 2020 to keep warming below 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to today's levels. Global temperatures already have risen 0.8°C since record-keeping began in the 19th century. | From 1910 to 1980, study found areas south of the equator cooled down .
Other areas near the equator didn't see significant changes in warming .
It found largest warming to date has been at the northern mid latitudes .
The research comes as United Nations secretary-general urges the world’s policymakers to do more to address the threat of climate change . |
117,010 | 230dbf3c7e73bfd034419a37c21d7d300f78ec97 | By . Arthur Martin . PUBLISHED: . 08:24 EST, 13 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:15 EST, 13 December 2012 . Thomas Ammann, 39, pictured yesterday as he was jailed, handed over price sensitive details to his two girlfriends about a takeover bid . The serial love-rat who tricked two of his girlfriends into carrying out illegal trades worth almost £1.8million was jailed for two years and eight months yesterday. Thomas Ammann, who wears a toupee, persuaded Christina Weckwerth and Jessica Mang to buy and sell shares in a firm he knew to be the subject of a future City takeover bid. Ammann, who worked at the London offices of Japanese bank Mizuho, was one of only seven at the bank who knew that global electronics company Canon was planning a takeover of Dutch printing firm Oce. His two girlfriends, who had no knowledge of each other, bought and sold shares in Oce when Ammann told them to do so. The women almost doubled their investments and paid Ammann about 50 per cent of their profits. They said they had no idea his share tips were coming from sensitive insider information and were cleared of any wrongdoing last month. When police arrested Ammann, 39, in his central London home, he was in bed with a Japanese woman. At some point, he started a relationship with a fourth woman who gave birth to their baby son six weeks ago. She fled home to China when the extent of his murky dealings emerged. Jailing Ammann at Southwark Crown Court yesterday, Judge Anthony Leonard QC said he ‘manipulated’ his two girlfriends to make substantial profits. He said: ‘The City has been held in increasingly low esteem over recent years, not least because of the activities of a few unscrupulous and dishonest persons.’ Ammann, a German national, pleaded guilty to two counts of encouraging insider dealing and two counts of insider trading earlier this year. The banker, who earned £80,000 a year, had got into serious debt after three properties he bought dropped in value. Jessica Mang arriving at Southwark Crown Court in October, left, and right, Christina Weckworth on the same day. Both were persuaded to invest their money in Oce shares . To claw back his money, he persuaded . Miss Weckwerth, 44, who lives in Frankfurt, to invest £808,000 which she . had received as part of a divorce settlement. While still in a relationship with Miss Weckwerth, he started dating Miss Mang, 30, after meeting her in a London nightclub. Judge . Leonard said: ‘She did not have as much money to invest but, in order . to further a loving relationship with you which she craved, she scraped . together every penny she could get her hands on and was able to amass . £39,000 from money that she had set aside to pay her tax and from . borrowing on credit cards.’ Miss Weckwerth and Miss Mang have been allowed to keep the profits of their trades after being cleared of insider trading. Southwark Crown Court heard prior to the trade Ammann was almost penniless and 'lived beyond his means' | Thomas Ammann persuaded two girlfriends to invest in shares in Dutch photocopy company Oce, knowing they were going to go up in price .
Love-rat netted close to £500,000 after agreeing to split profits .
Banker jailed for two years and eight months today after pleading guilty to two counts of encouraging insider dealing and two counts of insider dealing . |
228,699 | b41f7e9b0c8d8e4eb546285f5d219912d4d00200 | Sydney, Australia (CNN) -- Australia's most senior Catholic has urged the government of Victoria not to change the state's laws to allow the victims of sex abuse at the hands of clergy to seek higher compensation than currently available. Cardinal George Pell said this would amount to discrimination against the Australian Catholic Church. This comes after a tumultuous week in which the victims of church sex abuse heard Cardinal Pell acknowledge the church had covered up the abuse of minors, out of fear the scandal would envelope the faith. Pell was this week, the final witness in a state government enquiry into the responses to the allegations of child sex abuse by religious and non-government institutions in the state of Victoria. The cardinal also apologized for the abuse. While denying he had personally covered up offenses committed by priests within the large Melbourne archdiocese over which he presided from 1996 to 2011, Pell said his predecessor, Archbishop Frank Little, now deceased, had destroyed documents to protect priests. "The primary motivation would have been to respect the reputation of the church. There was a fear of scandal," Cardinal Pell told the enquiry, which is expected to deliver its report to the Victorian government at the end of September. Cardinal Pell also admitted that the cover-ups had allowed pedophile priests to continue to prey on young children. ''I would have to say there is significant truth in that,'' Pell said, while also admitting the Australian church had been slow to understand and deal with the damage, and oftentimes the destruction of the lives of the victims. ''Many in the church did not understand just what damage was being done to the victims. We understand that better now,'' he said. ''If we'd been gossips, which we weren't, we would have realized earlier just how widespread this business was.'' The Australian premier, Julia Gillard, last year called a wide-ranging, nationwide enquiry into child sex abuse, though it is not confined to the Catholic Church. The investigation found that, in Victoria alone, there have been 600 cases of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy since the 1930s. "There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil," said Gillard when she announced the Royal Commission. Among the many cases reported by CNN when the Royal Commission was announced was that of Melbourne sisters Emma and Katie Foster who were assaulted by their local parish priest, Kevin O'Donnell, now deceased. Emma was just five years old when the rapes began. Katie was younger, her parents believe probably around four. O'Donnell was convicted of the sexual assault of 12 victims, according to the victims lobby group Broken Rites. The court was told he had offended consistently from 1946 until he was brought before the courts in 1995. When Emma heard news of his conviction, she was 14 and began self-harming. "We saw her with blood pouring out of her wrists taking heroin to dull the pain." the girls' father, Anthony Foster told CNN last year. Emma took her own life when she was 26. When her sister Katie turned 14, she became cognizant of the sexual abuse she had suffered and told her parents. She began binge drinking. "She was at a friend's house," Foster said. "She was drunk, crossed the road and was hit by car. "She has severe brain injuries. She has pre-accident memory. But she can't run her life," he explained. Kevin O'Donnell was never charged with the sex abuse of the Foster sisters. Foster said he died before charges could be laid. He and his wife Chrissy sat at the Victorian Inquiry this week to hear Pell's evidence. "It comes down to a question of restitution of lives," Foster told CNN. "And this doesn't just happen with an apology. It requires much, much more than that. It requires whatever victims need to improve the quality of their lives and there should be no limitations on compensation." The Victoria Archdiocese, under Pell's leadership, capped compensation at A$75,000 (U.S.$72,000) per victim, along with ongoing counseling and treatment. During his evidence to the Victorian enquiry, Pell admitted the compensation cap was low compared to that offered to victims of Catholic clergy abuse in the United States. At the same time, he acknowledged the enormous wealth of the Australian church and added it would "pay whatever the law recommends is appropriate compensation." For Foster, this reflects poorly on the Australian church. "He was basically saying the church will change if the government tells it to," he said. "A lot of what's been done is driven by the business side of the church and the Catholic Church is a large business." Nor does Pell's admission that the church had covered up the abuse bring solace or closure. "No, there is no closure," he told CNN. "We knew there'd been a cover-up. All of Australia knew that. We had a feeling of disappointment because we expected more, but all that happened was he said the things we already knew. He offered no more." And Foster fears the church's response to child sex abuse is still driven by fear of reputational damage. "I think the avoidance of scandal is still what drives it along with the minimization of the financial effect," he said. He says the Australian Catholic Church is a fractured organization able to deflect responsibility to individual dioceses and orders. The Australian church is comprised of 33 diocese, 7 archdiocese and 175 religious orders. "It would be useful if there was some reform of the church to the point that there is someone or somebody responsible for all branches of the church," he said. "It is almost a state of anarchy in the church; no one is responsible for anything other than in their sector. We have the Australian Bishops Council, which is close and they can agree to common forms of process. But there is very much a reliance on individual orders and diocese doing the right thing," said Foster. Nor, says Foster, has the church been pro-active is investigating those priests against whom allegations have been made, and sometimes proven. "The church could have at least started to investigate backwards from the claims they received. They only ever reacted to a claim. The church has never proactively looked at what the (reported) priests were doing and what access the pedophile priests had to kids. Every one of the victims had gone to the church for help. None were the church going out to look for them." In his evidence to the enquiry, Pell said the church's organizational structure was such that, indeed, no single individual could be held accountable. "I'm not the Catholic Prime Minister of Australia. I am not the general manager Australia. The Catholic Church is. . . a very interesting example of a flat organization," he said. He admitted that, in some cases, the Catholic Church had placed priests above the law, but he denied the church had ignored claims brought before it, despite evidence that concerns about O'Donnell had been raised as far back as 1946. "I think many persons in the leadership of the Church, I don't think they knew what a horrendous widespread [issue] we were sitting on," he said. For the Fosters, Pell's apology and admissions are too little, too late. His surviving daughter Katie remains highly dependent on care to live. "Katie is a shell of what she should be" Foster said. "She has 24-hour care and always needs someone looking after her. She can't remember anything. She has no idea what she is doing in ten minutes time. She can't work." But recently, the family has had good news. Katie Foster is engaged to be married and recently has begun the slow process of learning how to walk again, 15 years after the accident that followed her realization of the abuse she suffered. "We are incredibly pleased and fortunate that through the care teams she has had, she has met someone and is engaged. But it's not like it should have been," Foster said. However, the damage to Katie's life and that of her parents, will linger. "The question of children has been a major one because it is not fair on the child," said her father. "The child would be cared for by her carer. But it is her decision." | Top Australian Catholic spoke at inquiry into allegations of institutional child sex abuse .
Cardinal George Pell acknowledged church covered up abuse of minors over several decades .
Australian Premier Julia Gillard last year called for a wide-ranging, nationwide inquiry . |
69,511 | c509a50c5d1576636b9411c1d6efc7a17d44d190 | By . Lydia Warren and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:25 EST, 24 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 23:25 EST, 24 March 2013 . It's been just a few weeks since Jeff Bush died after being swallowed by a sinkhole in Seffner, Florida but the scares for the town continue. Another sinkhole emerged Saturday evening at the 1400 block of Lake Shore Drive between two houses. According to WFLA estimates have this sinkhole measuring approximately 8 feet in width. Another sinkhole appears in Seffner, Florida just a few weeks after Jeff Bush was killed after a sinkhole swallowed him while he was sleeping at his home . Both of the homes on either side of the sinkhole have been evacuated. This is now the third sinkhole to emerge in the Florida town this month after a sinkhole appeared just days after the one that killed Bush. Jeff Bush was presumed dead after he was sucked into . the 30-foot-wide, 60-foot-deep hole late on March 3rd at his home in Seffner, Florida. Three days after that workers began filling the sinkhole with crushed rocks, after authorities conceded they may never find his body. These images, which reveal the size of the hole for the first time, came as a second sinkhole appeared just streets away. This sinkhole, which is 12-feet round, three-feet deep around the edge and five-feet deep in the center, opened beneath a fence on Monday, straddling two properties. Scroll down for video . First look inside: An aerial view shows the sinkhole in Seffner, Florida which opened up last Thursday and swallowed Jeff Bush from his bedroom . Revealed: The sinkhole could only be seen once the home was pulled down on Monday. But authorities believe it could reach to the neighbours' homes underground . End of the search: Officials have given up hope of finding Jeff Bush alive and filled in the hole beneath his family's home with crushed rock . Secured: The sinkhole in Seffner, Florida has now been filled with crushed rocks as authorities admitted they may never find Mr Bush's body . It does not pose an immediate danger, Hillsborough County spokesman Willie Puz said, and it did not cause any injuries or structural damage to the homes around it but buckled the fence. Families in the neighborhood said they . were leaving to stay at hotels and Laurie Goldstein, who lives across . the street from the sinkhole, said she will have her home inspected for . other sinkholes. 'Is it too close for comfort having it across the street? Yeah. Is my house gonna sink? Yeah it's very, it's scary,' she told WFLA. But others were less worried: Ana Marie Serna, who owns one of the properties, said she was not concerned about the hole. Fears: Another sinkhole opened up between two homes in Seffner, Florida on Monday, just two miles from the one which swallowed Jeff Bush on Thursday . Nearby: A map shows the distance between the first sinkhole (on Faithway Drive) and the second (Cedar Tree Lane) in Seffner, Florida . Missing: Authorities said they may never recover the body of Jeff Bush . 'For me, no is strange because... the hole is little,' she said. Puz said the latest sinkhole appears to be unrelated to the one that opened last Thursday. 'It is not geologically connected,' Puz said. Dirt now fills the sinkhole on the Seffner lot where a home once stood. With it being sealed, it has effectively become a tomb for Jeff Bush, who was killed when the floor opened up last week. Bush disappeared into the hole that opened up under his bedroom on Thursday night in a scene his brother, Jeremy Bush, likened to a horror movie. The other occupants of the house, which is owned by the family of Jeremy Bush's fiancee, had been preparing for bed when they heard a loud crash and Jeff Bush screaming. Jeremy ran to help his brother but could only hear his screams. Firefighters arrived on the scene and pulled Jeremy away from the edge of the chasm. On Monday, demolition crews returned to Bush's home to demolish the rest of the house - revealing the massive hole for the first time - before efforts will begin to stabilize the sinkhole. Two nearby houses have been evacuated as the sinkhole has weakened the ground, and the residents probably will never be allowed inside again, said Jessica Damico of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Bush, a landscaper who mowed highway medians for a living, had moved into the four-bedroom home only two months ago which he shared with his brother, Jeremy Bush, 36, and four others. The other adults, a two-year-old child and a dog were at the home at the time the sinkhole opened, but were not injured. Demolition: Authorities believe the hole which swallowed Jeff Bush beneath this home was 60-ft deep and continue to carry out tests on the ground . Hidden danger: Authorities believe the sinkhole could stretch under neighbours' homes and they have been evacuated . Workers recovered a family Bible, . flag, military medals, a purse, teddy bears and generations of photos . from the site. On Monday they also recovered two antique rifles that . were family heirlooms. Engineers placed listening devices, microphones, ground-penetrating radar and other equipment to test the soil to find whether it was safe to work and to look for any sign of life below. They have detected no such sign ever since the hole opened up late on Thursday. Jeremy Bush said the family was discussing plans for a memorial service and a possible marker at the site. 'I'm the only one who tried to get him out,' he said, while begging county authorities to do more to find his brother's body when the lot is cleared. The property's owner Buddy Wicker says he want's nothing to do with the home. He says he'd love a memorial placed there for Jeff Bush but the whole sequence of events made for a bizarre occurrence. Sadness: A family member prays in front of home where Jeff Bush was killed before demolition crews tear it down . Hope: Jeremy Bush, who tried to save his brother from the sinkhole as he was sucked from his room, prays as he speaks to the media . Sinkholes in Florida are caused by the state's porous geological bedrock, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. As acidic rainwater filters into the ground, it dissolves the rock, causing erosion that can lead to underground caverns, which cause sinkholes when they collapse. 'There's hardly a place in Florida . that's immune to sinkholes,' Sandy Nettles, who owns a geology . consulting company in the Tampa area. 'There's no way of ever predicting where a sinkhole is going to occur.' Watch out: Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania are the states most affected by sinkholes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey . A sinkhole is a hole that opens . up suddenly in the ground. They mostly occur because of erosion or . underground water that gathers naturally or due to man-made activities. When . this water dissolves the foundation beneath the surface layer, spaces . and caverns develop underground. Limestone, carbonate rock, . and salt beds are particular vulnerable to this erosion. Meanwhile, . the top layer of Earth usually stays intact. When the dissolving area . beneath the surface becomes too large, the surface suddenly gives way. According . to the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, . Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania are the states most affected by . sinkholes. While they often . occur from natural causes, sinkholes can be man-made and caused by . human activity. Groundwater pumping and construction are the most likely . culprits. They can also occur when water drainage systems are changed. Source: USGS . | Now a third sinkhole appears in Seffner, Florida just a few blocks from where Jeff Bush was killed .
Latest sinkhole measures approximately 8 ft wide and is in between two homes .
The first sinkhole was filled in, entombing the body of Bush, 37, who was pulled into the cavity under his home last Thursday .
Days later a second sinkhole, 12 ft, appeared just streets away on Monday straddling two properties . |
244,404 | c84adaf33194c73db9bab32b007a878db5d9eea9 | Las Vegas (CNN) -- Las Vegas may never be the same now that Britney Spears has started a residency in Nevada's Sin City. "Britney: Piece of Me" debuted at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino this weekend, almost 10 years to the day that Spears married a high school friend at a wedding chapel just down the Vegas strip. Her marriage to Jason Alexander lasted just 55 hours before it was annulled, but Spears' new relationship with Vegas is planned for at least two years. She is reportedly earning $300,000 per show -- $30 million for the 100 shows through 2015. Spears dances on a 100-foot stage, backed by 14 dancers and one of the world's largest video installations. She enters from a spherical cage that descends from above. Near the end, Spears leaps from a giant tree, flying across the stage on a cable. While her microphone is live and Spears appears to be singing, much of what the audience hears is from pre-recorded tracks of 21 hits from her pop career. A live four-piece band plays behind Spears, visible on scaffolding at the rear of the stage. But evidence that much of it is pre-produced comes when Will.i.am appears on video to perform "Scream & Shout" with Spears. Backing tracks for vocals are not new or unexpected, considering that Spears is running around the stage for most of the 90-minute show. The 4,600 people attending her opening night Friday seemed willing to suspend any disbelief. They also mouthed the familiar lyrics to "Baby One More Time," "Oops I Did It Again," "Toxic," "Circus," "Womanizer" and "Slave 4 U." She includes songs from her just-released album "Britney Jean." Unlike most Vegas shows, the theater seats are almost unnecessary. The crowd stood through most of the show as if they were in a nightclub dancing to a DJ. Planet Hollywood describes the remodeled Axis Theater as "part nightclub and part theater." The VIP section includes bottle service, tables and a dance floor. Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez and Mario Lopez were among Spears' celebrity friends in the VIP section on opening night. Tickets to the VIP area are in big demand, according to Robin Leach, the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" host who now covers Las Vegas nightlife. One Vegas business owner is negotiating to buy the front-center VIP table for every show, he said. Spears takes a break after playing the New Year's Eve show, returning on January 29 to begin three shows a week for the next month. Shows are scheduled in four-week segments in April and May and again in August and September. A younger Las Vegas . Spears' arrival signals another phase in a trend toward a younger Las Vegas that began with nightclubs paying famous DJs big dollars to play electronic dance music. "The demographic of Vegas has been sliding in the last two years, much younger and the emphasis now is not so much on gaming," said Leach. The younger tourists are shopping, eating, drinking and going to nightclubs, he said. A fan who was just 6 when Spear's first single -- "Baby One More Time" -- topped the pop charts 15 years ago is now 21 and old enough to fly to Las Vegas and party. Spears, who turned 32 this month, "is the obvious and natural choice" to take advantage of the younger Vegas because of her fan following," Leach said. "When you look at the landscape of pop stars, pop princesses, pop queens, there's nobody other than Britney who has the depth of a career and the number of albums," he said. "She has a huge repertoire to go to." Others will soon follow Spears, Leach predicted. Celine Dion made Las Vegas hot for older superstars when her Caesar's Palace residency began a decade ago, he said. "Celine brought in Elton (John), Celine brought in Rod Stewart, Celine brought in Shania (Twain)," he said. "Who's Britney going to bring in?" Bruno Mars, whose first song hit the charts just three years ago, began a mini-residency of headlining eight shows at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas Sunday night. | Britney Spears is reportedly earning $30 million for the 100 Vegas shows through 2015 .
Spears dances on a 100-foot stage, backed by 14 dancers and large video screens .
Fans don't seem to mind that Britney uses pre-recorded vocal tracks .
Spears show signals a shift toward younger tourists in Las Vegas, Robin Leach says . |
112,159 | 1cab63ebe687ef2b63a988fc86d5c0dd3cdd16f6 | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 06:56 EST, 7 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:33 EST, 7 October 2013 . Americans James Rothman and Randy Schekman and German-born researcher Thomas Suedhof have won the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries on how hormones, enzymes and other key substances are transported within cells. This traffic control system keeps activities inside cells from descending into chaos and has helped researchers gain a better understanding of a range of diseases including diabetes and disorders affecting the immune system. The discoveries have helped doctors diagnose a severe form of epilepsy and immune deficiency diseases in children, Nobel committee secretary Goran Hansson said. Americans James Rothman and Randy Schekman and German-born researcher Thomas Suedhof won the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries on how hormones, enzymes and other key substances are transported within cells . In the future, scientists hope the research could lead to the development of medicines to treat more common types of epilepsy, diabetes and other metabolism deficiencies, he said. Professor Rothman, 62, is a professor at Yale University while Professor Schekman, 64, is at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr Suedhof, 57, joined Stanford University in 2008. Professor Schekman said he was woken up at 1am at his home in California by the chairman of the prize committee and was still suffering from jetlag after returning from a trip to Germany the night before. ‘I wasn't thinking too straight. I didn't have anything elegant to say,’ he told The Associated Press. ‘All I could say was “oh my God”, and that was that.’ He called the prize a wonderful acknowledgement of the work he and his students had done and said he knew it would change his life. The discoveries have helped doctors diagnose a severe form of epilepsy and immune deficiency diseases in children, Nobel committee secretary Goran Hansson said. Image shows the winners being announced . ‘I called my lab manager and I told him to go buy a couple bottles of Champagne and expect to have a celebration with my lab,’ he said. The Nobel committee said the three researchers’ work on ‘vesicle traffic’ - the transport system of our cells - helped scientists understand how ‘cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time’ inside cells. Vesicles are tiny bubbles that act as cargo carriers. ‘Imagine hundreds of thousands of people who are travelling around hundreds of miles of streets - how are they going to find the right way? Where will the bus stop and open its doors so that people can get out?’ said Professor Hansson, the committee's secretary. ‘There are similar problems in the cell, . to find the right way between the different organelles and out to the . surface of the cell.’ Professor Schekman said he was woken up at 1am by the chairman of the prize committee and was still suffering from jetlag. 'I wasn't thinking too straight. I didn't have anything elegant to say,' he said . In the 1970s, Professor Schekman discovered a set of genes that were required for vesicle transport, while Professor Rothman revealed in the 1980s and 1990s how proteins dock with their target membranes like two sides of a zip. Also in the 1990s, Dr Suedhof found out how vesicles release their cargo with precision. ‘This is not an overnight thing. Most of it has been accomplished and developed over many years, if not decades,’ Professor Rothman told the AP. Asked if the Nobel might change his work or funding, he said: ‘I honestly don't know. It's a new experience.’ Professor Rothman said he lost grant money for the work recognised by the Nobel committee, but he will now reapply, hoping the Nobel Prize will make a difference in receiving funding. The medicine prize kicked off this year's Nobel announcements. The awards in physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be announced by other prize juries this week and next. Each prize is worth 8 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million). ‘These discoveries have had a major impact on our understanding of how cargo is delivered with timing and precision within and outside the cell,’ the committee said. Professor Rothman and Professor Schekman won the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for their research in 2002 - an award often seen as a precursor of a Nobel Prize. Established by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prizes have been handed out by award committees in Stockholm and Oslo since 1901. The winners always receive their awards on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896. Last year's medicine award went to Britain's John Gurdon and Japan's Shinya Yamanaka for their contributions to stem cell science. | Americans James Rothman and Randy Schekman and German-born Thomas Suedhof won the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine .
They discovered how hormones and enzymes are transported in cells .
Their findings have given scientists a better understanding of diseases including diabetes, epilepsy and of disorders of the immune system .
Hhoped their research on 'vesicle traffic' - the transport system of our cells - will lead to the development of new treatments for diabetes and epilepsy . |
229,199 | b4c5b0163996586b2b02b11c9652a0b405a2d60e | Richie McCaw will become the first rugby union player to captain his country in 100 Tests when New Zealand face Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. It is somewhat fitting that McCaw will achieve the milestone against Wales as they were also the opponents when he captained the All Blacks for the very first time a decade ago. McCaw, who has led New Zealand to 87 wins in his 99 Tests as captain to date, spoke of his pride in playing for and leading the All Blacks at Thursday's team announcement in Cardiff. New Zealand star Richie McCaw is in line to captain his country for the 100th time in a Test match . McCaw has led New Zealand to 87 wins in his 99 Tests during his time as captain . The 33-year-old (right) warms up alongside Kieran Read (left) ahead of New Zealand's match against Wales . He said: 'I always just remind myself it's a privilege every time you get to play for and captain the All Blacks. I enjoy doing it and to do it for as long as I have I guess I have had a huge sense of enjoyment and learnt a lot doing it. 'To get to a hundred (caps as captain) is something that I'm obviously quite proud of, but you can't do it without a good bunch of people around you, that's something I always bear in mind.' All Blacks coach Steven Hansen paid tribute to the three-time IRB player of the year while unveiling his starting XV for the weekend encounter against Warren Gatland's side. 'On behalf of the team and myself, we would like to congratulate Richie on the impressive milestone of captaining his country in 100 Test matches,' Hansen, who coached Wales between 2002 and 2004, said. 'There is no doubt his leadership has grown phenomenally over the years and he is now one of the all-time great leaders of any sports team.' On Saturday's game, Hansen added: 'It's always a great occasion to play at Millennium Stadium, which is one of the great stadiums in the world. We have had a good week's preparation and we are expecting a physical Test with a high ball-in-play time. All Black captain McCaw packs down for a scrum during a training session . Steven Hansen has lavished praise on McCaw ahead of his 100th game as captain of the All Blacks . 'We know we will have to be totally engaged in our own roles for the full 80 minutes and take the game to the Welsh at every opportunity.' Hansen has made 12 changes to the side that secured a 24-16 win against Scotland last Saturday, with Ben Smith, Charles Piutau and McCaw the only players to retain their place in the starting XV. Dan Carter, who made his first Test start of the year in last weekend's encounter at Murrayfield, is not included in the match-day squad, nor is Aaron Cruden, who was given the nod at 10 against England seven days earlier. Instead Beauden Barrett will start at fly-half, alongside scrum-half Aaron Smith, who was rested for the Scotland clash. Ben Smith starts a second successive Test at full-back after a Rugby Championship campaign which saw him play in no fewer than three different positions, while Julian Savea and Piutau will play on the wings. Sonny Bill Williams, who became a father for the first time on Tuesday, partners Conrad Smith in midfield. In the pack, McCaw is joined in the back row by Kieran Read and Jerome Kaino, while locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick return to the second row. Hooker Dane Coles, who was sin-binned during New Zealand's victory over England, will be flanked by props Wyatt Crockett and Owen Franks in the front row. Team: B Smith, C Piutau, C Smith, S Williams, J Savea, B Barrett, A Smith, K Read, R McCaw, J Kaino, S Whitelock, B Retallick, O Franks, D Coles, W Crockett. Replacements: K Mealamu, J Moody, C Faumuina, P Tuipulotu, L Messam, TJ Perenara, C Slade, R Crotty. | New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw is in line to start against Wales .
McCaw captained the All Blacks for first time against Wales a decade ago .
Coach Steven Hansen has paid tribute to McCaw for reaching milestone . |
178,265 | 72cd5bc1f963f6f9741ff2b5d18734b0a9143598 | (CNN) -- An R. Kelly concert appearance in Columbus, Ohio, has been canceled after protests. Kelly was scheduled to perform at the Fashion Meets Music Festival, scheduled for Labor Day weekend in the Ohio capital. But after a backlash on social media, the festival decided to drop the controversial singer, the festival's communications director, Melissa Dickson, said in a statement. "The people of Columbus didn't feel that R. Kelly's reputation was reflective of their community, and took to social media to adamantly express their opinions. FMMF heard their concerns and took action," Dickson said. "We wanted to celebrate the already thriving fashion and music communities in Columbus and produce a festival the city would be proud to call (its) own. The motto of FMMF is 'Three Days, Two Loves, One Place' and we recognized that the 'One Place' needed to be heard." Kelly's publicist released a statement to USA Today: "R. Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours." Kelly, best known for his hit song "I Believe I Can Fly," has been the target of some protest since being accused of videotaping sex with a minor in the early 2000s. In 2008, Kelly was acquitted on 14 counts of making child pornography. The accusations received wider coverage last year in the wake of Kelly's latest CD, "Black Panties," when The Village Voice ran a lengthy interview with former Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis, who had worked on a series for the newspaper about lawsuits against the singer. HLN: Reporter: How I broke the R. Kelly story . Some visitors to the festival's Facebook page welcomed the concert news. "There are plenty of other artists still playing...quality artists. This is not a loss," one commenter wrote. But others were disappointed, noting Kelly had performed at other festivals. "Show is canceled, it is what it is!!! And yes I will be getting my money back for the tickets I purchased!!!" said another. Other acts playing the festival include O.A.R., Michelle Williams, Cold War Kids and Rusko. CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this story. | R. Kelly won't be playing Columbus, Ohio, festival .
There was a backlash on social media over his appearance .
Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008 .
He had been accused of videotaping sex with a minor . |
252,180 | d25db084395984630479cb0a491d1f6d66bca35d | A mother-of-two says having a baby saved her life because she found a lump in her breast while breastfeeding. Gill Thomson, 37, noticed a fast-growing lump in her breast five months after her son Jack was born. Initially, she suspected it was simply a blocked milk duct and didn’t consider the possibility it could be a tumour, even when her GP suggested screening as a precaution. Gill Thomson, 37, was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump while breastfeeding her son, Jack . But Mrs Thomson, from Edinburgh, received the devastating diagnosis after being referred to a specialist breast cancer centre. The communications manager, who has now made a full recovery, said: ‘I feel really lucky because doctors think there was a very good chance I had the cancer while I was pregnant. ‘Obviously it was a massive shock. It’s overwhelming to think that if it wasn’t for Jack, it might not have been caught so quickly and it might have been too late for me. ‘I was petrified, thinking how am I going to look after my children while dealing with cancer?’ It’s natural that you fear the worst.’ After the joy of giving birth to Jack, now two, the cancer diagnosis came as a terrible shock to Mrs Thomson, husband David and their daughter Maisie, five. Doctors at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital suspected that hormones had accelerated the tumour’s growth, making it bigger but easier to detect. Mrs Thomson (pictured with her husband, David, son, Jack, and daughter, Maisie) had to have chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery before she was given the all-clear . The diagnosis forced Mrs Thomson to stop breastfeeding while she underwent a series of tests before starting her treatment. And she had to leave her family for 24 hours to protect the children from the possibility of radiation after being injected with a special dye to see if the cancer had spread. She said: ‘Five months after giving birth to my baby boy, we found ourselves in a small consulting room hearing the life-changing news that I would begin chemotherapy in less than two weeks. ‘It sounds really melodramatic, but having to stay that night at my parents’ house before finding out if it had spread was definitely the hardest part. A lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast. A change in the size or shape of one or both breasts. Discharge from either nipple or a lump or swelling in either armpit. Dimpling on the skin of the breasts or a rash on or around the nipple. Pain in either breast. Source: NHS Choices . ‘I ended up having to turn all of the photos of the kids face down because it was just so heart-breaking. ‘You almost feel like you have let them down, which I know is stupid. I was worrying what they were going to do if the worse-case scenario happened.’ Within a fortnight, Mrs Thomson was on a trial of a strong chemotherapy drug, which caused her immune system to weaken and her hair to fall out. But the morning after her first session, the family were shattered by more misfortune when Mr Thomson was knocked off his bike in a hit-and-run incident. The accident left him on crutches with Mrs Thomson having to take up the role of childcare - all while suffering the ill-effects of chemotherapy. She said: ‘It was just ridiculous - our family truly have been through hell and back. At that point I remember thinking “how could things get any worse?”’ Despite Mrs Thomson’s early treatment, the tumour continued to grow, and she had a lumpectomy before she continued with chemotherapy. She was put through daily radiotherapy for five weeks early in 2013 before being given the all-clear a year ago. Health professionals recommend that she remained on medication to suppress her levels of oestrogen, a hormone known to encourage growth in some breast cancers. Mrs Thomson (pictured with Jack) says she believes the cancer wouldn't have been diagnosed so early if she hadn't been breastfeeding and credits Jack with saving her life . She will go through the menopause early, leaving her unable to have more children. But the mother-of-two said it was a price that she was more than willing to pay for the chance of a long life with her family. She said: ‘Breastfeeding made me a lot more aware than I’d usually be and probably helped me to notice sooner that I had quite a big lump. ‘I’m just so glad I got it checked or there could have been a very different outcome. ‘The kids have both been amazing and - with mine and David’s family - they have all really helped me through a tough time. ‘I’m just so happy to be at the other end and be all-clear from cancer now. I know not everyone’s as lucky as me but it may not always be the worse-case scenario. ‘I want people to know that you can get over this and there’s so much support out there.’ Gillian Smith, director of the Royal College of Midwives, said Mrs Thomson’s story showed how important it was for health professionals not to be complacent with changes to women’s breasts when lactating. She said: ‘We have to be careful that we don’t assume that every lump and bump women have is a blocked milk duct. ‘It’s absolutely the right route that everyone’s taken here - if there’s anything suspicious at all, don’t make an assumption, make sure it gets checked out.’ | Gill Thomson found a lump when her son, Jack, was five months old .
She assumed it was a blocked milk duct but tests showed it was a tumour .
She had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery as she battled the cancer .
Mrs Thomson has now been given the all-clear . |
250,124 | cfb121e61847adb42c1fee2031c1cefeee518328 | (CNN) -- SeaWorld defended itself Sunday from criticism from a family after a dolphin bit their 8-year-old daughter at the Orlando attraction. A video posted online shows the girl standing along the edge of a pool, one of several people feeding dolphins. After she picks up a paper plate that once held the marine mammal's food, a dolphin lunges at her and bites her hand. The dolphin let go after a few seconds, but not before leaving three puncture wounds on the girl's hand. In a statement, SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said on-site "educators and animal care staff ... immediately connected with the family. In addition, a member of our health services team was in the area at Dolphin Cove and quickly responded and treated the young girl." Yet in an interview with CNN Atlanta affiliate WSB, the family at the center of the November 21 incident faulted the central Florida attraction's staff for not warning them the dolphins might bite and for their response after the girl was injured. "We felt powerless," the girl's father, Jamie Thomas, said in explaining their decision to post a video on YouTube. "We thought, look, we've got this video, let's make it public, and let's try to put some pressure on SeaWorld to make some changes." The 8-year-old, Jillian Thomas, said she "accidentally held" up the paper plate, after which the dolphin "jumped up and ate the carton and bit my hand." "I was thinking it was going to haul me into the water," she said. "And this is a little crazy, but I thought it was ... going to eat my hand off." Jamie Thomas said those feeding the dolphins were told the paper plate should stay on the wall, "but we really didn't know why." No one signed a disclaimer, and there were no signs indicating any risk, the father said. The girl's mother, Amy Thomas, said she was upset about SeaWorld staffers' response. "They did not tell us to look out for any signs of infection," the mother said. "We had to ask for Band-Aids." The Thomas family never contacted SeaWorld after leaving the park, Bides said. She defended the attraction and its protocol, including "specific instructions to not pick up the paper trays at any time." "Our guests are given clear instructions on how to feed the dolphins in an appropriate and safe way," Bides said. "... Unfortunately, there are times when instructions are not followed." Race is on to find Gulf Coast dolphin killers . Video: Dolphin is reunited with its rescuers . | Video shows a SeaWorld dolphin lunging and biting a girl's hand for a few seconds .
Her family faults SeaWorld for insufficient warnings and the response after the girl was bit .
A SeaWorld spokeswoman says the 8-year-old girl got immediate treatment .
She adds that the girl didn't follow "specific instructions" meant to prevent such incidents . |
110,617 | 1a94dcb78c2d0503b056404115d4d8c60b0071b1 | London, England (CNN) -- A British auction house plans to sell off newly discovered sketches done by Adolf Hitler when he was a struggling student trying desperately to get into art school. The 12 charcoal and crayon sketches cover "typical student subjects" and don't display a great deal of promise, Mullock's Auctioneers said. They include two drawings of an elderly woman thought to be Hitler's mother, as well as studies of objects, landscapes, models, and even a Roman senator. All are signed and some even have Hitler's Vienna address, Mullock's said. The sale also includes the original portfolio in which Hitler kept the sketches, which is signed and has his address, Mullock's said. "They look quite typical of an aspiring student hoping to get into art school -- tentative and not very certain about his perspective when he's using pencil and pen, making basic errors by getting the top and the bottom of a candlestick wrong in relation to each other, and so on," said Michael Liversidge, emeritus dean of arts at Bristol University in England. Letter by Hitler to Britain sells at auction . The sketches lack technical skill but are "not so bad that one can't imagine him learning. "But there's not latent genius here, and not much beyond a moderate school grade," Liversidge said. "Probably if the artist was at school today you wouldn't encourage him to keep the subject up." The sketches have been owned by a professional artist who had them for years in his own collection and for his own interest, said Richard Westwood-Brookes, the historical documents expert at Mullock's. The artist brought the works to Mullock's attention. Mullock's plans to auction the sketches April 15 in Ludlow, England, about 125 miles northwest of London. They're expected to bring between £4,000 and £6,000 (about $6,100 and $9,100) each, the auction house said. The drawings all date from around 1908 and 1909, when Hitler was a "penniless dropout" trying to get accepted into the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts to train as a professional artist, Mullock's said. The school rejected him twice, so Hitler hung around the city, trying to make a living producing watercolors to sell to tourists, Mullock's said. The rejection by the academy may have had huge implications for Hitler later in life, Westwood-Brookes said. "Many believe that it was this rejection that turned his mind and unleashed the monster within him, which was to bring forth so much evil on the world," he said. "... In a sense, therefore, the academic decision of the art establishment in Vienna can go down as one of the most monumental decisions in all of history." Nevertheless, Westwood-Brookes said, "On the evidence of these sketches, you can see why the Vienna Academy turned him away." | The 12 sketches date from when Adolf Hitler was trying to get into art school .
All the sketches are signed and some even have Hitler's Vienna address .
They're expected to bring between $6,100 and $9,100 each at auction .
Drawings all date from around 1908 and 1909, when Hitler was a "penniless dropout" |
265,652 | e40d54c3a250070e24f3515baf8de85c8a22dc53 | Hong Kong (CNN) -- Police are investigating a beauty clinic in Hong Kong after four women were hospitalized with septic shock after receiving a treatment experts say is usually only administered to cancer patients. Two women, aged 46 and 60, remain in a critical condition after being admitted soon after undergoing the procedure at the DR beauty clinic last Wednesday, according to a statement from the Hong Kong Department of Health. Two other women, aged 56 and 59 are also hospitalized. The younger woman is in a serious condition, while the elder woman is said to be stable. In a statement from the health department -- which is investigating the matter -- a spokesman said patients had received what's called a DC-CIK treatment, a procedure that involves, "concentration and processing of blood taken from the person, and subsequent infusion of the mixture back into the patient. According to the investigation, the treatment was provided by registered medical practitioner." Experts contacted by CNN said they had never heard of DC-CIK being used on healthy people. "Such treatment is only indicated for patients with metastatic cancer and often as salvage therapy when there are no other feasible options," Professor KY Yuen, Chair of Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong's Department of Microbiology said in an email to CNN. It's not clear whether any of the women had been diagnosed with cancer, though the Hong Kong Health Department said in a statement that at least one woman had been in good health before the treatment. Dr. Ho Pak-leung, President of the University of Hong Kong's Center for Infection told CNN that he had not heard of any scientific evidence that DC-CIK treatment was useful for cosmetic purposes. "I have serious doubts about the medical and scientific basis of the treatment," he said. In a statement, Hong Kong's Health Department said blood samples taken from one of the women showed the presence of Mycobacterium abscessus, a bacterium that can be found in water, soil and dust, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preliminary samples from two other women produced similar findings -- testing is still under way. Dr. Ho said under normal circumstances the bacterium does not pose a danger to healthy people, and is most commonly seen in superficial wound infections. However, he added that it appears as though it had somehow entered the women's blood. "There's a real possibility that the treatment is a direct cause of the serious illness in the four patients," he said. "We don't normally see infection of the blood and internal organs in patients," Dr. Ho said, adding that effectively treating the condition is "very difficult." He said: "Doctors are trying very hard to save the patients who came down with blood infections with this bacteria but there's a lot of uncertainty as to whether those drugs are really effective." A Hong Kong Health Department spokesman said investigations revealed that the treatment was provided to a total of 44 women, including those hospitalized in the past week. The hospitalized women were said to have experienced a range of symptoms including headaches, fever, diarrhea and vomiting. As of late Sunday, 12 people had called a special hotline to say that they were also clients of the clinic, but no new cases of septic shock had been reported, the Health Department said. In response to media questioning on Saturday, the clinic's founder, Dr. Stephen Chow Heung-wing said that his staff referred clients to an independent doctor who administered the therapy, but denied suggestions that it was offered as a medical treatment. "I didn't said that it can cure any diseases. Remember that, we are a beauty clinic. We refer clients to doctor(s) and we have had the clients to sign a liability-free form, which states that it is not for medical use," he told local media. CNN phoned Chow's office on Monday but his staff said there would be no further comment. The Health Department said the clinic had been ordered to halt the procedure. A statement on the beauty clinic's website says that the treatment "was conducted by an independent doctor at a medical clinic, and the doctor is not hired by our beauty store." The statement also said it was up to the independent doctor to decide whether the client is suitable for treatment before he or she receives it. It added: "We will assist related government departments to find out the causation of this particular incident." According to its website, the DR group of clinics was established in 1995 and provides services for more than 1,000 clients each day. Vivian Kam contributed to this report. | Hong Kong police investigating beauty clinic after women hospitalized .
Four women are being treated for septic shock after receiving DC-CIK treatment .
Treatment is normally only offered to cancer patients, experts said .
Clinic's founder says clients referred to an independent doctor . |
155,872 | 557bb56684a706a3c2b6474761f8110f50e80ef0 | (CNN) -- "Terrorist funding emanating from Saudi Arabia remains a serious concern." So states a cable prepared for the visit of U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke to the kingdom earlier this year. It is one of several that have appeared on the WikiLeaks site to indicate that despite some progress, the flow of cash to extremist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan from individuals and charities in the Gulf has certainly not been halted. The cable, written by U.S. Ambassador James B Smith, says that the Saudis are "cooperating more actively than at any previous point to respond to terrorist financing concerns raised by the United States, and to investigate and detain financial facilitators of concern." It says the Saudi Ministry of Interior had begun to detain individuals involved in funding networks for groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), an extremist Pakistani group that carried out the Mumbai attacks in 2008, the Taliban, and Hamas. But it says donors in Saudi Arabia "continue to constitute a source of funding to Sunni extremist groups worldwide, especially during the Hajj and Ramadan." And it adds the kingdom remains "almost completely dependent on the CIA to provide analytic support and direction for its counterterrorism operations." The U.S. Treasury has led efforts to block sources of terrorist funding, establishing the "Illicit Finance Task Force" and sending specialists to Kabul, Afghanistan, and elsewhere to help follow the money. It also established an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2008. Treasury sources said earlier this year that other Gulf states had been less co-operative than the Saudis; and other cables obtained by WikiLeaks describe hundreds of millions of dollars in cash being flown from Kabul to various destinations in the region. The Saudi authorities have made some high-profile arrests in the last two years. Ambassador Smith's cable says the Ministry of the Interior timed its announcement in August 2009 regarding the arrest of 44 terrorist supporters "to deter potential donors from giving money to suspected terrorist groups during Ramadan." However, one leaked cable sent by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2009 noted that "it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority." It adds: "Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide" -- running into millions of dollars. "Riyadh has taken only limited action to disrupt fundraising for the UN 1267-listed Taliban and LeT-groups that are also aligned with al-Qaeda," the cable from Clinton says. It also expresses concern that the Taliban might use the cover of reconciliation talks to raise funds. U.N. Security Council resolution 1267 lists groups and individuals accused of involvement with al Qaeda, the Taliban and other extremist groups. It is not only Saudi sources of cash for terrorists that have caused concern. The cable sent by Secretary Clinton notes that while Kuwait has clamped down on domestic terror suspects it "has been less inclined to take action against Kuwait-based financiers and facilitators plotting attacks outside of Kuwait." In particular, the cable says that while the United States had designated the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society for providing support to al Qaeda and associated groups, the government of Kuwait "has not taken significant action to address or shut down RIHS headquarters or its branches." Tareq al Essa, the society's chairman, has denied allegations that RIHS has links with terrorist groups. The leaked cables also express concern that weak regulatory oversight in the United Arab Emirates (a growing financial hub) "makes it vulnerable to abuse by terrorist financiers and facilitation networks." As for Qatar, the cable from Clinton says it has "adopted a largely passive approach to cooperating with the U.S. against terrorist financing. Qatar's overall level of CT [counter-terrorism] cooperation with the U.S. is considered the worst in the region." The cable asserts that although Qatar's security services have the capability to deal with direct threats and occasionally have put that capability to use, "they have been hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the U.S. and provoking reprisals." A long section on terrorist financing in Pakistan repeats the frequent charge that "some officials from the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) continue to maintain ties with a wide array of extremist organizations, in particular the Taliban, LeT and other extremist organizations." It says a "network of social service institutions readily provides extremist organizations with recruits, funding and infrastructure for planning new attacks." Among the groups identified are "UN-proscribed NGOs al Rashid Trust and al Akhtar Trust, and all successor organizations that continue to funnel money and provide other forms of support to the Taliban and LeT." | U.S. cables published by WikiLeaks assess terrorism funding in the Gulf region .
"Terrorist funding emanating from Saudi Arabia remains a serious concern"
The Saudi government is cooperating with the United States more than ever before .
But donors in Saudi Arabia "continue to constitute a source of funding" to Sunni extremists . |
167,402 | 647eff421a7775edc7f4564828675e48df76809d | This is the moment a sham marriage bride is handcuffed minutes before her wedding ceremony after a suspicious registrar told investigators the 'couple' couldn't spell each other's names. Nigerian Joseph Iwueke, 33, was due to marry Slovakian Ingrida Stojkova, 29, in Leeds last July so he could stay in Britain. But they were arrested moments before their fake wedding was due to start after officials at a pre-marriage meeting noticed the groom reading details about his supposed bride from the back of his hand. Iwueke, Stojkova and two others have now been jailed for conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law. Scroll down for video . Slovakian Ingrida Stojkova is handcuffed as she waits for her Nigerian husband-to-be to arrive ahead of their planned sham marriage in Leeds last summer. She has now been jailed . When questioned, Nigerian Joseph Iwueke knew almost nothing about his wife-to-be. A court heard he organised the fake wedding so he could stay in the UK . Leeds Crown Court heard that authorities had been tipped off by a registrar who became suspicious when the pair attended the register office a month earlier and were unable to spell each other's names. Two other men - Obinna Odelugo, 49, and Robert Stojka - were also arrested at the ceremony and found in possession of bundles of cash. They were described as the 'fixers' who arranged the fake wedding for financial gain. Odelugo ran from the ceremony room in West Yorkshire but was found hiding in a toilet cubicle. Stojka had initially claimed to be acting as an interpreter for Stojvoka, of Bolton, Lancashire. Nadim Bashir, prosecuting, said: 'His arrival in jogging bottoms to the wedding ceremony left a lot to be desired as to his real purpose in attending.' Iwueke was jailed for two years and nine months and Stojkova was given a 15-month sentence after they pleaded guilty to to conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law. Odelugo, of London, and Stojka, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, were both given sentences of two years and three months after also admitting conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law. The couple's wedding was interrupted by Home Office investigators and police after a tip-off from a registrar . The pair were jailed along with two 'fixers', including Obinna Odelugo, who organised the sham, a court heard . Stojka was ordered to pay back £1,000 within seven days, while Odelugo was ordered to pay back £2,000. The court heard Iwueke was desperate to be married to someone from an EU country so he could remain in the UK. He will be deported after completing the prison sentence. Stojkova agreed to be his bride in the hope that she would make a financial gain to help make a better life in the UK for her and her son. When confronted by officers, Iwueke and Stojkova continued to insist that their marriage was genuine, but when they were asked they were still unable to spell each other's surname, the court heard. Iwueke was unable to tell officers Stojkova's date of birth, where in Slovakia she was from, where she lived and what her house was like. Stojkova told police she met Iwueke in a nightclub in Bolton and they had arranged to meet for coffee the next day, despite not having a common language. When pressed by officers to name and describe the nightclub she became upset and began shouting that she did not want to talk anymore and that she loved Iwueke. Iwueke (left) was jailed for two years and Odelugo (right) was given a two-year, three-month sentence . Sentencing, Judge Sally Cahill QC said to Iwueke: 'This conspiracy involved you Iwueke, who had come to this country from elsewhere, you had been due to leave this country in July last year. 'Instead of staying through lawful channels you entered into an arranged marriage. 'You were the groom and in my view the person who had the most to gain as you would have been free to stay in this country.' She told Stojka and Odelugo they arranged this marriage 'purely for financial gain' and an 'opportunity to make some quick money'. Judge Cahill told Stojkova: 'You entered this arrangement because you hoped you would be looked after. You clearly didn't know each other. 'You saw an opportunity for yourself to gain a better life. In my view you had the least to gain.' After the case, Home Office investigator Mark Runagall, from Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations, said: 'This group are now paying the price for what was a cynical attempt to bypass the UK's immigration laws. 'Sham marriage abuse will not be tolerated. We work closely with registrars to identify suspicious marriages and we will rigorously pursue those who try to cheat the system. 'Whether you are an organiser or a participant, we will catch up with you and you will be sent to prison.' | Couple registered for marriage and were due to marry last summer .
Registrar noticed 'groom' reading Slovakian woman's details from his hand .
Authorities broke up the wedding seconds before it was due to start .
When challenged, the 'couple' couldn't tell officials about each other .
Court hears Nigerian wanted to pay to marry EU citizen to stay in the UK .
The pair and two 'fixers' have now been jailed for immigration offences . |
97,025 | 08dd3ff4509b9877cdc5f8da1725e66c751a614b | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 20:06 EST, 16 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:07 EST, 16 March 2014 . Eric Pickles revealed the Tories are now looking at setting down 'minimum standards', making it more difficult for local authorities to offer fortnightly collections . Eric Pickles has threatened to introduce new laws forcing councils to bring back weekly bin collections after admitting the Government’s previous efforts have done no more than slow the decline. The Communities Secretary said it had taken Labour ten years to ‘destroy’ the traditional weekly service and suggested it would take as long to restore it. He revealed the Tories are now looking at setting down ‘minimum standards’, making it more difficult for local authorities to offer fortnightly collections. Councils should also be forced to publicise when long-running contracts with waste firms are up for renewal, giving voters a chance to demand a return to a weekly service, he said. Admitting his frustration at the lack of progress so far, Mr Pickles told the Daily Mail: ‘If people get impatient with me, so be it. They aren’t as impatient as I am.’ The minister, who argues weekly rubbish collections are a ‘fundamental right’, has been under increasing pressure over his repeated pledges before the election to reverse the trend towards a fortnightly service that began under Labour. But the proportion of councils operating black bag collections every other week has increased from 57 per cent in 2010 to 69 per cent last year. Most councils have shunned a £250million fund set up by Mr Pickles to pay for the reintroduction of weekly services. Instead, the cash has been used to support the retention of weekly services in areas which still offer them. Mr Pickles’ Department for Communities and Local Government only has authority over councils in England, where it says its efforts have slowed down the movement towards fortnightly bin collections. Mr Pickles insisted the Government had safeguarded weekly collections for six million households in England. File picture . In parts of Scotland and Wales, where the department has no say, some councils are even considering collecting black bag rubbish only once every three weeks. Mr Pickles insisted the Government had safeguarded weekly collections for six million households in England, with four million more still getting them from councils outside the scheme. He said he had also abolished plans for new bin taxes and changed the law to scrap unfair fines for people who do not put rubbish out correctly. ‘If we hadn’t done what we have, we would have virtually no weekly collections. We’ve certainly saved six million, but it’s a process,’ the minister said. ‘It was always going to be very difficult to take on the bin barons, take on the industry and stand up for what ordinary punters want.’ Mr Pickles said he wanted to amend Labour’s Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 to include the minimum standards. ‘It would make it more difficult to do fortnightly collections and set out the type of collection that had to be made weekly,’ he added. | Conservatives want to make it difficult to provide fortnightly collections .
Pickles says weekly collections are a 'fundamental right' of homeowners .
But he says it may take 10 years to get all councils back to weekly pick-ups . |
115,101 | 208beaa57f9f005f15597f434940685d7c1f1176 | By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 16:16 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:56 EST, 15 March 2013 . Guilty: Casey Fury, pictured, was sentenced to a little more than 17 years in federal prison on Friday . A shipyard worker who set fire to rags aboard a nuclear submarine because he wanted to go home was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison for the blaze that transformed the vessel into a fiery furnace, injured seven people and caused about $450 million in damage. Casey James Fury also was ordered to pay $400 million in restitution by a judge who weighed his lack of criminal record and the severity of the fire before imposing a 205-month prison sentence. The 25-year-old Fury, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., pleaded guilty to setting the May 23 fire while the USS Miami was undergoing a 20-month dry dock overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. The civilian painter and sand blaster told authorities that he wanted to go home because he was suffering from an anxiety attack. He told them he never envisioned such extensive damage when he used a lighter to set fire to a plastic bag of rags that he left on a bunk in a state room. The blaze quickly grew into an inferno spewing superheated smoke that billowed from hatches. It took 12 hours and the efforts of more than 100 firefighters to save the submarine. Seven people were hurt, the Navy has said. Eric Hardy, a shipyard firefighter who suffered back and shoulder injuries fighting the blaze, called it the worst fire he had ever seen. 'The best way I could describe it, sir, is fighting a fire in a wood stove and climbing down a chimney,' Hardy told the judge. Fury, who had been working in the . torpedo room, fled to the safety of the pier, prosecutors said, and . watched as firefighters went down hatches and into the burning Los . Angeles class-attack submarine, staying inside for only minutes at a . time because of smoke and blistering heat. Inferno: Fury admitted lighting the blaze on the USS Miami nuclear submarine, pictured, which caused $400 million worth of damage . Hardy said the smoke inside the sub was so thick he couldn't see more than a foot and his flashlight was virtually useless. Firefighters had 20-minute air packs, but it was so hard to get aboard sub and move around inside that they were limited to two to three minutes of actual firefighting. About three weeks later, Fury set a second fire outside the crippled sub, again because of anxiety. That fire caused no damage. He pleaded guilty to two counts of arson in November. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said it was telling that Fury set a second fire after the extensive damage caused by the first one. But the defense lawyer David Beneman . contended Fury suffered from depression and anxiety and that he never . intended to harm anyone. Beneman described a 'spin cycle' caused by . Fury's failure to receive adequate treatment. Fury spoke briefly Friday, apologizing to the people who were hurt and saying he meant no disrespect to the Navy. 'From . the bottom of my heart, I'm truly sorry for what I have done,' he said. When he's release from prison, he'll have to serve five years of . probation. Faced life: Fury pictured, could have been sentenced to life in prison . Depressed: Fury, pictured, was taking sleeping pills and medication for anxiety and depression . U.S. District Judge George J. Singal weighed the extreme damage caused by the fire against Fury's lack of criminal record, which consisted of one drunken driving arrest, in finding a sentence in the middle of the 235 months sought by prosecutors and 18 months sought by the defense. He said he was troubled that Fury set the second fire. 'One of the lessons is that a small fire can cause tremendous damage,' Singal said. 'Yet within a month he starts another one.' The first blaze damaged forward compartments including living quarters, a command and control center and the torpedo room. It did not reach the rear of the Groton, Conn.-based submarine, where the nuclear propulsion components are located. Metallurgists who examined the hull found no major damage and the Navy determined it was cost-effective to repair the vessel with a goal of returning it to service in the middle of 2015. But its future is now uncertain. Repairs have been postponed under mandatory budget cuts known as sequestration. Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, a submarine group commander, said the ship's extensive damage had ripple effects around the Navy, delaying repairs on other vessels and leading to longer deployments for thousands of sailors. | Casey James Fury was sentenced today after the May 23, 2012, fire that injured seven people and caused $450 million in damage at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, New Hampshire .
He was also ordered to pay $400 million in restitution by a judge . |
2,511 | 0753fc6778ad63eeff2407c0121755ee168284ac | (CNN) -- Four people died when a school bus collided with a tractor-trailer at an intersection in Nebraska's rural Webster County on Wednesday, the sheriff's department said. Both drivers were both killed as well as two passengers on the bus, Webster County Sheriff Troy R. Schmitz said. The sheriff's department did not immediately say whether any of the victims were children. The accident occurred at the intersection of County Road 1800 and Country Road R outside the town of Blue Hill, near the Nebraska-Kansas state line, Schmitz told CNN affiliate KHGI. The accident occurred between 4:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. local time, he said. Schmitz declined to release details about the accident, citing a pending investigation. How safe are school buses? | A school bus and a tractor-trailer collided near Blue Hill, Nebraska, the sheriff says .
Both drivers have been killed, he says .
Also killed were two passengers on the school bus, he says . |
954 | 02adb7a44a6ebbeccc564796c1dfa4c441ea0272 | As Apple's antitrust case enters its final stages, a former engineer has revealed the firm deliberately blocked rivals' music from its iPods (pictured) After just a few hours of deliberation, a jury in California has found in favour of Apple in a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit over the price of its iPod music players. The eight-member jury in U.S. District Court rejected a claim by attorneys for consumers and iPod resellers, who argued that Apple's use of restrictive software froze out competing makers of portable music players. Apple had argued that the software provided necessary security protection. However, the jury said Apple's iTunes 7.0, released in the fall of 2006, was a 'genuine product improvement,' meaning that new features were good for consumers . Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they plan to appeal. 'We're glad we got this to the jury,' said attorney Bonny Sweeney, who had argued on behalf of the estimated 8 million consumers who purchased iPods from 2006 to 2009. But she asserted that a ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, kept the jury from considering the full effect of the iTunes software update that was the focus of the trial. The case was filed nearly ten years ago and dates to a time when Apple used anti-piracy software that prevented its iPods from playing songs that were downloaded from online outlets that competed with Apple's iTunes stores. 'We thank the jury for their service and we applaud their verdict,' Apple said in a statement. 'We created iPod and iTunes to give our customers the world's best way to listen to music. 'Every time we've updated those products — and every Apple product over the years — we've done it to make the user experience even better.' As Apple's billion-dollar antitrust case entered its final stages, a former engineer earlier this week claimed the tech giant deliberately blocked rivals' music from its iPods. Rod Schultz, who worked as a senior software engineer at Apple between 2006 and 2008, said he worked on a project 'intended to block 100 per cent of non-iTunes clients.' The project was also set up to 'keep out third-party players' that competed with Apple's iPod, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mr Schultz was subpoenaed by the prosecution to prove Apple restricted rival music on its iPods, which ultimately pushed up the prices of the devices. Apple is accused of abusing its monopoly position in the digital music player market, and only earlier this month lawyers claimed the firm deliberately deleted rivals' song from iPods. The case went to trial in California last month, after being filed a decade ago. Plaintiffs are claiming Apple's restrictive software froze out competitors and allowed it to sell iPods at inflated prices. They are seeking $350 million (£224m) in damages, which could be tripled if the jury finds Apple broke federal anti-trust law. Apple stopped using the particular software in question in 2009, which means the lawsuit only covers iPod models bought between September 2006 and March 2009. Mr Schultz, who worked on Digital Rights Management (DRM), security and data encryption for iTunes and iPods during this time at the firm, said he was an 'unwilling witness' and was not happy about discussing his work, codenamed Candy. Apple, and Mr Schultz, claimed the aim of the project was to improve iTunes and protect its users from malware and other threats caused by downloading non-iTunes music. They added it was not the firm's intention to stifle competition. Earlier in the trial, the prosecution told the court that Apple deleted songs from iPods that had been bought from rival music stores. Each time an Apple user with non-iTunes music tried to sync their devices, between 2007 and 2009, the tech firm urged them to restore the players to factory settings. Apple is accused of abusing its monopoly position in the digital music player market, and only earlier this week lawyers claimed the firm deliberately deleted rivals' song from iPods. The case went to trial in California last month, after being filed a decade ago . Plaintiffs claim Apple's restrictive software froze out competitors and allowed to sell iPods at inflated prices. Apple stopped using the particular software in question in 2009, which means the lawsuit only covers iPod models bought between September 2006 and March 2009. A timeline of Apple releases is pictured . Apple is accused of abusing its monopoly position in the digital music player market, and only earlier this week lawyers claimed the firm deliberately deleted rivals' song from iPods. The case went to trial in California this month, after being filed a decade ago. Plaintiffs are claiming that Apple's restrictive software froze out competitors and allowed Apple to sell iPods at inflated prices. They are seeking $350 million (£224m) in damages, which could be tripled if the jury finds Apple broke federal anti-trust law. Apple stopped using the particular software in question in 2009, which means the lawsuit only covers iPod models bought between September 2006 and March 2009. Earlier in the trial, the prosecution told the court that Apple deleted songs from iPods that had been bought from rival music stores. Each time an Apple user with non-iTunes music tried to sync their devices, between 2007 and 2009, the tech firm urged them to restore the players to factory settings. And the lawyers claimed this was a deliberate move to wipe the rival files, and cause the users' music libraries to 'blow up.' But Apple insisted the move was a legitimate security measure. And the lawyers claimed this was a deliberate move to wipe the rival files, and cause the users' music libraries to 'blow up.' But Apple insisted the move was a legitimate security measure. The court case was almost dismissed earlier this month when the judge disqualified one of the claimants because her iPod wasn't bought during the time period detailed in the case. The other claimant withdrew her claims. But 65-year-old Massachusetts business consultant Barbara Bennet read about the floundering case online and volunteered to represent consumers in the suit. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has repeatedly shown impatience with the attorneys for not doing a better job of vetting the original named claimant in the case, who are supposed to represent the 'class of affected consumers'. 'We shouldn't have been here in the first place,' Rogers said as attorneys on both sides debated how to proceed Tuesday morning. A video testimony of late Apple boss Steve Jobs was played earlier in the trial, filmed six months before his death in 2011. In the testimony, Mr Jobs defended the software and said: 'We were very scared' of the prospect that hackers could break Apple's security system. He added that this might jeopardise Apple's contracts with music recording companies that didn't want their songs to be pirated. 'We would get nasty emails from the labels,' he added. Judge Rogers said she plans to send the case to the jury for deliberations early next week. A video testimony of late Apple boss Steve Jobs (pictured) was played earlier in the trial. In the testimony, Mr Jobs defended the software and said: 'We were very scared' of the prospect hackers could break Apple's security system because it might jeopardise Apple's contracts with music recording companies . | Apple insists the move was a legitimate security measure to protect users .
Lawsuit was filed a decade ago and covers September 2006 to March 2009 .
Claimants are seeking $350 million (£223 million) in damages, which could be tripled under antitrust laws . |
139,473 | 40595f982d7490005d756c2f65519b063f1845c7 | By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 04:24 EST, 15 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:38 EST, 15 May 2013 . This award-winning image of two Palestinian children killed in an Israeli missile strike being carried to their funeral captured the judge's attention at the World Press Photo of the Year. But since then the photographer Paul Hansen has been accused of manipulating the striking image by splicing together three different photos. Now after a thorough investigation examining the RAW file and the JPEG image entered in the competition, the World Press Photo have announced the photograph was not faked. Verdict: The winning image of the 2013 World Press Photo by Paul Hansen was not faked, it has been announced . 'We have reviewed the RAW image, as . supplied by World Press Photo, and the resulting published JPEG image. It is clear that the published photo was retouched with respect to both . global and local color and tone. Beyond this, however, we find no . evidence of significant photo manipulation or compositing.' In response to the damning allegations being cleared, Mr Hansen, who has worked for the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter since 2000, told MailOnline: 'I feel relieved that three independent forensic/computer experts in two different countries have made a clear statement. 'The photo have of course also been judged and examined by four different international photo-jurys with industry- experts. 'This is my most examined photograph ever. Yesterday was a very taxing day and perhaps some questions regarding the origin of these accusations should be asked.' The claims were made Neal Krawetz, a forensic analyst and published by . Extremetech.com. The website claimed 'the photo itself is almost certainly a composite of three different photos, with various regions spliced together from each of the images, and then further manipulation to illuminate the mourners’ faces.' Allegations: Paul Hansen had been accused of manipulating the striking image by splicing together three different photos . But Mr Hansen, a Swedish photographer based in Stockholm has always vigorously denied manipulating the images.' Mr Hansen’s shot won top prize in both the spot news single photograph category and the overall competition. The photo shows the bodies . of two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and his elder brother Muhammad, almost . four, are carried by their uncles to a mosque for their funeral, in Gaza . City. The children were killed when their . house was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on 19 November. The strike . also killed their father, Fouad, and severely injured their mother and . four other siblings. 'The strength of the pictures lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children,' said jury member Mayu Mohanna of Peru. 'It's a picture I will not forget.' When he received the award Mr Hansen said: 'This prize is the highest honour you can get in the profession,' Hansen said. 'I’m very happy, but also very sad. The family lost two children and the mother is unconscious in a hospital.' 'These situations are so visually complex,' he added. 'It’s difficult to convey the emotions, to translate what is happening. The light is harsh and there are a lot of people. 'But in the alley the light bounced off the walls, so I thought this is a place where you can see that it’s a procession. ... You get the depth in the image, and the bouncing light.' | Tech blogger called the award-winning photo a fake .
Photographer has always vigorously denied the allegations .
World Press Photo has backed the photographer .
Photo shows two young brothers' bodies being carried to a funeral in Gaza . |
16,125 | 2db4f430cda13075491d86f28855a854f01fcfe6 | (CNN) -- The high-profile case of a girl adopted by a South Carolina couple is moving toward another legal showdown after Oklahoma's governor ordered the extradition of the girl's biological Native American father, who is accused of custodial interference. Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday ordered that Dusten Brown be extradited to South Carolina after she became convinced that the father disobeyed an Oklahoma court order to allow the adoptive couple, Matt and Melanie Capobianco, to visit Veronica, 4. But Brown's attorneys told CNN that they will challenge the extradition order at a hearing scheduled for October 3. Brown turned himself in to authorities Thursday morning in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, and was then released on $10,000 bail, said Robert Nigh, his attorney in South Carolina. Fallin said Wednesday that her goal "in the Baby Veronica case has been to encourage both Mr. Brown and the Capobianco family to reach a quick settlement and come to an agreement that protects Veronica's best interests." "I said previously that I was willing to delay Mr. Brown's extradition to South Carolina as long as all parties were working together in good faith to pursue such a settlement," Fallin said in a written statement. "Unfortunately, it has become clear that Dusten Brown is not acting in good faith." Brown's attorneys claim their client did not break a law in the ongoing custody dispute. In June, a divided U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Capobiancos, who are white, when Brown sought to assert his parental rights. They had legally adopted Veronica when she was a baby. The justices said the adoption was proper and did not intrude on the federal rights of the father, a registered member of the Cherokee tribe, over where his daughter would live. The court said Brown could not rely on the Indian Child Welfare Act for relief because he never had legal or physical custody at the time of adoption proceedings, which were initiated by the non-Native American birth mother without his knowledge. The father then took his case to Oklahoma courts. Timeline of 'Baby Veronica' adoption case . Brown refused to hand over the child . After the Supreme Court order, a family court in South Carolina developed a "transition plan" to ease any transfer, taking into account the girl's age, sensitivities of the parties involved and the Native American heritage dynamic underlying the larger legal dispute. Brown did not attend a transition meeting, saying he had National Guard training out of state and was unable to get out of that duty. The South Carolina family court then ordered that Veronica be turned over immediately. Brown refused to hand the child over and was cited for contempt. A warrant was issued on August 10 for "custodial interference." As he did Thursday, Brown turned himself in to authorities in Oklahoma and posted bail after that warrant was issued. Fallin acted after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley filed a request with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking "the prompt return of a South Carolina child to her adoptive parents and ensuring that Mr. Brown is held accountable for criminally withholding Veronica Rose Capobianco from her parents for nearly one month," according to a court document. Fallin's "unfortunate" order does not mean Brown will be extradited, according to another attorney, Clark Brewster. An Oklahoma judge will determine whether the father broke any laws, he said, adding his client did not do so. Brown and his attorneys "will appear before a judicial officer, point out the defects in the order and defend themselves," Brewster told CNN. Brewster also claimed his client has tried to accommodate the Capobiancos during the appeal process. But Haley, in her court filing in Oklahoma, said Brown has been in "willful defiance" of South Carolina courts that ordered him to return Veronica to the Capobiancos. South Carolina wants to prosecute Brown for custodial interference. The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an emergency stay on Friday to temporarily delay the transfer of Veronica to the Capobiancos. The order was made public on Tuesday. Case has tested federal law . The extradition order does not affect the current placement of Veronica, according to Fallin. She would be able to stay with Brown's relatives. The four-year case has spanned state lines and tested an unusual federal law. The Capobiancos legally adopted Veronica at birth in September 2009. When Brown learned of her adoption a few months later, he asserted his custody rights under the Indian Child Welfare Act, setting off a lengthy legal fight. A family court judge ruled in Brown's favor in late 2011, and he took his daughter back. The Capobiancos have fought ever since to have Veronica returned, arguing federal law does not define an unwed biological father as a parent. Fallin claimed that Brown denies visitation between the adoptive couple and the girl. "He is acting in open violation of both Oklahoma and South Carolina courts, which have granted custody of Veronica to the Capobiancos. Finally, he has cut off negotiations with the Capobiancos and shown no interest in pursuing any other course than yet another lengthy legal battle," the governor said. "As governor, I am committed to upholding the rule of law. As a mother, I believe it is in the best interests of Veronica to help end this controversy and find her a permanent home," Fallin said. Melanie Capobianco has told reporters that Veronica is being "illegally held against the wishes of her parents and the courts," and she pleaded for her daughter's return. CNN's Joe Sutton, Michael Martinez, Bill Mears and Phil Gast contributed to this report. | NEW: Dusten Brown posts bail after surrendering to Oklahoma authorities .
Oklahoma governor signs extradition order for Brown, the biological father .
South Carolina's governor asked Oklahoma's Supreme Court to return child .
Brown, a Native American, is accused in South Carolina of custodial interference . |
259,255 | db9bcbc67ecfcbe11dba56c1658dd4e073a40845 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 10:38 AM on 1st July 2011 . Catherine Zeta Jones has been turning heads for decades, but she has finally been crowned the most beautiful British woman alive. The Welsh actress first graced our screens as Mariette in The Darling Buds of May when she was just 22. Twenty years on, the 41-year-old has beaten younger celebrities Cheryl Cole, 28, and Kelly Brook, 31, to be named our prettiest compatriot. Welsh actress Zeta Jones, now 41, was . voted as most fitting the model of modern beauty - beating Cheryl Cole, . 28, and Kelly Brook, 31 . Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn was voted the most beautiful British woman of all time. Elizabeth Taylor, another timeless Hollywood beauty, . came second to the Breakfast At Tiffany's actress while Princess Diana's iconic looks completed the top . three. Catherine Zeta Jones, in fourth spot, was the highest place . living beauty followed by Cheryl Cole, Kelly Brook, Keira Knightley, . Kate Beckinsale and Holly Willoughby who all held their . own against old school glamour. An analysis of the top 100 most . beautiful British women of all time reveals that the most beautiful stand at an average of . 5ft 5in, have blue eyes, dark brown hair, and are . actresses by profession. Top two: The most beautiful British women of all time, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor . Classic beauties: Princess Diana and Kelly Brook came third and sixth on the list of most beautiful Brits . 1. Audrey Hepburn . 2. Elizabeth Taylor . 3. Princess Diana . 4. Catherine Zeta Jones . 5. Cheryl Cole . 6. Kelly Brook . 7. Keira Knightley . 8. Kate Beckinsale . 9. Holly Willoughby . 10. Twiggy . TV shopping channel QVC asked 2,000 men . and women to vote on who they believed to be the most beautiful British . women over the decades. Blue-eyed Brits appear to have beaten . brown-eyed girls to the top slots with just under half of the top . 100 being blessed with blue eyes compared to only 39 brown-eyed girls. With only 14 classic British beauties having green eyes, this was the . rarest eye colour. Stepping over to the dark side is obviously the way . forward with 53 brunettes dominating the top 100 versus only 43 blondes, . leaving Dr Who's Karen Gillan, model Lily Cole, singer Nicola Roberts . and award winning actress Tilda Swinton flying the flag for redheads. Actresses meanwhile seem to have the edge on any other profession in the . beauty stakes as 46 of the 100 are thespians by trade. | Audrey Hepburn voted most beautiful woman of all time . |
59,752 | a9ac1075bac2d4c68fff54036b0d7418ed063fd6 | (CNN) -- On the surface, water polo appears an elegant pursuit played by extremely polished performers. But beneath the water line, a different storyline is playing out. Limbs bash against each other, punches and kicks are thrown, nails are used to claw at an opponent and every so often, a player inadvertently disrobes another. The thing is, like most players, Australian goal-machine Rowena Webster wouldn't want it any other way. "We have a running joke that the referees probably only see about 20% of what really happens," Webster told CNN's Human to Hero series. "I guess what you can get away with is what you can get away with but there's a lot of pulling, grabbing, bathers get ripped off. "Anything to get that little advantage over your opponent I guess is a win. We do get our nails checked before each game to kind of limit the amount of scratches we can give to our opponents. "That's not to say it doesn't happen, and there are a lot of kicks and holds and punches that also do go on under the water. "We're really friendly out of the water but as soon as we get into that pool anything is possible." Webster thrives in this school of hard knocks and is the hot shot in front of goal for her national team, known as the Aussie Stingers. Bronze medalists at the London 2012 Olympics, they fell narrowly short of gold at the World Championships in Barcelona, losing 8-6 to host nation Spain in last weekend's final. The 25-year-old was top scorer in Spain with 16 and was selected in the team of the tournament upon its conclusion. She has over 150 caps for her country -- a source of immense pride. "I feel free when I play water polo," Webster explains. "There's something in me that just lets go of everything, I forget about everything. "I'm in the moment. I love playing for Australia and I get excited every time I cap up for Australia. I just love being competitive. "I'm pretty stubborn. I don't even like to lose a game of Monopoly, so winning's always on the top of my priority list." Not only does water polo require finesse, vision, excellent hand-eye coordination and strength, it also requires bundles of stamina. Players are only allowed to use one hand with which to catch and throw the ball and must tread water for all four quarters of the match -- over half an hour at Olympic level. To do so, they employ a technique that goes by the wonderful name of eggbeating. But what it is exactly? "The eggbeater is, I guess, what your mum does at home when she's trying to whip some cream up -- we kind of have our legs going," Webster explains. "It's almost like we're pedaling, but we're pedaling out wide, so if you imagine you're pedaling on a bike and then just making sure it's going out wide. "It's almost like you're sitting on the toilet. You're beating an egg with your legs." Water polo is a game she has grown into. The Melbourne native's own evaluation of her game in the early days is "pretty shocking." But her appetite for the game and determination to improve intensified after the Australian women's team won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when the nation was swept away by Games fever. By the age of 13 Webster was playing for her state, Victoria, and by 16 she was representing her country, captaining Australia to the Junior World Championships title in 2007. Yet there is no doubt as to what she regards as the pinnacle of her career to date -- that third-placed finish at London 2012. "My proudest moment is 100% being at the Olympics and winning a bronze medal," she said. "That's definitely been the highlight of my career and to do it at the highest level was amazing. "The Olympics is that pinnacle and so just to do it there, in front of a really supportive crowd was just incredible -- I get chills thinking about it now." When in full flow, water polo can be quite a frenetic business, so Webster and her teammates have engineered unique ways of communicating during the game. "We yell at each other. It can be a challenge to hear with the crowd and the water in your ears and we also like to point at each other," she said. "Then if that doesn't work, we usually just splash each other!" While obviously disappointed at missing out on gold at the World Championships, Webster was an integral part of her country's best return since 2007, when the Stingers also took silver. And she hopes Australia's performance can entice more youngsters into the sport that continues to provide her with that enchanting sense of freedom. "For the sport of women's water polo, I hope that it gets more and more exposure," she added. "I truly believe it's one of the best sports there is to play for men or women and there are such great women's teams out there. "I hope that a lot of females look towards those idols and say, 'I do want to play this sport and I do want to play for my country.' "I just hope it gets bigger and bigger and hopefully one day, it'll be a paid sport." | Rowena Webster is chief goalscorer for Australia's women's water polo team .
The 25-year-old has made over 150 international appearances for her country .
Webster was part of the team that won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics .
She says the sport can be rough under the water as players jostle for the ball . |
67,985 | c0e7d8ac7737f73444a0765026241e1f625956d3 | By . Paul Harris . In the course of nearly half a century it has become one of the most familiar sounds on radio. But old age has finally caught up with the whistle that calls time on contestants in BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute. The ‘pea’ which has provided the shrill for 826 episodes of the award-winning panel game is so ancient, it has made the whistle unreliable. Louder: The new Acme Thunderer whistle, left, the same kind used by football referees, and the original . That raises the almost unthinkable prospect that panellists could be left blathering on for critical seconds, even after successfully completing the challenge to speak for a minute on specially chosen subjects ‘without repetition, hesitation or deviation’. But yesterday a BBC whistleblower revealed to the Daily Mail that help is at hand. Production assistant Trudi Stevens, currently in charge of blowing the whistle at the end of each minute, confirms she has been given a new one – an Acme Thunderer of the kind used by referees. It’s so loud she fears the consequences when she blows it for the first time beside veteran presenter Nicholas Parsons, who will be 91 this year. 'I don’t want to startle him,’ she said. ‘The other week I did manage to blow the old whistle really well and it made him jump out of his seat.’ 'I don't want to startle Nicholas': The new whistle so loud whistleblower Trudi Stevens fears the consequences when she blows it for the first time beside veteran presenter Nicholas Parsons, who will be 91 this year . Trudi was recruited as a whistleblower in 2007, and has probably blown it around 500 of the estimated 8,000 times it has been heard since Mr Parsons chaired the first episode in 1967. ‘He tells listeners that whistleblowers need big breaths,’ says Trudi. ‘However people who follow the show tell me I have “a unique style” – which mainly means I don’t blow it hard enough.’ Yesterday, Mr Parsons declared he was delighted a replacement had been found, adding: ‘The whistle was very antiquated – I think they got it out of an old trunk somewhere, and it was somewhat unreliable. 'I hope listeners will look forward to hearing the new one.’ | Old age has finally caught up with the whistle that's kept time since 1967 .
Now contestants will be told when to stop by a new Acme Thunderer .
That's the same kind of whistle used by referees in the Premier League . |
245,039 | c924de33766fbebd50a55e8cbe2d33162dc68e27 | U.S. military efforts . against Islamic State have cost nearly $1 billion so far and are . likely to run between $2.4 billion and $3.8 billion per year if . air and ground operations continue at the current pace, . according to a think tank analysis. But a ramp-up, including more air strikes and a significant . boost in ground forces, could send costs soaring to between $13 . billion and $22 billion annually, said the analysis released on . Monday by the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary . Assessments. 'Future costs depend, to a great extent, on how long . operations continue, the steady-state level of air operations, . and whether additional ground forces are deployed beyond what is . already planned,' said the report by Todd Harrison and other . analysts. Costs of war: Chuck Hagel told reporters the Pentagon has spent roughly $7 million to $10 million per day on operations against Islamic State since June 16 . Pricey battle: The reported $7M to $10M per day the U.S. government is shelling out for the strike in Syria helps keep the stealth F-22 Raptor (seen here being refueled midair September 26) in the air . Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters last week that . the Pentagon has spent roughly $7 million to $10 million per day . on operations against Islamic State since June 16, when it first . deployed troops to assess the Iraqi military and advise its . leaders. The United States began air strikes against Islamic State . militants in Iraq on Aug. 8 and expanded them to Syria on Sept. 22. Coalition forces have carried out 290 air strikes in Iraq . and Syria, of which the U.S. military has conducted 265. U.S. planes are flying about 60 reconnaissance sorties per . day, and some 1,600 U.S. troops are being deployed in Iraq. The think tank's analysis estimated the cost of U.S. operations against Islamic State through Sept. 24 at between . $780 million and $930 million. That agreed roughly with Hagel's . estimate of the cost per day. If air operations continue at a moderate level and deployed . ground forces remain in the range of 2,000, then the cost of the . U.S. military effort against the militant Islamist group would . likely run between $200 million and $320 million per month, the . report said. But increased air operations, coupled with the deployment of . up to 5,000 ground troops, would cost between $350 million and . $570 million per month. High-intensity air operations with a . deployment of 25,000 troops could cost $1.1 billion to $1.8 . billion per month, the report said. Defense officials have indicated they will have to seek more . funding because of the fight against Islamic State. The U.S. used its stealth F-22 Raptors for the first time ever in combat in the first airstrike against ISIS in Syria. The $150million jets were used to bomb an ISIS command center in Raqqah. According to the Daily Beast, the Raptor strikes along with the Tomahawk cruie missiles launched from the sea cost around $79million. This is a sliver over the cost of India's recently completed unmanned mission to Mars, which coast $74million. Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of . Staff, said last week that the Pentagon's 2015 budget proposal . assumed stable or declining commitments abroad and some . flexibility to adjust military pay and healthcare and to retire . weapons systems. 'Commitments have gone up,' Dempsey told reporters, noting . that Congress has rejected some proposals to retire weapons and . adjust military compensation. 'So if you're asking me do I assess right now ... that we're . going to have budget problems? Yes.' The center said its cost estimates were based on publicly . available information about the types of aircraft and munitions . being used, as well as expenditures in previous operations. | Ramp-up with more air strikes and a boost in ground forces could send costs soaring to between $13 billion and $22 billion annually .
Chuck Hagel told reporters the Pentagon has spent roughly $7 million to $10 million per day on operations against Islamic State since June 16 .
Coalition forces have carried out 290 air strikes in Iraqand Syria, of which the U.S. military has conducted 265 . |
137,381 | 3dad918a8acb83999f16db01f003cbd092e5a5db | For years, the 'Kung Fu' gland somehow escaped the attention of endocrinologists. But one student has clearly found it... according to his hilarious answer to a biology exam question (complete with surreal sketch). And what about the meaning of the term 'hermaphrodite'. That would, apparently, be 'Lady Gaga'. Welcome to the wonderful world of Funnyexam.com - a website crammed with astonishingly bad answers given by students in both the UK and US. Discovery of the legendary 'Kung Fu' gland, according to one student on Funnyexam.com . See the top right corner, so that you're quite clear they're talking about a 'horse'... Now that's a 'hard' exam question . Teachers have so far submitted hundreds of 'epic fail' responses by pupils, covering maths, science and just about every other subject on the curriculum. And it does make you wonder what exactly is being taught in schools. One pupil had the perfect answer to: 'Briefly explain what hard water is'. They wrote 'Ice'. Equally amusing are the comments made by exasperated teachers. Take this 'feelings' study below - where 'Enough is enough Judy!' has been written on the naughty pupil's answer sheet. Well, they did call the poor boy ugly. It is not clear whether all the exam answers are genuine. Indeed, all references to the schools in question have been censored, so it would be impossible to authenticate them. The teachers' submissions have all been rated and you can filter the pupils' answers by newest, most popular or just random. Ranking is determined by the number of thumbs-up by 'huffers'. And it seems to be a popular pastime - as some have received more than 2,000 votes. | Q. What is meant by the term 'hermaphrodite'? A. Lady Gaga .
Q. What do we call the science of classifying living things? A. Racism . |
232,254 | b8bd717a9fdc412e1f6cfd9401978e46e4e5f692 | By . Ray Massey, Transport Editor . PUBLISHED: . 07:11 EST, 17 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:32 EST, 17 May 2012 . Long summer holidays are cancelled for thousands of Vauxhall workers – but they’re still celebrating a famous victory and massive boost to the UK economy that has left German rivals reeling. Scrapping the ‘traditional’ long car industry factory summer shutdowns is a central part of a ‘ground-breaking’ new round-the-clock flexibility deal which has secured its future, . Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant has been handed £125million investment to build the new Astra model from 2015, with the creation of 700 direct jobs on top of the 2,100 already secured. Driving forward: American bosses at Vauxhall's US parent company General Motors judged that British workers are more flexible, competitive and efficient - and less militant - than their counterparts in Germany . There will also be 3,000 more indirect jobs with suppliers thanks to £1billion of parts business generated by the deal. The deal led Vauxhall’s giant American parent company General Motors to choose it to build the next generation Astra ahead of a rival German factory judged less efficient, competitive, hard-working or flexible – and in a country struggling with a deepening Euro crisis. Prime Minister David Cameron hailed it as ‘excellent news’ for the factory and for UK manufacturing on the same day it was announced that export-driven UK car production, soared by nearly 10 per cent in April. Business Secretary Vince Cable said it was ‘fantastic news’ while Vauxhall bosses called it ‘a historic day.’ One insider said: ‘The German trade unions will go bonkers.’ Under the ‘unprecedented ‘ flexibility deal on pay and conditions agreed with a 94 per cent majority by the workforce, the plant will work 51 weeks a year, increase the number of shifts from two to three per day, and have a long-term four year pay agreement to ensure stability. There is also the option for Saturday working and a 40 hour week when demand requires. The traditional summer shutdown in July and August will be scrapped to allow production to run through. But there will be a short shut-down between Christmas and New Year, said Vauxhall. The four year pay deal also comprises a two year pay freeze from 2013 followed by two years of real terms increases of RPI inflation plus 1 per cent. The new workforce agreement comes into force in 2013 and runs through the life of the next generation Astra, into the early 2020s. Production will soar from 140,000 now to 160,000 and up to a capacity of 225,000. Vauxhall chairman Duncan Aldred, who first worked at the Ellesmere Port factory 20 years ago as a graduate, said it was a ‘historic day’ for Vauxhall. Busy: Production at the Ellesmere Port factory is to soar from the current 140,000 cars a year to 225,000 . Of the flexibility deal he said: ’It will do away with the somewhat old fashioned factory shut-downs which have been in place in the UK workplace for centuries.’ Mr Aldred said: ‘It really does put Vauxhall Motors at the forefront of manufacturing, not only in this country but across Europe.’ Vauxhall will also raise the amount of ‘British-sourced components in the Astra to at least 25 per cent which will create further employment locally and in the UK overall and further increase the plant's competitiveness. Ellesmere Port will be the lead plant to build the next generation five-door Astra hatchback plus one other variant – either the Sports Tourer estate or the sporty GTC. That is to be decided. But it means a German factory at Bochum – which was also bidding to build the next generation Astra – now faces the axe with the loss of more than 3,000 jobs. Currently German workers at Bochum produce just 30 cars a hour over three shifts. By contrast, Ellesmere Port workers produce 47 cars an hour on just two shifts – and will boost that even more when they move tho round the clock working of three shifts. The deal turns on its head the notion that British plants are first in line for closure because their ‘flexibility’ means they are easier and cheaper to shut than in Germany where the cost of lay of are significantly more expensive. Instead, the flexible agreements have proved a magnet for foreign investment. Prime Minister David Cameron said: ‘This is excellent news for Ellesmere Port and for UK manufacturing. ‘Once again we have seen the success of the UK automotive industry and the crucial role it plays in growing and rebalancing our economy.’ He added: ‘This has been a real team effort with the Government, the company, unions and workers all focused on keeping production in the UK. ‘And the workforce at Ellesmere Port should take great pride in their skill, hard work and commitment which has proved vital to ensuring this great result today.’ Business Secretary Vince Cable said he was ‘proud’ to be at the factory for the announcement, describing it as a ‘very great day’. ‘The fact that big American car companies are making big investments in Britain is a good signal.’ Mr Cable stressed how productive the Ellesmere Port factory is when he held talks in New York with bosses from Vauxhall's parent firm General Motors . Mr Cable said there were no major taxpayer subsidies but that Vauxhall was free to apply for regional grants for training: ’We’ve not been waving a cheque book.’ He said that while the fate of the Euro might have played a part in GM’s decision, he did not believe it was the deciding factor. Competiveness was. Leading motor industry expert Professor Garel Rhys said he was sounded out by General Motors’ American bosses about the relative efficiency of the UK and German factories adding: ‘They have looked rationally and forensically at the data. Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory has the second lowest unit costs for production anywhere in Europe. The Germans have had a shock.’ Prof Rhys, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business Schoolpredicted UK car production could hit a record 2.4million by 2015, beating the previous record of 1.92million set in 1972. The official projection for this year is 1.55million. ‘The UK motor industry is on a roll, he added. 'Some 80 per cent of UK-built cars are now exported - the highest in Europe. We’re faring far better than the Continent and the Euro-zone which is struggling.’ Latest motor industry figures showed a near 10% rise in the number of cars built in Britain compared to a year ago - boosted by strong export demand, new figures showed. There were 94,352 cars produced in April, an increase of 9.3% on the same month in 2011, and up by 11.8% for the first four months of the year. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the figures showed that the UK remained one of the most competitive countries for car firms. Almost half a million cars were built in the UK in the first four months of the year, with more than 400,000 for export. The number of engines built increased by 1.2% last month to 192,408, while commercial vehicle production rose by 3.2% to almost 9,000, although it was 9% down in the year to date. Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘It is great news that Vauxhall will retain its Ellesmere Port plant and another important vote of confidence for the UK automotive industry, adding to the wave of recent investment decisions that have backed our facilities and workforce. “Manufacturing is now core to our country’s economy and the partnership forged between companies, employees, trades unions and government in the UK automotive industry demonstrates that the country is a globally competitive place to do business.’ | Announcement ends months of nail-biting over future of Cheshire plant .
Vauxhall's American owners are to close factory in Germany with loss of thousands of jobs after backing UK site .
British workers found to be more flexible, competitive and efficient than German counterparts . |
62,813 | b271227eac087c0feb2e102fa356be36a46a5189 | Washington (CNN) -- The threat of publication of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables by a muckraker website has prompted a massive review of documents at U.S. embassies around the world, a U.S. official says. The official, who was not authorized to comment on the record, tells CNN that the State Department has, for months, been intensively dealing with the potential impact of the release of documents that WikiLeaks just recently hinted it will publish. The documents are believed to include hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of diplomatic reporting cables from around the world from between 2006 and 2009, the official said. In October, WikiLeaks released nearly 400,000 U.S. military reports about operations in Iraq. In July, it released more than 70,000 reports from the war in Afghanistan. "Next release is 7 [times] the size of the Iraq War Logs," the WikiLeaks stated in a posting on its Twitter page on November 21. "Intense pressure over it for months. Keep us strong." The State Department has directed every diplomatic mission in the world to analyze cables issued from their locations during that period and to highlight those cables that might contain material sensitive enough to harm the relationship with the host country or put in danger the lives of any sources of information. The State Department website lists 297 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions. The source says the concern is that the WikiLeaks release could undermine the United States all over the world. Honest diplomatic reporting is essential, the official says, and the leaks could hurt that, as well as compromise traditional diplomatic sources. The leaks could ruin their careers or even result in their deaths. In preparation, the State Department has been reaching out to other governments to warn them and has notified Congress about what could be published, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said earlier this week. For example, David Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has called Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon to inform him of the matter, said Alain Cacchione, a Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman. The Canadian Embassy in Washington is working with the U.S. State Department, he said. The Pentagon also is concerned about the newest release. Officials there expect the documents to be released soon, possibly by the end of the week. The agency is increasing the size of a task force assigned to comb through the records of the already-leaked documents regarding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. If the new documents are published as threatened, the Pentagon team will help assess how damaging they are to U.S. interests. The task force numbers more than 100 people, including staffers from other agencies. The military has charged Pfc. Bradley Manning with leaking videos to WikiLeaks, as well as downloading documents from military computers while he served as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. Among the documents he is alleged to have taken are 150,000 diplomatic cables. WikiLeaks has denied being in possession of those cables. Manning is being held at a military jail in Quantico, Virginia. | Source: Every diplomatic mission document issued from 2006-2009 is under review .
Officials fear the information could harm U.S. relationships around the world, source says .
The lives of sources of information could be put in danger, the source says . |
117,348 | 2389b9386ef67b9cdbe33e4eec011bd0c04042f7 | The Fire Department of New York says three retired firefighters who worked at ground zero have died on the same day from 9/11-related illnesses. Lt. Howard Bischoff and firefighters Robert Leaver and Daniel Heglund died Monday. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says their deaths are 'a painful reminder that 13 years later we continue to pay a terrible price for the department's heroic efforts.' Victims: Lt Howard Bischoff (left) and firefighter Robert Leaver (right) were two of three retired FDNY firefighters who died Monday from 9/11-related illnesses. Lt Bischoff and firefighter Leaver grew up together in Brooklyn and were childhood friends. Firefighter Heglund (center) served 20 years with the FDNY and died the day before his 59th birthday . Fighters: A picture posted to Facebook earlier this month, shows Heglund (left) as he battled cancer. The names of the three men will be added to a memorial of 9/11 firefighter first responders . The three worked at ground zero after the World Trade Center attacks, and stayed with the department for around two decades. One had leukemia, one had esophageal cancer and a third had colon cancer. Firefighter Heglund died one day before his 59th birthday. Lt Bischoff and firefighter Leaver grew up together in Brooklyn and were childhood friends. The Uniformed Fire Officers Association planned a news conference Thursday. Toxins: The Uniformed Fire officers Association plans to hold a press conference on Thursday about the three tragic deaths. Above, firefighters at ground zero . Carcinogins: Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic debris were spread across lower Manhattan in the collapse of the Twin towers . It says first responders showed health problems soon after the attacks, with 99 percent of exposed firefighters reporting at least one new respiratory illness. The FDNY lost 343 firefighters on 9/11 and has recorded more than 850 firefighter and ambulace workers deaths to cancers connected to ground zero work. 'The New York City Fire Department was the only agency that had health data on firefighters pre-9/11,' fire union president Stephen Cassidy told CBS New York. 'The study that they did in the first year after 9/11 showed that firefighters lost 12 years lung capacity in the blink of an eye.' A group of lawmakers are currently working to pass a bill that would extend medical benefits to 9/11 first responders. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation reauthorization Act would extend benefits offered by the original Zadroga bill which are set to expire in two years. The new bill would extend those benefits for another 24 years. The names of the three firefighters will be added to a special memorial for 9/11 firefighter first responders. Aftermath: The Uniformed Fire Officers Association says first responders started showing health problems soon after the attack on the World Trade Center. Above, a firefighter walks away from ground zero on September 11, 2001 . | Lt Howard Bischoff and firefighters Robert Leaver and Daniel Heglund died on Monday . |
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