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97,339 | 0942c1de28b6c33e7a1a690a7b9993617b5bdcec | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:26 EST, 10 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:45 EST, 11 September 2012 . A man has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of a two-year-old boy in a suspected gas explosion which flattened a number of homes. Jamie Heaton died in the blast while watching TV in his home in Shaw, Oldham, on June 26. Andrew Partington, 27, who was injured in the incident, has been charged with manslaughter and causing criminal damage worth more than £1 million and appeared at Oldham Magistrates’ Court yesterday. He appeared at Manchester Crown Court today via prison videolink and has been further remanded in custody. In court: Andrew Partington, 27, left, has been charged with manslaughter and causing criminal damage over the blast in a house in Oldham which killed two-year-old Jamie Heaton, right, as he watched television . This picture shows the scale of the damage to neighbouring houses as well as the scale of the damage to the three houses in the initial blast . He will next appear in court via videolink for a plea and case management hearing on November 21. A provisional trial date was fixed for February 4 with an estimated length of five to seven days. Partington suffered 40per cent burns . and a broken back in the explosion in Buckley Street and was recently . brought out of a coma at the hospital where he was treated. Partington, . who had a bandaged left arm, a bandaged right hand and appeared to be . wearing a back-brace, came into the dock with difficulty and was helped . to sit down by two police officers who remained with him during the . hearing. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. The . seat of the blast was at his rented terrace house, which was next door . to the home of Jamie and his parents, Kenny and Michelle. Wreckage: The blast was so powerful it flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester . Carnage: Debris from the massive explosion sent bits of masonry flying over a wide area around Buckley Street, Shaw in Oldham . Rubble: The massive blast turned three houses instantly into rubble . Fire and police investigators survey the scene of the explosion where four houses once stood . The massive explosion flattened number 11 Buckley Street, where Jamie lived, and number 9, where Mr Partington lived. The two houses are separated by an alleyway. A number of houses caught in the blast zone will have to be demolished . Following Jamie’s death, his parents . paid tribute to 'our little man' who was 'a happy little boy, . mischievous and full of laughter'. Chief . Crown Prosecutor for CPS north west area Nazir Afzal said: 'I have . today advised Greater Manchester Police to charge Andrew Partington with . the manslaughter of Jamie Heaton, aged two, and causing criminal damage . valued at over £1 million to houses in Buckley Street, Shaw, Oldham, on . June 26 2012. 'Police were . called to the scene of a gas explosion in Buckley Street at around . 11.15am where two houses, number nine and number 11, were destroyed in . the blast and other homes damaged. Injuries: Andrew Partington, left, with his partner Tanya Williams, had a bandaged left arm, a bandaged right hand and seemed to be wearing a back-brace as he appeared in court . Tragic: Jamie Heaton, two, was killed instantly in the blast in June, this year . Agony: tearful parents Kenny and Michelle look at tributes to their two year old son Jamie . Grief: Michelle And Kenny Heaton visit the scene of the blast and lay a tribute to their two-year-old son Jamie . 'The seat of the blast was in number nine and Jamie, who was in the living room of his home at number 11 watching television, died as a result of the explosion. I would like to express my sympathy to Mr and Mrs Heaton on their tragic loss. 'After considering the evidence, I am satisfied there is sufficient to charge Andrew Partington with manslaughter and criminal damage. 'The decision was taken in accordance with the code for Crown prosecutors.' Greater Manchester Police will be taking no further action against a man arrested in connection with a fatal explosion in Shaw. The bail of the 32-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, has been cancelled by police. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Andrew Partington, 27, was remanded in custody and will appear in court for a plea and case management hearing on November 21 .
He suffered 40per cent burns and a broken back in the explosion in Buckley Street which killed little Jamie Heaton as he watched television .
Devastating blast destroyed three homes and caused more than £1million damage in Buckley Street, Shaw, Oldham, on June 26 this year . |
226,455 | b13791da70173acd957407abb03f6967159fc453 | The radical Orion spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts into deep space, has arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Engineers are now preparing Orion to launch atop 180ft tall (55 metres) United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rockets in an unmanned test flight on December 4th. The spacecraft is hoped to take astronauts to explore an asteroid and eventually make the 34 million mile (55 million km) journey to Mars. Scroll down for video . The countdown begins: The Orion craft, designed to carry astronauts into deep space, has arrived Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida . 'This is just the first of what will be a long line of exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit,' said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development. 'In a few years we will be sending our astronauts to destinations humans have never experienced. It's thrilling to be a part of the journey now, at the beginning.' During the trip to Cape Canaveral from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center, the conical-shaped capsule was encased in its 52ft-tall (16 metre) protective fairing. The entire transported stack - which includes the fairing, crew module and ‘Launch Abort System’ - is 70ft tall (21 metres) in total, or about the size of five double decker buses. When attached to the rockets, it will be around 250ft (76 metres). Last month the Delta IV Heavy rocket, built by United Launch Alliance, made its move to nearby Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Deep space: The spacecraft is hoped to take astronauts to explore an asteroid and eventually make the 34 million mile (55 million km) to Mars . Safety checks: During the four-hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety such as the launch abort system . The Launch Abort System and upper stage, shown in the left of this image, have been transported to Cape Canaveral. Here, they will be joined with the Delta IV Heavy Rocket ahead of a test flight in December. The right image shows the stages Orion will go through during flight . During its December 4 test flight, the unmanned capsule will shoot more than 3,600 miles (5,790km) into space. It will then take two big laps around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere at 20,000 mph (32,200 km/h) and parachuting into the Pacific off the San Diego coast. During the two-orbit, four-hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. The data gathered during the mission will influence design decisions and validate existing computer models. The flight also will reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. The capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere generating temperatures as high as 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket's three Common Booster Cores were tested, processed and attached to each other to form the first stage that will connect to Orion's service module. It then was raised last week from the horizontal position into its vertical launch configuration. For Orion's dry run, the Lockheed Martin-built capsule will have hunks of aluminium in place of seats for ballast, and simulators instead of actual cockpit displays. The Orion capsule is topped by a Launch Abort System that would life astronauts to safety during an emergency during a manned mission. During its December launch, Orion will complete two orbits of Earth at an altitude of 3,600 miles (5,790 km) over 4.5 hours, during which ground control will test the spacecraft's systems. Test flight: Orion will make two big laps around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere at 20,000 mph (32,200 km/h). Pictured is an artist's impression of the Orion craft in orbit . Ready for launch: Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, far left, answers a question during a news conference prior to the rollout of the Orion Spacecraft as participants, second from left, Ellen Ochoa, Johnson Space Center director, Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager and Mike Hawes, director of Human Space Flight Programs at Lockheed Martin listen . The mission involves astronauts making the journey to their captive space rock by hitching a ride on the next-generation Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. After the Orion and the asteroid are attached, the astronauts take a spacewalk to the captured object. Once the Orion docks with the remote-operated asteroid capture device, the crew performs a spacewalk that sees them climb almost the length of the conjoined vehicles to an exposed section of the asteroid they take photos of and scoop samples from, the video shows. After the mission is complete, Orion returns to Earth on the same path it journeyed out on, loops around the moon included, and splashes down in an ocean - likely the Pacific - 10 days later. The mission is seen as an important step towards sending humans to Mars. During its December 4 test flight, the unmanned capsule will shoot more than 3,600 miles (5,790km) into space. It will then take two big laps around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere at 20,000 mph (32,200 km/h) and parachuting into the Pacific off the San Diego coast. During the two-orbit, four-hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. The data gathered during the mission will influence design decisions and validate existing computer models. The spacecraft will also pass through the Van Allen radiation belts - two concentric rings encircling the Earth and held in place by a magnetic field. Since the Van Allen belts were first discovered in 1958, astronomers have been trying to trace the source of the super-acceleration. The acceleration is so high that satellites have to protect their sensitive components with shielding if their orbit spends significant time in the belts . The Orion capsule has been outfitted with sensors to take new readings on the belt and ensure that it doesn't interfere with any of the capsule's onboard electronics. Orion will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at almost 20,000mph (32,180 km/h), and reach temperatures near 2,200°C (4,000°F). At this stage, its parachute system will deploy to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Orion has its roots in the post-Columbia shuttle era; it originated a decade ago as a crew exploration vehicle to get astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and managed to survive the cancellation of the Constellation moon project. On future missions, Orion will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before, including to an asteroid, and Mars. Four hour mission: Orion (artist's impression pictured) will reach temperatures near 2,200°C (4,000°F) during its test flight in December . Big move: The Orion capsule is shown here being moved from the Launch Abort System Facility at Kennedy Space Center, last night . Rocket power: At the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the three primary core elements of the ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket recently were integrated, forming the first stage of the vehicle that will launch Orion . | Nasa's Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to an asteroid and eventually to Mars .
It today travelled from the Kennedy Space Center to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida .
Engineers are now preparing Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket .
Pointed tip of the capsule is known as the Launch Abort System and can take astronaut's to safety .
The fairing - or casing - which aims to stream line the launch, will be jettisoned during Orion's ride into space .
Unmanned test flight will take place on December 4th and will take around four hours, Nasa said . |
229,898 | b5b6e97c654f4a6a769f92a32585223be3d4b1c0 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 06:23 EST, 6 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:46 EST, 6 September 2012 . An elderly pensioner claims her next door neighbour head butted her because she stroked his pet dog. Constance Rimmer was left suffering black eyes and a badly bruised forehead for weeks allegedly after her altercation with Arti Fact. The 84-year-old told Liverpool crown court she was hanging out a tea towel on the communal lawn she shared with Arti Fact while he was drinking whiskey at 5pm on March 26. Black and blue: Constance Rimmer suffered huge bruises to her face and claims her 'neighbour headbutted' her . She said: 'He has a lovely little dog. It came across to me and I was stroking it. 'He said "leave my f-ing dog alone", but he said the full word. He bellowed it at me.' She then described how she retreated to her door as bearded Fact, born Richard John Bailey, followed her while still shrieking at her. Arti Fact is accused of attacking his 84-year-old neighbour because she stroked his dog . She said: 'He’s such a big gentleman. I put my hand out and got an umbrella from the stand. He said hit me hit me hit me. 'I managed not to. I just poked him with my umbrella that was when he head butted me.' Fact, 46, of Southport, denied assault and branded Mrs Rimmer, who was left with appalling injuries, a 'nasty woman and a liar'. He said she had probably hit herself with her umbrella during the altercation. But Claire Jones, prosecuting, said he had previous convictions for punching three employees at McDonald’s in Southport and hitting a woman over the head with a walking stick, after an argument over a pram. She said: 'You are a violent person and have been violent in the past.' Fact, who has two hearing aids and uses a mobility scooter, replied: 'I have defended myself.' Miss Jones replied: 'I am going to suggest that Mrs Rimmer is telling the truth and you are a liar. 'You have hurt her and head butted her while under the influence of alcohol.' | Constance Rimmer says her neighbour bellowed at her for petting his dog .
Defendant Arti Fact claims the pensioner hit herself with umbrella during the row .
The 46-year-old has previous convictions for hitting woman on head with a walking stick in argument over a pram . |
257,140 | d8ce6ee1b9718a3cac45f393fc139483dd61d5be | Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) -- One-third of Americans have a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, but a plurality has no opinion at all, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey indicates that 26 percent of the public has an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement and that 4 in 10 have not heard of the movement or don't know enough to form an opinion. The poll's Friday-morning release comes as what's billed as the first national Tea Party convention begins its first full day of meetings in Nashville. "The Tea Party movement is a blank slate to many Americans, which is not surprising for a political movement that is only about a year old," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Not surprisingly, opinion breaks along partisan and ideological lines." According to the survey, Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement; Republicans like it by a 3-to-1 margin. Among independents, 35 percent of independents holding a positive view and 24 percent a negative view. What's the future of the Tea Party movement? On Saturday, Sarah Palin will serve as the convention's keynote speaker. The also poll indicates that Americans are split on the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, with 43 percent seeing her in a positive light and 46 percent holding an unfavorable view. "Opinion on Sarah Palin also breaks down along party lines, with seven in 10 Democrats disliking her and seven in 10 Republicans with a positive view. She has a net-negative rating among independents: 42 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable," Holland added. "She also continues to rate better among men than women." The Tea Party movement developed last year in protest to what its supporters saw as overspending in Washington -- by both Republicans and Democrats -- after the stimulus bill, the bank bailouts and President Obama's budget. The poll was conducted January 22-24, with 1,009 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. | CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll: One-third in U.S. favor the Tea Party movement .
4 in 10 in poll had not heard of Tea Parties or had no opinion about them .
Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin have an unfavorable view of Tea Party movement .
Sarah Palin to be keynote speaker at national Tea Party convention on Saturday . |
47,965 | 875fdc3e540ceaf3ea34452d3fcdea99bb296c39 | By . Sam Webb . A pensioner has spent £20,000 building a pub - in the cupboard under his stairs. Mick Waite, 66, has spent the last three years on the labour of love - complete with two cask ales, working optics and traditional 1930s wooden panelling. Mr Waite, a retired construction worker from York, said: 'I was born in a pub and I’ve spent most of my life in them so it’s where I really feel at home. Scroll down for video . Freehouse: Beer-lover Mick Waite, 65, from York has converted the area under his stairs into a 1930s style pub . The under-the-stairs boozer has authentic wood-panelling, spirit optics and cask ales . 'When I retired I was at a loss and I’m a good joiner so I thought what better way to spend my days than to build my very own pub. 'I now spend most of my day sitting at the bar and whether I’m drinking coffee or drinking beer, I get to do it in the confines of my very own pub.' The house-pub, called The Midnight Bell, has vintage photographs and plaques from his parents’ former pub, The John Bull in Layerthorpe, North Yorkshire. 'It looks very authentic, just like any other traditional pub you’d walk into,' said Mr Waite. 'The Midnight Bell' houses vintage photographs and plaques from his parents' former pub, The John Bull in Layerthorpe, North Yorkshire . Investment: The pub Mr waite took £20,000 and three years to build . 'I think it’s a great use for a hallway however - most people just walk across their hallway to get upstairs but I can sit down and enjoy a pint in mine. 'I’ve tried to match everything to the 1930s era as I love that time, and the rest of my house is fashioned around then.' With six bar stools in Mr Waite’s local, he can even draw a small crowd, much to the amusement of friends and family who enjoy popping round for the odd tipple. He said: 'I now spend most of my day sitting at the bar and whether I'm drinking coffee or drinking beer, I get to do it in the confines of my very own pub' He said: 'It’s quite a surprise for people when they walk through the door - and then of course they all want a free drink. 'It’s a nice feature to have in your own home and I’ve either added £30,000 to the value of the house if I sell it to a real-ale fan, or knocked £30,000 off. 'I suppose it is a little strange, but people do strange things, and it’s just a little bit quirky.' Mr Waite’s hobby is supported by the 13 years he has spent working at York Brewery part-time. He added: 'I used to go into the brewery’s bar and when I struggled to get full-time work in the construction industry, I got a job doing brewery tours. 'I know all about making beer, and I know a fair bit about drinking it too.' | Mick Waite, 66, loves pubs so much he decided he wanted one at home .
So the former builder and part-time brewery worker built 'The Midnight Bell'
Friends and family love popping over for a pint in the snug pub .
'I suppose it is a little strange, but people do strange things,' he said . |
102,044 | 0f83a04f26e1e63a813756844c525f7e59bfd9bb | The Missouri Department of Corrections discovered, upon preparing to release a prisoner who had served a 13-year sentence in July 2013, that the prisoner had never been incarcerated and promptly sent him to prison. In the intervening 13 years since his 1999 arrest, Cornealious 'Mike' Anderson III, 36, has transformed his life, becoming a master carpenter, starting his own business and marrying and having children. In July last year, as he and his youngest daughter slept in the St Louis home he built for his family, a SWAT team outfitted in tactical gear and helmets swarmed the house, arresting the terrified father of four and delivering him to the Missouri Department of Corrections, where he's been ever since. 13 years late: Mike Anderson is currently nine months into a 13-year prison sentence for a crime committed in 1999 . Now, Anderson is fighting to be released from prison, where he's nine months into the original 13-year sentence. The Riverfront Times reports that it appears some kind of clerical error is responsible for Anderson's predicament. In 1999, Anderson and another man robbed a Burger King store manager of the day's takings as he attempted to deposit the cash in a night-deposit box. The pair used a BB gun and Anderson was arrested two months later after witnesses gave police his car license plate number. Between 2000 and 2004, Anderson filed a series of appeals which were ultimately unsuccessful. At that point, his bail should have been revoked and he should have been taken into custody - but he never was. Family man: Anderson with his wife LaQonna and their four children. In the years since his arrest he has built a business and a loving family life . As the weeks and months passed by, Anderson never attempted to hide: he registered a business, Anderson Construction and Investment, to his home address and married his wife, LaQonna Anderson. He coached his son's football team and volunteered at his local church. He even filed a post-conviction appeal that clearly stated 'Movant is not presently incarcerated.' His co-accused, Laron Harris, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years. In filings, Anderson's address is clearly stated as Webster Groves, whereas the listing for Harris is the Missouri Department of Corrections. No one commented on this discrepancy and Anderson remained free for seven years after his final appeal failed in 2005. Tim Lohmar, the current prosecutor for St. Charles County, where the armed robbery occurred, is baffled at the error. 'Somebody messed up. Somebody messed up big time,' he told CBS News. As to whether Anderson deserves to be free, he said, 'The jury heard the evidence, the judge upheld the sentence,' he says. 'As unfair as it may seem to he and his family, he's got 13 years he owes the state. I don't think there's much more to say than that.' Model citizen: After his scrape with the law, Anderson became a master carpenter, married, and built his family a home from the ground up . Anderson's father, Cornealious Michael Anderson II, said that his son went through a rebellious phase as a young man, but has completely redeemed himself. He had no prior convictions at the time of the crime, and held a full-time job at AT&T. 'If the point of incarceration is rehabilitation, the job's already done,' he told the Riverfront Times. Anderson's attorney Patrick Michael Megaro has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus with the warden of Southeast Correctional facility where Anderson is being held, challenging the state's right to hold Anderson. It argues that forcing Anderson to serve his sentence 13 years after it was given is a violation of due process, and that taking him away from his family, work and home constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. 'Petitioner was left alone by the State of Missouri for 13 years and led to believe that the State had given up on execution of the judgment. To require this man to now begin serving a sentence in 2013 that should have been completed in 2013 is in essence to double his sentence,' reads the petition. If the petition is rejected, Megaro plans to appeal. Frank Bowman, professor at the . University of Missouri School of Law, said that if all else fails, . Anderson's only other recourse would be clemency. 'Say, . "Hey, governor, can you pardon him or commute his sentence in light of . this error on the part of the state? This person has taken advantage of . this great chance, has kept his nose clean and become a great citizen. After all, you have budgetary problems. What good is it going to do to . stick this family man inside and pay for his room and board?"' Abrupt end: Anderson and his wife LaQonna, a hotel manager, who way away on business at the time of his arrest . However, Governor Nixon has only granted one prisoner clemency since he took office in 2009. By contrast, the governor of Illinois has granted 900 during the same period. If Anderson is forced to serve out his original sentence, he will be 50 by the time he is released. His business will have failed, his children will be grown up, and his wife will have had to raise them by herself. The victim of his crime contacted the Riverfront Times after reading about Anderson's plight. Known only as Dennis, he says he doesn't believe Anderson should go to jail. '[The state] were supposed to make sure he went to jail,' he said. '[Anderson] screwed up and he was supposed to pay for it. Our government screwed up. Who's paying for that? Does he have to pay for that again? Doesn't seem right.' Anderson says he feels guilty for the crime he committed, but believes his time would be better spent being a productive member of the community. 'Yes, I feel responsible. I could have stopped it,' Anderson says of the robbery. 'A year or two in jail, yeah, I would have done that. I knew that I was there. I knew that something could have been done, but I ran. I was scared. But 13 years for that? There are guys in here on attempted murder; they've been here for ten years, for taking a life.' The court has issued an order for Missouri’s attorney general to respond to Megaro's petition by April 15. Megaro has started a online petition on behalf of Anderson to lobby Attorney General of the State of Missouri and Mississippi County Judge T. Lynn Brown to release him from prison. | Cornealious 'Mike' Anderson was sentenced to 13 years prison in 2000 for armed robbery .
He got bail and appealed the sentence unsuccessfully several times .
He should have been re-arrested and jailed following his last failed appeal but he never was .
Over the last 13 years Anderson reformed, becoming a master carpenter, business owner, husband, and father of four .
He was arrested in front of children at home after the Missouri Department of Corrections went to release him from prison and realized he wasn't there .
Now the state wants him to serve the original sentence, meaning he'll be 50 and his children grown by the time he is released .
The victim of his crime says he doesn't want Anderson to be locked up .
He is now nine months into his sentence . |
164,893 | 61366459ef8f588a3ce89f16034743a72a4bdf8c | By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 08:55 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:05 EST, 17 October 2013 . One of Britain's top universities could become the first in the country to install three types of toilet for men, women and transgenders. The 'gender neutral' loos have been requested by the student union at the University of Sussex in Brighton, in a bid to make all students feel more welcome. But some students have labelled the idea as 'stupid', saying the committee should be spending more time discussing other issues. Potential layout? The students union wants to open three toilets which could be arranged like this with the transgender toilet on the right . Students Union communications officer Imogen Adie said: 'It's an exciting piece of work. We want to break down barriers and make university a more welcoming place for everyone. 'I think the university are really open to it. The University of Sussex is a really open community and we want people to know that. We want to make people's experience of university as easy as possible. 'We are working towards forming the first university trans-student policy and we need your help. 'To ask trans-people which identity they fit into can be painful, and yet when we have gendered toilets we ask them to do this every day. 'We'd like the university to provide more gender neutral toilets alongside single gender toilets so that all of our students are comfortable and safe on campus.' But one third-year history student, said: 'It's stupid. Haven't the bleeding-heart brigade at the SU got anything better to discuss? Mixed facilities: The students union at the University of Sussex wants to bring in three toilets for male, female and transgender students . 'While they're at it, why don't they build a toilet for midgets? What a waste of time.' The student's union has also posted on Facebook, asking people to air opinions on what sort of sign they would prefer to be used. A post on the page said: 'Some of the people on the University committee that will decide this are aware that some international students might have encountered different toilet provision at home and would like to ensure that toilets are instantly recognisable.' A University of Sussex spokeswoman said: 'The subject has been raised by the Students' Union and the university is in discussion about it.' In 2009, Staffordshire University introduced the first dedicated sets of transgender toilets in the country in their student night club after the idea was debated by their student council. | University of Sussex student's union want to 'break down barriers'
Say that asking people to chose which identity fits can be 'painful'
Some students have branded the idea as 'stupid' and a 'waste of time' |
22,862 | 40e79de5b7a27d7161b147725936d1d47e45c8f9 | Jilted husband Kevin Cotter has turned the heartbreak of his divorce into a nice little profit by publishing a book full of ingenious ways to use his ex-wife's wedding dress. Kevin, 41, was crushed when his wife of 12 years walked out in 2009, taking all her possessions except the white silk gown. When he asked her to take the dress back, she refused and told Kevin to 'do what the f*** he liked with it'. Scroll down for video . Jilted husband Kevin Cotter published book of 101 ingenious ways to use his ex-wife's wedding dress after she walked out on him after 12 years of marriage. Here the dress is being used as a cape . The dress being used as a Snow Shooting camouflage. Kevin, 41, was initially crushed when his wife walked out in 2009, taking all her possessions except the white silk gown - but then he started using is pain for gain . So he did - and for the last four years he has come up with a series brilliant ideas and filled a book with them. Some of the best include a hammock, a superhero's cape and even a boat sail and he has documented them all on his blog. Kevin, from Tuscon, Arizona, said: 'The idea came up when I was having dinner with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law a little while after my ex moved out. 'At dinner I explained to my family that she left the dress and asked them what I thought was a serious question - what do I do with it? Kevin, who lives in Tuscon, Arizona, is shown here using his ex-wife's wedding dress as a dog lead . The wedding dress being used as a parasol. When Kevin asked his ex-wife if she wanted the dress, she told him to 'do what the f*** he liked with it - so he did . 'My brother suggested I wipe my ass with it and my sister-in-law said there were probably 101 uses so we immediately took out a pen and paper and started brainstorming ideas.' When the mother of his two children walked out in 2009, Kevin was understandably gutted, but decided to use the abandoned wedding dress as therapy. With the help of his brother, he turned the dress into a dog toy, skipping rope and a footrest. Here the dress is being used as a zombie bride costume - just one of the ingenious uses Kevin came up with . The dress being used as a hairdressing cloth (left) and to decorate the Christmas tree stand (right) The dress being used as a dog pouch. Kevin cleverly collated all his ideas in a book, published in 2010 . Then after coming up with more than 40 ideas, including using the tulle as a pasta strainer and the fabric as an excellent coffee filter, he collated them in a book. Unsurprisingly, his exploits have not pleased his ex-wife, who has even said she hopes he seeks counselling to deal with his anger and resentment. Kevin said: 'My wife hates it and thinks I am motivated by revenge - which isn't the case at all. 'This honestly doesn't have anything to do with her. 'I did it for myself because I thought it would be fun and wanted to answer the question - what can be done with a once worn wedding dress?' The wedding dress being used as a sledge. Kevin says his project was in no way motivated by revenge . The dress being used as a golf club cleaner. Kevin's friends and family helped him brainstorm ideas of how he could use his ex-wife's wedding dress now she no longer wanted the white silk gown . The dress being used as a mechanic cloth - just one of the many uses Kevin came up with as he set about turning his ex's dress from a painful memory into a new beginning . Kevin re-married in 2010, to Ashley Nowe, 28, and he now lives with her and their 'blended family' of five children. After dating for a year and a half, they planned their wedding in just nine days and threw it in their backyard. He joked: 'She said earlier in our relationship that if it worked out and one day we were to be married, it would have to be a beach wedding and she would wear a bikini. 'She said she would not risk leaving me with any amount of material for a sequel. 'But in the end, she was brave and wore a dress.' The dress being used as a toilet roll. Unsurprisingly, Kevin's exploits have not pleased his ex-wife, who has even said she hopes he seeks counselling to deal with his anger and resentment . The wedding dress being used as a canvas. Kevin re-married in 2010, to Ashley Nowe, 28, and he now lives with her and their 'blended family' of five children . The dress being used as a boot cleaner. Kevin has spent the last four years answering the question - what can be done with a once worn wedding dress? The dress being used as a hat. Kevin says he has thoroughly enjoyed finding scores of uses for the dress . | Kevin, 41, was crushed when his wife of 12 years walked out in 2009 .
She told Kevin to 'do what the f*** he liked' with her dress - so he did .
For four years he has come up ideas of what to do with a wedding dress .
His best ideas include a dog toy, skipping rope, cape, footrest and boat sail . |
224,428 | ae991021bb88555e268ca1cd8f7092ac0b8e5abe | (CNN) -- Brazil's economic powerhouse was once thought of as the ugly sister to Rio de Janiero's beach-fronted glamour. São Paulo, the world's fifth largest city, is the fashion capital of Brazil. But, over the past few years, São Paulo' fashion, music and design scenes have gained such momentum that it's tipped by some as cooler destination than more touristy Rio. True, São Paulo doesn't have a beach, nor does it go out of its way to cater to foreign visitors, but hidden in the sprawl is a trove of hip hotels and restaurants, modernist architecture and some of the best shopping south of the Equator. It would take a lot longer than a day to discover everything São Paulo has to offer, but our guide should help visitors short on time to navigate the city's immense grid of skyscrapers and traffic jams to find an entirely different Brazilian experience. Watch the sun come up over the world's fifth largest urban area like many of its mega-wealthy inhabitants -- with a helicopter ride over the city. Tourist rides normally leave from Campo de Marte Airport and take in aerial views of city landmarks like Ibirapuera Park and Avenida Paulista. You may have worked up an appetite by now so head back into town for breakfast on Rua Oscar Freire, São Paulo's answer to Rodeo Drive. Eat delicious cheese bread known as pão de queijo, fruit, yoghurt and granola and wash it down with a freshly squeezed juice or coffee at Oscar Cafe. The prosperous, tree-lined avenues of the surrounding area, known as Jardins, are perfect for a bit of shopping. Look out for Clube Chocolate where you can buy upscale designerwear in divine surroundings ( Rua Oscar Freire 913) and Endossa, a collaborative shop filled with cubes of shelving where entrepreneurs can rent a cubby-hole to sell their wares. It's possible to walk to Avenida Paulista, São Paulo's financial district from here, and there you can mill past some of the most expensive real estate in South America with the Paulistano business folk on your way to take in some culture at MASP, also known as São Paulo Museum of Art. Once you've had your fill of high culture, take in some of São Paulo's famous street art on Beco de Batman, which translates as "Batman Alley." Every inch of this street in the super hip Vila Madalena area is covered in graffiti, much of it by well-known local artists. Recharge your batteries with a beer and snack on empadas, delicious miniature pies with a variety of fillings like palm hearts, Portuguese salted fish and cheese at Empanadas (Rua Wisard 489, Vila Madalena). Otherwise, why not hop in a cab and head over to Liberdade and check out the home of the biggest Japanese community anywhere in the world outside Japan. Check out the Buddhist temple (Rua São Joaquim), the karaoke bars and sushi restaurants -- one of the best of which is Takô (Rua da Glória 746, Liberdade). With a shimmering green-copper facade, the Unique Hotel is just one example of São Paulo's stunning modern architecture. The highlight of this area, if you happen to be lucky enough to be there at the right time, is the anything goes weekend market Feira da Liberdade (Praça da Liberdade) and if you're even luckier you might catch one of the sumo competitions held there from time to time. After all these hours in the concrete jungle you may be longing for a bit of green, which you can find in ample supply in the enormous Ibirapuera Park. As you wander the tree-lined walkways, dodging throngs of body-conscious Paulistanos exercising along the way, you will encounter one masterpiece of modernist architecture after another -- mostly designed by the father of Brazilian modernism Oscar Niemeyer. Look out for the beautiful sci-fi dome, Oca and the Grande Marquise an extraordinary white pavilion which houses MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna) and features expanses of covered concrete which attract many of the city's skateboarders. No visit to São Paulo, or indeed any part of Brazil, is complete without a trying a caipirinha -- a winning combination of the local firewater, cachaca, smashed limes, sugar and ice. If spirits are a bit much for you, try a divine -- and very Paulistano -- twist on the original with squished kiwi fruit and sake. You could combine a few cocktails with catching the final rays of the day on the rooftop of of another of São Paulo's modernist masterpieces, Edifício Itália (Terraza Italia Restaurant, Avenida Ipiranga 344). Here you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama, with another Niemeyer masterpiece -- the wavy-facaded Edifício Copan -- in full view. It's got to be dinner time by now. In São Paulo your options are almost unlimited. With huge populations of Japanese, Italians and, even Lebanese, the problem is not where to eat but how to choose. A highlight of the Sao Paulo's dining scene has to be Restaurante Figueira Rubaiyat where you can eat awesome steaks and very good seafood in a dining room that has been built around an enormous fig tree. If you're still raring to go after that little lot, São Paulo's nightlife options are almost endless. You can shake your moneymaker with the best of them at one of the city's clubland stalwarts Love Story, or if you are looking for something a little more low key then why not round off the day on the rooftop terrace of the Skye Bar at Hotel Unique. The hotel's space-age green copper facade is indeed unique, and it is also a good bet for a bed for the night in really special surroundings. | São Paulo's art, fashion and music scene means it's no longer second to Rio .
Among the grid of skyscrapers is iconic modernist architecture by Oscar Niemeyer .
Uniquely Brazilian, the city also has a twist of other cultures .
Do what the Paulistanos do and sample street side delicacies and top cocktails . |
66,353 | bc3c52f1fec4f28bd06707d9f64c523c4ac8d62a | Never-before-seen nude photos from 1995 of Dancing with the Stars host Brooke Burke, 43, have surfaced in a New York City art show. The Route 66-themed Andre Plessel photos appeared Thursday in the Lilac Gallery in Manhattan and show the swimsuit model topless in the Western sun. Originally snapped for a German auto parts catalog, the pictures initially caused a stir with Burke's legal team, according to Page Six. Buxom: Brooke Burke posed in Route 66-themed Andre Plessel photos back in 1995. They resurfaced Thursday in the Lilac Gallery in Manhattan . Just sittin' on a tire: The photos were originally taken for a German auto parts catalog but were never used for that purpose . Their source says Burke's people called up the gallery just before opening night in an attempt to hunt down the photographer. 'They wanted to see the original releases Brooke signed to do this shoot,' claimed the Page Six source. The source would clarify that it was just a matter of updating files, since the buxom emcee's star power has rocketed since the shoot and her legal team wasn't with her back in 1995. Different life: The 43-year-old mom is now more likely to be seen toting her kids around than posing in artful photo shoots . The legal team reportedly said they take 'no issue' with the content of the photos. The show is called Andre Plessel: Visions and in addition to Burke features models Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima and Laetitia Casta. It runs through November 6. Burke has two children with her Baywatch star husband David Charvet: a daughter named Heaven Rain Charvet and a son Shaya Braven Charvet. She has two daughter's with her first husband Garth Fisher, Neriah Shae Fisher and Sierra Sky Fisher. Also starring: The show, called Andre Plessel: Visions, also features photos of models Karolina Kurkova (right), Adriana Lima (left) and Laetitia Casta . | The Dancing with the Stars host did the Route 66 themed topless shoot in 1995 .
German art photographer Andre Plessel took the photos, which never made it into the auto parts catalog .
The show at Lilac Gallery in Manhattan also features models Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima and Laetitia Casta . |
203,212 | 93160f3d58a2adf2e4314197d2d830ccae689555 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:02 EST, 19 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:59 EST, 19 May 2013 . Lord Feldman, the man allegedly behind calling Tory grassroots supporters 'swivel-eyed loons,' has been a loyal presence at David Cameron's side for thirty years. Yet he never gives interviews, has never stood for elected office, and is virtually unknown outside Westminster. But now, it is the sheer strength and longevity of Cameron's friendship with Lord Feldman which makes the furore so damaging for the Tory leader because it is widely assumed their views are shared. Centuries old: Tennis partners: David Cameron (back row, far right) and Andrew Feldman (back row, 2nd left). The pair first established their rapport as students at Brasenose College, Oxford, in the mid-1980s and have remained extremely close since then . The pair first established their rapport . as students at Brasenose College, Oxford, in the mid-1980s and have . remained extremely close since then. Profiles of the peer usually describe the 47-year-old as either as 'Mr Cameron's tennis partner' or 'the PM's oldest . political friend' – fuelling critics' claims that the Government is . being run by a socially elite clique of old 'chums'. The impression is enhanced by photos of them as young men, posing for the college tennis club team . (the pair are circled, left) and standing next to each other at the . summer ball, which they had helped to organise – Lord Feldman was chairman of . the committee, while Mr Cameron booked the entertainment. Critics: Profiles of the peer usually describe him either as 'Mr Cameron's tennis partner' or 'the PM's oldest political friend' – fuelling critics' claims that the Government is being run by a socially elite clique of old 'chums' So who is who is Lord Feldman of Elstree, and how has he become so close to the seat of power? Born into a well-off family, he went to Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Hertfordshire, where he won a place to study Law at Oxford. It was at Brasenose College, Oxford, that he met Cameron. They organised a college May ball together and discovered they had a mutual love of racquet sports (another similarity shared between tennis-playing Tony Blair and Lord Levy). Lord Feldman urged Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 . Since those college days, the friendship has been cemented, with Mr Cameron describing Lord Feldman as ‘one of my oldest and best friends’. Scandal: Feldman's most serious brush with scandal came in 2008 when he was entangled with George Osborne in the 'yachtgate' saga: both Feldman and Shadow Chancellor Osborne were guests on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's yacht Queen K . Like Cameron, Lord Feldman got a First in his final exams; then he took a job with management consultants Bain & Co. before, in 1991, being called to the Bar and practising as a commercial barrister at one of the country’s top chambers. His family owns Jayroma, a multinational textile company making ladies’ clothes, and in 1995, aged 29, he joined the firm, drawing a salary of £900,000 in one year alone. It meant he was able to buy the £3million house in Holland Park, West London, where he lives with his wife Gaby and their three children round the corner from David Cameron’s house in Notting Hill. Tory figures describe Lord Feldman as likeable, friendly, extremely bright and unassuming. He skis regularly, enjoys yoga, and owns another house in Andalusia, southern Spain. It was Lord Feldman who not only urged Mr Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 after the party’s third successive general election defeat, but also masterminded his campaign. Encouragement: Feldman urged Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 . Lord Feldman helped run Mr Cameron’s bid with ruthless efficiency, calling in favours from his network of contacts in the business world and raising tens of thousands of pounds in the process. Through his family clothing firm, Lord Feldman himself donated £10,000 to the successful cause. He was appointed deputy treasurer of the party in 2005, and – ironically given the circumstances today – immediately let it be known that he wanted to end the dependency on major donors. ‘He’s not comfortable with individuals giving large amounts. He wants a wider base of people giving smaller amounts,’ said a party official at the time. But even before the Conservatives got into power, Lord Feldman made the wrong call. In 2007, he was chairman of the Leaders’ Club, a dining group for Tory donors who each gave a minimum £50,000 to party funds each year. They would have lunch or dinner in Mr Cameron’s office in the Commons and meet senior Tory politicians. But this arrangement was in breach of Parliament’s rules, which do not allow party-political fundraising in the House of Westminster, and Mr Cameron was forced to ‘unreservedly apologise’ after he was rebuked by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Sir Philip Mawer. In 2008, Lord Feldman was appointed chief executive of the Tory Party and was given specific responsibility for attracting party donors. Until now, Lord Feldman's most serious . brush with scandal came in 2008 when he was entangled with George . Osborne in the 'yachtgate' saga: both Feldman and Shadow Chancellor . Osborne were guests on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's yacht off Corfu when . Mr Osborne was accused of soliciting for a £50,000 donation to the . party – at a time when Feldman had been given responsibility for . 'widening the party's fundraising base'. Donations . from foreign nationals such as Deripaska are illegal and Mr Osborne . insisted neither he nor Lord Feldman had discussed donations with the . Russian, and the storm passed. In . January Lord Feldman said 'I did not know who Mr Deripaska was. I was going . over because I had been invited, and it’s a human weakness I’m afraid . because I was fascinated to see this boat. I had never seen a boat of . that size close up.' Rise: After the Tories entered Government in 2010, Feldman was made co-chairman of the party and later in the year became Baron Feldman of Elstree . After the Tories entered Government . in 2010, he was made co-chairman of the party and later in the year . became Baron Feldman of Elstree. Lord Feldman's . key party roles mean he will have been privy to some of the most . closely guarded secrets of the 'Cameron project' from the outset – no . doubt reinforcing the Prime Minister's feelings of personal loyalty. Lord Feldman's importance to Mr Cameron, . who has publicly described him as 'one of my oldest and best friends', . was emphasised when he was tasked with 'prepping' the PM for his . appearance at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. He played the role of Robert Jay, the counsel for the inquiry, by . peppering Mr Cameron with likely questions about his relationship with . newspaper owners. Colleagues regard the peer as 'virtually . indispensable' to the Prime Minister. 'He is direct, easy-going and has . an extremely sharp business brain,' says one. 'Plus, he is one of the few people around Cameron who can talk to him on the same level. Cameron values that. It would take a minor earthquake to shift him from his side.' In . 2007, Feldman was chairman of the Leaders' Club, a dining group for . Tory donors who each gave a minimum £50,000 to party funds each year - . they would have lunch or dinner in Mr Cameron's office in the Common . Lord Feldman, one of the Prime Minister's closest friends and political allies, was accused of making the 'swivel-eyed loons' remark to journalists at a London hotel. They reported that an unnamed 'close ally' of the Prime Minister blamed Tory activists for pressuring MPs to take hardline stances on Europe. They said he stated: 'There's really no problem. The MPs just have to do it because the [Tory] associations tell them to, and the associations are all mad, swivel-eyed loons.' But yesterday afternoon, after crisis talks with Mr Cameron, and amid growing claims on Twitter that the unnamed person was Lord Feldman, the peer issued a statement, saying the allegations against him were 'completely untrue' and he was considering legal action. 'I did not, nor have ever, described our associations in this way or in any similar manner. Nor do these alleged comments represent my view of our activists,' he said. 'On the contrary, I have found them to be hard-working, committed and reasonable people, the backbone of the party.' Mr Cameron fully backed Lord Feldman. A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister supports Lord Feldman's position. It is categorically untrue that anyone in Downing Street made the comments reported in The Times and the Telegraph.' Both The Times and The Daily Telegraph stood by their reports. A source at News International, which owns The Times, said: 'There is no doubt Feldman used the words loons and swivel-eyed.' A titanic trial of strength between No 10 and the two newspapers now seems inevitable. Defeat for Feldman would force him to resign and could inflict potentially catastrophic damage to Mr Cameron. | Pair first established rapport as students at Brasenose College in mid-1980s .
Qualified as lawyer, then aged 29 took over family clothing empire .
Lives in £3m home in Holland Park with wife and three children .
Did a role play with Cameron as he prepared for Leveson appearance .
He has never been an MP or a councillor, but is Cameron's closest friend .
First Tory chairman to be given office space in 10 Downing Street . |
259,574 | dc0e5dcfc538fd513d6e7f418d29dd6fc45c52c6 | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 18:37 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:48 EST, 16 October 2013 . David Cameron wants select committees to investigate whether The Guardian broke the law by printing information leaked by Edward Snowden . David Cameron backed calls for a full parliamentary inquiry into whether the Guardian’s publication of leaked national secrets has put state security at risk. The Prime Minister encouraged MPs on select committees to investigate whether the paper had broken the law or done harm to our security by printing information leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden. And yesterday the chairman of one of them, Keith Vaz, said his home affairs committee would be investigating the Guardian’s conduct. Former defence secretary Liam Fox accused the Guardian of ‘reckless and politically dangerous’ behaviour which may have made Britain more vulnerable to attack. And last night, pressure on the paper increased still further after Tory backbencher Julian Smith was granted a Parliamentary debate in Westminster Hall next Tuesday over the publishing of the top-secret documents. Julian Smith, who earlier this week . wrote to Scotland Yard urging them to conduct an inquiry into the . Guardian, said: ‘I look forward to laying out the reasons why I believe . that the Guardian has crossed the line between responsible journalism . and seriously risking our national security and the lives of those who . seek to protect us.' The Prime Minister said that in agreeing to dispose of information it had obtained from the former US National Security Agency employee, the newspaper effectively accepted its involvement in putting national security at risk. Mr Cameron said: ‘I think the plain fact is that what has . happened has damaged national security, and in many ways the Guardian . themselves admitted that when they agreed, when asked politely by my . national security adviser and Cabinet Secretary (Sir Jeremy Heywood) to . destroy the files they had, they went ahead and destroyed those files. ‘So they know that what they are dealing with is dangerous for national security.’ He was responding to a question from Dr Fox, who said: ‘Can we have a full and transparent assessment about whether the Guardian’s involvement in the Snowden affair has damaged Britain’s national security?’ Pictured: The Guardian's London office. The newspaper is facing increased pressure over its publication of the leaked information . Mr Cameron replied: ‘I think it’s up to select committees in this house if they want to examine this issue and make further recommendations.’ Last week the head of MI5, Andrew Parker, said the Guardian had handed a gift to terrorists. Later in the day, Dr Fox wrote to the chairmen of five Commons select committees urging them to carry out an investigation into the Guardian’s ‘reckless and potentially dangerous’ conduct.The letter was sent to Keith Vaz of the home affairs committee, Sir Malcolm Rifkind (intelligence and security), John Arbuthnot (defence), Richard Ottaway (foreign affairs) and Sir Alan Beith, chairman of the liaison select committee. He wrote: ‘A free press does not mean the freedom to make the UK, its people or its allies more vulnerable to serious organised crime or terrorism. ‘I am writing to formally request, as both a Member of Parliament and a former Security of State for Defence, that your committee considers the elements of the Guardian’s involvement in, and publication of, the Snowden leaks. David Cameron said the publication had 'damaged national security' and Liam Fox (right) has written to the chairmen of five select committees to ask them to investigate . ‘I would like you to determine whether the vulnerability of the people of Britain, our security services or those of our allies have been impaired by what I believe to be reckless and potentially dangerous behaviour.’ Last week the head of MI5 , Andrew Parker, said the publication of the stolen top-secret documents had handed a ‘gift’ to terrorists and had caused huge ‘harm’ to the capability of Britain’s intelligence services. Security officials say the exposé amounts to a ‘guide book’, advising terrorists on the best way to avoid detection when plotting an atrocity. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has also criticised the paper, saying technical details about the operations of spies should not be published in newspapers. But his Liberal Democrat colleague Business Secretary Vince Cable expressed concerns about the level of scrutiny the newspaper was now facing, saying it had performed ‘a very considerable public service’. | David Cameron has encouraged select committees to investigate the paper .
Wants to investigate whether paper broke the law or harmed national security by publishing information leaked by Edward Snowden .
Liam Fox accused the Guardian of ‘reckless and politically dangerous’ |
87,454 | f81d9d483e663ae6aaf7a5ddee4c99621eac305a | (CNN) -- French police arrested 103 Croatian soccer fans Tuesday morning ahead of a match between Paris Saint Germain and Dinamo Zagreb, police officials said, amid fears of possible hooliganism. Some Croatian fans have also been barred from entering a certain zone of the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Tuesday evening, prefecture spokesman Franck Ernotte said. Those arrested can be held for up to 24 hours because they've breached an order issued by French Interior Minister Manuel Valls on Sunday that banned Dinamo Zagreb fans from coming to Paris, a police statement said. The Croatian fans are in the French capital as their club plays the Paris side in a Champions League match, due to kick off at 8:45 p.m. local time. Clashes broke out Monday night between about 50 supporters of the two clubs near the Place de la Bastille in central Paris, police said. The disorder resulted in 25 arrests, 19 of them Croatian fans and six of them PSG supporters, the police statement said. Three of the Croats had been flagged by Croatian authorities as being particularly violent, it added, while three of the Parisian fans have been barred from the stadium. Two Croatian fans were injured in the fracas, police said. The confrontation started with verbal insults but soon turned violent, with some fans carrying batons and tear gas canisters, CNN affiliate BFM-TV reported. Dinamo Zagreb has yet to win a match in its group of four in the Champions League, with three games played. PSG is in second place in the group. In a bid to ward off trouble, Croatia turned back dozens of PSG fans on their way to Zagreb in October for the opening fixture between the two sides. This is not the first time Croatian football fans have been under the spotlight. The national football association was fined during the Euro 2012 tournament this summer for unruly behavior by hardcore supporters. And last year, the head of European football's governing body, the Union of European Football Associations, met with the Croatian president to stress the importance of tackling football-related violence. CNN's Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report. | NEW: Police arrest 103 supporters of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in Paris .
NEW: 25 French and Croatian fans were arrested Monday night amid violent clashes .
Dinamo Zagreb play Paris Saint Germain in a Champions League match Tuesday .
Sport's governing body has previously raised concerns about Croatian fans' hooliganism . |
120,842 | 2831a9e2d560f3e0709784024f8a0dd809abeabe | New York (CNN)It's the "crippling and potentially historic" blizzard that turned out to be neither. "They were trying to out-drama each other," architect Rebecca Uss in New York City said Tuesday, speaking of officials in the region who had warned of the coming snowstorm. "In hindsight, it was overkill," said Brian Beirne, who was sledding with his son Micah on New York's Upper West Side. "It's much ado about nothing." Roberto Gonzalez slept in the lobby of a building, curling up near a radiator, since the restaurant he worked at closed too late Monday for him to get on the subway to go home. "When I woke up, I expected the end of the world. I went outside and nothing (had) happened. What storm?" Some people in the Northeast are concerned the government cried wolf. "They decided to close," a woman named Anesah, who works with international students in Philadelphia, tweeted about her workplace. There "isn't a flurry to be found. I don't think they'll ever give us off again. #crywolf." "This #snowFail does not bode well for civilian cooperation with the terms of the next snow emergency in NYC," Lisa B. in New York said on Twitter. Government officials say the measures taken, including travel bans, are helpful for the quick cleanup of streets and, most importantly, are signs of erring on the side of caution. "Better safe than sorry," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had warned Monday that the storm could be one of the largest "in the history of this city." Instead, "It's going to be a fast return to normalcy," de Blasio said. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy was asked at a news conference Tuesday about suggestions that the predictions were "overblown." "That would be an oversimplification," he said, laughing. The eastern part of the state was heaviest hit and is still receiving "significant and continued snowfall," he said. Still, despite previous warnings that people might be without power for days, "By and large we'll be back to normal for most of our state tomorrow," Malloy said. Many people had stocked up on days' worth of necessities and prepared to hunker down for what the National Weather Service said could be a "raging blizzard." Some are now calling it all "snowperbole." But Liz Childs, who works at a hospital in New York, said she doesn't believe authorities overreacted. "I feel we were lucky this time," she said. "I think we dodged a bullet." Sights and sounds of the blizzard . Some who forecast the weather professionally felt the need to apologize, including Gary Szatkowski, with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. "My deepest apologies to many key decision makers and so many members of the general public," he wrote Tuesday on Twitter. "You made a lot of tough decisions expecting us to get it right, and we didn't. Once again, I'm sorry." He wasn't alone. An online collection showed several similar tweets from meteorologists, including one from News 12 New Jersey's Dave Curren saying the forecast "deflated as much as New England Patriots footballs." Many of the responses to these posts were supportive. "You are making a prediction about the future. Closing roads at 11 p.m. when it snows saves lives," Jennifer Smith in New York wrote to Szatkowski. "No apology necessary." Government officials face a tough dilemma. They don't want to shut everything down, keeping children home from school and people home from work, but they also do not want to risk a disaster. "Look at what happened in Atlanta when the city wasn't prepared," Frank Flores said in a Facebook discussion. He was referring to an incident a year ago this week in which people were stranded along miles and miles of icy interstates, paralyzing the metro area for more than 24 hours. Many ultimately abandoned their cars and walked home. There's some hand-wringing over the forecasting models used. Here's the basic idea, from CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller: . "Meteorologists largely depend on three major forecast models: the NAM (North American Mesoscale), the GFS (Global Forecast System), and the ECMWF (European Center for Medium Range Forecasting). Meteorologists will look at all of these and, using their own expertise, local knowledge, etc., formulate a forecast. In this case, the NAM and the ECMWF both showed 2 feet of snow or more for New York City, while the GFS (which has just been upgraded this winter) showed a more conservative 6 to 12 inches. "The National Weather Service forecasters in New York certainly went all in with the NAM and ECMWF forecasts, and all but ignored the GFS, without providing much room for uncertainty that should come with the GFS showing a vastly different solution." (In 2012, the ECMWF "was the media-darling model for properly forecasting Superstorm Sandy to a 't' while the GFS did not," Miller says. "Now it is the opposite.") Still, "the forecast wasn't too far off if you look at it as a whole," Miller says. "The heaviest snow fell across much of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Long Island and Massachusetts. Winds have gusted up to hurricane strength, which was also in the forecast." Predicted storm surge flooding also came to fruition, he said. "But of course the headlines are going to come from New York City and New Jersey, where a forecast of more than 2 feet turned out to only be about half that," Miller said. There were 2 feet of snow elsewhere, and "a miss of only 30 to 40 miles in a forecast that was first given 48 hours in advance is not that bad from a strictly forecasting perspective." But from a "practical perspective," it's a "big miss, and has major ramifications with business disruption, wasted resources and tax dollars, etc.," Miller said. CNN did note the discrepancy among forecasts Monday, even as government officials were announcing closures. "I just got the brand new models in just a minute ago. And one model says for New York City 2 inches -- not 2 feet, 2 inches. The other model I looked at said 27 inches," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers noted. "I hate it when models don't agree to that extent." It's not an exact science, and it's important for people to know that, Miller says. "As meteorologists we must convey the uncertainty associated with these forecasts." Opinion: Weather forecasts are always going to be uncertain . CNN's Ray Sanchez contributed to this report from New York; Josh Levs reported from Atlanta. | Some Americans fear a "crying wolf" effect .
"Better safe than sorry," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says .
A CNN meteorologist explains what the forecasts left out . |
77,390 | db67230ffee04b6e62b66b3176c27e63b9b395e7 | Killed: Ahmed Samir Assem, 26, was shot dead on Monday in Cairo . Shocking footage has captured the moment an Egyptian photographer filmed his own death through his lenses. The grainy footage shows an Egyptian solider aiming and shooting at Ahmed Samir Assem, before the film goes black. The 26-year-old photojournalist was shot dead on Monday as he took photos outside the Republican Guard building in Cairo, where some believe the ousted president Mohamed Morsi is being held. He was one of at least 51 people killed when security forces opened fire on a . large crowd that had camped outside. Mr Assam, a freelance photographer was working for Egypt's Al-Horia Wa Al-Adala newspaper. 'At . around 6am, a man came into the media centre with a camera covered in . blood and told us that one of our colleagues had been injured,' said . Ahmed Abu Zeid, the culture editor of Mr Assem’s newspaper told The Daily Telegraph. 'Around an hour later, I received . news that Ahmed had been shot by a sniper in the forehead while filming . or taking pictures on top of the buildings around the incident. Scroll down for video . Caught on camera: Shocking footage has captured the moment an Egyptian photographer filmed his own death through his lenses . 'Ahmed’s camera was the only one which filmed the entire incident from the first moment. 'He . had started filming from the beginning of the prayers so he captured . the very beginnings and in the video, you can see tens of victims. Ahmed’s camera will remain a piece of evidence in the violations that . have been committed.' The military claimed it opened fire because a ‘terrorist group’ attacked in an attempt to storm the building. Terrifying: The grainy footage captures two soldiers on the roof of a building in Cairo . Filming: The footage zooms in and out as photographer Ahmed Samir Assem surveys the scene . Planning: The soldier disappears out of sight behind the yellow stone building . Horrifying: He then reappears with his gun ready for action before he aims at the photographer . Moment of death: The grainy footage captures a solider aiming and shooting at Ahmed Samir Assem, before the film goes black . But Mr Morsi’s supporters said the shootings were unprovoked. In an emotional news briefing, Muslim Brotherhood members branded military chief General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi an ‘assassin and a butcher’. But Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the . country’s top Muslim cleric, urged Egyptians to ‘shoulder their . responsibility to stop the bloodshed’ instead of ‘dragging the country . into civil war’. Al-Shaimaa Younes, who was at the . sit-in, said military troops and police forces opened fire on the . protesters during early morning prayers. Tragic: Mr Assem was working as a photographer for an Egyptian newspaper . 'They opened fire with live . ammunition and lobbed tear gas,' she said by telephone. 'There was panic . and people started running. I saw people fall.' 'Women and children had been among the protesters, she said. Today Egyptian authorities escalated their crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood by ordering the arrest of its spiritual leader, while the group remained steadfast in its defiance of the new military-backed administration and refused offers to join an interim government. The prosecutor's arrest warrant . issued for the Brotherhood's supreme guide, Mohammed Badie, as . well as nine other leading Islamists will almost certainly stoke anger . among the group's supporters and fellow Islamists. The men are suspected of instigating . the violence on Monday, according to a statement . issued by the prosecutor general's office. Even as the new prime minister began reaching out to form a Cabinet and restore a measure of stability, the military-backed leadership has come under fierce criticism from those who supported its toppling of President Mohammed Morsi last week . Several groups in the loose coalition participating in the political process have sharply criticized the transitional plan, saying that sidelines them in the transition. After a week of violence and mass demonstrations, Egyptians were hoping that the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday will significantly calm the turmoil in the streets. The sunrise-to-sunset fast cuts down on activity during the day, but the daily protests have been largely nocturnal affairs, and some observers expect the Islamist camp will likely use it to rally its base. Still, the warrants highlight the . military's zero-tolerance policy toward the Brotherhood and other . Islamists, who continue to hold daily mass protests and sit-ins . demanding reinstating Morsi and rejecting what they describe as a . military coup. The military already has jailed five . of Brotherhood leaders, including Badie's powerful deputy Khairat . el-Shater, and shut down their media outlets. Morsi himself remains in . custody in an undisclosed location. In the face of Islamist opposition, . the military-backed interim president, Adly Mansour, issued a fast-track . timetable on Monday for the transition. His declaration set out a . 7-month timetable for elections but also a truncated, temporary . constitution laying out the division of powers in the meantime. The accelerated process was meant, in . part, to send reassurances to the U.S. and other Western allies that . the country is on a path toward democratically-based leadership. Army snipers were caught on camera shooting at a large crowd of Egyptian men this morning . The crowd of Morsi supporters had assembled in the square in the early hours of the morning. At least 51 people were killed . But it has faced opposition from the . very groups that led the four days of mass protests that prompted the . military to step in last Wednesday. The top liberal political grouping, . the National Salvation Front, expressed reservations over the plan late . Tuesday, saying it was not consulted - 'in violation of previous . promises' - and that the declaration 'lacks significant clauses while . others need change or removal.' It did not elaborate but said it had . presented Mansour with changes it seeks. The secular, revolutionary youth . movement Tamarod that organized last week's protests, also criticized . the plan, in part because it gives too much power to Mansour, including . the power to issue laws. A post-Morsi plan put forward by Tamarod called . for a largely ceremonial interim president with most power in the hands . of the prime minister. At the heart of liberals' objections . is that they wanted to write a new constitution, not amend the one . written under Morsi by an Islamist-dominated panel. That constitution . contained several articles that drew fierce criticism from liberal . quarters, and helped sparked street protests and violence in 2012. Other objections centered on superpowers of the interim president. However, the only Islamist party that backed military's ouster of Morsi . after millions took to the streets on June 30 demanding him to leave, . has been vetoing rewriting the constitution. Meanwhile, new Prime Minister Hazem . el-Beblawi, who was appointed by the interim president on Tuesday, is . holding consultations on a Cabinet that will face the difficult task of . guiding the deeply divided country through what promises to be a rocky . transition period. In what is seen as an attempt at reconciliation, . el-Beblawi has said he will offer the Brotherhood, which helped propel . Morsi to the presidency, posts in his transitional government. A Brotherhood spokesman said the . group will not take part in an interim Cabinet, and that talk of . national reconciliation under the current circumstances is 'irrelevant.' He spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns for his . security. | Grainy footage captures the soldier .
as he shoots from his vantage point .
The film goes black the moment the bullet struck Ahmed Samir Assem, 26 .
Shot dead outside Egyptian army's Republican Guard officers' club in Cairo .
Arrest warrant issued for the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood . |
39,841 | 707774f9d77ae1cb538e9ffcf730bcc9b93be295 | Washington (CNN) -- After hinting for months that he would start a "trusted traveler" program to expedite screening at airport checkpoints, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole took his first step in that direction Thursday, announcing a pilot project for passengers who voluntarily release certain information about themselves. The pilot project initially will be small, limited to a select group of travelers and to people already enrolled in existing programs run by border officials. Nonetheless, the travel industry and some politicians hailed it as a major change of philosophy that eventually could have a major impact on airport screening, diverting security from known individuals and focusing attention on unknown travelers and suspected terrorists. The TSA disclosed few details about the inner workings of the program. But industry officials briefed by the TSA said eligible participants will get to forgo some of the banalities of checkpoint searches -- such as removing shoes and jackets, and taking computers from carry-on bags. Participants also likely will be directed through magnetometers instead of through full-body imagers, which take more time and have raised privacy concerns, they said. The pilot project will begin this fall. "These improvements will enable our officers to focus their efforts on higher risk areas," Pistole said. He called it a "common sense step" that will strengthen overall security. "I think they're definitely headed in the right direction," said Stewart Verdery, former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and partner in the Monument Policy Group. "I think the time is right. With travel loads increasing and with budgetary pressures, they need to find a way to do more with less." "This is a signal from Administrator Pistole that he's not going to sit idly by and let the system be," said Geoff Freeman, executive vice president of U.S. Travel Association. "We hope this is a first step to wholesale reform, and kudos to him for having the courage to do that. The pilot test initially will be available only to certain frequent fliers on American and Delta airlines -- flying out of certain airports. Delta passengers must be flying out of Atlanta and Detroit airports, and American Airlines passengers must be flying out of Miami and Dallas airports. It is also open to participants in Custom and Border Protection's Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS. All participants must be U.S. citizens. The TSA said it plans to expand this pilot program to include United, Southwest, JetBlue, US Airways, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian airlines, and additional airports, once operationally ready. Currently, the TSA vets passenger lists against "watch lists" of known or suspected terrorists. But the TSA is working with a very limited amount of information about those passengers -- namely a person's full name, date of birth and gender. Under "trusted traveler" programs, travelers voluntarily surrender more information about themselves, giving the government more assurances of who they are. The amount and nature of the information that will be sought was not disclosed. In recent years, there has been a drumbeat of calls for the TSA to adopt a trusted traveler program. Congress and critics have stepped up that demand following two highly publicized incidents, one involving the search of a 6-year-old girl, and the other involving a 95-year-old cancer patient. In both cases, the TSA has said the airport screeners were following established protocols. But the TSA also has said it is working toward a "risk-based" trusted traveler program that could expedite travel for people believed to present little risk to aviation. The TSA said Pistole will work with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and the airlines to determine passenger eligibility for this screening project, which is voluntary. All passengers in the pilot project will be subject to recurrent security checks. Verdery said that for the project to be successful, participants will want "predictable" wait times, and assurances that they will go through different screening. Travelers also will want their reviews based on their individual characteristics, and not solely their relationship with their airline, since many travelers use multiple carriers, Verdery said. Verdery and Freeman both said it is crucial that special lanes be devoted to the trusted travels to expedite their passage. Security experts have long expressed concern about so-called "clean skins" -- potential terrorists who enroll in "trusted traveler" programs to avoid scrutiny during a terror mission. But the TSA says it will continue to incorporate random and unpredictable security measures to address such concerns. Pistole said other layers of security will remain in place, including intelligence gathering and analysis, explosive-detection canine teams, federal air marshals, closed-circuit television monitoring and behavior detection officers. | TSA announces pilot program .
The plan is to ease screening for travelers who provide additional personal information .
If successful, the program would likely be expanded to more travelers .
The pilot program will begin this fall . |
184,899 | 7b80ee5d7d6668606f45c722bbe7cbda6c98e2c2 | Confession: The note that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote explains the motives behind the bombings and says that he doesn't mourn his brother because he is a martyr . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev thought he was dying when he was hiding out in a boat following the Boston Marathon bombings and chose to write a note confessing his connection to the blasts and explaining why he and his brother made the two pressure cooker bombs. The 19-year-old found a pen in the boat but no paper so it was revealed today that he wrote his message on an interior wall of the boat that he used as shelter in Watertown. His message was clear: 'F*** America'. In other portions of his message, ABC News reports that he wrote 'Praise Allah' and mentioned 'infidels' across the interior walls of the boat that are now riddled with bullets. Law enforcement sources told CBS that Dzhokhar wrote that he 'does not mourn' the death of his older brother Tamerlan because he is a martyr living in 'paradise' and that he expected to join him there soon. The note is a critical piece of evidence for police as it reiterates what Dzhokhar said to them in the hospital after his arrest. Aside from simply confirming his other statements, it could serve as back up for the eventual legal case against him because the reported confession to police came before Dzhokhar was read his Miranda rights informing him of his right to remain silent. After they were read, he reportedly stopped talking to police, but now the note will serve as a handwritten confession. Caught: Dzhokhar wrote the note on the interior wall of the boat where he hid out following the city-wide manhunt . Damage: Because police shot the boat when they were trying to catch the 19-year-old, the note was riddled with bullet holes since he wrote it on an interior wall and not a piece of paper . He wrote that the bombings were retribution for the various American crimes against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Administrators at the Boston Marathon are looking to the future, saying that any runners who were unable to complete the race this year because of the bombings have been invited to race in next year's competition free of charge. 'Boston spectators are known for their impassioned support and unbridled enthusiasm, and they will give these returning athletes some of the loudest cheers at next year's race,' the group's executive director Tom Grilk said. The symbolic move will be a costly one for the organization, as there were 5,633 runners who are eligible and will not have to submit the $110 entry fee. If every one of the invited runners come back next year, it will cost $619,630 for the marathon organizers. He equated the three people who were killed in the marathon bombings and the more than 250 others who were injured to 'collateral damage' like the thousands of innocent Muslim victims of American wars across the globe. 'When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims,' he reportedly wrote. CBS reporter John Miller pointed out that the note is just the latest piece of evidence that police are using in developing their theory that the Chechen brothers worked alone and were self-radicalized rather than being the ‘soldiers’ for a larger group. Investigators are still working to determine who else- if anyone- knew about the attack before it happened. While the note is undoubtedly a boost . for the state's case against the 19-year-old suspect, who is now being . held in the medical center of an area prison, it is hardly cut and dry. Because . police fired hundreds of bullets at the boat during their attempt to . capture Dzhokhar, the note is riddled with bullet holes. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and the note will certainly be used in the case against him. Others involved: Dzhokhar wrote that he would not mourn his 'martyr' brother Tamerlan (left) though police are still trying to determine if Tamerlan's wife Katherine Russell (right, seen in in 2007) knew about the bombings . Collateral damage: In his note, Dzhokhar said that the victims of the April 15 bombing were like the innocent Muslims who had been killed in American wars abroad . | Dzhokhar Tsarnaev found a pen inside the boat he was using to hide out .
Couldn't find paper so he wrote a confession on the interior wall .
Said he wouldn't miss his brother Tamerlan because he was a 'martyr' who was in 'paradise' and Dzhokhar expected to join him soon . |
252,069 | d23d02733e3853289d116891d418cc31d4dd768d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:42 EST, 12 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:43 EST, 12 April 2012 . It’s not exactly a life of luxury for newly incarcerated George Zimmerman, but at least he’s not without his Jolly Ranchers and Nutri-Grain bars. Now accused of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin in February, Zimmerman checked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida, last night. As he was admitted to the jail last night, he purchased $79.84 worth of items at the prison's commissary. Scroll down for video . Troubled: The legal challenges Zimerman faces . seemed to weigh on him during his first public appearance since the . February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin . Media circus: Mark O'Mara was surrounded by TV reporters and cameras as he entered the jail for Zimmerman's court appearance . A report from the Seminole County Corrections department listed the items, which included the essentials: Ivory and Irish Spring soap, deodorant, underwear and socks. Among the snacks purchased on his first night were Nutrigrain bars, white cheddar popcorn, Jolly Ranchers, chocolate crème cookies and root beer barrels. To pass the time behind bars, he also purchased playing cards and crossword and word search puzzle books. Other items included thermal clothes, contact lens solution and several packages of beef sticks. Essentials: A jail commissary report details the items that Zimmerman purchased before his first night in lock-up . Hygiene and sustenance: Among the items purchased by Zimmerman were Irish Spring soap and Nutri-Grain bars . Jailed: George Zimmerman is pictured Wednesday night in a booking photo taken at Seminole County Correctional Facility . A separate booking report detailed his tattoos - the tragedy and drama theatre masks on his left arm and a cross on his chest that says 'Christine'. The John E. Polk Correctional Facility, where Zimmerman is now held, has the capacity for up to 1,396 inmates. While Zimmerman's cell is equipped for two inmates, he will be alone, and remain separated from the general population. Body art: A booking report says he has a tattoo of the tragedy and drama theatre masks (like the ones pictured above) on his left arm . He will be allowed three hours of recreation time each week, and provided three meals a day: Breakfast at 4am, lunch at 10:30am and dinner at 4pm. Zimmerman will have access to books and magazines from the jail's library cart, and he’s also allowed to have a Bible. But just one night in jail has proven to be a strain on the 28-year-old, who claims he was acting in self-defence when he shot Trayvon, who was unarmed. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that Zimmerman 'wept quite a bit' during the night. Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O'Mara said . after the court appearance today: 'He is tired. He has gone through some . tribulations. He is facing second-degree murder charges now. He is . frightened. That would frighten any of us'. 'He . has a lot of hatred focused on him right now,' the defense attorney . said. 'I'm hoping that the hatred settles down now that we're moving . forward'. To prove . second-degree murder, prosecutors must show that Zimmerman committed an . 'imminently dangerous' act that showed a 'depraved' lack of regard for . human life. New home: Zimmerman will remain here, at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility, until a bail hearing in a few weeks . Standing by: Zimmerman stood with his new attorney, Mark O'Mara, as he listed to the judge . The special prosecutor in the case, Angela Corey, has refused to explain exactly how she arrived at the charge. But . in the affidavit, prosecutors said Zimmerman spotted Martin while . patrolling his gated community, got out of his vehicle and followed the . young man. Prosecutors interviewed a friend of Martin's who was talking to him over the phone moments before the shooting. Custody: George Zimmerman is handcuffed as he makes his first court appearance at the Seminole County jail Thursday afternoon . His parents' lawyer has said that Martin was talking to his girlfriend, identified only as Deedee, back in Miami. 'During this time, Martin was on the phone with a friend and described to her what was happening,' the affidavit said. 'The witness advised that Martin was . scared because he was being followed through the complex by an unknown . male and didn't know why'. 'No public pressure': State Attorney Angela Corey, appointed to prosecute the Trayvon Martin case, said she charged Zimmerman with murder based only on her judgement of the law in Florida . One request: O'Mara (centre) asked the judge to temporarily seal evidence in the case, including witness statements, so it doesn't come out piecemeal . During a recorded call to a police dispatcher, Zimmerman 'made reference to people he felt had committed and gotten away with break-ins in his neighborhood. Later while talking about Martin, Zimmerman stated 'these a------s, they always get away' and also said 'these f-----g punks,' according to the affidavit. If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, he faces a mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum of life. Facing charges: A month and a half after George . Zimmerman (left) shot and killed Trayvon Martin (right), the special . prosecutor in the case has filed second-degree murder charges against . him . Anxious: The parents of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin, second from left, and Sybrina Fulton, third from right, hold hands as they watch Corey's announcement with the Rev Al Sharpton, top centre . Video showing Zimmerman being escorted into the Sanford police station on the night of the shooting appear to show him unhurt, but an enhanced version showed what looked like welts on the back of his head . Watch video here . | Jail report shows George Zimmerman purchased $79 worth of items on his first night in lock-up .
Booking document reveals he has two tattoos .
Zimmerman will remain in jail until a bail hearing in the coming weeks .
Spent his first night behind bars sobbing, according to reports .
The second-degree murder charge means Zimmerman faces life in prison . |
178,098 | 728dcfa7842e405d8132430edf7d00e4024c153d | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- When director Antoine Fuqua rolls into a community to shoot a movie, he becomes part of that community. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua began a program to foster young moviemakers in poor communities. This isn't the case of a Hollywood filmmaker cherry-picking glamorous locations like Beverly Hills or Manhattan. Fuqua's interests lie a few miles away, in the grittier section of town. For his 2001 blockbuster, "Training Day," he took stars Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke and shot in South-Central Los Angeles -- deep in the 'hood. And last year, the housing projects in Brooklyn's Brownsville district were key to his latest feature, "Brooklyn's Finest." Hawke stars once again, this time alongside Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. Although Fuqua carries himself with the confident ease of someone who enjoys a certain stature in the industry, he's at home in the projects. And he should be. He was raised in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, public housing complex, and hasn't forgotten what it's like to dream about making it out of the ghetto. Yet now that he's out, he wants back in. Watch more about how Fuqua mentors young filmmakers » . During the filming of "Brooklyn's Finest," he initiated the non-profit Fuqua Film Program -- an intense, 12-week moviemaking course eligible to young adults from Brownsville, ages 16 to 20. Last year, three students got the chance to write, direct and edit their own short film. This year, he hopes to expand the program to 10 to 15 students. Down the road, he's looking to bring the project to his native Pittsburgh, then roll out to other urban areas. After all, in Hollywood, it's all about who you know -- and Fuqua wants to give neighborhood kids the opportunity to know him. The following is an edited version of an interview CNN did with Fuqua. CNN: What was so compelling about the kids you chose to participate in the Fuqua Film Program? Antoine Fuqua: We selected three kids -- four kids, actually (one could not complete the program because he was sent to Juvenile Hall). ... The concept was to have them write an essay to find out which ones really had the passion for filmmaking. Most of the applicants were 18, 19 years old. Some lost their parents when they were 13, 12, 10. A few were involved in gangs -- or someone in their family is involved in gangs. A young lady just wanted to find a way out of living in the projects, and she wanted to go to college. So it was a number of things I found compelling, but most of all, they all had a little bit of light and a little bit of hope in each letter. CNN: When you handed the participants their video camera, you talked about "No excuses." Fuqua: Right. "No excuses." Exactly. That concept came from my parents and my grandmother -- the idea that you can't make excuses for things you don't have. You just have to go get 'em. ... If they go after it -- as they did with the essays -- someone's going to hand you a tool and say, "Here you go. Now what?" And then it's up to you to prove that you have what it takes. CNN: You've got the teens who are part of the program, and then you have a bunch of little kids (from the neighborhood) who were interested in what was going on, too -- the next generation. Fuqua: (Laughs) The next generation, yeah. They kind of took over the director's chair. I was over directing the actors, and I happened to turn around, and I just saw all these kids all around my monitor, and I said, "Well, sit down, go ahead. Put the headsets on. You know, if you're going to be here, you can listen and hear what's going on." And they loved it. I'd see them smiling, and laughing, and every time I yelled, "Cut!" they were clapping. And then a few of them would yell, "Cut!" and "Action!" I like to just go in there and say, "This is all happening in your neighborhood, these two, three hundred crew members -- black, white, every other color." You know, a crew is like a United Nations. It's an immediate opportunity to meet and greet people other than the ones you see every day in your community. We're there at four or five in the morning. We leave whenever we finish, which is normally in the middle of the night sometimes. So they see that dedication and that work ethic, and they see how we all get along and how we all have to communicate. And somewhere, I believe, it affects their behavior and how they deal with their lives. CNN: Did anybody do this for you? Fuqua: I'm just like them. I come from the projects in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Hill District, so I know what it feels like to walk into these concrete buildings (the housing projects) and think that's the world. My goal is to show them that's nothing -- that's a blip in the world. ... Several people gave me opportunities. Mario Van Peebles was doing a little film in Pittsburgh and I was just a little kid running around, and I got to meet him. He was acting in it, and he was really nice and said hello to everybody. It wasn't a situation where they said, "Go away! You can't be part of this." CNN: On the set of "Brooklyn's Finest," Denzel Washington spent time talking to the kids. Fuqua: Yeah, Denzel was giving them the real talking. ... He's involved with the Boys and Girls Club, and he does a lot quietly -- people don't even know. When I shot "Training Day," he was, "Absolutely you've got to shoot down there [in South-Central] -- where else you gonna shoot it?!" And I remember one day down on the set with Denzel, I was filming and I couldn't find him, and I looked up on the porch, and he was up there on the porch with all these older women, and they were cooking for him, and all the young kids were around, and he was just hanging out where all the people were. And that told me right away what kind of person he was. I don't know how many times he was in his trailer. He was always with the kids -- him and Ethan (Hawke, his co-star) -- hanging out with everyone. And that influenced me a lot because I realized by watching the effect they had on these kids. CNN: What's been the most gratifying part of being involved in the community, and picking the kids for the Fuqua Film Program? Fuqua: I'm satisfied when I hear them talking about wanting to go to Europe, or curious of who Caravaggio is -- the painter -- or tell me they saw a Kurosawa film last night, and they never saw him before. You know, it's like the world is starting to open up -- their eyes are opening up. Maybe one of those kids is going to be the next Steven Spielberg, or the next Denzel, or who knows -- the next Antoine. | Antoine Fuqua started program for young filmmakers .
Fuqua ("Training Day") gives kids a motto: "No excuses"
Fuqua: "It's like the world is starting to open up" for the children . |
201,281 | 909d2ad994869fcba5b49e513e147f0b0897858d | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's foremost aviation showcase celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The Spitfire is one of the aircraft from Farnborough's inaugural show getting airborne once again to celebrate the airshow's 60th year. The 46th Farnborough International Airshow will commemorate the first show ever held in 1948 at this year's event in Hampshire which runs from July 14 to 20. "As we look back on the past 60 years, we also are excited to continue looking forward to the next 60 years," said John Cairns, Head of Services at Farnborough International Limited (FIL) which runs the biennial airshow. To mark the occasion, Farnborough's world-renowned flying display will include aircraft which flew at the first show like the Swordfish, Spitfire, Sea Hawk and Sea Fury. Adding a modern twist to the mix will be the debut of The Blades, the world's only globally accredited aerobatic airline. The airshow was first established as a way for the British public to see and learn about the best of aviation. Staying true to its original purpose, on both Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July -- Farnborough's "public weekend" -- there will be a four-and-a-half-hour flying display. Highlights include perennial favourites the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatic team who will close the show with their aerial gymnastics, as well as the debut of the Aero Sekur Shooting Stars, an Italian ladies' parachute team who will be providing daily skydiving displays. "Farnborough, in essence, has always been about innovation, and I am delighted that to a long line of distinguished 'Farnborough Firsts' I am able to add some very worthy new firsts, including the first ever women's parachute team to appear at the Airshow; the world's first aerobatic airline and the first business aviation jet to have been developed at Farnborough," continued Cairns. As well as displaying aircraft for the public, Farnborough has also established itself as one of the world's premier showcases for the aviation business world. This year, 1,500 companies from 35 countries as diverse as Colombia and Bahrain will be exhibiting planes and other technologies in a show that is predicted to be Farnborough's biggest to date. On the trade days which run from Monday 14 to Friday 18 July, business attendees will be able to see the world's latest aerospace innovations in the air. A full range of civil, business and defence aircraft will take part in flying displays. These include the Airbus AB380; HAL helicopters; the Kestrel JP10 (originally conceived at Farnborough airfield); the MiG 29; the EADS Eurofighter; the F 16 and F18; the MB 346; the AB 609; MB 311. In 2006, Farnborough trade week accumulated $42 billion worth of orders including $550 million in business aviation orders. The Airbus A380 also made its UK debut at Farnborough that year. "Our intention has always been to build on the success of the 2006 event, and to ensure that this year's show delivers an incomparable business service for our exhibitors and their customers, ensuring that they can gain maximum benefit and opportunity from attending Farnborough Airshow -- whether that is taking orders, making sales or developing new business," said Amanda Stainer, the Airshow's Exhibition and Events Director. To find out more about Farnborough International Airshow go to: www.farnborough.com/ . | Farnborough International Airshow celebrates its 60th year in 2008 .
Flying displays will include Spitfire and Sea Hawk planes which first flew in 1948 .
Aerospace industry will be represented by 1,500 companies from 25 countries .
Professionals will be able to see the MiG 29 and the F 16 fighter jets in the air . |
50,959 | 90334a18fa2c144a3c00dd3300bb475be58e0bd8 | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 12:15 EST, 11 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:33 EST, 11 January 2013 . A heroic British father-of-five drowned trying to save his wife from rough seas in Australia, moments after trying to comfort her by quipping: 'Trust you!' Bernard and Amanda Robinson, from Broadstairs, Kent, were fishing from rocks on Twilight Beach in Esperance, Western Australia, when she slipped and fell into the sea. Mr Robinson, 54, tried to help his wife by stretching out his fishing rod for her to hold on to but lost his footing and toppled into the sea. 'He died trying to save me': Bernard and Amanda Robinson who moved from Broadstairs, in Kent, to Yanchep, near Perth, Western Australia in 2009, were fishing from rocks in Esperance when she slipped into the sea . The stricken couple, who moved from Broadstairs, Kent, to Yanchep, near Perth, in 2009, trod water together for up to an hour before Mrs Robinson managed to pull herself onto a rock. She then turned around and see her husband floating face down in the water yards away. And in a tragic but poetic turn, a pod of dolphins then appeared from the depths and followed Mr Robinson's body as it was brought ashore by boat. Amanda, 51, who is originally from Birmingham, told The Sun: 'Maybe the dolphins felt the distress he was in. He would have loved animals trying to help him.' Hero: Father-of-five Mr Robinson, 54, tried to help his wife by stretching out his fishing rod for her to hold on to but lost his footing and toppled into the sea . Rough waters: The couple were fishing from rocks on Twilight Beach in Esperance, Western Australia when she slipped . Describing the last moments with her partner of 27 years, she added: 'We were tossed around like rag dolls, pulled down deep into the ocean only to be thrown up on to rocks... Then, as if by magic, the ocean became calm.' That was when she drifted towards a rock and hauled herself to safety. By then, though, it was too late and Mr Robinson had been overcome by exhaustion and drowned. His distraught wife added: 'He gave his life in order to save mine.' | Bernard and Amanda Robinson were fishing from beach when she slipped .
Mr Robinson, 54, tried to help by stretching out his fishing rod but fell .
They moved from Broadstairs, Kent, to Yanchep, near Perth, in 2009 .
The tragedy happened on Twilight Beach in Esperance, Western Australia .
A pod of dolphins followed his body as he was brought ashore by boat .
Amanda: 'Maybe dolphins felt distress he was in. He died trying to save me' |
243,604 | c750046a5d382c77d7ec86ea8d04662c60d2417b | One of Portland's trendiest areas might soon be home to a tent city. If this were another town, the owners and developers of high-end homes and condominiums would scream to high heaven about diminished property values. But this is Portland, where the citizens try their best to be tolerant of everything except intolerance - and gluten. Protesting: Developers and some residents are angry at plans to move the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp in Portland, Oregon, to a parking lot under the west ramp of the Broadway Bridge . Opponents of a city plan to put 100 people under a century-old bridge in the Pearl District are carefully choosing their words when complaining about the prospect of new, down-on-their-luck neighbors. Rather than express concern for their financial investments, they have criticized the city's expedited process and worried for the welfare of those willing to live in a parking lot under the west ramp of the Broadway Bridge. Tiffany Sweitzer, the president of Hoyt Street Properties, a realty and development firm that - over the course of 15 years - has helped transform a dying industrial area into a sparkling urban neighborhood, said 'throwing a bunch of people under a bridge' should not be the city's solution to helping the estimated 2,000 residents who sleep outside each night. 'It's embarrassing, because that is not how you would treat anybody,' she said. Mayor Charlie Hales and city commissioners plan to decide October 16 whether to move the camp to the Pearl District from its current home near the entrance to Chinatown. If approved, a coalition of property owners promises to sue. The camp known as Right 2 Dream Too (R2D2) was established in October 2011 during the Occupy Portland movement. Four years earlier, the city forced an adult bookstore to close because of code violations. The building was later demolished and the lot remained empty for three years until the aggrieved owner allowed the homeless to lease the property for $1 a year. Each night for two years, roughly 100 people have slept on prime downtown real estate - in tents shielded from passers-by with a barrier of old, colorful doors fashioned into an artsy wall. During that time, landowner Michael Wright racked up more than $20,000 in fines because of violations associated with operating a campsite without a permit. He responded with a lawsuit. Tent City: The Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp is currently next to the Chinatown gate in Portland . To extract Portland from this mess, city Commissioner Amanda Fritz brokered a deal in which the fines would be waived, the lawsuit dropped and the homeless campers sent to the Pearl District. It all happened in a matter of weeks, angering homeowners and developers who say the city was so desperate to settle Wright's lawsuit that it bypassed zoning laws. Fritz, a former psychiatric nurse, acknowledged that the camp is not the ideal answer to homelessness. She said there is not enough money to provide housing to all, and R2D2 has provided a much safer alternative than the street. 'It's been an option that's been better than nothing,' she said. Scores of people spoke for and against the proposal at a recent five-hour hearing. Though some older women testified their safety would be jeopardized, most Pearl District residents completely ignored quality-of-life and financial issues and repeatedly griped that the city did the deal in secret and delegitimized the zoning code. Not everyone in the neighborhood is rich, they added, and the fight has been unfairly cast as the greedy against the homeless, or 'us against them.' 'It's a sad, confrontational, divisive atmosphere because communication was intentionally closed,' said Julie Young, a retired social worker who lives in the Pearl. Besides condominiums and the low-income apartments for older residents, there are businesses nearby and a Marriott is scheduled to open next year. Those who have spoken to the potential financial impact of R2D2 say hotel guests won't want to stay near a shantytown and commercial rents could fall by more than 15 percent. Home: The camp was established in October 2011 during the Occupy Portland movement and is home to about 100 people . Ziba Design spent $20 million to build its headquarters in the Pearl District. Its real estate adviser, Greg Close of Wyse Investment Services, said in a phone interview that his client represents a large Chinese apparel manufacturer that is considering Portland. 'What does my client tell the executive of that manufacturer when it asks: 'How can we trust you, Ziba, with our brand when we come to Portland and see you invested $20 million next to a homeless camp?' ' Homeless people, meanwhile, ask their prospective neighbors to give them a chance. R2D2 has an excellent safety record, and supporters say the camp - they call it a rest area - has helped people get back on their feet and into permanent housing. 'We're not there to bring property values down,' said Ibrahim Mubarak, the R2D2 leader. 'We're there to get people from sleeping on your sidewalk. We're there to stop people from sleeping in the doorways. We're there to stop the drug dealing; we're there to stop the drug use by our friends.' | Developers and residents protesting plan to move homeless 'tent city' into trendy Portland area .
The city decides next month whether to move the camp to the Pearl District from the Chinatown entrance .
The Right 2 Dream Too camp was established in October 2011 during the Occupy Portland movement .
Residents say a homeless camp would make Pearl District unsafe and impact property values . |
98,961 | 0b74995cf9004caba53b5b35074b29361ff2464a | Replacement Ben Spencer had the final say at Allianz Park after his three second-half penalties saw Saracens snatch a 22-17 win over Newcastle. Andy Saull and Alesana Tuilagi crashed over for the Falcons in the first half, either side of a David Strettle try, but Saracens entered the break with a slender lead through the boot of Charlie Hodgson. However, a Hodgson injury meant scrum-half Spencer took over kicking duties in the second half and his three penalties, despite a converted try for Will Welch, secured the victory. The Saracens players celebrate victory over Newcastle in the Aviva Premiership match . Jacques Burger (centre) of Saracens is tackled by Scott Lawson of Newcastle Falcons . Nils Mordt (right) juggles the ball as he takes on Juan Pablo Socino of Newcastle Falcons . The two sides put on a showcase of enterprising rugby at Kingston Park in December - Juan Socino missing a last-gasp conversion which would have handed the Falcons a draw - and this clash started in much the same fashion. Saull benefited from a powerful driving maul, formed as a result of Tom Catterick's decision to find touch, and the flanker drove on to put Newcastle ahead within the opening four minutes. Catterick failed to convert and when Hodgson was presented with a penalty directly in front of the posts, Aviva Premiership Rugby's all-time top points scorer reduced the deficit to 5-3. With just over 10 minutes played, the hosts found more answers after quick hands set up Strettle to dive over in the corner, with Hodgson converting. However, in a tit-for-tat clash Newcastle soon levelled the scores through the bulldozing Tuilagi. The 34-year-old picked up the ball and charged down the wing, running straight at last man Strettle whose attempted tackle barely slowed the Samoan down. Half an hour in, Hodgson's close-range penalty put Saracens back in front by three points, but moments later the fly-half had to come off with an injury to his hamstring. Nevertheless Sarries were in the ascendancy and Newcastle did well to hold them back before the half-time whistle blew. Neil de Kock had also left the field due to a knock to his head and his replacement, Spencer, would go onto have a vital say in the second half. Alex Tait's swift break looked to be leading Newcastle to a perfect start and, after numerous phases, another maul formed at the line-out was driven over by captain Welch. Catterick's first successful conversion of the afternoon gave the visitors a four-point advantage but only a determined defensive effort from the visitors made sure Saracens did not reply immediately. The Falcons' defence eventually gave away a penalty after 56 minutes which a confident Spencer made no mistake with. Chris Wyles (left) of Saracens evades the tackle of Socino as his team beat Newcastle 22-17 . Marcelo Bosch (centre) of Saracens is tackled by two Falcons players during the Premiership game . Ben Ramson (right) of Saracens tries to evade a challenge from Adam Powell in the encounter . The scrum-half then nosed Saracens ahead five minutes later with another well-taken penalty, this time from the sidelines. Catterick broke free from the Saracens defence with seven minutes left to play but a second's indecision from the fly-half, in which he failed to release club top-scorer Sinoti Sinoti, gave Saracens a chance to regroup and quell a dangerous attack. Spencer's third penalty of the afternoon was just as good as his previous, sailing through the posts from 35 yards before the hosts managed to see out the remaining five minutes. | Charlie Hodgson got injured, so Ben Spencer took over kicking duties .
He converted three penalties in the second period to lead Saracens to a win .
Spencer converted a third penalty on 75 minutes to seal a 22-17 score . |
21,162 | 3c013ae8af11f335e72874a5637239cf6a55a9e7 | (CNN) -- Spongy red balls wait in a queue, separating two teams wired to smack their opponent. Within seconds, the players dip and dive like dolphins until one player stands alone, relishing in victory. An adult plays in a dodge ball league organized by the . City of Sparks Parks and Recreation in Nevada. It's the classic game of dodge ball, but these aren't fifth-graders during PE class in Sparks, Nevada. The childhood sport of dodge ball made a comeback four years ago in this bedroom community among adults in their 20s and 30s -- and even a few players who reached retirement. Now, hundreds of working professionals, doctors, lawyers and teachers congregate at the local recreation center for a dose of dodge ball on Sunday nights. "I think a lot of it goes back to trying to stay young," said Tony Pehle, recreation supervisor in Sparks, who started the dodge ball program after being inspired by the 2004 Ben Stiller movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." "They might be adults, but they still like to play and have fun." Has Peter Pan syndrome come to stay? From playing dodge ball to jumping double Dutch and competing in rock-paper-scissors, adult men and women, from urban nests to rural towns, are reveling in games and activities once thought to be child's play. The 2009 World Yo-Yo Contest in Orlando, Florida, this weekend (August 13) is all grown up, attracting more than 150 adult competitors, who can showcase dizzying tricks with the flick of a finger. Later in the month, hundreds of adults outfitted in pirate and animal costumes will race their homebuilt vehicles for Oregon's annual Portland Adult Soapbox Derby, a crafty activity that began for youths in the 1930s. "Once a year, I get to build something for the kid in me," says Jason Hogue, a 41-year-old carpenter, who has participated in the race for eight years. Last year, he constructed a car shaped like a hammerhead shark. "We get to use our creativity and get excited with our friends." Whether they're done to seek refuge from the daily grind or to provide nostalgia for youthful days -- or they're a product of what some experts say is a generation that can't grow up -- these juvenile pastimes are getting more popular. For example, adult viewership of the Nickelodeon show "SpongeBob SquarePants" swelled by 51 percent from 1999 to 2009, officials say. The World Adult Kickball Association, one of the largest kickball organizations, has spread its tentacles to 33 states as well a soldier division in Iraq. WAKA Kickball began as a casual game between a few young single friends in their 20s in Washington, D.C. Now, the games appeal to tens of thousands of adults, many of them yuppies wanting a quick escape from the stresses of their first 401(k), mortgage and job. "I played soccer growing up, and I like competition," says avid kickball player Marlon LeWinter, 28, of New York City. LeWinter, a public relations executive, usually plays the position of center with a bunch of producers, writers and analysts in their late 20s. They named their team Chipwich Nation after they scarfed down the cookies-and-ice cream treat at a bar after a game one night. "Sometimes when it's [the score] two to one in a kickball came, I get the jitters," he says. The economic bind also creates a favorable environment for adults to latch onto simple children's games and sports. With players who are trapped in a world of layoffs and job freezes, these adult leagues, contests and tournaments are the equivalent of sandbox time for children. They can make new friends and go for a beer after the game. These activities are also budget-friendly, costing less than $100 to join for several months of play -- much less than a golf club membership. Since the recession, Duncan Toys, one of the biggest yo-yo manufacturers in the United States, has seen sales spike. A company official noticed many of the adults who purchased yo-yos tried to get the same models they owned as kids. "Nowadays, everything is taken so seriously that people revert to something like playing with a yo-yo," says Mike McBride, a 34-year-old multimedia designer who picked up the activity shortly after college. McBride, who will compete in the Orlando World Yo-Yo contest, says the activity helps him relieve stress. "There's no pressure." In 2006, Christopher Noxon, in his book "Rejuvenile," explored why adults fancy childhood pursuits like kickball, cartoons and cupcakes. Beginning with Generation X adults in the 1990s, the group began to shift from the norms of the hierarchal corporate ladder, and the age of marriage began to steadily climb. Soon, juvenile activities that had been regarded as silly became hip. Quirky became cool, and more organized teams, groups and competitions for playground sports and childlike hobbies emerged. "Our whole idea of adulthood has changed," says Noxon. "We value flexibility and creativity, and these are things kids are good at. It's brought us back to what we had as children." But it isn't just the younger generations that clutch leftovers from their youth or become interested in child-like activities. Grandparents in their 70s and 80s still collect roomfuls of model train sets, romanticizing the days when the only way to travel was by choo-choo. Women in their 40s acquire American Girl dolls that stir fond memories of reading the novels during childhood. Psychology experts say it shouldn't be a surprise that the affinity for childhood hobbies and activities extends across generations. After all, Americans have long had an obsession with youth. To be young is associated with being fun, vibrant and active. In the Internet age, finding one's inner child has never been easier, with the proliferation of social networks such as Facebook or Web sites like Meetup.com, where users can create groups and meeting times for activities. On the site, groups of adults organize scavenger hunts in Atlanta, Georgia, and action figure discussions in New York City. "This is a generation of people who are far less homogenous and more niche-oriented," says Judith Sills, a clinical psychologist who works with young adults. "They can bond around their quirky differences. Ten years ago, you couldn't have easily found another kickball player, even if you wanted to play." | WAKA Kickball started more than a decade ago by a few friends is now in 33 states .
The 2009 World Yo-Yo Contest will attract more than 150 adults this year .
Hundreds of adult soapbox racers will wear costumes to race in Portland, Oregon .
"Rejuvenile" author Noxon says childhood pastimes are becoming more acceptable . |
63,500 | b4549e1e351ec948f6bf3bc17993bbfa56208d7f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:55 EST, 3 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:20 EST, 4 August 2012 . Repeat offender: Police in Mobile, Alabama have arrested Dustin Kent for the third time in three months over allegations of sex abuse . Police have arrested Dustin Kent for the third time in three months over allegations of sex abuse. Dustin Kent, 36, who is the uncle of missing Alabama teen Brittney Wood, was charged with first-degree rape as well as first-degree sodomy for a crime he allegedly committed three years ago on a girl no older than 12. His bond was later set on $25,000. Authorities said the current charges against Kent do not appear to be related to Ms Wood’s disappearance. Mobile, Alabama Cpl. Chris Levy told Fox10tv.com that through their investigation on Ms Wood’s vanishing in May, they discovered Kent’s alleged abuse. ‘Through our missing person’s investigation for Brittany Wood, (Dustin Kent’s) name came up…We were able to determine we have a juvenile victim from three years ago,’ he said. Kent was arrested twice before in the past few weeks in Baldwin County. His first arrest, which happened in June, was on charges of rape and sodomy. Last month, he was charged with rape, sodomy, and incest. Police would not release any information on the victim, save that she was less than 12 years old at the time of the alleged crime. Scroll down for video . Disturbing case: Donald Holland, right, used his niece's gun to kill himself on June 1, just two days after Alabama teen Brittney Wood, left, went missing. She is pictured with her two-year-old daughter . Weapon: Officials said he used Ms Wood's Raven .25-caliber handgun revolver . Holland shot himself just half an hour before he was scheduled to meet with investigators about the teen's disappearance. Officials said he used Ms Wood's Raven .25-caliber handgun revolver. 'It just really does not look good that she went missing May 30 and two days later he commits suicide,' Ms Wood's mother, Chessie Wood said to Fox. The family told Fox that normally, Ms Wood kept just two bullets in her weapon. Police confirmed that after Holland fired, there was just one left. 'I mean, I just want an answer. That’s all I want. I want to bring her home whether it be tragically or a happy ending,' Mrs Wood said. Relatives are hoping that a $1,500 reward will help them find closure to the case. 'We believe we have missed something that is hollering our name, and maybe it was so obvious,' said Mrs Wood. Missing mom: Brittney Wood, pictured with her two-year-old daughter just weeks before she vanished, has not been seen since she left her Alabama home to visit her uncle . At first, some relatives thought Brittney may have skipped town. 'We as a family do not see how she . had the means to run. We’ve covered every friend, every one of them are . accounted for,' Mrs Woods said. 'I mean if she had to run because she's that scared, I would really believe that she would have [taken] her daughter with her.' 'It just really does not look good that she went missing May 30 and two days later he commits suicide.' Chessie Wood . Brittney’ mother, Chessie Wood, told WKRG that Derek and Brittney were extremely close. She told the network: 'They have the same friends, run the same places, I mean they're like this. He is Brittney's protector and he feels like he wasn't there when he should've been.' Derek Wood, 21, was charged with abuse after her disappearance, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. In a statement posted on The Hometown Search for Brittney Wood Facebook page her father and stepmother, Wallace & Stephanie Hanke said: 'In the wake of the recent arrest our focus is still the same as it's been from the beginning (sic). 'Our goal is to bring Brittney home. Thanks for the continued support of family & friends.' Family ties: Derek Wood, left, has been charged with several counts of abuse, nearly two months after his younger sister Brittney disappeared . Derek Wood, who is listed on the office’s website as homeless, is being held on $25,000 bond. Also in the weeks since Ms Wood vanished, two more of her uncles were arrested, but the arrests are not believed to be connected to the teen's case. Both of the uncles, Dustin Kent, 32, and Randall Wood, 42, have since been released on bond. Brittney Wood is described as 5'1" and 105 pounds, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Relatives: In the weeks since Ms Wood vanished, . uncles Randall Wood, left, and Dustin Kent, right, were arrested on . abuse charges similar to her brother . | Brittney Wood vanished on May 30 while visiting her uncle, who committed suicide the next day with her gun .
Teen mother's older brother Derek Wood arrested on abuse charges .
Two uncles arrested on similar charges last month . |
248,065 | ccfcf2f28e9495ebf36b861076f25e764d9d14a9 | A shocking video has emerged that appears to show Egyptian police standing idly by as an anti-Christian mob launch a frenzied attack on a cathedral filled with mourners. Two worshippers were left dead and 84 injured, including 11 police officers, as men shooting guns, wielding machetes and hurling stones laid siege to the walled Coptic cathedral compound in Cairo earlier this month. Footage of the prolonged mass attack shows uniformed officers looking on and appearing to help one gunman take aim at people streaming out of a service held for five men killed in an earlier clash with Muslims. New footage has emerged of men shooting guns, wielding machetes and hurling stones laid siege to the Coptic cathedral in Cairo earlier this month . A man wielding a machete lurks near the church before his is filmed attacking it . An anti-Christian mob launch a frenzied attack on a cathedral filled with mourners . The fighting erupted on April 7 after a mass funeral for the five Copts who were killed . during violent clashes in a north Egyptian town. The new footage of the attacks was first obtained by MidEast Christian News. A Muslim . man also died in the clashes in the Abbassia District of Cairo, which happened after an Islamic institute . was daubed with offensive graffiti. The only arrests that were made afterwards were of four Copts, who were already outraged over a three-day attack that began April 4 attack in Khosous. It saw the four men killed and homes, a nursery and a church burned, said the events show how elusive justice is for Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of the nation's population. Andrew Johnston, advocacy director for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, told Fox News: 'Two Copts were killed during the attack on the Cathedral; four more died in Khosous, yet not one of their attackers has been arrested. 'These arrests come at a time when the Coptic community in Egypt is still coming to terms with an unprecedented attack on the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the violence in Khosous. The fighting erupted on April 7 after a mass funeral for five Copts who were killed during violent clashes . An aggressor is filmed shooting from a balcony of a house adjacent to the cathedral . An attacker fires shots after apparently being shown how to aim by a policeman . One of the attackers is caught on camera attacking the cathedral compound . 'Such discrepancies in the discharge of justice contribute to impunity, and can only foster more sectarianism.' Tensions between Egypt's Christians and the majority Sunni Muslims have grown dramatically since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in 2011 and replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood-led government of Mohammed Morsi. A report released on Wednesday by the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights said: 'There is a general feeling among citizens about the absence of law and the prestige of the state. 'Such a feeling could push the citizens to the violence and sectarianism without fearing from any deterrence. 'The recent incident proved the shrinking of the role of the state to control the actions of the individuals especially those people who think that they talk on the behalf of God,' the report continued. 'There is a need for implementing the law strictly to treat such incidents.' | Men with guns, wielding machetes and hurling stones laid siege to cathedral .
Uniformed officers looked on and appeared to help one gunman take aim .
Worshippers were streaming out of service held for victims of earlier clash .
It follows increase in tensions between Egypt's Christians and Muslims . |
82,431 | e9b6b7ba5954e08c2dfbbec6bfb06184ad242a84 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:47 EST, 25 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:47 EST, 25 October 2013 . Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was questioned by the Warren Commission after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a new book has revealed. The previously-undisclosed meeting between a U.S. investigator and the Cuban president after the November 1963 killing has been shared in 'A Cruel and Shocking Act: the Secret . History of the Kennedy Assassination' by Philip Shenon, a former . investigative reporter for the New York Times. It reveals that the commission investigating the death in Dallas, Texas sent an investigator to waters off Cuba and took Castro out in a U.S. Navy boat and then onto a yacht. Before the meeting, Castro had expressed interest in speaking with the commission, Bob Schieffer explained on CBS' Face of the Nation as he discussed the book. Questions: Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, U.S. investigators questioned Fidel Castro (right, pictured in 2004) over what he knew about the death but he said he had nothing to do with it . 'The investigator gets off the boat, . talks to Castro, they talk for three hours,' he explained. 'Castro says - as you would . expect - "No way, no how did I have anything to do with it".' Schieffer, who called the book 'magnificent', noted that the investigator sent to speak with Castro was William Coleman, who later became secretary of . transportation in Gerald Ford's administration. He was sent because he had actually met the dictator while he was on his honeymoon in Harlem and they had shared a love of jazz music. Although they weren't friends, they did know each other, and it was for this reason that Coleman was sent, CBS reported. In the book, which is out October 29, Shenon doesn't dispute the Warren Commission's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald worked alone when he murdered Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Probe: U.S. investigator William Coleman (left in 1976 when he became the US Secretary of State for Transport) was sent to waters off Cuba to meet Castro (pictured in 1964) because they had previously met in Harlem . Moments from tragedy: President Kennedy and his wife smile at crowds from their motorcade in Dallas, Texas just moments before he was shot on November 22, 1963. Castro said he knew nothing of the plot . Instead, he underlines that there's no evidence to suggest there was a conspiracy or anybody else involved, despite numerous claims to the contrary. It also comes after retired CIA analyst Brian Latell claimed in a book last year that Oswald told Cuban intelligence officers that he had planned to kill Kennedy. 'Fidel knew of Oswald's intentions - and did nothing to deter the act,' he wrote. He wrote that a Cuban spy defector told him that on November 22, 1963, he was told to gather any intelligence coming from Texas - and within three hours he learned that the president had been shot. The defector told a CIA debriefer: 'Castro knew. They knew Kennedy would be killed.' Accused: Lee Harvey Oswald, pictured in the Dallas police station, was arrested for the shooting but before he could stand trial, he was shot by a club owner while he was being moved to a jail . The Warren Report denied that anyone else was involved and instead only Oswald, a former Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union, was arrested for the death. He denied any role in the assassination. Two days after his arrest, he was shot dead by nightclub owner Jack Ruby as he was transferred from police headquarters to jail. | The Warren Commission sent an investigator to quiz Castro over JFK's assassination - but he denied being a part of it, a new book has revealed . |
217,800 | a5fd3f43943890be7e79ea431307732123ce7025 | Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is confident of having his bowling action cleared by the International Cricket Council after undergoing an official test. Ajmal was put through his paces at an ICC accredited bio-mechanics centre in Chennai in India on Saturday, having already taken part in a 'private test' in a laboratory in Edgbaston in mid-January. Ajmal had ruled himself out of Pakistan's World Cup plans - his place seemingly going to inexperienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah. Saeed Ajmal has undergone an official test for his bowling action at a bio-mechanics centre in Chennai, India . Worcestershire bowler Ajmal was suspended last year after his bowling action was deemed illegal . 'I felt those who tested me were happy with my action,' Ajmal told Indian newspaper, The Hindu. 'I am hopeful, but ultimately the decision rests with them. 'I bowled 30 deliveries. And I bowled five different kinds of balls six times each. I bowled the doosra, the carrom ball, the off-spinner, (the) seam-up and the quicker one. 'If I had just wanted to bowl the off-spinner, I could have got my action cleared in two weeks. But I want to retain my variety. I think my doosra is within permissible limits now. 'If they are not happy with my doosra, then I feel I can still bowl effectively with my off-spinner and other deliveries.' The Pakistan off-spinner is confident that his bowling action will be cleared by the authorities . He claims he wants to be the number one bowler in the side and would rather retire than make up the numbers . Worcestershire spinner Ajmal was suspended from bowling for an illegal action last year after being reported during a Test against Sri Lanka. Following months of rehabilitation work, including under former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, Ajmal appears keen to make up for lost time. 'I want to be a frontline bowler, the number one bowler in the side,' he said. 'I don't want to make up numbers. I would rather retire than do that. 'Saqlain Bhai (brother) told me there was no use being depressed. He inspired me to pick myself up. I have bowled around 12,000 deliveries with my new action in the last four months.' | Saeed Ajmal was put through a test by the International Cricket Council .
He had his bowling action tested at a bio-mechanics centre in Chennai .
The Worcestershire spinner was suspended last year for an illegal action .
Ajmal is confident of having his action cleared by the ICC soon . |
105,660 | 14428c411f81ccacf893ed799b3fbbc5f9c6e165 | By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 21:09 EST, 11 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:28 EST, 12 September 2013 . An Arkansas man who raised an abandoned bear cub for six months until wildlife officials confiscated the animal says he wants his ‘little girl’ back. Robert Baysinger chokes up with tears when he describes finding the cub he named Savannah and gets even more emotional when he recalls the day he came home to find her gone. The Marshall man insists he has what it takes to properly raise the animal, but Arkansas Game and Fish maintains that wild animals must be cared for by professionals and confiscated Savannah on Monday. Scroll down for video . Heartbroken: Robert Baysinger of Marshall, Arkansas raised a bear named Savannah for six months and now he weeps thinking about how she's been taken away by wildlife officials . 'They came in there with total strangers': Baysinger arrived home Monday to find that Savannah had been seized by wildlife officials . ‘She's part of my family. It's no different from raising a little kid. She depends on you,’ Baysinger told KARK. Baysinger was doing a prescribed burn on his land in March when he discovered the bear crying and along with singed fur. ‘I picked it up. It couldn't walk,’ he said. He kept watch over the little cub for a couple of days, but when its mother never returned, Baysinger decided to take her in. 'Like a little Yorkie': Savannah became a part of Baysinger's family and lived in his home for six months . 'It's no different from raising a little kid': Baysinger said Savannah was quickly learning to pick blackberries and to climb . Attached: Savannah was burned during a prescribed burn near Baysinger's home in March. Baysinger tried returning her to the wild but her mother never returned and she seemed to want to stay with Baysinger . For six months, Baysinger watched the bear grow and became attached to Savannah like a human child. ‘I got an old '86 Toyota pickup, she gets in there like a dog and she hangs her head out the window like a little Yorkie and goes wherever I go when I'm not doing nothing,’ Baysinger said as he fought back tears. Early this week, Baysinger left home and when he returned Savannah was gone. All that was left was a ticket taped to his door from Arkansas Game and Fish. Baysinger is devasted. Naysayer: Game and Fish spokesman Steve "Wildman" Wilson says Baysinger is endangering himself and the bear . Write caption here . 'I've been in the woods all my life': Baysinger dismissed claims that he is unprepared to raise a wild animal . ‘She's crying,’ he said. ‘They came in there with total strangers. And took her by force and put her in a strange place that she's not used to. She's crying.‘ . Officials fear that Baysinger is putting himself and the animal in danger. ‘This is not only about his safety but the bear's safety as well,’ said Game and Fish spokesman Steve ‘Wildman’ Wilson. ‘We all love bears. We all love wildlife. They're cute and they're cuddly but it's called wildlife for a reason.’ Needless to say, Baysinger disagrees and says the classroom of life has taught him all he needs to know. ‘I've been in the woods all my life,’ he said. ‘68 years. Even though I don't have a certificate hanging on my wall I know more about it than the people who has her right now.’ Baysinger is now begging to have Savannah returned. ‘I'm asking game and fish to please let me have my little girl back.’ To see the full interview with Robert click here . | Robert Baysinger cried as he described the day Savannah was taken from this Arkansas home .
'I saved the little bear's life and now I'm letting her down': Baysinger feels like a father to the animal he had for 6 months but official say he's not capable of raising it .
To see the full interview with Robert click here . |
207,755 | 98fd60365d4ac4fa17a61d64393568a71f1fbf88 | By . Ap Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:05 EST, 22 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:47 EST, 23 December 2013 . Former Republican Gov. and populist Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 before quitting the presidential race. He skipped the 2012 contest entirely - 'All the factors say go, but my hearts say no' was how he described his decision back then. And now, with 2016 in the distance, might he make another go of it? Here's what he told Fox News Sunday when asked whether he's open to the possibility of running: 'The honest answer is yes.' Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Sunday there's about a 50-50 chance he'll run for president again in 2016 and that he will make a final decision after next year's midterm elections . 'It would be, frankly, dishonest to say no,' Huckabee said. He says the party has 'a strong stable' of potential candidates and he'll make a decision after the 2014 election. And how does he give the odds now? 'Maybe at this point it is 50-50,' he said. And we've heard this before - 'It would be a decision of the heart.' Addressing other issues, Huckabee suggested that Americans tend to show less regard for a single, working mother than a member of the ruling class. Former Arkansas Governor and populist Mike Huckabee campaigns in Appleton, Wisconsin in February 18, 2008 during the U.S. Presidential campaign of that year . He also defended his recent statement that Washington and Wall Street is the 'axis of evil', suggesting the connection between power and money doesn’t regard the needs of middle-class Americans. Americans have indeed embraced populist Democratic candidates over the past several months, including New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, whose campaign focusing on perceived income inequality resonated with New York residents. However, Huckabee made clear, 'I don’t want big government to determine what income equality looks like'. Huckabee decided in 2011 not to enter the most recent presidential election campaign, saying: “All of the factors say go, but my heart says no.” Huckabee also said his final decision to run for presdient would still come from the heart. | Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Sunday there's about a 50-50 chance he'll run for president again in 2016 .
The populist said he will make a final decision after next year's midterm elections .
Comments made on Fox News during an interview where he continued to defend his claims that Wall St and Washington are 'the axis of evil' |
272,508 | ecf8eb02a97fde4492457bee51f86481416831a0 | (CNN) -- A top defector from the Syrian military said Saturday that armed rebel groups have aligned under the leadership of the Free Syrian Army. Uniting all efforts will bolster the anti-regime movement and safeguard the nation, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Sheikh said in a video posted on YouTube. The move addressed a key concern for observers of the Syrian crisis both inside and outside the country -- that armed rebel groups were disjointed and divided. Sheikh was one of the first high-ranking officers to announce his defection from President Bashar al-Assad's forces. He was accompanied in the video by Free Syrian Army commander Col. Riad al-Asaad. "In these critical and difficult times that our beloved country is going through, all the honorable men and women in this nation are required to work on uniting all efforts to overthrow this corrupt regime," Sheikh said. "The soldiers and officers of the Free Syrian Army pledged their allegiance to protect the people and the nation." Not long after the video was posted, fresh attacks by the regime killed at least 54 people across the country, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Of the dead, 25 were in the war-torn city of Homs, rife with anti-government sentiment. Syria's state-run news agency said funeral processions were held for 18 members of the military and police. It blamed their deaths on armed terrorist groups. CNN cannot independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in Syria because the government severely restricts access by international journalists. The United Nations estimates the Syrian conflict has killed more than 8,000 people; opposition activists put the toll at more than 10,000. In the YouTube video, Sheikh outlined rebel decisions. "First, we decided to unite all the military councils and battalions and all the armed battalions inside the country under one unified leadership of the Free Syrian Army and to follow the orders of the commander of the FSA, Col. Riad al-Asaad," Sheikh said. Second, with the FSA serving and protecting Syrians, "any movement to carry out a military operation or do anything outside the framework of the FSA "will be held responsible for any act they carry out," Sheikh warned. Third, the rebels called for soldiers and officers in the Syrian armed forces "who don't have blood on their hands" to defect and join the ranks of the FSA. Sheikh's appearance with al-Asaad also mended rifts between the two main defectors' groups, the Free Syrian Army and the Higher Military Council. In February, a spokesman for the Higher Military Council announced Sheikh was the leader of the group, which claimed to lead armed defectors within Syria. But al-Asaad, who was leading the FSA from the Turkish border with Syria, quickly rejected the claim. "This man represents himself," al-Asaad said of Sheikh last month. "He has nothing to do with the Free Syrian Army. ... Those people are representing themselves and do not represent the revolution and the Free Syrian Army. They don't represent anybody." "The division is over. All the parties involved in the revolution carried out all the efforts to form one united front to better represent and defend the Syrian people," Free Syrian Army Lt. Riad Ahmed said. "In the past, there were some minor technical disagreements, but this is all behind us from now on," he said. Al-Asaad will lead all field operations of the FSA, while Sheikh will remain head of the Higher Military Council and will represent the FSA in trying to get weapons and international support, Ahmed said. Some world leaders have been hesitant to send arms to the rebels, saying the opposition movement is fractured and that a political solution is still possible. The unification also allows rebels to unilaterally deny attacks carried out by other groups. The Syrian government routinely blames the vaguely defined "armed terrorist groups" for violence in the country, while most reports from inside Syria indicate the government is slaughtering civilians in an attempt to wipe out dissidents. Meanwhile, Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria, arrived in Moscow on Saturday in an effort to seek Russian help in securing a cease-fire. Annan will also visit Beijing this weekend, his spokesman said. Russia and China have blocked Security Council attempts to pass resolutions condemning the al-Assad regime. The two countries say they want the violence to stop but argue that previous resolutions were not evenhanded. Russia and China have major trade deals with Syria, and again Friday they refused to condemn al-Assad's regime formally by voting against a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution condemning "appalling human rights violations in Syria." The resolution passed 41-3, with Cuba casting the other negative vote. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution a "unilateral assessment" of the crisis --blaming solely the regime for the violence. Human Rights Watch, however, lashed out at the Russian ministry's use of an open letter published by the global monitoring group that described atrocities committed by armed groups affiliated with the Syrian opposition. The organization said it had learned that Russian diplomats used the open letter in informal U.N. Security Council discussions March 22 in an attempt to equate the violence by both sides. "Russia's attention to concerns expressed in the letter to the Syrian opposition is a positive development," Human Rights Watch said. "The selective use of the findings, however, causes serious concern." It said Russia had ignored detailed documentation of widespread and systematic abuses by the al-Assad regime, including killings of peaceful protesters, shelling of residential neighborhoods, large-scale arbitrary detention and torture, executions, denial of medical assistance, looting, and "disappearances." "None of these findings have been ever acknowledged by Russian officials," the group said. The U.N. Security Council this week urged immediate implementation of Annan's proposed peace plan. The 15-member body, including China and Russia, expressed full support for Annan's efforts. CNN's Brianna Keilar, Arwa Damon, Ivan Watson and journalist Omar al Muqdad contributed to this report. | At least 54 people are killed Saturday, activists say .
"The division is over," a rebel leader says as rival army defectors unite .
The unification helps dispel notions of a disjointed rebel movement .
Special envoy Kofi Annan will discuss the crisis with Russia and China . |
131,911 | 368ee1997d03235cd99bdd57ea1bae2779adf29f | Coca-Cola is expected to launch a new green product in Australia, made from a naturally sweet plant, in a bid to target health conscious soft drink lovers. The new carbonated beverage provides a lower-calorie soft drink than Coca-Cola's traditional red can and has more natural ingredients than Diet Coke. But unlike Diet Coke, which is completely sugar free, Coke Life still has sugar. The new addition to Coke's range of 3,500 beverages, should also not be mistaken for Coke Zero, which is a low-calorie drink that is marketed at men who don't like the word 'diet' and is meant to taste exactly the same as classic Coca-Cola. Scroll down for video . Rosie Huntington-Whiteley launched Coca-Cola Life - sweetened from natural sources with a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract - in London in September . Coke Life is roughly inbetween Diet Coke and classic Coca-Cola when it comes to calories – you will still find 27 in a can. However, it has 60 per cent less sugar than classic Coke because it uses the natural plant Stevia and sugar as sweeteners, rather than just sugar. Nutritionist Aloysa Hourigan from Nutrition Australia said that Stevia is not known to have any health risks but that doesn't necessarily mean it is healthy to drink Coke Life. 'Nutrition Australia would still say that while it's safe it's still encouraging people to want to eat sweets. 'The problem with all these artificial drinks is they still have high acidity levels and dental erosion. Coca-Cola Life (left) comes in a green can and has 60 per cent less sugar than regular Coca-Cola (right) Coca-Cola Life uses a mix of sugar and natural plant Stevia, which has been in Japan as a sweetener for over 30 years . Aspartame is a man-made sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. The safety of aspartame has been the subject of several political and medical controversies. However, the European Food Safety Authority concluded in its 2013 re-evaluation that aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure. People with the genetic condition phenylketonuria are however told to avoid it. 'The other thing is there is some research that suggests that cola based colour drinks, whether sweetened naturally or artificially, are potentially impact negatively on insulin resistance meaning you are more likely to gain weight,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'It is not proven or definite but there is some concern around it. No matter what, the best drink is water and that’s we’d still agree.' If you’re wondering what the need for another low-calorie Coke drink is, the global brand which is worth an estimated $74 billion US dollars reportedly wanted a product for the growing number of people who are worried about about artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, one of the most intensively scrutinised food additives. Aspartame is ingested every day by millions of people around the world in more than 6,000 well-known brands of food, drink and medicine. However, it has been the subject of a number of studies that appear to show harmful effects on human health. Coke Zero (left) is a low-calorie drink that is marketed at men because they are shown to associate 'diet' drinks with women. Unlike Diet Coke (right), which is completely sugar free, Coke Life still has sugar . One study linked diet drinks containing Aspartame to premature births, while another suggested it could cause cancer. However, in December 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed aspartame and confirmed it as safe, so Coca-Cola have continued to use it. Stevia is the name of the plant from which stevia sweetener (steviol glycoside) is obtained. You can buy stevia in a powdered form as a sugar substitute that you can add to food and beverages at home – or you may find it in icecream, water-based beverages, brewed soft drinks, plain and flavoured soy beverages. It can be used in cooking and baking according to the Stevia Australia website, excepting that it does not caramelise like sugar. It has been used in Japan as the main sweetener for over 30 years and safety reviewed by both FSANZ and many other national food standard agencies in other countries e.g the EFSA and USFDA. FSANZ has concluded that the use of steviol glycosides at proposed levels does not raise any public health and safety concerns. Coca-Cola Life does not contain Aspartame so may be seen as healthier – but it does contain more sugar than Diet Coke. 'I guess with the other artificial sweeteners there is not a lot of evidence unless they are in very high doses that they are harmful. But because research hasn’t been done checking Stevia it seems to be quiet safe in those respects,’ Ms Hourigan said. Coke Life is meant to taste similar to classic Coca-Cola but some have noted a slightly aniseed taste to the beverage. The drink is already available in the UK, US, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Sweden. Rival soft drink brand Pepsi have also brought out a drink that uses Stevia as a sweetener in some markets. They have named it Pepsi Next. Meanwhile, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported Coca-Cola Amatil will soon announce major job cuts to combat a drop in revenues in the Australian beverages business. Chief executive Alison Watkins is expected to unveil a new profit-sharing structure with The Coca Cola Co in Indonesia. | Coca-Cola Life comes in a green can and has 27 calories .
It has 60 per cent less calories than classic Coke .
Unlike Diet Coke and Coke Zero it still contains sugar .
But it uses the plant Stevia to sweeten it as well, instead of the man-made sweetener Aspartame used in Diet Coke .
Nutrition Australia says the drink still encourages people to want sweet things and is still likely to cause dental erosion .
Coca-Cola are expected to launch the product in Australia . |
130,502 | 34c435f081118ca11a161ad8470f35e5da1eedb8 | BEIJING, China (CNN) -- African governments have stopped importing Chinese dairy products as the crisis which has seen more than 52,000 Chinese children poisoned by melamine-tainted goods spreads. Burundi, Gabon and Tanzania have joined governments closer to China -- including Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia -- in banning Chinese dairy products. At least 11 countries have banned imports. The precautions come as the number of affected children in China continues to swell. Four babies have died from melamine-tainted infant formula and more than 52,000 children have fallen ill, Chinese authorities say. "I think we will see more cases, but it is, of course, impossible to predict how many cases there finally will be," said Hans Troedsson, the the World Health Organization's China representative. "We have to remember that China is a large country with a population of 1.3 billion people. However, of course, 40- to 50,000 children are affected as reported now. It's a staggering figure, but where we will end up is too early yet to say." On Monday, China's top quality control official, Li Changjiang, resigned as a result of the scandal, which has seen the arrest of at least 18 people. Two brothers arrested last week on charges of selling contaminated milk could face death if convicted, according to China Daily, a state-run newspaper. The raw milk used to produce powdered baby formula had been watered down and the chemical melamine was added to fool quality checks, the newspaper said. Watch CNN visit the company at the center of the scandal » . Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Beijing hospitals and a supermarket to show his concern. China's Health Ministry said about 13,000 children were hospitalized, while another 40,000 had undergone outpatient treatment. "What we need to do now is to ensure that nothing like this happens in the future, not only in dairy products, but in all foods," he said. "Manufacturers and owners of dairy companies should show more morality and social responsibility in these cases. They are heartless, so we have to create strict law and legislation. I'm sorry." Watch how Beijing is under pressure over public safety » . The repercussions from the scandal were felt as far away as Africa. Burundi imports milk products from two suspect Chinese companies and the government has set up a commission to investigate how much tainted product could remain on store shelves, officials said. "For the moment, nobody knows if the milk is being sold on the Burundi market," Noel Nkurunziza, president of a Burundi consumer association known as ABUCO, is quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper and other publications. In Asia, Singapore announced a recall of all Chinese milk products on Tuesday. The head of Indonesia's Food Safety Watch said she was instituting a temporary ban of all milk imports from China, although contaminated milk has not been found in the country. In issuing its recall of milk products, Singapore had already suspended the import and sale of milk and dairy products from China on Friday, after it said it has found traces of melamine in three Chinese-made dairy products. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" was ordered off of shelves after tests showed it was contaminated. White Rabbit is among the best-known candy brands in China and one of the few exported widely. The United States is among 40 nations that import the candy, a man in the administrative office of the Shanghai-based company told CNN Monday. Earlier, Singapore's agri-food agency said it found melamine in two other milk-based Chinese imports: the Yili brand "Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yoghurt Flavored Ice Confection" and the Dutch Lady brand of strawberry-flavored milk. In Bangladesh, three Chinese powdered milk brands -- Sanlu, Suncare and Yashili -- have been taken off shelves and all milk powder imports at Bangladeshi ports will be inspected. Bangladeshi TV showed the country's Rapid Action Battalion climbing over a fence to raid a storage facility believed to contain tainted milk. In Malaysia, Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai announced that import of Chinese milk products had been stopped. In addition to banning imports, thousands of tons of tainted milk powder have been recalled. In the Philippines Monday, the country's Bureau of Food and Drugs banned the distribution and selling of two brands of imported Chinese milk that could possibly be tainted, the Philippines News Agency reported. The milk brands were Yili and China Mengniu Diary Company, the agency reported. One of the implicated Chinese plants is operated by a subsidiary of the Marudai Food Co. in Japan. Marudai said it was recalling five types of products from the plant, would halt operations there for one month, and will send employees to the subsidiary to examine quality controls. The factory will be shut down through October 19. Even some countries that don't import Chinese dairy products, such as Malaysia and Brunei, have banned milk products from China. In Hong Kong, concerned parents have swamped hospitals. A 3-year-old Hong Kong girl was reported this weekend as the first case outside of mainland China. The girl was treated for kidney stones at Princess Margaret Hospital and released, Hong Kong's government Web site reported. Her condition is being monitored. Watch the public outcry faced by the Chinese government » . A second child, a 4-year-old boy, had similar renal symptoms, the government reported Monday. The boy, a Hong Kong native, had consumed milk products contaminated with melamine and was diagnosed with a kidney stone in mainland China, the Department of Health said. He was treated at Princess Margaret on Monday and was in stable condition. The hospital said Monday it has provided medical consultation to 63 people who might have consumed contaminated milk products. The patients, 34 males and 29 females, ranged in age from 2 months to 17 years old. A Hong Kong government hotline has received nearly 1,000 calls. Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy plants have added it to milk products to make it seem to have a higher protein level. Learn more about the chemical melamine » . Melamine is the same industrial contaminant from China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats last year. Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation. It also robs infants of much-needed nutrition. | NEW: Burundi, Gabon, Tanzania ban import of suspect milk products from China .
NEW: Singapore, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei impose bans .
Head of China's quality watchdog resigns over tainted baby formula scandal .
Four infants in China dead, over 52,000 reported ill from tainted milk powder . |
20,468 | 3a1868cc09f96abdf5ec222a4982e78a579b04c9 | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 08:53 EST, 6 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:21 EST, 6 August 2012 . A pregnant 17-year-old has gone missing after going to tell the father of her child she met on Facebook that she was having a girl. Morgan Martin, of St Petersburg, Florida, stepped outside her house on July 25 to give the father the results of an ultrasound. The scan had revealed she was expecting a girl. The man, aged 26, has not been identified beyond the fact that he is from Kansas City. Missing: Morgan Martin, of St Petersburg, Florida, stepped outside her house on July 25 to give the father the results of an ultrasound . Morgan's sister, Sierra Cahill, 20, saw her leave the house wearing a white tank top, a pink jacket, gray pants and pink slippers around 12.30am. No one has seen her since. Police spokesman Mike Puetz said there are few clues to her disappearance. 'We don't have any evidence of an . abduction, no evidence of a homicide or an assault,' Puetz said. 'We . just have a set of circumstances that strike a very ominous tone. 'There's obviously some concern that this just doesn't seem right. Scenarios like this usually don't have a positive outcome.' But authorities do not think Morgan ran away from home. 'There's a difference between a runaway situation and something like this,' said Puetz. When Morgan's mother, Leah Martin, 43, woke at 5am to go to work, she noticed that the lights, television and air conditioning were all still on. She then began the search for her . daughter. Sierra told the mother that Morgan wasn't picking up her phone . and wasn’t responding to Facebook messages. 'I told her, 'Morgan, you don't want anything to do with him… You're a kid. If he gets caught with you, he's going to jail.' Morgan's mother Leah . A phone bill shows that Morgan's cell phone received more that 1,000 calls the day she disappeared from family and friends trying to find her. She left her purse, money and identification at her house, WTSP reported. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Morgan ran away when she was 15, but she went to a friend's house and informed her sister of her whereabouts. Her mother said that Morgan normally called her as much as four or five times a day. 'She's not a runaway. I know my daughter,' said Leah Martin said. 'She won't go anywhere without letting somebody know.' Leah reportedly warned her daughter about spending time with the baby's father. 'I told her, 'Morgan, you don't want anything to do with him… You're a kid. If he gets caught with you, he's going to jail,' she said. The Orlando Sentinel reported police have one clue - Morgan may have been seen getting into a white vehicle. | Morgan Martin, from Florida, met the man on Facebook .
She hasn't been seen since stepping out on July 25 .
Police warn disappearance has 'ominous' tone . |
40,384 | 71f5fe7eacd2912b3595fe62d96b1dfdf36921cf | By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 08:49 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:15 EST, 20 November 2013 . City banking giants will rake in nearly £17million in fees from the flotation of Royal Mail, despite accusations yesterday of having failed the taxpayer. Six top bankers were grilled by MPs on the Business Select Committee over whether they set too low a share price for the sell-off in October. One senior Tory MP told them they had got it 'sizeably wrong.' Sell-off: Ministers have come under fire for the sharp rise in the share price of Royal Mail since the privatisation last month . Grilling: (From left to right) John Mayne, Managing Director, UK Client Coverage at JP Morgan; Ben Storey, Head of UK Investment Banking and Broking at Citibank; James Robertson, managing director at UBS; Richard Cormack, managing director, Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs; Gert Zonneveld, managing director, Co-Head of Research at Panmure Gordon and James Agnew, chairman of UK Corporate Broking, Deutsche Bank . Brian Binley said: 'I just wonder . whether the taxpayer has the right to think that, for all the money you . are paid, you weren't very clever at your job.' However, around £12.7million has . already been paid in fees to the seven banks involved in the . privatisation. But MPs and unions said an extra 'discretionary' sum of . £4.2million, which is due to be paid within the next few months, should . be blocked. Banks, such as UBS and Goldman Sachs, . decided to price Royal Mail shares at £3.30 each, but they instantly . rocketed in value and have remained high ever since. Last night, the shares closed at . £5.50. The Government raised £1.7billion from the sale, but would have . raised £2.9billion if the shares had been sold at last night's closing . price. Mr Binley said to the bankers: 'I'm . hearing an awful lot of sales speak. I'm hearing an awful lot of stuff . from you to tell us how wonderful you are... and what great expertise . you have. 'You have all come together like you . are a professional body to defend each other. Can I as a taxpayer assume . that all of this is the cult of the high priest? 'Meant to be exclusive, meant to keep . other people out, meant to say that you are much better at your job than . you are, and you failed the taxpayer.' The six banks at yesterday's hearing . were UBS and Goldman Sachs, who advised the Government, and four banks, . JP Morgan, Citibank, Deutsche and Panmure Gordon, who did not. Last night, the Department for . Business said no decision has been made about the extra payment. It will . be made by Vince Cable, the Business Secretary but not for several . months. The sale was hugely popular with both . small shareholders and City investors. For example, City firms applied . for more than 20 times the number of shares which were available. UBS and Goldman Sachs bosses were challenged by MPs over their advice to sell Royal Mail shares at £3.30 . Advice: James Robertson, managing director at UBS, (left) and Richard Cormack, managing director, Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs, defended their work for ministers . Mr Binley told the bankers: 'I was in the business of selling beer years and years ago. Anybody can sell cheap beer.' But Richard Cormack, managing director . of Goldman Sachs, one of the key banks involved in the sale, said: 'I . think, in the context, this was a well-executed transaction.' It emerged yesterday that UBS had . considered increasing the price at which the shares would be offered . from £3.30 to £3.50 just days before the flotation. Tory MP Brian Binley (left) accused the company bosses, including Richard Cormack of Goldman Sachs (right) of failing to get a good deal for the taxpayer . But it decided the move was too risky, and advised Mr Cable against such a move, advice which he accepted. On the first day of trading on Friday 11 October, the shares jumped instantly from £3.30 to £4.50. William Bain, a Labour MP on the . committee, asked the bankers whether they thought an extra £4.2million . would be appropriate given the poor deal for the taxpayers. He asked: 'Do you think that is a decision that taxpayers will be likely to accept with open arms?' James Robertson, managing director of . UBS, said: 'I think that is for the Secretary of State [Vince Cable] to . decide. It is in his gift.' After yesterday's hearing, Billy . Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers' Union, which . represents postal workers, said: 'At the very least the institutions . which advised the Government should not receive any further payments, . which are discretionary.' At the hearing, the bankers tried to . lay the most blame for the low price of the shares on the CWU's threat . of industrial action at the time of the sale. | Shares sold by government at £3.30 now worth more than £5.60 .
Business Secretary Vince Cable dismissed early surge as 'froth'
But 0.3% of value due to be paid in fee could be withheld from banks .
National Audit Office to investigate whether firm was undervalued . |
215,679 | a32ae6d4aab8d08747674769339364264019853f | A kind family who gave a stranger a lift and some money have been left devastated after the same man returned the following day and vandalized their home. Robert Boren, his 14-year-old daughter Olivia and his wife saw Derek Deshon Stephens, 24, walking up his street in Oklahoma City and offered him some tinned food and extra money because he said he was starving. However, just 24 hours after the act of kindness, Stephens arrived at his doorstep apparently under the influence demanding his car keys, more money and a gun. Scroll down for video . Samritan: Robert Boren and his 14-year-old daughter Olivia saw Derek Deshon Stephens, 24, walking up his street in Oklahoma City and offered him so tinned food and money so he could eat . When Mr Boren refused and told him to leave, the suspect kicked over two 150-pound Christmas Decorations on their porch and used the pieces to break three windows. A father and son heard the commotion, so came running down the street with a golf club and baseball bat to chase the subject away. Stephens then tried to climb their back gate, but eventually fled. Mr Boren has described how the confrontation terrified him and his family while the rest of the neighborhood are also rattled. He told News 9: 'He asked me if he could have some tin cans that were out on the front in a bag to be given away. 'And then he said well, then can I have something to eat, I'm starving. So I gave him some money to eat on.' Shocking: Just 24 hours after the act of kindness, Stephens arrived at the doorstep of the family home, apparently under the influence, demanding his car keys, more money and a gun . Repsonse: When Mr Boren refused, Stephens reacted angrily sreaming 'let me in' while kicking over Christmas decorations on their porch . Vandalism: Stephens then used some of the broken pieces from the items to break the windows at the front of the property . Scared: Olivia, Mr Boren's 14-year-old daughter, was in the family's SUV when they picked Stephens up for the first time and thought he was a 'nice man' Mr Boren then gave Mr Stephens $10 so he left, but a short time later he returned and asked if he could have ride. 'And I said, "No, I can't go that far. We're late to where we're going",' Boredn added. 'Then he said, "Can you just take me up the street?'' Mr Boren therefore let the man inside his SUV and drove him a couple of blocks. The next day around 2pm, the Borens said Derek showed up again, but appeared to be under the influence. 'I was just doing him a favor,' said Boren. 'He seemed nice,' said Robert's 14-year-old daughter, Olivia. 'I was just thinking, what am I going to do if he gets in here. Is he going to hurt everybody? Like what is going to happen? I was scared.' Mr Boren added: 'I think that I was not very smart in giving him any money, or giving him a ride. But I was trying to do what I thought would be the good thing to do.' Stephens was arrested and is now in custody under a $10,000 bond. | Robert Boren saw Derek Deshon Stephens, 24, walking up his street .
He was with his 14-year-old daughter Olivia at the time .
The Oklahoma City homeowner then gave him tinned food from his porch .
Stephens then said he was starving, so Mr Boren gave him some money .
He then got into Mr Boren's SUV for a ride up the street .
Just 24 hours later he returned under the influence screaming 'Let me in'
Mr Boren refused, so Stephens kicked decorations and broke windows . |
192,436 | 8524645bb05989926c8d031e0d104ea27f862394 | New York (CNN) -- The two New York police officers shot to death earlier this month in Brooklyn are set to be immortalized in the streets of the city that they swore to protect. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced Wednesday that the city will move to name two streets in honor of the fallen officers, Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos. A bill to rename a section each of two Brooklyn streets will be introduced and voted on by the New York City Council in January, according to a statement from the mayor. "Our fallen heroes will never be forgotten. Their memory lives on in their families, and in the NYPD family. And now it will live on in the streets of the communities these brave men lived in and protected," de Blasio said. The blocks where the officers lived will bear their names -- a stretch of Ridgewood Avenue for Ramos and of West 6th Street for Liu, the statement said. The City Council members who represent the two detectives' districts, as well as the chair of the city's Parks and Recreation Committee, will sponsor the bill, the statement said. Liu and Ramos were shot in their patrol car in Brooklyn on December 20. The body of their killer, 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, was found shortly afterward. He had shot himself. The NYPD posthumously promoted Liu and Ramos to the rank of detective. | A bill would create "Detective Rafael Ramos Way" and "Detective Wenjian Liu Way"
Mayor Bill de Blasio: "Our fallen heroes will never be forgotten"
The blocks to be renamed, in Brooklyn, are the sites of the officers' Brooklyn homes . |
135,748 | 3b9d9422f8ddd434613f3e8bd23e549441e2cc29 | (FT) -- Unilever is to buy Alberto Culver, the US-based consumer goods company, for $3.7bn (£2.3bn) in a deal that will bring brands such as TRESemmé and VO5 into the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate's stable of haircare and skincare products. "We are delighted to be acquiring Alberto Culver," Paul Polman, Unilever chief executive, said on Monday. "Their people have done an excellent job of building an impressive range of brands such as TRESemmé, VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives and Simple. These will complement Unilever's existing portfolio of iconic brands like Dove, Clear and Sunsilk in hair care and Pond's and Vaseline in skincare, and will help build on our strong global positions in both the hair care and skin care categories." Shares in Unilever rose 0.3 per cent or 6p to £17.99p in early London trading on Monday. For the 12 months to June, Alberto Culver made revenues of $1.6bn (£1.1bn) and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of more than $250m (£158m). The all-cash deal includes $150m of Alberto Culver's debt. Alberto Culver group employs 2,700 people and has operations in nine countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa. While it produces products such as low-sodium food dressings and baking sprays, the acquisition is most significant for adding further weight to Unilever's operations in so-called "personal care" products such as skincare, haircare and bodywash. Personal care is the fastest-growing category for global consumer goods companies, especially in emerging markets, and the Alberto Culver acquisition will allow Unilever to have more products across a broader range of price points. In the most recent quarter, Unilever's sales of personal care goods rose 7.8 percent to €3.6bn, compared with growth of only 3.5 percent for ice-cream and beverages, and 0.5 percent for savoury foods, dressings and spreads. The story is the same at Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Cillit Bang cleaner and Finish dishwasher powder, where health and personal care is growing at 14 percent a year, compared to 8 percent growth across the whole business. The drive to access this fast-growing category prompted Reckitt to purchase SSL International, the maker of Durex condoms and Scholl footcare, in July for £1.5bn ($2.3bn). The Alberto Culver acquisition is the second major deal by Unilever in this product category this year. In September 2009, the group bought the personal care division of Sara Lee, securing Radox bubblebath and Brylcreem hairgel, although the European Commission is still scrutinizing the deal. "Personal Care is a strategic category for Unilever and growing rapidly," said Mr Polman. "Ten years ago it represented 20 percent of our turnover; strong organic growth has now driven it to reach over 30 percent, with strong positions in many of the emerging markets. "Organic growth remains the cornerstone of our energizing ambition to double the size of Unilever whilst reducing our overall environmental impact. Bolt-on acquisitions such as Alberto Culver supplement organic growth and add powerful new brands to our portfolio." Initial analyst response to the acquisition was positive. "The initial consideration for Alberto Culver of 14.8x EBITDA on the face of it looks quite punchy, but we believe 'significant' but as yet undisclosed synergies will make the price look more reasonable," said Graham Jones and Damian McNeela at Panmure Gordon in a note to investors. "It further skews Unilever to high-growth, high-margin personal care categories, gives a more rounded category presence in hair care and makes it global leader in hair conditioning, number two in shampoo and number three in styling." | Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever to buy Alberto Culver for $3.7bn (£2.3bn).
Alberto Culver is US-based consumer goods company with famous haircare brands.
For the 12 months to June, Alberto Culver made revenues of $1.6bn (£1.1bn).
Alberto Culver group employs 2,700 people and has operations in nine countries. |
130,152 | 3440abfbca857d8109b4862cf148e4d05bbb6269 | Bolivian President Evo Morales said he is expelling the U.S. Agency for International Development from his country for allegedly meddling and conspiring against the government. "USAID is out; I ask the foreign minister to immediately communicate with the U.S. Embassy," Morales said in a speech Wednesday, according to the state-run ABI news agency. According to USAID's Bolivia website, the agency has operated there since 1964. It says it carries out health, sustainable development and environmental programs in the country. The agency says its 2011 budget for Bolivia was $26.7 million. The State Department called the decision regrettable and said the ones who will be hurt by the expulsion will be ordinary Bolivians. "We deny the baseless allegations made by the Bolivian government," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said of the accusations that the agency meddled in Bolivian affairs. After Morales' announcement Wednesday, Bolivia's foreign minister called the U.S. Embassy in La Paz to inform officials of the decision and said USAID would be given a "reasonable" amount of time to end operations, which employ nine Americans and 37 Bolivians, Ventrell said. Bolivia and the United States have had diminished relations since September 2008, when each country expelled the other's ambassador. Morales, a strong proponent of the cultivation of coca plants -- the source of cocaine -- expelled the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration a month later. He also delivered a strong verbal criticism of the U.S. government at the United Nations General Assembly that year. The order to expel USAID appeared to be off-the-cuff, but it's not the first time it's been suggested. In 2011, an influential Bolivian official accused the agency of "destabilizing" the government and called for its ouster. "The expulsion of USAID should be ... an act of sovereignty," Juan Ramon Quintana, director of a Bolivian government development agency and a former top presidential aide, said at the time. The move is also in protest of a comment made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at a hearing in Washington last month, Morales said. In response to a question about Latin America, Kerry told lawmakers that "the Western Hemisphere is our backyard. It's critical to us." To many in the United States, the reference to "backyard" would mean that the Western Hemisphere is a neighbor. But Morales took offense, apparently interpreting the phrase as derogatory toward Latin America's place in relation to the United States. A history of U.S. policy toward Latin America that asserted American dominance over the region made Kerry's phrase stinging to some. The phrase "America's backyard" harkens back to the Monroe Doctrine, which considered Latin America under the influence of the United States. "We may be a small country, but we deserve respect," said Morales, stating his offense to being called the "back patio" of the United States. Ventrell said Kerry did not intend to offend anyone with his remarks. "It's about us being neighbors," he said. | U.S. calls allegations by Bolivian president "baseless"
Was a comment by Kerry partly responsible for Bolivia's expulsion of USAID?
Morales made the announcement, then told his foreign minister to contact U.S.
U.S.-Bolivia relations have been strained for years . |
33,656 | 5fbf835b82e51d006023dc42c6ead15a43a97bcb | Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama says Americans should "go to the movies" without fear, despite hackers' threats against venues that show a controversial film that Sony has now decided to pull. Sony announced Wednesday that it won't release the film -- a comedy called "The Interview" that portrays an attempt to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un -- following hackers' threats to attack movie theaters that show it. Opinion: North Korea wins? But Obama suggested in an interview with ABC News that the threats aren't credible. "Well, the cyber-attack is very serious. We're investigating, we're taking it seriously," Obama said in the interview. "We'll be vigilant, if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public. But for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies." U.S. law enforcement officials have linked the hackers who pillaged Sony's internal documents, emails and unreleased films to North Korea, first reported by CNN. A senior U.S. official confirmed to CNN that Obama has been briefed on the Sony hack and the threats against movie theaters that show the movie, and confirmed that the United States believes North Korea is likely behind the attack. "This has been malicious in nature," the official said. Sony downplays digital 'Interview' possibility . | President Barack Obama tells Americans to go to the movies despite hacking threats .
U.S. law enforcement officials have linked hackers behind Sony leaks to North Korea . |
273,592 | ee69c74f016623b23e5c1ceb8cd2b9f7a550b8cd | By . Ruth Styles . Elegant in summery pale green and pink florals, the Queen was on typically stylish form as she arrived at a school in London this afternoon and was met by crowds of cheering pupils. The Queen also revealed that she, like the Duchess of Cambridge, is a fan of recycling her outfits, after she arrived in the same Angela Kelly ensemble that she wore to watch the action on day two at Royal Ascot last year. But while this visit didn't have much in the way of horses, there was plenty of sporting action on offer as the Queen was treated to an assured display of fencing as she opened the new sports hall at Westminster School. Summery: The Queen was elegant as she opened Westminster School's new sports hall and watched some of the young fencing enthusiasts in action . All smiles: The Queen beamed as she met pupils at Westminster School and appeared to enjoy the fencing display almost as much as the racing . The Queen, who is scheduled to appear at this year's Royal Ascot which takes place next week, is a regular at the races and was last spotted enjoying the Derby on Saturday after rushing back from Paris. A keen racing fan, the Queen's career as a racehorse breeder and owner spans more than 60 years, and began with the handful that she was left by her father George VI. Since then, her horses have since triumphed in more than 1600 races, including all five British Classics, with the exception of the Epsom Derby, although she has managed a second place finish with Aureole in 1953 and came third in 2011 with Carlton House. While the Derby has so far eluded her, the Queen has bred some of the finest horses ever to race in the UK, among them Dunfermline who managed to win both the Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes in 1977, Carozza, who triumphed in the Epsom Oaks in 1957 and Pall Mall who took the 2,000 Guineas in 1958. Hello . there: The Queen beams as she bends down to accept a posy from two . little girls bearing a Union flag outside Westminster School in London . Big cheers: Children lined up on the pavement waving Union flags ahead of the Queen's arrival at Westminster School today . Top form: The Queen looked in good spirits as she toured the school today, meeting children and watching a fencing display put on in her honour . Glamorous . in green: The Queen's elegant Angela Kelly ensemble was last seen when she wore it for an appearance on day two at Royal Ascot last year . Stylish: Like the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen is fond of getting as much wear out of her favourite ensembles as she possibly can . Thrilled: The Queen couldn't hide her delight as her bay filly Estimate romped home to triumph in the prestigious Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last year . Last year, the Queen achieved a long cherished ambition when her filly Estimate romped home to take the prestigious Gold Cup at Royal Ascot - much to the obvious delight of the monarch. Her appearance at next week's Royal Ascot will be the latest in a series of engagements, which began last week with the State Opening of Parliament and a state visit to France for the D-Day celebrations. After processing down the Champs-Élysées on Thursday evening, the Queen spent the Friday meeting world leaders and paying her respects to the fallen in Bayeux and on Sword Beach. The following day, she toured the Marche aux Fleurs - now renamed Reine Elizabeth II - before rushing back to the UK just in time to see chestnut three-year-old Australia romp home to victory in the £1.3m Derby. This week has also proved busy with the Duke of Edinburgh's birthday on Tuesday followed by today's visit to Westminster School. Demonstration: The Queen beams as students at the school show that they know their way around the good old-fashioned push up . Good job! The Queen beams as she is introduced to a troupe of young cricketers in the new sports hall at Westminster School which she opened today . And it's done! The Queen unveils a plaque in the new sports hall at Westminster School - much to the delight of pupils and watching teachers . Impressive: The Queen watches as pupils from the school shin up a purpose-built rock climbing wall in the new sport's hall . Birthday celebrations: The Duke of Edinburgh was . on fine form as he joined the Queen at a garden party at Buckingham Palace on his 93rd birthday on Tuesday . Elegant: The Queen, fresh from her successful state visit to France, wore a . beautiful powder blue Angela Kelly coat dress and a matching hat for Tuesday's party . | The Queen visited Westminster School to open a new sports hall and was treated to a fencing display .
Wore a summery pale green Angela Kelly ensemble last worn to watch the racing at Royal Ascot last year .
The Queen is expected to make an appearance at next week's race meet which kicks off on Tuesday .
Has had a busy few weeks and celebrated the Duke of Edinburgh's 93rd birthday last Tuesday . |
88,421 | fafa1cc394e001bfe578772661598c21ee644570 | By . Ryan Gorman . California’s drought problem has brought water levels in . one lake low enough to search for the remains of plane wreck from almost 50 . years ago. Frank Wilcox’s brother Gene Amick was 15-years-old when his . plane plunged into Folsom Lake on New Year’s Day 1965, he was one of four . people who died. A renowned husband and wife sonar team has been brought in to . try to find the remains. ‘I will get him out of there,’ an emotional Mr Wilcox told KTXL while standing on cracked, dry mud that not long ago was underwater. Scroll down for video . Parched: A visitor to Folsom Lake walks his dog down a boat ramp that is now several hundred yards away from the waters' edge . The plane disappeared into the murky lake after a mid-air . collision with another plane, according to KTXL. The plane came to rest more . than 100 feet below the surface. Navy divers originally called in to search for Mr Amick and . his fellow passengers were called off after strong storms swept across the lake . – they never returned. The recent significant drop in the lake, about 25 miles . northeast of Sacramento, has led to hopes the wreckage can now be found. ‘I've never seen such an outpouring of help and these folks . here, this is what they do,’ Mr Wilcox told News 10. ‘I think something . good will come of this.’ Drying out: Folsom Lake, as seen from above, is at only 18 per cent of capacity . Holding out hope: Frank Wilcox is hopeful the receding water will allow searchers to find his brother after almost 50 years . The expert: Gene Ralston and wife Sandy have pulled 80 bodies from various bodies of water with their sonar, including one last week from a nearby delta . Many witnesses, including corrections officers and inmates at . the infamous Folsom Prison, saw the plane go down. Their accounts led officials . to believe the wreckage is in El Dorado County. Three counties intersect the middle of the lake. An El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office detective has joined the . search and been on-board the sonar vessel hoping to find the remains. ‘We would like to recover the three individuals and give . their family the opportunity to lay them to rest properly,’ Detective . Dan Johnson told News 10. The search: The Ralstons, and a sheriff's deputy, are using this sonar-equipped boat to search for Frank Wilcox's long-lost brother . Husband and wife sonar experts Gene and Sandy Ralston are . conducting the search. They gained notoriety in the region last week for . finding the body of woman who drowned in a nearby delta on Thanksgiving, . according to news 10. When asked if the Delta was more difficult than the lake, . Gene Ralston scoffed. ‘The Delta is a piece of cake,’ he told News 10. ‘The . bottom is flat like a road. [At Folsom Lake], we've got 50- and 60-foot-tall . still standing trees on the bottom.’ The lake’s levels have dropped to historic lows as a recent . drought has ravaged the central part of the state. Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency . Friday seeking federal aid to combat the record dry spell. Folsom Lake, at 18 per cent capacity, is one of many . reservoirs at just a fraction of their normal level. | The plane crashed New Year's Day 1965 after colliding with another plane .
The wreckage sunk more than 100 feet to the lake's bottom and hasn't been seen since . |
207,509 | 98ad35ca1049c0ec97a2640596137e1117c6d07c | A series of online ads released this week by a Republican organization for college students are being called 'sexist' by some women for the way they believe the commercials talk down to young, female voters. The minute-long ads, created by the College Republican National Committee, spoof the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress and feature a recent college grad shopping for a wedding dress with her mother and friends. For anyone who's ever seen the popular reality TV program on which the ads are based, the CNRC Say Yes to the Candidate videos are a spot-on parody of the drama that typically plays out in each episode of the show. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . The College Republican National Committee is getting flak from some women over the way it recently spoofed the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress as part of an election-year ad campaign . The online ads, which are running in 16 states, feature a recent college grad shopping for a wedding dress with her mother and friends. Each dress is named after a candidate in November's elections. The prettier dress, shown above, is always a Republican candidate . A mother and daughter bicker over which dress is the 'one' as the bride's mother insists 'I know best,' the bride-to-be's tag alongs take the side of their friend, and in the end, the woman walking down the aisle settles on the dress she wanted all along. The wedding dresses in the ads serve as metaphors for various political candidates in November's elections, and locally targeted versions of the campaign spots are running online in 16 states. The more attractive wedding dress in the ad is favored by an undecided voter and young bride identified as Brittany. The uglier, more expensive dress, which comes with 'additional costs, including '$2 billion in taxes, $3.6 billion in debt and 15 percent tuition increases' is her mom's first choice. Notably, the simple dress in the spoofs represents Republican candidates, and the frumpy dress always shares a name with a Democratic candidate. While conservatives and Republicans are lauding the ads as quirky and refreshing, the CRNC has taken flak for the million-dollar ad campaign from women who perceive the commercials as demeaning to female voters. Time magazine's Charlotte Alter called the campaign the 'Most Sexist Republican Ad of the Year' and blasted the CRNC for belittling women. 'Because women don’t like dirty old politics, women like wedding dresses!' she sarcastically wrote. Alter also took issue with the way the ad boils down financial issues to 'an ugly veil, ugly sash, and ugly necklace. Because veils are easier to understand than debt, obviously,' she opined. A writer for the New Republic, a left-leaning publication, also labeled the ads as 'offensive' in a piece and 'condescending' in her headline. Elle's Sally Holmes trashed them as a 'half-a**ed attempt at brainwashing' and claimed that the videos make 'NO SENSE. None, zero, zilch.' The Democratic Governor's Association piled on, saying in a statement that the ads are 'further evidence' that Republicans 'still have no idea how to communicate with women voters.' 'That’s because it’s not just their attitudes that are condescending and insulting, but because their policies – from deep cuts to education to opposition to equal pay for equal work, to mandatory ultrasounds and defunding Planned Parenthood – are deeply out-of-touch with the concerns of women and families,' spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. The frumpy dress, featured here, is always a Democrat running in that state's election . The mother and daughter bicker over which dress is the 'one' as the bride's mother insists 'I know best' and tries to push the bride-to-be to pick the dress named after a Democrat . CNRC Chair, Alex Smith, the first woman to be elected to the organization's top spot, defended the campaign in the Wall Street Journal as an attempt by her majority-female staff to speak to young women in a 'culturally relevant way.' Smith was backed up by a spokeswoman for Young America's Foundation, another conservative organization for college students, on Twitter. 'So clever. Nice work. Way to reach young females in a creative way,' YAF's Ashley Pratte tweeted. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also thew his support behind Smith and the CRNC. 'I think it's a pretty clever ad,' he said, according to the Washington Examiner's Betsy Woodruff. Making fun of the attention being heaped on the controversial set of ads, Susan J. Demas, a columnist for MLive.com, a website that focuses on news related to Michigan, joked that she was bothered by the way her state's male governor, Rick Snyder, a Republican, was objectified in the Michigan-based version of the ad and treated with 'disrespect.' 'Yes, she's actually comparing the governor of Michigan to a shiny piece of fabric. I was flabbergasted,' Demas stated. 'How can they get away with such patronizing tripe?' Demas went on to say Snyder 'is more than just a pretty face' and points out that he earned three degrees in six years from the University of Michigan. | Some female writers have taken offense to the ads because they of what they perceive as talking down to women .
The wedding dresses serve as metaphors for various political candidates in November's elections .
The more attractive wedding dress is favored by the young bride, and the uglier, more expensive dress, is mom's first choice .
The simple but elegant dress always represents a Republican candidate; the frumpy dress shares a name with Democratic candidate . |
3,481 | 0a11ec5374add814d121adc9b9a9f1de8364f547 | (CNN) -- So a bunch of guys away from home, who should know better, take off their wedding rings, mix testosterone with alcohol and hookers --- an appalling combination --- argue over the price of a lady's company and, all of a sudden, the entire culture of the U.S. Secret Service is thrown into question. All of a sudden, this is the worst disaster for the Secret Service, ever. All of a sudden, the Secret Service is out of control. All of a sudden, anything might have happened, like one of the 11 agents could have been blackmailed to open a door for a sniper or to look the other way as a bomb-carrying terrorist walks up to the president. All of a sudden, the men and women of the Secret Service are no longer the best and the brightest. Especially the men. All of a sudden... Stop! It's time for a reality check. The 11 agents who were sent home from Colombia in disgrace before the president even left Washington were there in a support role. Whether they were manning metal detectors or handling dogs that sweep rooms, whether they were part of a sniper team or standing post at 3 a.m. along a barricaded street, they were not members of the Presidential Protective Division (PPD). They were not on the president's shoulder. At no time was the president's security in danger. What damage did their stupidity do? Obviously, a lot to their personal lives, their marriages and their careers. Obviously, also, a lot to the image and reputation of the Secret Service. The legislation creating the Secret Service was sitting on Abraham Lincoln's desk, waiting to be signed, on April 15, 1865, the night he was assassinated. In those days, the Secret Service was housed inside the Treasury Department, and its job was to protect and defend the currency and monetary instruments of the United States. It didn't get the supplementary duty of protecting the president and vice president until after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. No agent I have ever met was hired for his sense of humor. These are very serious men and women who do their jobs very seriously. They have always been the best and the brightest. And they still are. You can see it in the way they stand a little taller and walk with a different gait than others in law enforcement. You can see it in their pride. Frankly, I can't think of any other law enforcement agency where pride counts as much as it does with the Secret Service. It's the same pride that is always so visible with the U.S. Marines. That's the reason why this scandal matters. Not because someone thinks the agency is out of control. It's not. Not because of wildly exaggerated threats of blackmail. No, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling. It matters because the idiotic actions of 11 agents who forgot who they are and what their badge stands for deeply affects every active duty agent and tens of thousands of retired agents. Pride has been dented. And agents are, rightly, furious. These are men and women who have made -- and continue to make -- huge personal sacrifices for their share in that pride. The divorce rate among agents is high. That's not because they party with hookers, but because for the privilege of wearing that special five starred badge, they abandon any thoughts of their time being their own. They miss birthdays and Christmas, Little League games, graduations, school plays, first teeth, first steps, first words. When the president travels, especially overseas, it's a flying circus with 800-1,000 people, limousines, helicopters, communications equipment, big guns, small guns, sometimes food, and often 20-30 planes. As an integral part of this, Secret Service agents have two main concerns: To create and to maintain a tightly controlled environment in which the president can do his job safely and to bring everyone home at night. Anything short of that is, the way the Secret Service defines the word, failure. Just as those two things are true, so are these: What happened with those 11 agents is defined as stupidity. They will be dealt with quickly by the Secret Service. The president's opponents will pretend that there are political ramifications and invent whatever capital out of this that they can to embarrass the president. It will take a long time before pride is fully restored, and, if this ever happens again, it will definitely not be soon. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeffrey Robinson. | Jeffrey Robinson: Bad behavior of 11 Secret Service agents has caused uproar over whole force .
Time for a reality check, he says; president was not in danger .
He says most agents proud, serious, willing to make big sacrifices for job .
Robinson: Agents in scandal were stupid; now people playing politics . |
32,973 | 5da88564553fd481ee754244b5e9eb659e5c6345 | He wriggled, he struggled ... and then he broke free. Prince George made a determined crawl for freedom as he watched his father play polo yesterday. First he fidgeted in his mother’s arms and then, when she put him down on the ground, he was off – straight into the path of a polo pony. Luckily, the Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to scoop up the playful prince before he could get into any trouble. Scroll down for videos . And he's off! Prince George makes a bid for freedom during a visit to Cirencester Polo Club to watch his father play in the Jerudong Trophy polo match . Future footballer? Prince George makes a wobbly attempt to kick a football but is kept steady by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge . My ball! Prince George seemed fascinated by a small ball which he went to grab from the Duchess of Cambridge's hands. The Duchess looked stunning in a simple Me + Em breton striped top with a pair of skinny dark blue jeans . On his way: Prince George toddles along the polo field with a little help from his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge . That's mine! A cross Prince George attempts to toddle off looking put out after a little girl picks up his football . Intrigued: A curious Prince George investigates a long-handled mallet which lays next to him in the grounds of Cirencester Park . Adorable: Dressed in a smart pair of pink dungarees and a neat white polo shirt, Prince George appeared to enjoy playing with a polo mallet during the family day out . Motherly love: The Duchess of Cambridge appeared to blow a kiss (left) as she watched the polo match before cradling a restless-looking Prince George (right) Perhaps . he felt left out at seeing other men in his family – his father William . and his uncle Harry – taking part in the match at Cirencester Park Polo . Club in Gloucestershire. Held to raise money for charity, both . princes have made a habit of playing in the match, with the Duke of . Cambridge refusing to miss it even when the birth of his son was . imminent last year. The 11-month-old even grabbed a polo stick in an attempt to join in the fun. When . he wasn’t exploring on his own, he held his mother’s hand and toddled . around the polo field, looking smart in his white polo shirt teamed with . red and white striped dungarees and black shoes. He . was also seen to kick his first ball in public – a tap with his left . foot, perhaps indicating that like his father, grandfather Prince . Charles he is left-handed. His great-grandmother the Queen is right-handed. William . and Harry were competing on opposing teams in the Jerudong Trophy polo . match. Both princes regularly participate in the charity event, with . William refusing to miss it even when the birth of his son was imminent . last year. Mummy! Prince George tries to get his mother's attention as she watches the Duke of Cambridge take part in the annual polo game at Cirencester Park Polo Club . Great escape: Prince George wriggles in the Duchess of Cambridge's arms as he attempts to go for a crawl on the polo field - despite the presence of polo ponies . First Father's Day: Prince William beams proudly as he, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George inspect his mount . Thirsty work: Prince George makes a grab for his father's water and, in true royal style, gets exactly what he wanted . Full time job: The Duchess was kept busy attempting to hang on to Prince George who was much more interested in stomping about and doing his own thing . Getting a lift from his mother: Prince George looked less than impressed when his mother picked him up to carry him across the polo field . Bonding: The Duchess of Cambridge looked happy and relaxed as she wandered the grounds with Prince George (left) before scooping him up into her arms (right) At one point . yesterday, the duke wandered over to offer his little boy a sip of . water. It was his first Father’s Day with his son and heir. Kate . was dressed for Mummy duty, in a practical pair of skinny blue jeans, a . white and blue-striped Breton top from Me + Em, one of her favourites, . and beige and white loafer-style shoes. This . year's event was a family affair with Prince George giggling happily as . his mother showed him the ropes and allowed him to grab on to a mallet . while walking through the pony lines. The . Duchess herself was typically stylish and wore her favourite Me + Em . breton striped top with a pair of skinny dark blue jeans and a chic pair . of beige and white loafers. Beaming . broadly, she smiled as proud father Prince William, who was enjoying . his first Father's Day, made his way over to his wife and child during a . break in play, even giving Prince George a slug of his water - much to . the baby's delight. And the family weren't the only royals to indulge in a polo match today. The Queen, fresh from celebrating her official birthday yesterday, joined the Duke of Edinburgh to watch the action during the Cartier Polo Cup, held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park. Elegant in royal blue Angela Kelly, the monarch was on smiley form as she toured the ground and watched play get underway ahead of a busy week which includes five scheduled appearances at Royal Ascot next week. A keen . racing fan, the Queen's career as a racehorse breeder and owner spans . more than 60 years, and began with the handful that she was left by her . father George VI. Since . then, her horses have since triumphed in more than 1600 races, . including all five British Classics, with the exception of the Epsom . Derby, although she has managed a second place finish with Aureole in . 1953 and came third in 2011 with Carlton House. Mesmerised: Prince George is fascinated by a chestnut polo pony (left) and right, makes another bid for freedom while his mother is distracted . Exploring: Prince George crawls off to inspect the horses while his mother keeps a watchful eye on his trajectory through the crowd . Traditional: Prince George and the Duchess of Cambridge join in with the traditional divot stomping during a break in play at Cirencester Polo Club . Head . to head: Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge face off across the . pitch at the Cirencester Polo Club during a match where they played in . opposing teams . On his way: Prince Harry, who spent much of yesterday making the Duchess of Cambridge laugh during Trooping the Colour, was playing in the Jerudong Trophy . While the Derby has so far eluded her, . the Queen has bred some of the finest horses ever to race in the UK, . among them Dunfermline who managed to win both the Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes in 1977, Carozza, who triumphed in the Epsom Oaks in 1957 . and Pall Mall who took the 2,000 Guineas in 1958. Last year, . Royal Ascot was the scene of another triumph for the Queen, after . her filly Estimate romped home to take the prestigious Gold Cup - much to the obvious delight of the monarch. And . it seems that this year's event, which opens on Tuesday, could prove . just as lucky. 'Oh, I think she absolutely has a chance this year - . without any question,' reveals Royal Ascot's head of international . racing, Nick Smith. 'She . has a fighting chance of winning the Gold Cup for the second year . running with Estimate but she will also have a couple of other runners.' Her appearance at next week's Royal Ascot . will be the latest in a series of engagements, which began two weeks ago . with the State Opening of Parliament and a state visit to France for the . D-Day celebrations, before visits to a school and Trooping the Colour this week. In full swing: The Duke of Cambridge takes a swipe at the ball during the Jerudong Trophy polo match which is an annual event attended by the royals . Ready to ride: Prince Harry gears up for another chukka (left), while the Duke of Cambridge keeps a close eye on play (right) And swing! Prince Harry goes for the ball as he takes part in the match at Cirencester Polo Club in the Jerudong Trophy . In play: The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry both supported charities close to their hearts by going head to head and taking part in the annual polo event today . The Duchess of Cambridge, with Prince George by her side, clapped and cheered as Prince William and Prince Harry (right) took part in the Jerudong Trophy Polo Match . Happy days: Prince Harry looked pleased as he clapped during a prize-giving ceremony following the polo match (left) while the Duke of Cambridge also showed support . Pleased to meet you: While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a family day out at Cirencester Park Polo Club, The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended the Cartier Polo Cup, held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park . Good day out: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were fresh from celebrating her official birthday with yesterday's Trooping the Colour parade . Fine . fettle: The Queen looked on fine form as she watched the action at the . Cartier Queen's Cup at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park . Smiles all round: The Queen, fresh from celebrating her official birthday yesterday, joined the Duke of Edinburgh to watch the action during the Cartier Polo Cup, held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park . On form: The Queen looked elegant in a royal blue Angela Kelly dress and jacket. The monarch looked impressed as she toured the ground and watched play get underway ahead of a busy week which includes five scheduled appearances at Royal Ascot next week . In demand: The Queen's appearance at the Cartier Polo Cup today, comes ahead of a busy week which includes five scheduled appearances at Royal Ascot next week . Concentration: The Queen took to the stands to watch the game unfold with the executive chairman of Cartier, Arnaud Bamberger . Congratulations: The Queen awarded the winners' trophy following the Cartier Queen's Cup polo tournament final at Guards Polo in Windsor Great Park . Royal show: The Queen attended the final day of the annual event with the Duke of Edinburgh just a day after celebrating her official birthday . On the move: The Duke of Edinburgh and The Queen arrived at the event in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire in their Land Rover . The entertainers: Prince Harry and Prince Philip keep the rest of the family entertained during the Queen's birthday celebrations yesterday . | The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George were supporting the Duke of Cambridge during a charity polo match .
The Duke was playing in the annual Jerudong Trophy polo match against a team captained by Prince Harry .
Prince George was on lively form, making grabs for polo mallets and even eyeing up his father's bottle of water .
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were also at the polo, although at a different match held in Windsor Great Park . |
61,328 | ae2d9834dafdc6ace1b27a50bd363b382ad56be2 | In an op-ed on CNN.com, Robert Goyer suggested that it is easy to accidentally land an airplane at the wrong airport. And he is correct. The problem is that it shouldn't be, especially not with the profusion of technology at a pilot's fingertips designed to help prevent just these kinds of mistakes. No doubt Southwest's landing at the wrong Missouri airport this week will be categorized as pilot error, as it was when a 747 crew landed at the wrong airport in Kansas in November. But labeling this all as an easy mistake or as pilot error is too simplistic. In doing so, we risk ignoring a growing threat to this nation's and the world's aviation safety, a growing disconnect between the technology created by our smartest engineers and technicians and the pilots who use it. Indeed, pilots sometimes ignore the technology, as Goyer and others have speculated could have been the case in the Southwest landing, while others are overwhelmed when the technology unexpectedly fails, like it did aboard the doomed Air France Flight 447 that crashed in the ocean in 2009. America is good at fixing problems, though. When an airliner flying in the clouds on approach to Washington struck the top of a hill after descending too low, U.S. industry developed a fix: a ground proximity warning system, a talking cockpit box that alerts pilots to approaching hazards they couldn't easily see. But in 2012, a Russian airline crew demonstrating a new jet received a terrain warning -- an aural cockpit signal warning the crew they were too close to the ground -- flying around Indonesia, but ignored it, believing it was a computer error. All 44 people aboard that aircraft died when the airplane struck the side of a mountain. The computer's warning had been real. In February 2009, the captain of a Continental Airlines turboprop became confused when the autopilot of his airplane turned itself off while the airplane was slowing for the approach to Buffalo, New York. The pilot was so startled by the computer shutdown that he made a fatal flying mistake. He also believed the computer's messages were a mistake. Forty-nine people in that airplane died because the pilot was wrong. All these aircraft were equipped with the latest technologies available to make flight as safe as humanly possible. And yet each time, the crew managed to figure out a way not to heed the warnings. The Southwest and the Atlas Air pilots -- and their passengers, of course -- were just lucky no one was hurt. But what about the next time? The Southwest crew only averted disaster by a few hundred feet, narrowly missing a drop-off at the end of the runway that would surely have broken the airplane into many pieces. All these problems point to this newest threat: Pilot's confusion about what their computers are telling them, when they look at them, that is. This speaks to complacency to some extent. It's also well known that humans don't handle monitoring duties very well for very long. We grow bored rather easily. But even labeling this a "human factors" problem is too easy. Like everything in our society these days, this complacency, this disconnect between operator and computer, is not a simple black and white problem that we can fix with another electronic box or an enthusiastic chat from the boss. There's another overriding problem preventing us from digging deeply enough into the implications of this problem: The airline industry has become a victim of its own success, with an impressive air safety record. Before last year's crashes in San Francisco and Birmingham, Alabama, there had been not a single fatality between 2010 and 2012. Because our record has been so good, many people inside and outside the industry, as well as legislators, regulators and certainly airline passengers may mistakenly believe that we've solved the aviation safety problem. But just as hospital administrators would never tell patients that losing a few people now and again to infection should be considered an acceptable loss, we can't ignore the instances when something has come between our professional pilots and these technologies created to help save us from ourselves. And we in the industry are only now coming to believe this threat is real ourselves. A recent study delivered to the FAA about automation confusion highlights some of these problems, but offered no timeline to solve them. Passengers also need to advocate for their own safety by writing to their legislators, airline CEOs and regulators demanding that the automation confusion issue be put on the front burner now. Like our pilots, aviation safety's threats are sending us warning messages. But right now we don't seem to be listening. | Robert Mark: Writer suggested it's easy to land jet at wrong airport. True, with a caveat .
Southwest landing joins similar cases from recent years. These should raise alarm, he says .
He says pilots often failed to heed what computer was telling them. Complacency a threat .
Mark: Fliers should demand "automation confusion" be put on regulators' front-burner . |
175,473 | 6f1c08e117dc4e31d523bd9720fd903b487d62af | By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 10:14 PM on 20th October 2011 . An NPR radio show host was last night fired from the music documentary she presented after she become a spokesman for Occupy D.C. Lisa Simeone, of Baltimore, Maryland, lost her job hosting Soundprint, which is aired on National Public Radio affiliates around the U.S. She is working with about 50 people on a committee for the Washington D.C. protest, which she said has similar values to Occupy Wall Street. Fired: Lisa Simeone, of Baltimore, Maryland, lost her job presenting Soundprint, which is aired on National Public Radio affiliates around the U.S. Freelance Ms Simeone was fired on Wednesday by Soundprint Media Center, which produces Soundprint. She also hosts ‘World of Opera’. That show is distributed by NPR but produced by music and arts station WDAV in Davidson, North Carolina. That station is supporting her so far. ‘I don't cover news. In none of the shows that I do, do I cover the news,’ Ms Simeone said. ‘What is NPR afraid I'll do? Insert a seditious comment into a synopsis of “Madame Butterfly”?’ An NPR spokesman said the network learned Ms Simeon was participating in an Occupy D.C. group but added that she is not an NPR employee. Movement: Occupy D.C. protesters march in a demonstration on K Street NW, a traditional home for lobbying firms, in Washington D.C. last weekend . ‘We're in conversations with WDAV about how they intend to handle this,’ a spokesman said. ‘We of course take this issue very seriously.’ 'I don't cover news. In none of the shows . that I do, do I cover the news,’ Ms Simeone said. ‘What is NPR afraid . I'll do? Insert a seditious comment into a synopsis of “Madame . Butterfly”?' Lisa Simeone . NPR wanted to make clear nobody at the network has had contact with producers of ‘Soundprint’ or pressured them to fire Ms Simeone. As for ‘World of Opera,’ the NPR spokesman said its code of ethics applies to cultural and news shows the network produces, acquires or distributes. ‘We are not her employer, but she is a host for a show that we distribute,’ the spokesman said. ‘She has that public presence.’ Occupy D.C.: The statue of Civil War General James McPherson is decorated with an occupied sign, flag and costume mask on Thursday in McPerson Square . A WDAV spokesman said: ‘WDAV and NPR have different missions. WDAV respects NPR's mission to serve as a leading news provider. ‘WDAV on the other hand, exists to serve as a leading provider of arts and cultural programming nationally and internationally.’ NPR has come under scrutiny in the past year for its firing of news analyst Juan Williams. He said on Fox News that he was uncomfortable being on a plane with someone wearing clothing that identifies them as Muslim. NPR said he violated its ethics code by participating in media encouraging ‘punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis’. The network has been sensitive to accusations that it carries a liberal bias. An NPR CEO resigned after right-wing activist James O'Keefe posted a video portraying NPR's chief fundraiser complaining about the Tea Party. | Lisa Simeone presented 'Soundprint' on NPR affiliates .
Maryland presenter involved on Occupy D.C. committee .
Also hosts 'World of Opera' on North Carolina station . |
192,132 | 84c6351cad8f3ed3d4c4d767db8217cbc49f9350 | A U.S. brewery has been forced to apologize for naming an ale after the teetotal Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi. The New England Brewing Co. in Connecticut was slammed for its Gandhi-Bot pale ale by consumers, who claimed the beverage was an an 'illegal insult' to India. What particularly caused upset was the can artwork, which reimagines Gandhi as a robot with one hand raised in blessing. Underfire: The New England Brewing Co. in Connecticut was slammed for its Gandhi-Bot pale ale by consumers, who claimed the beverage was an an 'illegal insult' to India . A U.S. brewery has been forced to apologize for naming an ale after the teetotal Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi. Following a legal complaint about the beer in Hyderabad, India, the New England Brewing Co issued an apology to Facebook. It said in a statement that its intent wasn't to 'offend anyone but rather pay homage and celebrate a man who we respect greatly.' Despite the backlash, the company says it has no plans to withdraw the beer, which is not sold internationally. It claims that Gandhi's granddaughter and grandson have seen the label and have 'expressed their admiration' for it. Icon: What particularly caused upset was the can artwork, which reimagines Gandhi (seen here in 1948) as a robot with one hand raised in blessing . However, the company's stance could change when the case hits the courts Monday. A petitioner in India contends that Gandhi’s image on the alcohol cans and description of the father of the nation by the brewery is highly condemnable and punishable under Indian laws. However, there are also those who fully-support the drink. One fan wrote on Facebook: ' Gandhi-Bot is best. Keep the craft up. 'I'm an Indian and proud to drive five hours often to [the The New England Brewing Co] just for Bot.' Another added: 'My only problem with your beer is that it is always sold out. Keep up the great work.' On the website Gandhi-Bot is pegged as an intensely hopped double India pale ale with a blend of three varieties of American Hops. It is also described as 'fully vegetarian' and an 'ideal aid . . . for the seeking of truth and love.' | The New England Brewing Co. in Connecticut has been slammed for its Gandhi-Bot pale ale .
Consumers claim the beverage is an 'illegal insult' to India .
A petition is slated to come up for hearing at an Indian court today .
Despite the backlash, there are currently no plans to relabel the beverage . |
267,492 | e66c13056d9ec30b8eb5e8bc662c9c1bdd813a5c | A television reporter has revealed the moment he was contacted by hostages from inside the Lindt Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place on Monday, six hours after the siege began. Mark Burrows from Nine News received phone calls from Marcia Mikhael and Julie Taylor with their hostage taker shiek just metres away, listening to their every word. He also spoke to one other hostage who was not named in the report. During their conversations the women were forced to repeat Man Haron Monis's demands, but perhaps the most chilling details came from Ms Mikhael, a Westpac executive trapped inside the building with three of her colleagues. Scroll down for video . Marcia Mikhael contacted Nine News reporter Mark Burrows six hours into the siege at Sydney's Martin Place . After greeting Burrows, the 42-year-old assured him that all the hostages were safe and well thanks to 'The Brother', which is how they were referring to their captor, a self-style shiek. 'However there was a very close missed call by people escaping and we almost got shot in here however we're all well,' Ms Mikhael revealed. Speaking incredibly calmly for someone trapped in such a horrific situation, the only time she wavered was when speaking about Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Lawyer Julie Taylor also placed a phone call from inside the cafe, revealing calmly she was pregnant but unwell and frightened . Mark Burrows spoke to hostages from the Nine newsroom on Monday afternoon . 'He (Man Haron Monis) would also like to speak to the prime minister, we understand that the prime minister is a very busy man however I think that the lives of quite a few people here are more important than whatever he's doing right now whether he's playing golf, or walking with his dog. 'I don't know what the hell he's doing but it cannot be more important than picking up the phone and making one phone call, that is not hard,' the woman said with emotion in her voice. Reports of a number of the hostages falling ill had circulated during the day and Burrows asked after their health. 'We have one pregnant lady that's not doing very well and the other one is being very brave but she's also not doing very well,' Ms Mikhael said. 'We don't want to die. There's a lot of people in here and we've got families. We want to go home and we want to go home safe.' Ms Mikael was one of the hostages pictured being carried out of the cafe, looking distressed and with blood on her legs when the siege ended. Another hostage to make contact with Nine News was Sydney barrister Julie Taylor, who was saved from the gunman by friend Katrina Dawson. Ms Dawson, a mother-of-three tragically died while being transported to hospital. 'There are a few sick people inside and also two pregnant people. I'm pregnant and there's one other lady who's pregnant. 'He (Monis) says that he's made an offer, um, to trade one flag of Islamic State for a life,' Ms Taylor told Burrows. Ms Mikael was one of the hostages carried out of the cafe with blood on her legs when the siege ended . The hostage also revealed hesitantly that although she and others were 'not exactly' being threatened by their captor, she was not feeling well and everyone was extremely frightened. Ms Taylor also told Burrows that Monis did have a gun, and when prompted concluded it was a rifle of some description. The barrister is currently recovering in hospital, along with three other women who suffered gunshot wounds. She was one of three women to appear in videos released by Monis where hostages to a camera relaying the demands of their captor. Barrister Katrina Dawson, 38, and Lindt cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34, both died as a result of the siege which shut down Sydney's CBD for more than 24 hours. | Nine News reporter Mark Burrows received calls from three hostages .
Among those were Westpac's Marcia Mikhael and lawyer Julie Taylor .
Ms Mikhael said Man Haron Monis nearly shot the hostages after some fled .
Ms Taylor is pregnant and told Burrows she was unwell and frightened . |
15,205 | 2b3aedef267c3cb418612461ed56c5659e9c8394 | Washington (CNN) -- Wayne LaPierre is not a large man. He does not move with the easy assurance of a skilled fighter. His head sits low on his neck, and he seems to turn from the shoulders. His swept-back, graying hair and rimless glasses make him look like a Central Casting accountant who sleeps with a tie on. Yet, in Washington, LaPierre is a heavyweight of the first degree, a brawler who can make even brave politicians toss in the towel at the first sign of a scuffle. The longtime executive vice president and public face of the National Rifle Association faced some of his toughest critics on Capitol Hill Wednesday -- including California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, author of the updated bill hoping to again ban military-style assault rifles -- as he testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing titled "What Should America Do About Gun Violence?" He argued that government should focus on enforcing existing gun laws rather than drafting new ones. "Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals, nor do we believe that government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families," he told lawmakers. NRA official to Congress: More gun laws not the answer . The tough champion of the Second Amendment has been taking heat since the NRA came out strongly in favor of armed security in every public school in America, days after the deadly shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. But that's what makes LaPierre so formidable: his unflinching willingness to say aloud what many foes consider outrageous. "Why is the idea of a gun good when it is used to protect the president of our country or the police, but bad when it is used to protect our children in our schools?" NRA draws heat over shooting game . That was the head of the National Rifle Association speaking to a room packed with cameras and reporters a week after the Newtown school shooting. He was pushing the idea of armed guards in every school. Critics howled. A headline in New York proclaimed "Gun Nut!" while another called him the "Craziest Man on Earth." But LaPierre did not even blink, going on "Meet the Press" to say, "If it's crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy." For many of his supporters, that had the ring of common sense, and that's what makes Washington nervous. LaPierre has been the leader of the NRA for more than 20 years, turning it into a political juggernaut. The group boasts more than 4 million members capable of pouring money into political races at the drop of a hat. How the violent mentally ill can buy guns . More importantly, NRA fans have proved that they can be relied on to show up at the polls and savage any candidate, Democratic or Republican, who strays from the doctrine of the Second Amendment, as they see it. And LaPierre is the man who commands that political wrath, frequently by unleashing a torrent of scathing accusations against those who would oppose him. A few examples: . • In a 1995 fundraising letter, he referred to federal agents enforcing gun laws as "jack booted thugs." • After 1999's Columbine High School massacre, he complained that gun owners in general, and NRA members in particular, were being unfairly portrayed as "... somehow a reckless, societal, pathogen; a mighty, extremist empire opposed to safety, caution and reason. That is a cruel and dangerous lie." • In 2000, he suggested that President Bill Clinton was allowing gun deaths to pile up to spur anti-gun sentiment among voters. • When Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot, LaPierre noted that the gunfire came close to a school, a designated "gun free" zone, and again he ripped into gun opponents. "That didn't make any difference. Their laws didn't work. Their lies don't ring true. And if Tucson tells us anything at all, it tells us this: government failed." NRA clear on gun debate stance: Arm schools . Make no mistake: There is no indication that LaPierre is a loose cannon or someone who does not mind his words. To the contrary, they are chosen with the precision of a marksman. Even if his opponents hate to admit it, he follows an unswervingly clear course with his statements; always attacking, never ceding even an inch, and relentlessly portraying those who would infringe on gun rights as radicals. And he wins. Year after year, for all the bluster around gun issues, the NRA has emerged victorious, galvanizing millions of Americans who feel that government too often overreaches and intrudes upon individual freedoms. Simply put, it is the language of motivation. And when it comes to guns, no one speaks it like Wayne LaPierre. NRA chief: Obama makes 'mockery' of American freedoms . | NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre has been a strong advocate for gun owners .
He's also known as a brash, heavyweight brawler who rarely backs down from a fight .
He testified at a Senate hearing on gun violence Wednesday . |
164,692 | 60f6a694b5543ae754b533dc152614d3d6a10d63 | A nine-year-old transgender boy has made an incredibly brave video to tell the world that he has decided from now on he no longer wants to live life as a girl. The touching words from Milla Brown, who lives in Brisbane, Queensland, has struck a chord among social media users with more than 3.5 million views of the unforgettable video that his mother Renee Fabish posted on Facebook. The inspirational child, who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, speaks about the traumatic bullying he experiences on a daily basis at school and simply asks for people to accept the fact that he is now a boy. Scroll down for video . Milla Brown makes a brave video to tell the world he no longer wants to live life as a girl . Milla has always loved trucks and train and almost never played with dolls . From as young as two, Milla would refer to himself as girl-boy - a girl that liked boy things . Milla introduces himself in the extraordinary video and then explains that: 'it's not easy being me' because he feels like he is in the wrong body. 'I am having a really hard time at school at the moment - kids tease me all of the time - they call me shim, gay girl and weirdo,' she said. 'People just don't understand me - nobody wants to be my friend.' 'I just want people to accept me for who I am. I'm lucky that I have an awesome family who support me 100 per cent,' she says. 'I have decided I want to take the next step from today I want to live and be known as a boy I hope I have your support.' When he was about six-years-old, Milla refused to wear girls clothes and constantly asked to have his hair cut off until his mother finally gave in . He always loved Ninja Turtles, Batman, Spiderman and Bob the Builder since he was little . Milla introduces himself in the extraordinary video and then explains that: 'it's not easy being me' because he feels like he is in the wrong body . His mother Renee also poured her heart out in the video via rolling text explaining the unique journey she has been through since Milla was born. Born on May 15 in 2005, Milla Taige Brown was a healthy and happy baby girl who was full of personality. 'From as young as two Milla would refer to herself as girl-boy - a girl that liked boy things from very early on,' she says. 'Milla insisted on wearing boys, undies pjs and dress ups - we didn't have a problem with that.' A big fan of Batman, Spiderman, Bob the Builder and Ninja Turtles, Milla never played with dolls preferring trucks and trains. When he was about six-years-old, Milla refused to wear girls clothes and constantly asked to have hair cut off until Renee finally gave in. 'Everyone told us it was just a phase they'd say "shes just a tomboy - she'll grow out of it" - problem is phases end most tomboys don't want to be boys.' Milla says he get called names at school including 'shim', 'gay girl' and 'weirdo' His mother Renee (left) also poured out her heart on the video explaining the the unique journey she has been through since Milla was born . Milla says in the video (right) that it's not it's not easy being him as people don't understand his situation . The cracks began to show when the once bubbly child became increasingly unhappy. 'One day Milla came to me in tears saying is there any medicine I could buy to turn her into a boy,' Renee said. 'She started making comments like "why was I born like this?", "I want to be a boy - not just look like one, I want to be a real boy".' 'I could see Milla slowly becoming withdrawn and depressed. She was going to bed in tears every night.' The tortured young child also couldn't bear the thought of growing breasts. 'She became increasingly distressed at the thought of growing boobs she said "If I grow boobs I am going to cut them off",' Renee said. Milla started to become withdrawn and depressed - crying himself to sleep every night . He couldn't bear the thought of developing breasts: 'If I grow boobs I am going to cut them off' Milla went to his mother in tears asking if there was any medicine she could buy to 'turn her into a boy' Once it became clear that the tomboy phase was not going to end, Milla was diagnosed with gender dysphoria after her parents took him to be see an endcronologist and a child psychiatrist. 'Her gender assigned at birth does not align with how she feels inside - Milla was born female but her brain identifies as male,' Renee says. 'This is something that is in his genetic makeup it hasn't been caused or encouraged by our parenting.' 'It is not something she was talked into and it is not something she can be talked out of - it is what it is.' His parents were advised by doctors to let Milla transition as soon as possible. 'We have no doubt in our minds that Milla is fully invested in her plight to be recognised as a boy - the only thing that has changed for us is pronouns - we support him wholeheartedly,' she said. Milla was diagnosed with gender dysphoria after his parents took him to be see an endcronologist and a child psychiatrist . His parents were advised by doctors to let Milla transition as soon as possible . His parents had no doubt in their minds that Milla is fully invested in his plight to be recognised as a boy . His family refuses to allow him to become the percentage of transgenders who self harm or attempt suicide . Renee said a frightening percentage of the transgender community suffer from mental health issues. 'All due to the lack of acceptance and constant bullying they are subjected to everyday,' she said. 'Around half self harm or attempt suicide - we are not willing to let our child become part of those statistics.' Renee says her son is now extremely happy after making such a huge step. 'All we can do is equip our son with the skills necessary to cope with small minded people,' she said. 'Being transgender is not a choice - trust me it's not a life you would choose for your child. 'Our child deserves the right to be happy like any other.' The video fittingly ends with a message to those who may judge their child. 'Everybody is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Remember to be kind always' Milla has never been happier since making the huge step to live his life as a boy . | Transgender boy makes video to say he now wants to live life as a girl .
Milla Brown, 9, says it's not easy feeling like you are in the wrong body .
Brisbane child talks about being bullied every single day at school .
Parents were advised by doctors to let Milla transition as soon as possible .
Brave kid expresses appreciation for family's 100 per cent support .
Mother Renee Fabish explains unique journey with her child from birth . |
180,443 | 759716e035daba73bdd5c4c5f5fcc226d16a04bf | The Chris Evans Breakfast Show lost 608,000 listeners during this year's third quarter, according to new figures . One offers up a mixture of popular music and light entertainment, while the other is based around hard news and current affairs. On the face of it, The Chris Evans Breakfast Show and The Today Programme would seem to have little in common. But it emerged yesterday that the two breakfast shows, on BBC Radio 2 and 4 respectively, have both seen declines in their listenership. According to figures released by Rajar, which monitors radio audiences, Chris Evans’s programme saw 608,000 fewer people tune in each week during this year’s third quarter (July to September) compared to the period April to June. And Today, which has been suffering a more extended period of audience decline since the end of last year, has seen its numbers fall a further 18,000 to 6.69million over the same period. These are not the only shows to be finding it hard to retain audiences, Radio 1’s breakfast programme, presented by Nick Grimshaw, also saw a drop of 149,000 listeners from one quarter to the next. For Chris Evans, 48, on Radio 2, he has enjoyed a sustained period of growth since taking over the slot from Sir Terry Wogan in 2010. While the presenter had looked set to break the 10million listeners mark, this downturn marks a set-back for the presenter who saw his weekly audience grow from 8.1million when he took over to 9.8million in the period April to June this year. A BBC spokesman said: ‘Chris’s show is the most popular radio show in the UK and the biggest since records began but, like all programmes, is subject to seasonal changes. So while his figures for the traditionally quieter summer period are not as high as those for his record-breaking spring, they are on par with this time last year and the show remains a broadcasting phenomenon, offering a unique mix of music and speech to an incredible 9.3 million people every week.’ In the last 12 months, the programme has dropped 46,000 weekly listeners, compared to an increase of 77,000 for Radio 2 as a whole. The father-of-three, who had previously had shows on Radio 1 and Virgin, was a controversial appointment given his chequered past. The former TFI Friday presenter once admitted to fronting many of his Radio 1 shows while still drunk from excessive drinking the night before and, in 1995, was fined £7,000 for turning up to work straight from a 17-hour pub crawl. Nick Grimshaw's breakfast programme has seen a drop in 149,000 listeners from one quarter to the next . However, Lauren Laverne's morning show remains popular, with an average of 868,000 people tuning in each week . He left the station in 1997 after managers refused to give him Fridays off so he could recover from his drinking sessions, which could sometimes see him consume 20 pints of lager a day. The Today Programme has been experiencing similar difficulties to its Radio 2 counterpart. After introducing Mishal Husain, 41, as a presenter in October last year, the show enjoyed a surge of listeners, but her effect now seems to have worn off, with almost 500,000 of its average weekly audience tuning out since the beginning of this year, dropping from 7.14million to 6.69million. A spokesman for Radio 4 said the expected such fluctuations and that there was no action planned to address the decline. They added: ‘Radio 4 has a loyal listenership with weekly audiences hovering between 10.5m and 11m a week and both Today and The Archers, the biggest programmes on the network, have had a stable quarter on the previous one.’ Other radio stations are enjoying a more prosperous period. Radio 6 Music, which is digital only, has built up a record audience of nearly 2 million people each week. It’s most popular offering is Lauren Laverne’s morning show, which sees an average of 868,000 people tune in each week. | Chris Evans' show lost 608,000 listeners from one yearly quarter to the next .
The Today Programme saw its audience drop to 6.69m over the same period .
However digital-only Radio 6 Music has built up weekly audience of 2million . |
57,816 | a3ddf10a9be47e309b696e2b8cabb0d2049fe7ae | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:15 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:23 EST, 28 October 2013 . A family who lost a mother and baby within days of each other following an emergency C-section have spoken of their gratitude after the local community rallied around them in support. Mother-to-be Christina Barton collapsed on October 16 in the bathroom of the family home in Springfield, Oregon. At eight months pregnant, 28-year-old Ms Barton was rushed to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend where she had an emergency C-section. Scroll down for video . Seth Barton holds his baby sister Christina who tragically passed away after four days on life support . Ms Barton was found by her nine-year-old son. Her husband of ten years Steven Hunt told KMTR that when doctors told him that his newborn girl had a heart beat, he knew that his wife had died. The young mother's cause of death is yet unknown. He named the baby girl after his late partner. Tragically after four days on life support, baby Christina also passed away. The heartbroken family said that they have been truly touched by the support from their local community who have offered donations for the mother and baby's memorials through a gofundme account. Mr Hunt told the local station: 'I can't believe there's this much love in the world and it just keeps coming.' Christina Barton (left) pictured with her mother. She died in childbirth at the age of 28 . Steven Hunt broke down when he spoke about his late wife and baby girl who died after an emergency C-section earlier this month. He said his son Seth (right) did not leave his little sister's side . | Mother-to-be Christina Barton collapsed on October 16 at her family home in Springfield, Oregon . |
120,087 | 2733ff962d46e0484ca008ffc9732f998591a74c | By . David Kent . World . super middleweight champion Carl Froch is swapping the ring for a pommel . horse after signing up to take part in the BBC1's new celebrity talent show, Tumble, this August. Tumble, . which will air on BBC One on Saturday nights, will see the 36-year-old . boxer compete with a number of celebrities across a range of disciplines. Froch, who . beat George Groves in their grudge rematch in May, will be . judged by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith - himself back on the professional . scene after a hiatus. Scroll down for video... Power couple: Boxing champ Carl Froch has been paired with a petite gymnast partner Sita Bhuller . Meet the gymnasts: The famous faces behind the BBC's first Tumble showdown include Amelle Berrabah, 'H' Watkins and Bobby Lockwood . Nottingham-born Froch has yet to confirm his future plans in the wake of his eighth-round stoppage of Groves at Wembley. He . has expressed a desire to fight in Las Vegas before retiring, while . options of a domestic scrap with James DeGale and a straight-up . retirement have not been ruled in or out. Froch will be joined on the show by the likes of Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins and Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah. 'After . a fight of such magnitude it will be great for me to get my body and . mind stuck straight into a new discipline,' Froch said. 'I . am excited to learn these new skills as gymnastics, backflips and . somersaults are something that have always impressed me and I have . wanted to be able to do.' Froch has been paired with petite circus skilled gymnast Sita . Bhuller to offset his sizeable build. Finisher: Carl Froch knocked out George Groves last month at Wembley . Waiting game: Froch has not decided if he will fight again but will appear in TV show Tumble in the meantime . Also in the line up are Wolfblood actor Bobby Lockwood, EastEnders' John Partridge and Dynasty actress Emma Samms. Mentored . by Olympic gold medalist Beth Tweddle and judged by gymnast and . Strictly Come Dancing winner Smith, the competing contestants will . certainly be in good hands for the channel's first gymnastics project. The . celebrities have also been paired with an eclectic mix of circus . performers, acrobats and gymnasts as their official training comes to an . end for the start of live shows on 9 August, hosted by The One Show's . Alex Jones. The fitness expert and former GMTV personality Derrick Evans, aka Mr Motivator, was forced to withdraw after dislocating his knee during a trial run of the show. Previous: Froch appeared in dance show Stepping Out with partner Rachael Cordingley last year . The judges: Louis Smith joins Sebastien Stella, (far left) Nadia Comaneci (right) and Craig Heap (far right) Showstopper: Lucy Mecklenburgh and her partner Billy George pose as one of Tumble's first ten couples for the new BBC1 show . Killer quads: H from Steps shows off the power in his legs as he poses alongside circus skills performer Holly Johnstone . Girl power: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding joins tumbling gymnast Leon Fagbemi with a sharp bob haircut and fierce full-fringe look . Cute twosome: Wolfblood's Bobby Lockwood pairs up with world level gymnast Kristin Allen . Power pair: EastEnders actor John Partridge works alongside Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would for the new BBC competition . Smouldering: Amelle Berrabah poses alongside her male counterpart Doug Fordyce ahead of the live shows . All smiles: Andrea Mclean, dressed in sunset orange, joins Spelbound performer Alex Uttley for the live shows . Team players: Dynasty actress Emma Samms has been put with Ivan Pastore, a former international artistic gymnast . | Carl Froch will appear in BBC celebrity talent show Tumble .
Super middleweight champion will compete in different gymnastic disciplines .
Froch defeated George Groves in a Wembley rematch in May .
The 36-year-old will partner Sita Bhuller in the show .
Other celebrities taking part include Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Ian 'H' Watkins and Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah . |
270,513 | ea5f13700eadb0b473926653049e847f022ef597 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 11:09 EST, 16 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:46 EST, 16 September 2013 . It was a grisly find for anybody to make - a skull and bone discovered by two schoolboys as they played in a dingy in a river. But the macabre discovery of the human remains has opened up a mystery, as they actually belong to a sub-Saharan African woman - who died more than a 1,000 years ago. Police called in forensic experts to examine the skull and single bone which were discovered by schoolboys Christian Thompson and Robbie Cribley as they sat in a dingy. Scroll down for video . Christian Thompson and Robbie Cribley show a local TV cameraman where they found a human skull in a river near their home . The 13 year-old best friends made the gruesome find - believed to have travelled more than 3,000 miles from Africa - as they played in the River Coln in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in July. Gloucestershire police said they had identified the remains as being from an African woman, possibly from as early as the ninth century. They said: 'The remains were recovered and since then a forensic anthropologist has been examining them to help identify when the individual passed away. 'Today it has been confirmed that the remains are that of a woman from Sub-Saharan Africa and are dated between 896AD and 1025AD.' The skull fragment which was found by the two schoolboys in as they played in the River Coln in Fairford . How did it get there? The skull travelled more than 3,000 miles to the River Coln . They added: 'This is, of course, no longer a police matter and it is likely that the remains will be passed on to a museum or University.' Christian, who lives near to the . spot, said: 'We became stuck in some reeds and when we tried to pull the . dingy to the bank, I saw the skull by my right foot. 'I asked Robbie if . he thought it was a human skull and we both agreed that it was. 'I find it intriguing because we have been studying the Saxons in class. 'They think there is a Saxon burial . ground in the area dating back 700 years. When he made the find Christian said: 'Robbie said he could see a skull and I was so shocked when I saw it too. 'I think someone must have been kidnapped and chucked in the river.' His father Steve added: 'We're always finding cows teeth and stuff in the river but I've never know something like this to turn up. 'The police didn't even believe it when we rang them too.' | Police called in forensic experts to examine the skull and single bone .
Remains belong to sub-Saharan African woman, possibly from ninth century . |
97,075 | 08ecc7b066c1cc76dd8de4e29f265d85aec82e05 | (CNN) -- They protect lions, teach music to injured soldiers and open new worlds to autistic youth. They help children who are fighting cancer, poverty and a lack of opportunity. These are the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014. For their extraordinary efforts to change the world, each of these everyday people will receive $25,000 and be recognized at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," a globally broadcast event that airs Sunday, December 7. One of the top 10 will be named CNN Hero of the Year and receive an additional $100,000 for his or her cause. The star-studded tribute show will be hosted by Anderson Cooper at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. "It has been CNN's great honor for the past eight years to shine a spotlight on these remarkable individuals who are making a difference in their communities and the world," said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide. "We are proud to provide a platform for these heroes to share their stories and their important work with our global audiences." Since 2007, the CNN Heroes campaign has profiled more than 200 people on CNN and CNN.com. This year's top 10 were nominated by CNN's global audience and profiled earlier this year on CNN. Here are the top 10 Heroes of 2014, in alphabetical order: . Arthur Bloom . Arthur Bloom has used the healing power of music to help hundreds of injured soldiers recover their lives. His program, MusiCorps, pairs professional musicians with troops recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, helping them play instruments and write and record music. "By injecting music into this space, we can inject life," Bloom said. "There's nothing injured about the way they do it. It's just good music." Jon Burns . Jon Burns is rallying fellow soccer fans to help children from poor communities in cities hosting the World Cup and other major tournaments. Since 2006, his nonprofit, Lionsraw, has engaged more than 500 volunteers in construction projects and educational programs that have benefitted nearly 6,000 children. "We're trying to harness the passion of football fans to make a difference," he said. Pen Farthing . Pen Farthing, a former Royal Marine Sergeant, is reuniting soldiers with the stray dogs they befriend while serving in Afghanistan. His nonprofit, Nowzad Dogs -- named for the stray Farthing rescued during his tour -- has helped more than 700 soldiers from eight countries. "My connection with Afghanistan stayed alive because of Nowzad," Farthing said. "To be able to get that animal home to them, it closes the loop." Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg . Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg lost his 2-year-old daughter to leukemia in 1981. Today, his nonprofit, Kids Kicking Cancer, uses martial arts to help children battling serious illnesses manage pain during medical treatments. The group has provided free lessons and support for 5,000 children and their families. "They're often so afraid," Goldberg said. "We teach kids how to control their pain and make them feel powerful." Leela Hazzah . Leela Hazzah has dedicated her life to lion conservation. In 2007, she started Lion Guardians, a nonprofit that works with African Maasai warriors to protect lions. The group now employs more than 70 Lion Guardians throughout East Africa and has helped the lion population grow. "I know we're making a difference," Hazzah said. "When I first moved here, I never heard lions roaring. But now I hear lions roaring all the time." Patricia Kelly . Patricia Kelly is using horses to motivate at-risk children in Hartford, Connecticut. Her nonprofit, Ebony Horsewomen, provides horseback riding lessons and teaches animal science to more than 300 young people a year. "We use horses as a hook to create pride, esteem and healing," said Kelly. "They learn that they have ability. They just have to unlock it." Annette March-Grier . Annette March-Grier grew up in her family's funeral home. After her mother's death, she created Roberta's House, a nonprofit in Baltimore that helps children and their families cope with grief. Since 2008, more than 1,000 children have benefited from the group's free programs. "We're giving families in this city a sense of hope," she said. "We're helping to heal wounds and bring families back together again." Ned Norton . For the last 25 years, Ned Norton has provided strength and conditioning training to people living with a variety of disabilities. He now trains more than 120 people every week through his nonprofit, Warriors on Wheels. "I'm building them up, building them stronger, so they can go out and live life like they're supposed to." Norton said. Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes . Amid the violence in his native Guatemala, Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes turned his family's home into a haven for young people. Since 2006, his nonprofit, Los Patojos (the Little Ones), has provided educational opportunities and support to more than 1,000 children. I want to inspire these kids," he said. "They are the ones in charge of writing the new history in Guatemala." Dr. Wendy Ross . Dr. Wendy Ross is opening new worlds to autistic children and their families. Since 2010, her nonprofit, Autism Inclusion Resources, has helped hundreds of families navigate challenging social situations, such as sporting events and airport travel. "If you start taking steps outside of your door, your world gets bigger and bigger," said Ross. "We just want people to have opportunities." As part of their award package, each top 10 Hero will also receive free organizational training from the Annenberg Foundation, a leading supporter of nonprofits worldwide. The Heroes will participate in a customized version of the Annenberg Alchemy program, which offers practical guidance to help strengthen organizations for long-term success. | The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014 each receive $25,000 for their efforts to help change the world .
They will also be honored at the annual tribute show, which airs Sunday, December 7 .
The Hero of the Year, chosen by CNN's global audience, receives an additional $100,000 . |
21,911 | 3e46ebdd0ce4f35a59acd979a930de5890481e58 | Saved: The winning artwork was Madonna and Child by Renaissance master Pietro Perugino . As home to half the world’s artistic treasures, it is hardly surprising that cash-strapped Italy struggles to pay for their upkeep. But officials, faced with unbearable choices on which masterpieces to save, have come up with a very novel solution – opening a Facebook vote to the public. The government selected eight pieces of art in urgent need of restoration from across Italy and posted them on the social networking website. The artworks ranged from an ancient Roman marble horse, which is on display in the world famous Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, to a painting of Mary Magdalene at the feet of Christ by Renaissance artist Fiorentino, which hangs in the Accademia museum in Venice. The public were asked to click on the work that most deserved to be repaired. The winner, following thousand of votes, was a Madonna and Child by Renaissance master Pietro Perugino, which is now undergoing restoration. The other pieces will also be fixed as budgets permit, officials said. Minister for Culture, Massimo Bray, said Italians wanted more opportunities to share in the difficult choices that had to be made about the country’s heritage. Anna Maria Buzzi, head of heritage at the Culture Ministry explained: ‘Italy needs help restoring its art and monuments. ‘Ticket . sales alone are not enough to completely fund their upkeep. We don’t . even have a full understanding of how much art exists in the country.’ The artworks included several currently on display in the world famous Uffizi Gallery in Florence (pictured) She added: ‘The strength of a democratic institution is listening to its citizens.’ ‘Giving people the right to choose makes them more invested in their own heritage. It makes them care more. If you give the people more responsibility, they’re more likely to take an interest in their own culture.’ Italy is increasingly reliant on private companies to pay for renovations. Accessories brand Fendi has donated £2million to repair Rome’s Trevi fountain (left), while Diesel is paying for Venice’s Rialto bridge (right) Italy spends billions less on its cultural gems than either France or Germany. Of European Union countries, only Greece invests less. The country’s globally renowned archeological sites, such as Pompeii, suffer regular collapses for lack of repair. Over the last year private companies have attempted to fill the gap, with luxury footwear label Tod’s footing the bill for the five-year restoration of the Colosseum. Meanwhile homegrown accessories brand Fendi has donated £2million for the repair of Rome’s Trevi fountain, the famous setting for the 1960s film, La Dolce Vita, and youthful fashion house Diesel has stepped in to cover the maintenance of Venice’s Rialto bridge. | Thousands vote to save artwork by Renaissance master Pietro Perugino .
Struggling Italy asks public to decide which masterpieces it should save .
Losing artworks to be restored 'when budget allows', says Culture Minister .
Country spends less on cultural gems than all EU countries except Greece .
It is increasingly reliant on private companies to pay out for renovations . |
259,347 | dbba05a86c5a6550379438a5812079937b0e93c8 | A man serving 26 years for a murder he claims he did not commit could possibly be set free if one high-profile attorney has her way. Mario Casciaro, of Johnsburg, Illinois, was convicted last year in the 2002 killing of Brian Carrick, even though a body was never found and the prosecution admitted he never laid a finger on his victim. Now, lawyer Kathleen Zellner thinks she has evidence that won't only set Casciaro free, but also reveal who killed Carrick. Scroll down for video . Mario Casciaro is serving 26 years in prison for the murder of Brian Carrick . Carrick (left) was last seen on December 20, 2002, and in 2010 Casciaro (right) was charged with his death . She revealed her new findings last night on an episode of 20/20. Casciaro and Carrick were both employees at Val's Grocery, the last place Carrick was ever seen alive on December 20, 2002. His blood was found in the produce cooler at the grocery store, but no one was ever arrested or charged with his murder or disappearance. Then, a story began to circulate that Casciaro was dealing drugs, and had Carrick working for him. People started to say he had the boy killed over a debt of $400 to $500, including Carrick's father. At this point the FBI was also investigating the death, but found no truth to any of these rumors. Everything changed however in 2010, when Shane Lamb, who also worked with the boys at Val's, was arrested on cocaine charges. He told prosecutor Michael Combs that Carrick did owe Casciaro money and he was called in to 'take care of him.' Lamb says he punched the 17-year-old Carrick and knocked him out, killing him. Casciaro then said he would take care of the body. New evidence suggest that Casciaro might be set free . And so Casciaro was charged with first-degree murder with intimidation, while Lamb received no charges as part of his plea bargain and a reduced sentence for his cocaine charge. Lamb is now saying he lied and was coerced by Combs. 'I was following what [Combs] wanted me to say. They just wanted to close the case,' Lamb said. He also claimed that Combs was determined to charge one of the two boys with murder. 'I was like, "If you, you know, you brought me into this. My family doesn’t have money to pay for a lawyer. They don’t have money to bond me out like yours does."' Lamb said he told Casciaro. “ . 'You know, I’m like, "They were trying to indict me for murder," and I’m like, "I didn’t have money to fight this case."' Lamb, however, is not who Zellner thinks killed Carrick, but rather another young man working at the store with the boys - Rob Render. Render's fingerprint was found in Carrick's blood splatter and one store employee, Jacob Kepple, says he saw the two boys fighting over drug money on the night he died. 'Brian had told Rob, "If you don't have it by Friday, it's 60,”' Kepple recalled. 'And to me, that meant, "If you don't have the $30 you owe me for weed by Friday, then it's double.”' Old video shows Shane Lamb speaking with prosecutor Michael Combs . lamb now says he lied on the stand, and that Combs coerced him . Render was also missing for almost two hours that night, between 5 pm and 7 pm, which is when Carrick disappeared. And there's more. An employee later found underwear soiled with blood hidden in the ceiling of one of the store's bathrooms, underwear that was never tested for DNA or admitted as evidence in the trial. Zellner is convinced that DNA will prove Render was the killer. Render did not testify in the first trial, and died of a heroin overdose before Casciaro's second trial. His first trial ended in a hung jury. 'The only person that really dislikes Brian Carrick is Render. The only person … that owes money to Brian Carrick is Render,' Zellner said. 'The only person who's ever described wanting to jump him with a weapon is Render, and the only person in that back hallway is Render.' | Mario Casciaro was arrested in 2010 for the 2002 murder of Brian Carrick, and charged with first degree murder by intimidation .
The now 31-year-old from Johnsburg, Illinois, was said to have had his friend Shane Lamb fight Carrick over drug money he owed him .
Lamb has now said he lied at the urging of prosecutors about what happened .
Furthermore, the fingerprint of another man, Rob Render, was found in Carrick's blood splatter . |
255,675 | d6ed179a201989c14f490c1caf6c97fb3e3f6704 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Eco-fashion brand Reformation is launching its first bridal collection, with each dress made according to the brand's strict sustainable practices: using repurposed vintage and surplus materials. The collection, to be sold online from Tuesday, consists of eight styles, each available in a choice of seven colors. Ivory silk wedding dresses range from $518 to $588, and bridesmaids dresses are priced between $198 and $368. Eco-fashion brand Reformation is launching its first bridal collection, with each dress made according to the brand's strict sustainable practices: using repurposed vintage and surplus materials . Ivory silk wedding dresses range from $518 to $588, and bridesmaids dresses are priced between $198 and $368 . 'Girls can get into these guilt-free,' said Reformation in a press release, explaining that the dresses were also designed to be reworn for other occasions -- far more sustainable than most wear-once bridesmaid ensembles. 'We tweaked some of our best shapes and carefully picked the best fabrics to make, well, the best dresses,' they explained. For some price comparison, the cheapest dress at the similarly bohemian Stone Fox Bride is $1,500, meanwhile J. Crew's wedding gowns can cost upward of $1,000 and even the majority of dresses at inexpensive wedding emporium David's Bridal run at approximatly $800. And designer wedding gowns can set a bride back $2,000 to $12,000 on net-a-porter.com. 'Girls can get into these guilt-free,' said Reformation in a press release, explaining that the dresses were also designed to be reworn for other occasions -- far more sustainable than most wear-once wedding ensembles . The collection, to be sold online from Tuesday, consists of eight styles, each available in a choice of seven colors . x . Reformation's collection is made locally in the brand's New York and Los Angeles studios, using at least 80 per cent reclaimed materials. Founded by Yael Aflalo, who started Ya-Ya in 1999, Reformation aims to make use of the nearly 13million tons of clothing going directly into American landfills each year. 'Our vision is focused on our environment, and how our business affects the world and community around us,' states the brand's website. | Reformation's bridal dresses start at $518 and bridesmaids dresses at $198 .
Designer wedding gowns can set a bride back $2,000 to $12,000 on net-a-porter.com . |
21,328 | 3c84e13d5941fdbe626183cdf1dca9b5df6c8f92 | By . Claire Ellicott . Created 9:43 PM on 25th January 2012 . An executive at an exclusive private hospital is seeking more than £1million in damages after suffering a breakdown she claims was caused by her ‘megalomaniac’ boss. Sandra King claims she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after she was bullied by the man who took over the management of the Cromwell Hospital in central London, which is now run by Bupa. Mrs King, 53, alleges the acting chief executive at the hospital said she was ‘special’ and told her about his sex life in late night phone calls. Stress: Sandra King, pictured with her husband Graham, is seeking £1m in damages after she suffered a breakdown following alleged abuse from her boss at a private hospital . The mother-of-two told the High Court that the ‘charming’ doctor had initially taken her into his confidence and told her she was ‘the only one he could trust’. But his behaviour changed after the Abu Dhabi royal family, who run the private hospital, had promoted Dr Abdul Al Muhairi to acting chief executive officer in 2005. As he gained more power, her colleague became a ‘dictator and megalomaniac’ who phoned her late at night and shouted at her, she claimed. Mrs King, who had worked at the hospital for 23 years, said: ‘When he took over the job he completely changed from this pleasant man into this awful, awful person.’ Her counsel, Simon Livingstone, told Deputy Judge John Leighton Williams QC that Mrs King had initially tried to ‘laugh off’ his actions. Accused: Dr Abdul Al Muhairi is said to have made late night phone calls to Mrs King in which he spoke about his sex life and shouted abuse at her . But when Dr Al Muhairi assumed the role of acting CEO, a picture emerged of ‘over-familiarity, innuendo, on occasions inappropriate physical contact, personal and professional humiliation… veiled threats and blackmail.’ At one stage Dr Al Muhairi sent Mrs King a ‘special Christmas gift’. When she opened it, she was shocked to find it contained nothing but male toiletries, and told her husband when she saw it: ‘So this is his special gift’. She later tried to convince herself that the ‘odd’ gift was an accident, with the present perhaps intended for a male colleague, but she finally concluded that it was a ‘deliberate and offensive act’. The former executive manager at the hospital said her treatment became intolerable and she was forced to quit her role. She has been unable to work since 2006 due to the stress she suffered and has undergone counselling at the Priory Clinic. Prior to that, Mr Livingstone said Mrs King had been a ‘consummate professional’, an ambitious and able woman, who excelled at her job and was respected by her colleagues. Medical Services International Ltd, who run the Cromwell, deny responsibility for her breakdown, instead blaming it on marriage difficulties, having to bring up an autistic son and medical problems from going through the menopause. Yesterday, John Williams, representing the hospital, claimed Mrs King had struck up a friendship with Dr Al Muhairi at a time when she ‘craved friendly male attention’ after her husband had been made redundant. Denial: Medical Servce International Ltd, which own Bupa Cromwell Hospital, pictured, say that Mrs King's breakdown was caused by marriage difficulties and raising an autistic son . He claimed she was nursing a grievance because Dr Al Muhairi had earlier been appointed company secretary instead of her. Mrs King said a colleague had told her Dr Al Muhairi had opposed her appointment, but the prosecution suggested other members of the board had been behind the move. Mr Williams said: ‘You have constructed in your own mind that in some way Dr Al Muhairi is to blame that he became company secretary and you did not.’ He added: ‘You spent a long time at the hospital. You were a career woman. You had your children and you returned to work and work formed a big part of your life and you wanted that job. ‘Your personal life was empty at this time. You were very committed to your work and Dr Al Muhairi when you started to work with him. ‘You had a professional relationship and he was seen by you as offering you friendship. ‘You had invested yourself both professionally in terms of your career and personally in terms of your friendship.’ Dr Al Muhairi left the hospital in 2008. The case continues. | Sandra King claims Dr Abdul Al Muhairi told her about his sex life in late night phone calls . |
33,873 | 604c79c3de532a0b6c2fc3879cfeb210b4e4660e | By . Harriet Arkell . Retired vicar Brian Spence, 74, of Hook, Hampshire, was jailed for four years today after being convicted of seven counts of indecent assault on young girls . A former vicar who preyed on young girls and abused them in the church between weddings was jailed today after being convicted of a series of sex attacks. Brian Spence, 74, was accused of putting his hands down girls' shorts, kissing them on the lips and groping their breasts when he was the vicar at St John the Baptist church in Crowthorne, Berkshire. The four girls, aged as young as ten when the incidents took place in the 1990s, told how they were left scared to go back into the church or be alone with the married vicar. Today he was jailed for four years at Reading Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of seven counts of indecent assault. Judge Nicholas Wood told Spence, now of Hook, Hampshire: 'You used and abused and exploited the trust placed in you to indecently assault four girls. 'You had, in the 90s, an unhealthy sexual interest in children.' During the trial, prosecutor Elisabeth Bussey-Jones said Spence was the 'trusted and respected' church vicar when the attacks took place between 1994 and 1998. She said Spence attacked one of the girls in July 1995 at the church when she was 11, while another woman claimed she was assaulted by Spence at a weekend retreat designed to prepare her for communion classes. A third girl was said to have been assaulted by Spence three times when she was 14 or 15. The fourth woman claimed Spence put his hand on her knee under the table at a confirmation class when she was 11 or 12. Each of the women eventually mentioned the incidents to members of their family or former boyfriends, the court heard. When he took the stand, Spence told the jury he was 'a bit of an ostrich' who 'hoped it would all go away' when one of the alleged victims first made accusations against him via email seven years ago. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wrote: 'How would you like it if your wife and daughter knew the things you did to us?' Spence told the jury he deleted the email and said he didn’t hear from the woman again until he was arrested by police last year. Ms Bussey-Jones asked him why, adding: . 'If you received an email like that and you were an innocent man, you . would have shared that concern with your wife and with the church . authorities, and bottomed out that matter straight away to put it to . bed.' Reading Crown Court heard that Spence was sent an email in 2007 from a woman claiming he assaulted her . He replied: 'Not necessarily...I’m afraid I’m a bit of an ostrich. All I knew is I didn’t do it. 'She had made that allegation and I wondered if anything would happen from it, and nothing did until many years later. 'From my point of view, it’s not true, and I don’t know why they are saying it.' He told the jury he would hug the children and put them on his knee 'in those days,' but denied being a paedophile. Spence, who was more recently priest-in-charge at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshiure, before he retired, denied nine charges of indecent assault. He was convicted of seven of them but jurors could not reach a decision on the other two, so the judge ordered that they lie on file. He was jailed for four years and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register. | Brian Spence, 74, was vicar at St John the Baptist church in Crowthorne .
Accused of groping girls as young as ten in the church and at prayer camp .
Women said he molested them between weddings or during RE classes .
Reading Crown Court heard the girls were frightened to be alone with vicar .
Married vicar denied nine charges of indecent assault on four girls in 1990s .
Jury convicted him of seven of them and could not reach agreement on two .
The retired vicar, now of Hook, Hampshire, was jailed today for four years . |
29,144 | 52c5cec8a71e0abb8e4099b8dc53f3d2dcab6ea3 | (CNN) -- The violent cycle of retribution and retaliation only seems to be worsening. As militants fire volleys of rockets from Gaza, Israel is responding with waves of airstrikes. As Hamas vows to make its enemy pay the price, Israel is calling up hundreds of recruits and strengthening its positions around Gaza. Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have always simmered in plain view, erupting periodically into deadly spasms. Could it be happening again? "I do not want to over-dramatize, but the last few hours may have been, God forbid, the tipping point," Ari Shavit, a prominent Israeli author and journalist, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday night. "What we see is different sides who do not want escalation ... they are dragged into something that is becoming very violent, very dangerous." Israel prepared to expand operation against Hamas in Gaza . 'The blood is up' Long-standing resentments have boiled over in recent weeks following the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, which Israel blamed on Hamas. The militant group praised the abductions but denied responsibility. Israel responded by cracking down on Hamas operations in the West Bank, arresting hundreds of activists and conducting widespread searches of homes. When the three teenagers' bodies were found last week in a field in the West Bank, anger erupted in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas would pay. The mood darkened further when a Palestinian teenager was abducted and killed in Jerusalem in what police say could be a revenge killing. The news sparked clashes between protesting Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem. Throughout that grim week, Israel and Hamas continued to trade fire across the Gaza border. "You have got politics. The blood is up. You have got retaliation," said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. 'Clouds are getting dark' The region has many depressing precedents when it comes to violence. In recent decades, Palestinians launched two armed uprisings against Israel, known as Intifadas, that each went on for years. In late 2008 and early 2009, Israel carried out airstrikes and then a ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians. In November 2012, the two sides fought a bloody eight-day conflict that ended in a cease-fire. The region appears to be careering toward another confrontation. "It's difficult to see how this stops. At what point does one of the sides say, 'You know what? Let's have a moment where we make a preemptive concession, we do some kind of peace talks,'" said CNN's Fareed Zakaria. "That's not in the cards right now." The Israeli military is nonetheless gathering its forces near the border with Gaza. "They are talking about an escalation," said CNN's Ben Wedeman. "Perhaps not on the scale of November 2012 or the war at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009, but definitely there's a feeling that the clouds are getting dark over Gaza and things could get much worse." On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said the security operation against Hamas "will probably not end within several days." And the Israeli military was gathering its forces near the border with Gaza. "They are talking about an escalation," said CNN's Ben Wedeman. "Perhaps not on the scale of November 2012 or the war at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009, but definitely there's a feeling that the clouds are getting dark over Gaza and things could get much worse." 'I still think no' There are reasons why violence may not engulf the whole region. Although clashes flared in some areas of Jerusalem after the killing of the Palestinian teenager last week, the unrest doesn't so far appear to be spreading. The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported that "many East Jerusalem officials expect the turmoil to die down." It noted that West Bank cities have not joined the violent protests. "Are we on the tipping point of a third Intifada? A major sustained escalation?" Miller asked in a conversation with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I still think no." Palestinian people are "far more interested in social-economic issues," Miller said. "They know the pain and suffering caused by the second Intifada that achieved very little. And even Hamas, I suspect, weakened by the fact that they don't have much support from Egypt or Turkey, bad governance, economic mismanagement in Gaza, I'm not sure they are prepared for sustained battle either." 'No angels here' Shavit said that since the collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks earlier this year, Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have failed to halt the descent into crisis. "What we see in recent months is that the extremists on both sides are taking the agenda and are actually cornering these two leaders and actually dragging us into conflict," he said. He faulted Netanyahu for failing to control hardliners in his government and not acting in time against violent Jewish nationalists. But Shavit also criticized Abbas for agreeing to a pact with Hamas after years of divisions between the two factions. "There are no angels here," Shavit said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also has to face tough questions about the unraveling situation. "Some of us here warned a few months ago ... that the moment you try to have peace in this land, the way Secretary Kerry did in a courageous way, you cannot step back," Shavit said. "And from the moment that negotiations collapsed in late March, this illusion that you can go back to Washington, deal with China and Ukraine and ignore the Middle East, was a dangerous illusion." Role for U.S.? Now, it appears tricky for the United States to play a role in calming the situation. "I'm not sure, frankly, that the Secretary of State wants or should put himself in a situation right now of trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas," Miller said. The U.S. government lists Hamas as a terrorist organization. During the 2012 conflict in Gaza, Egypt brokered the cease-fire. But that was under Islamist-backed former President Mohamed Morsy, who has since been ousted and replaced by the country's former military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The new Egyptian president has "very poor" relations with Hamas, according to Zakaria. And in the current climate, "I don't think an outside mediator is going to help," he said. Even Hamas has been losing support to more radical elements in recent years, Zakaria said, which has put the movement under pressure to act. "On both sides, there is an internal compulsion, an internal dynamic which is pushing them to a confrontation that maybe they don't rationally want," he said. And those who will pay the price for the unwanted conflict are likely to be the civilians of Gaza and southern Israel. | "The blood is up. You have got retaliation," a Middle East expert warns .
Analysts say the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas appears set to continue .
But a broader Palestinian uprising against Israel seems less likely .
Both sides are sinking into a confrontation they don't necessarily want, analysts say . |
67,864 | c08844923efa38e0231df053b089d92873fc6f3c | The 4,200-square-foot compound is in Yellow Jacket, Colorado and has just been listed . The bunker comes with a 100-foot radio tower and helicopter pad . Reinforced concrete and steel walls make it 'nuclear-rated' It has a seven-stage water filtration system and four separate power systems . By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:06 EST, 21 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:45 EST, 21 December 2013 . When it comes to living a life of solitude, it doesn't get much more self-sufficient than this. A 4,200-square-foot compound in Yellow Jacket, a desert town in Montezuma County, Colorado, has been built with disaster-ready architecture, essentially allowing it to withstand anything the world can throw at it. The walls are made of reinforced concrete and lined with steel. The structure is so strong it has been deemed 'nuclear rated', according to Curbed. Just your average house ... with a 100-foot radio tower: This Colorado bunker, which has been deemed disaster-proof, is on the market for $11.5 million . The compound, in Yellow Jacket, Colorado, is on the market for $11.5 million or can be rented for $19,500 a month per person . Cosy: The interior has a homely feel, save for the metal air ducts on the roof, which are designed to close in the event of any air contamination, such as a nuclear meltdown . The bunker has four different power sources and has never experienced a drop in the 10 years since it was built . The house is far from any other properties, allowing for uninterrupted privacy . The bunker comes with a 100-foot radio tower and a helicopter pad. Built into it is a seven-stage water filtration system and four separate power systems. Among . the latter is an array of solar and wind turbine set-ups, as well as . propane and gas generators that are used as a last resort. According to the sales listing, in the 10 years the house has been there, it has never experienced a power drop. However it's surprisingly easy to forget the military-like features of the bunker because the interior is so friendly. In the absence of a nuclear disaster, the well-manicured grounds seem a nice place to relax . We could think of worse ways to see out the end of the world ... Dinner will be served in the dining room . The compound has no windows and relies on artificial light . Inside the only giveaways to the house's power are the metal air ducts that can be seen overhead. These are designed to close off in the case of extremities, such as contaminated air from a biological hit, gas leak, etc. The home can also be rented for 19.5K a month - but that is per head. So in the case of any future, pre-planned natural or nuclear disasters, you and your kin can book in and be totally safe. The compound, believed to have been built in 2003, is on the market for the first time with an asking price of $11.5 million . The interior features were fashioned to suit the Montezuma County area . The house is located in Yellow Jacket, Colorado. It is not know what motivated the owner to build it . | The 4,200-square-foot compound is in Yellow Jacket, Colorado and has just been listed .
The bunker comes with a 100-foot radio tower and helicopter pad .
Reinforced concrete and steel walls make it 'nuclear-rated'
It has a seven-stage water filtration system and four separate power systems . |
48,804 | 89cb46af4f13fbd3fb4bc5a05d36484012582973 | (CNN) -- Penguins didn't always come in black and white, paleontologists said Thursday, citing the discovery of a 36-million-year-old fossil of a bird that, in its day, waddled nearly 5 feet tall. A specimen found in Peru showed that at least some of the giant penguin's feathers were reddish brown and gray, said a University of Texas at Austin paleontologist who was the lead author of a paper appearing in Thursday's online edition of the journal Science. The new species, "Inkayacu paracasensis," or "Water King," was bigger than the Emperor penguin, the largest living penguin now. "Before this fossil, we had no evidence about the feathers, colors and flipper shapes of ancient penguins. We had questions and this was our first chance to start answering them," paleontologist Julia Clarke said in a statement. The color pattern of living penguins is a more recent innovation, said scientists. The fossil shows the flipper and feather shapes that evolved early to make them such powerful swimmers. The fossil also has preserved evidence of scales and feathers. Bird feathers get some of their colors from the size, shape and arrangement of nanoscale structures called melanosomes, the report said. Modern penguins and the fossil differed in the formation of melanosomes. Inkayacu paracasensis was discovered in 2007 by Peruvian student Ali Altamirano in Paracas National Reserve, researchers said. The National Geographic Society, which along with the National Science Foundation, provided funding for the research, said it's not exactly clear why modern penguins come in black and white. Perhaps it was a response to the rise of new penguin predators, such as seals, said Clarke, according to National Geographic. In a phenomenon called countershading, modern penguins' white bellies camouflage the birds against the sky, at least from the vantage point of a swimming predator looking up. To a predator looking down, a penguin's black back vaguely matches the dark depths below. | Fossil of giant penguin found in Peru .
Strong swimmer had reddish brown and gray feathers . |
220,289 | a924ecc1a092f231d32ed27f4dd233d8189584a9 | LILONGWE, Malawi (CNN) -- Like most African countries, Malawi has suffered from a severe shortage of nurses and key health workers. Godfrey Mdzudzuma, a nurse at Embangweni Mission Hospital, delivers a baby in the maternity ward. In the past, workers in the tiny southeast African nation of just 13 million inhabitants have been lured abroad by the promise of higher wages and better working conditions. But, the country best-known as the homeland of Madonna's adopted children now has another claim to fame: It has succeeding in halting -- at least for now -- its crippling brain drain of nurses. Malawi's solution? To expand educational opportunities for nurses at all levels and keep them out of poverty by paying modestly more money. Countries don't come much poorer than Malawi, but its healthcare system worked well back in the 1970s and early 1980s. When the former British colony gained independence in 1964, president Hastings Banda, himself a physician, maintained a high level of training for nurses that included teaching all classes in English. By the late 1990s, however, Malawi was reeling from the AIDS epidemic. As if that weren't bad enough, the government also had to cut spending on health care and education as a condition for getting help from the U.S. and other countries to liberalize its trade and economy. The publicly funded health system, on which more than 95 percent of Malawians still depend for treatment, quickly started to fall apart. Watch a report about the impact of Malawi's nursing shortage » . Registered nurses began leaving in droves. "Every day I received reports from Nurses' Council that so many nurses are now at the airport," Ann Phoya, the former head of nursing services for all Malawi told CNN. "It was obvious that we needed to do something drastic." Phoya worked with others in Malawi's Ministry of Health (MOH) to come up with an emergency plan that focused on nurses as they provided most of the primary care. The MOH then applied for around $160 million (£100 million) in international funding for their six-year initiative, primarily from the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom. The money was to be used to pay higher salaries to nurses -- quite a radical move in global development as donors worry it is unsustainable in the long haul. However, the situation in Malawi was getting desperate. The gamble paid off: The number of registered nurses leaving Malawi fell from a high of 111 (the equivalent of two years of Malawi's entire nursing graduates) in 2001 to just six in the first half of 2008. Enrollment at Malawi's nursing schools jumped up by 50 percent. Success in one area has revealed a different problem -- that of an internal brain drain. As more international aid groups and universities set up health programs in Malawi, they are hiring nurses, all trained at Malawi taxpayer expense, away from publicly funded hospitals and clinics. The problem is even more acute in the rural areas, where most of Malawi's people live. Embangweni Mission Hospital in northern Malawi has a good reputation but is located at the end of a long, dusty road, far from major towns, let alone cities. "Young nurses with families do not really want to work here," said Catherine Mzembe, head of nursing at Embangweni. "The local market is very small and although the hospital has running water, that is not the case in many homes." Even so, the hospital has made impressive strides in the past five years preserving mothers' lives during pregnancy, as well as cutting the number of deaths due to malaria among children and adults. And that is perhaps the most important lesson to draw from Malawi's efforts: it pays to look at how much has been accomplished with so little. | Malawi's innovative national program lifts nurses out of poverty .
Since 2001 the external brain drain has slowed to a trickle .
Many challenges still remain as the public health service is depleted . |
94,554 | 0585b8cfa4168545429c0b6a4cabcc6a94de2d22 | By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 09:15 EST, 10 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:07 EST, 10 July 2013 . A 12-foot-long alligator has been caught in a Central Florida river where a teen was bitten while swimming. Andrew Hudson of Winter Springs estimated it was 10-foot-long alligator that pulled him by the head into a death roll Monday while he swam in the Little Big Econ State Forest. The alligator trapped and killed Tuesday night was bigger than the one Hudson described, but Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Joy Hill says it's likely the same one. Found: The search is off for an alligator that nearly killed a 17-year-old swimmer in Florida Monday. This 12-foot specimen, caught Tuesday near the location of the attack, is in all likelihood the culprit . 'It is nearly impossible to know for certain whether or not this is the gator that bit the 17-year-old,' Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman, Hill told the Orlando Sentinel. ‘But the fact that it was easily attracted to bait that was set very close to where Hudson was bitten, and that is showed little fear of the trapper, indicates a high probability that it is the alligator we were targeting.’ Usually more timid, this particular alligator’s fearlessness had wildlife authorities worried in the area where swimming and other recreation are common. Though they can’t identify the creature as the one involved in the attack with absolute certainty, Hill said their satisfied enough to call the hunt over. No more alligators will be trapped at the park unless another aggressive alligator is reported. Relief: Andrew Hudson, 17, escaped with 19 and can now rest easy, knowing his foe has been caught and killed . Unexpected: The 17-year-old was attacked in the Little Econlockhatchee River at the Little Big Econ State Park near Geneva, Florida. Swimming is allowed in the river . Professional trapper George Walrath . pulled the huge beast from the Little Econlockhatchee River just a day . after the attack left Hudson bleeding from the head. The teenager escaped with 19 stitches and staples in his head after the terrifying encounter. Hudson said the alligator suddenly attacked as he swam near Geneva, Florida. Paramedics said his quick reaction almost certainly saved his life. 'He had blood from the top of his head all the way down': Hudson underwent 3 hours of stitching and stapling following the attack . 'At . first I didn’t know what it was, so my reaction just started swinging . and took off swimming as fast as I could to get away from it.' With . blood pouring from a wound that stretched from his forehead to the back . of his head, Hudson managed to clamber out of the water. He . wrapped his shorts around his head to stem the bleeding while a friend, . Mark O’Shea, ran close to a mile until he found a park ranger who . called paramedics. Hudson was rushed to South Seminole Hospital where he underwent three hours of surgery on Monday night. '(It) just came from behind and jerked him under,’ O’Shea said. ‘He went . under and started freaking out, and I saw him come halfway up to the . shore.’ O’Shea said Park Rangers were skeptical when he arrived breathless to tell them about the attack. ‘They looked at me like I was crazy. I'm like, “My friend really got bit by an alligator,”’ said O'Shea. Hudson told Florida Wildlife Officials he did not see any alligators when he and his friends first went in the water. Nabbed: Little Big Econ State Park near Geneva, Florida where the alligator, which will be processed for its meat and hide, was caught Tuesday by pro trapper George Walrath . | Wildlife authorities say it's likely the same animal that pulled Andrew Hudson under water by the head .
Caught in the Little Big Econ State Forest near Geneva, Florida, the alligator will be processed for its meat and hide . |
219,227 | a7c0eeb16a017891a73d41621d5805c5a9dabde0 | (CNN)"This used to be a land of bandits, wolves and bears," says Daniele Kihlgren, surveying the countryside around ancient houses of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. High above the barren Gran Sasso hills in Italy's central Abruzzo region, this tiny hamlet, barely changed since medieval times, was in danger of reverting to its wild past until Kihlgren showed up with a vision. "When I first got here on my motorbike, I was wandering, totally lost. This unspoilt place, with no traces of modernity, struck me like Saint Paul on the road to Damascus," he says. Kihlgren, an Italian-Swedish businessman, has since made it his life's mission to rescue such crumbling villages by turning them into high-end resorts that blend in with their surroundings. Sextantio (Via Principe Umberto, Santo Stefano di Sessanio; +39 0862 899112) in Santo Stefano is one of several so-called "diffuse hotels" that eschew the usual hotel model of grouping rooms and facilities under one roof. Instead, Sextantio's 29 rooms, spa, wine bar, restaurant and reception lie scattered in separate buildings formerly used as barns, stables, pigsties, wine cellars and farmers' or shepherds' lodgings. Wood and stone cottages have been restyled as suites, the village dungeons serve as a wedding room and a former witch's lair now hosts business meetings. The hotel even makes use of a medieval brothel. Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a maze of cobbled streets, steep stone stairs, arches, vaults, gargoyles, hidden grottoes, frescoed loggias and crumbling walls covered in ivy. There are also ruins -- the remains of the houses collapsed during the 2009 earthquake that rocked nearby L'Aquila. Slaughtered pig . Kihlgren gives me the grand tour, describing his early days trying to acquire property in the hamlet -- leading to surreal situations for both him and the villagers. "When I knocked at people's doors offering to buy their dwellings, they thought I was crazy," he says. "Once a local slaughtered a pig right in front of my eyes with Bach playing in the background." Today the village may be marginally less rustic, but Sextantio's charm lies in its sympathetic use of historic structures. At the reception, housed in a former donkey stable at the hamlet's entrance where nativity scenes are staged at Christmas, the concierge hands me the biggest and heaviest room key I've ever encountered: 30 centimeters of pure iron. "That way you'll never lose it," she says. A path leads to my room -- La Bianca -- one of the closest cottages to the reception (the farthest one lies 200 meters away). I open the squeaky bolt of a heavy wooden door and enter a snug, warm room filled with the scent of embers and orange peel -- a perfume created by the hotel to evoke a typical hearth scent. Old furniture, including a spinning wheel and museum pieces, are juxtaposed with modern sculptures and sleek, luxurious bathroom facilities. Showering in the elegant white resin tub is an experience. Rinsing involves using a pitcher to collect running water from a low tap, a throwback to the past. There's no television, phone or minibar, but it's not totally offline. There's a powerful Wi-Fi signal throughout the buildings. Bird's nest . Lying back on my wrought iron king size bed, I spot an old bird's nest among the wood ceiling beams. "This is what I call 'authentic' Italy," says Kihlgren. "I wanted to restyle the buildings as we found them and bring back to life the so-called secondary human heritage: that of poor, outcast communities who for centuries stood as Italy's shame. "That's why I kept the cracks in the walls and the fireplace hearth soot: these are layers of history. "Sextantio is the opposite of colonialist tourism. Clients here want to discover the village identity and mingle with locals." Outside, in the center of the hamlet, silence rules. No cars are allowed. Just 50 residents still live here and, walking around, I come across elderly women sitting on doorsteps and art restorers at work. Occasionally a passerby looks at me shyly, but greets me with a hello. "Even when the hotel is fully booked you'll feel on your own," says Annunziata Taraschi, who has an unusual job as Sextantio's anthropologist, collecting the village's oral tradition and lost customs. While that might be great for guests, locals aren't so sure. "It's one thing coming here as a visitor, and another living here" says Dina Rusciolelli, owner of La Bettola di Geppetto, the village tavern. "After a while you can go nuts." There are no complaints about the food though -- a mix of gourmet and traditional. Sitting at the scarred wooden tables of the Cantinone, a large dining room 50 meters from reception, Franco Cannioli serves me pan bagnato -- a dish of bread and vegetables -- with cured meats, lentil soup, pecorino cheese, pears and nuts. Bloodsucking witches . There's a glass of Montepulciano di Abruzzo red wine on the table. Evening meals are taken in La Locanda Sotto gli Archi, the hotel's grotto restaurant located on the other side of the hamlet where chef Simone Iezzi serves a daily changing menu that includes signature dishes like ricotta cheese ravioli, pork chops and fried breaded porcini mushrooms. After an afternoon nap, I'm greeted in the hotel's tea room and craft shop by Giovanna Fiorenzi, who sits at an old spinning frame making wool carpets, bed covers and giving weaving lessons to guests. She also spins a few old tales, telling me about spirits haunting the woods and witches who suck the blood of crying babies. She serves licorice and artichoke herbal tea alongside traditional Ferratelle waffles. She also makes Genziana, a sweet and sour alcoholic drink made from Gentian roots. There's a crystal bottle of Genziana and a crackling fire waiting for me when I get back to my room in evening. The next morning I'm woken by birdsong and light filtering through small, wooden-framed windows. Breakfast is a buffet table laden with homemade yogurt, pies, ricotta cheese and a ham leg over in the restaurant. It's fine to wander over there before getting ready for the day to savor one of the great treats of these hamlet hotels. How many other hotels offer guest the chance to stroll outside through a mountain village, taking in great views and fresh air, while wearing pajamas? Other 'diffuse' hotels . Scicli Albergo Diffuso sits among the ruins of a temple and has Baroque dwellings spread across a UNESCO-listed historical center. Its Diffuse Breakfast features the best of Sicily's pastries. Via Francesco Mormina Penna, 15, Scicli, Sicilia . The spa area at Aquaesinis, a traditional farm in Sardinia, used to be a wine cellar. Vegetables were once stacked in the romantic suite while the family suite used to be a hen house. Via C.Battisti, Cabras; +39 0783 392251 . The stones of Matera town offer a stunning background for Le Grotte della Civita featuring grotto rooms, rock bathtubs and animal feeders turned into sinks. The reception area is a former monastic cell and the restaurant sits inside a crypt. Via Civita 28, Matera; +39 0835 332744 . Il Borgo di Sempronio dates to 849 AD. Several rooms were once part of a convent. The Degustation Room, an old mill, serves Tuscany's top cured meats and cheese. (Via del Pretorio, 3 Semproniano; +39 0564 986226) | Sextantio is a so-called "diffuse hotel" based in the Italian village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio .
Instead of being based under one roof, these hotels spread their facilities across different buildings in a village .
Sextantio uses barns, stables, pigsties and even an old brothel to create an upscale rural hotel . |
205,074 | 9576b809b2fe58abe74f756d1c8e15655b93d254 | There have been times when Ryan Mason has made an instant impression. Micky Hazard knew it when he first saw him play aged seven. ‘It was the football brain,’ said Hazard, the former Tottenham midfielder who whisked Mason straight off to White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino was quickly on to it, too. But there have been times when Mason must have felt invisible, as injuries and ill-conceived loan spells delayed his breakthrough. He came close to turning his back on the club he loves, but then Pochettino arrived and, after 16 years at Spurs, he is finally an overnight sensation. Mason (left) tussles with Marouane Chamakh during Tottenham's clash with Crystal Palace in December . Mason (left) and Ben Davies give out Christmas presents at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow . Mason celebrates his goal against Nottingham Forest in the Capital One Cup in September . Tottenham (2008 - ): 17 games, 1 goal . Yeovil (loan, 2009-10): 29 games, 6 goals . Doncaster (loan, 2010-11): 20 games, 1 goal . Millwall (loan, 2011-12): 6 games, 0 goals . Lorient (loan, 2013): 0 games . Swindon (loan, 2013-14): 22 games, 5 goals . Total: 91 games, 13 goals . ‘It’s something I’ve been waiting for,’ said Mason. ‘If this manager had been in charge two or three years ago, I would probably have 50 or 60 Premier League games under my belt by now. I’m in the team now and I can’t complain. It’s a great feeling. I’ve always believed I could play for this club.’ There were times when he had to fight the urge to leave. It was tempting when Eddie Howe wanted him at Burnley and Sean O’Driscoll tried to lure him to Doncaster, but he believed in his own ability. ‘It’s difficult to take when you don’t get the chance,’ said Mason. He speaks quietly but clearly and his words have meaning. He is not afraid of expressing his opinion. ‘There were times when I just wanted to leave and have a fresh start. I wasn’t getting the opportunities I thought I deserved. ‘I thought maybe going to a new club would change all that and that if I moved permanently instead of going on loan, I’d get treated differently. There were a few clubs in the Championship and I spoke to some managers, but I wanted to play for Tottenham. There was always that doubt that if I left I’d end up regretting it, and I would have definitely regretted it.’ During a frustrating spell at Spurs, Mason was tempted to take up an offer from Eddie Howe at Burnley . His story is a triumph for patience and faith, which are the attributes prompting some to tip him as a future Spurs captain. ‘He’s shown character and resilience,’ said Hazard. ‘There are not many opportunities in modern football — not like in my day — but I’m surprised he’s taken so long and it’s not easy to be patient. He clearly had the ability. From the age of six or seven, he stood out. He always knew what to do and where to do it. He had a natural understanding, and football intelligence separates the good from the great. ‘If you have a good football brain you can reach the very highest level, because the brain tells the feet what to do. He has good feet, good skill, he’s a good passer. You can still see he rarely gets caught.’ Mason had just turned seven when he attended one of Hazard’s soccer schools in Hertfordshire and, before he knew it, he was training at Tottenham, pocketing free tickets and marvelling at Teddy Sheringham from the stands. Mason's career at Tottenham has transformed since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino (right) at the club . He was a No 10 like Sheringham until he went on loan to Yeovil where manager Terry Skiverton moved him deeper into the role he now plays. ‘I was a luxury player,’ said Mason. ‘Having been pampered at Tottenham for so long, I went into League One and had to graft and learn the ugly side of the game. I grew as a player.’ He was just 17 when Harry Redknapp gave him his Tottenham debut as a late substitute in a UEFA Cup tie, at the start of a season when he would score 58 goals for the youth team. But it was nearly six years before Mason started his first Premier League game, a north London derby at Arsenal. Between the dates there were loans at Yeovil, Millwall, Doncaster and Swindon and a disastrous five months at French club Lorient. He did not make a single appearance. ‘That was a bad experience,’ says Mason. ‘I was pretty close to the Tottenham first team and I’d been on the bench quite a bit, made my first start in the League Cup and then got a knee injury. ‘It was nothing major but I was out for a couple weeks and I fell down the pecking order. It probably wasn’t a good idea to pick Lorient but I thought playing in the top league in France would be better than playing in the Championship again. It just didn’t work out. I couldn’t wait to get home. I was there on my own from January until the end of the season. Mason has been at Tottenham since he was age seven and marveled at Teddy Sheringham from the stands . ‘I picked up a bit of French — that was the best part about it. I spent that season hardly kicking a ball.’ Others might have stormed home, but Mason was determined to see it out. A loan to Swindon eased the pain, but niggling injuries went on and his efforts to beef up didn’t help. ‘Between 18 and 21, a lot of people said I needed to put on weight,’ he said. ‘In England there’s a philosophy that it’s better to be bigger and stronger. I was in the gym doing bench-presses which had no relevance and it wasn’t helping me on the pitch. It was extra weight I didn’t need and I couldn’t carry. A lot of injuries came through that. Now I’m in a better place. I’m just under 6ft, I’m wiry and probably the lightest I’ve been, but the strongest.’ Pochettino’s arrival last summer from Southampton changed everything. Mason, now a box-to-box midfielder, has started the past 11 league games, keeping out expensive signings such as Paulinho and Mousa Dembele. Mason's good from has kept the likes of Paulinho (left) and Mousa Dembele out of the first team . It has been a spluttering Spurs season but there are signs of progress, climbing the Premier League and in a Capital One Cup quarter-final against Newcastle for which Pochettino, mindful of the heavy holiday fixture list ahead, may well shuffle his pack . Mason said: ‘This club needs to win trophies. It’s important to aim for the Champions League as well. Though we’ve had a pretty poor start we’re close to fourth and if we can get consistency it can happen.’ Mature and confident, he has embraced responsibilities on and off the pitch. Last week, he joined team-mates to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital. ‘Two or three weeks into pre- season, I realised it might be different,’ said Mason. ‘Maybe it came down to a bit of trust. The gaffer recognised I had a good pre-season and was training well. He said I’d play for him in the Premier League this season. To hear that was great. Mason was just 17 when Harry Redknapp (above) gave him his Spurs debut as a substitute in a UEFA Cup tie . ‘He’s a strong believer in giving 100 per cent in training. If you’re training well, you’ll play and I was one of the better players in training. 'He’s showed a lot of faith in me. I’m 23 and I feel like I deserve to be playing. It’s not like I’m a kid being thrown in. At the same time, not many managers would put an inexperienced player into the Premier League. ‘It’s such a big league, not many young, English, homegrown players get a fair crack of the whip, but this gaffer brought young players through at Southampton. Hopefully I can continue to pay him back. I don’t want to be one of these players who have a good little spell.’ Mason (left) has a transformed into a box-to-box midfielder and has started the past 11 league games . Ryan Mason spoke on a visit to the children’s ward at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. Tottenham players and staff visit local hospitals to hand out Christmas presents to children as part of an annual tradition. | Ryan Mason has started the past 11 league games for Tottenham .
Mason is keeping the likes of Paulinho and Mousa Dembele on the bench .
The midfielder has flourished under Mauricio Pochettino .
He has had loan spells at Yeovil, Millwall, Doncaster and Swindon plus a disastrous five months at French club Lorient .
Mason was just 17 when Harry Redknapp gave him his Tottenham debut .
Tottenham face Newcastle in the Capital One Cup quarter-final . |
118,678 | 253dd71ff40442857cb5c68b4eb55831cc38bbf5 | John Bercow was urged to sack his chief spin doctor tonight after she launched an astonishing political attack on the Conservatives, Labour and Ukip. Justine McGuinness, who is in charge of media relations for the Commons Speaker, described the three parties as a ‘collection of clowns’. In an extraordinary rant at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow, she accused the Conservatives of trying to ‘buy the election’, and blasted Ukip’s ‘utterly perverted notion of patriotism’. Commons Speaker John Bercow is supposed to be politically neutral, but his spokesman Justine McGuinness today used a speech to the Lib Dem party conference to launch an attack on other rival parties . She also attacked Labour for trying to ‘steal the election’ by supporting a ‘biased’ electoral system. Miss McGuinness, a longtime Lib Dem activist, was speaking in a personal capacity. But her comments appeared to breach the longstanding convention that the Speaker’s office must remain neutral on party political matters. Tory MP Michael Fabricant said the tirade called into question Mr Bercow’s judgment in hiring Miss McGuinness – and called on him to sack her. He said: ‘The Speaker has to be politically neutral and has to be seen to be so. How then can he employ someone as his official spokesman who has nailed her colours to the mast in a political rant against the Conservatives and Labour? ‘This calls into question yet again the judgment of John Bercow. If she is still employed by him this evening after this then she should no longer be so. It is essential for the integrity of Parliament that the neutrality of the Speaker’s office is maintained. Tory MP Michael Fabricant said Mr Bercow could not employ someone who was so overtly political . ‘We also need to hear from Mr Bercow whether he was aware that his spokesman was going to make such an overtly political spokesman. Tirades of this nature are simply not acceptable – either from the Speaker or his spokesman.’ Miss McGuinness, a former media adviser to Kate and Gerry McCann, did not respond to calls and it is now known whether she cleared her comments in advance with Mr Bercow. She has been involved in Lib Dem politics for years and has previously stood for Parliament against Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin. She is employed by the Commons on a freelance basis for an undisclosed sum, and is not a civil servant. But the highly political nature of her comments is likely to raise concerns at Westminster. Addressing activists from the main podium, she said: ‘The next general election campaign will be a really ugly business. ‘The Tories will aim to buy the election with the millions of pounds donated to them by their hot money, hedge fund friends. ‘Labour will seek to steal the election, relying on an electoral system so biased in their favour that 35 per cent of the vote could deliver them 55 per cent of the seats. ‘Ukip will try and hijack the election, turning the whole event into an argument about Europe and immigration as Nigel Farage swans around suburbia selling himself as some sort of suburban, saloon bar Socrates. ‘And the one thing that will connect this collection of clowns will be a desperate determination to marginalise the Liberal Democrats, for what they all fear above all else is that once again the British people will put the balance of power into our hands. ‘The Lib Dems will offer this country a fair deal. Labour have their warped sense of the term equality, the Tories are welcome to their twisted notion of freedom, and Ukip are welcome to their utterly perverted notion of patriotism. Fairness is what we will stand for.’ The row is an unwelcome development for Mr Bercow, who is already embroiled in controversy over his bid to appoint Australian Carol Mills as the new Commons Clerk despite widespread concerns she is not qualified for the job. | Justine McGuinness used a speech at Lib Dem conference to attack rivals .
She works as head of media for the Speaker, who must be impartial .
Branded Labour, Conservatives and UKIP a 'collection of clowns'
Tory MP Michael Fabricant says it raises doubts about Bercow's judgement . |
152,700 | 51573d45422eb38f68d4bcd9a38ace48e89f675d | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor is being treated in a Los Angeles hospital for "symptoms caused by congestive heart failure," her representative said Friday. Taylor, 78, checked into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center this week for the "ongoing condition," Taylor representative Jamie Cadwell said. "This issue is being addressed," Cadwell said. "She is currently being kept in the hospital for monitoring." Her publicist gave CNN more detail in a statement later Friday evening. "I can assure you she is fine and even better, comfortable," Sally Morrison said. When doctors repaired a leaky heart valve in October 2009, Taylor posted a Twitter message saying it "was like having a brand new ticker." The Oscar-winning actress has used Twitter over the past two years to communicate with fans and dispel the occasional rumor reported on celebrity gossip websites. However, a message she tweeted Wednesday was her first in nearly six months. The tweet pointed fans to an interview she gave to Kim Kardashian in Harper's Bazaar magazine. "I like the connection with fans and people who have been supportive of me." Taylor told Kardashian when asked about Twitter. "And I love the idea of real feedback and a two-way street, which is very, very modern. But sometimes I think we know too much about our idols and that spoils the dream. So, like all things, it is to be used with care! Yes, of course I'll follow you, love." Taylor's representative, in Friday's statement, asked that "people respect her privacy and allow her medical team the time and space to focus on restoring her back to health." The London-born movie star has won two Academy Awards for best actress for "Butterfield 8" in 1961 and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" in 1967. CNN's Jack Hannah contributed to this report. | NEW: Taylor is "fine and even better, comfortable," her publicist says .
The actress checked into Cedars-Sinai this week .
Doctors are monitoring an "ongoing condition," her rep says .
Her leaky heart valve was fixed in October 2009 . |
113,660 | 1ea757326bb886d952c0b95d787d237af1e5319a | Daughter of the late Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina, 21, was hospitalized after being found unconscious in a bathtub at home on January 31 . Doctors were unable to take Bobbi Kristina out of her medically-induced coma on Wednesday. The 21-year-old, who is on life support at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, began having seizures when they began taking her off various medications, CNN reports. It was then decided to keep her in the coma. Whitney Houston's daughter remains in a serious condition after being found unconscious in a bathtub at her home on January 31. Last week, she was given a tracheotomy. Few details about the young woman's condition have been revealed since she entered the hospital, and her father, Bobby Brown, has asked that the media not take interviews from the numerous family members who have come forward to speak about his daughter's condition. The news came amid ruptures between Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend, Nick Gordon, and her father, R&B artist Bobby Brown. On Monday, Gordon went on an extraordinary Twitter rant against Brown - claiming he has hardly seen his 21-year-old daughter in years before she was taken to hospital and was only interested in the family's money. Gordon, who has reportedly been banned from visiting Bobbi Kristina, told Brown to 'grow up' - insisting she will hate him when she wakes up. The angry tirade came hours after attorneys from the Brown family told Gordon he will not be allowed at her bedside until he reveals exactly what happened the evening before Bobbi Kristina was found face down in a bathtub. Gordon also insisted he has taken care of his girlfriend '24/7' since her mother died in 2012. On Monday, he first tweeted: 'Okay, so I'll probably get in trouble for this,' before uploading a screenshot of damning text messages he claimed to have sent Bobby Brown. The first, underneath a picture of the new Bobbi Kristina tattoo on his right arm, read: 'Man to man I love your daughter.' He added: 'I don't know why you won't let me see her. Grow up. Your daughter is going to hate you when she wakes up.' Scroll down for video . Bobby Brown (pictured right earlier this month) said his daughter's boyfriend Nick Gordon (pictured left) has been lying about trying to visit her in the hospital . The 21-year-old is on life support at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia . The messages were quickly deleted from his profile, however he continued to shame Bobby Brown's parenting skills. He wrote: 'Crazy how all the Browns came to the hospital when this went down. I've been with her 24/7 watching over her and mom. Bobby left when it got heavy. Gordon then claimed: 'Bobby seen his daughter 4 times in the last 5 yrs.' He added: 'Now him and his family want Whitneys $$$ which belongs to Krissi or Cissy.' His followers quickly got involved in the conversation, some sharing messages of support and others were what he described as 'negative allegations'. 'Listen at the end of all this I took care of Whitney Houston and Kriss which was very hard on someone my age' he wrote. 'They cried on my shoulders!!!!' 'Grow up': Gordon uploaded a screenshot of text messages he allegedly sent to Bobby Brown. In them he insisted Bobbi Kristina will hate her father when she wakes up . Motivation: The 22-year-old claims the Brown family only want the money from Whitney Ho . Parenting: Gordon accused Bobby Brown of virtually deserting his daughter during the rant . Referring to the night she was hospitalized, he said: 'My only regret is not getting to [Bobbi] faster to give CPR.' On Sunday, he posted: 'I can't wait till she wakes up and dismiss all of the negative thoughts. There is a reason why her mom made me promise to look after her.' Bobbi Kristina, the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston has been hospitalized in Atlanta since being found unresponsive on January 31 in a tub at her Georgia home. Police said Gordon was performing CPR when emergency responders arrived at the home. Gordon tweeted in anger on Saturday, saying he had been denied access to visit his 21-year-old girlfriend. 'Let me in the hospital to see my girl and let her hear my voice SHE WILL WAKE UP!!!' he tweeted on Saturday. Hope: Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend is still optimistic that she will wake up from the medically-induced coma she has been in for the last three weeks . Regrets: Referring to the night she was found face down in a bathtub, he told his followers he wishes he could have done more to save her. Police said they arrived and found him giving CPR . A lawyer for Bobbi Kristina's father, Bobby Brown, said in a statement on Sunday that Bobbi Kristina's partner, Nick Gordon, was offered an opportunity to potentially visit her if he agreed to meet certain conditions. 'Obviously Mr. Gordon is not as desperate to visit Bobbi Kristina as he wants the world to believe. At least not desperate enough to inform Bobby Brown, in writing, what happened to Bobbi Kristina,' attorney Christopher Brown told E!. But Gordon's attorneys said R&B singer Brown has consistently denied Gordon permission to visit. They said they advised Gordon not to agree to the conditions set by Brown. The conditions have not been made public. The attorneys said Gordon has repeatedly offered to discuss the issue privately with Brown. According to NBC, Brown's statement said that because Gordon had failed to spell out what happened to Bobbi Kristina, 'there is no reason for any additional discussion with him'. Reports have suggested Gordon may by the subject of a police investigation after police found 'suspicious injuries' on Bobbi Kristina in hospital. Sources have claimed that Bobbi Kristina used drugs as she was 'distraught' over the death of her mother Whitney Houston three years earlier (mother and daughter pictured together at a Grammys party in 2011) Gordon reportedly made an attempt to visit his girlfriend after she had been first hospitalized earlier this month, but instead he got into a physical confrontation with her relatives. A new report which surfaced last week claimed that Bobbi Kristina was under the influence of drugs and drinking heavily on the morning she was found face down and unresponsive in the bathtub. In addition to this, she had been using cocaine, heroin and Xanax in the months before the January 31 incident, according to multiple sources who spoke to People. Brown had also been 'in and out' of rehab for three years these same sources claimed, and still was 'distraught' over her mother's death three years ago. One of the sources who regularly saw the 21-year-old said Brown seemed to frequently be 'high' and was often 'slurring her words'. Gordon and Bobbi Kristina Brown referred to each other as husband and wife, but father Bobby Brown said they never legally married. Gordon reportedly has become the main focus in a criminal investigation by police in Roswell, Georgia. Prior to being hospitalized, Bobbi Kristina had been in a car crash, according a police report. The SUV she was driving spun out of control and hit a car on January 27, causing extensive damage to both vehicles and sending her passenger and the driver of the other car to the hospital, the report said. The other driver was listed in critical condition, police said. One of Brown's tires was punctured by a nail and appeared to have blown out. | Bobbi Kristina was taken off some of her medications Wednesday by doctors hoping to remove her from her medically induced coma .
She began having seizures, so it was decided to keep her in the coma .
The 21-year-old remains on life support at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia . |
119,027 | 25b28def339fe9b709cc4a47bdc80eba5b3c18ae | NEW YORK (CNN) -- Candace Bushnell is a New Yorker and the author of five novels, including the best-selling "Sex and the City" and "Lipstick Jungle". She tells My City_My Life about her marriage, real life in New York and the secrets of her success. Candace Bushnell. "In New York you're going to see sides of human nature that you're going to be shocked by." CNN: How would you describe your work? Candace Bushnell: I try to write about the human condition, and shopping, materialism and consumerism comes into that, because America is a very consumerist economy. CNN: Tell me about when you first arrived in New York. CB: I first arrived in New York in 1979. I was 19 and I was going to University in Houston, Texas, and I decided that I knew what I wanted to do and it was time to go and do it. I literally ran away from college. Then I went to an acting school, "HB Studio" and I moved into this apartment with three other girls who wanted to be actresses. Of course, they were all waitresses so I was a waitress. Watch Candace Bushnell take CNN on a tour of New York. » . I was incredibly determined -- I wrote short stories, I wrote the beginnings of novels. I wrote a little children's book and sent it to the editor-in-chief of the children's division of Simon and Schuster and she asked me to write a little children's book for a series she was doing. I got paid $1,000 for it and I was like "Oh my god, who says you can't make it in New York right away!" Of course that little dream crashed in about a month. CNN: So you didn't have an overnight success? CB: I was a freelancer all through my twenties. I did about one story a month and I wanted to write fiction, so the stories that I would do were precursors to "Sex and the City." I started working for the NY Observer when I was 33. After I had been writing for them for about a year and a half the editor said, "Your stories are the most talked about stories in the Observer, you should have your own column." I was paid $1000 a column and the reason was that the column "Sex and the City." was so popular that they sold newspapers and advertising off it. See photos of Candace Bushnell's New York. » . People in New York were faxing it to their friends who worked in the movie business in LA and almost immediately I was getting phone calls from movie producers who wanted to buy it and ABC and HBC wanted to buy it. It started as a seed, with an absolute truth that people may agree with or it may disturb them. It disturbs me sometimes when I read it because it's very wrong and very honest. I think most call it cynicism but I call it realism -- it is absolutely raw reality. It was never written for a big audience and it was never written to make people feel good. It was written as the truth in a humorous way. CNN: How do you feel about the TV series? CB: I think the reason why the TV series has continued, and has continued as a movie, is that they have never lost the authenticity of the column. CNN: How would you describe New York today? CB: It's a very, very busy place and it's a city where everybody has a place to go and a million things to do. It certainly can be a very stressful city but it can also be an incredibly exciting city. It is a place where your dreams can come true. It's also a city where you're going to see sides of human nature that you're going to be shocked by. New York is a city where, if you are open minded, when you walk out of your apartment you don't know what could happen. CNN: What do you do to get away from it? CB: I go to Connecticut and I look at bugs and I don't socialize. If I'm here for 10 days in a row I'm exhausted. When I was younger the energy really fed me. This is a city of energy vampires -- people really feed on each others' energies and that's why New Yorkers talk fast and gesture and they'll come in and say "Oh my god you won't believe what happened!" That's a normal greeting in New York. CNN: What was it like to get married and stop being the single girl? CB: Charles [Askegard, a principal dancer with the NYC ballet] and I met at the NYC Spring Gala seven years ago. It was really a magical moment because I was 43 and I had kind of given up on that. I was cynical about relationships and I wasn't sure about marriage -- I was always very worried that marriage was stifling. But when I saw Charles across the room I thought, "That's the man you're going to marry." We met and we talked and I thought, "This is the nicest guy I have ever met in my life," and we went to a club and we danced and we kissed. We got married two months after we met. CNN: Can you describe New York in 5 words? CB: It's exciting, passionate, fast paced, straightforward and, strangely enough, it's friendly. | Candace Bushnell is the author of five novels, including Sex and the City .
For over 30 years she has lived in New York, "a city of energy vampires"
"Sex and the City was never written to make people feel good," she says .
She was cynical about relationships until she met her husband Charles . |
119,265 | 260af580128cdac1fda994e339aca8dc32bced0e | They set off in the early hours of D-Day, never to return. The crew of the Lancaster bomber – among the most highly decorated in the RAF – were all killed when their plane was shot down by a German aircraft over Normandy. Their remains have never been found. Now, 68 years later, thanks to the chance discovery of a gold ring, the mystery has been solved. In a spin: One of the propellers of the Lancaster, which was found at the newly-discovered crash site . Ring: A metal detector found a gold ring which bore the initials ‘AC’ and the engraved inscription ‘Love Vera’ A piece of history: Tony Graves (right, pictured with a German bullet found at the crash site) discovered the AC referred to ‘Albert Chambers’ (left) who wed Vera Grubb, 21, just eight months before he died on D-Day . Marriage certificate: Albert Chambers and Vera Grubb, who wed at a church in Normanton, Derbyshire, in 1943 . Luftwaffe ace: Oberleutnant Helmut Eberspacher in his German Foker-Wulf 190. He shot down the RAF Lancaster over Normandy on D-Day . 'We were at war and the enemy had to be combated': Eberspacher wrote in his log of shooting down three Lancasters that day . The mangled ring, found in a marsh by a . French metal detector enthusiast, bears the initials ‘AC’ and the . engraved inscription ‘Love Vera’. British aviation archaeologist Tony . Graves believes the AC refers to a flight lieutenant called Albert . Chambers who was on board Lancaster ND 739 which went missing following a . dawn mission on June 6, 1944. The name Vera refers to his wife, Vera Grubb, whom he had married just eight months earlier. Born in Derby, Flight Lieutenant . Chambers had an extraordinary career. He had flown 58 operational . sorties and had won a Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar before his . death at 23. Chambers was 97 Squadron’s signals leader and was wireless operator and air gunner on the D-Day flight. He had flown Stirling bombers and as a . 20-year-old he was forced to bale out over England when his aircraft . ran out of fuel returning from Hanover after it was attacked by German . fighters. Mr Graves has found hundreds of . twisted parts from the Lancaster as well as a string of personal items, . including a silver-plated cigarette case and a watch. Big project: Excavating machines dig a 25ft hole on September 29 at the crash site of the Lancaster in France . Uncovered: Aviation historian Gordon Ramsey holds one of the propellers of missing Lancaster ND 739 . Dig team: The wreck is believed to be of the Lancaster which was sent on a dawn mission to attack a German coastal battery at Pont Du Hoc in the crucial hours before the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944 . Amazing discovery: Aviation historian Mark Kirby uncovers a tyre from the wreckage of the Lancaster . Astonishing: A piece of fuselage which still has traces of red paint from the RAF Lancaster call sign Z-Zebra . Well-built: A parts tag from an engine carburetor of the RAF Lancaster, which was shot down by a German . In hand: An airman's glove which has been recovered from the French field by the archaeologists . Big dig: The dramatic discovery of the missing Lancaster was made by Mr Graves, who has excavated more than 400 Battle of Britain aircraft and spent years pinpointing the exact spot . Holding history: A digging volunteer finds a piece of undercarriage from the RAF Lancaster in the field . The bomber was piloted by Wing . Commander ‘Jimmy’ Carter. His seven-man crew boasted four Distinguished . Flying Crosses and three Distinguished Flying Medals for gallantry . between them. They had taken off from RAF Coningsby . in Lincolnshire at 2.56am on D-Day and carried out a bombing mission at . Pointe du Hoc on the coast of Normandy. But their plane came under fire from . Luftwaffe pilot Oberleutnant Helmut Eberspacher, shortly after 5am as he . shot down three Lancasters in five minutes. Tough stuff: Archive photo of PA474 Avro Lancaster Bomber, similar to the one the winner will be travelling in . This Lancaster is one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world still flying. She wears the markings of EE139 ' The Phantom of the Ruhr' 100 squadron . Deadly: The newly discovered Lancaster wreck was shot down by a pilot flying a Focke-Wulf, like the one pictured . The aircraft’s last contact came at . 5.04am acknowledging a message from a controller, before falling silent. Eberspacher was scrambled to patrol the Normandy coast in his . Focke-Wulf 190 fighter as a wave of RAF bombers headed towards their . target. Carter and his crew had successfully completed their mission and turned for home when their plane came under fire. French farm workers watched as the . bomber descended in flames, but the crash site near Carentan in Normandy . had remained undiscovered. The other crew members who died were . Squadron Leader Martin Bryan-Smith, Flight Lieutenant Henry Jeffery, . Acting Flight Sergeant Guy Dunning, Acting Flight Sergeant Frank Watson, . Australian Flight Lieutenant Ronald Conley, and Canadian Flight . Lieutenant Herbert Rieger. The men are all listed on the Runnymede memorial which commemorates the 20,389 World War Two airmen with no known graves. Incredible discoveries: A newly recovered flattened RAF whistle (left), belonging to one of the crew from the Lancaster, and a silver-plated cigarette case (right) Written history: A fountain pen, with a 'Waterman' marking, belonging to one of the crew from the Lancaster . Floatation: An emergency dingy which was recovered from the wreckage of the Lancaster . Happy man: Archaeologist Mr Graves (left) with a parachute (right), which was recovered from the wreckage . War machinery: One of the two engine banks from a Merlin Packard engine of the RAF Lancaster . Up close: One of the two engine banks from a Merlin Packard engine of the RAF Lancaster . Directions: A damaged map of southern England, the English Channel and northern France that was found . Amazed: Archaeologist Mr Graves with pieces of clothing and crew belongings which were recovered . Mr Graves was informed of the . discovery of the gold ring around nine months ago. He said: ‘When I got . to the spot I found about 300 rounds of British .303mm ammunition still . lying on the surface. ‘We’ve recovered one of the . Lancaster’s huge wheel hubs, the back of an armour-plated crew seat and . all the bomb rack clamps.’ He also found a clutch of blood-stained maps . and four parachutes. But Mr Graves said it was the personal effects of the courageous crew that were the most moving. From abroad: The crew included two Commonwealth . flyers - Canadian bomb aimer Flt Lt Herbert Rieger (left), of Hamilton, . Ontario, and Australian navigator Flt Lt Ronald Conley (right), of . Annerley, Queensland . Heroes: The Lancaster was piloted by Wing . Commander Jimmy Carter (left), who also had Squadron Leader Martin . Bryan-Smith (right) on his team . Remembered: A message (right) left at the . Runnymede Missing in Action memorial for Flt Lt Henry 'Hank' Jeffery . (left) by his sister Doris. Flt Lt Jeffery was one of the crew on the RAF . Lancaster . He said: ‘We’ve found a couple of torn . RAF woollen jumpers, with one still bearing a DFM medal ribbon. 'Lodged . inside the sleeve of one jumper we discovered a single German 7.92mm . bullet. ‘There is an officer’s forage cap, a . pocket from an RAF tunic with a Waterman pen still clipped inside and a . silk flying glove.’ German base: Collect photo of the hidden airfield where Oberleutnant Helmut Eberspacher in his German Foker-Wulf 190 was based near Tours, France . Respected: Photo of Oberleutnant Helmut Eberspacher (far right) pilot of a German Foker-Wulf 190 . Teamwork: Local people and volunteer workers use excavating machines to dig a 25ft hole in the French field . In his log of D-Day, Eberspacher . wrote: ‘We were at war and the enemy had to be combated, and I was in a . favorable flying position. 'Within a few minutes, three British Lancaster bombers went down in flames.’ The discovery comes four months after . the Queen dedicated the Bomber Command memorial in London’s Green Park . to commemorate the 55,573 men who died in action. | Eight decorated servicemen died when MK III Lancaster was attacked .
Shot down by Luftwaffe ace during 1944 dawn raid in Normandy, France .
Plane lay undiscovered for almost 70 years. No bodies have yet been found .
British historian Tony Graves identified plane with Albert Chambers's ring . |
261,123 | de2c9bd4847de209e615c3ab08613012e3ba1cb1 | By . David Martosko In Washington and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:44 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:08 EST, 16 May 2013 . A second top-ranking official has left the IRS as the Obama Administration tries to dig out of the firestorm resulting from revelations that tax-collectors targeted conservative Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency's tax exempt and government entities division, will retire on June 3. On Wednesday President Barack Obama demanded that acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resign, making him the highest-ranking political casualty thus far in a series of scandals that have swept the administration in recent weeks. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Steven Miller is shown in a CBS report. He has submitted his resignation, but informed employees at the IRS that he would be leaving 'as my acting assignment ends in early June' In with the new: Daniel Werfel, the controller of the White House Office of Management and Budget, will become the new acting head of the IRS. He is a trusted Obama adviser . Obama has named longtime civil servant Daniel Werfel as the acting IRS commissioner. Werfel, 42, currently serves as controller of the Office of Management and Budget, making him a key player in implementing recent automatic spending cuts known as the sequester. In a hastily called press conference in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Obama told reporters that he had asked Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to find out who was responsible for a program that targeted tea party groups and other conservative organizations for a special level of intrusive questioning after they applied for tax-exempt charitable statuses. 'Lew took the first step by requesting and accepting the resignation of the acting director of the IRS,' Obama said. 'It’s important,' he added, 'to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward.' But in an email to IRS employees, Miller claimed he would only be leaving next month because his assignment would be over. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, formerly Obama's chief of staff, gave Miller his walking papers, according to the president . 'It is with regret that I will be . departing from the IRS as my acting assignment ends in early June,' Miller wrote. 'This has been an incredibly difficult time for the IRS . given the events of the past few days, and there is a strong and . immediate need to restore public trust in the nation’s tax agency.' The IRS, the president conceded, 'improperly screened conservative groups.' He referred to a report released Tuesday by the IRS's Inspector General. 'The misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable,' Obama exclaimed. 'It's inexcusable and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it.' 'It should not matter what political stripe you're from,' Obama said. 'The IRS has to operate with absolute integrity.' President Barack Obama said he would implement the recommendations of the IG report, but insisted that acting IRS Commissioner Steven MIller would be stepping down. It's the highest-profile resignation in his five-year-old administration . Promising to adopt the recommendations of the Inspector General's report, Obama pledged to 'put in place new safeguards to make sure this kind of behavior can't ever happen again.' 'We will work with Congress as it performs its oversight role,' he added, saying the White House would march 'hand in hand with Congress to get this thing fixed.' Tax laws, he insisted, must be 'enforced in a fair and impartial way.' Miller's farewell letter cited 'a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation’s tax agency.' 'I believe the Service will benefit from having a new Acting Commissioner in place during this challenging period,' he wrote. 'As I wrap up my time at the IRS, I will be focused on an orderly transition.' | Steven Miller is ousted but writes face-saving email announcing departure when his 'assignment ends in early June.'
Obama: IRS 'misconduct' is 'inexcusable and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it.'
Jacob Lew, Obama's trusted Treasury Secretary and former chief of staff, gave Miller his walking papers .
IRS reportedly targeted 300 right-wing groups while letting left-wing organizations slide through with far less scrutiny . |
67,567 | bfb576c4d9c5a9469ee3340150fe1ccc846bb18a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:54 EST, 17 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:09 EST, 17 May 2013 . The husband of a well-respected doctor and mother of a six-year-old girl bought cyanide just two days before her death, it was revealed today. Autumn Marie Klein, 41, collapsed at her . Oakland, Pennsylvania home and died on April 20 at UPMC Presbyterian, . where she also headed the women's neurology department. Husband Dr. Robert Ferrante told authorities and his wife's family that she had suffered a stroke, but investigators found her body had more than 30 times the lethal level of cyanide in her system. Dr. Autumn Marie Klein, left, was found to have 30 times the lethal level of cyanide in her system when she died, while husband Dr. Robert Ferrante had purchased the poison just two days before her death . It has now been revealed that Ferrante, who is a medical expert at the University of Pittsburgh, used his work credit card to purchase cyanide just two days before his wife's death. Ferrante's attorney Bill Difenderfer told KDKA that his client uses cyanide as part of his job as a professor at the university. However police say the purchase of the poison so close to Klein's death is part of their investigation and they are preparing to execute several more warrants in the case, as they look for further evidence. Detectives have traveled to Boston and . Baltimore in the past week as they investigate the background of . Dr. Ferrante and his wife, Dr. Klein. Sources close to the investigation say Dr. Ferrante . appears to be devastated by his loss and maintains his innocence, . however he was unwilling to speak to KDKA when they approached him. The couple have a six-year-old daughter called Cianna. As well as heading the women's neurology department at UPMC, Klein was also a mother of six-year-old daughter called Cianna . Dr. Ferrante called 911 and reported that his wife had a heart attack on April 20th. Sources say 'extremely high levels of . cyanide' were found in Dr. Klein’s blood. The type of levels that would . have “knocked her to the floor” in 30 seconds sources say. Colleagues were in shock at the loss of the . young and valued colleague who had quickly become an . acknowledged leader in treating pregnant women suffering . neurological diseases. This is an irreplaceable loss,' said . Robert Friedlander, chairman of neurological surgery at UPMC, who . recruited Dr. Klein in 2011. Lawrence . Wechsler, chairman of the neurology department at UPMC, added: 'Autumn . was a pioneer as well as a caring doctor, wonderful teacher, researcher . and mentor.’ She moved to Pittsburgh with her . husband, Robert Ferrante, a leading researcher in ALS and . Huntington's disease from Harvard Medical School, who was also recruited by . Friedlander to become a Pitt professor of neurological surgery. Autumn Marie Klein, 41, collapsed at her Oakland, Pennsylvania home and died on April 20 at UPMC Presbyterian . The . victim’s mother Cook Klein, 79, had been due to fly to Pennsylvania from her . home in Towson, Maryland to babysit for her daughter she her son-in-law . broke the news that Autumn had been rushed to hospital. Initially she was told her daughter may . have suffered a stroke. When she heard about the cyanide, her first . concern was for her granddaughter and who would pick her up from school if . police needed to speak to her father. Police told her that Cianna was with her father. Paying tribute to her daughter, Cook Klein described her as a ‘wonderful human being and a fantastic mother’ ‘I don't know of anybody that would have a reason to try to hurt her,’ she said. In addition to her husband, daughter and mom, Autumn is survived by her father William Klein; a stepdaughter, Kimberly Ferrante of San Diego; and a stepson, Michael Ferrante of Boston. | Dr. Robert Ferrante told police his wife had suffered a stroke .
But Dr. Autumn Marie Klein's body was found to contain more than 30 times the lethal level of cyanide .
Ferrante is alleged to have used his work credit card to buy cyanide just days before her death .
His attorney claims his client uses the poison as part of his job as a university professor .
Pittsburgh police are currently looking for more evidence . |
55,044 | 9bf1233da38f8abc9e8a0f4dc9cf87dca2999c53 | By . Tara Brady . A scuba diver was forced to wrestle an octopus after it tried to dismantle his £9,000 underwater camera. Joe Kistel set up his equipment next to what he suspected to be the lair of an octopus off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. The curious subject emerged to investigate the camera, Mr Kistel couldn't believe the amazing footage he was getting as the octopus latched its suckers onto the camera lens for an extreme close-up. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Joe Kistel set up his equipment next to what he suspected to be the lair of an octopus off the coast of Florida . The Octopus in its den before it decided to investigate the camera left by scuba diver Joe Kistel . Trapped: The octopus began to wrap its tentacles around the camera which could have destroyed the footage . However Mr Kistel soon realised that all was not well when he spotted in its tentacles a gasket keeping water from rushing into the camera and destroying the footage. Mr Kistel, an underwater videographer for the marine-conservation nonprofit TISIRI, was forced to desperately wrestle it back in a dramatic game of tug of war with the underwater critter. He said: 'The octopus came out of its lair to see what the camera was really about. At this point, he engulfs this camera. 'It looked as if he wanted to take a selfie - he embellished this thing. Inquisitive: The octopus coming out of this den to investigate Mr Kistel's underwater camera . Mr Kistel said the octopus looked like it wanted to take a selfie as it wrapped its tentacles around the camera . Mr Kistel soon realised the octopus had a gasket in its tentacles which stops water getting into the camera . 'All you can see in the footage is this octopus' legs coming around this thing and where his mouth would be covering the lens. 'So I thought I'd leave the camera running and see what we capture here. 'But as I'm off to the side watching this take place, I noticed it had something string like in its arms. 'At . first I didn't know what it was, but then I started to panic because I . knew exactly what it was - one of the critical gaskets on the underwater . camera housing. 'The gasket is what keeps the water out. The octopus just dismantled the camera. 'I . panicked and started flailing around. I'm actually fighting with this . octopus, playing tug of war trying to get the gasket back. 'Fortunately I got lucky and the octopus let go and the camera stayed dry.' Mr Kistel is an underwater videographer for the marine-conservation nonprofit group TISIRI . Brave: Mr Kistel, an underwater videographer (left), was forced to desperately wrestle the octopus (right) | Joe Kistel set up his equipment off the coast of Jacksonville in Florida .
When the octopus appeared it began to latch its suckers to the camera .
Mr Kistel was forced to wrestle with the animal to get the camera back . |
97,751 | 09d6b1e1fbca0c14b5f543a4a54cb7680c882317 | (CNN) -- Barcelona booked a place in the European Champions League semifinals after convincingly beating AC Milan 3-1 on Tuesday, but the victory didn't come without its controversies. Inevitably, it was Barcelona's Lionel Messi who was center stage, scoring two first-half penalties -- his 50th and 51st in the competition -- that set the Catalan club on their way following the 0-0 draw in Italy last week. Milan, however, will bitterly contest both spot kicks. The first saw Messi win, and then convert, a penalty in the 11th minute after Luca Antonini clipped the diminutive striker's heels. Milan equalized through Antonio Nocerino, briefly putting the Italians through on away goals if the score stayed that way. But a second penalty was awarded after veteran Italy international Alessandro Nesta was controversially adjudged to have tugged Sergio Busquets' shirt. In the end Andrei Iniesta's second-half goal -- inevitably set up by Messi -- gave the home side a comfortable buffer and left Pep Guardiola's team on course to defend their title. The coach said both spot kicks were warranted, and came after a first leg in which Braca were denied a penalty despite Alexis Sanchez being brought down. "They were penalties. We didn't complain in the away leg and we won't complain now," Guardiola said. "Grabbing players in the area should be penalized and they are penalties. On television, it's a penalty." The victory sets up a semifinal date with either Chelsea or Benfica, who play Wednesday, but all eyes will be on a possible "dream final" between Barcelon and Real Madrid in Munich on May 19. Not everyone wants to see an all-Spanish final. Bayern Munich ran out convincing 4-0 aggregate winners against French side Marseille after winning 2-0 on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena, where the final will take place. Two first-half goals from Ivica Olic put the tie beyond Marseille, giving the German side hope of enjoying home advantage next month. The Croatian striker started the match as Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes could afford to rest top scorer Mario Gomez and Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who both scored last week. Unless Cypriot underdogs APOEL Nicosia can overcome a three-goal deficit at Real Madrid on Wednesday, Bayern will likely face Jose Mourinho's side in the semifinals. | Barcelona beat Milan 3-1 to secure a Champions League semifinal spot .
Lionel Messi scores two penalties to set up a tie against Chelsea or Benfica .
The spot kicks help Messi pass 50 goals in the top European competition .
Bayern Munich also ease into the semis with a 2-0 victory over Marseille . |
21,827 | 3e055adaf2a26cfef0329b194fe0184b9a621240 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 2:01 AM on 12th November 2011 . The teenagers – the youngest of whom was just 13 when the robbery took place – left their shopkeeper victim so terrified that he is no longer able to leave the house alone. They can be named after a judge lifted reporting restrictions due to the seriousness of their offence. A court heard how the gang discussed plans to steal Crunk Juice, an strong alcoholic energy drink, from a newsagent’s. Daniel Flint, aged 15 at the time, sent a text to Joshua Quinn, 14, saying: ‘We are going to rob him for his crunk juice and fags, you on it?’ Baby-faced: Daniel Flint (left), now 16, and Iain Crook (right), now 14 but 13 at the time of the raid, have been handed 18-month custody terms for the robbery . The court was told Joshua Quinn (left), 14, was from a 'very good family', while Jordan Tennant (right), 16, felt a 'deep sense of shame' for what he had done . Bystander: Billy Woodford, now 15, was described as having a tendency to 'lose his way' On June 30 Billy Woodford, 14 at the . time, and Flint entered the News, Food and Wine shop in Southampton, . posing as customers. They were followed by Quinn, Jordan Tennant, 16, . and Iain Crook, then 13, who used hats and scarves to cover their faces. Quinn, who already has one GCSE and . was taking five more a year early, pointed a gun at father- of-two . Gurdeep Singh and demanded cigarettes. Simon Privett, prosecuting, said . Crook, another promising pupil in his school’s top sets, told Mr Singh . to ‘put all the fags in the bag, cash as well’. The gang then left and divided up £140 . in cash, 300 cigarettes and five packets of tobacco. The boys, who did . not have a previous conviction between them, carried out the . unsophisticated raid in 70 seconds. All five were arrested on the same day . and charged with robbery, which they all admitted. Police discovered a . series of text messages between them plotting the raid and, in the days . afterwards, discussing alibis and how to dispose of the weapon, an . antique 1950s air gun found by Quinn’s stepfather years earlier. Mr Singh told officers he thought he . would be shot, while Mr Privett told Southampton Crown Court that he has . suffered from flashbacks and nightmares, and is unable to leave the . house on his own. Judge Patrick Hooton said the crime . was of such seriousness that he had no option other than custody, and . handed down five 18-month sentences. ‘I have heard your mitigation that any . term of custody would be catastrophic for you,’ he said. ‘But the . effect of what you did to Mr Singh is already catastrophic.’ CCTV footage: The masked boys in hooded tops were caught on CCTV during the armed raid on the News, Food and Wine Newsagent's, in Southampton, Hampshire, on June 30 . The raid: One of the gang was just 13 when the shopkeeper was threatened with a gun, held by one of the other boys, aged 14 at the time . American-made Crunk Juce (short for Crazy drunk) is an alcoholic energy drink that is as strong as wine. Police have had growing reports of drinkers on ‘Crunk’ being involved in criminal incidents. Inspector Phil Bates, of Southampton Police, said in June that it is clearly becoming popular since the rise in advertising campaigns for Crunk. Crunk Juice, spelt with an i, is a cocktail consisting of red bull and Hennessy brandy supposedly invented by American rapper Lil Jon. Crunk - short for crazy drunk - is a name given to a type of hip hop music produced by Lil Jon and his group the East Side Boyz. Jon has previously endorsed a non-alcoholic energy drink simply called Crunk. But last year the manufacturers launched Crunk Juce - which is packed with alcohol. The 12 per cent drink is available in three flavours - fruit punch, grape and watermelon. Consuming just one can is the equivalent of drinking a pint of wine mixed with an energy drink such as Red Bull. Crime scene: The five teenagers were jailed for robbing this store - News, Food and Wine Newsagent's, in Southampton, Hamphire on June 30 . Joshua Quinn, 14, - The gunmanUtterly remorseful for his actions according to his barrister who pointed out he had not been one of the planners. Described as coming from “a very good family” He already achieved one GCSE and was taking five more a year early, his barrister claimed prison would have a catastrophic effect on his future.Jordan Tennant, 16, - Masked intruderFelt a deep sense of shame for his part in the robbery, describing it as a “horrible crime” in a letter to the judge. Was the first to leave the shop after his barrister said he saw the fear in Mr Singh’s face and asked himself what on earth he was doing. Helps care for his mum at home, the court heard.Daniel Flint, now 16 - Helped organiseSent text to Quinn asking: “We are going to rob him for his crunk juice and fags you on it?”Stayed in the corner of the shop while others carried out the robbery and was said by his barrister to be involved in an effort to ingratiate himself with his peers.The court heard he was undertaking a mechanics course at college.Iain Crook, now 14 - The bag manCarried bags into the shop and demanded goods from Mr Singh. Since the offence has become withdrawn and suffering health problems. High flying student in top sets for GSCEs. Terrified at the prospect of custody.Offered to take up a paper round to pay back Mr Singh for the money and goods they had taken.Billy Woodford, now 15, - The bystander.Said by his counsel to be extremely sorry for his part, but not involved in the text messaging before the robbery and was a late recruit to the plan. He was previously a trusted volunteer at a community centre group where he was in charge of the tuck shop. Described by his teacher as having a tendency to “lose his way”. | The five teenagers were each handed 18-month custody terms for the robbery .
Judge said the crime was so serious he lifted a legal ban, meaning the boys can be named .
Crunk Juce (short for crazy drunk) is an alcoholic energy drink as strong as wine and growing in popularity among teens . |
104,644 | 1303d9c6860b98fe0c462df4d7f86e5773c3c940 | By . Graham Smith . UPDATED: . 07:43 EST, 16 October 2011 . A bloody, hours-long fight in a prison in the Mexican border city of Matamoros has left at least 20 inmates dead and 12 injured. The fight started yesterday morning with a dispute between two inmates and other prisoners joined in, creating a melee that lasted until authorities retook control of the facility. Officials are now notifying families of those killed and injured, according to a statement from the state public security department in Tamaulipas, where Matamoros is located. Alleged members of a Mexican drug cartel are lined up alongside seized guns and drugs in Matamoros last week. An hours-long fight in the border city's prison left 20 inmates dead yesterday . An investigation into the incident has been launched. The violence lasted from about 8am to 10.30am on Saturday morning before soldiers and marines took control, according to a state official who was not authorised to comment. The violence comes as Mexican prison conditions have been under increased scrutiny because of violence and escapes. On Thursday, a fight between gang . members at a prison outside Monterrey left seven inmates dead. In July, a . riot in a prison in the border city of Juarez killed 17 inmates. Gangs and drug cartels often dispute for control of prisons in Mexico, which also suffer a high level of corruption. Matamoros sits across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Border town: Matamoros sits next to Brownsville, Texas, in north-east Mexico . Last year, the drug-related death toll in Mexico stood at 15,273 after skyrocketing a massive 60 per cent on the previous year. In the four years since Mexican president Felipe Calderon’s first wave of 6,500 troops went into battle with the cartels, more than 35,000 people have died. The violence was so intense in the country in 2008 that the Pentagon warned Mexico was on the verge of becoming a failed state. A bolster of more troops – some 50,000 are now fighting the war on drugs – has done little to reduce the death toll. And despite U.S. funding trade in marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine grew last year, a National Drug Threat Assessment report said earlier this year. The wholesale value of drug sales ranges from $13.6billion to a staggering $48.4billion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. | Twelve also injured in two-and-a-half-hour fight .
Marines take back control of Matamoros prison . |
257,873 | d9b7c0d1d146a2d0a6148fa6648a708cbec9e61a | (CNN) -- George Zimmerman gave a scathing review of the Sanford Police Department when he spoke at a public meeting in January 2011, describing what he'd seen in ride-alongs with officers as "disgusting." On September 18, 2011, he wrote an e-mail thanking the city's police chief and praising the department's "professionalism." The two exchanges, eight months apart, show a significant shift in Zimmerman's relationship with police months before officers responded to the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. What happened the night Trayvon Martin died . Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second-degree murder in the death, which sparked nationwide protests and inflamed public passions over race relations and gun control. His relationship with police is something critics of the case have questioned, noting that Zimmerman worked closely with officers as part of his work with the neighborhood watch program he started. HLN: Zimmerman wife talks publicly for the first time . Zimmerman was once sharply critical of police in Sanford, according to an audio recording of a January 8, 2011, public meeting at Sanford's City Hall obtained by CNN. Police: Trayvon Martin's death 'ultimately avoidable' "I also have had the opportunity to take ride-alongs with the city of Sanford Police Department and what I saw was disgusting," Zimmerman said at the time. "The officer showed me his favorite hiding spots for taking naps. ... He took two lunch breaks and attended a going away party for one of his fellow officers." Zimmerman asked members of the city council to repeal the pension of the city's former police chief. "I would just like to state that the law is written in black and white. It should not and cannot be enforced in the gray for those that are in the thin blue line," he said. Zimmerman prosecutors release evidence list . Sanford Police Capt. Robert O'Connor told CNN that the department does not have specific details about when Zimmerman rode with police or whom he rode with "if in fact he ever did ride with SPD." On September 18, 2011, Zimmerman wrote an e-mail to the then-chief of Sanford's police, saying that he had "a completely new perspective" after working closely with the department's community volunteer coordinator. "I have not had a positive perspective of Sanford Police Department," he wrote, according to a copy of the e-mail obtained by CNN after a records request. Donations pour in to Trayvon Martin's killer . But he said working with the department's community volunteer coordinator as part of neighborhood watch efforts "to curtail the spike in robberies and home invasions in (the) neighborhood within the past two months" had changed his view. He praised the volunteer coordinator's quick responses to e-mails and phone calls, saying she went "above and beyond to help launch a neighborhood watch" and calling her "a testament to the highest level of professionalism of (the chief's) administration." "I have high hopes for, and restored faith in your administration and the Sanford Police Department in its entirety," he wrote. Court documents released last week showed a cordial relationship between Zimmerman and the police. New documents shed light on Trayvon Martin killing . Beginning in August 2011, Zimmerman exchanged e-mails with the Sanford police department at least three times, the court documents show. A rash of burglaries that began in July prompted the watch captain to ask the police department to host a neighborhood watch presentation for members of the community. Zimmerman's e-mails with Sanford police show a cordial, even friendly, relationship. In an e-mail dated September 19, Sanford police volunteer coordinator Wendy Dorival thanked Zimmerman for his "kind words" sent to the chief. He responded, "It was with great pleasure that I sent that email, you deserve the recognition!" Police records indicate that five burglaries were documented in the neighborhood where Zimmerman lived in less than three months, starting in mid-July. At the neighborhood watch meeting on September 22, according to court documents, Sanford police distributed contact cards and hosted a presentation on crime-prevention and security measures. Some of the flyers distributed read, "Report suspicious persons...activities...or vehicles." Another reads, "Know your neighbor" -- going on to issue advice on how to "profile" your neighborhood block. Less than six months later, on February 26, Zimmerman shot Martin. He told police he shot the teen in self-defense. More details emerge in Trayvon Martin investigation . Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in April. | Two exchanges show a shift in George Zimmerman's relationship with police .
At a public meeting, he says police behavior was "disgusting'
In a letter eight months later, he praises the department's professionalism .
Critics have expressed concerns about Zimmerman's connections with police . |
130,358 | 348b378a9ec8cb785570041fb79ebd5a29dce8f9 | An Ohio couple who married on Christmas Day decided to share their vows in the hospital room where their four-year-old son, Billy, is being treated for cancer. Sarah Lewis and William Cramer say over the years they made other wedding plans that fell through. The Akron Beacon Journal reports the timing then worked out for Thursday's special wedding at Akron Children's Hospital, with relatives in town for Christmas and Cramer's uncle available as a minister. A Merry Christmas: Sarah Lewis, 27, and William Cramer, 28, who have been together six years, tied the knot Christmas morning at Akron Children's Hospital, where their son is being treated for cancer . Happy times: Billy (right) waves as his parents marry on Christmas, surrounded by family . 'This has been our second home the past year,' Sarah told the newspaper. The hospital wedding made the occasion more about their family and the people who have been caring for Billy, she said. Plus, Sarah said after the ceremony: 'It shows we’re going to be together for the long haul.” Lewis and Cramer live in Mogadore, in suburban Akron. Hospital workers prepared quickly for the wedding, which took just over a week. Relatives including the couple's other children, two-year-old Mason and one-year-old Delaney, jingled bells from the back of the room. Billy sat up in his bed waving a bouquet of flowers. Family: William and Sarah Cramer, of Mogadore, Ohio sit with their children, from left, Billy, 4, Delaney, 1, and Mason, 2 . Doctors say Billy appears to be beating his neuroblastoma cancer, a cancer of neural tissue that most commonly forms in childhood, rarely in adults. Billy’s cancer started in the adrenal gland on top of his left kidney. The cancer, which is difficult to treat, then spread into his bones. | Sarah Lewis, 27, and William Cramer, 28, have been together six years .
They have three children but missed different chances to get married .
Tied the knot on Christmas at Akron Children's Hospital .
Son Billy has been undergoing treatment there for neuroblastoma . |
195,634 | 893a11b6b348a653158645fad1bfb9f26792a3fc | By . Tom Mctague, Mail Online Deputy Political Editor . Ed Miliband was under fire today after his shadow cabinet colleague Ed Balls admitted he shared the 'frustration' of Labour's policy chief Jon Cruddas - who was caught attacking the 'dead hand' controlling the party from the centre. Mr Cruddas, who is leading a review of Labour's policies ahead of the next election, was recorded attacking the party's leadership for blocking reforms and warned that the 'clock's ticking' before voters go to the polls in May. Speaking this morning, Mr Balls - Labour's shadow chancellor - said he 'understood' Mr Cruddas's concerns. Ed Miliband's policy chief Jon Cruddas (left) has been caught criticising Labour's 'cynical' policy announcements. This morning, the shadow chancellor Ed Balls said he 'understood' his remarks . But the shadow cabinet heavyweight insisted Mr Cruddas was frustrated with the way Labour's policies were reported in the media - rather than with Labour's leadership. In comments leaked to the Sunday Times, Mr Cruddas told left-wing pressure group Compass: 'We set up independent review to rethink social policy, economic policy, democracy, local government - they come up with ideas and they're just parked, parked. Labour leader Ed Miliband is under pressure after a secret recording of his chief policy advisor were leaked today . 'There is all sorts of creativity alongside a profound dead hand at the centre. I'd love to say why we don't just appropriate this idea or that idea - but honestly it ain't going to happen at the moment, even though the clock's ticking, with a profoundly important general election.' He said ideas were being replaced with 'cynical nuggets of policy to chime with our focus groups and press strategy'. This morning Mr Balls appeared to back Mr Cruddas's remarks. He said: 'I understand Jon Cruddas' frustration about a newspaper headline. 'We've all been in a situation where a big report or a big speech is reduced down to just one policy.' He told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: 'Jon Cruddas, with me and Ed and others, has been working for months, years, on big reforms. They are going to come out in the next few months, people will see the policy review he has led has been a big deal. 'One aspect of that is saying if we're going to have growth and jobs, not just in London and the south east - four fifths of the new jobs have been in London since 2010 - we've got to have more devolution of power to our cities and our county regions.' Mr Balls added: 'He is part of the Labour centre and we are all working together on these big reforms," adding: "I talked to Jon a couple of days ago. He's not frustrated, he is excited about his policy agenda.' Tory party chairman Grant Shapps Mr Cruddas's remarks showed that Mr Miliband was 'a weak leader of a divided party'. Mr Shapps said: 'He's just not up to it. Labour are not serious about fixing the welfare system. 'Even Ed Miliband's own policy chief attacks Labour as having "no interesting ideas". It shows Ed Miliband has no plan to secure our country's future.' The dominance of Labour's leading families needs to be challenged, the party's policy chief has claimed. Jon Cruddas said power needed to be taken away from Westminster and its 'power elites'. He pointed to the families which 'control' the Labour party and help their sons and daughters into Parliament. The remarks are seen as a thinly-veiled reference to the party's 'Red Princes' - including Neil and Glenys Kinnock’s son, Stephen, and Jack Straw’s son, Will, who are both fighting seats at the next election. Tony Blair's son Euan and Lord Prescott's son David are also thought to considering bids for Parliament. Frontbenchers Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper are married - as well as Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman and the shadow policing minister Jack Dromey. Mr Cruddas said: 'There’s a story about this week about certain families reproducing their control over the Labour party through inheritance of seats.' He called for Labour to devolve power to local people. 'That means dispersal out of Westminster, and out of the centrifugal power elites that run it.' | Labour MP Jon Cruddas leading review of Labour's policies ahead of election .
Key advisor caught attacking party leadership for blocking radical reforms .
Says there is a 'profound dead hand at the centre' and warns 'clock's ticking'
Ed Balls this morning said: 'I understand Jon Cruddas' frustration' |
177,630 | 71f7faf4eb42eb50c669ea8e4d9f9cb11bf5f4ab | Tragedy: Miss Saldanha was found dead days after receiving a hoax phone call at London's King Edward VII hospital . An inquiry has been launched by Australia’s media watchdog today into a radio station's prank call to the Duchess of Cambridge's hospital, which was followed by the apparent suicide of a nurse. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will examine whether radio station 2Day FM and staff were in breach of . broadcasting licence conditions. The station risks being shut down if found to have broken the rules. ACMA is also expected to ask 2Day FM’s parent company, Southern Cross Austereo, to name those responsible for approving broadcast of the hoax call. ACMA's chairman, Mr Chris Chapman, said it would be examining ‘whether the licensee has complied with its broadcasting obligations.’ Miss Saldanha was found dead days after receiving a hoax phone call at London’s King Edward VII hospital from Sydney DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian. She and another nurse in the ward where the Duches of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness believed they were talking to the Queen and Prince Charles, despite the unimpressive attempts by the DJs to imitate the royals. Although Austero has repeatedly apologised for the ‘tragic, . regrettable death’ of the nurse and has committed at least $500,000 . (£326,000) to a memorial fund for her family, the media watchdog has . shown its determination to dig deeper into the scandal. The radio show's producers and lawyers on duty at the time of the hoax are expected to be questioned. Scroll down for video . Apologetic: Following the death of nurse Saldanha, the two DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian (pictured) appeared on . Australian TV and expressed their sorrow for the tragic consequences of . their hoax call . Following the death of nurse Saldanha, the two DJs appeared on Australian TV and expressed their sorrow for the tragic consequences of their hoax call. The watchdog will be referring heavily to the radio broadcasting code, particular a part which states that it is a breach to record a person in conversation, and also air it, without their knowledge. Section 6.1 of the code states that ‘a licensee must not broadcast the words of an identifiable person unless that person has been informed in advance or a reasonable person would be aware that the words may be broadcast.’ The section adds that there must not be a broadcast unless, ‘in the case of words which have been recorded without the knowledge of the person, that person has subsequently, but prior to the broadcast, expressed consent to the broadcast of the word.’ The station’s parent company has said it attempted to contact the hospital five times following the hoax call to discuss it, but had not been able to speak to anyone. Mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged at her hospital apartment last Friday morning, just days after the hoax call and left a note for her family. She . had not told her husband or children that she was involved in the . incident, meaning the letter may provide their only clue to what . prompted the respected nurse to take such a drastic and tragic step. Austereo has since pledged to donate $500,000 (£326,000) from its advertising profits to her family. Condolences: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent their condolences to the Saldanha family following the death of nurse Saldanha who worked on the ward where the Duchess was being treated for morning sickness . Rhys Holleran,the company's chief executive officer said how sorry they were for what had happened. 'It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts continue to be with the family. 'We . hope that by contributing to a memorial fund we can help to provide the . Saldanha family with the support they need at this very difficult time. 'The . company reiterates that it is deeply saddened by this tragic and . unforeseen event and offers its condolences to the family of Jacintha . Saldanha.' Austereo also cancelled the 2Day FM's . Christmas party out of respect for Miss Saldanha, and donate the cash to . two Australian charities that handle emotional, life threatening . problems. As much as £8,000 had been set aside . to entertain between 200 and 250 of the radio station's staff, before . executives decided the party would be inappropriate. Before . the nurse's death, Mr Christian said he expected the hoax would be the . highlight of his career, and might have expected jubilant celebration at . the end of year party. Instead, . a company spokesperson said: 'Cancellation of the party was . entirely out of respect for the nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, and her . family. This is not a time for celebration at the radio station.' The . party was due to be held at a trendy nightclub called the Oxford Art . Factory on Sydney's popular nightlife strip, Oxford Street. Bereft: All the profits from the radio station's advertising will be donated to nurse Jacintha Saldanha's family. Pictured centre, her husband Benedict Barboza visits Westminster with their children Lisha, left, 14, and Junal, right, 16 . Lord . Glenarthur, chairman of the hospital where Miss Saldanha worked, . welcomed news of Southern Cross Media Group's donation to the family. He said: 'Jacintha Saldanha was an outstanding nurse who was much loved by everyone at King Edward VII’s Hospital. 'After . discussion with her family, we have established the Jacintha Saldanha . Memorial Fund to benefit her husband and children at this difficult . time. I am pleased to announce that many donations have already been . made from around the world. 'I . have read that Southern Cross Media Group have pledged to make a . minimum donation of $500,000 Australian Dollars to an appropriate fund. We would certainly welcome such a donation.' Meanwhile Family spokesman, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said Mrs . Saldanha's family were demanding answers from the hospital about the . circumstances that led to her death. Although bosses at the hospital in . Marylebone have said they will conduct internal inquiries, the nurse's . family – husband Ben Barboza, 49, and children Junal, 17, and Lisha, 14 – . 'want to know everything'. Mr Vaz, who has met hospital chairman . Lord Glenarthur to demand a full inquiry, said: 'What the chairman of . the hospital said to me was that there are inquiries going on in the . hospital. 'That is not sufficient for the family. There are unexplained . circumstances. The family want to know everything. All the facts, fully . and clearly.' Mr Vaz added: 'The hospital needs to . be more pro-active, a full inquiry is needed and the family need to be . included in that. 'They are a lovely close-knit family, a Catholic family . who will be spending their first Christmas without their mother, and . for Ben, without his wife.' Difficult time: In a BBC interview, Mr Vaz (centre) said Mr Barboza (left) - along with Lisha and Junal (right) - had been left 'shocked and bewildered' after Mrs Saldanha was found dead at nurses' housing last Friday morning . | Inquiry to investigate if 2DayFM was in breach of its licence conditions .
Watchdog could remove radio station's licence to broadcast .
Those who approved broadcast of hoax expected to be named and shamed . |
34,011 | 60acf1ff0f5645034aba086b35e7fde9a651819f | By . David Mccormack . Once seen as the bastion of . counter-culture a common criticism leveled at the Burning Man festival in recent years . is that it has blanded out and become overrun with too many . business-minded from the tech industry. And Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz did nothing to dispel that image when he revealed in a blog entry on Thursday that he took his boss Mark Zuckerburg along to last week's event in the Nevada Desert. Moskovitz met Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard, dropped out at the same time and is now worth an estimated $4 billion. So inspired was Moskovitz on his return from a week in the desert that he wrote a blog post ‘Radical Inclusion vs. Radical Self-Reliance at Burning Man’ in which he revealed that Zuckerberg had stayed at the camp he built. Burning Man veteran and Facebook co-founder David Moskovitz has revealed that this year he took his boss Mark Zuckerberg along and that he mucked in and helped to put his own tent up . Party in the desert: Over 60,000 revelers converged on the Black Rock Desert in Nevada last week for the Burning Man festival . The blog featured a lengthy explanation of Moskovitz's . cool Burning Man credentials - because he’s been the past five years - and he . went on to give an interesting insight into what all those geeks were up . to out in the desert. He . confirmed that Zuckerberg had been in attendance, but was quick to deny . any suggestions that his boss had ‘paid into a turnkey experience.’ ‘Along with its other inhabitants, he helped pitch his own tent,’ wrote Moskovitz. ‘I . wanted him to experience the city and to experience gifting because I . thought it would make him grow as a person and the world better off as a . result; I believe that’s exactly what happened, however marginally (he . was already a pretty great person).’ Facebook co-founder David Moskovitz has revealed that he bumped into the Winklevoss twins at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert and that all is forgiven for when they tried to sued him . Moskovitz also revealed that he had . an emotional meeting with former arch enemies the Winklevoss twins, who . had famously sued the Facebook founders. Even . though Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss ‘are among the only people on earth . I might describe as real antagonists in my life or even enemies,’ Moskovitz said he went up and introduced himself to them. ‘In . spite of our tangled history, I had never actually met them; we only . communicated through lawyers. My first instinct was that I quite . obviously needed to introduce myself and start with hugs. ‘They . had just arrived so I wasn’t sure how they’d react, but they were very . gracious at the time and I knew they’d understand more deeply by the . time they left. 'Almost . immediately when I got back, I had a Facebook friend request from Tyler . and we started a thread mutually extolling the virtues of the festival. Each night at the Burning Man festival another art installation is set on fire, on Saturday night it was the turn of the man . 'In no uncertain terms, he described a . spiritual awakening. I had created all kinds of dark fantasies about . how meeting them would go (Tyler assures me it would have been cordial . regardless), but on playa it was laughably clear. There, we were all . part of the same community. We were always part of the same community.' Renewed . by ‘a deep appreciation of the fully connected and mutually supportive . community,’ Moskovitz went on to encourages more ‘entrepreneur invaders’ to experience the event. ‘When . I hear about anyone going for the first time, my immediate thought is . “that is so great for them” and when they are a person who has pooled . power or capital around them, it is usually followed by “that is so . great for the world.”’ The joke in Silicon Valley is that . last week was the worst time possible for starts-ups to fund-raise . because all the venture capitalists and leaders from the tech world had . gone to the Nevada desert to experience the Burning Man festival. This year's event was the largest ever with a capacity crowd of 68,000 people from all over the world - and a substantial number of tech billionaires . The . week-long art, music and everything-else festival where each night is . capped by the torching of elaborate large wooden sculptures was . celebrating its 27th year and ended on Labor Day. Once . seen as the bastion of counter-culture a common criticism leveled at . the event in recent years is that it has blanded out and become overrun . with too many business-minded from the tech industry. In . the past Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have attended and . so too has their CEO Eric Schmidt, in fact they’ve joked that that's how . he got the job in the first place, reports Verge. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is another billionaire who enjoys the party in the Black Rock Desert, some 120 miles north of Reno. As well as a sizable number of tech billionaires, this year’s event was also attended by celebrities including P Diddy and George Clooney's ex-girlfriend Stacy Keibler who have both described going as a ‘life changing experience,’ while Former NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark was also 'spotted' at the festival. Dust envelops art installations during the Burning Man 2013 arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada . | Facebook co-founder Moskovitz has revealed that he took his boss to Burning Man .
He says he hopes Zuckerberg will grow as a person as a result .
Moskovitz also bumped into the Winklevoss twins who had previously tried to sue him and they bonded out in the desert . |
73,602 | d0a983190f5e63027ceb54ec74c9b2c4a1b7528a | (CNN) -- The former Miami Beach mansion of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace sold for $41.5 million Tuesday, an auction company said. Fisher Auction Company and the Jills, a Coldwell Banker Residential Real estate team, announced the sale of the Casa Casuarina, formerly the Versace Mansion. Auctioneer Lamar Fisher said the buyer was Joe Nakash, whose family owns the Jordache denim brand. The family also owns the Victor Hotel next door and they told Fisher that they plan on turning the mansion into a boutique hotel. Donald Trump -- the real estate magnate and TV personality -- placed the second highest bid on the mansion at $41 million, according to Rhona Graff, a senior vice president at the Trump Organization. Versace was shot dead outside the mansion in 1997. He purchased the property five years earlier and invested $33 million on expansions including a 54-foot mosaic pool lined with 24-karat gold. "We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to manage the sale of this iconic property," Fisher said. "This beautifully appointed estate drew significant attention from prospective buyers from around the world." Jill Hertzberg of The Jills called the property the "crown jewel of Miami." "Jill Eber and I are delighted that we were able to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime sale," she said. | NEW: Donald Trump placed second-highest bid, the Trump Organization says .
New owner plans to turn mansion into boutique hotel .
Versace was shot dead outside mansion in '97 .
Mansion called "crown jewel of Miami" |
143,027 | 44f72401d4b1acd6aa5d14a96182adc433890552 | Real Madrid swept Liverpool aside with three goals in 18 first-half minutes, including Cristiano Ronaldo's first Anfield strike, and Spanish newspaper Marca says that the stadium 'was stunned'. And it is a theme followed by AS, who put 'Anfield stands up - a colossal exhibition from Madrid who were applauded by Liverpool’s sporting fans'. But Sport and Mundo Derpotivo have already turned their attention to Real Madrid's next match, the clasico against Barcelona on Saturday. Marca leads with a picture of a stunned Anfield after Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Liverpool on Wednesday . AS says 'Anfield stands up' while Sport labels Luis Suarez as Barcelona's surprise for El Clasico on Saturday . Sport names Luis Suarez as the 'surprise factor in the Bernabeu' but Mundo Deportivo says Suarez and Xavi are doubts for Luis erique's side. Elsewhere, Italy's Corriere dello Sport has reacted to Serie A leaders Juventus' shock 1-0 defeat away to Olympiakos with the headline 'Juve Europe nightmare'. La Gazzetta dello Sport also follow that story, with the headline 'Greek regret' while Tuttosport simply says 'Haunted'. Tuttosport and Gazzetta dello Sport slammed Juventus for losing 1-0 away to Olympiakos . A Bola ad Record in Portugal were not impressed by Benfica's 0-0 draw away at French club Monaco . In Portugal, A Bola slam Benfica's 0-0 draw against Monaco by saying the Portuguese team are 'missing will' while Record says Benfica are 'in the red' following their failure to win. France's L'equipe gave most attention to their leading striker for the national side, Karim Benzema. They said Benzema 'set fire to the reds' by scoring twice at Anfield, but led with the headline 'breathtaking' - referring the latest in the Tour de France. L'equipe says Karim Benzema 'set fire' to Liverpool but leads on the Tour de France, calling it 'breathtaking' VIDEO Rodgers laments first-half showing . | Real Madrid sauntered to 3-0 win at Anfield - Marca says 'Anfield stuned'
Cristiano Ronaldo scored first Anfield goal, Karim Benzema with a double .
Mundo Deportivo looks to Saturday's Clasico with Madrid and Barcelona . |
96,071 | 0788ca89cdcf419a7cf5e290992733ddb618806a | Pizza Hut Singapore has been forced to apologise after a customer found a note scrawled on her receipt referring to her as the 'pink fat lady'. The customer, Aili Si, posted a photo of the receipt on the company's Facebook page on Sunday after buying two takeaway pizzas from the Bukit Merah store in Singapore's CBD. 'I don't think it is nice for your staff to describe me as such on my receipt,' she wrote alongside the photo. Aili Si posted a photo of the receipt on the company's Facebook page on Sunday after buying two takeaway pizzas from the Bukit Merah store in Singapore's CBD . 'As a customer I definitely hope to be treated with basic respect deserved by any others. I hope to receive an apology from the staff and Pizza Hut.' The handwritten note on the receipt was presumably to identify Aili Si as she waited for her order. 'Just feel insulted. What's wrong being plus size? I'm a customer n I pay for my pizza! Not that I'm get it for free!' she added in a later post. The handwritten note on the receipt was presumably to identify Aili Si as she waited for her order in a Pizza Hut store in Singapore . The fast food chain later issued a public apology to the customer via its Facebook page. 'Pizza Hut Singapore would like to apologize unreservedly to Ms Aili Si for a recent incident that took place on 12 Oct 2014 at 6.01pm. This incident goes against our corporate values and we do not condone behaviour or actions that offend people,' it read. 'We are currently investigating this matter. 'We deeply regret that such an incident has occurred and are attempting to contact Ms Si to personally express our sincere apologies.' The fast food chain later issued a public apology to the customer via its Facebook page . | Pizza Hut Singapore has launched an investigation after a customer found an offensive note scrawled on her receipt .
Aili Si posted a photo of the receipt on social media after buying two takeaway pizzas on Sunday night .
The fast food chain issued a public apology via its Facebook page . |
52,472 | 94ae34f04d33092f81e84af1d1408e033c5bd4c8 | The whisky glows like a candle in the bottom of the glass. Its aroma is rich, deep, musky, inviting. But dare I take a sip? This is the new Balvenie 50-year-old, which carries a price tag of £25,000 ($40,800) a bottle. Which means that the single dram I am holding is worth about £830 ($1,350). Slowly, I raise it to my lips. I am standing in the whisky room at the luxurious Cromlix hotel in Dunblaine, Scotland -- which incidentally is owned by local boy tennis star Andy Murray -- along with a select group of journalists. We have been invited to the exclusive launch of the new 50-year-old, which is only the fourth time the distillery has released a whisky of this age. "A 50-year-old Macallan featured in (the film) Skyfall, but whiskies of this age are extremely unusual," says Sam Simmons, global brand ambassador for The Balvenie, who is introducing us to the latest release. "Nobody 50 years ago knew that people would care about Scotch the way they do in 2014. Nobody planned to leave this whisky for so long. Its existence is a bit of a miracle." We tilt our glasses. The butter-colored liquid is rich with notes of cloves, summer flowers, dried fruits and marzipan, underpinned by the woody polish of an old gymnasium. "It tastes like soap," somebody says. "You've eaten soap?" Simmons replies. There is a pause. "It reminds me of the inside of a grand piano," ventures someone else. "Whisky of this age has a natural alcohol level of below 50%," Simmons explains. "That's when very unpredictable chemical reactions happen between the spirit and the wood. That's the magic time. It creates whisky that is unique, quirky and unpredictable." Whisky collectors are making big money . As extraordinary as this whisky is -- it is exceptionally long, with flavor lingering for several minutes after each sip -- one question is in the back of everyone's mind. Who would pay £25,000 for a bottle of whisky? The answer is people like Mahesh Patel, a whisky collector and building tycoon from Atlanta, Georgia, who once bought a Dalmore Trinitas 64-year-old for £100,000 ($166,000). "I have about 5,000 bottles, including a lot of old, one-off, high-end whiskies," he says. "Over the years, I've spent about $2 million on it. The collection is worth about $6 million now. I keep it at different locations all over the world, for security reasons." Patel is one of a breed of whisky collectors that have found that their passion for the drink has led to great financial gains. Distilleries first hit on the idea of limited editions and special releases in the early Nineties, such as the famous Black Bowmore that came in a wooden presentation case. Collectors like Patel bought the bottles largely for the love of them. But over the decades, their value started to appreciate to the extent that unusual bottles started to be seen as cash cows. Fast-forward to 2014, and the market is booming. According to the Investment Grade Scotch index that is compiled by UK-based Whisky Highland, the top 100 whiskies appreciated by an average of 440% in the last six years. Last month, a 50-year-old bottle of Japanese Yamazaki single malt sold for £20,000 ($33,000). In January, Sotheby's sold a six-liter decanter of Macallan M for £387,000 ($631,000). These transactions are becoming relatively frequent, if not commonplace. Indeed, Whisky Highland expect 30,000 bottles to be sold at auction this year, a 50% increase on the 20,211 that were sold in 2013. By contrast, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index increased by 31% in the same period, and the Live-ex Fine Wine 100 Index dropped by 2%. If you're a drinks investor with money to spend, it is something of a no-brainer. Is whisky for collecting or drinking? But most people in the whisky world see collecting purely for the sake of investment as something of a taboo. "You have to start by drinking the product and enjoying the product," says Patel. "Buy two bottles, one to drink and one to collect. Otherwise you're going against the spirit of the industry." Andy Simpson, the founding director of Whisky Highland, agrees -- but only to a point. "There are three types of buyers: drinkers, collectors and investors," he says. "I know one person, who shall remain nameless, who is teetotal, and buys whisky only to invest. "Some people think that this is a crime and whisky should be set free. But from my perspective, people can choose how to spend their money. It's supporting the industry and that's a good thing." Simpson, a former corporate banker, is launching a new business called Rare Whisky 101, which he describes as "consultants, brokers and valuers". "Whisky has always been collectable, but there were no market figures before Whisky Highland came along five years ago," he says. "There were no indices, charts, graphs, nothing. Rare Whisky 101 will have the world's largest online database of whisky auction sales, so investors can accurately follow the market." This is the latest contribution to the digital revolution that has transformed the secondary whisky market. Physical auction houses like Bonhams and Sotherby's have traditionally tended to charge 25% commission, and hold auctions just a few times a year. By contrast, sites like Scotch Whisky, Whisky Online, Just Whisky and Whisky Auctioneer run online auctions regularly, and charge a commission of just 10%. "Those sites have added liquidity into a traditionally illiquid market," says Simpson. "They are part of the reason why whisky is booming, and the growing value of whisky is starting to usurp the experience of opening and drinking it." Whisky investment funds: too good to be true? The market is gradually showing signs of maturity. In June, the world's first whisky investment fund was set up by Rickesh Kishnano, the CEO of Platinum Wines in Hong Kong; another has been established in Singapore. But many seasoned collectors -- who themselves have made millions through buying and selling whisky -- are skeptical about whisky funds, and suggest that potential investors tread carefully. "They worry me because genuine whisky experts are few and far between, and there is nobody credible behind these funds," says Sukhinder Singh, founder of the Whisky Exchange, who boasts a "handsome" private collection of 6,000 bottles that he keeps in his boardroom. "They are run by people from the wine industry, but you need a lot of knowledge specifically about whisky to make good investments. It's not about just buying old whisky. I've been collecting for 30 years and I know everyone who is good. How many whiskies have these guys tried? Fifty? A hundred? That's not enough." There are lots of hidden pitfalls, he says. For example, if you invest in a whisky that is not "amazing to drink", demand may remain low even if it is a limited edition. And while some bottles go up, it is common for others to lose value. For example, the Royal Wedding limited edition Macallan whisky, which marked the marriage between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, rose from £150 to £1,650 by 2013. These days, however, after the distillery lost many fans by removing age statements from its bottles, it has depreciated to about £900. By contrast, however, the iconic Macallan Private Eye whisky, which was released in 1996 to mark the 35th anniversary of the British satirical magazine, has appreciated from £35 to about £1,500, and shows no sign of falling from grace. Telling the difference between these two whiskies requires significant expertise. The importance of loving your whisky . According to Singh, when it comes to whisky collecting, there is no substitute for genuine passion. He still vividly remembers the first bottle in his collection. "I visited a man in Scotland, and noticed a special bottle on his mantelpiece, with a beautiful, intensely colorful label," he says. "It was an original bottling from a distillery called Kirkliston, which had closed in the early 1900s. "I knew I had to have it. It took me half an hour to persuade him to sell it to me, for £700, which was a lot of money at the time. It's worth about £20,000 now, but I'll never sell it." What advice would he offer an aspiring collector or investor? "The whisky market is on fire at the moment, it really is," he says. "But you can't become an expert overnight. "As a rule of thumb, buy limited edition bottles from iconic distilleries. But most importantly, learn about whisky, meet the experts and talk to them, and drink as much as you can." Back in the honeyed presence of The Balvenie 50-year-old, Sam Simmons is inclined to agree. "Ultimately, whisky is about loving the mystery of the drink, conversation and friendship," he says. "Whisky is to be drunk and enjoyed. However high the stakes get, you can never lose sight of that." Battersea Power Station: The life, death and rebirth of a London icon . Biodesign: Why the future of our cities is soft and hairy . Flying monkeys and winged goats: Photos that make you question reality . | A 50-year-old whisky costing £25,000 ($40,800) has been released by The Balvenie distillery in Scotland .
The top 100 whiskies appreciated by an average of 440% in the last six years .
Rare whisky is becoming a popular investment .
Whisky investment funds have been set up, but seasoned collectors urge caution . |
157,856 | 581760d08135234a0481ad32ddc7b52e9d0fdf9a | A rare piece of presidential history is sitting in the Arizona desert - and its new owners didn't know its significance for years. The first-ever Air Force One, used by Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s, had been sold to a crop duster who used it for parts. It now sits in a field at the Marana Regional Airfield outside Tuscon, where the owners parked it. The plane inspired the call sign Air Force One after nearly running into another aircraft over the skies of New York City in 1953. Scroll down for video . Columbine II, a plane used by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 and 1954, is now sitting in an Arizona field . The interior of the plane used to contain marble floors and a mahogany desk but now needs $200,000 in restoration . The plane is now being degraded by the Arizona sun, and its owners want to sell it for $1.5million to someone who will restore it . The plane, a Lockheed Constellation dubbed Columbine II in honor of Marie Eisenhower's home state Colorado, was used by the 34th president in 1953 and 1954. It included the mahogany desk where Eisenhower wrote his Atoms For Peace speech that he gave to the UN General Assembly in 1953, in which he discussed nuclear warfare, according to Fox. Then president-elect Eisenhower also took the plane on a trip to Korea to meet troops stationed there. Air Force One was first officially used as a call sign by Columbine III, which was used for most of Eisenhower's presidency. The plane inspired the Air Force One call sign when it nearly had a mid-air collision above New York City in 1953 . The aircraft, a Lockheed Constellation also took the 1950s president to Korea to visit the troops before he formally took office . The airplane (left) was restored in the 1990s by Mel Christler and his business partners but never achieved the glory of the 1950s (right) However, the Columbine II inspired the name after a confusion of call numbers by air traffic control almost caused a mid-air collision between the plane and another aircraft in 1953 above New York. Columbine I was a plane Eisenhower used in World War II. The former general's first presidential aircraft, which also had marble floors and sleeping quarters, is the only former Air Force One plane that is not in a museum. Its current owners are asking $1.5million for the plane, which has been parked in Arizona since 2005. The airfield makes money by leasing pieces of land. Eisenhower, center, used the airplane until November 1954, when it was replaced. Above, Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson (left) and Secretary of Interior Douglas McKay (right) in September 1954 . Mary Jean Eisenhower (far right and left as child) wants to restore the Columbine II to use for veterans' flights in memory of her grandfather (left) No hangar protects it from the suns rays, which are gradually breaking down both the exterior and interior. Eisenhower's granddaughter Marie Jean is now working with the National Airline Museum in Kansas City to buy it, according to History Net. Ms Eisenhower, who traveled with her grandfather as a child said: 'As soon as I saw the interior of Columbine II again, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.' She plans on restoring the plane to the way it was for the president and giving veterans flights to thank them for their service to the country. Though refurbished by its current owners in the 1990s, the plane is not the same as during its heyday. 'In its glory days it had marbled floors,' Miller said. 'Now it just looks like any old, beat-up aircraft sitting there,' airport manager Steve Miller told the Arizona DailyStar. After its use for the commander in chief, it became a plane for VIPs such as Eisenhower's vice president Richard Nixon and Queen Elizabeth II. It was officially retired in 1968. Mel Christler bought the plane in 1970, originally intending to use it for crop dusting and fighting forest fires. He later sold some of its parts after discovering that the landing gear was not right. Eisenhower reportedly used a desk on the plane to write his Atoms For Peace speech to the UN about nuclear warfare . The airplane used by Eisenhower (right) was bought from the military in 1970 by Mr Christler, who was interested in turning it into a crop duster . It was not until the Smithsonian called in 1980 that Mr Christler knew he had a piece of history. The businessman and partners restored the plane to flying condition for $150,000 and took it to shows, though multiple attempts at selling have been unsuccessful. Bids at a 1998 auction were reportedly as high as $1.4million, though the owner did not think they were credible, according to a short history of the aircraft. Mr Christler died in 2005, and his partners are looking for someone else to take the plane and restore it, according to their Facebook page. Restoration will cost an estimated $200,000. Bids at a 1998 auction were thought to have reached $1.4million, though the plane was not sold and its owners are still looking for buyers . | The Lockheed Constellation called Columbine II was used by 34th president in 1953 and 1954 .
Near collision above New York in 1953 led to the creation of Air Force One call sign .
Owners asking for $1.5million, though $200,000 needed to restore it .
Eisenhower's granddaughter wants to buy it and use it for veterans' flights . |
206,400 | 9733be713e66e618d6bcfc4fa1a8598f2b7a12e4 | 'Bailout': The nephew of JFK, Robert Kennedy Jr., received $1.4bn of taxpayers' cash for his company, it is claimed . The nephew of former president John F. Kennedy has been given a secret £1.4bn bailout for his company thanks to his White House connections, a new book has claimed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr is said to have received the vast sum of tax-payers' cash for his 'green energy' firm BrightSource while it was $1.8bn in debt in 2010. The payment was made by Sanjay Wagle, a former BrightSource employee who after raising money for Barack Obama was rewarded with a job in the U.S. Department of Energy, it is claimed. The revelation was made in an explosive new book, Throw The All Out, which exposes the secret financial deals of an inner circle of businessmen and politicians in the White House. The author Peter Schweizer says that the payment was made to Kennedy Jr. thanks to connections in Washington. Kennedy Jr. is the son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy is the brother of the former president JFK, who was assassinated in 1963. Following JFK's assasiantion in November 1963, Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy continued to serve as Attorney General under President Lyndon B. Johnson for nine months. However, he later split after disagreements over the Vietnam War and by 1968 was a favourite for the Democratic Party leadership. Tragically, just hours after winning the California presidential Bobby Kennedy was shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan by Arab gunman Sirhan Sirhan while addressing a packed hotel in L.A. He died 26 hours later on June 26. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has forged a successful career as an attorney specialising in environmental law and more recently and as a radio host, . Wagle was one of the principals in Kennedy’s firm who raised money for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. When Obama was elected to the White House in 2008, Wagle was installed at the Department of Energy (DOE), advising on energy grants. Family connections: Robert F. Kennedy Jr's father Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy, centre, with former president John F. Kennedy, left, and Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, right . BrightSource, whose largest . shareholder is Kennedy’s VantagePoint Partners, is said to have faced . financial difficulties before the bailout. The company needed a massive government contract for a solar-panel plant on federal lands on California if it was to survive. A . company statement from the time said: 'Our future success depends on . our ability to construct Ivanpah, our first utility-scale solar thermal . power project, in a cost-effective and timely manner. 'Our ability to complete Ivanpah and the planning, development and construction of all three phases are subject to significant risk and uncertainty.' The company was able to continue with the project after the bailout, it is alleged. Just two years previously, Kenndery Jr. had said publicly that Obama's energy plans would create 'a gold rush'. Claims: Throw Them All Out by investigative journalist Peter Schweizer . Schweizer writes in Throw Them All Out: 'A billion dollars in taxpayer money being sent to wealthy investors to bail them out of risky investments—does this sound familiar to anyone?' It is also claimed in the book that billionaire investor Warren Buffet profited with millions from the government bailout programs he helped design. However, all of transactions are legal in the U.S. The book merely highlights how 'insiders' can profit from the system. Schweizer also claims that Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, bought VISA shares while she was overseeing legislation that would directly impact the stock’s value. Schweizer writes in the book: 'Politicians have made politics a business. They are increasingly entrepreneurs who use their power, access, and privileged information to generate wealth. 'And at the same time well-connected financiers and corporate leaders have made a business of politics. They meet together in the nation’s capital to form a political caste. 'In short, the Permanent Political Class has clearly figured out how to extract wealth from the rest of us based solely on their position and proximity to power. If you have a seat at the table, you are in for a feast. 'If you don’t have a seat at the table, you are probably on the menu. Exactly how crony capitalists are consuming public wealth and fattening themselves is the subject of this book.' He said that Palosi had profited from a street lighting project which she was in charge of. He added: 'For years, Nancy Pelosi has pushed for earmarks to construct and ultimately extend San Francisco’s so-called Third Street Light Rail Project. 'In 2004, she boasted to her constituents that she had secured more than $120 million in federal money for the project. Third Street is one of the most expensive light rail projects ever, costing $660 million for just a six-mile route. ' BrightSource were not available for comment. | Firm had $1.8bn debt and needed cash to survive .
Former employee who landed job in White House after funding Obama campaign 'made the payment' |
7,077 | 141207c356044009e0b1709b2e6f4ad75bbc743f | Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- "These people saved my family from an almost certain fiery death." Doug White speaks highly of the air traffic controllers and flight instructor who helped talk him through landing a plane last year after the pilot died. He and his family finally met the team last week, after they received the highest honor from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida. In April 2009, White, 56, and his wife and their two daughters were returning to Louisiana after attending a funeral for White's brother. Less than 10 minutes after their private chartered plane took off from Marco Island, Florida, the unexpected happened. "I've got to declare an emergency. My pilot's deceased. I need help," White told the control tower. He had seized the radio after the pilot had fallen unconscious. "I need to get this on the ground. I'm flyin' a King Air." Luckily, White had three months of flight lessons, but he had flown only a small, less-sophisticated single-engine plane. That's like going from a Volkswagen to a race car, he said. In the background of their conversation, dozens of controllers were scrambling to reroute flights while Fort Myers International Airport prepared to accept the plane. "Disengage the autopilot. We're gonna have you hand-fly the plane," instructed controller and experienced pilot Lisa Grimm said. "You find me the longest, widest runway you can, ma'am," White responded in a deadpan Louisiana twang. Controllers in Fort Myers reached out to flight instructor and pilot Kari Sorenson, who was familiar with the King Air plane. At last week's reunion, Sorenson said he relayed through the controllers only the most critical information needed to get the plane safely on the ground. White jokingly accused Sorenson of withholding some information. "Would you want to have heard it?" Sorensen joked back. Sorensen had high praise for White's maneuvering of the twin-engine plane. "Doug learned to fly that plane in 20 minutes," Sorensen said. "I don't think you could have made the plane more complex or the pilot less experienced and have had a successful landing." Grimm said she remembered White's steady demeanor through the whole incident. "He was like the coolest cucumber," she said. Shortly after the pilot slumped over in his seat, White yelled for his wife to come up to the cockpit. Terry White recalled that she was initially annoyed with her husband's tone, thinking he wanted her to bring him a soda. Once she realized the gravity of the situation, "my first thought was my girls," she said. At one point, Doug White held out his hand, and Terry said, "You're not even shaking ... and [he] said, 'I am on the inside.' "That's just the way he is," she said. There were times, White admitted, when he got nervous. "I thought they were leaving me out there stranded," White said. "And it's real quiet in that airplane when nobody's talking to you." His teenage daughter Maggie White said she felt helpless. "I mean, what could I do? Nothing, just sit there and pray and, you know, throw up," she said. White said he felt a bond with the team of air traffic controllers, as if they had been in combat together. The White family was shocked to learn during the reunion that they were given only a 5 percent chance of surviving. The Louisiana pharmacist has gone on to receive his pilot's license, saying he never wants to be in the same situation again. "If you're gonna die, at least die trying not to," Doug White said. | Last year, Doug White took control of twin-engine plane after pilot died .
White and his family were returning home from a funeral .
A year later, they met flight experts who helped them land . |
178,856 | 7392c66dec2acc1ff7beb4e9ab239fdf434b90af | The "universal background checks" now being pushed by some gun control supporters is code for closing federal loopholes on such checks at gun shows and other private sales. U.S. law requires background checks for all people who try to buy firearms from federally licensed dealers. But federal law does not require background checks for "private transactions," like sales at gun shows. Many states have their own statutes requiring such checks for private sales. The issue has risen high in the national conversation after the shock ignited by December's mass shooting of six adults and 20 children at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Expanded background checks now enjoy the support of mayors in some of the largest cities in America. The idea has been embraced by gun violence survivor Gabrielle Giffords, a self-described gun owner. It's also being considered for possible legislation by a White House task force led by Vice President Joe Biden. The task force is expected to include universal background checks as part of its recommended legislation. "This may be the single most important gun violence prevention measure that the government could adopt," said Lindsay Nichols, an attorney with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. "This loophole means that dangerous criminals and dangerously mentally ill individuals have a most unfettered access to firearms." But National Rifle Association President David Keene suggested to CNN's Candy Crowley that he has little faith in universal background checks, saying they don't work. Keene spoke a few days after sitting in on the Biden task force. He implied that the task force wasn't sincerely considering NRA positions on gun control issues, saying they were simply "checking the box. They were able to say, 'We've met with the NRA. We've met with the people that are strong Second Amendment supporters.' " Later, the NRA issued a statement saying it was "disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment." What part of universal background checks does the NRA support? Keene did say he favored background checks to block people who may be mentally ill or potentially violent from buying guns. But federal law already requires that, Nichols said. One problem with the systems is that many states don't report the names of people who've been legally labeled dangerously mentally ill. Improving the accuracy and availability of information about these people, Keene said, is one possible area for agreement. He suggested "tightening up on putting information in the database. It's school security. It's beefing up the way we deal with the mentally ill." Nichols said "huge gaps" exist in the database, which is called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. For example, the Virginia Tech shooter, who killed 33 people and himself in 2007, had passed two background checks because Virginia didn't submit his mentally ill status to the database, Nichols said. "As a result of that shooting, the federal government passed a law encouraging these states to submit these records, and a large number of states passed laws. So there's been significant improvement in reporting dangerously mentally ill persons to NICS," Nichols said. "But there are still about half of the states that report hardly any dangerously mentally ill people. They may not have the resources or the political will to enforce the law. Yeah, it's crazy." How do background checks now work? Anytime someone buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer, the dealer is required to run a check on the buyer by submitting the name to the federal database. That database consists of criminal records and mental health records as provided by federal and state courts and agencies. Convicted felons, people convicted of violent domestic crimes, and those determined by the courts to be dangerously mentally ill are prohibited by federal law from buying firearms, Nichols said. Also, states have added their own categories of who is prohibited from buying a gun, Nichols said. For example, California prohibits gun ownership for people convicted of any kind of violent crime, drug offenses, alcohol abuse and juvenile offenses while underage, Nichols said. Vermont is the only state without such laws, Nichols said. Just how many gun purchases don't require federal background checks, and how does that happen? Forty percent of all firearms purchased in the United States are sold without background checks because the guns aren't purchased from a federally licensed firearms dealer, Nichols said. Rather, those weapons are bought at gun shows, on street corners, over the Internet or from friends or neighbors, Nichols said. These are the so-called loopholes in the current federal background check system. The NRA disputes that characterization about the "gun show loophole" because federally licensed firearms dealers participate at gatherings and, of course, conduct background checks. "Most of the guns that are purchased at a gun show are purchased from federal firearms-licensed holders," Keene said. He challenged the 40% figure for gun sales without background checks -- particularly at gun shows. "We don't know what (is the) percentage at gun shows. It may be 10%," Keene said. "It's not such a loophole at gun shows. But it's like if you sell me your shotgun, that's a private transaction. Just as if I sell you a car, I don't have a dealer's license." Ten states and the District of Columbia have their own laws requiring background checks for any firearm sold at a gun show, Nichols said. Six more states require background checks for gun-show sales of handguns, but not for rifles or shotguns, Nichols said. In total, 16 states and the District of Columbia require background checks on handguns sold at gun shows, Nichols said. These states that close loopholes, however, provide exemptions for gun transfers between immediate family members and between licensed dealers, Nichols said. Are background checks effective? From the time when the gun control measures of the Brady Act were enacted on March 1, 1994, through the end of 2008, the federal government processed more than 97 million applications for gun transfers or permits, the Justice Department says. Almost 1.8 million applications were denied, the agency said. On this matter, both sides are in agreement. Said Keene: "Background checks are generally a good thing." Added Nichols: "Background checks have a huge deterrent effect. People who are ineligible to buy a gun are unlikely to try if they know they are going to be subjected to a background check." | "Universal background checks" refer to closing loopholes in federal gun sales laws .
Those loopholes apply to private gun sales that usually involve gun shows .
Advocates say 40% of gun sales are private transactions, including gun shows .
NRA challenges the 40% figure and disputes the "loophole" characterization . |
98,191 | 0a6c0d89e018b928e49edbc3f433a0d3747666d4 | (CNN) -- Mitt Romney has taken many people by surprise by announcing that his vice presidential running mate will be Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan. The decision excites many conservatives who have been calling on Romney to go big. They believe Ryan will inject some juice into a campaign they feel has been lackluster and put the focus on the policy differences between Romney and President Obama. The primary risk with Ryan, from what we currently know about him, is that his controversial budget plan and tough line on Medicare could energize liberals and alienate elderly voters in key states like Florida. He also lacks foreign policy expertise and has spent most of his career in the city that conservatives hate, Washington. In recent decades, the record of vice presidential running mates who have come right out of the House is not very good. The risk of making the wrong choice for vice president was highlighted in 2008 by Sen. John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a decision many believe helped torpedo the Republican nominee. Palin struggled before the media, appearing inexperienced and unprepared for the Oval Office. She also used aggressive conservative rhetoric that undercut McCain's appeal to independents. But for all the talk about what can go wrong with vice presidential nominations, it is important to remember how many of these picks have helped the ticket. Very often vice presidential running mates have proven to be excellent on the campaign trail. They have compensated for the weaknesses of the person at the top of the ticket, they have played the role of attack dog and they have complemented the presidential candidate's strengths. In 1952, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was determined to remain above the partisan fray. He wanted a campaign that highlighted his military record as America was bogged down in a military stalemate in Korea. California Sen. Richard Nixon served as an effective attack dog, taking on Democrat Adlai Stevenson for being too weak in fighting communism, branding him "Adlai the Appeaser" and saying the kinds of things Eisenhower wanted to avoid saying himself. Although a scandal involving a contribution fund Nixon maintained as senator almost caused him to be dumped from the ticket, Nixon turned the table on Democrats by going on television and delivering the famous "Checkers Speech," in which he turned public sympathy in his favor. After hearing the speech, Eisenhower met with Nixon and said, "Dick, you're my boy." A few years later, Nixon fell victim to a good vice presidential pick when he ran for president against John F. Kennedy in 1960. Though he was disliked by many liberals, former Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson gave the Democrats strong appeal in Southern states and also helped bring an impressive level of Washington expertise to the ticket. In 1968, Nixon picked Maryland Gov. Spiro Agnew, who certainly brought his fair share of problems. Agnew was mocked by his opponents as a little known politician and uttered his share of gaffes as well as ethnic slurs. Yet Agnew did contribute to Nixon's victory by simultaneously appealing to the center, given his moderate record as governor in most policy areas, and to Southerners, given his increasingly hard line on racial issues such as school busing and law and order. Like Nixon in 1952, Agnew served as the attack dog and allowed Nixon, who had remade himself from an avid Cold Warrior into a foreign policy expert, to maintain his new image. In 1976, Minnesota Sen. Walter Mondale appealed to traditional Democrats such as organized labor and African-Americans who were distrustful of Jimmy Carter, an unknown Southerner who did not seem sympathetic to the party's core ideas. When Carter ran against Ronald Reagan in 1980, George H.W. Bush gave the GOP ticket immense foreign policy expertise and Washington experience that helped Reagan push back against criticism that he was just a lightweight Hollywood actor who would be unable to function in the corridors of Washington. Tennessee Sen. Al Gore proved to be a pitch-perfect running mate for Bill Clinton in 1992. Clinton wanted to convey the impression that Democrats were no longer the old "tax and spend" party Republicans had enjoyed attacking. Clinton was a Southerner and part of a new generation of Democrats. Gore, a hawkish centrist who agreed with Clinton, complemented the party message. Together, Clinton and Gore counteracted the ability of President Bush, and then in 1996 Sen. Bob Dole, to draw on the familiar campaign themes of the GOP. Simply the image of the two youthful men and their families generated excitement among voters. In 2000, George W. Bush surprised many observers when he picked former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, who was heading the vice presidential selection process, as his running mate. Cheney didn't do much on the campaign trail, but he did provide a record of deep experience in Washington that counteracted Democratic charges that Bush was a novice who lacked any gravitas. In 2004, Cheney would eviscerate Sen. John Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, during a debate that made the Democrat look too young and too inexperienced. In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama, who already had the wind to his back, took something of a risk with Sen. Joe Biden, who was notorious for his off the cuff remarks and gaffes. But Biden added value to the ticket, compensating for Obama's perceived inexperience and proving willing to engage in tough partisan attacks that Obama shied away from. It is possible that Ryan could help Mitt Romney in the coming months ---- and he could use a boost, since he's 7 points behind Obama in the latest CNN poll. If Ryan's main role is to be the ideological messenger of the campaign or to become the main attraction, he probably will not be effective. Based on the history, and the limited assistance vice presidential candidates can provide, what Romney needs is for Ryan to strengthen his central message, namely that he has more economic expertise than President Obama, to convince right-wing as well as Rust Belt Republicans that Romney would be a good president and to be able to engage in the kinds of tougher attacks that conservatives are clamoring for, the kinds of attacks Vice President Biden has proven quite adept at handling for Democrats. Anything more probably won't work, anything less will be a bust. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer. | Julian Zelizer: Mitt Romney made what some see as a bold choice in Paul Ryan .
Many believe McCain's choice of Palin in 2008 helped torpedo his chances, Zelizer says .
But it is important to remember how many VP picks have helped the ticket, he says .
Zelizer: Romney could use a boost, since he's 7 points behind Obama in the latest CNN poll . |
93,879 | 04b5b1fb509b217f9e04a878f61d9f366786dbab | Frank Lampard is flourishing at Manchester City — but it would be a great deal harder for Chelsea to swallow were they not six points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League. Attitudes may change, however, if this goal trend goes on, if his loan is extended and if the title rivals are neck-and-neck by the time City visit Stamford Bridge at the end of next month. No-one at Chelsea thought when he departed in June to embark on a career in the MLS that Lampard would appear on loan at the Etihad Stadium. Even if they had, there was nothing they could have done. Manchester City's Frank Lampard celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Southampton . Despite his move to City, Chelsea fans show their appreciation for Lampard at the Etihad in September . Lampard scored 208 goals in 626 matches for Chelsea before departing in July . His contract was up and manager Jose Mourinho wanted Cesc Fabregas. Lampard was told through negotiations that his playing time would be greatly reduced and that the time might be right for a new challenge if he wanted to play regularly. There was no formal contract offer and Lampard described the split as ‘very mutual’, although it is hard to escape a lingering feeling that he would have preferred to stay. Having reached that point, Chelsea had no right to dictate where he went, so they wished him well as he selected New York City from his many options, although it was unclear how links between this new MLS franchise and City, its parent club, would work. By the time they were preparing to face him in City colours in September, it was clear the mood at Chelsea had already started to shift. Lampard came off the bench to score the equaliser as Manchester City rescued a point against Chelsea . Lampard (second left) is mobbed by his City team-mates after his 85th minute equaliser against the Blues . Lampard refused to celebrate his late strike at the Etihad during the emotional 1-1 draw in September . Lampard (right) shakes hands with his Chelsea team-mate John Terry after the September showdown . ‘I was not expecting this,’ said Mourinho. ‘But it was his decision. It’s his life. When he left for New York, I thought he was going there. But it is his life, his decision and he has my respect for that.’ As Arsene Wenger noted, the easiest way from London to Manchester is not via New York. Wenger sniffed a Financial Fair Play dodge, which City denied. Mourinho, too, seemed increasingly irritated. ‘When he decided to become a direct competitor of Chelsea then love stories are over,’ said Mourinho after Lampard’s equaliser against Chelsea. The open offer from Roman Abramovich for Lampard to return in some capacity in the future is apparently still there — but the longer this goes on and the more successful he is at City, the more it will feel akin to the ambush of Patrick Vieira from Arsenal’s history. Mourinho was irked when Chelsea supporters sang Lampard’s name, although those chants have since faded. Why support a direct rival? Lampard has gone from strength to strength at City during the past few months . The arrival of Cesc Fabregas (right) during the summer heralded the end of Lampard's Chelsea career . Lampard’s enduring ability to influence any game in which he features, however briefly, prompts more questions about why he was allowed to leave. Mourinho values experience in the dressing room. He re-signed Didier Drogba to be a positive influence and to use tactically, mostly from the bench. Lampard has started four games for his new club, two in the Premier League. He has come on seven times as a substitute and scored five. Drogba has started four games, made 12 appearances from the bench and has scored four. Mourinho required cover up front and a mentor for Diego Costa, so it has proved a successful move. Didier Drogba (left) was re-signed by Mourinho to add experience to his new-look Chelsea side . In midfield, it was slightly different since Fabregas has formed an excellent partnership with Nemanja Matic. Fabregas and Lampard never got on as opponents, so who knows how that would have panned out? There is also a theory that to enable the younger players to thrive, they had to dilute the old dressing-room power base. Ashley Cole and Lampard went. Petr Cech could be next. For Chelsea fans, all of this will be easier to take if they hold off City and win the title. Ashley Cole (left), however, joined Roma during the summer after failing to hold down a place at Chelsea . | Frank Lampard left Chelsea during the summer after 13 years of service .
Lampard joined New York City FC on a two-year deal .
The former Blues midfielder was then loaned to Manchester City .
Lampard has flourished since his move to the Etihad Stadium . |
104,481 | 12d02d9b54b67fa6ac13d8d43d7f3f0b8625a2b3 | (CNN) -- This week, Giyen Kim, 34, reached a personal milestone: She has lost 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. Giyen Kim, 34, has lost 10 pounds since January 1. She said she feels like it will be easier to lose more weight. This progress feels slow, she said, in comparison with her previous weight loss attempts, which consisted of crash dieting. But she found that those diets weren't sustainable. This time, she's looking to find a lifestyle she can keep. CNN asked viewers to talk about their New Year's resolutions on iReport.com and upload photos and videos during their journeys of change. Kim, who lives in Seattle, Washington, is one participant who frequently updates the iReport community with video updates on her progress. iReport.com: Watch Giyen talk about losing weight . Reaching this 10-pound milestone, from 190 to 180 pounds, makes her feel as if it will be easier to lose more weight, she said. "You feel definitely more motivated when you actually quantify it in a number that feels good," she said. Visit CNNhealth, your connection for better living . She doesn't feel physically different, but she does notice a change from previous pictures of herself, she said. Her original goal for the year was to get closer to her pre-pregnancy weight of 120 pounds. Kim has had a hard time exercising recently because her uncle, 90, passed away, and the grieving process has been difficult. But she plans to resume working out soon and wants to take classes at her gym. She also eats one vegan meal every day. Kim felt frustrated earlier this month because her progress felt slow, losing a pound a week. Read about her weight loss journey . Often, the initial weight loss will seem the easiest, and then the loss slows somewhat over time, said Tara Gidus, dietician for the Orlando Magic NBA team and owner of Tara Gidus Nutrition Consulting in Orlando, Florida. Exercise is key in speeding things up when you've reached a plateau, she said. It's important to find a physical activity that you enjoy doing and to vary the exercise routine -- for example, raising the incline on a treadmill to step up the intensity, she said. Gidus usually recommends losing about 2 pounds a week, or about 5 to 8 pounds a month. At that rate, someone like Kim could lose 50 pounds in six months, she said. A pace faster than that -- such as 10 pounds per month -- would be hard to keep up, Gidus said. People with on weight-loss journeys should have encouragement from friends, family or people in support groups or online communities, she said. Kim certainly has people supporting her in the virtual world: A video she posted a few weeks ago after she'd lost 4 pounds had more than a dozen motivational comments from others on iReport.com. Watch her video . Her next goal is to lose 15 more pounds -- for a total of 25 -- by her birthday, March 24, and reward herself with a digital single-lens reflex camera, which professional photographers use. "That's basically 2 pounds a week, plus 3 more," she said. "It's ambitious, but I really want that camera." | Giyen Kim, 34, has lost 10 pounds since January 1 .
Reaching this milestone makes losing more weight look easier, she said .
Dietitian: Often, speed of weight loss slows down over time .
Share your journey to change with iReport.com . |
211,125 | 9d67c8636e47821acbd01b286ecbc306ea88cb6a | (CNN) -- Hundreds filled a small-town Michigan church on a chilly and overcast Tuesday to say a final goodbye to a teenage hero who died just after scoring a winning shot that lifted his high school's basketball team to a perfect winning season. Friends and family paid their last respects at a funeral for 16-year-old Wes Leonard of Fennville. The night before, his teammates charged into a gym, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with his number -- 35 -- and the phrase, "Never forgotten." Fans erupted in a standing ovation and wiped away tears during a moment of silence before the tipoff of Fennville High School's first game without Leonard as the point guard. The Blackhawks won their first state playoff game, 65-54, before a crowd of thousands. "This was a game he would like to watch. There's no doubt his eyes were upon us," Fennville coach Ryan Klingler told reporters, choking back tears. Friends came to the game with homemade shirts and signs, saying he was their angel on the court, CNN affiliate WZZM reported. The teen's parents sat in the sold-out crowd of nearly 3,500 people. His brother sat beside teammates on the bench. "Wes was like a brother to us," Fennville player Xavier Grigg told WZZM. "We were all like family. We knew he would have wanted us to come out here and keep the streak alive." Leonard died moments after scoring the winning basket in overtime Thursday, securing a perfect season for the Blackhawks. He scored his team's last four points in the 57-55 victory. An autopsy Friday revealed Leonard died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart, according to a statement from Dr. David A. Start, the Ottawa County chief medical examiner. | A church fills to remember high school star Wes Leonard .
He collapsed and died after scoring a winning basket in overtime .
His shot secured a perfect season for his high school team .
On Monday the team won their first state playoff game . |
19,429 | 37161ce92f26f89e673948a7f7ca5c6201b340b3 | Dead Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi raped hundreds of women during his years in power, and even kept a harem of sex slaves locked in the basement of his home, his former security chief has revealed. Mansour Daw, who stayed loyal to the tyrant until his downfall and subsequent death in 2011, said Gadaffi's sexual appetite was so strong that an entire government department was established to source and provide him with prostitutes. Many were kept in his Tripoli compound under lock and key where the dictator could call on their services night or day. And when he travelled abroad on state affairs, he would take them along, usually disguised as bodyguards or journalists, Daw said. Sex slaves? Muammar Gadaffi (pictured) would take the women on diplomacy missions to foreign countries disguised as bodyguards . Cravings: There was even an entire government department dedicated to sourcing and providing women for Gaddafi (left) on which he would carry out his sexual cravings. His wife, Safia Farkash, is pictured right . 'It fell under the umbrella of the Department of Protocol under the direction of Nuri Mesmari, a schemer who had the gall to parade around in a general’s uniform every now and then,' Daw told journalist Annick Cojean. '[Mesmari] had the nickname ‘the general of special affairs’ so the only word that was applicable could be avoided: General of the Whores.' Daw claimed to have known nothing of the basement 'dungeon' where many of Gadaffi's favourites were held under his compound in capital Tripoli. 'I swear I never went down to that basement!' he exclaimed, revealing no further details of the conditions under which they were held. And while most generals who turned a blind eye as he carried out his depraved activities with young women - and sometimes men - those who helped feed his vast sexual appetite were quickly promoted. '[Mesmari] looked for women everywhere; that was his specialty and his primary function; he would even pick up prostitutes on the street,' added Daw. Fast track to power: And while most generals who turned a blind eye as he carried out his depraved activities, those who helped feed his vast sexual appetite were fast promoted . The women accompanied the dictator on trips to western nations including France and Spain, Daw told Cojean, an excerpt of whose book, Gaddafi's Harem, has been published in Salon.com, where they would travel under the guise of ‘committees,’ ‘delegations,’ or ‘groups of journalists'. When asked about rumours Gaddafi even forced ministers to have sex with him, Daw replied: 'It doesn’t surprise me. 'There are so many ambitious people. There were . even those who were prepared to hand over their wife or daughter in . exchange for some favour or other.' Daw himself, however, insisted Gaddafi never propositioned him or any of his relatives, even at parties hosted by the security chief. 'He wouldn’t have dared to pounce on any of my guests,' he said. 'He knew all . too well what my reaction would have been. 'But I preferred that he be . somewhere else. Had he come he would surely have been accompanied by his . whores, always on the lookout, and that terrified me.' Gaddafi died during the NATO-backed . uprising in Libya on October 20 2011 when he was shot after being . taken prisoner by rebels. He was 69. Meanwhile, Daw is currently being held in a high-security prison in Libya where he awaits trial for war crimes. | Mansour Daw stayed loyal to the tyrant until his downfall and death in 2011 .
The Department of Protocol was set up to source women for Gaddafi .
He would take groups of sex slaves on foreign trips disguised as guards . |
283,075 | faaf529db9e9727ea10feed8a052dde1f8157917 | Still savouring those victorious scenes from Gleneagles? On the European Tour, they’ve moved on already. In Portugal on Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Tournament Players’ Committee, the process will begin to choose Paul McGinley’s successor as Ryder Cup captain. Up for discussion are not only the candidates and the timeframe for the announcement, but the potentially crucial appointment of who will be the committee’s representative. That person will then join the last three captains (Colin Montgomerie, Jose-Maria Olazabal and McGinley) plus the tour’s chief executive George O’Grady in making the choice. The popular view is chairman Thomas Bjorn will represent the committee but that might prove wide of the mark owing to an obvious conflict of interest. Darren Clarke (left) and Miguel Angel Jiminez (right) are both in the frame to become 2016 Ryder Cup captain . Thomas Bjorn (left) celebrates Europe's 2014 Ryder Cup victory with Sergio Garcia . If the Dane doesn’t throw his hat into the ring this time, he would rightly be a strong candidate to be captain in Paris in 2018. In which case, should he be voting on the captain for 2016 when he would be virtually guaranteed that vote regarding his own candidature in France? If Bjorn doesn’t stand to be captain this time, we’re seemingly down to a fight between Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez, and what a fascinating contest that promises to be. Here you have two leading representatives from two different schools of thought. On the one hand you have a man who has won the highest honour the game can bestow and been a rock in previous Ryder Cups; on the other you’ve got Jimenez, a McGinley-type figure who might not have won majors but understands the Ryder Cup and knows what it’s like to captain a team of his peers. Of the five who will make the decision, it’s reasonable to assume Monty will go for Clarke and Olazabal for his fellow Spaniard. O’Grady will hope to be spared the casting vote. Paul McGinley (centre) has vowed to put his differences with Clarke (left) aside when picking his successor . As for McGinley, he is too decent a man to let his well-documented fallout with Clarke have an overriding bearing on his decision. Rather, he will put in his usual due diligence, ask the leading players what they think and take it from there. Which leaves the players’ representative, and clearly a key man in deciding a contest that presently looks too close to call. Expect the captain to be announced early in the New Year at a glitzy press conference in London or at Wentworth. So much for the thought American interest in the Ryder Cup might wane because they keep losing. For evidence, just witness the extraordinary bloodletting that has been going on over the past week, culminating in captain Tom Watson’s remarkable mea culpa statement over the weekend. They care, all right. My favourite moment was PGA of America president Ted Bishop highlighting the fact that 2012 captain Davis Love was the only American incumbent this century who had been blooded in the manner of each European skipper, in first serving an apprenticeship as vice-captain. This from the man who appointed Watson, who hadn’t been near a Ryder Cup in over 20 years! American 2012 Ryder Cup skipper Davis Love III served as vice-captain before his appointment as captain . Forgotten amidst all the hankering for the return of Paul Azinger and his ‘pod’ system that proved successful in 2008 was the fact that Love was actually a really good captain at Medinah. He just got unlucky when Justin Rose holed a couple of putts from downtown on that miraculous Sunday. As for the next American captain, there’s a perfect candidate staring them in the face and it isn’t Azinger, who’ll just give the thing a nasty edge. Steve Stricker is their Paul McGinley. ‘I regret that my words may have made the players feel that I didn’t appreciate their commitment and dedication to winning the Ryder Cup. I was their captain and, in hindsight, whatever mistakes that were made were mine.’ US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson walks the higher ground following locker-room revelations from Gleneagles. What could possibly have made the players feel unappreciated? Perchance Tom’s less-than-inspiring rallying cry, on the eve of Sunday’s singles: ‘This team sucks’? Oliver Watson poses with his Dunhill Links trophy after his victory at the Old Course on Sunday . What is it about men from Nottingham and finding their way back at the Dunhill Links at St Andrews? Eleven years after Lee Westwood won there to kickstart his journey from the wilderness all the way to world No 1, we now have the heartwarming story of Oli Wilson and his incredible victory on Sunday. How wonderfully typical of this sport that the all-conquering world No 1 should get to the 17th, the most famous hole in the game, and putt from off the green into the Road Hole bunker, while the world No 792, who had never won anywhere, should play a clutch 80-yard shot to 3ft. Given all he’s achieved this year, it probably took Rory McIlroy five minutes to get over his disappointment; for Wilson, it was the moment he had waited for all his life. | Candidates and timeframe for captaincy announcement to be discussed .
The appointment of committee representative will also be decided .
Thomas Bjorn, Darren CLarke and Miguel Angel Jiminez all in the frame for captaincy . |
136,946 | 3d23b343e8032671c0aedb54d55dba98fd9d737d | This weekend's Premier League action begins with the small matter of the north London derby on Saturday lunchtime, a fiery fixture made even more important with Tottenham and Arsenal both battling for fourth place. Spurs will undoubtedly call on the in-form Harry Kane at White Hart Lane, but another of Mauricio Pochettino's strikers can also stake a strong claim for a starting place against the Gunners. Emmanuel Adebayor, who almost joined West Ham on transfer deadline day, has scored more goals in north London derbies than any other player, beating the likes of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and former Spurs favourite Gareth Bale. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Tottenham vs Arsenal preview: Stats, facts and betting . Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has scored more goals in north London derbies than any other player . Adebayor's last goal against his former club Arsenal came in a 5-2 defeat at the Emirates in November 2012 . The striker, pictured scoring against Tottenham in 2008, netted eight goals against his current employers . Booed by some Tottenham fans in recent weeks, Adebayor wasn't even on the bench for last Saturday's 3-0 win at West Brom. But, having netted 10 goals in the fixture - eight of which have come in the Premier League - the statistics suggest that Pochettino should at least consider a recall for the out-of-favour forward. Adebayor, who played for Arsenal between 2006 and 2009, scored six top-flight goals against his current employers and another two in cup competitions before leaving for big-spending Manchester City in a £25million deal. He joined the Gunners' arch rivals Tottenham on loan two years later and made the move permanent in 2012, scoring twice against Arsene Wenger's men during that time. His last goal in the north London derby came at the Emirates in November 2012 when he opened the scoring before being sent off in the 18th minute for a wild tackle on Santi Cazorla. Arsenal went on to win the game 5-2. Adebayor's form in the fixture means that he is also the top scorer when it comes to Premier League games only, beating former Gunners midfielder Robert Pires by a single strike. Ex-Manchester City man Adebayor celebrates his first goal for Spurs against rivals Arsenal in February 2012 . Robert Pires, pictured scoring against Tottenham in April 2004, scored seven goals in north London derbies . Gareth Bale scores one of his five goals against Arsenal by beating goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in 2013 . The Frenchman bagged seven goals during his six-year stint under Wenger, two more than his compatriot Henry, Real Madrid star Bale and former team-mate Robin van Persie. Five players have hit four goals in the fervent fixture - Freddie Ljungberg, Rafael van der Vaart, Patrick Vieira, Theo Walcott and Ian Wright. The form of Arsenal's players in front of goal has meant Tottenham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 32 Premier League north London derbies, a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane in February 2009. Defender Emmanuel Eboue saw red in the first half that day but the Gunners held on to claim a point, despite the best efforts of Robbie Keane on his second debut for the club. That match was one of 18 Premier League games between the two clubs to have ended in a draw, making it the most drawn fixture in the history of the competition. Wenger, who took charge at Highbury in 1996, has overseen the majority of those games but there has been notably less stability at Spurs, who have had 12 permanent managers during the Frenchman's reign. Tottenham's last clean sheet against Arsenal came in February 2009 as Emmanuel Eboue (right) saw red . Ray Parlour (left) tussles with Sol Campbell in 1995 - the last year Tottenham finished above Arsenal . Tottenham have had 12 permanent managers during Arsene Wenger's 18-year reign at Arsenal . The 65-year-old faced his 11th Tottenham manager as his side drew 1-1 with Pochettino's men back in September, while he didn't get the chance to take on Jacques Santini in 2004 as the ex-Lyon boss resigned after just 13 games in charge. Wenger has come under pressure for a shortage of silverware in recent years but he has ensured local bragging rights have remained with Arsenal fans at the end of each of his seasons in charge. Tottenham last finished above the Gunners way back in 1995 when ending the season in seventh place left them five positions better off than caretaker Stewart Houston's side. Bruce Rioch reversed the trend during the 1995-96 campaign, leading the Gunners to fifth spot and a UEFA Cup place, before Wenger took charge in October 1996. The former Monaco boss has helped his side finish above Spurs for 18 seasons, giving them a 19-year dominance over their neighbours - an English record for two clubs in the same division. | Tottenham host Arsenal at White Hart Lane on Saturday, kick-off 12.45pm .
The Gunners are fifth in the Premier League, two points above Spurs .
Emmanuel Adebayor has scored 10 goals in north London derbies .
The fixture has been drawn 18 times in Premier League history .
The Gunners have finished above Tottenham for the last 19 years . |
200,225 | 8f338582b02b062b40e91994bf7950127047e88a | A Sydney Airport maintenance worker has been charged with importing nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, worth nearly $19 million. In April, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) Officers intercepted nearly 75kg of cocaine hidden in the baggage at Sydney International Airport. Australian Federal Police say the 38-year-old worker, from Bradbury in Sydney's southwest, was allegedly waiting in the designated baggage terminal for the arrival of the two kite board bags. A 38-year-old Sydney Airport maintenance worker has been charged with importing nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine into Australia . Police say the worker, from Bradbury in Sydney's southwest, was allegedly waiting in the designated baggage terminal for the arrival of the two kite board bags . After further investigations the man was identified as allegedly removing a similar package, believed to contain 24kg of cocaine, from a golf bag in February. It's estimated the drugs had a street value of nearly $19 million, the AFP said. AFP Sydney Airport Police Commander Wayne Buchhorn said 'the arrest and the amount of cocaine seized demonstrate the ongoing commitment the AFP and its partner agencies have to keeping these drugs off Australian streets'. ACBPS Regional Commander NSW, Tim Fitzgerald, said customs and border protection officers are 'dedicated to protecting the Australian community from all threats, including those from people in positions of trust'. 'The arrest of this man should act as a warning to anyone considering abusing a privileged position at an Australian airport,' he said. The Sydney Airport worker faced court on Tuesday with charges of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. The AFP has not ruled out further arrests. It's estimated the drugs had a street value of nearly $19 million, the AFP said . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | A 38-year-old Sydney Airport maintenance worker has been charged .
In April, customs officers intercepted nearly 75kg of cocaine hidden in baggage at the airport .
The worker was allegedly waiting in the designated baggage terminal for the arrival of the two kite board bags .
The Bradbury man, in Sydney's southwest, was identified as allegedly removing a similar package in February .
It is believed the package in a golf bag contained 24kg of cocaine .
Police say it's estimated the drugs had a street value of nearly $19 million . |
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