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33,522 | 5f555cf8747d516737a8accf64d19756ab533b08 | By . Daniel Piotrowski for Daily Mail Australia . The cafe owner who refused to give a barista a job because customers would not want 'coffee made by black people' appears to have closed his shop following a boycott. As first reported by the Daily Mail Australia, Steven Hu, the owner of the Forbes and Burton cafe in Darlinghurst in inner city Sydney, made the remarks more than a week ago to Brazilian-born Australian Nilson Dos Santos, 39. The cafe has since been the subject of a widespread customer boycott as well as egging and flour bomb attacks. The coffee shop was packed with lunchtime customers the day the owner denied Mr Do Santos a job on the basis of his skin colour. But there was no one inside the cornerside store on Tuesday morning. Scroll down for video . Empty: A lone pot plant sat the door the deserted Forbes and Burton cafe in Darlinghurst when the Daily Mail Australia visited on Tuesday. The racially-charged incident involving Brazillian-born barista Nilson Dos Santos, left, and cafe owner Steven Hu, right, has sparked international headlines. Deserted: There was no sign of life inside the inner-city cafe that was the scene of the alleged racist incident the Sunday before last. Pink chairs that served as part of the cafe's outdoor setting, lower left, have been moved inside. Closed for business: A pot plant sat on the front step of the once-bustling breakfast and lunch location this morning. Unintelligible grafitti was also scrawled across the concrete out the front. The lights were off, a lone pot plant sat on the doorstep and the cafe's outdoor setting had been stacked inside. Mr Hu told Daily Mail Australia: 'I won't say anything, sorry,' and hung up. Calls to the business's landline were not returned. The coffee shop's apparent closure comes after many customers pledged to take their business elsewhere. Stunned customers walked out of the store on the day of the incident after Mr Dos Santos announced what Mr Hu had said to him. In the days since many users have posted on the cafe's Facebook page committing to a boycott. One punter, Michelle Cavanagh, wrote: 'After what I've just read about a Brazilian barista being told he couldn't have a job because he was black don't expect me to ever Grace your doors.' One-time patron Sonia Cattley said she would no longer buy her coffee there. 'I have been a regular here on the way to work....you will now be seeing me pass with a coffee from another store in my hand...absolutely disgusted.' They were joined by Viet Anh, who remarked that there were many alternative cafes nearby. 'I say definitely all people should avoid this cafe because in Darlinghurst there are no shortage of cafes.' A popular meme has also been circulated saying 'Boycott Forbes and Burton... #UnAustralian #NoRacism'. Some customers said Mr Hu could rectify the situation with an apology, and perhaps a job offer. Rachel Frere said: 'Please offer the brazilian man the job and Ill come for a coffee.' Vincent Mok added: 'Mr Hu, would you retract your comments about Mr Dos Santos, hire him, be on good terms with him and others, sincerely apologise to the world and move on? It is never too late to say sorry.' The once-popular cafe appeared to have been egged at the weekend, according to these images that were posted on social media. 'Hope your shop burns down': One of many messages left on the cafe's Facebook wall as of Tuesday morning. No staff, customers or cafe owner Steven Hu, left, were present at the Forbes and Burton cafe in Darlinghurst when the Daily Mail Australia visited on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mr Dos Santos said last week that he has received more than 20 job offers. Some comments crossed the line. 'Hope your cafe burns down,' said one recent post. While the cafe's fortunes have gone downhill, Mr Dos Santos was deluged with more than 20 job offers in the aftermath of the incident. He told Daily Mail Australia immediately following the incident: ‘I have never experienced anything like that in Australia,’ he said. ‘I love it here, I am free here, that’s why I chose to stay. I’ve always felt welcomed and accepted. For me, it was never a problem that I am black until today. Mr Hu admitted making the remarks at the time. 'There are a lot of white customers at the café and I think the clients here want local people, not African people,' he said at the time. 'We need to offer good service at this café and I think the coffee culture is more about white people. The Fair Work Ombudsman is continuing to investigate the matter. Local police said they had not received any complaints from the cafe's owner. | Sydney cafe owner told Brazilian-born Nilson Dos Santos his customers don't want 'coffee made by black people'
Now the inner city Sydney cafe has shut its doors following boycott as well as egging and flour-bomb attacks .
A lone pot plant sat on the front step, the lights were off and its outdoor chair setting was stacked inside .
Daily Mail Australia first broke the story last week . |
62,217 | b0c434d6736e888d3effcc2677c944a9e5449621 | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The number of people forced to flee their homes in Afghanistan is increasing and the conditions for the displaced are falling well below international standards, a new study by the Norwegian Refugee Council found. In 2012 alone, spreading conflict in Afghanistan has forced more than 166,000 Afghans to flee their homes, bringing the total number of people internally displaced by conflict to at least 460,000 since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, according to the council's report. The numbers alone don't tell the full story, it says. Most of the internally displaced people "are living in appalling conditions and in situations of extreme poverty," Dan Tyler, protection and advocacy manager at NRC Afghanistan, told CNN. India-Pakistan dynamic holds key to Afghanistan's future . Lack of employment, insufficient food and water supplies, and poor quality housing or shelters -- typically tents or unsubstantial mud homes -- are among the problems internally displaced people are facing, especially during the winter, when their shelters can not offer enough protection against the cold, the report says. Last winter brought Afghanistan's displacement crisis into sharp focus, and revealed the scale of suffering facing displaced people, with reports of "at least 100 confirmed deaths, mostly of children, who died from the cold or illness in Kabul alone," Tyler said. One of the displaced people, Mohammad Ibrahim, 42, fled his home in Greshk district of southern Helmand province almost three years ago with his wife and five children. Now he lives under a mud hut in a makeshift camp in the eastern part of Kabul, the capital city. "I am really worried about what will happen to our children this winter," Ibrahim told CNN. "Last winter more than 10 children died just in our makeshift camp due to cold, and I don't know how many more would die this winter, which has already started." Ibrahim added that last year he thought that he would be in a better situation by this year's winter, "but I was wrong." The study also says that displaced families report facing obstacles to find health services and to access education for their children, with over a third of the displaced children lacking access to schools. According to Tyler, very few provinces are immune from either receiving or creating internally displace people, but the southern and southeastern regions are the main origination areas, and the majority of people go to big cities, especially Kabul, where security and livelihood opportunities, as well as access to services, is perceived to be greater. Afghan bank fraud siphoned out savers' money, independent report says . The report adds that more than half of the people surveyed identified the Taliban and other anti-government groups as the key causes of insecurity in their homes communities and the primary drivers of their displacement. The Norwegian Refugee Council's study reveals worrying gaps in protection and assistance because of the challenges of collecting information and coordinating responses amid increasing insecurity. Many humanitarian actors tasked with collecting data on displacement have limited access to those most in need, it says. The Afghan government's response to the displacement crisis has also been inadequate, the report says. Insufficient funding, capacity and lack of expertise on the part of central and local authorities means conditions for the displaced, both during the period of their displacement and during the course of their return have fallen well below international standards, according to the study. "There is also concern that, as international troops withdraw from Afghanistan (by 2014), there will be less funding available to meet the humanitarian needs" of internally displaced people, Tyler said. There is growing awareness that during and beyond the security transition, more would need to be done to profile the needs of displaced people. "But whether the humanitarian community will have time to prepare (for), or the funding to respond to a deepening displacement crisis is far from certain," he warned. Opinion: Five ways to fix Afghanistan . | In 2012 alone, more than 166,000 Afghans have fled their homes, a new report says .
The Norwegian Refugee Council found most are "living in appalling conditions"
The internally displace people lack access to health and education resources, it says .
The Afghan government's response has been inadequate, the report adds . |
227,734 | b2ddf959a25bca4b5d147b0811c055efa899d672 | (CNN) -- Chris Pirillo is many things: a self-proclaimed geek, a blogger, an entrepreneur -- and according to him, an average gamer. The 38-year-old founder of blogging network Lockergnome loves the casual game. The pick-it-up, put-it-down, stress-free app. Pirillo has played his share of games like "Cube Runner" and "A Monster Ate My Homework." He even jumped on the "Words with Friends" bandwagon, but found the Scrabble-like game to be a little too much work. "The problem with games is they're usually so overly complex. If I can't figure it out within a minute, I move on," said the Seattle resident, who is an occasional CNN.com contributor. "And you know, there are lot more people like me than people who would take a lot of time to get into a game." Then came "Draw Something." Pirillo came across the game -- a digital variation on Pictionary, with a dash of Hangman -- recently while browsing the latest apps on his iPad. He downloaded it, connected to Facebook and started playing. He was instantly hooked. Now Pirillo easily blows through a couple of hours a night playing the game. "What draws people is the drawing," Pirillo said with a laugh. "Everyone likes to doodle. Who doesn't like to doodle? It's fun, it's easy, it doesn't take any thinking. Not any, but just a little." The app, created and released by gaming developer OMGPop, has enjoyed unbelievable success in its short life. It has attracted more than 35 million users in the two months since its release -- a remarkable amount for a game that has no clear-cut winners, losers or "Angry Birds"-like levels of achievement. "Draw Something" spent weeks as the No. 1 free app on the iPad and iPhone, and OMGPop was snapped up last month by Zynga, the king of the social-gaming industry, for about $200 million. How it works . Playing the game is simple once you scan your social-network contacts for someone to play with. The app gives you three choices of things to draw; you pick a word and then draw it with your finger on the touchscreen, using the basic colors provided in the app. Your friend hopefully deciphers your picture and guesses it correctly, then draws a picture for you in return. The back and forth continues in an addictive cycle. There's no winner; instead, players work together to build streaks of correctly guessed drawings. Dan Porter, former CEO of OMGPop turned a vice president of Zynga, said they were inspired to create something that was close to a party game -- targeted at everyone and not too competitive. "We wanted to be that game that was on the phone of the people who had no other games on their phone," Porter said. "We thought it would do well. But we were shocked that it did this well." The point system complements the easygoing nature of the game. Players have the ability to pick from a list of three words, which range in difficulty. Harder words are worth more virtual coins, which can be cashed in for features or hints within the game. What's interesting is how these points work. The person drawing gets coins if the other player guesses it correctly. The person guessing is given the same number of coins for guessing it. Pirillo thinks this system is very intelligent. "It's not a competition, it's about collaboration," he said. "You owe it to the other person as a player to get what's in your head." This may be a factor of why the game is thriving in more than 80 countries, in the hands of people of all ages. Porter thinks Zynga's support and infrastructure will enable them to make significant improvements to the game -- such as incorporating a chat feature or letting players save their drawings within the app. Currently, players must use the screen-grab function on their phone or tablet to save images of their drawings. A game of leisure . Varsha Swamy, a 50-year-old mother of two and the manager of Studio One Eighty Nine in Mumbai, India, was invited to play the game on her iPad by her daughters in the United States. She says the main appeal of "Draw Something" is that it's a game of leisure, as opposed to a game like "Scramble with Friends" where you are working against the clock. "You're relaxed, you're playing it at your own time and pace, you erase it, then you draw it again," she said with a laugh. Players say being able to draw a word at their own pace, in whatever style they choose, opens new windows of creativity and self-expression. To Swamy, it's also a window into your partner's mind. "When you're drawing, you're illustrating what you're thinking," she explained. This thought process is visible in full when playing the game, which shows your drawing being created, line by line, as your partner tries to guess what it is. Once a line is off your fingertip and onto the digital canvas, there is no retracting it -- you can erase and start over, although the entire process, including all your mistakes, will be recreated for your partner as well. This is unnerving to a number of people, especially if they feel their artistic skills are not up to par. Swamy admits that she didn't like the game at first because she doesn't consider herself to be a great artist. "I think what inhibits people from maybe playing a lot of this game is their drawing skills," she said. But that didn't stop her from trying. "Once I got used to it and figured out all the colors and the thickness of the pen and stuff, I realized I could do a lot of things." Users agree that, like Pictionary, success at "Draw Something" is not about artistic talent but about providing the right clues for the other person. "I think anybody who can draw a face -- not a proper face, but two dots and a nose and a smile, can play," said Swamy, who has hit a streak of 80 correctly guessed drawings in one of her games. Lost in translation? Words and celebrities from present-day popular culture -- say, Twitter, or Rihanna -- make the game refreshing for some players. For others, they're more of a hurdle. Even Pirillo, some years younger than Swamy, said he has trouble guessing words like "Lil' Wayne," the rapper. He also wouldn't play the word "Android" for his mother. "I don't know if she would have the same cultural language everyone else has," Pirillo said. The game's American-centric cultural references also throw some international players off. To Swamy, "football" does not mean the same thing in Europe or India as it does in America, and the word "Tebowing" results in a mental blank. Twenty-one-year-old Rodrigo Llorente of Madrid faces similar cultural and lingual battles daily on "Draw Something." "Some of [the words] are weird," the Icade University student said. "But you can check them in the dictionary." That doesn't discourage Llorente from playing. In fact, he finds it a great learning experience. "This is helpful for learning more English, which is very good in my opinion," he said. "Enjoyment plus knowledge is great." Zynga's Porter addressed some of these issues when speaking with CNN. "I would love to do more stuff that is relevant for an international audience," he said. "We are about to put a slew of famous footballers in the game for the Euro Cup, for example." A new way to connect . Meanwhile, "Draw Something" players continue to share their scribbled masterpieces, their private doodles and their sometimes embarrassing trains of thought. Players say that while you can play with strangers, the game is a unique and intimate way to communicate with parents, significant others and kids. Swamy loves playing with her daughter, and even her daughter's boyfriend, in the United States. For her, it's a new way of keeping in touch with loved ones who are far away. Pirillo, who has hit round 79 with his wife, sees "Draw Something" as a different way of connecting to someone you know so well. "I am not much of an artist, but I am learning more how to make people laugh in the game," Porter said. "I also like to play with my sons Miles and Joshua, as it gives me a window into how they think." Porter saves and cherishes many of their drawings. | "Draw Something," a hit mobile game, lets players take turns drawing, guessing objects .
It's been the No. 1 free app on the iPad, iPhone and has attracted 35 million users .
Player on the game's appeal: "It's not a competition, it's about collaboration" |
227,584 | b2adaa5864176fd090ebd5b91c6872c0f7e359c1 | Kevin Durant has a fractured right foot and the NBA's MVP seems likely to be sidelined for at least the start of the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder said Durant informed the team of 'discomfort' in his right foot after practice a day earlier. He underwent tests and the team said Sunday in a statement he was diagnosed with a 'Jones' fracture - a broken bone at the base of the small toe. It's unclear how the injury happened. The Thunder said traditional treatment requires surgery, and recent NBA cases have resulted in a return to play in six to eight weeks. Kevin Durant (right) could be ruled out for up to eight weeks after breaking a bone at the base of his toe . Oklahoma City Thunder star Durant takes a breather before facing the Denver Nuggets in an exhibition . 'We are in the process of collaboratively evaluating the most appropriate next steps with Kevin, his representatives, and Thunder medical personnel,' general manager Sam Presti said. 'Until a course of action is determined, we are unable to provide a timeline specific to Kevin's case.' Durant won the scoring title last season, collected his first MVP award and led the Thunder to the Western Conference finals. He skipped playing for the U.S. national team in this summer's Basketball World Cup so he could get additional rest. He played in two pre-season games before complaining of pain. Durant ends up on the floor after seeing a shot blocked by Denver Nuggets centre Timofey Mozgov . | Kevin Durant informed team officials about 'discomfort' in his right foot .
He underwent tests and was found to have broken a bone at the base of his small toe .
Traditional treatment involves surgery and he could need eight weeks off .
Durant had played to two pre-season games prior to the injury . |
160,570 | 5b95265334233cc8cac0aca98f0591f65659cb14 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:32 EST, 19 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:45 EST, 19 February 2014 . Chris Christie has lost 100 lbs since last year, deeming his weight-loss surgery a success, experts have said. The 5 ft 11 New Jersey Governor underwent lap-band surgery in February 2013 and has since slimmed down to an estimated 320 lbs - losing anywhere between 90 and 100 lbs. While the politician may still appear portly, a top bariatric-surgery expert said his mega loss means his surgery has been a success, despite speculation that his weight loss has slowed. 'We're trying to get somebody into a . healthy lifestyle and reduce their obesity-related conditions,' Dr. Ninh T. Nguyen, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, told NBC. Slimmed down: Chris Christie is pictured left ahead of his lap band surgery in February 2013 and right in January. Experts say they believe he has lost between 40 and 45 per cent of his excess body weight . 'We're not trying to make somebody skinny here.' Nguyen said he predicts Christie has lost 40 per cent to 45 per cent of his excess weight in the first year, which is expected for someone after being fitted with a lap band. 'From the images I saw, I would say, yes, I would regard it as successful,' Nguyen said. Dr. Thomas Inge, a bariatric expert at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, agreed it had been a success, and commended Christie for keeping off the weight despite his professional pressures. 'With everything the man is dealing with, it is a wonder he has done so well,' Inge told NBC News. Christie, who has been embroiled in the bridge closing scandal in recent weeks, has remained largely quiet about the weight loss, although he did reveal in September that he is more than halfway to his goal. Before: An image taken in November 2012 shows Christie with his daughter Bridget ahead of the surgery . Getting there: Images taken in May, left, and July, right, show Christie slimming down over time . His . decision to manage his weight has been seen by some as a clear signal . he has his eye on the national stage, likely a presidential bid, but . Christie downplayed any political motivation. He insisted his . only motivation was his wife Mary Pat, whom he married in 1986, and . their four children, who he said had quietly worried about his health. 'It has nothing to do the performance of my job,' he told People magazine last May. He added to the magazine that his life felt drastically different since he underwent the surgery on February 16. Looking good: Christie, pictured this month, has lost as much as 100 lbs, experts believe . Priority: Christie has denied losing weight for his career and instead said he lost it for his wife and children, pictured together last November . 'This seems... to be getting at the root of the problem, which . is that I was hungry all the time,' he said. 'I'm not nearly as interested in food as I used to be. But Christie added that he was wary of getting too excited about the amount of weight he has lost. 'I've had past success that has lapsed back,' he said. 'So I'm leery of victory laps.' | New Jersey Governor was fitted with lap band in February 2013 .
Experts predict that he has lost as much as 45 per cent of his excess weight - meaning he dropped to an estimated 320 lbs .
He has claimed that the weight loss surgery was for his family, not career . |
27,286 | 4d61dff8323973337c9f8093dd238f7157c20221 | By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:20 EST, 30 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:57 EST, 1 May 2013 . A little girl given a five per cent chance of survival after she developed a rare infection from chickenpox has made a miraculous recovery - thanks to doctors who battled to save her. Three-year-old Libbie Handley developed Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome from a routine case of chickenpox. Within hours of showing symptoms, she was fighting for her life. By the time her mother Janine got her to . a doctor, Libbie's heart rate was at 200 beats per minute, rather than . the expected 140, and she was struggling to breathe. All doctors could do was to give her manual chest compressions to keep air going into her body and her blood circulating. Libby Handley nearly died after developing rare complication Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome from chickenpox. But doctors battled to keep her alive by pumping her chest manually for three days. Remarkably, they did this day and night for three days until she could be transferred to a specialist hospital where she was put on a machine to breathe and circulate blood for her. Her mother Janine, 24, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, said: 'Libbie picked up chickenpox from her five-year-old sister Tialir and I didn't think there was anything to worry about. 'But within a few hours, she was being tested for meningitis and her health was rapidly deteriorating. She didn't look like my little girl anymore.' Libbie began struggling to breathe and her oxygen levels dropped, while doctors desperately tried to give her fluids and the correct medication to fight off the infection. However, as medics battled to save the youngster's life, her body began to shut down, so Libbie was put into an induced coma. Just one in 30,000 children contract Streptococcus Toxic Shock Syndrome each year and of these, only four in 10,000 will survive. Her only chance of survival was to be hand-ventilated until she was well enough to be hooked up to a ventilation machine. Ms Handley said: 'One doctor was having to hand-ventilate her because if he stopped, she would have died. I Just kept thinking, he's got to stop at some point, then my little girl will be gone.' Mother Janine Handley said she wasn't concerned when three-year-old daughter Libbie (left) caught chickenpox from five-year-old sister Tialir (right). But within hours, Libbie was developing worrying symptoms so Ms Handley sought medical help. Expecting the worst, Janine had Libbie baptised before she was moved from Tameside Hospital to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital for further treatment - still being hand-ventilated throughout the journey. Janine was told that the only hope was to hook Libbie up to an 'ECMO' machine - a specialist machine which would take over from her hand ventilation treatment. The machine takes blood out of the body, cleans it, while taking on the role of the heart and the lungs. But with just eight machines in the UK, at hospitals so distant that could put Libbie's life at risk, her chances seemed even slimmer than before. Doctors did not have the hi-tech ECMO machine they needed to keep Libbie's heart and lungs working so they took it in turns to manually pump her chest for 72 hours . Eventually Libbie was put on an ECMO machine which kept her alive artificially whilst she fought off the deadly infection she developed . However the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool found her a place after specialists emphasised how serious Libbie's case was. 'I was told Libbie had just five per cent chance of survival. It was terrifying,' said Janine. Libbie was placed on the ECMO machine for eight days, but after just six, there was a malfunction, meaning she had to be taken off the ventilator while doctors removed it, risking her life. But, amazingly, she survived on her own, and her vital statistics remained consistent for 20 minutes while she remained unaided. Ms Handley says that while doctors said daughter Libbie (left) may struggle a little in school, she has been left with no lasting damage after the infection. Libbie caught chickenpox from sister Tialir (right). Janine said: 'I was petrified she wasn't going to make it but she stayed perfect throughout. It was amazing to see her without needing constant help.' Doctors replaced the ventilator to ensure her heart and lungs were not damaged, and she was taken off the machine after eight days. But Janine's worry wasn't over as she was yet to discover whether her daughter had suffered any lasting damage from the infection. She said: 'Eventually Libbie came round and I was expecting to get my little girl back. But she was having problems with her movement and coordination.' Back to normal: Young Libbie now enjoys playing with her big sister Tialir. 'My Tialir' were the first words Libbie uttered after spending days in an induced coma. Finally, with her mum at her bedside, Libbie spoke her first words following her ordeal. 'She whispered "My Tialir",' said Janine. 'I was over the moon because I knew she could remember her life before, and she and her sister were always so close.' After four further days, Libbie began to walk again and showed no serious, lasting damage. It is thought she may struggle slightly when she goes to school, but doctors have been amazed by her recovery. Janine said: 'They nicknamed her the "ECMO Baby" because they have never seen a baby on the treatment recover so well. 'We were told she's the worst case they have ever had to put on the ECMO machine. 'She's an amazing little girl and has totally changed since she was poorly. She sings everything now and makes herself heard with everything. She's a little miracle.' | Three-year-old Libbie Handley developed rare infection from chickenpox .
Her heart rate went up to 200 beats a minute and she struggled to breathe .
The only way doctors at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital could keep her alive was to manually give her chest compressions for 72 hours .
She was eventually put on special ECMO machine which did job of her heart and lungs until she fought off infection and regained consciousness .
She has since made a full recovery and has suffered no long-term damage . |
43,010 | 794e2b53cd888fdfdecb763ad28e1532ee342609 | (CNN) -- Austrian officials are seeking to secure the release of two Austrian nationals who were kidnapped by an al Qaeda group while vacationing in North Africa ahead of a midnight Sunday deadline. Reinhard and Christine Lenz, right, the parents of kidnapped Austrian Andrea Kloiber. "There are efforts in all areas, unrelenting efforts to secure the earliest possible release of our citizens," Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal told CNN. The team of high-ranking government officials met Sunday morning and planned to work throughout the day, he said. Wolfgang Ebner, 51, and Andrea Kloiber, 44, were last heard from on February 18 while on a vacation in southern Tunisia, foreign ministry spokesman Martin Gaertner said. Earlier this month, the Austrian government received an audio message via the Internet from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claiming to have kidnapped the pair. The kidnappers' primary demand is the release of five prisoners in Algeria and Tunisia, Launsky-Tieffenthal said. While the kidnappers have set a midnight deadline, there are preliminary indications that it may be extended, he said. The government is in contact with authorities in Tunisia, Algeria, and Mali in an effort to find the missing duo, who are from the Austrian town of Hallein. A few weeks ago, the kidnappers released a set of written demands and six photographs that include images of the Austrians. Among the images was one that appeared to show the pair flanked by men holding assault rifles and a rocket launcher. Another appeared to show more than 15 group members -- several of them armed. Kloiber's face is obscured in all of the photographs in which she appears. E-mail to a friend . | Officials battling a midnight deadline to secure release of kidnapped Austrians .
Wolfgang Ebner, 51, and Andrea Kloiber, 44, captured on holiday in Tunisia .
Al Qaeda contacted Austrian government to seek release of five prisoners . |
243,889 | c7b03515893eaa7f008dac5f9d89ce7c8315a779 | (CNN) -- A Texas inmate who escaped last week -- on foot even though he was thought to need a wheelchair -- has been recaptured, the U.S. Marshals Service said Monday. Arcade Comeaux Jr., 49, was carrying two loaded pistols when he was arrested without incident at 7:40 a.m. at a business in Houston, Texas, said U.S. Deputy Marshal Alfredo Perez. "[Comeaux] was cold, wet, tired and hungry. He had had enough," Perez said. "He was tired of running." The arrest was made by two Houston police officers responding to a suspicious-person call about a man who matched Comeaux's description. Comeaux was sitting in the lobby a northeast Houston business, apparently in search of warmth and shelter, when officers approached, according to Houston officer Adrian Rodriguez. "As soon as we saw him, we knew it was him," Rodriguez said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Comeaux was serving three life sentences when he escaped on November 30 while being transferred by two armed guards from Huntsville to Stiles. He produced a weapon and forced the two correctional officers to drive instead to Baytown, near Houston, where he handcuffed them together in the back of the van, took their weapons and one of their uniforms and ran away, officials said. Perez said authorities haven't confirmed whether the two pistols found on Comeaux Monday are the guards' weapons, "but they look to be the same." Perez said the marshals service had fielded hundreds of calls of sightings by citizens over the past week, and were responding to a Crimestoppers tip in the same area when they saw Comeaux taken into police custody. More than $30,000 in reward money had been posted by law enforcement agencies for information leading to his arrest. Comeaux was being transported Monday afternoon back into the custody of the Texas prison system, Perez said. Comeaux, who was on the marshals' list of 15 most-wanted fugitives, was serving time for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he escaped. The 6-foot, 200-pound man was shackled and in a wheelchair, which he had said was needed for mobility, according to Michelle Lyons, director of public information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. Some 45 minutes into the transfer trip, as they were driving through Conroe, 40 minutes north of Houston, the prisoner pulled out a pistol and ordered the guards to drive south to Baytown. He fired once, but hit no one, officials said. Law enforcement officers found the unharmed officers an hour later. Comeaux was being transferred so he could be near a hospital in Galveston for treatment of the supposed paralysis he had suffered during a reported stroke, officials said. Comeaux's criminal record dates back more than three decades. In 1979, he received three 10-year sentences for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, and burglary of a building with the intent to commit theft, all in Harris County. He was released on mandatory supervision in 1983, but he was returned to prison in 1984 after being convicted of indecency with a child and sentenced to 20 years. In June 1991, he was released on mandatory supervision but returned as a violator four months later. Paroled in December 1993, he was returned as a parole violator a year later. In February 1996, he was again paroled, but was returned to prison in June 1998 with a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault. Though he had been in prison since, his criminal record didn't end. In July 1999, he used his wheelchair to pin his wife against a wall during a contact visit and stabbed her 17 times with a homemade knife, said John Moriarty, inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He also stabbed another prison visitor who tried to intervene; both victims survived. For that, Comeaux was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and received two additional life sentences. He now will face additional felony charges. His escape led the legislator whose committee oversees Texas' criminal justice system to call for a shakeup of the prison system. "We just can't have security breaches of this nature," said Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat from Houston who is chairman of the state Senate's Criminal Justice Committee. Moriarty said such lapses are highly unusual in the state's penal system. "We have no open gun investigations other than this one," he said. "The last one was several years ago." | NEW: Arcade Comeaux Jr. was "cold, wet, tired and hungry," official says .
NEW: Police say Comeaux had two pistols, was captured without incident .
Comeaux escaped last week while being transported between prisons .
He escaped on foot although he was supposedly paralyzed, officials say . |
9,870 | 1bfb265aa6acfd584634b555f13895e2d9de5cf8 | (CNN) -- Several women who publicly supported a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's de facto ban on women driving fear they are being followed and investigated by the country's secret police. The women, who requested anonymity due to their concerns for their safety, described to CNN Monday how they'd been "followed by cars filled with men since Saturday," when dozens of women across the kingdom participated in the October 26 Women's Driving Campaign. At least five women said vehicles had been parked outside their houses since Saturday. "I don't know for sure if it is secret police or just men trying to harass us because we want the right to drive, but they are trying to intimidate us," said one woman. "I'm positive I'm being followed by the secret police since Saturday," said another, who added she'd gotten no official word she was being investigated. Over the weekend, in an extraordinary act of civil disobedience, at least 41 women got behind the wheel and drove on the streets of various Saudi cities. Many filmed themselves and uploaded those videos to YouTube. Now, several of them say the euphoria of that moment has quickly turned to worry over what might happen to them next. Many wonder if they'll be punished for hitting the open road in such a closed society. While no formal law exists in Saudi Arabia specifically barring women from driving, religious edicts are often interpreted there to mean it is illegal for females to do so. Other Saudi women have been penalized in the past for defying the ban. In 1990, a group of 47 women protested the prohibition by driving through the streets of Riyadh, the country's capital. After being arrested, many lost their jobs and were placed under a travel ban. In 2011, women's rights activist Manal Al-Sharif spent nine days in jail for posting online a video of herself driving. Adding to their fears, the women say, is the detention of a man who worked closely with the campaign. They say Tariq Al-Mubarak, a columnist and teacher, was called in for questioning by the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution in Riyadh on Sunday and has not been released yet. Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry would neither confirm nor deny if Al-Mubarak was being held. Reached via text message, Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the Interior Ministry's spokesman, responded to CNN, saying, "as far as I know, the Bureau of Investigation (BIP) doesn't detain anybody, but they could call people for questioning or interrogation." Despite repeated attempts, CNN was unable to reach the BIP for comment and was told by Al-Turki that the agency has no spokesperson. When asked if Saudi women who participated in or supported the women's driving campaign were being targeted, followed or investigated, Al-Turki told CNN, "I don't understand the reason to follow anybody. If we have anything against anyone we would act according to the laws." One woman, whose worry is growing by the hour, said participants in the movement only wanted to "emphasize to the Saudi government that this campaign is not a challenge to the Saudi government." She described the campaign, which has gained serious momentum since it was first announced in late September, as "just following up on King Abdullah and other officials' words in the past that the women's driving issue is one for society to decide." "We just want to be allowed to drive our own cars," she said. Saudi Arabia is still very much split over the question of women driving, with many women there supporting not just the driving ban, but also in favor of the conservative kingdom's guardianship system, which mandates that Saudi women cannot go to school, get a job or even travel without permission from their male guardians. Asked about the issue at a regular briefing Monday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department voiced support for Saudi women's "ability to drive." "We support, of course, the right of women everywhere to make their own decisions about their lives and their futures, and the right to benefit equally from public services and protection from discrimination," said Jen Psaki, the spokeswoman. "We support the full inclusion of women in Saudi society." She said that the Unites States raises "human rights issues, equal rights issues, frequently with the Saudi government." | NEW: U.S. supports women's "ability to drive," State Department official says .
The Women's Driving Campaign event on Saturday drew many supporters .
Some women who participated now fear repercussions .
Religious edicts have been interpreted as meaning women shouldn't drive . |
354 | 010cb4b1c6f32c2a909cd6032edb8cb23df18d5f | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 05:36 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:40 EST, 14 March 2014 . Britain is ready for a gay Prime Minister, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband have claimed. The Lib Dem and Labour leaders said social attitudes had changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Voters would judge a potential prime minister on their ability to lead rather than their sexuality, they said. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg (left) said voters would judge a leader on their ability not their sexuality and Labour leader Ed Miliband said he expects there to be a gay PM . Senior politicians from all parties were challenged over the politics of sexuality as gay marriage became law in England and Wales last night. The first ceremonies are due to take place on March 29. Asked whether the public would accept a gay PM, Mr Clegg told GT magazine: ‘Yes and why not? ‘Being gay doesn't affect how you work, how you interact with people or how you make decisions. I'm confident that the British people would judge him or her on their ability to lead and be a good prime minister and not on who they choose to share their life with.’ Mr Clegg said he hoped in the future children would not dread coming out to their parents. He added: ‘I would have no issues at all if one of my boys told me that he liked another boy. ‘It's not a choice, it's who you are and I would love my boys regardless of their sexuality. ‘I just hope that some day coming out to your parents is not going to be something you dread but something you will remember fondly.’ Mr Miliband said he expects there to be a gay PM in the future as social attitudes have driven a series of changes, including equal marriage, in the last 20 years. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government was attempting to fight prejudice where it remains . The Labour leader said: ‘Yes. I think the world has changed a lot. ‘If you think about the way the world has changed in the last 20 years since I was at college we've seen the repeal of Section 28, we've seen civil partnerships, the lowering of the age of consent, equal marriage and that has been driven by change in social attitudes and that is why I think absolutely it's foreseeable to have a gay prime minister. ‘The most important thing to me is that my kids are happy and I don't care whether they're gay or straight. That's what matters to me.’ To date there have been no openly gay leaders of any of the main political parties in Westminster. Ruth Davidson, Tory leader in Scotland, is the first out female leader of a major party in the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron said ‘sexual orientation should be neither here nor there’ as people are helped to achieve their full potential - including becoming PM. He added that more role models - either straight or gay - were needed to encourage best behaviour in sport, adding clubs ‘must tackle problems on the terraces’. In an open letter, Mr Cameron said he was proud to be PM of a country judged to be the ‘best place to live in Europe if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans(gender)’, adding the Government was attempting to fight prejudice where it remains. On sport, the Conservative went on: ‘We are working to break down barriers in sport, too. People should be able to excel in sport regardless of their sexuality - but we know how hard it's been. ‘We have seen the enormously positive reaction to people like Thomas Hitzlsperger and Gareth Thomas being open about their sexuality, and hopefully that will encourage others to be more open too. ‘But we need more role models, straight and gay, to encourage the best behaviour and clubs must tackle problems on the terraces.’ | Lib Dem Nick Clegg says being gay doesn't affect how you work .
Labour's Ed Miliband hails change in social attitudes over the last 20 years .
Prime Minister David Cameron called for gay role models in sport . |
44,093 | 7c5c5d182a76e26f8234bacca8c0ec04a16dae21 | (WIRED) -- Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's complete do-over of its mobile operating system, is off to a promising start with the Samsung Focus. Despite a few imperfections with usability and web browsing, the big M has polished a gem with this OS, and it truly shines through this iPhone lookalike's beautiful display. The Focus feels slick and smooth the first time you pick it up. It's a teensy bit longer, wider and thicker than the iPhone 4 (4.84 x 2.56 x 0.39 inches compared with the iPhone 4's 4.5 x 2.31 x 0.37 inches). And the Focus is lighter at 4.07 ounces, versus the iPhone 4's 4.8 ounces. Holding it in your hand, you can tell the Samsung phone's plastic parts are a bit cheaper than Apple's luxury glass-and-metal components. That's not to say the Focus isn't a sweet device, though: The vivid Super AMOLED display makes Windows Phone 7's colorful tile-based interface a visual treat. Selecting a tile brings you into a "hub" containing integrated experiences for different features. For example, the Marketplace hub displays the four different software stores where you can purchase media: third-party apps, games, music and Samsung Zone, a separate app store serving software made by Samsung. WIRED: General download of Windows Phone 7 interface . You can move tiles around on the home screen to suit your preferences just by holding your finger over them and dragging. The tile interface is plenty intuitive, so you probably won't need an instruction manual when you're setting up the phone. The People tile is pretty fun: It blends your contacts list with your Facebook account. When you dial a friend's number, his or her Facebook mug appears next to the call. Selecting a contact brings up the person's phone number, e-mail address and Facebook profile all in one screen. Pretty neat. The Mail hub is especially impressive. You select your service (Hotmail, Google Mail, Yahoo! and others), enter your login info and boom -- the inbox is a tile on your home screen. The e-mail app in general looks great: Facebook integration comes into play here, too, so when you load an e-mail it's accompanied with the sender's Facebook portrait as well. To me, this visual experience makes e-mail far less boring. For transferring music, photos and video you can sync media from your computer to the Focus with a USB cable. I tested syncing on a Mac. The official syncing program for Mac users isn't available yet, but I had a chance to try the beta version, and it was surprisingly smooth at syncing music from my iTunes library and photos and video from iPhoto. (Don't get your hopes up, though: This is a feature that Apple is most likely going to break with future iTunes updates, just like it did with the Palm Pre's iTunes sync feature.) As for snapping photos, there's a dedicated shutter button on the right side of the phone to load the camera app and to take a picture. In the Photo hub, you can also enable pictures to automatically sync to a free SkyDrive folder stored online in your Hotmail account, sparing you the need to manually upload them. Overall, this entire camera experience is a lot snappier than photo features on the iPhone and Android devices. However, the pictures shot with the Focus's 5-megapixel camera are only passable, and are a little blurry even in good lighting conditions. With all that said, there were a few minor gripes that drove me a bit crazy. To wake up the phone, you have to press the physical power button on the right side. It feels unnatural to have to grip the phone and push a button on the side whenever you want to quickly check an e-mail or send a text message. I wish you could power on the device just by pressing the main menu button, which is centered under the screen -- similar to how you can press the iPhone's Home button to turn it on. And then there's the mobile version of Internet Explorer. It's not as bad as Microsoft's desktop browser, but it's not much better. The mobile browser doesn't seem to load text properly on some websites, such as Reddit and Digg. Small text doesn't render smoothly, which is evident even when loading Wired.com. Also, photos on some websites appear over-sharpened, making rough pixels become visible. Long story short, two thumbs down for Internet Explorer. Oh, yeah -- and just like the iPhone, there's no support for Adobe Flash on Windows Phone 7 (yet), so Hulu junkies won't be thrilled. The phone seemed more reliable at holding a call than the iPhone 4, but it wasn't any better at pulling in a signal in areas where AT&T's coverage is weak (like San Francisco's Mission District). My testing was hardly scientific, though. Texting is surprisingly fast on the Focus. Hitting Send shoots out a text almost instantly. There's no progress bar or anything. Why can't the iPhone do that? Overall, the Samsung Focus is a solid all-around device, and the pros heavily outweigh the cons. Most of the listed problems will probably be fixed in software updates. And with Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has largely redeemed itself after putting that bloated carcass known as Windows Mobile to rest. Rest in peace -- and good riddance -- WinMo. WIRED Gorgeous tile-based UI laced with large, smooth text doesn't rip off the iPhone's app interface. Provides a rich dose of social savvy thanks to tight Facebook integration. Physical camera shutter button is a nice shortcut for shooting quick photos. TIRED Internet Explorer lives up to its super-lame reputation. Camera shots too blurry to be taken seriously. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2010 Wired.com. | Microsoft off to a promising start with the Samsung Focus .
Despite a few imperfections with usability and web browsing, the OS is a polished gem .
Windows Phone 7's colorful tile-based interface is a visual treat .
Mobile Internet Explorer isn't as bad as desktop browser, but not much better . |
78,897 | df9c4e1b8698581720b28c71f1e98f82bd6ea6e6 | (CNN) -- Heikki Kovalainen is returning to Formula One to help the team that fired him. The experienced Finnish driver is taking on a new technical development role at Caterham to help them understand why they have fallen behind their back-of-the-grid rivals Marussia. Kovalainen will return to the cockpit in first practice for the next two grands prix in Bahrain and Spain. "It's great news that I'll be on track," the 31-year-old said. "I'm really looking forward to getting back to work and helping the team as much as I can. "I'll be taking part in the two sessions to give the team my input on the new parts we're bringing to those races, and I'll be working closely with the race drivers and the engineers on track to help everyone get the most out of the new package. "I'm physically ready to get back into the car and I know my experience can help give the team new ideas and options for directions to take on setup and strategy." Kovalainen made his F1 debut in 2007 and went on to win his first race in Hungary as a McLaren driver the following year before moving to Caterham -- then called Lotus -- when they joined the grid in 2010. But the Kovalainen lost his seat at CNN-sponsored Caterham in 2013 because he was not a "pay driver" -- which meant he did not bring any money to the team. Caterham hired Frenchman Charles Pic from Russian rivals Marussia and Dutch rookie Giedo van der Garde for this season, but have fallen to 11th out of 11 teams in the constructors' championship, behind Marussia, after the first three races. The Circuit: CNN's F1 interactive . It is important to finish inside the top 10 because that entitles teams to a greater share of the sport's revenue and prize money. Caterham bosses hope new developments on their 2013 car will help them catch up on the Marussia and close the gap on the midfield runners. But team principal Cyril Abiteboul says that task relies on using the experience of Kovalainen, who had been with the team since they first turned a wheel. "Heikki has six years of F1 experience behind him so he is perfectly placed to provide us objective feedback on the various types of configurations we will run and to give us an objective view of the 2013 tires against his experience with the 2012 compounds," Abiteboul explained. "Having invested in Heikki for our first three years of competition it would be a waste not to leverage the valuable expertise he brings. "As F1 is a team sport, he will also provide support to Charles and Giedo, who are both doing a good job in their first months with the team." The restructuring of Caterham's line-up means Ma Qing Huang -- who made history when he became the first Chinese racer to drive in front of his home crowd during practice at the last race in Shanghai -- loses his role as the team's reserve as well as his place in Caterham's GP2 team. The 25-year-old will stay on Catherham's driver roster, but his role has yet to be announced. U.S. driver Alexander Rossi will remain the second team reserve, but will take over Ma's seat in the GP2 championship -- which is the official feeder F1 series for the next generation of drivers. Kovalainen's return to F1 coincides with discussions between tire supplier Pirelli and the sport's chief Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of running young drivers on a new tire compound in first practice to give them vital experience in F1. There are five drivers -- Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi of Marussia, Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez, Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Van der Garde of Caterham -- who joined F1 in 2013 with limited experience of driving an F1 car. | Heikki Kovalainen to return to Caterham after losing seat with the team in 2013 .
Finnish racer will drive for Caterham in first practice in Bahrain and Barcelona .
Caterham want his help in understanding 2013 car and tire behavior .
U.S. racer Alexander Rossi takes over Caterham GP2 drive from China's Ma Qing Hua . |
235,241 | bc898ab63874e26a12c1a2795e18c67c3d44b892 | A California man who set out to see what a homeless person would so with a cash donation of $100 says that no one is more surprised than he at what eventually transpired. YouTube personality Josh Paler Lin — who has become somewhat known for his viral video pranks - uploaded a video on Monday that starts out with him handing a street beggar in Los Angeles the cash, then secretly following the man with a camera to see what he does. When the man, known only as Thomas walks straight into a nearby Liquor Mart, Paler Lin believes he got the result he had though. However Thomas actually went in to buy food, and then goes straight to a park where many other homeless people gather in order to hand out the offerings. Gesture ... with an agenda: YouTube star Josh Paler Lin (right) gives $100 cash to a homeless man in LA, with the intention of following the beggar afterwards . You're welcome: The man begrudgingly accepts the money and says he is 'tearing up' Next: The man, identified only as Thomas, then walks into a Liquor Mart . Shopping: Thomas emerges with at least two black grocery bags . 'I wasn’t expecting to get this kind of footage… to be honest, I thought this video would be more an exposing homeless people video at first,' Paler Lin wrote on his YouTube page. 'But I’m so glad that I could witness and capture such a beautiful moment. 'This has to be one of the most amazing experience so far on this channel. 'I did not only just help a homeless man, but I actually met an incredible human being and a friend. 'We were following him for a couple miles for almost an hour or so.' Thomas told Paler Lin he quit his job to look after his parents, but after both of them died, he couldn't afford to pay for their condo and found himself on the street. Kindess: Thomas then goes to hand out food he bought with the money to other homeless people . Giving: The camera following Thomas show him handing food to a family . So taken aback by what happen, Paler Lin says he took the man the man out for dinner and put him up in a hotel for the night. He also gave him an extra $100 cash. 'The more I talk to him, the more I sense how genuine he is…. I gave him my number and told him to call me when he needs help. 'Never judge a book by its cover. One love!' Candid camera: Josh Paler Lin then approaches Thomas to reveal he has been followed . Grateful: Paler Lin says he was shocked at how the experiment turned out . Paler Lin also set a fundraising page on Indiegogo for Thomas, hoping to raise $10,000 for him. It has already received over $35,000 in donations. Some have questioned whether the scene was staged. However Paler Lin has maintained it all developed naturally. | YouTube star Josh Paler Lin conducted experiment with secret cameras .
Followed a homeless man in LA he gave $100 cash to .
Man goes to a Liquor Mart, but buys food .
He then hands out the food to other homeless people .
A fundraising page has received over $35,000 in donations for the man . |
93,001 | 03a404b8268612fe83a2639228424d5547ecb74d | By . Darren Boyle for MailOnline . A woman who suffers from RSI claims she's cured her pain by becoming a mermaid. Frankie Dubery, 25, has regained the use of her legs both on land and under the sea after donning a tail and taking to the water. Cambridge-graduate Frankie suffered severe repetitive strain injury after spending up to 80 hours a week at a desk. Scroll down for video . Frankie Dubery was confined to a wheelchair after suffering from a chronic case of repetitive strain injury . Her mermaid trick has enabled her to battle the debilitating illness where she is now able to walk . As part of her act, Frankie is able to dive to depths of 20 metres and hold her breath for three minutes . Housebound and miserable Frankie decided to start a company called Merlesque friends Demelza Fox and Mairead Kelly after becoming interested in mermaids. Now she can hold her breath for nearly three minutes and dive to depths of 20 metres in order to entertain the crowds of thousands the act regularly attracts. Frankie, from Orpington, Kent, said: 'Being a mermaid is like nothing else - I love it. 'My RSI left me in agony. I would be in pain before I even got out of bed in the morning. I was confined to a wheel chair and could barely leave the house. 'Starting Merlesque has given me my freedom back. RSI is recurring, but I know now that I continue being a mermaid if it does return.' After spending more than 80 hours a week at a desk, Frankie suffered serious pain in her arms and legs . Frankie launched her own business Wildfire Productions with three friends after graduating from Cambridge . Frankie studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University and graduated in 2010. During her studies she got into performance art including fire poi and trapeze. On graduating Frankie decided she wanted to be an entertainer full time but no circuses in Cambridge were recruiting full time staff. She said: 'It was a difficult economic time and there weren't many jobs available in the industry I wanted so I decided to start my own business, Wildfire Productions. 'I had an office job to support myself financially and was working on the company in my free time, so I was spending eighty hours a week at a desk. Now Frankie, pictured, has regained use of her legs due to her strenuous fitness regime . 'My wrists and fingers seized up with repetitive strain injury - I was in agony. At the same time, an old injury in my legs got worse until I couldn't walk anymore. 'I couldn't leave the house, let alone carry on with the performance that I loved. Demelza had already researched mermaids and she suggested we give it a go.' It took over a year for the three women to get their business up and running, and Merlesque Mermaids officially launched last year. Now Frankie has regained the use of her legs thanks to the exercise being a mermaid provides. She said: 'The RSI is a recurring injury, so it could come back at any time, but I know that I will always have mermaiding if it does come back. 'It's quickly become my favourite type of performance. It took a lot of research and training but I wouldn't change it for the world. 'I have even been to Thailand to certify as an advanced free-diver to improve my skills. Now I can dive to 20 metres and hold my breath for two minutes 50 seconds.' The trio now take booking for events across the country, including weddings, birthdays and corporate events, where they swim, sing and perform for the guests. | Frankie Dubery suffered the debilitating illness after sitting at her desk .
The graduate was in chronic pain spending 80 hours a week at work .
The pain was so bad, she lost the use of her legs and needed a wheelchair .
Since launching her mermaid show, Frankie has re-learned how to walk .
Now she can dive to 20 metres and hold her breath for up to three minutes . |
41,485 | 7507b80559ba6f745b076350f7ac16cc5afe6d91 | By . Mail online Reporter . New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and wife Brittany have welcomed their first baby daughter to the world with a proud parent announcement on Twitter. Brees posted an image of himself beaming and holding the newborn Tuesday morning. 'Spent the early morning of our new baby girl!' he wrote. 'Brit and she are happy, healthy, and doing great! Gods greatest gift!' New arrival: This photo released by Drew Brees shows the New Orleans Saints NFL football quarterback holding his new baby girl Tuesday . Brees missed practice Monday to make sure he could be present for the birth . The pregnancy was announced this summer. The couple already has three boys in the family: Baylen, Bowen, and Callen. Son Baylen . has already been in the limelight, taking center stage in a famous . picture of with his father celebrating New Orleans' win at Super Bowl . XLIV in 2010. Son Baylen has already been in the limelight, taking center stage in a famous picture of with his father celebrating New Orleans' win at Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 . The image, as his father acccepted the MVP award and Lombardi Trophy, appeared in Sports Illustrated. Brees has joked about having a vascetomy with such a large family. WDSU writes that Brees fatherly responsibilites kept him from practice Monday as the family readied for the new arrival. This is Brittany and Drew Brees' fourth child and first daughter, causing the quarterback to joke it might be time for a vasectomy . 'I was there to catch the snap, so to speak,' he joked at a press conference. The baby girl - who's name has yet to be announced - was born at exactly 7:43 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces. The couple will announce the name once an official birth certificate is available. | Still unnamed baby girl joins brothers Baylen, Bowen, and Callen .
Brees missed Monday practice to be there for daughter's birth .
Daughter born at exactly 7:43 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces . |
203,722 | 93bed999d4c9ecf417cf45450784ece2f8a19e68 | Hiking! Zip-lining! Rock climbing! About 30,000 Boy Scouts and 7,000 adults are out in the mountains of southern West Virginia for the National Scouts Jamboree -- and they all had to meet a body mass index cut-off. The Boy Scouts of America mandated that no one -- adult or child -- with a BMI of 40 or above could be accepted into the Jamboree, which is taking place July 15-24. This standard is not new; it was in place for the last jamboree as well, said Deron Smith, director of public relations for Boy Scouts of America. "This policy is not meant to keep anyone out at all, and it's just to make sure that they're safe," Smith said. "We offer thousands of summer camp experiences (that) do not have this requirement." The Boy Scouts' healthy living initiative has inspired children and adults alike to lose weight, Smith said. The association is encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle. But that's not how some see it. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, a nonprofit organization, has come out against the Boy Scouts' BMI policy, saying that the organization "believes that this decision promotes bias and negative attitudes and furthers the discrimination against boys of larger body size." The organization publicly demanded in a statement that the Boy Scouts "reconsider their discriminatory practices and admit camp attendees NOT based on their physical fitness, NOT based on their body size, but based on their active status as a boy scout." Most who could not meet the BMI requirement chose not to apply, Smith said. The organization does not know the number of children impacted. The Boy Scouts have not received any reactions from parents on the BMI issue, he said. For prospective participants who have a slightly lower BMI than 40, but are still obese, there are also special requirements for the jamboree, according to the Boy Scouts' website. The jamboree's medical staff needs a health history, health data and a recommendation from a personal health care provider for children with a BMI between 32 and 39.9, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be in the "obese" range. How to fix health problems with exercise . Even if the personal health care provider says there aren't any contraindications for participating, that doesn't necessarily mean a person in this BMI range will be able to participate in the whole program, the Boy Scouts' website says. People with a BMI of 31.9 or less need a medical recommendation, too, but don't receive the additional health scrutiny. Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician in Atlanta and CNN's Living Well expert, said she found the restrictions on children with a BMI of over 40 to be somewhat discriminatory. "Any organization can make their own rules, but as a pediatrician I feel like we should be promoting physical activity for everybody, be as inclusive as possible, and only exclude from activity if there's a physical threat to their health," she said. On the other hand, she noted that in some summer programs there are physical activities involving equipment that has a weight or size limit for safety reasons. That should be a restrictive factor for those particular activities, she said, because of the danger to a participant who doesn't meet the requirements. BMI is not a perfect indicator of health and fitness; a BMI of 40 means that the person's weight is much higher than average for his or her height. Muscle can elevate BMI, so some fit people have higher BMIs than normal. Physicians group labels obesity a disease . A BMI as high as 40 is unlikely to be mostly muscle, Shu said, but if there are health issues preventing that person from participating, she believes a doctor should determine that, rather than an organization making a blanket requirement. Shu doesn't look at BMI alone when filling out medical forms for children to participate in summer programs. In addition to evaluating the kids' health, she asks children how they perceive their own abilities in specific activities, such as rock climbing, and doesn't give permission for anything with which the child doesn't feel comfortable. The focus of the jamboree is not on the health requirements, Smith said. "Our motto is: Be prepared," Smith said. "We're the Boy Scouts. We've been preparing our participants for years for this." Shu offered a different perspective: "In general, we'd like to encourage physical activity for everybody." In her view, that's something the Scouts are not honoring. Read more: Opinion: Why bias puts young gays' health at risk . | No one with a BMI of 40 and above can participate in jamboree .
Boy Scouts have thousands of other summer camp experiences .
Most who could not meet the BMI requirement chose not to apply .
Nonprofit wants the Boy Scouts to reconsider BMI policy . |
186,671 | 7dcceaa60c1f9398a6b090c040c5e4eb77f14345 | By . Rob Cooper . Updated: . 01:49 EST, 26 August 2011 . Amed Pelle, 18, used Facebook to incite violence . A teenager who used Facebook to encourage the 'killing of a million police officers' during the riots has been jailed for 33 months. Amed Pelle incited his 2,000 friends on the site to commit violence and looting in Nottingham. He asked if any of them 'wanted anything' from a fashion store that was later targeted. The jobless 18-year-old posted three messages on his Facebook 'wall' on August 9, hours before serious disorder broke out in his home city. The first two read 'Nottz Riot whose onit?' and 'Kill one black youth, we kill a million Fedz (police), riot til we own cities'. It is believed the second message was a reference to Mark Duggan, whose death in Tottenham sparked the original trouble. In his third message, Pelle wrote: 'Rioting 2nyt anyone want anything from (fashion chain) Flannels?' The store, in Nottingham city centre, had its windows smashed hours later. Pelle had pleaded guilty to a breach of section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007, doing an act which was capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, namely violent disorder. Judge John Milmo told Pelle that his comments 'encouraged attacks on the people of Nottingham as a whole, and the people of other cities.' Sentencing the teenager to two years and nine months in a young offenders' institution, he added: 'Your offence was designed to, and could well have led to, increased numbers on the street intent on violence to persons and property. 'An element of deterrence is called for in cases like this. A clear signal needs to be sent out that criminal conduct of the kind demonstrated in these cases is out of order and will not be brushed under the carpet.' Ice cream thief: Anderson Fernandes, 21, was jailed - despite giving away his ice cream after just one lick . His sentence came as a looter who took just one lick of an ice cream he stole during rioting before he gave it away was jailed for 16 months. Anderson Fernandes, 21, wandered into an upmarket store in central Manchester after the door was left open and helped himself to a cone and two scoops. But despite giving it to a passer-by because he didn't like the coffee flavour he was still given a lengthy prison term. The sentence will fuel fears that courts are meting out disproportionate justice to those caught up in the disorder. Callum Marley, 20, was also locked up for 16 months in Manchester despite stealing nothing from a looted store. He crawled under ransacked shutters at a Cash Generator pawnbrokers yet left empty handed when he found nothing worth taking - because everything had been taken already. Figures last week showed that rioters were getting sentences which were '40 per cent longer' than people found guilty of equivalent offences. As the clampdown continues, Scotland Yard revealed today that over 2,000 people have been held in connection with rioting in London. Yesterday Manchester Crown Court was told that ice cream thief Fernandes, 21, was arrested after raiding Patisserie Valerie because he left DNA behind at the scene. He admitted burglary and an unconnected charge of handling a stolen vacuum cleaner after his arrest. Upmarket shop: Fernandes walked into this Patisserie Valerie in Manchester and helped himself to a cone and two scoops of ice cream . The court heard that Fernandes had already appeared in court charged with possessing drugs and an offensive weapon on the same day he got mixed up in the disorder. Michael McQuillan, defending, said: 'He is remorseful and fully accepts how serious the matter was and why courts take such a serious view of this type of behaviour. Jailed: Callum Marley, 21, left, was jailed for 16 months despite having taken nothing from a pawnbrokers. Amateur footballer Fabrice Bembo-Leta, 19, right, was also jailed after looting a footwear store . A looter was picked out from a mob because he was wearing a distinctive Batman jumper, a court heard. Benjamin King, 20, was jailed for 16 months after admitting burglary from a central Manchester clothes store. He took a . rucksack and another branded bag - . handing one of them over to a looter who couldn't carry what he had . stolen. Adrian Palmer, defending, told Manchester Crown Court the defendant had gone into the city centre with 'inquisitive rather than malicious' intent, and had made no attempt to evade responsibility for the . 'wrongdoing' which followed. Judge Michael Henshell, sentencing, said: . 'The cases we have heard today illustrate this with perfect clarity. Items as trivial as ice cream cones, handbags and T-shirts. 'Looked at in . isolation the theft or handling of property such as this could be . described as low-level offending. 'However, crowds are composed of . individuals playing a part, large or small. This results in others being . drawn in and becoming part of the general offending, thereby making the . situation worse.' 'It's not the fact of the offence he committed, it's the fact he's committed it in circumstances where there's public disorder.' Fernandes, from Newton Heath, was among a group of young men who appeared at Manchester Crown Court yesterday charged over the riots. The court was told that Marley, who fled a Cash Generator store empty-handed, was caught after cutting himself on glass as he tried to find something worth taking. Andrew Evans, defending, said: . 'He stood and watched for about ten minutes as people left the store . with all sorts of electrical items and went in in the same amoral, . unthinking manner in which people in a mob do. 'He clambered in, cut . himself on the glass. He'd left it far too late - he left with nothing.' A man who was so drunk he forgot he had been on a riot was jailed for two years at the same court. Dean Millers, 21, from Salford, left a fingerprint on a camera case at Jessops in central Manchester and blood on a cigarette cupboard. Paul Lamb, defending, said: 'He can't recall handling . the camera box, but accepts he entered the premises and entered to . steal, although he did not carry out the theft itself. 'He can't recall . taking cigarettes but accepts he may well have done so.' Also jailed was an amateur footballer who smashed his way into a shoe store with an iron bar. Stalybridge Celtic player Fabrice Bembo-Leta, 19, lost his place in the squad after raiding the Foot Asylum outlet in central Manchester. After getting into the store he grabbed . five T-shirts, dropped two, and stashed three in a nearby plant pot. The churchgoer . abandoned them after police approached, but was linked to his crime by . CCTV. Tough sentences: Lengthy jail terms were handed out at Manchester Crown Court to looters - including ice cream thief Anderson Fernandes, 21, and Callum Marley, 21, who was sent to prison despite having stolen nothing . Bembo-Leta, who has also played for Oldham and Altrincham FC's youth teams, had no previous convictions. He was jailed for 32 months after admitting burglary. Michael Brady, defending, said: 'He's . not a young man known to police who knew it would be inevitable that he . would be identified, neither is it the situation that he was under any . pressure from family to surrender. 'This was very much a decision taken . by a remarkably mature 19-year-old, probably a reflection not only on . him but also his family and the way he has been brought up.' A teenager who hoped to become a famous actor was also jailed after looting a Sainsbury's store in central Manchester. Drama student Joshua Penney, 17, told a judge he 'felt like scum' after raiding the store. Michael Fairhead, also 17, was also detained after he was collared in the early hours, carrying two stolen bottles of gin. Both had come into Manchester that night out of 'curiosity', the court heard. Penney was given an eight-month detention and training order after stealing cigarettes and will serve half in a young offenders' institution. When District Judge Jonathan Taaffe asked . him how he felt after seeing news coverage of the devastation, Penney . replied: 'It made me feel like I was scum. 'The things that happened . made me feel so little and worthless.' The defendant, who has no . previous convictions, added: 'I hope to become an actor. A very . successful actor.' Fairhead, who admitted handling stolen goods, was jailed for eight months. The teenagers can both be named because reporting restrictions were lifted as the judge ruled naming them was in the public interest. | Another rioter who found nothing left worth stealing in camera store is also locked up for 16 months .
Man who was so drunk he had forgotten he had been on a riot is jailed .
Now more than 2,000 have been held over London rioting in total . |
138,337 | 3eec6d391418690067cb2001f00dc0e8b0dff16e | By . Olivia Williams and Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 04:06 EST, 30 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:10 EST, 30 May 2013 . Future peace negotiations in Pakistan are now in jeopardy after the Pakistani Taliban's deputy leader Waliur Rehman was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Wednesday. Rehman was considered the best chance for talks with the incoming Pakistani government over his more hardline superior, Hakeemullah Mehsud, who remains at large. The Pakistani Taliban withdrew their offer of peace talks today, a group spokesman said. It is also widely believed that the Islamic militant movement has selected a replacement for Rehman. Killed: Wali-ur-Rehman, deputy commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban, was allegedly one of seven people killed in a US drone attack in the North Waziristan region . Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan . said the group is discussing whether Khan Sayed, Rehman's deputy, will . succeed him as head of the militant group's most powerful branch in . South Waziristan, which would effectively make him the . second-in-command. Two Taliban commanders said commanders voted in favor of Sayed at a meeting, but Ahsan said a vote had yet to be taken. Rehman was killed yesterday when drone-fired missiles landed on a house on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region. Four other people were killed, according to Pakistani intelligence officials. Two militants also confirmed that they had attended his funeral on Wednesday night but spoke on condition of anonymity. Journalists have little access to the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, making independent confirmation of his death difficult. Sayed is believed to be about 40 years old and is known mainly for coordinating attacks in Afghanistan, say intelligence and militant sources. He was responsible for organizing an assault on a prison in northwestern Pakistan in April 2012 in which close to 400 prisoners, including 20 who were considered dangerous insurgents, were freed. Ahsan also told The Associated Press in a telephone call from an undisclosed location that the militants withdrew an offer to join peace talks because they believe the Pakistani government approves of the U.S. drone strikes, despite official statements to the contrary. He also formally confirmed that Rehman had been killed. Willing to talk: Wali-ur-Rehman, centre, was poised to take over leadership of the Tehreek-e-Taliban . Controversial: Drone attacks like the one that killed Waliur Rehman are a highly contentious method of tackling the Taliban and other militants . 'We had made the offer for peace . talks with the government with good intention but we think that these . drone attacks are carried out with the approval of the government so we . announce the end of the talks process,' he said. Three of the others killed were . mid-level Pakistani aides to Rehman, two Pakistani intelligence . officials said, also speaking on condition they not be identified . because they were not authorized to release the information. They said . they are still trying to confirm the nationality and identity of the . fifth militant. White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to confirm Wednesday if Rehman was dead. However, he said if true, Rehman's . death would deprive the militant group of its chief military strategist, . a man the U.S. says was involved in an attack that killed seven CIA . employees in Afghanistan. In 2010, Washington offered $5million for information leading to Rehman. Pakistan's incoming prime minister, . Nawaz Sharif, had said that he was ready to negotiate with the Pakistani . Taliban but Rehman's death has now deprived the process of a key . player. Sharif earlier this month criticised the U.S.'s drone strikes as a ‘challenge’ to Pakistan's sovereignty. This . drone attack is the first since the country’s general election on May . 11 where the U.S.’s use of the unmanned aircrafts was one of the most . debated issues. It followed President Barack Obama's speech last Thursday during which he pledged more restrictive rules on the use of drones. The Pakistani Taliban has been battling government forces for years in a bid to push them from the tribal regions, cut Pakistan's ties with the U.S. and eventually establish their brand of hardline Islam across Pakistan. North Waziristan is on the Afghan border . and has long been a stronghold of militants including Afghan Taliban . and their Al-Qaeda allies. | Pakistan Taliban's second in command killed by US drone strike .
Waliur Rehman was thought to be the best chance for peace talks .
His hardline superior Hakeemullah Mehsud is still at large .
Pakistan Taliban withdrawn peace talk offers, group spokesman said .
Group widely believed to have voted for Khan Sayed to replace Rehman . |
10,746 | 1e8a5cc5e7da84b476254fae1625db46703b1284 | (CNN) -- Serena Williams is looking forward to the "ultimate challenge" of trying to win the French Open after again proving her dominance over biggest rival Maria Sharapova and defending her Madrid title on Sunday. The American triumphed 6-1 6-4 to retain her No. 1 ranking and claim the 50th WTA Tour crown of her career, becoming only the 10th player to do so. The 31-year-old is the only player to have won on three different colors of clay -- and she is confident that the Madrid surface's reversion to red after the blue of 2012 will help her bid to end an 11-year wait for her second grand slam success at Roland Garros. "This court is definitely different from last year," Williams said. "It definitely plays more like Roland Garros, so I think that's a plus. It's a little slower than it was last year and plays more like a true clay court. So I think it's great preparation. It's a good start in the right direction." Last year Williams fell at the first hurdle in Paris -- a tournament she won back in 2002 -- before going on to triumph at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the U.S. Open and the season-ending WTA Championships. "It is the ultimate challenge," Williams said. "Whether I reach it, I don't know. I'm not going to put that pressure on myself. "I wanted to do it last year and I didn't get it. So this year I'm just looking forward to Rome, and then after that Roland Garros." Williams has now beaten second-ranked Sharapova in their past 12 meetings, and was in control for most of the match despite trailing 3-1 in the second set. "I don't know if her start was shaky, but I felt I played well in the first few games -- playing such a great athlete and great tennis player like Maria, you have to come out and play well. I had no choice," she said. "She definitely started playing better in that second set -- I think she came out with a different game plan. I missed a very crucial point in that first game, but after that I just had to refocus." Williams is now three wins behind Monica Seles on the WTA list, but a long way behind Martina Navratilova's record 167. "I don't know how many more I can win. Like I say every day, 'Who knows if I'll ever win another title?' I just want to live in the moment," said Williams, who returned to action in 2011 after a long injury break that caused life-threatening blood clots on her lungs. "I feel like every moment I play -- I don't know if it's because of what I went through -- I feel like I'm so fortunate to be out there and healthy and to have an opportunity to play a sport and be really good at it. "Hopefully I can just keep it going." Sharapova arrived in Rome having retained her Stuttgart title, but the Russian was once again unable to stand up to Williams' power. "Obviously it's tough losing in the final today, but I think my preparation so far has been decent, winning a title in Stuttgart and getting to the final in this tournament for the first time," the 26-year-old said. "One more tune-up to go before Roland Garros, and everything seems to be going well." Rafael Nadal is in fine shape to defend his French Open title after winning a record-extending 23rd Masters level tournament in Madrid on Sunday. The Spaniard crushed Swiss 15th seed Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2 6-4 in the final to claim his fifth crown since returning from longterm knee problems in February. The 26-year-old joined Thomas Muster in equal second on the Open Era clay titles list with his 40th success on the surface. They are six behind Guillermo Vilas. Wawrinka can take some consolation in that he will return to the top-10 rankings for the first time since 2008. It was Nadal's third title in Madrid, where he has been runner-up twice. | World No. 1 Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova in final to retain Madrid title .
American notches up 50th win of her career, becoming the 10th woman to do so .
Williams is hoping to win the French Open for the first time since 2002 .
Rafael Nadal wins the Madrid men's title for the third time . |
67,505 | bf84186935d76f104a0ad63207d48afb0a88de3e | By . Victoria Woollaston . After being discovered in a stack of papers in 1873 and sold on for just six shillings, the British Guiana 1c Magenta stamp is expected to fetch up to $20 million (£11.8 million) at auction. Frequently described as ‘the most valuable stamp in the world’, the small, octagonal-shaped stamp will be sold in a one-lot auction in New York on 17 June. It is the only surviving example of the ‘emergency’ stamps range launched by the British Guiana postmaster in 1856, and is so rare it has been previously dubbed 'the Holy Grail of stamps.' Frequently described as 'the most valuable stamp in the world', the British Guiana 1c Magenta, pictured, will be auctioned in New York on 17 June. It is the only surviving example of the 'emergency' stamps range launched by the colony's postmaster in 1856, and was discovered by a schoolboy in Demerara in 1873 . Also known as the One-Cent Magenta, the stamp was part of a shipment commissioned by the country’s postmaster when a delivery from England was delayed. This range also included the 4c Magenta and the 4c Blue, and all the stamps were printed by the local Royal Gazette newspaper. The 1c Magenta is printed in black on magenta paper, and features a sailing ship with the colony's Latin motto 'Damus Petimus Que Vicissim', which translates to ‘We give and expect in return.’ The stamp's country of issue - now known as Guyana - and its value is shown in small black lettering around the frame. The British Guiana 1c Magenta was issued in 1856 by the local Royal . Gazette newspaper. It was later discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old . schoolboy in Demerara, and this location is confirmed by the stamp’s postmark. Reports . claim it was sold for six shillings to a local collector and was later . bought in 1878 by Liverpool stamp dealer Thomas Ridpath for $200 (£120). Ridpath then sold it to Philip von Ferrary for $250 (£150) the same year. Arthur Hind bought it in 1922 for $36,000 (£21,000) and in 1940 it was bought for $40,000 (£23,700) by Fred Small during a private sale. In 1970, Small auctioned his entire stamp collection and the 1c stamp was bought by Irwin Weinberg, for $280,000 (£166,000). A . decade later, John E. du Pont bought the 1c Magenta for $935,000 (£554,000) to add . to his private collection, where it remained until his death in 2010. The stamp is now scheduled to be sold at auction in New York on 17 as part of du Pont’s estate for an estimated $20 million (£11.8 million). In March, the Expert Committee at the . Royal Philatelic Society London gave the stamp a pre-sale estimate of . between $10 million (£6 million) and $20 million (£11.8 million). After close examination by six experts, including spectrometer analysis, the Committee certified the stamp as genuine. The last time the world-famous stamp was examined was in 1935 and it has been in private collections ever since. In March, the Expert Committee at the Royal Philatelic Society London gave the stamp a pre-sale estimate of between $10 million (£6 million) and $20 million (£11.8 million). The last time the world-famous stamp was examined was in 1935, pictured, and it has been in private collections ever since . David Redden, director of special projects and worldwide chairman of Sotheby's Books Department, said: ‘For me, as a schoolboy stamp collector, [the 1c Magenta] was a magical object, the very definition of rarity and value, unobtainable rarity and extraordinary value. ‘That schoolboy of long ago would be bemused and astonished to think that he would one day, years later, be temporary guardian of such a world treasure.’ Following travelling exhibitions in Hong Kong and London, the British Guiana will be on display at Sotheby's in New York from 2 to 23 May. The 1c Magenta was part of an emergency shipment commissioned by the country's postmaster when a delivery from England was delayed. This range also included the 4c Magenta, pictured, and the 4c Blue, and all the stamps were printed by the local Royal Gazette newspaper . | British Guiana 1c Magenta was issued in 1856 by the colony's postmaster .
It was part of an emergency shipment of stamps commissioned by the postmaster and printed by the Royal Gazette newspaper .
This range also included the 4c Magenta and the 4c Blue stamps .
The 1c Magenta is the only surviving example of the stamp .
It is so rare it has been previously dubbed 'the Holy Grail of stamps'
Experts predict it will fetch up to $20 million at a New York auction in June . |
117,833 | 2422dfc3645fc34cc559f7dbd99bb4dedb9b314e | (EW.com) -- Good news (we guess?) for Ronn Moss fans: Don't go looking for a brand new Ridge to take over for the old one on CBS' "The Bold and the Beautiful." Once Moss' last episode airs on Sept. 14, "B&B" has no plans to fill the void, the sudser's head writer told TV Guide. "Ridge will not be dead or presumed dead," said Bradley Bell. "He will just not be in the picture. I don't want to do a presumed death because I don't want the story that follows to be all about Ridge. This will be a Brooke story. Ridge is a pivotal part of the show and he will be back in a matter of time...and probably not all that much time. I will continue writing for the character. I'm looking at this in two phases, really. There will be a period of time without Ridge, which is where some new, interesting avenues for Brooke will come into play. But at some point it will be necessary for Ridge to return to the show. Who will be playing the role at that point remains to be seen." EW broke the news last week that Moss has decided to leave CBS soap that he's been on since its 1987 debut. He said this on his Facebook page: "I want to make sure, without any doubt, that you guys all know how much I love you. Your support during this time and hopefully beyond is everything. I can't say anything yet, but soon will explain. Hang in there with me, We have a wonderful new journey ahead of us. Try and not be sad, angry, disappointed.. It's been a great run and all good things end eventually. As this door closes, others are opening. I want you all to come with me through these new doors of opportunities and experience how cool it's going to be. Have faith, be strong, know I'm eternally yours." Moss played fashion magnate Ridge Forrester -- one of the"core four" on Bold that includes Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester, John McCook as Eric Forrester, and Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan. Bell also told TV Guide that "Ronn's circumstances are unique" and that "what happened here will not be widespread." (Translation: Don't look for any more unexpected departures). Bell also said that once he does decide to fill Ridge role, "I might go a little younger. But we'll be true to the age range that's been established. I do have people in mind in terms of a recast — some very interesting people." The head writer isn't giving up hope that Moss may reprise the role at a later date. See full story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Actor Ronn Moss has decided to end his 25-year run as Ridge Forrester on the soap .
The head writer says the character will not be killed off .
Moss' last episode airs on Sept. 14 . |
146,345 | 493bda6c74af9404201e0570368b52ff2fc6774b | (CNN) -- When I heard the news of Dr. Abbas Khan's death, I was saddened and for the first time throughout my rather terrible experience with the Syrian conflict I felt bitter and angry. I followed his case keenly and was hoping that he would have a chance to come back safe to his family and tell us what has happened. His testimony would have been more credible than any other hearsay accounts we hear every day. Mind you credibility is no longer important in making up your mind about the Syrian regime's action but somehow it comes in as a handy excuse for the international community to justify inaction. Doubt over British doctor's Syria suicide . Death has become so normal in Syria that most people fail to notice it and acknowledge it by much more than a roll of the eyes and mumbling the words "such a terrible situation." We, the Syrians, see on a daily basis horrific scenes of torture, brutality and savagery that it takes a particularity nasty way of dying to attract our attention. This doesn't mean we are no longer compassionate -- we are simply emotionally drained. Syrian doctor: I've lost count of amputations . But, as a Syrian, you can notice few details others perhaps won't see. For example: I don't need any "clarifications, explanations, justifications, or elaborations" on the reasons behind the death of Khan. I know the regime killed him because the pattern of events is so typical we can almost accurately predict the regime's next course of action when it comes to similar cases. Many regime officials have been assassinated in the last four decades and we were told that they committed suicide. You can also ask the Lebanese, for they can bear witness at the regime's skills in shooting somebody four times, then saying they did it to themselves. Gun gesture at head . I will never forget the look on the face of a prominent Syrian official who was particularly angry at the Assad regime's response to the event in the Syrian city Daraa in the very early days of the revolution. He asked me why Bashar (al-Assad) failed to make his cousin, who was the mayor of Daraa, then commit suicide? He then made a gun gesture and pointed it at his head. He indirectly admitted that the regime did this before. Khan didn't commit suicide using his pyjamas because Syrian prison inmates are not allowed to wear clothes. They are usually stripped down to their underwear and any garment that may pose danger to the prison guards is removed. Even if we did accept that there might be a slight chance he was given pyjamas to wear and that he somehow had the energy and the power to climb to one of the metal rings in the ceiling -- very popular in the Syrian prisons for their effectiveness in bearing the weight of young men when they are left hanging upside down by tying only one leg and leaving the body to swing around under extreme beating during "investigations"-- he physically couldn't have been able to tie the pyjamas around his neck then on the ring because they are usually too high. The alternative option of hanging himself from a window is also eliminated because currently Syrian prisons don't have windows. If Abbas truly killed himself, then he was driven to it by the extreme conditions he was in. Who would kill themselves two days before they are granted a new lease of life, your pass out of true hell? Look at the picture of one of the Syrian prisons. This is a "single person" cell. Plight of Syria's prisoners . Abbas's death will not add anything to the regime's reputation for brutality but it will attract, hopefully, the international community's attention to the prison inmates in Syria. I feel they became the lost ghosts that nobody is trying actively to help. The pain and horrific torture they go through should be enough for the entire world to try to help but somehow the politicians are busy reading between the lines asking questions about al-Assad's degree of control. Who cares if he is the one in control or not? This regime unleashed a killing machine almost three years ago using every trick in Hitler's guide on how to kill many in one go, and it has the all means to continue until some drastic measures are taken. Al-Assad or not, Abbas's death should not raise questions about the power game within the Syrian regime; it should raise questions about how the world can help those suffering just like Abbas did before he was killed. Syrian government agencies have yet to comment on Khan's death. In Syria, searching for loved one taken away . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. | Writer: I know the regime killed him because the pattern of events is so typical .
'Many regime officials have been assassinated and we were told they committed suicide'
'If Abbas truly killed himself, then he was driven to it by the extreme conditions he was in'
'His death should raise questions about how the world can help those suffering just like Abbas' |
266,112 | e4afba16d609382ecc9825198847748ff1bc9f03 | By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 06:36 EST, 23 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:30 EST, 23 August 2013 . Louise Redknapp has offered her tips on how you can achieve a flawless look by day and night when enjoying a holiday in the sun. The mother-of-two, 38, has ensured the looks are easy to replicate when space is limited in your suitcase as it involves using just five products. The singer-turned-presenter has created a beauty tutorial video with make-up artist, Kim Jacob, with whom she has founded the cosmetic company, Wild About Beauty. Scroll down for video . Day to night: Louise Redknapp's beach, left, and bar looks for a summer holiday . Step-by-step guide: The singer shows you how to achieve the looks with the help of her Wild About Beauty partner, Kim Jacob . In it, the pair reveal how you can go from the beach to the bar in a few simple steps. To begin, Kim blends a sheer glow moisture tint with SPF 20 onto Louise's face using a cosmetic sponge. She explains: 'This is fantastic if you're sitting on the beach as there's some sun protection factor in there. It's also really hydrating with extracts of winter cherry.' Stay safe: Kim begins with a moisturiser with SPF 20 to offer some protection from the sun . Glowing: The make-up artist then adds a bronzer and recommends avoiding products with glitter during the day . Next she applies bronzer over the cheekbones, temples and chin to create a glowing but matt look. She said: 'Use a bronzer because you don't want any shimmer on the beach so avoid colours with any glitter in.' Kim completes the day time look by adding some hydrating lip balm. She comments of the result modelled by Louise: 'It gives a quick, easy look of being nice and glowing that is fantastic for the beach as we've got SPF and moisturiser on.' Glam it up: Kim adds eyeliner to the upper and lower eyelids . Finishing touch: Mascara completes the evening look . Ready to hit the bar: Louise's beauty tutorial reflects her 'less is more' approach to make-up . All available from wildaboutbeauty.com . Kim then reveals how 'with a few steps you can be ready to go from the beach straight to the bar.' She . uses an eyeshadow pencil on Louise's upper and lower lash line and . blends it in to look more natural, adding a flick to the outside edge of . the upper lid to make the eyes look bigger. She then finishes by adding mascara. The simple, easy to achieve look reflects Louise's ethos that 'less is more' when it comes to make-up. She told the MailOnline this week: 'My tips would be to look after your skin: although my skincare routine is simple, I believe it can still be really effective. 'People don't need to spend hundreds of pounds on products and spend hours on a routine - sometimes all you need is a good moisturiser. 'Keep your make-up simple. The older we get, less is definitely more.' | Beach look uses tinted moisturiser with SPF 20 .
She shows quick and easy way to transform for the evening .
Looks created using just five products .
Singer believes 'less is more' when it comes to cosmetics . |
39,100 | 6e7d3b2fa1855aafccedd705e81a0ab947a70148 | Denise Shepherd, 19, who died from an overdose of heroin and a cocktail of pills after becoming addicted to drugs aged 11 . A teenage girl died from an overdose of heroin and a cocktail of pills after becoming addicted to drugs when she was aged just 11, an inquest has heard. Denise Shepherd started smoking cannabis before starting secondary school and then progressed to harder drugs such as heroin. In June last year, aged 19, she was found dead in the flat she shared with her boyfriend Jamie Hayne in Eastbourne, East Sussex, when he woke in the early hours of the morning and found she had stopped breathing. At an inquest into her death at Eastbourne Magistrate's Court, her mother Joann Bell told the coroner how her daughter had moved into her flat in a bid to get her to stop taking drugs but was later joined by Mr Hayne. The pair were said to be drinking heavily and were suspected of taking drugs. However, two days before Miss Shepherd, who was unemployed, was found dead, Ms Bell moved out of the flat. She said her daughter and Mr Hayne had a volatile relationship and didn't clean up after themselves. She said: 'They became increasingly difficult to live with. 'I struggled financially because they came to me for food.' She also told the hearing how her daughter had smoked cannabis from a very early age after she had 'fallen in with the wrong crowd'. Coronor Alan Craze was also told how a neighbour had tried to administer CPR to Miss Shepherd when she was discovered unconscious. When paramedics arrived they too were unable to revive her and it is feared she may have been dead for some time. Mr Craze then recorded a verdict of death due to a dependence on drugs. The inquest at Eastbourne Magistrates Court, pictured, saw Coroner Alan Craze record a verdict of death due to a dependence on drugs . Speaking after the inquest, Ms Bell said she has tried to warn her daughter about the dangers of drugs. She said: 'It is so difficult. People won’t talk to their parents about drugs. 'I tried to sit down and talk to her calmly but I never was aware exactly what was going on. 'I wouldn’t have moved out if I had known. 'She was gullible, naive and easily-led. 'She would be an aunty now. Her brother is now a father. She would have loved being an aunty.' | Denise Shepherd died from an overdose of heroin and a cocktail of pills .
Found dead in flat she shared with her boyfriend in Eastbourne last year .
Inquest into her death heard she became addicted to drugs at the age of 11 .
Hearing told she smoked cannabis and the progressed to harder drugs .
Her mother Joann Bell says her daughter 'fell in with the wrong crowd'
Coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict of death due to a dependence on drugs . |
199,424 | 8e2c0ab98f91ee8c3af28362e898eadd51def4f6 | (CNN) -- A man is accused of breaking into an Anchorage, Alaska, home over the weekend, sexually assaulting an elderly woman, killing her and her husband, and sexually assaulting the couple's 2-year-old great-granddaughter before fleeing the scene in his boxer shorts. Jerry Andrew Active, 24, was arrested about a block from the home. He was charged with first and second degree murder, sexual assault and burglary, said Anchorage Police Sgt. Slawomir Markiewicz. Active is being held on $1.5 million bond. Markiewicz said police were called to the home shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found Touch Chea, 71, and his wife, Sorn Sreap, 73, dead, apparently due to blunt force trauma to the head and face, Markiewicz said. Autopsies are pending. Police also found in the home the couple's great-granddaughter, who was sexually assaulted. Sreap had also been sexually assaulted, police said. "I've been in the homicide unit for the last eight years and it's certainly one of the worst homicides we've seen in our town, in our city," Markiewicz told CNN's Brooke Baldwin Monday night. The sergeant said the 2-year-old's father told police that he and his wife, who is pregnant, lived in the home with their children -- ages 4 and 2 -- along with Chea, Sreap and another relative. They took their 4-year-old to the movies on Saturday, leaving their youngest in the care of the child's great-grandparents. When they returned, the front door was locked and there was a chain on from the inside, blocking their way. The father was able to open the door a few inches and saw the bodies of Chea and Sreap on the floor. He broke a window, ran inside, yelled for someone to call 911, and found the suspect naked with his 2-year-old, according to Markiewicz. A fight ensued, but police said Active pulled on his boxer shorts and escaped, albeit briefly. A 91-year-old relative, suffering from dementia, was also at home at the time of the attack. She was uninjured. The 2-year-old was taken to a medical facility that specializes in the treatment of sexual abuse. She underwent surgery for her injuries, Markiewicz said. Police believe the attack was random and that Active did not know the victims. Active had previously been convicted of sexual assault that involved an 11-year-old child, Markiewicz said. It was not immediately clear whether Active had retained an attorney. | Jerry Andrew Active, 24, is being held on $1.5 million bond .
He is charged with murder, sexual assault and burglary .
Active was arrested about a block from where the alleged attack took place . |
110,096 | 19f2c9accbd255edf4a2101bba11167caa20e8df | A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a second man was found stabbed to death in a garden. Police were called to an address at Brooksfield in Bildeston, Suffolk at 4.15am today . The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The man is being questioned by investigators at a police station in Bury St Edmunds . The man was arrested in connection with the incident and is being held at a police station in Bury St Edmunds. He is currently being questioned by detectives. The surrounding road has been closed off while police investigate the death. Anyone with information should call Suffolk Police on 101. Police were called to an address at Brooksfield in Bildeston, Suffolk at 4.15am today . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Man found stabbed in a to death in a garden in Brooksfield, Suffolk .
He was pronounced dead at the scene .
The surrounding road is closed while police investigate .
A 44-year-old has been arrested and is being questioned . |
20,415 | 39ef537f1689f8edb147b4d160144534acfe4a1e | LONDON, England (CNN) -- A protester who wanted his message to stick managed to superglue himself to the British prime minister Tuesday evening. Dan Glass, right, takes hold of the British PM's right arm just before he was about to receive his award. Dan Glass was at 10 Downing Street to receive a charity's award for his work on transportation issues when he staged the unusual protest. Just before Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented him with the award, Glass squirted superglue in the palm of his left hand. He shook Brown's right hand and then grabbed the prime minister's sleeve. "I've just superglued myself to your arm," Glass said he told Brown. "Don't panic. This is a non-violent protest." Glass is affiliated with the group Plane Stupid, which campaigns against airport expansion and climate change. He said he acted to protest Brown's "hypocrisy" on the issues. Watch Glass explain his actions on CNN » . "I just wanted a few more minutes of his time to get the message across, because he's not listening to communities affected by airport expansion," Glass told CNN on Wednesday. The prime minister managed to free himself in about 30 seconds, Glass said. "He can shake off my arm, but he cannot shake away climate change," he added. Glass also claimed that some people in the room actually applauded when they realized what has happening. "I think he [Brown] knew he was outnumbered on this issue," Glass said. A Brown spokesman called the incident "minor" and "very lighthearted." Glass said he was allowed to remain at the prime minister's residence for about 40 minutes after the event. "I think Brown would have been humiliated further if an actual award winner had been ejected from the ceremony," he said. Police filed no charges. According to their website, the Plane Stupid group formed in 2005 inspired by the anti-roads protests in Britain during the mid-1990s. The group -- which describes itself as non-partisan --is funded primarily by donations from individuals and organizations. Members are encouraged to take direct but non-violent action against the aviation industry, a sector they describe as "one of the root causes of climate change." | Dan Glass was due to receive award from Brown for his work on transport issues .
Glass squirted superglue in his left hand and then shook Brown's right hand .
"Prime minister managed to free himself in about 30 seconds," said Glass .
Glass part of Plane Stupid group, which campaigns against climate change . |
22,898 | 4103a0ce1603e53f9363570a96126b1c70796e19 | (CNN) -- Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, affectionately known by fans and players as "Coach K," surpassed the all-time record for wins in men's major college basketball with a victory Tuesday night against Michigan State at New York's Madison Square Garden. The win, number 903 of his coaching career, broke a tie with Bobby Knight, who was Krzyzewski's college coach and his mentor. Duke beat Michigan State 74-69. It adds to an impressive array of statistics: 466 weeks ranked among the nation's top 25 men's teams, 12 times national coach of the year, 11 Final Four appearances, and four national championships. But, Krzyzewski said in a news conference earlier this week on campus, this moment almost didn't happen. He offered his resignation in the mid 1990s when he was battling illness, but that resignation was turned down. His reaction? Thank goodness. Krzyzewski said Duke University athletic director Tom Butters told him, "We're not doing that. That's not appropriate." "And he was right, which he was just about most of the time about things -- except my first salary," Krzyzewski said. His career, including 32 years at Duke, has encompassed some of the most memorable moments in basketball, including beating the dominant UNLV Runnin' Rebels on the way to his first NCAA national championship in 1991 and leading the 2008 "Redeem Team" to an Olympic Gold medal in Beijing. Time magazine and CNN named him "America's Best Coach in 2001." Admiration for Krzyzewski extends beyond sportswriters and critics to include students and worldwide fans of the team. Students camp out in tents for days in advance to secure entrance to key games, creating a small community known as Krzyzewskiville. He's been known to treat the fans who camp out to pizzas while they wait in line or even a pregame strategy session in the school's gym. Anna Levina, a Duke graduate who joined other alumni at the game, said, "We were sitting with a lot of fans who were rooting for Michigan State...and when we won, they just stopped talking." At the end of the game, "everyone stood, and everyone cheered. It was absolutely awesome." | Duke's Krzyzewski surpasses Bobby Knight in men's major college basketball .
"Coach K" is among the most highly acclaimed coaches in the sport .
Krzyzewski nearly left the team in the mid-90s, but his resignation was turned down . |
268,488 | e7c575fde2a6d107bd16cf34efd46cd5f22ff7de | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- The judge overseeing the Mel Gibson child custody case ordered a probe into the leak of sealed court documents published on celebrity news website TMZ, a lawyer in the case said. The confidential documents "were stolen probably from the court" and the leaker "got paid a good deal of money," said Martin Garbus, an attorney for Gibson's ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. Grigorieva and Garbus discussed the leaks in an interview scheduled to air Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." "It's medical documents, declarations, court opinions, transcripts, everything it seems," Garbus told King. TMZ has published sworn statements from Gibson, Grigorieva and another witness in the court fight over custody of 1-year-old Lucia. "They say over 2,000 pages of documents were leaked and the district attorney's office has started an investigation," Garbus said. A spokewoman for the Los Angeles district attorney said Tuesday that she was not aware of an investigation. TMZ's spokeswoman declined to comment on the report of the investigation or the source of the documents. Lawyers involved in the case had copies, but Garbus suggested the leaked papers likely "came out of the courthouse." "Whoever took the files from the courthouse -- it's 2,000 pages -- certainly got paid a good deal of money," Garbus said. The judge ordered the probe on Friday, Garbus said. A lawyer for Gibson declined to comment, but a publicist for Grigorieva said the leaks did not come from her side. "It could be quite terrible because this case could turn into a gossip story, and swayed from what's important here," Grigorieva said. "It's domestic violence and Lucia at stake." She has accused Gibson of domestic violence during their breakup earlier this year, while he accused her of extorting him with tapes she secretly made of their arguments. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating both accusations. In another development, Grigorieva's family lawyer, Alan Shifman, stepped aside and has been replaced by Los Angeles attorney Ronald Litz, her publicist confirmed. Gibson and Grigorieva are both scheduled to return to court on Monday. | NEW: TMZ declines to comment on documents' source .
TMZ published confidential court files in the Gibson child custody case .
Gibson's ex-girlfriend and her lawyer discussed the leaks with CNN's Larry King .
Oksana Grigorieva's full interview will air on "Larry King Live" Wednesday night . |
6,412 | 122fad6788a7a2a73418db7f507f8e9d4ece47fe | JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Another strong earthquake rocked Indonesia early Thursday as the Southeast Asian nation was reeling from an earlier jolt that killed more than 200 people. A resident stands next to building that collapsed onto a car in Padang, Indonesia, on Wednesday. The 6.8 magnitude quake Thursday hit southern Sumatra at 8:52 a.m. local time (0152 GMT), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Wednesday's earlier quake was 7.6 magnitude. At least 236 people are dead and more than 500 injured, the Indonesian Social Ministry's Crisis Center said Thursday. It said it had little information on the missing and feared the death toll would climb into the thousands. The second quake was on a smaller scale than the first, said meteorology official Fauzi, who uses only one name. There were no damage reports yet. Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari expected "the casualties and the damage of this earthquake to be bigger than the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, given the intensity and the spread of the damage." The magnitude-6.3 Yogyakarta quake in central Java in May 2006 killed more than 5,000 people, triggered fears of an eruption of a nearby volcano and caused significant damage to a 9th century Prambanan temple. Thousands may be trapped by collapsed buildings and houses, Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's crisis center, told CNN on Wednesday. State-run Antara news agency cited Pakaya as saying he had received reports that part of a hospital had collapsed and that people were buried under the debris. The temblor struck around 5 p.m., about 33 miles (53 kilometers) from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra and home to more than 800,000 people. The quake caused widespread power and phone outages, making it difficult to assess damage. Aid agencies kicked into gear to help those in need. "We had aid ready because this area of Indonesia is susceptible to this type of tragedy," said Jane Cocking, humanitarian director for Oxfam. "Communications with the quake-zone are difficult and we are hoping for the best but having to plan for the worst." "The situation is quite devastating," said Amelia Merrick, the operations director for World Vision Indonesia. "Bridges have gone down, phone lines are in total disrepair. It's difficult for us to assess the situation," she said. The organization had said it would send assessment teams to the area Thursday morning. "We know there's no electricity tonight... many of the families will be spending the night outdoors, in pitch black. I'm very afraid of what might happen next," she said, referring to the possibility of aftershocks. Hundreds of houses have been damaged, Wayne Ulrich, the Red Cross disaster management coordinator in Indonesia, told CNN. "We do not know the [exact] numbers." "We have concerns that a hospital has been partially damaged, a market has caught on fire, the airport was closed down for inspection because of the fear if they landed any planes," it might cause problems, Ulrich said. Watch Ulrich discuss the rescue efforts » . Access to the affected areas was obstructed in parts, he added. It's "blocked by all kinds of problems: frightened people out in the streets, cars, and people trying to get out of the city." The earthquake was felt in nearby cities, such as Medan and Bengkulu, where people panicked and ran outside in search of higher ground, fearing a tsunami. But it was also felt as far away as Singapore and Malaysia. "I did feel the tremor in office today somewhere between 5 - 6 p.m.," said Ratna Osman, who works in a single-story office building in Petaling Jaya, just outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. "I asked [a co-worker] if there's an earthquake somewhere -- either that or I was hallucinating." "At first, I thought the chair I was sitting on had a screw loose or something," Osman said. The region is accustomed to earthquakes, and locals have been taught to identify safe places in case of a tsunami, according to Sean Granville-Ross, the Mercy Corps country director for Indonesia. "We hope that preparation is now paying off," he said. But if many homes have been destroyed, people may be spending the night with no shelter, he said. Earlier this month, an earthquake in West Java killed 57 people. Several buildings were damaged, Metro TV reported, and people were seen running out of their homes and toward the hills. One employee of a private company in Jalan Ahmad Yani, told Antara news agency that "everybody panicked with some shouting 'earthquake.'" TVOne pictures from the scene showed people milling around outside in the city. Phone lines were apparently down in many parts of Padang. Indonesia's Tempo Interactive, a media outlet based in Jakarta, had trouble reaching its correspondent in the West Sumatra city, according to journalist Purwani Diyah Prabandari. "I hope it's just the cell phone connection," Prabandari told CNN. Indonesians trying to find out more about the quake flooded the Internet, including Twitter. Some expressed concern for relatives and friends in Padang. "Dear God, please send down your angels to hug and protect my grandpa in Padang," said one Twitter post. The Web site for one of Indonesia's main newspapers, The Jakarta Globe, crashed for a while, partly as a result of the heavy traffic from people trying to find out about the quake, the paper said in a Twitter post. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia, but canceled it soon after. The temblor did generate a tsunami just under one foot high, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. On Tuesday, a magnitude 8.0 quake-triggered tsunami killed at least 111 people in the Samoan islands and Tonga. Read latest news on the Samoa quake and tsunami . The tsunami waves swept across a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean, killing dozens and flattening or submerging villages. The dead included 22 in American Samoa, 82 in Samoa and seven in Tonga. Officials warned that the death toll could rise as rescue workers start to reach outlying villages and discover new casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey declined to say whether the two quakes were linked. "The simple answer is we can't speculate on a connection," Carrieann Bedwell of the USGS told CNN. "Both are in highly seismic areas." The epicenters of the two temblors are about 4,700 miles (7,600 km) apart. CNN's Tricia Escobedo and Andy Saputra contributed to this report. | NEW: Aid agencies kick into gear to help those in need .
Second quake hits; thousands feared trapped by collapsed buildings .
Death toll could climb into thousands .
Bridges down, phone lines in disrepair, says World Vision Indonesia . |
231,960 | b8535071bd9f12890393c7130fcd7eb4bef8e4bd | By . Anna Hodgekiss . PUBLISHED: . 10:47 EST, 23 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:21 EST, 23 January 2013 . A toddler who has cheated death three times is recovering back home with his delighted parents. Carla Drew, 24, and Kevin Davidson, were convinced they were going to lose their son Olly after his stomach was born outside of his body. He came through the ordeal but needed CPR at nine weeks old. Then just four months later, the couple were told Olly had a liver tumour and needed chemotherapy straight away. Little miracle: Ollie with his mother Carla, who was convinced she would lose him . The 16-month-old has now finished treatment, and is recovering well at home in Benton, North Tyneside, with the help of his big sister Lily, three. His mother said: 'We will never do the lottery because we are already the luckiest people alive. 'I think when even the doctors are saying "we don't know how he is still here", you know your son is special. 'I never expected him to come back from any of his operations, but here he is.' Olly, pictured here with mother Carla, father Kevin and sister Lily, suffers from the rare Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, an overgrowth disorder which puts him at risk of cancer and other illnesses . The toddler suffers from the rare Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, an overgrowth disorder which puts him at risk of cancer and other illnesses. His parents were repeatedly told to expect the worst, and due to his fighting spirit, now describe him as their 'little miracle'. Mr and Mrs Davidson found out about Olly's condition when he was in the womb. The odds were stacked against Olly but now he is back at home and learning to walk . Doctors had to operate immediately after he was born to correct his stomach, and it wasn't until 15 days later that he could be held by his parents. Mrs Davidson, a full-time mother, remembers gazing at her newborn baby as he was treated in an intensive care unit. She said: 'We were told he was very poorly and to expect the worst. All of his major organs were shutting down and he was on all sorts of different drugs to keep him alive. 'I thought how am I going to cope with losing a baby?' After a few weeks, Olly made it home, but because of his condition, his tongue grew unusually large and it led to severe breathing difficulties. In November 2011, his father Kevin, a chef, had to give his nine-week-old son CPR and the youngster was rushed to hospital for surgery and placed on oxygen. But during a routine scan in March last year, the family received another devastating blow. Olly had a tumour on his liver and would need to start chemotherapy the next week. He had the tumour, and a quarter of his liver, removed during a seven-hour operation but he suffered peritonitis, an inflamation of the abdomen wall, straight after. The odds were stacked against Olly but now he is back at home and learning to walk, however because of the syndrome, medics will need to keep an eye on him for years to come. Carla said: 'They told us to expect the worst and to say goodbye. But he pulled through. 'I just want to thank the people at the Royal Victoria Infirmary who looked after Olly. We are lucky to have such a brilliant hospital and everyone there has been amazing.' | Olly Davidson was born with his stomach born outside of his body .
Toddler suffers from the rare Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome .
Puts him at risk of cancer and other illnesses such as enlarged body parts .
Overgrown tongue caused breathing problems and then got liver tumour .
Parents describe him as their 'little miracle' after he returned home . |
58,284 | a541fd018be8d031c23a267e8bf7f1930c9171f2 | (CNN) -- At the end of first grade, 7-year-old Cameron Hale, an easy-going, cheerful little boy from a tiny rural town in western Washington, suddenly didn't want to go to school anymore. When Cameron adamantly refused to have a play date with a good friend, his mom, Kim Hale, 36, knew something was wrong with her middle child. His change in behavior just didn't make sense. "Cameron finally broke down in tears and told me that several boys at school had been teasing him relentlessly, making fun of his hair, his clothes, calling him names, and not letting him play at recess. And one of those boys was his good friend," Kim says. While the friend wasn't actively participating in the teasing, Cameron told his mom that he was doing nothing to stop it, which made it all even worse. At first Kim stayed silent, hoping the mean behavior would disappear over the summer. But when it picked up again at the start of second grade, Kim went to the principal with her concerns. Kim says that the principal dismissed the charge and convinced her that the behavior wasn't bullying, but instead, it was simply boys being mean. Unsatisfied, Kim visited the principal two more times -- now armed with both the definition of "bullying" that she printed from the website Bullying.org, as well as the Washington State statute on how it defined the term. Both times, Kim says, the principal (who declined to comment for this story) disagreed that Cameron was being bullied and refused to act -- the superintendent in Eatonville was no help either. Six months later the Hales moved to another town. With horror stories about girls who have been bullied dominating the news, some parents are asking whether we also need to focus as much attention on how boys respond to harsh or abusive interactions with their peers. Was the principal correct in assuming that the actions of 7-year-old boys were simply mean boy behavior, or did it constitute bullying? And does it make a difference? "Even if the behavior didn't technically match up to the definition of bullying, if the kids were being mean and there was a pattern of the kids ganging up on him -- which, by the way, does constitute bullying -- that still shouldn't be condoned and supported by not addressing it," says Rosalind Wiseman, author of "Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World." "The principal is literally telling those boys they have the carte blanche to not only continue the behavior, but increase the abuse because they can get away with it." Are we too quick to cry 'bully'? With "Masterminds and Wingmen," Wiseman set out to replicate with boys the success she had examining the social dynamics of girls in her book "Queen Bees and Wannabes," the inspiration for the movie "Mean Girls." In her latest book, Wiseman reveals the ways boys think, uncovers their complicated emotional lives and explores how the power of their social hierarchies influences their emerging identity. Historically, bullying among boys has been complicated and sometimes tough to identify. The belief in a "boys-will-be-boys" mentality still persists, whether it's on a playground or in a college fraternity. And it isn't always about targeting the weakest kid. Cruel taunts and physical tests can be also be a form of bonding among boys. The term bullying has become so radioactive in recent years with its strong links to adolescent suicide and school shootings, it has prompted state legislatures to take serious action, making bullying a crime in many states. Officially accusing kids of bullying can carry serious, long-term consequences. According to stopbullying.gov the definition of bullying is: unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. The types of bullying include: teasing, name-calling, taunting, inappropriate sexual comments, threatening to cause harm, leaving someone out on purpose, spreading rumors, trying to hurt someone's reputation, hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching, spitting, taking or breaking someone's things or making mean or rude hand gestures. Should parents be liable for their children's bullying? About 16% of students report being bullied, while 7% report bullying others, according to "Bullying in U.S. Schools," a report published in 2013 by the Hazelden Foundation with research from the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Boys report they were most frequently bullied by other boys, while girls were bullied by both girls and boys. In almost all grades, girls and boys were victimized at similar rates. "Boys consistently bully other students more than girls do, and they do so at higher rates as they get older," the survey found. In her research, Wiseman has found that while boys might get more physical than girls, the psychological hallmarks of bullying are similar. The playing field has been further leveled with the spread of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is when a child or teenager is harassed, humiliated, tormented, embarrassed or threatened using digital technology. Mean texts or e-mails, pictures, videos and fake profiles can all be forms of abuse. And the pervasive reach of technology can make the bullying potentially more devastating. Parents, beware of bullying on sites you've never seen . "When you think of a child being bullied, maybe you think of a loner kid, the nerd, the geek, that's the picture that comes to my mind," says Janet Lymer of Calgary, Canada, and mom of 13-year-old Austin. "But my son plays Triple A football and he's a competitive hockey player and he was being bullied for years." Lymer says life got significantly worse for her son in sixth grade when the kids started ganging up on Austin on the popular app Snapchat. She says about half of the class, girls included, began making fun of Austin's clothes, his lunch, his hockey skills and the video games he liked. It got so bad that Austin announced to his mom one night that he wanted to kill himself and headed into the kitchen for a knife. The next morning Lymer went to school with Austin and headed straight for the principal. When Lymer shared with the principal that her son had threatened suicide, the school immediately jumped into action. The principal and teacher met with the students in Austin's class and they also sent a letter home to the parents discussing bullying and its effect on a classmate. Things at school did get better, but Austin switched to a middle school this year with none of his former classmates. "He now has a great group of friends and he helps other kids deal with bullying. He's the first one who stands up to bullying and he stands a little taller now," says Lymer. "But don't assume that if you bring the problem to the school they will handle it, parents need to stay involved. " While many schools and parents are hyper-aware of the dangers and prevalence of bullying, have we gone too far in labeling what some may argue has always been normal aggressive behavior between kids? "Every conflict is not bullying and if we call it that, then it loses the power of the word," says Wiseman. Not all conflict amounts to bullying and by overusing the word, we risk reducing the power of the word to describe real bullying, says Wiseman. She believes that, to a certain extent, allowing boys and girls to work out their own problems is useful training for resolving conflicts at every stage of life. The challenge is to stay on top of what's really happening in your child's life, particularly when kids routinely answer with an "I'm fine" -- even if they're not. "There's nothing wrong with kids trying to figure things out on their own," she says. "At the same time, there are kids who are being systemically denigrated and targeted in school and blown off by administrators and teachers." | Bullying among boys can be tough to spot because of societal expectations around rough play .
Experts say boys might be more physical in their bullying but cyberbullying levels the playing field .
Rosalind Wiseman, who studies social hierarchies, says it's important to let kids resolve conflict . |
95,871 | 0742b1817d86e4f14ee11981dca54c9febbe8335 | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Eight people were killed Monday after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the home of a senior police official, Karachi police said. Six officers who were stationed as guards were killed in the attack, along with a mother and a girl as they were walking to the girl's school, said Shoukat Ali, a senior Karachi police official. The house was badly damaged, but the intended target of the attack -- Chaudhry Aslam -- is safe, said Jamil Khan, a Karachi police official. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, told CNN by phone that Aslam was the target of the explosion. "Aslam has killed and arrested lots of our mujahidin and will have to face the consequences," Ihsan said. "Mujahidin" refers to militants fighting against the Pakistani state and who are often affiliated with radical Islam. Ihsan said the explosion is also a message to officials who work against the Taliban and alongside the United States. "All pro-U.S. security officials are ... our target," Ihsan said. But Aslam said he was "not afraid of this coward attack by Taliban," appearing on national news channels and vowing to continue the fight against the militants. "I have been receiving threats from the Taliban for a long time," the police official said. "I have been defeating Taliban (militants) by arresting them, and will continue until I have last drop of blood in my body." Aslam added, "I will give (the) Taliban a lesson which even their children will remember forever." CNN's Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report . | "All pro-U.S. security officials are ... our target," the Pakistani Taliban says .
The eight killed include six officers, a mother and a child .
Police: Chaudhry Aslam, a senior police official, was the intended target but is safe .
Aslam appears on national TV and vows to continue fighting the Taliban . |
232,352 | b8dafd335423ca5f8b3e75a167dcdea7490b55c2 | PC David Woods is currently under investigation as part of a professional standards review over his business, Military Mart, which sells Nazi mugs . A police officer is under investigation over his lucrative sideline – selling guns, machetes and Nazi memorabilia. PC David Woods is a director of the firm Military Mart, which sells lethal weaponry from an army surplus warehouse. It boasts a wide variety of weapons, including replicas of AK-47s and Uzi sub-machines guns – all capable of firing air rifle ammunition – as well as bayonets and axes, mugs bearing the Nazi swastika and SS skull and a gas chamber sign, described as being ‘ideal for kids’ bedrooms’. While it is not illegal to sell knives, machetes or air-powered imitation firearms to those over 18, police chiefs have mounted an investigation in the officer’s activities. PC Woods, 34, has declared Military Mart, which claims it is one of the best stocked stores of its kind, as a business interest to his bosses at Merseyside Police. But they are now examining whether Woods’ business meets policing standards as some officers complain his activities are an ‘embarrassment’ to the force. A senior source said: ‘Machetes, long-bladed knives and replica guns are all regularly used in committing crime, so he could effectively be arming the criminal fraternity. ‘Selling Nazi memorabilia is completely abhorrent in a serving police officer. This is a major embarrassment to the force and senior officers will want to put an end to it.’ Woods was based within the force’s Matrix unit – the specialist unit set up to tackle gun and knife crime on Merseyside – before being moved out after ‘serious concerns’ over his integrity arose. Since 2011, he has continued to be employed under a Service Confidence Plan - which means he is monitored under a scheme to ‘restore confidence’ in officers whose integrity is called into question when serious concerns arise but criminal or misconduct proceedings are not possible. He carries out front-line police duties in Knowsley, in Merseyside, including executing drug warrants and tackling organised gangs. Companies House lists Mr Woods, his brother Paul Woods and his 18-year-old nephew Andrew Woods as co-directors of Military Mart, which operates from a warehouse in Ormskirk, Lancashire. Merseyside Police says it will now investigate whether ‘a serving police officer has registered a business interest that may not be appropriate’. A force spokesman said: ‘All declared registered business interests are considered on a case-by-case basis by management and either approved or declined. Military Mart is selling a 'Nazi Eagle Mug' for £3.99 which is describes is 'popular among rifle enthusiasts' 'This matter has now been referred to the force’s Professional Standards Department and this particular business interest is to be reviewed.’ Cllr Simon Shaw, of Merseyside’s Police and Crime Panel, said: ‘Although I understand that this business interest was declared, was the nature of some of the items reportedly on sale made clear? ‘Maintaining full public confidence in the police is obviously vital, and that is why outside business interests have to be declared and sometimes can be a problem.’ PC Woods and Military Mart refused to comment. The online store is also selling a t-shirt with slogan 'Uzi does it' and a Nazi skull mug stating 'Since 1933' The shop stocks 20 different kind of air rifles, including this replica Uzi. Some of the guns retail for £175 . A set of three throwing knives are available from the shop co-directed by PC David Woods, who formerly worked for Merseyside Police's anti-gun crime Matrix unit . An axe like this one is one of the many weapons on sale. Woods has registered Military Mart as a business interest to his bosses at Merseyside Police and the matter is currently being investigated . | PC David Woods from Merseyside Police is a co-director of Military Mart .
He formerly worked within the force's anti-gun crime Matrix unit .
Online shop sells Nazi mugs as well as 20 different kind of air rifles .
He has declared Military Mart as a business interest to his bosses .
Force investigating whether business interest may not be 'appropriate'
He is still employed by force and is carrying out front-line police duties . |
133,908 | 39238ffa6901cf69a234ba8a58bb3330ffffb825 | Murdered: Teenager Stephen Lawrence was killed in 1993 . The remarkable legacy of hope created in Stephen Lawrence’s name breaks new ground today with the launch of journalism scholarships sponsored by the Daily Mail. The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, founded by the murdered teenager’s mother in 1998, already has a track record of helping disadvantaged students into careers in architecture – the profession which A-level student Stephen dreamed of entering. As part of an initiative to expand its work into other professions, the trust has now joined the Mail to offer two aspiring journalists the chance to learn the trade on our renowned training course. Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence, now Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, said: ‘I am delighted to announce the Stephen Lawrence trainee reporter scholarship in partnership with the Daily Mail. ‘The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust’s mission is to transform the career opportunities of aspiring, talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. ‘This rare opportunity to train in journalism via the highly sought-after “best course in the business” – on the Daily Mail – is an excellent example of how we demonstrate Stephen’s legacy.’ Baroness Lawrence said the trust’s aims and ethos are ‘watering the seeds of ambition’. Those from lower income households, or who attend or attended a non-fee paying school or are the first generation of their immediate family to attend university, are strongly encouraged to apply for the 14-month journalism course. The successful applicants will be paid a competitive salary while they train. The course starts at the end of August, leading to consideration for a full-time post after completion. Details of the scholarships are being sent to inner city schools, academies and universities. Stephen was stabbed to death at the age of 18 in an unprovoked racist attack at a bus stop in Eltham, South East London, in 1993. The Mail campaigned to bring the killers to justice and published a landmark front page accusing five men of the murder. In February 1997, under the headline MURDERERS, we printed pictures of each of the suspects after they arrogantly refused to answer the most basic of questions at an inquest into Stephen’s death. The subsequent Macpherson Inquiry into the killing accused the Met of being ‘institutionally racist’. Two of the men named – Gary Dobson and David Norris – were eventually convicted of murder in 2012. Paul Dacre, Editor of the Daily Mail, said: ‘We share with Stephen’s family the wish that more hardworking students from disadvantaged backgrounds should also look to journalism as a career – just as Stephen aspired to become an architect before his life was so viciously cut short. 'We are delighted that we have been able to provide a substantial investment for these bursaries and bring them into our training scheme.’ Since it was founded, the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust has awarded more than 100 architecture bursaries, with many students going on to qualify as architects. [email protected] . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Daily Mail is offering two aspiring journalists places on its training course .
Scholarships to be launched through Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust .
The Trust was set up in 1993 by Stephen's mother Baroness Lawrence .
For details on how to apply, scroll to the bottom of this article . |
115,676 | 2147d6f9e2dfddf7c9eb55f180636f3afb82b195 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . A Massachusetts man busted for . speeding had a pretty good excuse when he was pulled over: He had just . won a big lottery prize and was on his way to collect his cash. It turns out Thursday was 22-year-old Scott Lowe's lucky day in more ways than one. The officer who pulled him over in Hingham issued a verbal warning and urged him to drive safely. Lowe, of Rockland, told the officer he was speeding because he had won $50,000 on a scratch-off ticket and was on his way to Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Braintree to collect his winnings. Scott Lowe (left) not only dodged a speeding ticket, he sped off with thousands of dollars in lottery winnings . Scott Lowe was speeding to cash in this $50,000 winning scratch off ticket when he was pulled over . WCVB-TV reports that police say Lowe was shaking, and showed the officer his winning ticket. According to Hingham police Sergeant Steven Dearth, the man was driving on Sharp Street at 11 a.m. and was going 49 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. After the warning, he went on his way and claimed his prize. The officer said, ‘You’ve got to get there slow, otherwise you won’t be able to use your winnings’,' Dearth told the Boston Globe. Lottery officials told the New York Daily News that Lowe filled out the paperwork for his winnings on Thursday and that he walked away with $35,000 after 30 per cent was taken out for taxes. Lowe was not photographed by the state Lottery because $50,000 is not considered a large enough sum of money to merit a photo for most media outlets. 'It came as a big surprise. It's certainly not the fashion in which most people make their way here to claim a prize,' spokeswoman Beth Bresnahan told the Daily News. 'He was very excited and a little shaky because of all the excitement.' The Hingham Police Department thought the event was amusing and shared the story on their Twitter. Luckily Lowe had his lotto ticket with him to prevent him from getting a speeding ticket. Lowe's mother spoke with the Daily News and said that she is slightly concerned for her son's safety because there have been robberies in the area and she fears his new found wealth may attract unwanted attention. The Mail Online contacted Lowe's mother who said she did not wish for her son's photo in the paper for safety reasons as well. The police were so amused by the incident that they decided to share it on their official twitter account . | Scott Lowe, 22, was speeding on Sharp Street in Mass. at 11 a.m. and was stopped for going 49 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone .
When an officer stopped Lowe for speeding, Lowe was shaking and told the officer he'd just won the lottery .
The officer was skeptical at first but let Lowe off with a warning and said, ‘You’ve got to get there slow, otherwise you won’t be able to use your winnings’ |
283,149 | fac5061850ba90cc701b763f6346e94055dfce91 | Sticking out his tongue and licking his lips these are the hilarious portraits showing a dog enjoying a treat of peanut butter. The images of eight-year-old Doberman Arnaque were snapped by his owner Catherin Arsenault and show him lapping up the attention in front of the camera. The pet photographer from Quebec in Canada has been taking pictures of Arnaque since he was just a 10-week-old puppy. Eight-year-old Doberman Aranque who has been snapped sticking his tongue out by his owner Catherin Arsenault . And now she is determined to show off her pet's wild side to the rest of the world. Ms Arsenault said: 'I received a new backdrop that I wanted to test in my studio and I've been doing tests with my dog since he was 10-weeks-old. 'When he sees my camera he knows he will have a lots of treats and he starts to salivate. 'To get those licking pictures I gave him peanut butter and just shot plenty of images. 'It was a surprise each time I looked at the picture on my camera - I couldn't stop laughing. 'When people look at those pictures they are surprised at first - they aren't pictures you see every day. The pet photographer captured the images of her dog after allowing Aranque a treat of peanut butter . 'Then they laugh and are intrigued. They don't understand how it is possible because they've probably never seen their own dog like this. 'People take their time to look at those tongue and mouth details and I am sure they think about it when they see their dog's tongue - it's very amusing to see.' The 32-year-old first started taking pictures of Arnaque while studying for her degree in linguistics. The self-taught photographer continues to take snaps of her beloved pet on a daily basis and is determined to show him off to the world. Ms Arsenault says that most people are surprised at first by the pictures of Aranque with most finding them funny to look at . She added: 'I have a lots of ideas and trying new things gives me more ideas for new shoots. 'A year before I graduated I got my first dog and I bought a better camera and started practising with him - I haven't stopped since. 'Eight years on and he still loves to play the model and patiently wait for his treats. 'It's been a great experience and I'm hoping to carry on for many years to come.' | Images show Doberman Arnaque sticking his tongue out after a treat .
Show him licking his lips and opening his mouth after eating peanut butter .
Were snapped by his owner and pet photographer Catherin Arsenault .
Says people are surprised by her pictures with many finding them funny . |
116,248 | 220f8cb0f825ae85e8417c050a8b179593ae7b12 | (CNN) -- One of the many questions surrounding the revelation that Americans Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol received a little-known, experimental serum for their Ebola infection is: "Why did we hear nothing about it earlier, and how did they gain access to it?" Ebola has no cure, although potential medications and vaccines are in various states of development. The serum ZMapp, an experimental product of Mapp Biopharmaceutical, hasn't been tested in humans, which means it doesn't meet a primary requirement for FDA approval -- so its obscurity is no surprise. The Americans managed to gain access to what more than 1,660 infected people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and now Nigeria did not: medicine that seems to work -- although, of course, we don't know for sure yet. Some reports indicate they received ZMapp under the FDA's "compassionate use" rule, which permits untested drugs to be given to consenting patients who might otherwise die. This is a triumph of common sense and compassion over bureaucratic red tape. One of the chief concerns about using unapproved medications is that we don't know what the risks are: The drug may not work, it may work with serious adverse effects, or it may prove as deadly as the disease. But as a doctor, Brantly understood the risks, and like him, Writebol had no other options. Most people with Ebola die. Compassionate use is certainly ethically defensible. But apparently only three doses were available, and they were given to Westerners. The lack of broader access to ZMapp highlights what is often a very serious ethical failing. 9 questions about this new Ebola drug . Why didn't Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, the chief Sierra Leone physician who died while treating Ebola patients, receive this medication? Because another method of determining who gets medications is at work here -- the drearily familiar stratification of access to a drug based on economic resources and being a Westerner rather than a resident of the global South. No health worker wants to intentionally deprive Africans of a needed drug. But informal medical networks, which Africans lack, connect well-to-do Westerners with information and drugs. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry has a history of declining to test medications for diseases of the tropical world, most of whose inhabitants cannot afford high prices. We don't know how quickly ZMapp could be made in large quantities. If it were to be made available, who should receive it? Some think Ebola doctors and caregivers should, because their survival is essential to treating and quelling the epidemic. This makes sense, but it's not that simple. First, it violates the principle of distributive justice: The benefits of the drug are being inequitably distributed, with skilled, economically secure professionals more likely to benefit. Also, by what reckoning do we decide that the doctors' role increases their value and dictates they should be given a preferential chance to survive? Distributing the drug through a clinical trial would allow us to know whether and how well the medication works and what caveats might apply. Africans must participate in any clinical trial, which would benefit the pharmaceutical company as well as, it's hoped, Ebola victims. This would mean their lives have irreplaceable value, too, in the equation of who should get the drug. So, will Africans receive this potentially lifesaving medication? A U.N. official suggested that drugs cannot be tested in the middle of an epidemic -- but he is wrong. Such tests are conducted all the time. Dr. David Ho tested AIDS drugs in Uganda in the midst of the pandemic, and the meningitis drug Trovan was tested in Kano, Nigeria, in the midst of an epidemic. One of every three industry trials is conducted in developing countries; scientists often point to high disease rates, including epidemics, as a rationale for conducting them there. The problem is not testing the drug amid an epidemic. The question is how ethically such trials are conducted. Only small amounts of ZMapp are available now, but as soon as it can be made in quantity, the drug for Ebola should be made available to Africans in all the regions that are threatened by the epidemic, regardless of ability to pay. If possible, it should be distributed within clinical trials to determine the safety and efficiency of the medications. Many people assume this requires withholding medications in a control group, but this is not necessarily the case. Experts should and can mount a well-designed study that permits early access to the medication to all who need it. But if they cannot ensure that sick people get the drug early, then a clinical trial should not be any more of a requirement for poor Africans than it was for Kent Brantly. It's also natural to wonder whether the threat of Ebola to the Western world, not to Africans, drives this initiative because so few such drugs are devised for Africans. This simply highlights another reason why we should so our utmost to protect people from Ebola: our medical interdependence. If Ebola makes landfall in the United States, we will need drugs like ZMapp, just as Africans need them today. | Americans with Ebola received an experimental medicine that seemed to help .
Harriet Washington: Poor Africans don't have access to lifesaving medicines .
She says access to drugs often based on how much money you have and if you're a Westerner .
She urges this drug be made in quantity and given to infected West Africans in a trial . |
147,697 | 4afcabad82f04d948c74c5e9b55f53f860cbd754 | The nuclear missiles hidden in plain view across the prairies of northwest North Dakota reveal one reason why trouble keeps finding the nuclear Air Force. The 'Big Sticks,' as some call the 60-foot (18-meter)-tall Minuteman 3 missiles, are just plain old. The Air Force asserts with pride that the missile system, more than 40 years old and designed during the Cold War to counter the now-defunct Soviet Union, is safe and secure. None has ever been used in combat or launched accidentally. But it also admits to fraying at the edges: time-worn command posts, corroded launch silos, failing support equipment and an emergency-response helicopter fleet so antiquated that a replacement was deemed 'critical' years ago. Scroll down for video . In plain view: An ICBM launch site located among fields in the countryside outside Minot, North Dakota. on the Minot Air Force Base . The Minuteman is no ordinary weapon. The business end of the missile can deliver mass destruction across the globe as quickly as you could have a pizza delivered to your doorstep. But even as the Minuteman has been updated over the years and remains ready for launch on short notice, the items that support it have grown old. That partly explains why missile corps morale has sagged and discipline has sometimes faltered, as revealed in a series of Associated Press reports documenting leadership, training, disciplinary and other problems in the ICBM force that has prompted worry at the highest levels of the Pentagon. Analysis: Master Sgt. Tad Wagner (left) looks over an inert Minuteman 3 missile (left and right) in a training launch tube at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota . Deterrent: The Minuteman can deliver mass destruction across the globe . The airmen who operate, maintain and guard the Minuteman force at bases in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming came to recognize a gap between the Air Force's claim that the nuclear mission is 'Job 1' and its willingness to invest in it. 'One of the reasons for the low morale is that the nuclear forces feel unimportant, and they are often treated as such, very openly,' says Michelle Spencer, a defense consultant in Alabama who led a nuclear forces study for the Air Force published in 2012. She said in an interview that the airmen - they're called Missileers - became disillusioned by an obvious but unacknowledged lack of interest in nuclear priorities among the most senior Air Force leaders. Spencer's study found that Air Force leaders were 'cynical about the nuclear mission, its future and its true - versus publicly stated - priority to the Air Force.' Several key leadership posts have since changed hands, and while Spencer says she sees important improvements, she's worried about the Air Force's commitment to getting the nuclear forces what they need. This is no surprise to those responsible for nuclear weapons policy. An independent advisory group, in a report to the Pentagon last year, minced no words. It said the Air Force must show a 'believable commitment' to modernizing the force. 'If the practice continues to be to demand that the troops compensate for manpower and skill shortfalls, operate in inferior facilities and perform with failing support equipment, there is high risk of failure' to meet the demands of the mission, it said. Robert Goldich, a former defense analyst at the Congressional Research Service, said the ICBM force for years got 'the short end of the stick' on personnel and resources. 'I honestly don't think it's much more complicated than that,' he said. 'When that happened, people lost sight of how incredibly rigorous you've got to be to ensure quality control when nuclear weapons are involved.' That may be changing. Air Force leaders are making a fresh push to fix things. When Deborah Lee James became Air Force secretary, its top civilian official, in December, she quickly made her way to each of the three ICBM bases and came away with a conviction that rhetoric was not matched by resources. Safety measures: Lt. Phil Parentrau opening the blast door leading to the underground control room at an ICBM launch control facility on the Minot Air Force Base . 'One thing I discovered is we didn't always put our money where our mouth is when it comes to saying this is the No. 1 mission,' James told reporters June 30 during a return visit to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. James says the fixes will require money - and a lot more. They will take more people and a major attitude adjustment. 'I happen to think the top thing that really drives an airman is feeling like they're making a difference ... protecting America,' she said earlier in June. Missileers ought to feel that way, she said, but she is not convinced they do. 'And so, over time, we've got to change that around.' James said the Air Force will find $50 million in this year's budget to make urgent fixes, and will invest an additional $350 million in improvements over the coming five years. Even that, she said, is unlikely to be enough and more funds will be sought. Old: A Vietnam-era Huey helicopter taking off at Minot Air Force Base on June 25, the aircraft being one in a fleet of seven aging helicopters used to support the 150 Minuteman missiles carrying nuclear warheads . Her words are resonating with some, including Maj. Steve Gorman, a maintenance operations squadron commander at Minot. He already is seeing signs of change. He points to a recent decision to add 13 new maintenance positions here. 'That's a huge thing for us,' Gorman said. Since its initial deployment in 1970, the Minuteman 3 missile itself has been upgraded in all its main components. But much of the rest of the system that keeps the weapon viable and secure has fallen on hard times. One example is the Huey helicopter fleet, which escorts road convoys that move Minuteman missiles, warheads and other key components. It also moves armed security forces into the missile fields in an emergency, even though it's too slow, too small, too vulnerable to attack and cannot fly sufficient distances. Perimeter: Captain Robby Modad closes the gate at an ICBM launch control facility on the Minot Air Force Base . Remote: An ICBM launch control facility stands at the end of a weathered driveway in the countryside outside Minot . It's also old - Vietnam War old. The seven Hueys flown daily at Minot were built in 1969. The yearly cost of keeping them running has more than doubled over the past four years, according to Air Force statistics - from $12.9 million in 2010 to $27.8 million last year. 'Obviously we need a new helicopter, based on the mission,' said Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, who as commander of 20th Air Force is responsible for the operation, maintenance and security of the full fleet of Minuteman missiles. That's what the Air Force has been saying since at least 2006. A 2008 Air Force study cited a 'critical need' to replace the Hueys 'to mitigate missile field security vulnerabilities' and said this need had been identified two years earlier. Hot seat: A patch on the commander's chair in the underground control room where a pair of missile launch officers man a 24-hour shift at an ICBM launch control facility near Minot . In an Associated Press interview June 25 while visiting Minot, Weinstein said he was trying to persuade his superiors to buy a new fleet of more capable helicopters, but he said it was unclear whether that would happen before 2020. Weinstein is more optimistic about other opportunities to fix his missile corps. He is implementing a 'force improvement program' that was developed from hundreds of recommendations by rank-and-file ICBM force members. It is intended to begin erasing the perception that the nuclear mission is not a top priority, and to give the nuclear missile corps more people, money, equipment, training, educational opportunities and financial incentives. Lt. Col. Brian Young, deputy commander of the 91st Maintenance Group at Minot, said he senses a turning point as top brass reach out to enlisted airmen and non-commissioned officers to solicit ideas about how to fix the force. 'This feels completely different than any initiative I've been associated with in my 22 years' in the Air Force, he said. | The Air Force asserts with pride that the missile system is safe and secure .
It also admits to time-worn command posts and corroded launch silos .
The helicopters used to protect nuclear bases date back to the Vietnam war .
Low morale in the ICBM force has prompted worry at the highest levels . |
47,355 | 857711c45afb48c5ef2b2b06c2f519d3e435a602 | By . Jaya Narain . PUBLISHED: . 10:03 EST, 7 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:29 EST, 7 August 2013 . 'Liar': Emmanuel Labram repeatedly told the patient that her tumour had been removed even though it was still there, the tribunal heard . A surgeon ‘lied and lied and lied’ to a woman with a brain tumour by claiming he had removed it, a tribunal heard yesterday. Emmanuel Labram told the woman he had successfully removed the entire growth when he had removed only a tiny sample for a biopsy. After lying to her he convinced her not to seek further treatment for two years after the operation by insisting she was absolutely fine. By the time the woman decided to seek private treatment for her problem, the lesion on her brain was inoperable. Yesterday a Medical Practitioners Tribunal hearing was told Mr Labram had repeatedly lied to the patient, identified as Patient A, after carrying out the operation at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in September 2008. Craig Sephton, QC, for the General Medical Council, told the hearing: ‘It is difficult to understand why Mr Labram initially told the patient and her husband that he had completely removed the lesion when he must have known that no such thing had happened. 'He then lied and lied and lied in order to cover up his initial failure.’ The misconduct hearing was told that after lying to Patient A he forged and falsified documents and also lied to medical colleagues. Labram, 58, who qualified in Ghana in 1981, even sent letters to the patient’s GP telling him that no further treatment was necessary, it was said. The hearing in Manchester was told that Patient A had fallen ill on holiday in November 2007, experiencing double vision, and booked an appointment with her optician. She was then referred to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where an MRI scan revealed she had a tumour about one inch in diameter in her brain. The woman, who saw Labram to discuss her options for treatment in June 2008, told the hearing: ‘My first questions were, “Is it accessible? Is it operable?” and, “Is there anything you can do about it?” Surgeon: Emmanuel Labram treated the woman at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - then repeatedly lied that her tumour had been removed . ‘He said, “Oh yes. That’s the only way to find out”, so I was confident the surgery would go well and I would find out what was causing the double vision.’ She added: ‘I was under the impression that he was going to remove the tumour.’ After the neurosurgeon operated in September 2008 he told her that he had removed 100 per cent of the tumour, she said. ‘He said, “It’s all gone”. He said it was just calcium deposits. That’s how he described it,’ she told the hearing. Mr Sephton said: ‘Mr Labram gave . Patient A’s husband a vivid description of how he had removed the . tumour. In fact he had not excised the lesion at all.’ The hearing was told that Labram had . removed only four tiny hard pale fragments when he knew the tumour was . an inch in diameter. In his medical notes he simply recorded that . ‘biopsies’ of the tumour had been taken. 'He . then lied and lied and lied in order to cover up his initial failure . and the GMC will therefore invite you to conclude that is what has . happened' Craig Sephton QC, for the General Medical Council . Mr Sephton said there was no explanation as to why Labram had told the patient he had removed the entire tumour. ‘The only explanation is he was being dishonest,’ he said. ‘There is no clinical justification not to tell the truth to Patient A or her GP. Mr Labram acted dishonestly in asserting what he knew was not true.’ In January 2009 the surgeon is said to have altered a pathology report and sent a forged copy to his patient in order to conceal the fact she might need further treatment. Two months later he failed to tell Patient A that another MRI scan she had had showed the tumour was in fact unchanged. The GMC claims he did not tell her this because he wanted to conceal the fact he had not removed the lesion in the first place. Labram then changed his stance after a third MRI scan, telling Patient A and her GP that the lesion had returned, when he knew there had been no change. He again changed his tune in May 2010, now telling Patient A that he had not known the tumour was present when he operated on her and giving her another doctored pathology report, the panel heard. Patient A raised concerns about her treatment and the medical director at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary ordered an investigation. When asked about his actions in 2011, the surgeon allegedly continued to lie to bosses, claiming ‘he did not want to cause further stress to the patient’. ‘He was given the opportunity to come clean about the lies he had told and elected to not do so,’ said Mr Sephton. Labram, of Aberdeen, faces 11 allegations relating to his conduct. After a failed application to be voluntarily erased from the medical register, he withdrew from proceedings and is not present or represented at the hearing. He is currently able to work within the UK subject to conditions that keep him closely monitored by a professional regulator. If found guilty of misconduct he could be struck off the medical register. The hearing continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Emmanuel Labram 'lied to colleagues and forged documents to cover up'
Barrister tells tribunal that the surgeon 'lied and lied and lied'
The woman was diagnosed with a brain tumour after consulting her optician .
MRI scan revealed she had a one-inch tumour in her brain .
Surgery was carried out but it was never removed . |
131,209 | 35acb9426342e3cd2573352645db2b1082e25fa1 | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican army has arrested a top drug cartel chief and four of his bodyguards, the government announced Wednesday. Suspected drug kingpin Hector Huerta Rios faces members of the press Wednesday in Mexico City. Hector Huerta Rios, also known as "La Burra" or "El Junior," was arrested Tuesday in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia in Nuevo Leon state, along Mexico's border with the United States. The state-run Notimex news agency reported the announcement, citing a news conference held by the secretary of national defense and the attorney general's office. Huerta was flown to Mexico City on Tuesday night to face federal charges. Federal officials showed the four suspects to the media in a news conference Wednesday. Video footage on CNN affiliate Televisa shows Huerta flanked on each side by two other suspects. He is looking straight ahead, a solemn countenance on his mustachioed face. Hooded soldiers are stationed to the sides and behind the suspects. Huerta is a suspect in the September 2006 shooting death of Marcelo Garza y Garza, the head of the State Agency of Investigations, news reports said. News of Huerta's capture made the front pages of El Porvenir, La Prensa and El Milenio newspapers. Huerta's arrest came one day after Mexican authorities announced rewards of up to $2 million for information leading to the capture of top cartel operatives. Huerta, considered by authorities as the principal operator for the Beltran-Leyva cartel in northern Mexico, was on the government's list. The reward for his capture was 15 million pesos ($1 million). His arrest resulted from intelligence operations though, and not from a tip, so officials will not pay a reward, El Porvenir reported, citing a military official. During the arrest, officials confiscated 12 cars and four weapons, one of them gold-plated, El Milenio reported. Huerta's capture was the third major arrest announced in the past week. Mexican authorities announced the arrest last week of Sigifredo Najera Talamantes, a drug trafficking suspect accused of attacking a U.S. consulate and killing Mexican soldiers. Talamantes, also known as "El Canicon," also is suspected of attacks on a television station in Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Notimex said. The Mexican military also arrested the son of a top drug cartel lieutenant last week. Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border blame drug cartels for a surge in violence in the region. About 6,500 people died last year in the drug war in Mexico, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said this month. On Tuesday, the Mexican attorney general's office said 10,475 people were killed since Calderon took office in December 2006. Nearly 10 percent of those were police. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Mexico on Wednesday for two days of meetings with top officials, with the drug war heading the list of topics to be discussed. Clinton will make clear the United States is committed to working with Mexico and helping it come out of the drug war stronger, aides said. The Obama administration announced Tuesday it is sending hundreds of extra federal agents and crime-fighting equipment to the border with Mexico. The plan, developed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, calls for doubling the number of border security task force teams as well as moving other federal agents, equipment and resources to the border. | Suspected principal operator for Beltran-Leyva drug cartel in Mexico captured .
Four bodyguards arrested in addition to Hector Huerta Rios .
Mexico offers rewards for information leading to capture of drug cartel operatives .
Huerta's capture the third major arrest announced in past week . |
26,217 | 4a4e87c298957cc93ecd9ea8821ae85a0da9633f | (CNN) -- Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was involved in the big game in Indianapolis, where he helped his team perform another miraculous comeback in the fourth quarter with time running out. But the action didn't take place at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Super Bowl XLVI. It was a virtual gridiron battle at EA Sports' Madden Bowl XVIII played on Xbox 360s at the Bud Light Hotel. Tebow was part of the three-member "Clutch Team," which also featured New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his teammate and tight end, Jimmy Graham. The trio beat the "Rookie Team" 16-13 in a dramatic comeback, sending Justin Blackmon (wide receiver, Oklahoma State University), Robert Griffin III (quarterback, Baylor University), and LaMichael James (running back, University of Oregon) home without the coveted trophy. Brees admitted that Tebow "brings the magic," although in a twist, it was Brees who played quarterback during that final drive with Tebow playing wide receiver. Tebow, who was on the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football 11, said he was just happy to be part of the video game tournament. "It's humbling to be here with these other great athletes and football players, just to be around them, to be friends with them, to continue to build relationships is wonderful," said Tebow. "And then all of the opportunities we have to be in the Madden game, to be in the Madden Bowl, it really is a privilege." Even veteran players like San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates are drawn to the virtual competition, which offers something much more important than that trophy. "The Madden Bowl is popular because it's still a competition," said Gates. "We're built on competition. Our characteristics are about competing and winning. When you come here, you get to see other players and enjoy the festivities. But in the back of everybody's mind, you still want to win the Madden Bowl. Even if it's not all over the news, you still want the bragging rights." Gates said he and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who won Madden Bowl XVI, spent time talking about this year's competition while in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl last weekend. "It's something like the Super Bowl," said Miami Dolphins wide receiver and Pro Bowl MVP Brandon Marshall. "A lot of guys take pride in their Madden game and wagers are made. And it's always fun to watch." EA keeps NFL's biggest names involved in the tournament, even after they hang up their cleats. The Madden Legends team featured Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp, who retired in 2008. "When they came out with the four buttons on the front, that's when I quit playing Madden," said Sapp, laughing. "It was just too much. It was just too much." The competition, which Sapp said is a whole new brand from when he used to play in the NFL, was too much for this trio. But they enjoy the focus the video game puts on the sport they still love to watch. With a constant influx of new talent, the rookies typically have an edge with video game skills, as many have been weaned on the intricate controllers that the Atari and Nintendo generation have had to learn. But just as fans see on the real field, nothing beats experience and football knowledge. "Playing in the Madden Bowl is a tremendous experience," said Houston Texans veteran running back Arian Foster, who played on the All-Madden Team in the tournament this year. "Guys come into the locker room and say, 'Hey, I just got through killing with you in Madden.' So it's an awesome feeling and Madden helped me get the name that I have today. I appreciate that." Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller came to the party to check out the high definition gridiron action, which has become "the game before the game" during Super Bowl week. "It's crazy to be in Madden," said NFL rookie Miller. "That's another dream. I always dreamed of playing in the NFL and to be in Madden is just amazing. I only play Madden, so it's a big deal." Not everyone was happy with the outcome of Madden Bowl XVIII. Perhaps no player takes the video game tournament more seriously than Jones-Drew. He said he plays Madden every day and is constantly preparing himself for the competition. He wasn't happy with the format change from player versus player to three-man teams last year. "I can beat anyone here one-on-one, which is the way Madden is supposed to be played," said Jones-Drew, who was part of the All-Madden Team with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis and Foster. As for Tebow, he doesn't have as much time since going pro to play video games. But he is just as competitive as he is on the real field when it comes to Madden Bowl, as were his teammates. "I enjoy playing Madden," said Tebow. "I stay pretty busy, so it's not like I can play it a lot. But I have a good time playing with my brothers and teammates and we get pretty competitive on it." That competitive nature has already started with Madden NFL 13. EA Sports announced at the Madden Bowl that 64 players -- two players from each NFL team -- will compete for the chance to be on the cover of the new game. Fans will have the final say once again, after picking Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis for this year's game. Can Tebow work his magic again and grace the cover of this August's football game? Don't count him out. | Tim Tebow was part of a three-member "Clutch Team" at EA Sports' Madden Bowl XVIII .
The quarterback says he was just happy to be part of the video game tournament .
EA keeps NFL's biggest names involved in the tournament, even after they hang up their cleats . |
64,259 | b67a644b542af57dd5fa4514579553fb4f8467cd | By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 05:36 EST, 20 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:39 EST, 20 September 2012 . In a critical climate indicator showing an ever warming world, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean has shrunk to an all time low. The shocking new figures reveal the ice has halved in size since the 1980s. 'We are now in uncharted territory,' said snow and ice data center director Mark Serreze. Scroll down for video . New images Nasa show reveal the full extent of Arctic ice shrinkage, showing a new record low compared to the average minimum extent over the past 30 years (in yellow). 'While we’ve long known that as the planet warms up, changes would be . seen first and be most pronounced in the Arctic, few of us . were prepared for how rapidly the changes would actually occur.' The ice cap at the North Pole measured 1.32 million square miles on Sunday, according to the new data released today. Scientists say this is 18 percent smaller than the previous record of 1.61 million square miles set in 2007, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. Records go back to 1979 based on satellite tracking. 'On top of that, we're smashing a record that smashed a record,' said data center scientist Walt Meier. Sea ice shrank in 2007 to levels 22 percent below the previous record of 2005. Ice in the Arctic melts in summer and grows in winter, and it started growing again on Monday. In the 1980s, Meier said, summer sea ice would cover an area slightly smaller than the Lower 48 states. Now it is about half that. Man-made global warming has melted more sea ice and made it thinner over the last couple decades with it getting much more extreme this year, surprisingly so, . 'Recently the loss of summer ice has accelerated and the six lowest September ice extents have all been in the past six years,' Serreze said. 'I think that's quite remarkable.' Serreze said except for one strong storm that contributed to the ice loss, this summer melt was more from the steady effects of day-to-day global warming. Scattered ice floes are seen from the bridge of the RV Healy on August 20, 2012 northwest of Barrow, Alaska. The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center shows the amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, at center in white, and the 1979 to 2000 average extent for the day shown, with the orange line. But he and others say the polar regions are where the globe first sees the signs of climate change. 'Arctic sea ice is one of the most sensitive of nature's thermometers,' said Jason Box, an Ohio State University polar researcher. What happens in the Arctic changes climate all over the rest of the world, scientists have reported in studies. The ice in the Arctic 'essentially acts like an air conditioner by keeping things cooler,' Meier said. 'And when sea ice melts more, it's like the air conditioner isn't running efficiently,' he said. Sea ice reflects more than 90 percent of the sun's heat off the Earth, but when it is replaced by the darker open ocean, more than half of the heat is absorbed into the water, Meier said. Scientists at the snow and ice data center said their computer models show an Arctic that would be essentially free of ice in the summer by 2050, but they add that current trends show ice melting faster than the computers are predicting. 'Climate models have predicted a retreat of the Arctic sea ice; but the actual retreat has proven to be much more rapid than the predictions,' said Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 'There continues to be considerable inter-annual variability in the sea ice cover, but the long-term retreat is quite apparent.' The thickness of the ice cover is also in decline. 'The core of the ice cap is the perennial ice, which normally survived the summer because it was so thick', said Joey Comiso, senior scientist with NASA Goddard. 'But because it's been thinning year after year, it has now become vulnerable to melt.' The disappearing older ice gets replaced in winter with thinner seasonal ice that usually melts completely in the summer. This year, a powerful cyclone formed off the coast of Alaska and moved on Aug. 5 to the center of the Arctic Ocean, where it churned the weakened ice cover for several days. The storm cut off a large section of sea ice north of the Chukchi Sea and pushed it south to warmer waters that made it melt entirely. It also broke vast extensions of ice into smaller pieces more likely to melt.'The storm definitely seems to have played a role in this year's unusually large retreat of the ice", Parkinson said. 'But that exact same storm, had it occurred decades ago when the ice was thicker and more extensive, likely wouldn't have had as prominent an impact, because the ice wasn't as vulnerable then as it is now.' | Ice cap at the North Pole measured just 1.32 million square miles on Sunday .
Experts warn we are 'in uncharted territory' |
169,555 | 676dfa1ceaae3e2babc600ec4de7c3780bdce70a | Newcastle United's Remy Cabella is spending his spare time watching videos of Peter Beardsley as he attempts to make his way in English football. The 24-year-old France international was drafted in from Montpellier during the summer to add the kind of invention which the Magpies had been lacking since Yohan Cabaye's departure for Paris Saint-Germain in January last year. He found the going tough during his opening few months on Tyneside, but has gradually started to find his feet, and part of that process has involved studying footage of one of the club's most celebrated sons. Remy Cabella (left) has been watching Youtube clips of Newcastle United legend Peter Beardsley . Beardsley, pictured scoring against Celtic at St James' Park during his testimonial, is a Magpies legend . Cabella (right) says he wants to 'learn more from' someone who was a 'top-class player and a very nice guy' Cabella said: 'I have watched YouTube a lot to watch Peter Beardsley over again. When I arrived at Newcastle, every player here told me to check what he did on YouTube. 'Peter was a top-class player. I looked and "Woah!". He was brilliant. More than that, he is a great human being and a very nice guy. I like him and I hope to learn more from him.' Beardsley, currently the club's football development manager, has been assisting caretaker manager John Carver and first-team coach Steve Stone since Alan Pardew's departure earlier this month. Beardsley, pictured at Whitley Park in Newcastle, is the Magpies' football development manager now . Cabella warms up for Newcastle's Premier League clash with Southampton last weekend . He is one of a long line of talented players to have lit up St James' Park over the last two decades or so, and Cabella is desperate to emulate the thrills he and the likes of Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola provided for the Toon Army. The Frenchman said: 'I know about the famous names that have played for the club like Gascoigne, David Ginola and Peter Beardsley. 'I know Peter very well now. I see him every day and he's a top man, top-class. I want to be like him because he was a good player for Newcastle, like Ginola, and some other players. 'I want to be like them, of course.' David Ginola (right), pictured against Chelsea for Newcastle, has also helped to inspire Cabella . Paul Gascoigne (right), pictured against West Ham United, is another player to inspire Cabella . | Remy Cabella signed for Newcastle United from Montpellier in the summer .
The 24-year-old has been watching old footage of Peter Beardsley .
Frenchman has also studied Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola .
He says Beardsley was 'brilliant' and wants to learn from Geordie legend .
Beardsley is now the Magpies' football development manager . |
226,638 | b172257687c006b45857602f6a60fd4ef6631f35 | (CNN) -- Sachin Tendulkar's wait for a history-making 100th international century continues after the legendary Indian cricketer fell short again in the first Test against Australia in Melbourne on Tuesday. The 38-year-old "Little Master" was dismissed for 73 in the final over of the second day as the tourists reached 214-3 in reply to Australia's first-innings total of 333. Tendulkar is international cricket's record run scorer in both the five-day and limited overs formats but has been stranded on 99 centuries since March. He added 117 with Rahul Dravid after coming to the crease at 97-2, following opening batsman Virender Sehwag's quickfire 67 off 83 balls. Sehwag passed 8,000 runs in Tests as he registered his 31st half-century. Australia lose late wickets against India . Tendulkar continued the brisk pace, as he hit eight fours and a six from 98 deliveries faced, reaching his 64th Test half-century before being bowled by Peter Siddle. Dravid was unbeaten on a patient 65 off 185 balls, with the 38-year-old notching his 63rd Test fifty, while Ishant Sharma successfully negotiated the final three balls of the day to leave India 119 runs behind Australia with seven wickets remaining. Dravid is the second-highest Test run scorer of all time behind Tendulkar on 13,162, having extended his margin over Australia's Ricky Ponting (12,718). India, seeking a first series victory in Australia in 64 years in the four-match competition, lost an early wicket when Gautam Gambhir was caught by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin off the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus for just three runs with the score at 22. Australia had resumed on 277-6, with Haddin on 21 and Siddle unbeaten on 34. Both fell to Zaheer Khan with the addition of only 14 runs as Haddin was caught by Sehwag for 27 and Siddle by wicketkeeper captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 41. Left-arm fast bowler Khan ended with figures of 4-77 off 31 overs, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took the last two wickets to fall to finish with 3-81. Ashwin said the Indians were not concerned by Tendulkar's failure to reach the coveted landmark. "It's going to eventually happen, no point in bothering about it. We're very happy to be in the position we are presently," the 25-year-old told reporters. In other Test action Tuesday, left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedera took five wickets for 52 runs as Sri Lanka bowled out South Africa for just 168 at Kingsmead in Durban. It left the tourists with a commanding first innings lead of 170 in the second Test, having lost the first by an innings and 81 runs. Sri Lanka lost captain Tillekeratne Dilshan, dismissed by Dale Steyn, to be seven for one when bad light drew proceedings on the second day to an early close. Welegedera had all his victims caught behind or in the slips and was superbly backed up by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who four for 49. Earlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 338 with Thilan Samaraweera the last man out for 102. Marchant de Lange took seven wickets for 81 on his debut for South Africa, the best figures recorded by any bowler in Test cricket in 2011. | Sachin Tendulkar dismissed for 73 in final over of second day in Melbourne Test .
India reach 214-3 in reply to Australia's first-innings total of 333 in opening match .
Record run scorer Tendulkar has been stuck on 99 international centuries since March .
Chanaka Welegedera takes 5-52 as Sri Lanka skittle South Africa . |
134,474 | 39ee07fad6f780a31fde01500e276b686fd74ef2 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Triple killer Joanna Dennehy's 7ft 3in . accomplice called her his 'devil in the flesh' and said having sex with . her was a 'dream never to come true' in twisted letters from his cell. The praise for her 'bloodthirsty' leanings and 'dirty and dark mind' appears to destroy Gary Stretch's court claims that he only helped the mother-of-two's murder spree because he feared her. Dennehy, 31, received the letters in her cell while the pair were awaiting sentence - before sending them on to Stretch's ex-partner Julie Gibbons, 53. Scroll down for video . Assistance: Gary Stretch (right) drove Joanna Dennehy (left) to Hereford where she stabbed two dog walkers . On camera: A CCTV image issued by Cambridgeshire Police last month of Dennehy walking through Strensham Service station off the M5 south of Worcester on April 2 last year with Gary Stretch . With a knife: In the police custody suite, 31-year-old Dennehy joked to officers about her 'hectic week' Stretch, 48, finishes one letter: 'See . you really soon. Your biggest supporter! Love you always. Love . Undertaker xxxxxxx Hubby 4 Lifey'. In another of the five letters, revealed in the Daily Mirror, . he writes: 'So looking forward to seeing you babe, well your sexy smile . and thoughs evil eyes of yours oops evil ment to angeleyes (lmfao).' Stretch . was jailed for life for two counts of attempted murder and preventing . the burial of three people after he was convicted of helping Dennehy . murder three men in 10 days. He shouted ‘thank you very much’ after being told he would serve a minimum of 19 years. Dennehy was handed a whole-life prison term last month, only the third ever given to a woman. Miss . Gibbons - who was sent the love notes by Dennehy accompanied by a . letter in which the killer said 'an apology would be pointless' - said . they undermine Stretch's claims that he acted out of fear. Throughout . the trial Stretch's lawyers said his huge size could not stop him being . afraid of Dennehy and what she might do to him. you can always count on me no matter wat my devil in the flesh, I just wish Id got the chance to really show u how much I loved you. I am sad I never got the chance to make love to you babe, I one of those men that didn't just want to **** you, since day one, making love to you was my dream and now it will always be a dream never to come true. hey I might get out one day and get some sort of **** dont you think? you are the one woman I ever truely loved, hope you do good things for the future babe, do you thing you ever be a free woman again. My legal team think I will get a straight sentence of around 12-18 years. Ok angel I off for now, hope to hear from you really soon, . always yours . Hugs and Kisses from me to you . Love you . Love . BABYBOY . ...will never meet another like me babe, that I know for sure, well wat more can I say babe ok will try and write you some more tomorrow ok babe which will another letter babe. always yours . I love you Joanne . your personal Undertaker . Love . THE DRIVE . Weapon: A knife used by Dennehy, of Peterborough, to murder three people and stab another two people . But . Stretch was convicted after a trial in which jurors saw CCTV images of . him walking hand-in-hand with Dennehy through a motorway service . station. Dennehy's letter to Stretch's ex-partner, revealed yesteday, read: ‘Mrs Stretch, I have received your letter. ‘I would like to set a matter to rest. Gary did not go along with me out of fear for you.' 'Mine . and Gary’s relationship was not based on past background. I had no idea . you even existed until in court my legal team informed me of a recorded . phone call to you. ‘Not . long after meeting Gary I made it clear I was not the sort of person . one should pursue, he chose otherwise. The Gary I know, love and respect . seems to differ from yours. 'I love Gaz and contrary to what he tells you he has strong feelings for me' ‘I told him a million times to get away from me and the situation but he flat out refused and got annoyed with me when I did. ‘I . had reasons for my actions and your view of me is understandable, but . wrong. I tried my hardest to prove I’d manipulated him, but if you know . him as well as you say you do you will know Gary has his own mind. During the trial, prosecutors said . Dennehy 'cast a spell' over her alleged accomplices and some of her . victims as she killed 'for fun'. Deaths: John Chapman (left) and Kevin Lee (right) were both killed in Peterborough by Dennehy last March . Stabbed: Dennehy 'exploded' into violence last March, first killing friend Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, after luring him to a house by text . Scene: The house (right) in Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, where Joanna Dennehy killed John Chapman . She . was likened to 'Uma Thurman from Kill Bill and the woman from the . Terminator' by married father-of-two Mr Lee shortly before his death. At . the height of a nationwide man-hunt, she bragged to one witness that . she had killed eight people - although no further murders have been . detected. Dennehy pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, two of attempted murder and three of preventing the lawful and decent burials of her three victims. Two other accomplices were also jailed. Robert Moore, 56, was jailed for three years after he admitted sheltering Dennehy and Leslie Layton, 36, was jailed for 14 years for preventing the burials of her victims. The bodies of Dennehy's victims - Lukasz Slaboszewski, Kevin Lee and John Chapman - were found in March and April last year. After . the killings, Dennehy and Stretch drove to Hereford where she selected . two other men - Robin Bereza and John Rogers - at random. She repeatedly stabbed the dog walkers in the street but both survived. All of the murder victims died from multiple stab injuries, including wounds to the heart. After his death at a house in Peterborough, on or around March 19, the body of Mr Slaboszewski, 31, was stored in a wheelie bin. At one point a smirking Dennehy showed the body to a teenage girl, prosecutor Peter Wright QC told the trial. LUKASZ SLABOSZEWSKI . The 31-year-old moved to the UK from Nowa Sol, Poland, in 2005 to work in a DHL warehouse in Peterborough. Cambridge . Crown Court heard that, at the time of his death, he was being . prescribed methadone as a substitute for his heroin addiction. He . was last seen alive leaving his home in the city’s Lincoln Road on . March 19 last year having met Joanna Dennehy for the first time the . previous day. He told friends he had found an 'English girlfriend'. It is thought he was stabbed to death in a property in Rolleston Garth on or soon after this date. Afterwards, . Dennehy stored his body in a wheelie bin for several days before . dumping it in a ditch at Thorney Dyke along with that of John Chapman. Their bodies were discovered by a farmer on April 3. In . a statement issued after his death by Mr Slaboszewski’s sister, Magda . Skrzypczak, said: 'Lukasz was the joker in the family, always finding . something to laugh about. His mum and dad are devastated by their loss and he also leaves two grieving sisters.' JOHN CHAPMAN . The 56-year-old, originally from Leeds, had served with the Navy in the Falkland’s war. Jurors heard he had fallen on hard times. He was an alcoholic but known as a 'friendly drunk', the court heard. Mr Chapman lived in the same set of bedsits as Dennehy in Bifield, Orton Goldhay. He . described Dennehy, who had been employed as an 'enforcer' by landlord . Kevin Lee, as the 'man woman' and friends were concerned for his safety . as she attempted to force him to move out, the court heard. He . was killed in his bedsit on March 29 after Dennehy stabbed him in the . heart. A photograph of his body, timed at 7.32am that day, was found on . Leslie Layton’s phone. Mr Chapman’s body was found alongside that of Mr Slaboszewski on April 3. At the time, his family released a statement saying: 'We are all so upset and shocked by the tragic loss of John. 'He . was a loving brother, brother in law and uncle. He was much loved by . all who knew him and will be missed by all his friends and family.' KEVIN LEE . The 48-year-old lived in Fletton, Peterborough, with his wife Christina and their two children. He ran the Quick Let property firm, which specialised in providing bedsits to people of 'limited resources', prosecutors said. Business . partner Paul Creed told the court Dennehy had approached them seeking . accommodation. Mr Creed had been reluctant to house her but Mr Lee . wanted to 'give her a chance'. Mr . Lee later employed Dennehy as a decorator and enforcer, the court . heard. On March 20, Mr Lee confessed to his wife that he was having an . affair with Dennehy. Nine . days later, on Good Friday, he gave Dennehy an Easter card. Later that . day she called him on the phone and arranged to meet him at Rolleston . Garth - where Mr Slaboszewski had been killed - before stabbing him to . death. Mr Lee’s body was found by a dog walker in a ditch beside Middle Road, Newborough, on March 30. His . family issued a statement saying: 'We are devastated by Kevin’s death, . he was a wonderful husband, father, loving brother and son. 'His naturally infectious personality touched everyone who knew him. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family.' | Gary Stretch, 48, said having sex with her was a 'dream never to come true'
He signed letters 'Undertaker', 'Your biggest supporter!' and 'Hubby 4 Lifey'
Dennehy sent them from her cell to Stretch's ex-partner Julie Gibbons, 53 .
She said they trash court claims that accomplice Stretch was under duress .
Dennehy, 31, was handed a whole life jail term for murdering three men .
She added her own letter to Gibbons showing no remorse for her actions . |
146,574 | 498bcc1a131afb95af86b35cc3456a48fd5d060a | Californian daredevil Ron Patrick has installed a 1,500 jet engine into the back of his new-shape VW Beetle, providing it with extreme acceleration. Patrick, 47, fitted the massive engine to the back of the small hatchback at a cost of $200,000. With the new infusion of power, the car is well able to exceed the the 140mph maximum speed measured by the car's on-board speedometer. Ron Patrick, left, standing beside his monster engine, spent $200,000 on his unusual creation . Patrick regularly enjoys taking his car for a spin at night where it is regularly pulled over by curious police officers . The amazing car has 1,500bhp - 500 more than a Bugatti Veyron and 1,400 horsepower more than a Beetle . Under full power, the car shoots out a 50ft trail of flame when the afterburners are engaged. The car, which is road legal is a firm favourite at motoring shows in California although he does take it on late-night cruises around Silicon Valley. However, he is regularly pulled over by traffic police who want additional information about the unusual vehicle. He is now planning several other jet-powered vehicles. He said: 'It isn't as difficult as you would think to fit a jet engine to a car. 'I'm a mechanical engineer by profession and I have studied quite a few books. 'I spent around $25k (£15k) on the car and $25k (£15k) on the engine but then another $150k (£94k) in parts. Inside the rear of the car where the back seat should be, instead this has been replaced by an air inacke . Inside the front of the car, Patrick has fitted several additional dials and switches for controlling the engine . 'The car has a universal appeal to everyone, it's a little bit of hell wrapped up in metal. 'It is road legal since the only pertinent law has to do with how much things can stick out the back of the car, in California, the law says 14' and my VW Beetle is 13'. 'It isn't any more or less difficult driving with a jet engine in place, I'd say you just have to be careful when backing up. 'People love the car because I think it appeals to people's imagination, even the birds refuse to poop on it.' Ron Patrick providing plenty of entertainment as he opens the throttle to thrill surrounding neighbours . Patrick was forced to weld in additional reinforcing struts in the rear of the car to cope with the crazy power . According to Thomas, the jet powered car is not his final experiment with jet power . | Ron Patrick fitted the 1,500 bhp jet engine into his new-shape VW Beetle .
He had to remove the rear seats to fit the massive engine into the car .
At full power, the jet shoots a 50ft flame out of the rear of the nozzle .
Amazingly, the unusual car is street legal and can be driven on the road . |
183,131 | 7932aa5ee5ae7a1b91ed5b4f2fad9b32779a7584 | For some, it’ll be the best present they have had in years. But could this year’s must-have gadget cause a fatal accident or, worse, help a terrorist to launch a deadly attack? Walk around any High Street electronics shop this Christmas and you’ll see the shelves stacked with strangely-shaped flying machines. The remote-controlled devices, officially described as ‘multi-copters’ or ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’, are usually known by a much more recognisable name: drones. Scroll down for video . These amateur drones are only distantly related to the military contraptions the British and Americans have been flying over Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years. These don’t drop bombs or monitor enemy troop movements. They look like giant Lego-built spiders, but are essentially a 21st-century version of the remote-control aeroplane you might have played with as a child. The modern-day toys hover and whizz and swoop through the air. And they’re flying off the shelves. It is estimated that more than 30,000 drones will have been bought by British consumers by the end of the year — a high proportion of them as Christmas presents. The electronics chain Maplin says that sales within its stores are up 300 per cent on 2013. But as drones move from the battlefield into our back gardens and parks, serious questions are increasingly being asked about their safety. This week, it emerged that a passenger jet was involved in a near miss with a drone near Heathrow airport in July. The pilot was flying at an altitude of 700ft when he saw the unauthorised machine, which was invisible to radar, flying near his plane. There was a similar incident at Southend Airport two months earlier — and more recently a Virgin Atlantic pilot reported seeing a drone as he came in to land at New York’s JFK airport. Frightening stuff, given that if a drone were sucked into a jet plane’s engine, it could have the same effect as a bird strike, which might prove catastrophic on take-off or landing. Drones have been put to other dangerous uses, too. In October, a European Championship football match between Serbia and Albania descended into a riot after a drone was deliberately flown inside the stadium in Belgrade trailing an Albanian flag, much to the fury of the Serbs. And sometimes they simply end up causing accidents. In New York this week, a TGI Friday’s restaurant used a hovering drone dangling a piece of mistletoe to encourage dining couples to kiss each other. Unfortunately, after colliding with one woman’s hand, it took a lump out of her nose. DJI Inspire 1 Drone is a carbon fibre aircraft which folds into a V while flying so the built-in 4K camera can take awe-inspiring 360-degree footage . However, a more serious issue relating to drones is their ability to invade just about anyone’s privacy. Because it’s possible to attach a camera to them, it is relatively simple to fly over someone’s property and take a picture of whatever they might happen to be doing in private. Indeed, paparazzi drones have become Hollywood’s most feared gate- crashers, deploying long-lens cameras and video recorders over the private retreats of the stars. One of those to complain vociferously was the singer Miley Cyrus, who spotted one hovering over her garden. Oscar-winner Ben Affleck’s actress wife Jennifer Garner has also reported seeing them flying over her property. As a result of such intrusions, American law-makers are seeking to extend privacy laws to include the use of drones. The SQ-4 Recon nano unmanned aerial drone, made by British company BCB international, in Cardiff, Wales . In Britain, there are strict regulations on where and how you can fly one. But there’s no doubt the rules are regularly breached by negligent fliers who may not have thought out the possible consequences. And what about those with more malicious intent? If a troublemaker can send a drone into a football stadium, and other users can fly them near airports, one can only imagine the harm that could potentially be inflicted by an extremist whose aim is to bring down an airliner. The Civil Aviation Authority, the same agency that governs commercial airlines, is in charge of drawing up and enforcing the regulations around drones. It declines to comment on the security implications of the Heathrow incident, but its official guidance on the use of drones is stiffly worded: ‘Unmanned aircraft, irrespective of their size, are still classified as aircraft — they are not toys.’ It adds: ‘The person in charge of operating the controls of an unmanned aircraft is referred to as the pilot.’ The CAA rules forbid you from flying your drone within 50m (164ft) of any ‘person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the pilot’. Flying too close to a building, for example, is a breach of Article 167 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 and the maximum penalty is a £2,500 fine. You must also keep the machine within sight at all times — which the CAA interprets as meaning you’re not allowed to fly your machine at any altitude higher than 400ft. The problem is that though the CAA says drones are not toys, that’s not the view of most owners. The regulations should stop most people from flying their drone in their back garden or their local park. But how strictly is the law enforced? The CAA admits there have only ever been two convictions — one man was ordered to pay £300 for flying a drone over some rides at Alton Towers (while he was standing in the car park). Another was fined £800 for flying a drone too close to a bridge, and near a nuclear submarine site (a separate offence). But the first lawbreaker was caught only because he’d posted video footage on YouTube which had been shot from his drone, and the second was nabbed because he’d inadvertently filmed his car number plate as the drone took off. Neither was apprehended at the time of the offence. Realistically, how many local police officers are going to know the detail of the law if they see someone playing with a drone in his local park? So will the strict laws dampen demand? It’s unlikely. TGI Friday's has launched the country's first mistletoe drone - which can travel up to 35mph - and hovers above customers in a bid to spark some romance . ‘This is the year that drones have moved into the mainstream,’ says Riccardo de Felice, owner of Marionville Models in Edinburgh, which has been selling flying toys for four decades. ‘That’s because you can buy a really good drone for a relatively small amount, with a good camera, that’s ready to fly as soon as you take it out of the box.’ For less than £50, you can buy a battery-powered drone with four motors that’ll do whatever you command it to. For a little more money, your drone will hover perfectly still, then loop the loop, all the while beaming back broadcast-quality video of the landscape below. You can see the appeal. These machines are great fun to play with — if a little daunting at first. Couples put their cutlery down to kiss each other as it flew 8ft above tables at the Manchester Royal Exchange restaurant . Earlier this year, I got my hands on a top-of-the-range model being used by a farmer to scare birds away from his crops. (At least, that was his story — his main motivation appeared to be bossing about this extraordinary beast as it whizzed and buzzed its merry path through the sky, swooping down to the crops below.) He let me have a go, and it was an amazing thrill: I felt like a master of the universe. The noise! The power! Not all drones are as hefty and macho as that. The cheapest on the market, the Hubsan X4, costs less than £30 and fits in the palm of your hand, which means it is small and light enough for you to fly it indoors. Less giant spider, more an oversized (and playful) flea. The little X4 can’t really cope in anything stronger than a breeze, but the more you spend, the sturdier your drone gets. And at the higher-end of the scale, the models come with GPS, the same satellite positioning system that your car’s satnav relies on. It means the drone knows its precise position in space at every moment, and it automatically compensates for any change in windspeed by returning to the same spot if it’s blown sideways. As a result, it can hover and take photographs from the same place. So will all the thousands of people who get a drone for Christmas really abide by the regulations? Oliver Meakin, managing director of Maplin Direct, says: ‘We wouldn’t want any of our customers thinking that it’s a good idea to put a drone over Heathrow, because that’s clearly a very irresponsible thing to do.’ He says that Maplin makes sure all customers are made aware of the law. ‘But if they then choose to disregard the law, that is for them to decide.’ Of course, if you see a drone fitted with a camera hovering over your garden, there’s one drastic measure you could resort to: shoot it down. Now, where did I put my shotgun . . . | Up to 30,000 of the remote-controlled devices predicted to be sold this year .
This week it emerged passenger plane had near miss with drone in July .
In October drone was used to disrupt Serbia vs Albania football match .
Some believe stricter laws must be introduced to prevent future accidents . |
184,483 | 7af00fcc5b7db4a0ba7877688401240fd576d2e6 | Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman has said that he approached police over widely reported claims he had sex with a minor – and was told that they were not interested. The ageing rocker, now 76, famously began courting Mandy Smith when she was 13 and he was 48. They married, disastrously, when she was 18, but her mother joined them on honeymoon and they spent less than a week of married life together. Newlyweds: Bill Wyman, then 49, and 18-year-old Mandy Smith on their wedding day in 1989 . Wyman and Ms Smith: She claims they slept together when she was just 14 . The way they were: Wyman says it was 'emotional and special ' when he became involved with Mandy Smith . Rock king: Bill Wyman with Ronnie Wood picking up their Ivor Novello awards in 1991 . She claimed they had sex when she was 14, and her sister called for the ex-Stone to be prosecuted. Wyman insists he has nothing to be . ashamed of – but amid a swirl of celebrity paedophile allegations . sparked by the unmasking of the late Jimmy Savile, the star has finally . revealed he took the initiative to contact detectives himself. He and Miss Smith had married in 1989, parting and divorcing soon afterwards. He later left the Rolling Stones under . a cloud, and despite playing with the now super-rich band last year, it . appears he is yet to be fully reconciled with them. But Wyman is still forthright about . his relationship with the girl more than three decades his junior who . became his second bride. Now married to third wife Suzanne . Accosta, by whom he has daughters Katherine, 18, Jessica, 17, and . Matilda, 14, Wyman said of his love affair with a schoolgirl: ‘It was . very emotional and special at the time. It wasn’t how it was reported to . be and it was the only time it ever happened in my life. ‘A lot of people understood, but a lot didn’t, and the media certainly didn’t. They treated me like c**p.’ Child bride: Mandy Smith today. She is no longer in contact with the former Rolling Stone . Ageing rock star: Bill Wyman was reunited with the Stones to mark 50 years of the band . Admitting he avoided talking about . Miss Smith because it upset his wife and teenage girls – ‘who are the . age she was’ – Wyman said: ‘We all have a skeleton in the cupboard, it’s . just if you’re a taxi driver in Halifax no one ever hears about it. ‘But if you are a celebrity everyone . does. In my case it was publicised to the world and that wasn’t really . fair, I don’t think.’ He said: ‘I went to the police and I . went to the public prosecutor and said, “Do you want to talk to me? Do . you want to meet up with me, or anything like that?” and I got a message . back, “No”. ‘I was totally open about it.’ The Metropolitan Police refused to comment on Wyman’s claims. The star, who married first wife Diane . in 1959, went through his first divorce in 1969 after joining the . Rolling Stones plunged him into a world of groupies, from whom he . reportedly picked favourites while playing bass on stage. He has boasted of bedding a thousand . young women, and first met 13-year-old Mandy Smith when she was dancing . at London’s Lyceum ballroom with her elder sister. He has said she made him feel as if he . had been ‘whacked over the head with a hammer’, and he promptly began . helping her find work as a model. He has claimed she was ‘a woman at 13’ and pointed out her mother did not object to their relationship, . despite his age and reputation. For two-and-a-half years their affair . was a closely guarded secret, but when it became known they wed in a . civil ceremony, then went on Terry Wogan’s TV show. Their divorce led to a £580,000 payout to Miss Smith, and he married for a third time just five months later. But Wyman had not quite escaped his . past, and events later took a still more bizarre turn when his son . Stephen, 30, became engaged to Miss Smith’s mother Patsy. Together: Rocker Bill Wyman and his wife Suzanne Accosta who have three children . | Guitarist Bill Wyman says he contacted police to talk about their relationship .
He describes involvement with teenager as 'emotional and special'
Wyman and Smith married when she was 18 but separated soon afterwards .
Former Rolling Stone admits he does not talk about relationship with Smith as it upsets wife and three daughters aged 14 to 18 . |
37,205 | 6970982df48ddc2cd2a206f18353714079c11c6b | By . Ted Thornhill . An American missionary jailed in North Korea for more than a year has appeared before cameras to make a dramatic appeal to the U.S. government to do its best to secure his release. Kenneth Bae made the comments at what he called a press conference held at his own request. He was under guard during the appearance. It is not unusual for prisoners in North Korea to say after their release that they spoke in similar situations under duress. Wearing a gray cap and inmate's uniform with the number 103 on his chest, Bae spoke in Korean during the brief appearance, which was attended by The Associated Press and a few other foreign media in Pyongyang. Scroll down for video . American missionary Kenneth Bae, right, leaves after speaking to reporters at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital in Pyongyang . Happier times: A 2011 family photo of Kenneth Bae . ‘I believe that my problem can be solved by close cooperation and agreement between the American government and the government of this country,’ he said. Bae, the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea in recent years, expressed hope that the U.S. government will do its best to secure his release. He said he has not been treated badly in confinement. Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group and accused of crimes against the state before being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He was moved to a hospital last summer in poor health. His appearance came weeks after North Korea freed an elderly American veteran of the Korean War who had been held for weeks for alleged crimes during the 1950-53 war. State media said 85-year-old Merrill Newman was released because he apologized for his wrongdoing and that authorities also considered his age and medical conditions. Newman said after his release that a videotaped confession was given involuntarily and under duress, although he was generally treated well. North Korea has detained at least seven Americans since 2009. They were eventually deported or released without serving out their terms, some after prominent Americans such as former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter traveled to Pyongyang. A senior U.S. envoy had planned to visit North Korea in late August to discuss Bae's release, but Pyongyang withdrew its invitation at the last minute, accusing the United States of hostility. Analysts said North Korea was apparently trying to gain leverage in a long-running international standoff over its nuclear weapons program. ‘We shouldn't take Kenneth Bae's comments merely as his own,’ said Kim Jin Moo, a North Korea expert at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul. ‘The reason why North Korea had Kenneth Bae make this statement ... is that they want Washington to reach out to them.’ ‘Bae's comments are an appeal to Washington to actively persuade Pyongyang to release him,’ Kim said. Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group and accused of crimes against the state . Other foreign analysts say North Korea wants better ties with Seoul and Washington as a way to win foreign aid and investment to boost its struggling economy. Earlier this month, Bae's detention was in the news after former basketball star Dennis Rodman traveled to Pyongyang with other retired NBA players for an exhibition game marking the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In an interview with CNN while in Pyongyang, Rodman made comments implying Bae was at fault. Rodman, who has been criticized for not using his ties with Kim to help secure Bae's freedom, later apologized. He claimed alcohol was one of the reasons for his bizarre outburst about his fellow American citizen. The controversial former basketball player is now staying at a treatment centre in New Jersey to try and curb his long-standing addiction to alcohol. A source told TMZ he entered the facility a few days ago after returning from his much criticized trip to the insular communist country. The insider added the former Chicago Bulls star is 'beyond exhausted and overwhelmed' and will receive care for 30 days. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center), next to his wife Ri Sol-ju (left), talking to Dennis Rodman (right), while watching a basketball game between North Korean players and former NBA players at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium. Rodman has come under fire for suggesting Bae's plight in the communist state was his own fault . Bae was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in 1985 with his parents and sister. He was allowed to call home on December 29 because of the holidays, according to his sister, Terri Chung. That was the first time his three children from an earlier marriage had spoken to him, she said. He has two children in Arizona and another in Hawaii, ages 17, 22 and 23, Chung said. Before his arrest, Bae lived in China for seven years with his wife and stepdaughter. He ran a tour business and led 18 trips to North Korea, Chung said. | Kenneth Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group .
He was accused of crimes against the state and sentenced to 15 years labor . |
140,280 | 4167cca7854a78269698aa41875717466e6a20a7 | By . Corey Charlton for MailOnline . A five-year-old told she would never walk unaided has undergone pioneering surgery and now been offered a place at Britain's top ballet school. Matilda Duncan was born with cerebral palsy but had an operation paid for by a fundraising campaign launched by her best friend Casey Burke - who also has the debilitating condition. Now, just 13 weeks later, she is well on the road to recovery, and has been offered a place at the prestigious English National Ballet School. Best friends: Four-year-old Casey Burke, pictured far left and far right, and Matilda Duncan, 5. Casey and her family helped raise £40,000 to fund her best friend Matilda's operation . Matilda and her brother Matthew playing together after her operation significantly improved her ability to walk . Her . Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedure - an operation that improves mobility by cutting nerves in the lower spine - was funded by a campaign started by . her best pal Casey, five, who suffers from a form of cerebral palsy . that cannot be fixed by the operation. The . procedure, which was carried out on May 23 at Great Ormond Street . Hospital, is not currently fully available on the NHS, so Casey, with a . little help from her mum, launched a campaign to get 25,000 people to . each donate £1 to cover the cost of the pre and post-op care. Matilda, who is also known as Tilly, said: 'I always wanted to grow up to be a dancer or a footballer, and now I can. I can't wait to start dancing, and I can play with my brother now too. 'I have Casey to thank for this. She'll be my best friend forever.' The girls, who became best friends when they met at nursery, were both born prematurely, and both have perfectly healthy twins. Matilda has an able-bodied twin brother Matthew, who is now delighted he has somebody to play football with in the family's back garden, in Hayes, west London. Mum Rachel Knowles, 41, said the difference was 'astonishing'. 'To be told your child is never going to be able to walk unaided is something no parent should ever have to be told. 'But now that Tilly has had this operation, everything in our lives has improved. 'She's happier than ever, and so is Matthew too. 'They're forever playing out in the garden now. Tilly doesn't get as tired, and neither do I. Matilda and her brother Matthew with their mother Rachel Knowles. Matilda was born with cerebral palsy . 'She still gets a bit stuck sometimes and struggles, but she's improving all the time and it's nowhere near as bad as it was. 'We've been told that in about two years, it'll be like she never had any mobility issues. 'And for her to be offered a place at a ballet school is just amazing. If anybody had done that this time last year, I would have thought they were making fun of us. 'But now Tilly's the one making her own fun, and it's brilliant.' Matilda has now been accepted into London's top ballet school . The NHS pay for the operation itself but Great Ormond Street Hospital require parents to fund the expensive rehabilitation. But the 'Walking Matilda' campaign went viral, and raised £40,000 in a little over two days, meaning Matilda's family have been able to pay for her operation, and donate the rest towards another little child's operation. Matilda's shop-worker mother has been with her project manager partner Matthew Duncan, 41, for 18 years. Matilda's family discovered she was eligible for the revolutionary Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedure just before Christmas. Her mother said: 'I'm so happy. When we first found out that Matilda could have the operation, and were told it would cost us £25,648, it was bittersweet. 'We never thought we'd be able to afford it. It was heartbreaking. We never would have been able to pay for the operation without Casey, her mum, and all the wonderful and generous people who donated. 'If I could kiss each and every one of them, I would. I can't thank people enough, it's changed all of our lives for the better. 'Now when I cry it's through happiness rather than tears of sadness.' Casey, who cannot have the operation, uses a wheelchair and a walker, and lives with her parents Suzanne and Mike, in Flitwick, Bedfordshire. The English National Ballet School, based in Fulham, south west London, offers a range of classes and courses for children of all ages, and have offered Matilda a place in their juniors class which starts in October. She is now raising money for Tree of Hope, a charity which helps families in similar situations fund the same procedure. Donations can be made to her JustGiving page, at https://www.justgiving.com/walking-Matilda. | Matilda Duncan, born with cerebral palsy, told she would never walk unaided .
But her best friend, aged 4, decided to start a fundraising campaign .
Casey Burke and her family helped raise £40,000 in the space of a few days .
Money was used to fund expensive rehab for complicated operation .
Matilda has been offered a place at London's most prestigious dance school . |
205,481 | 96034411b53b6fa5e218436fb40b788f3b63b357 | Trendy teaching methods have abandoned the tradition of imparting knowledge to allow children to chat about what they find interesting, Michael Gove claimed today. The Education Secretary attacked GCSE exam questions about why X-Factor guru Simon Cowell is rude and whether or not rapper Tinie Tempah likes eating kangaroo. He also ridiculed history lessons using plasticine models to learn about Hitler, and dismissed group work as ‘children chatting to each other’, which he claimed had seen some schools told to remove chairs and table from classrooms. Questions: English exams have include questions about Simon Cowell (left) and rapper Tinie Tempah, Michael Gove claimed in a speech on dumbing down in education . Standards: Education Secretary Michael Gove said warned against the 'sidelining' of the teacher from the activity of learning . In a major speech in central London, the senior Conservative said the work of good teachers was under attack on four fronts. He . dismissed the idea that teaching is a ‘depressing and demotivating . activity’ in decline and the claim that teaching cannot make ‘any real . difference’. He also claimed . teachers are under attack from people who think they cannot be trusted . and need outsiders ‘at every turn to monitor, police and approve their . activities’. But he saved some of his most outspoken criticism for the ‘sidelining of the teacher from the activity of learning’. Mr Gove went on: ‘Allied to these . teaching methods which have nothing to do with passing on knowledge . there has also been an emphasis on teachers having to put their own . learning aside so that work is 'relevant’ to the students. ‘This . has resulted in the dumbing of educational material down to the level . of the child – with GCSE English papers that ask students about Tinie . Tempah, or Simon Cowell – rather than encouraging the child to thirst . after the knowledge of the teacher.’ In an English language GCSE exam in . 2011, students were asked to read an extract from Cowell's autogibraphy . and an article from Hello! magazine before asking answering questions . about the media mogul. The questions set by the WJEC/CBAC exam board, included: 'Simon Cowell admits he’s rude. What explanations does he give for his behaviour?' In another test, set by the AQA exam . board, pupils had to read an interview with rapper Tinie Tempah about . his favourite food from The Guardian. Asked to 'list four things you learn . about Tinie Tempah from the article', markers were told to award points . for answers including 'he works in the music business' and 'he didn't . like eating kangaroo'. Celebrity: An English Language GCSE in 2011 exam paper by the WJEC/CBAC exam board included questions about an article on Simon Cowell . Rapper: In 2012 GCSE English language students were asked to answer questions about Tinie Tempah. This is an extract from the guidelines given to markers by the AQA exam board . Michael Gove gave a string of examples of what he called dumbing down in the classroom, including: . Re-enacting the battle of . Hastings on a field with softballs . Spending three . lessons making castles out of cardboard boxes . Making plasticine models . to learn about Hitler . Recreating life on a slave . ship by making pupils gather under their desks . A-Level English students drawing faces of literary . characters on a paper plate . GCSE English papers that ask students about Tinie Tempah or Simon Cowell . Schools and nurseries told to remove tables and chairs from classrooms . Children not allowed to sit still for longer than one minute for every year of their age . Mr Gove called for teachers who ‘actively pass on knowledge’, instead of leaving children to their own devices. ‘Children . naturally learn to talk; they do not naturally learn to read, or to . play the violin, or to carry out long division,’ he said. Mr Gove said: ‘It's the belief that . education should not be an activity in which the teacher imparts . knowledge to the child but a pursuit - by the child - of what it finds . interesting.’ Educational thinkers have repeatedly . argued that the importance of teaching should be downgraded, he claimed . with classrooms reorganised to reduce the teacher’s central role. ‘All too often, we’ve seen an . over-emphasis on group work – in practice, children chatting to each . other - in the belief that is a more productive way to acquire knowledge . than attending to an expert. ‘Some schools have been pressured to fit in with prevailing doctrines, even against their own instincts. ‘Some nurseries and schools in Kent, for example, reported to us that they were told to remove tables and chairs from their classrooms.’ Teachers were also told not to keep children sitting still for longer than one minute for every year of their lives, even if listening to a story. Children could not be allowed to tidy up, or be asked to put their coats on, in case it interrupted ‘child-initiated play’, Mr Gove claimed. Where teaching is marginalised, inappropriate fun activities are used in place of proper learning, the minister suggested. He . pointed to a string of examples collected by teacher Matthew Hunter, . who uses a blog a series to chronicle ‘intellectually impoverished’ schools and the content of history lessons aimed at 11 to 16-year-olds. Mr . Gove said: ‘They included studying the battle of Hastings by . re-enacting it on a field with softballs, spending three lessons making . castles out of cardboard boxes, making plasticine models to represent . Hitler’s main aims as Fuhrer and recreating life on a slave ship by . making pupils gather under their desks. ‘Another . teacher records a lesson for A-Level English students in which they . were asked to depict literary characters on a paper plate – drawing a . face on the plate - and then asked to use stickers to define the . character’s principal traits - pinning the stickers on their clothes and . mingling with other students, while they introduce themselves “in . character”.' | Education Secretary warns of risk of teachers being sidelined .
Dismisses 'group working' and dumbing down of lessons and tests .
English exams included questions on Simon Cowell's and Tinie Tempah .
History students use plasticine to learn about the Fuhrer's aims .
Schools in Kent told to remove chairs so children can concentrate on play . |
240,830 | c3c702efb7cd009027c45e8b9ed91cef4cf676a4 | When it comes to capturing their big day on film, most people rely on the services of a professional wedding photographer. But one couple from Plymouth, Devon, got a pleasant surprise when they realised their reception party had also been captured on Google Street View. The bride, named on social media as Theresa Egan, can be seen stepping outside the Firkin Doghouse pub during her reception party, just as one of Google's street mapping cars drove past. The wedding took place in August 2012 but may not stick around online for long, as Google says it usually updates street view images every three years. Snapped: One couple had their wedding reception captured on Google Street View while standing outside The Firkin Doghouse in Plymouth . Big day: The bride, named on social media as Theresa Egan can be seen outside the pub along with some of her guests after getting hitched . Celebration: A man pumps the air while the new Mrs Egan enjoys the end of her special day with her guests in this August 2012 image . Mapped: Google uses cars such as this, with a camera and laser rig fitted on the top, to take panoramic views of the roads - but Mrs Egan's wedding might not be online for long as the tech company says it replaces the images roughly once every three years . | Bride, named online as Theresa Egan, can be seen walking out of Firkin Doghouse pub in Plymouth, Devon .
Her big day was unintentionally captured in August 2012 as Google car drove through photographing streets .
But wedding snap may not remain online for long as tech company says it replaces images every three years . |
193,022 | 85eb67c3a9870613e2ea8eaae949e1422169af67 | By . Roger Baird . PUBLISHED: . 17:50 EST, 5 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:55 EST, 5 August 2013 . Running an investment portfolio is a far cry from selling papers on the street to sympathetic passers-by. But the Big Issue, the magazine that supports the homeless, has drawn up plans to branch out into fund management. Big Issue Invest, the magazine’s finance arm, intends to raise some £250m over the next five years and to invest the cash in projects with a social conscience around the UK. It hopes to attract backing from City institutions, foundations and rich individuals to fund fledging community businesses. A woman selling copies of The Big Issue, which was founded in 1991 to help the homeless find a place to live and work . The Big Issue has already dipped a toe into the water, raising £20m for investment in new businesses back in 2005. It was an early stage investor in Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant project, that offered training and jobs to disadvantaged young people. But its latest plans will put it into a much bigger investment league. ‘Since the financial crisis, people are looking at new ways to raise cash and support companies. We are interested in funding firms in poorer areas or employing people who find it hard to get work. ‘We want to extend the boundaries of what is a traditional investment. These will be sustainable projects, which will offer worthwhile returns,’ said Nigel Kershaw, Chairman of Big Issue Invest. ‘This is a step change.’ Mr Kershaw is looking for a chief executive with City experience to lead the fund raising effort. He said: ‘We want someone who has spent a lot of time in the City and feels it is time to put something back. We want them to use their experience and know-how to raise investment.’ The new chief executive will lead the magazine group’s fund raising, which it hopes will get off the ground by the end of the year. Big Issue Invest chairman Nigel Kershaw, pictured with a copy of the magazine, is looking for a chief executive with City experience to lead the fund raising effort . In addition to supporting Fifteen, the . Big Issue has also backed London-based transport business Connection . Crew, which takes 25 per cent of its recruits from the homeless. It has also given £1.8million to . Moneyline, the Blackburn-based not-for-profit company which lends cash . to people who are unable to secure bank loans. Mr Kershaw said: ‘These are the types of businesses we want to back with the new fund. There are a lot of opportunities out there.’ Moneyline’s business model differs greatly from payday loan firm Wonga, condemned last month by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for exploiting the poor, which charges annual interest of over 5,800 per cent. The Big Issue was founded in London in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick, the husband of the late founder of the Body Shop, Anita Roddick. It supports the homeless by turning them into vendors and giving them a cut of the magazines they sell. The magazine now has operations in cities as far afield as Tokyo and Nairobi. | Magazine hopes to attract backing from City institutions, foundations and rich individuals .
Big Issue Invest's Nigel Kershaw is looking for a chief executive with City experience to lead the fund raising .
The Big Issue was founded in .
1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick . |
174,332 | 6da38cefcf8b4a4ba4ff0767fecaa0d88e2afed5 | PUBLISHED: . 07:40 EST, 11 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:35 EST, 12 February 2014 . With long blonde hair, 32DD breasts and slender figure, Carolyn Anderson, 28, from Liverpool, is could easily be mistaken for Pamela Anderson at first glance. And for extreme Pammie fan Carolyn, that couldn't be more of a compliment. Indeed, so obsessed with the Baywatch star is she, she's spent 14 years and £20,000 on a mission to look more like the blonde actress. Now, however, she claims she's an improvement on the star and says that the 46-year-old actress ought to be flattered to be told she looks like Carolyn. Scroll down for video . Doppelganger: Carolyn insists that she looks much better than the original Pammie who is 'pushing 40' Glamour girl: Carolyn has spent more than £20,000 on boob jobs, tooth whitening and botox jabs . Carolyn's quest for surgical perfection has so far seen her have nine breast operations, including several to correct a botched boob job, botox, teeth whitening and lip filler. I grew up with Baywatch and I was . captivated by her [Pamela Anderson's] look,' explains Carolyn. 'She's like an iconic cartoon . character in human form.' Her mission to look more like the star began at the age of 14, when she dyed her hair blonde and a throwaway comment from her father kickstarted what would become an enduring obsession. 'I dyed my hair blonde and he said: "oh . you don't half look like Pamela Anderson with your hair that colour",' she remembers. 'And from there, a lot of other people seemed to start saying it.' Her first surgery swiftly followed, although as Carolyn admits, her quest to become the Scouse Pamela Anderson hasn't always gone smoothly. 'I had my first boob job was when I was 20 just . to make me feel more confident but unfortunately, it went wrong. 'I realised after a . couple of months that they weren't placed right and one started to go hard.' But instead of seeing the doctor, Carolyn ignored the issue and continued to spend plenty of time on the sunbed - with disastrous consequences. 'I was addicted to having a Pammie style tan,' she confesses. 'At the height of my sunbed use, I . would be on it four times a week for up to 16 minutes. At times, my skin would feel . red raw.' The best: Carolyn says she's also an improvement on the original by virtue of being from Liverpool . Inspiration: Pamela Anderson, pictured with Alexandra Paul and David Charvet, in her Baywatch heyday . 'Pushing 40': The 46-year-old actress pictured at a Haiti charity benefit in LA last month . For her breasts, already delicate and dotted with scar tissue because of the implants, the excessive sunbed use proved enormously damaging. 'I started to see abrasions on one side of the breast and the . skin was raw. I could see the implant showing on the outside - it had become badly infected.' She continues: 'I . had complications on my left breast. It was infected from the inside . out so I had to have the implant removed. 'For three months, I walked around with . only one breast implant. It was very strange to me because it was . something I'd never felt before. It was was very embarrassing the first . time it happened. 'You don't want to date someone because you're . basically walking round with one breast.' Eventually, the infection spread to the right breast as well and she was forced to have the other implant removed. 'I . had to have an operation to remove it, operation to drain it and operation to put it back in... I . had around eight operations in total.' But despite the complications, Carolyn says she's still not satisfied. 'I'd like to go a size or two up,' she admits. 'Then I'd . be happy to maintain that look.' 'It's a . full time job to keep looking this good,' she adds. 'To be this obsessed with one's . appearance would seem extreme but I am willing to do what ever it takes . to maintain that character. Scouse Pammie: Carolyn uses her blonde bombshell looks to help her in her career as a Pamela impersonator . On the job: Carolyn in her Pamela Anderson get-up during a paid appearance at a party . 'It's like, I'm the real Pamela Anderson - . that's what it feels like anyway.' Despite her efforts, she admits she's rarely confused with her idol, although she blames that on Pamela's age. 'I don't think I'll ever be mistaken . for the real Pamela Anderson. I think its a compliment to the real . Pamela Anderson that she looks like me know, because she's pushing 40! Smiling, she concludes: 'I'm the world's best Pamela Anderson lookalike but I'm one better because I'm the Scouse version.' The real Pamela Anderson might have something to say about that. Carolyn appears on 200 Nips And Tucks But I Want More, tonight at 9pm on Channel 5 . | Carolyn Anderson, 28, from Liverpool, has spent £20,000 on surgery .
Has wanted to look like Pamela Anderson since the age of 14 .
Not every operation has gone to plan, including a botched boob job .
Calls herself the 'Scouse Pammie' and says she's better than original . |
191,338 | 83c340bca12fe0cf4ca02576d1c3596b09ca1287 | (CNN) -- An icy asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Saturn is adding credence to theories that Earth's water was delivered from space, according to a report published in the new issue of the science journal Nature. Two teams of scientists found their evidence when looking at 24 Themis, a asteroid about 479 million kilometers (300 million miles) from the sun, or roughly three times the average distance from Earth to the sun. Using the infrared telescope at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, they were surprised to find not only water on 24 Themis, but organic compounds as well. Asteroids were thought to be devoid of water because they sit too close to the sun, while comets have been the water bearers of the universe because they form farther out in space. "Astronomers have looked at dozens of asteroids with this technique, but this is the first time we've seen ice on the surface and organics," astronomer Andrew Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, told Nature.com. The scientific teams from Johns Hopkins and the University of Central Florida that looked at 24 Themis speculate that the ice may be held in a reservoir under the asteroid's surface. They speculate that the water is brought to the surface as small bodies in the asteroid belt hit the surface of 24 Themis. The findings on 24 Themis lend weight to the idea that asteroids and comets are the source of Earth's water and organic material. Geochemists believe that early Earth went through a molten phase that would have removed any organic molecules, meaning any new organic material would have had to come to the planet at a later time, said Humberto Campins at UCF. "I believe our findings are linked to the origin of life on Earth," he added. Scientists now plan to scan the asteroid belt for more evidence of water and organic materials, hoping to determine if 24 Themis is just an interloper -- possibly a comet that got caught in the asteroid belt -- or the first of many water-bearing asteroids that will change the way astronomers look at the solar system. "The old-fashioned picture of the solar system in which asteroids are asteroids and comets are comets is getting harder to sustain," Rivkin said. | Report: Scientists find first evidence of water on asteroid .
Organic compounds were also found on 24 Themis .
Asteroids were once thought not to contain water because they were too close to sun . |
268,557 | e7dd0f534c0d5e88dd569b26e4efc004b659be36 | Atlanta (CNN) -- A Georgia woman has been convicted of human trafficking and other charges for bringing two Nigerian women to the United States and forcing them to work in her lavish home like slaves, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday. Bidemi Bello, 41, was convicted on eight counts by a federal jury late last week: two counts each of forced labor, trafficking for forced labor and making false statements in an application to become a U.S. citizen, and one count each of document servitude and alien harboring. "The evidence showed that this was a case of modern-day slavery hidden within an expensive home in an upscale neighborhood," said Sally Quillian Yates, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Bello recruited her first victim, identified as "Laome," in 2001, according to prosecutors. The girl was 17 when she traveled, using a fake British passport that Bello had gotten for her, they said. The second victim, identified as "Dupe," traveled to the United States in 2004, when she was 20, also on a fake passport. Both women were promised a better life and told that Bello would help further their educations. But upon arriving in the United States, they discovered a decidedly darker reality. Bello beat the women for any perceived infraction -- not cleaning well, not responding quickly enough to the cries of her child, talking back -- with whatever weapon was available: shoes, a large wooden spoon, electric cords and her hands, evidence showed. Testimony also revealed that Bello forced the women to sleep on the floor or couch and bathe with a bucket. They were not allowed to eat what they cooked, and Bello sometimes gave the women spoiled food, evidence showed. Prosecutors said Bello never paid the women for their years of work and made them dependent on her for all their basic necessities. Attempts to contact Bello's attorney were unsuccessful Monday. Laome managed to escape with the help of a friend, buried beneath blankets in the back of the other woman's car, while Dupe scrounged enough money to pay for a cab and sought help at a local church, prosecutors said. Both women testified during the one-week trial. Bello, who holds both American and Nigerian citizenship, is scheduled to be sentenced August 24. The two forced labor charges and the two trafficking for forced labor charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. She is also expected to be stripped of her American citizenship, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Coppedge. If she is, Bello would be deported after serving her expected sentence. Around the world, as estimated 12.3 million adults and children -- 56% of whom are women and girls -- are the victims of forced labor, bonded labor and sex slavery, according to U.S. State Department. The trade puts approximately $32 billion into the pockets of traffickers each year. Coppedge, who is helping prosecute Bello's case, said she is sure similar cases exist in Atlanta and elsewhere in the United States. "Unfortunately, yes," she said. "I do think there are others." Her office urged anyone with information on a human trafficking case to contact the Atlanta FBI at (404) 679-9000. | Bidemi Bello was found guilty on eight counts .
An attorney describes the case as one of "modern-day slavery"
Bello had promised to help further the women's educations .
She never paid them and repeatedly beat both women, evidence shows . |
151,139 | 4f6bcaa188f8210b51b14cb336e775929e6e0f58 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 09:13 EST, 23 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:35 EST, 23 May 2013 . Firefighters are warning snack lovers not to warm their Eccles cakes in the microwave after a string of fires caused by the sugar bursting into flames. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said at least three blazes have been caused in the last three weeks after people put the pastries into their microwaves to warm them up. Statistics show the service has been called to 16 fires started by food being overcooked in a microwave over the past two years. Taste explosion: Merseyside Fire Service has revealed that they have been fighting a series of kitchen blazes fires started by heating Eccles cakes . A Chorley Fire Station spokesman said: 'Whether a grill, a hob, a conventional oven or a microwave are used to heat food, it's essential not to leave it unattended. 'Manufacturers' instructions for cooking or warming-up food should be followed and although for many foods the option of conventional or microwave oven cooking heating is often offered, where a microwave is not specified as an option it's best not to use one.' The instructions on shop-bought Eccles cakes advise that if they are to be eaten hot, a conventional oven should always be used to warm them through beforehand. The small round pastries have caused three fires in recent weeks after attempts to warm them in microwaves went wrong as the heat caused the sugar on top to burn . The popular pastries are named after the . English town of Eccles in Salford, Greater Manchester. It is not known . who invented the recipe, but James Birch is credited with being the . first person to sell Eccles cakes on a commercial basis from his shop in . the town centre in 1793. Jon Wills of Satterthwaites bakery on Coronation Road, Crosby, said that Eccles cakes were one of the store’s biggest sellers. He told the Crosby Herald: 'It’s never a good idea to . heat pastries in a microwave because they cook from the inside out and . go soggy and with the Eccles cakes the currants would overheat.' Eccles Cakes are made using currants, sandwiched between two layers of shortcrust pastry, and topped with a caramelised sugar coating. The currant-filled pastries are named after the English town of Eccles in Salford, Greater Manchester . Householders were warned never to try to . heat Eccles cakes using a microwave, amid fears they could cause a more . serious accident. Crosby station Watch manager James Murphy said: 'The sugar in Eccles cakes can ignite if cooked for too long. 'They are caramilised and as such are flammable, especially in a microwave. 'We have had to respond to several blazes started by Eccles cakes and the microwaves have also been ruined by the fires. 'We advise that cooking of any item is never left unattended, even for a moment.' | Lancashire firefighters say there have been three blazes in three weeks .
The sugar on Eccles cakes can catch fire if overheated .
Firefighters say watch your food, even when cooking in a microwave . |
5,308 | 0f0379e5fbb1fcda0d4483693b0825ac2dd7bb32 | By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 08:48 EST, 29 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:50 EST, 29 November 2012 . WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange does not have an urgent medical condition despite reports that he is suffering from a chronic lung condition, it was stated tonight. Ecuador’s ambassador to the UK, Ana Alban, said during a visit to Quito yesterday that the Australian requires constant medical attention. Mr Assange has been inside Ecuador’s embassy in London since June after seeking refuge as part of his campaign to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex allegations. Scroll down for video . Refugee: Assange, pictured two days ago during a press conference at London's Ecuadorian Embassy, does not have an urgent medical condition according to an Ecuadorian government spokesman . Dark times: Assange has been holed up at the embassy since June, with limited access to sunlight or fresh air . The ambassador told El Ciudadano, an . Ecuadorian government newspaper, that she intends to appeal to the Home . Office for Mr Assange to be granted safe passage to medical services . following his illness, as he requires constant medical attention. A spokesman for the Ecuadorian . government said: 'In reference to reported comments of ambassador Ana . Alban, Julian Assange does not have an urgent medical condition. 'We continue to seek the assurances . from the UK and Swedish government to enable him to live a normal life, . free from the fear of extradition to the United States.' Mr Assange refused to discuss his . health or any questions about his stay at the embassy when he gave a . 90-minute press briefing on Tuesday, saying a resolution to his . situation was 'a matter for diplomacy at this stage'. Extradition risk: The government spokesman said they are continuing to seek assurances from the UK and Sweden to allow Assange to live a normal life 'free from the fear of extradition to the United States' He was talking about a block on . processing donations by credit card companies to WikiLeaks, which he . revealed had cost the whistle-blowing website over £30 million, with . staff having to take a 40% pay cut as a result. Mr Assange described the block as an . economic 'death penalty' after the European Commission said it was . unlikely to have violated EU anti-trust rules. He said the blockade had wiped out 95% of WikiLeaks’ revenues. VIDEO: Ecuador's Ambassador to the UK talks about Assange's health... | The embassy gave Assange asylum after Sweden tried to extradite him on sexual assault charges .
An Ecuadorian government spokesman said he does not have an 'urgent medical condition'
Ambassador to the UK, Ana .
Alban, said yesterday the Australian needs constant medical attention . |
82,636 | ea4eda76e54c528adffe13cf2958361ada5c7ed7 | (CNN) -- Those who were diagnosed with cancer after working at the World Trade Center site following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks were relieved earlier this week to find out that the federal government would compensate them for their illnesses. But the news came too late for Jevon Thomas, a worker who died of a rare cancer in April, penniless and distraught. He was 45. Thomas spent more than a year working on "the pile," breathing in fumes from burning jet fuel and asbestos. For 10 years, federal authorities said it was impossible to make a link between his work and his illness. "He was so depressed. He didn't want to talk to anybody," says his daughter, Monet Thomas. "If he could have heard this news, it would have made him so happy." It's not known how many of those who worked at ground zero have died of cancer, according to Dr. Michael Crane, director of the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine. While relatives of deceased workers may file claims, the federal program provides no financial or emotional solace for the workers who have died. "I'm so grateful cancers were included, but when I'm reminded of the people who've died, I get a pain in my heart," Crane says. "It's a real tragedy." Former worker '100 percent' sure cancer is linked to ground zero . Didn't hesitate to say 'yes' Thomas was working for a company that installs portable toilets when the planes hit the World Trade Center. He didn't hesitate to say yes when his boss asked him to set up toilets at ground zero for the emergency workers. He told CNN in an interview two years ago that he worked there without a mask for 10 hours a day, seven days a week, for about 14 months. Around the time he stopped working at ground zero, he noticed a lump on his hand. It turned out to be a rare cancer called epithelioid sarcoma. Thomas had several surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy and had to quit his $65,000-a-year job. His physician, Dr. Iris Udasin at Rutgers University, found him as much charity care as possible, but his family suffered financially as Thomas' wife is disabled and couldn't work to support their two young children. At the time, workers could apply for money from the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund if they suffered respiratory problems -- but not cancer, because a scientific link had not been found between the disease and breathing in the fumes at ground zero. "Instead of everyone uniting, coming together, and figuring out a way to help you, they're figuring out a way of not helping you to save a dollar," Thomas said in 2010. "And that's what it all boils down to. A dollar." What hurt Thomas the most, his daughter says, is that after graduating high school with honors, she got accepted to a community college, attended orientation and then had to leave because her family couldn't pay the tuition. More than anything, her father had wanted her to be the first in their family to attend college. "He didn't care about himself. All he cared about was me and my brother," Monet Thomas says through tears. "He knew we needed help." Her brother hasn't been able to find work, her mother is too sick to work and Monet, 21, supports the family by working as a hotel clerk in Secaucus, New Jersey. "I feel like I'm going nowhere," she says. 58 cancers receive 9/11 coverage . 'Tension between two poles' When CNN interviewed Thomas two years ago, he said he was "100% sure" his cancer came from his work at ground zero. "You can't work in an environment with so many different chemicals and carcinogens ... for a year straight, day in and day out, and not come down with something," he said. But scientists weren't so sure. While someone's cancer might be because of his or her work at ground zero, it might also have been a coincidence -- Thomas might have gotten cancer anyway. The long lag time makes it particularly difficult to study the link between ground zero and cancer. Cancer doesn't develop quickly after breathing in something toxic, the way asthma might. Instead, leukemia can take five to six years to develop, and solid tumors can take 10 to 20 years. "People were very concerned that they were going to pull the trigger on the (federal) coverage too soon and they would end up covering people who didn't have a World Trade Center cancer," Crane says. "They were trying to do this in an absolutely scientific way, according to rigorous principles of epidemiology, which is important to do," Crane adds. "But on the other hand, you have to balance that against the needs of needy and really sick people. There's a tension between those two poles." In the end, a study of firefighters helped persuade the government to include cancers. In the study, firefighters who worked at ground zero were 19% more likely to develop cancer than firefighters who did not. Firefighters responding to 9/11 at increased cancer risk . 'He would never take it back' Monet Thomas says her father would be "grateful" for the decision to compensate cancer victims who worked at ground zero, even though it took more than a decade. "He would be crying right now," she said when she heard about the decision. Even though her father was depressed, destitute and felt alone at the end of his life, she says he never regretted his work on the pile. "He was proud of what he did," she says. "He was a hero, and he would never take it back." CNN's Stephanie Smith, William Hudson and Georgiann Caruso contributed to this report. | Jevon Thomas, 45, died of a rare cancer in April .
Thomas worked setting up toilets at ground zero for emergency workers .
His illness led to financial hardship for his family .
"He was proud of what he did," Thomas' daughter says . |
231,466 | b7b2565235f3c3a9e87d0d28d0cf26458fe9d737 | By . Daniel Martin, Whitehall Correspondent . To those who find themselves barely managing to juggle their jobs, daily chores and looking after the children, it will certainly come as a far-fetched suggestion. But an official survey has found that – statistically at least – British women are the ‘leisure queens’ of Europe, who apparently enjoy more downtime than their sisters almost anywhere else in the Western world. International research suggests they spend around five and a half hours a day on leisure activities, when averaged out over the week. Women in the UK spend more time on leisure each day anywhere in the European, and are only behind Norway globally, according to a league table published by the OECD . This is behind only one country in the industrialised world – Norway. This . daily leisure time for British women includes more than two hours . watching TV or listening to the radio, according to the analysis by the . Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Even so, chaps . are hardly in a position to complain – for the figures also reveal that . British men spend even longer on leisure than women, at almost six and a . half hours. What’s more, they spend less than half as much time doing . housework than the fairer sex. Women spend most of their leisure time watching TV or listening to the radio . Women in the UK spend most of the day on personal care, including sleeping, followed by lesiure, unpaid work, and then paid work . The . analysis by the OECD, which represents the world’s 34 most . industrialised nations, draws on a decade of surveys. It shows women in . the UK spent three hours 17 minutes working or studying each day, four . hours 18 minutes in unpaid work, such as looking after children, . shopping or housework, and five hours 39 minutes on leisure. They . also found time for just under ten hours on ‘personal care’, including . eight hours 10 minutes sleeping, one hour eating and 48 minutes on . personal or medical services. An . OECD spokesman said: ‘The Northern Europeans are the queens of leisure, . with women in Norway spending more time relaxing than anyone else, . followed by the UK. When it comes to housework, women in the UK spend more washing and cleaning than any country except Mexico and India . The Chinese spend the most time on work or study, with women in the UK using 197 minutes a day on average . ‘In . virtually every country, men are able to fit in valuable extra minutes . of leisure each day while women spend more time doing unpaid housework.' Leisure was defined as including watching TV or listening to the radio, . participating in or attending events, sports and visiting and . entertaining friends. British women’s leisure time was much higher than the OECD average of four hours and 42 minutes. By . contrast, women France spend four and a half hours, a similar figure to . the US and Australia. Portugal was the lowest at three hours and 20 . minutes. Top of the table was Norway, at more than six hours. Women in the UK get less sleep than Americans, Swedes, South Africans, Italians and the Irish . The UK figures relate to 2005, the latest available. Interestingly, . when it comes to time spent on personal care, France and Italy emerged . on top, with French women spending 11 hours 44 minutes, just ahead of . Italian women on 11 hours and 37 minutes. And . the men in these countries spend almost as much time on personal care – . with Italian males just ahead at 11 hours and 37 minutes versus 11 . hours and 28 for the French. By contrast, British women spend just short . of 10 hours. | UK women spend five and a half hours on leisure on average each day .
Also spend 133 minutes on housework and 40 minutes shopping .
Largest chunk of the day - 491 minutes - is spent sleeping .
Global rankings released by OECD to mark International Women's Day . |
38,515 | 6ce9b22bb602e89e337ccc4c68742b0e622a6ad3 | Scroll down for video . A new recording of the owner of the LA Clippers shows how he lashes out at his girlfriend for hanging out with black people. Donald Sterling is heard telling off his girlfriend, who goes by V. Stiviano, that he doesn't want her bringing any black people to his team's basketball games. 'You can sleep with (black people). You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that... and not to bring them to my games,' Sterling is heard saying on a tape obtained by TMZ. Damning: Some Twitter users drew comparisons between Shaq and LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling (center), who was recorded telling his girlfriend V. Stiviano (left) not to bring black people to Clippers games . Hypocritical: Sterling told his girlfriend V. Stiviano (pictured left and right), who is Mexican and African-American, that she can sleep with black people but shouldn't bring them to Clippers games . The spat reportedly started when Stiviano, who is Mexican and African American, posted a photo of herself and Magic Johnson on her Instagram page. 'It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?' Sterling is heard saying. 'I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people. 'Don't put him (Johnson) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games.' The photo with Johnson has reportedly been taken down and Stiviano has locked it so that her Instagram feed is private. She . and Sterling, who is still legally married but has been separated from . his wife Shelly for years, appear to have an open relationship. Racist history: Clippers owner Donald Sterling who has twice been sued for refusing to rent apartments to minorities, is seen shaking hands with Reggie Evans of the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 . At several points on the tape, the 81-year-old billionaire claims that he is not racist but does not understand why his girlfriend wants to publicize her relationships with people of color. Magic . Johnson, who retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991 and returned . for a single season in 1996, spoke out against the comments and said . that he will never attend another Clippers game while Sterling is the . owner. 'I . feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they . have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans,' he . wrote on Twitter, citing some current Clippers players. Legend: Magic Johnson used to play in the same stadium that the Clippers use when he was a member of the LA Lakers . 'LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling's comments about African Americans are a black eye for the NBA.' He expanded on his thoughts to TMZ, saying that he does not think the players should boycott but the fans should. 'He wants our money but doesn't want us to show up,' Johnson said. 'I thought we were friends. We've broken bread together several times. It's almost like, do you smile in my face but behind my back you talk about me? I'd have felt better in 1979 if you would have just told me you don't like African Americans, and then I would have known how to deal with you. 'He has to step down or sell the team.' The recording has prompted calls for a boycott of the team by the NBA and fans alike- including former sports broadcaster Keith Olberman and Snoop Dogg, who posted an expletive-laced video on his Instagram account. 'A message to the motherf***** that owns the Clippers. You b****-a** redneck white-bred chickens*** motherf*****: F*** you, your momma and everyone connected to you, you racist piece of s***. F*** you,' the rapper says in an Instagram video he posted to his account Saturday morning. The NBA . has now launched an official investigation into the recording, and the . league's spokesman Mike Bass called the comments 'disturbing and . offensive'. This is not the first time that Sterling has been accused of being racist. Making a statement: Magic Johns announced that he will not be attending any future Clippers games . Big fan: Stiviano regularly attends Clippers games (pictured at an October 2013 game) Estranged: Donald Sterling is still married to wife Shelly but the pair have been separated for years . He was sued twice by the federal government after refusing to rent apartments to minorities. In the 2005 case, he was ordered to pay a $2.73million fine to settle. In . a 2009 case, he was accused of refusing to rent to non-Koreans when it . came to a property in Koreatown and refused African American tenants for . a property in Beverly Hills. He was reportedly accused of saying that he wouldn't rent to Hispanics because they 'smoke, drink and just hang around the building'. The suit also accused Sterling of saying 'Black tenants smell and attract vermin'. He was also named in a 2003 lawsuit wherein he crudely described how he had sex with a prostitute who charged $500-per-tryst. In that case, he admitted that 'maybe I morally did something wrong' but went on to explain that 'it was purely sex for money, money for sex, sex for money, money for sex,' according to records obtained by The Smoking Gun. The conversation is allegedly between Donald Sterling and his girlfriend, who goes by the name V. Stiviano, who identifies herself as part Mexican and part African American. VS: I wish I could change the skin. The color of my skinDS: That isn't the issue. You've missed the issue. VS: What's the issue? DS: The issue is we don't have to broadcast everything. VS: I'm not broadcasting anything. I don't do anything wrong. DS: Why are you taking pictures with minorities... why? The conversation centered around a now-deleted photo that Stiviano put on Instagram of herself and Magic Johnson (pictured) VS: What's wrong with minorities? What's wrong with black people? DS: Nothing, nothing, nothing. VS: What's wrong with Hispanics?DS: It's like talking to an enemy. There's nothing wrong with minorities, they're fabulous. Fabulous. Because you're an enemy to me. VS: Why?DS: Because you don't understand. VS: I don't understand what? DS: Nothing, nothing. VS: That racism still is a lie?DS: No but there's a culture. VS: What culture?DS: People feel certain things. Hispanics feel certain things towards blacks. Blacks feel certain things towards other groups. It's been that way historically and it will always be that way. VS: But it's not that way in my heart and in my mind. DS: But maybe you want to adjust to the world. DS: Yea it bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associated with black people. Do you have to?VS: You associate with black people. DS: I'm not you and you're not me. You're supposed to be a delicate white or a delicate Latina girl. VS: I'm a mixed girl. DS: Ok well. VS: And you're in love with me. And I'm black and Mexican. Whether you like it or not. Whether the world accepts it or not. And you're asking me to remove.... you want me to have hate towards black people?DS: I don't want you to have hate. That's what people do- they turn things around. I want you to love them- privately. In your whole life, everyday you can be with them. Every single day of your life. VS: But not in public?DS: But why publicize it on the Instagram and why bring it to my games? Recorded: A call between Sterling and his girlfriend was released and he is heard making racist assertions . VS: I can't believe that a man who's educated, a man who's a scholar, a man...DS: Well believe it, and stop talking about it. Let's finish our discussion with a period, ok? VS: I took a picture with someone I admire (Magic Johnson).DS: GoodVS: He happens to be black, and I'm sorry. DS: I think the fact that you admire him- I've known him well, and he should be admired. And I'm just saying that it's too bad you can't just admire him privately, and during your entire f****** life, your whole life- admire him, bring him here, feed him, f*** him, I don't care. You can do anything. But don't put him on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games, OK? | LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recorded berating his girlfriend for posting a photo with Magic Johnson .
Sterling tells V. Stiviano, who is Mexican and African-American, not to bring black people to games .
He said that she can sleep with black people but he doesn't want her to post pictures of herself with them on Instagram .
Sterling, 81, has twice been sued for refusing to rent apartments minorities . |
32,314 | 5be5356f8486d3caa23a91ab5e72288bb7acde86 | Two divers have died after getting into trouble in the English Channel. The men, aged in their 40s, were diving off Eastbourne this afternoon, Sussex Police said. The coastguard was called at around 1.30pm following a mayday call from the dive boat. Two divers died after getting in to difficulty in the English Channel. Their boat was stationed several miles off the coast of Eastbourne, pictured, when they got in to trouble, police confirmed . Some reports have suggested the two may have fallen unwell with the Bends - the decompression sickness that can effect divers as they rise to the surface. A Coastguard Rescue Helicopter and the Trinity House vessel 'Patricia' sped to the scene. The two victims were hoisted aboard the helicopter after a rescue bid in the water, which involved the crew from their own boat and the Trinity House launch. They were taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital where they later died, police have now confirmed. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling said: 'Tragically two divers have died after getting into difficulty while diving in the Channel. 'We are informing their families and will be conducting an investigation into the circumstances.' A spokesman for the Coastguard said: 'Dover Coastguard has been assisting a dive boat this afternoon after two of its divers experienced difficulties during a dive mid channel, south of Eastbourne. The two divers were airlifted to Eastbourne District General Hospital by Coastguard rescuers. The men, in their 40s, are yet to be named . 'Both divers have been evacuated from the dive vessel by Coastguard helicopter, with the assistance of the Trinity House Vessel, 'Patricia' and have been taken to Eastbourne Hospital.' A Dover Coastguard spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We got a mayday call from the dive boat. We responded and sent a helicopter which picked up two unconscious divers and took them to Eastbourne. ‘The alarm was raised by the vessel. There were 10 people diving on board, and the dive master on the boat as well.’ The divers are yet to be named. It is thought attempts were being made this afternoon to contact people connected with the dive boat. Police were unwilling to give details of the boat from which they were diving. | Coastguard called this afternoon off the coast of Eastbourne, East Sussex .
Two divers got in to difficulty during mid-channel dive, police have said .
Both were airlifted to Eastbourne District General Hospital by rescuers .
The men, both in their 40s, were pronounced dead on arrival . |
218,708 | a71c64e15d5e74fae1ceae63eb225e373ee264c8 | While New York and London may be cities that never sleep, in large parts of the world, the internet rests like a living creature each night. A new animated map by US researchers reveals how large parts of Africa, Russia and Australia follow a 'diurnal usage' pattern. This means that internet usage peaks as the day progresses and then almost stops as the sun goes down. Scroll down for video . In the map, the pink and red blocks show higher internet usage, while blue blocks suggest lower than average web activity . In contrast, the UK, US, India, and East Asia are active throughout the night, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California. Over the course of two months, researchers pinged 3.7 million IP address blocks - representing almost one billion of the world's four billion IPv4 addresses - every 11 minutes. 'The internet is important in our lives and businesses, from streaming movies to buying online,' said Professor John Heidemann from the University of Southern California. 'Measuring network outages is a first step to improving Internet reliability.' In the map, the pink and red blocks show higher internet usage, while blue blocks suggest lower than average web activity. Tthe UK, US, India, and East Asia are active through the night, according to recent data collected in California . The internet has revolutionised the way we communicate and a third of the world’s population use it to stay connected. Now, Texas-based internet cartographer and computer scientist John Matherly has used software to ‘ping’ all of these global web devices and create a map demonstrating the technology’s global reach. In the majority of cases, this signal was sent to routers rather than individual gadgets, but Mr Matherly said iPhone and Android devices have appeared previously. The cartographer said it took around five hours to ping all IP addresses on August 2. The map then took more than 12 hours to create. 'Pinging' an IP address involves sending a signal to the device from a server, which causes the connection to 'light up' - albeit not physically. Mr Matherly is founder of Shodan, a search engine for connected devices. Different colours represent the density of devices in that region, and unsurprisingly, the world’s largest cities in developed countries glow the brightest. Red areas contain a lot of web-enabled devices, while green areas contain fewer. Black areas are regions where no signal was received. While it may be no surprise that there seem to be less internet-connected devices in parts of Africa, Mr Matherly explained his map is not precise because some organisations block ping requests. It is thought that areas of China should be coloured bright red on the map, but the country’s ‘Great Firewall’ explains why most of the country looks dark. Connected: Texas-based internet cartographer and computer scientist John Matherly has used software to ‘ping’ global web devices to build a map (pictured) demonstrating the technology’s global reach . The researchers say the diurnal usage seems to be correlated with countries than use dial-up links which could be shut down during the night, or with those who want to conserve electricity. The finding could help scientists and policymakers develop better systems to measure and track internet outages, such as those that struck the New York area after Hurricane Sandy. Understanding how the Internet sleeps may help them avoid confusing a sleeping internet with an internet outage. 'This work is one of the first to explore how networking policies affect how the network is used,' Professor Heidemann said. 'This data helps us establish a baseline for the internet — to understand how it functions, so that we have a better idea of how resilient it is as a whole, and can spot problems quicker . The team's work is ongoing. 'We have grown our coverage to four million blocks [more than one billion addresses] as internet use grows,' Professor Heidemann added. A firm called IVPN recently created a map of internet freedom around the world (pictured) based on a Freedom House report in 2013. Regions marked in white have the freedom to roam, as opposed to those marked red . In separate research, a firm called IVPN recently created a map of internet freedom around the world based on a Freedom House report in 2013. In the report, countries were reviewed on limits placed on online content, obstacles to internet access, and violations of user rights. They were then graded as free, partly free or not free and marked on a map in white, pink and red respectively. Countries marked in grey were not included in the report. China, Iran and Syria were found to be the top three user rights violators when it comes to online freedom. | US researchers pinged 3.7 million IP address blocks over two months .
They found the UK, US, India, and East Asia are active through the night .
Large parts of Africa, Russia and Australia only log on during the day .
Pink shows high internet usage, while blue suggests low web activity .
Finding could help develop better systems to track internet outages . |
226,306 | b109db4479a41e1d2df1eeba9b923052e64e81ad | David Warner was at the centre of an unsavoury incident during Australia's one-day international against India in Melbourne - and fined 50 per cent of his match fee. The 28-year-old Australian clashed with Rohit Sharma during the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the pair needed to be separated by umpires and other players. The heated verbal exchange could not be heard on the television feed, but Warner appeared to repeatedly mouth the words 'speak English' towards the Indian batsman. David Warner and Rohit Sharma exchange words during Australia's clash with India in Melbourne . Warner was unhappy after India took a single when when he felt the ball deflected off Sharma's pads . Warner said on Sky Sports Radio: 'We play hard aggressive cricket but we know what comes with it, sometimes you are going to get fined. 'We've just got to keep trying not to cross that line, because we're all about playing cricket the right way. 'When I went over to say something to him, he sort of said something in their language and I said "speak English" because, if you're going to say something, understand that theoretically I cannot speak Hindi,". 'I did the polite thing and asked him to speak English, therefore he did and I can't repeat what he said. 'I was in the wrong ... I shouldn't have engaged him.' The clash comes off the back of a four-match Test series between the teams that was filled with tension and bad blood. The conflict came at the end of the 23rd over of India's innings after Sharma hit a delivery from James Faulkner to Warner at mid-off. Sharma and Suresh Raina refused a single as Warner fielded the ball and threw to the wicketkeeper’s end. Warner’s throw went through Sharma's leg with the Indian batsman's back turned and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin then missed the ball. Sharma and Warner were separated by the umpires after tempers flared between the pair . Sharma and Raina then scampered through for an overthrow, much to the frustration of the home side. Australia thought the ball deflected off Sharma's pads and felt the Indian pair should not have taken an extra run. Warner walked up the wicket to confront Sharma, by which stage Glenn Maxwell was already raising the issue with the Indian batsman. The umpires and Raina stepped between Sharma and Warner and, as the Australian was walking away he appeared to say 'speak English' towards the Indian batsman a number of times. The verbal spat continued between Sharma and Shane Watson at the beginning of the next over . Sharma scored a century, but Australia chased their target of 268 to win the second match of the tri-series . The verbals continued between Sharma and Shane Watson at the beginning of the next over. Sharma went on to score 138 as India reached 267 for eight at the end of their 50 overs. Aaron Finch's 96 in reply anchored Australia's chase of 268 as they recorded a four-wicket victory in the second match of the tri-series having beaten England on Friday. | David Warner and Rohit Sharma were involved in a nasty verbal spat .
Australian appeared to mouth the words 'speak English' towards Sharma .
Incident occurred at the end of the 23rd over of India's innings .
Warner was unhappy that Sharma and Suresh Raina took a run after he felt the ball had deflected off Sharma's pads .
The pair clashed at the wicket and needed to be separated . |
18,760 | 351aac8362cfcd4543ca8a0d896c9a7b9782171f | Rasheda Ali-Walsh, the daughter of Muhammad Ali, says her father is 'doing fabulous' as he battles pneumonia in hospital. The former heavyweight champion,72, was admitted to a Kentucky hospital with a mild case of pneumonia at the weekend. But his spokesman today said Ali's doctors hope to discharge him soon, and Rasheda, 44, told DailyMail.com her father is recovering well, adding: 'He's doing fabulous, he's quite remarkable.' On the mend: Boxing great Muhammad Ali has 'vastly improved' following a bout with pneumonia for which he was hospitalized at an undisclosed location Saturday morning . Prayers: Rasheda Ali-Walsh says her dad is 'doing fabulous' and that she hopes to see him for Christmas . Rasheda - one of Ali's nine children, who has a twin daughter Jamillah- added: 'We're all so pleased that he's recovering, he's quite the champion. 'We're going to see him in a couple of days over Christmas and I'm looking forward to it, you never know with pneumonia, but we're going to see him and I want to thank everyone for all of their prayers.' Ali spokesman Bob Gunnell said today that Ali's doctors hope to discharge him soon from the hospital where he was admitted on Saturday, adding his condition had 'vastly improved' 'Because the pneumonia was caught early, his prognosis is good with a short hospital stay expected.' Gunnell said. Ali and his wife, Lonnie, have homes in Arizona, Michigan and in Louisville. Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was diagnosed with the brain disease about three years after he retired from boxing in 1981. Ali's public appearances have diminished in recent years as he continues to battle Parkinson's disease, but he still enjoys getting out and watching sports and visiting friends. Beloved: Rasheda Ali-Walsh with her dad, champion Ali in July . Happy birthday Daddy! Rasheda posted this picture of her with her father on his birthday in Janary . 'Greatest of all time': Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was diagnosed with the brain disease about three years after he retired from boxing in 1981. Here, he's pictured at after beating Sonny Liston to gain the heavyweight title in February 1964 . Ali appeared in public in September at a ceremony in his hometown of Louisville for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards. Ali did not speak to the crowd but posed for photos with award winners, including former NFL great Jim Brown. Brown leaned over and whispered to the seated Ali during the photo session. Later, Brown said he told Ali: 'You're the greatest of all time.' Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes. He traveled the world on humanitarian missions, mingling with the masses and rubbing elbows with world leaders. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005. The Muhammad Ali Center, in Louisville, is dedicated to Ali's humanitarian causes and showcases his boxing career. | The three-time heavyweight champ checked in to a hospital at an undisclosed location on Saturday .
72-year-old Ali has battled Parkinson's disease for years, an illness that can cause problems with swallowing and sometimes lead to pneumonia .
He and his wife Lonnie have homes in Arizona, Michigan and in Louisville .
His daughter Rasheda Ali-Walsh tells DailyMail.com she will see her dad at Christmas - as his spokesman says he's 'vastly improved' |
28,945 | 522584baa7b78529177a0fee7dccd818bb412977 | England fans are the world’s most pessimistic compared to their side's ability and just four per cent think they will win the World Cup this summer, according to a YouGov survey. Roy Hodgson’s side are rank outsiders in Brazil – and the fans’ views reflect that, with South Koreans, Mexicans, Australians and Americans all backing their sides more than the English. Only fans of England’s Group D rivals Costa Rica see themselves as less likely to bring home football’s top prize from Brazil - but due to England's superior rank, Three Lions fans are deemed to be more pessimistic. No chance: England fans are the most pessimistic at the World Cup - just four per cent think they will win . Hurt: Years of disappointment have contributed to England fans' pessimism about their side . Ready: Despite their fans' pessimism, England train in Rio ahead of their opener with Italy on Saturday . At the last World Cup in 2010, four times more England fans thought they had a shot at glory - showing a huge drop in the nation’s expectations. Now, 40 per cent say the Three Lions have ‘very little or no chance’ of winning the tournament in Brazil. The study looked at the psyche of fans from 19 Brazil-bound countries and also revealed that 53 per cent of the English public are not even interested how the team perform at the World Cup – a rise on 2010’s 47 per cent. But there is some love for England from further afield: Japan and Australia fans say Hodgson’s side play the second-most beautiful football in the world. Unsurprisingly considering their recent Falklands banner - the Argentines say they will be rooting against England more than anyone else. According to the report, England fans think Brazil will be lifting the 18-carat gold trophy in Brazil next month, with reigning champions Spain the second-most likely. Defeatist: Only fans of 28th-ranked Costa Rica think their side are less likely to win the World Cup . Indifferent: Some 53 per cent of the English public do not care how Roy Hodgson's side do at the World Cup . And despite long-standing rivalries with Germany and Argentina, England fans say that Russia are the team they would most like to see crash out early on. Fans from Argentina, Brazil, Spain and, bizarrely, the USA all see themselves as the most likely to win the final in the Maracana on July 13. But none of the 19 countries survey thought England were one of the two most likely winners. Champions elect? England pose for a photo during the friendly against Ecuador in Miami on June 4 . | Just four per cent of England fans expect Three Lions to win World Cup .
A YouGov survey looked at the psyche of 19 Brazil-bound countries .
Only fans of Costa Rica see themselves less likely to win the trophy .
England fans have the lowest hopes compared to their rank .
In 2010, 16 per cent of England fans thought they would win tournament .
Study shows 53 per cent of public not even interested in how England fare . |
198,481 | 8cea77465ce095d06ed74d4c1ff457a05eb0e9da | Circumcised men may soon be able to undergo a procedure to re-grow their foreskin. A U.S. company says it is close to developing a method that will allow men’s foreskins to regenerate – much like a salamander is able to re-grow a limb, the website Motherboard reports. The procedure will help the growing number of men aggrieved about being circumcised before they had the capacity to consent to the procedure. These men - who call themselves ‘intactivists’ - are becoming increasingly vocal with their outrage at being circumcised. A US company claims it may soon be able to regrow a human foreskin, which will help the increasing number of men who are aggrieved about being circumcised, claiming it has reduced sensitivity (file image) Many of them are congregating on forums on websites such as foreskin-restoration.net and circumstitions.com, angry that their foreskins were removed before they were old enough to consent or understand the implications of the procedure. Many complain that they experience de-sensitivity in the head of the penis and cannot enjoy sex in the same way as their non-circumcised peers. Medical experts are increasingly divided over whether circumcision should be performed. While some argue there is a wealth of research showing the health benefits, from a reduced risk of sexually transmitted diseases to penile cancer, critics argue circumcision can cause lifelong trauma, diminish sexual satisfaction and put children at risk of lasting physical damage. In many of the ‘intactivist’ forums, men discuss options and methods of reversing the procedure. Now, one company purports it will soon be able to do just that, reports journalist Arikia Millikan for Motherboard. Regeneration is carried out by creating an extra-cellular matrix, a ‘skeleton’ for tissue which provides an attachment point for cells and makes human tissue 3D. This extra-cellular matrix is then seeded with the appropriate layer of cells, in this case, stem cells that will grow into foreskin. Foregen says it will draw together experts from the field to find a way to make men’s foreskin grow back. It will start with experiments on animals with a view to progressing to trials on humans. In 2013, the company had its first 'breakthrough' and was able to 'decellularize' bull foreskins - a process which marks the first step towards re-growing the bull’s foreskin. An organ donation organisation has now given Foregen the permission to acquire human adult foreskins – and they will carry out the same experiments on these. So far, while they may be close to regrowing foreskin tissue, it is unclear how they will regenerate peripheral nerves. Writing on its website, Foregen said: ‘In the short term, we hope to fully regenerate human foreskins. ‘Once we have accomplished that, our goal is to advance onto human clinical trials as soon as it is safe to do so.’ It says the newly grown foreskin will be fully functioning, as the new tissue reintegrates itself in the body. This means the body recognises it as its own tissue and will not reject it, as is the case for transplanted organs or grafted skin. It claims not only to be able to ‘re-grow’ the removed tissue, but it will also be fully functioning, restoring sensitivity. Foregen, is a US non-profit organisation ‘founded to research and implement regenerative medical therapies for circumcised males’, its website says. It points to research which found that circumcision leads to loss of sensation in the penis, as well as the potential for psychological damage. The company, based in Italy, is researching techniques used in regenerative medicine, a branch of medicine which helps people re-grow tissue that has been lost by injury or disease. Like salamanders, humans naturally have the ability to regenerate while developing in the womb. If a foetus loses a finger, it grows back without forming scar tissue. It is not known why humans lose the ability to regenerate, but one theory is that the process of scarring – which prevents bleeding – was considered during human evolution to be more important. Experts working in regenerative medicine have discovered ways of harnessing the ‘map of the body’ present in cells’ DNA, which allows any part of the body to be regrown, and to inhibit scarring. So far, scientists and doctors have been able to partially regenerate living human hearts, vaginal tissue, breast tissue as well as fully regenerating bladders and the last joint of a human finger. Scientists have also been able to regrow functioning penises in rabbits. Regeneration is carried out by creating an extra-cellular matrix, a ‘skeleton’ for tissue which provides an attachment point for cells and makes human tissue 3D. This extra-cellular matrix is then seeded with the appropriate layer of cells, in this case, stem cells that will grow into foreskin. Growing numbers of men are calling themselves 'intactivists' and are angry at being circumcised as an infant before they could consent to the procedure. Foregen, a U.S. based company, said it is is researching methods to regrow a foreskin, harnessing techniques from the field of regenerative medicine (file pic) Foregen says it will draw together experts from the field to find a way to make men’s foreskin grow back. It will start with experiments on animals with a view to progressing to trials on humans. In 2013, the company had its first 'breakthrough' and was able to 'decellularize' bull foreskins - a process which marks the first step towards re-growing the bull’s foreskin. An organ donation organisation has now given Foregen the permission to acquire human adult foreskins – and they will carry out the same experiments on these. So far, while they may be close to regrowing foreskin tissue, it is unclear how they will regenerate peripheral nerves. Writing on its website, Foregen said: ‘In the short term, we hope to fully regenerate human foreskins. ‘Once we have accomplished that, our goal is to advance onto human clinical trials as soon as it is safe to do so.’ It says the newly grown foreskin will be fully functioning, as the new tissue reintegrates itself in the body. This means the body recognises it as its own tissue and will not reject it, as is the case for transplanted organs or grafted skin. Medical experts are increasingly divided over whether circumcision should be performed . Circumcision has been practised for centuries, with the earliest evidence dating from the time of the pharaohs. Yet it has become a highly controversial procedure, and one that stirs strong passions. Late last year, the U.S. centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - America's leading public health organisation, recently issued draft guidelines recommending the procedure for all boys. Experts there argued that circumcision protects against the risk of urinary tract infections in infants and sexually transmitted diseases in adulthood. This may be because it reduces the risk of bacteria lodging within the foreskin and reduces the risk of tiny tears to the foreskin that become an entry point for infections. The CDC guidelines also suggest that circumcision lowers the risk of men contracting herpes and the human papilloma virus, in turn protecting them against penile cancer - and cutting the risk of their passing the virus on to women, reducing their risk of cervical cancer. The CDC concluded that 'the scientific evidence is clear that the benefits outweigh the risks of physical or mental harm that may be involved'. Those in the 'no' camp say all this is based on flawed studies from Africa that have no relevance to Western populations. Furthermore it ignores research that shows no link between circumcision and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Over the past five years, doctors' groups in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Iceland and Australia have spoken out against the procedure. Their various national organisations have called for bans on the op unless it is needed on strictly medical grounds. The Council of Europe recently passed a resolution condemning the practice as a 'violation of the physical integrity of children'. It said circumcision can cause lifelong trauma, diminish sexual satisfaction and put children at risk of lasting physical damage. And while the World Health Organisation advocates circumcision in regions with high levels of heterosexual HIV transmission - such as in Africa - it also warns that it can cause pain, excessive bleeding, excessive skin removal, scars and deformation. Last month, England's most senior family judge, Sir James Munby, said male circumcision involved 'significant harm'. | Growing number of men are angry at being circumcised as an infant .
They call themselves 'intactivists' and say procedure led to insensitivity .
US company is now researching methods to regrow a human foreskin .
Hopes to regenerate foreskin much like a salamander can re-grow a limb . |
79,060 | e017337bef7c9d79319a73a1ae9b47c839cc2add | Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh has some unusual style advice for 501 fans: Step away from the washing machine. The denim honcho shared the words of wisdom this week at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference in Laguna Niguel, California. "These jeans are maybe a year old and these have yet to see a washing machine," he said of the pair he wore during a chat onstage. "I know that sounds totally disgusting." He recommended spot cleaning jeans with a sponge or toothbrush and a bit of detergent, then air drying. He says you should very seldom machine wash. "If you treat them right, they'll last a long, long time -- probably longer than most people's waistline." He added that less washing equals greater environmental sustainability. It's not new advice. Designer Tommy Hilfiger has made similar comments. And CNN's Anderson Cooper told style expert Stacy London two years ago that he washes his jeans very rarely. Jeans aficionados may be accustomed to hearing some unusual tips on keeping their denim products fresh. Advice ranges from spot cleaning jeans and never washing them to freezing them to kill any germs. Jolie Kerr, who writes a column called "Ask a Clean Person," says it depends on your lifestyle and hygiene preferences. "Consider how you're wearing your jeans and make laundering decisions accordingly," said Kerr, who recently released the book "My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag ... and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha." "The way you'd care for a pair of jeans that you wear for yardwork versus ones you'd wear out dancing should be different -- the function should dictate how you treat a pair of jeans." Opinion: The great jean debate - freeze 'em or wash 'em? | Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh says we shouldn't machine wash jeans .
Bergh shared the advice at a recent conference .
He said spot cleaning works, and he hasn't washed his jeans in a year . |
203,648 | 93a10f1a627c98f2df4a5f71d9c2729c8abbe6e8 | (CNN) -- The United States and Yemen are taking on Islamic militants on the land and from the air amid fears that al Qaeda is exploiting the political chaos and leadership vacuum engulfing the unstable and impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. Yemeni government forces are trying to wrest the southern town of Zinjibar from Islamic militants, and an American official said U.S. military-led airstrikes have resumed and top insurgents have been killed. U.S. drone strikes had been conducted in the past in Yemen, but they had paused amid the unrest. CNN National Security Contributor Fran Townsend, a former Bush Homeland Security adviser, said the current airstrikes are an "indication of the strength and confidence" President Barack Obama has in the CIA, which directs the strikes. "I think it's a resumption," Townsend said of the airstrikes." And I do think it appears to be an intensification. Some of that may be based on the threat environment and better intelligence." Widespread tumult has engulfed Yemen for months, with thousands of demonstrators who oppose the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh urging the president's departure. In recent weeks, anti-government tribal forces have battled with troops, and last Friday, the presidential compound was attacked, injuring Saleh and other senior officials, who were taken to Saudi Arabia for treatment. A six-nation Gulf Arab alliance has tried to broker a government-opposition agreement that would lead to Saleh's departure, a move that could end the conflict. That initiative has fallen through, but efforts have re-emerged to end differences. State-run TV reported on Thursday that "the deputy ministry of information calls upon the brethren in the opposition to arise to a level of positive thinking that will heal the wounds and restore the trust among all the players of the political process." But Saleh long has been mired in another struggle -- the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula, al Qaeda's Yemen wing, and he has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against the militant group. "The Yemeni government has a strong partnership with the U.S. government, especially in the field of counterterrorism," said a Yemeni government official who has asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Both Yemen and the United States have envisioned a nightmare scenario of AQAP taking advantage of the civil strife and exploiting the absence of Saleh and other top officials. A U.S. military official with knowledge of the Yemen campaign told CNN that U.S. military-led air operations recently resumed after a pause of some months and a top militant may have been killed. Abu Ali al-Harithi, "described as one of the most dangerous al Qaeda commanders in Shabwa province," has been killed in Yemeni security operations, state-run TV reported Thursday, citing an official military source. The New York Times reported Thursday that American jets killed al-Harithi in an airstrike last Friday. The U.S. official also said the United States believes it probably killed al-Harithi in an airstrike in southern Yemen in recent days. But he cautioned its "very difficult" to confirm the killing. That official said the United States had paused airstrikes because it "didn't have faith in the information available," to target individuals in Yemen during that time. But the official could not say what led to the improved intelligence picture. Last month, a U.S. drone strike attempted but failed to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric who moved to Yemen and has become a key figure in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. That attack came after the U.S. military swooped into a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, and killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Townsend said AQAP is dangerous and the administration is rightly concerned, noting that the chaos in Yemen "benefits our enemies and not us." The official Yemeni source cited by state TV reported other deaths in security operations, such as "the killing of various commanders and members of al Qaeda in Abyan province." People killed in operations included the "media official of the organization, Ayman Al-Masri, and the terrorist Ali Saleh Farhan, the commander of the organization in Marib province." Meanwhile, fighting continued in Zinjibar, an Abyan province town that had been taken over by militants. The state TV report said the government had ousted militants from the town. "The heroes of the armed forces and with the help of the noble residents managed to clear the city of Zinjibar and caused al Qaeda serious losses in lives and weaponry," the state-run TV report said. Earlier, a senior security official loyal to the Yemeni government told CNN that nine Islamic militants and four Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes overnight in Zinjibar. Medical officials in Razi hospital near Zinjibar said Thursday that more than 40 people entered the hospital, all with wounds from bullets of explosives. "Dead bodies are still in the streets of Zinjibar, but residents have evacuated the city, leaving those injured with no one to take them to the hospital," a medic at the hospital said. Recently, a U.S. official told CNN that AQAP is trying to position itself for greater power and influence, a sign of an evolving power struggle in the militant group since the killing of Osama bin Laden. "They are using the death of bin Laden as a way to bolster their own image," the U.S. official told CNN. The source declined to be identified because of the sensitive intelligence information that has led to this assessment. There's a strong AQAP presence in Abyan, and the United States has long felt that the group is a growing threat. "They are clearly trying to improve their capabilities," as they were even before bin Laden's death, the official said. He noted the death of bin Laden, coming on the heels of the growing civil unrest in Yemen, gives the group the opportunity to both bolster its image and operate more freely. "We have seen a steady progression of al Qaeda presence in Yemen and efforts by them to organize and become more efficient," the official said. As for Saleh -- wounded when the mosque at the presidential compound in Sanaa was attacked during Friday prayers -- Tareq al-Shami, the ruling party spokesmen, said the president will be back in Yemen "within days and is now in very good health." The future of Yemen's government remains in question. "We don't know who will emerge in power," said Anthony H. Cordesman, who holds the Arleigh A. Burke chair in strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We don't know what kind of power vacuum will exist" and how much it can be exploited, he said. "We're not likely to see a stable Yemen in the near future." CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report . | Yemeni forces are trying to wrest the southern town of Zinjibar from Islamic militants .
The United States believes one of "most dangerous al Qaeda commanders" was killed .
A Yemeni official urges the opposition to help "heal the wounds and restore the trust"
President Saleh will be back in Yemen "within days," an official says . |
101,162 | 0e5eea3a9dcdb0d70c6e21444ee73de9943c2fe5 | League One Sheffield United produced another major cup upset on a feisty night that ended with Southampton manager Ronald Koeman refusing to shake the hand of his victorious rival Nigel Clough. Marc McNulty's scrappy second-half winner – following an error from England goalkeeper Fraser Forster – took the Blades into their second consecutive major cup semi-final following their run in last season's FA Cup. It was accompanied by a constant roar from the Bramall Lane faithful and the animated presence on the touchline of Clough and his assistant, former Blades skipper Chris Morgan. Sheffield United's Scottish striker Marc McNulty celebrates after putting his side 1-0 up . McNulty pounces to send the ball towards goal as Fraser Forster desperately tries to stop it . The ball crosses the line and hits the back of the net as Sheffield United go 1-0 up at Bramall Lane . Sheffield United players celebrate the opening goal as Fraser Forster (left) shows his frustrations . Southampton players can only watch as the ball goes into the back of the net for Sheffield United's opener . Tempers fray on the touchline as Sheffield United coach Chris Morgan is sent to the stands at Bramall Lane . Clough (centre) holds out his hands as Koeman walks off and refuses to shake hands with his counterpart . SHEFFIELD UNITED (4-4-2): Howard 6; Flynn 6, Basham 6, McEveley 6, Harris 7.5; Reed 7 (Wallace 81), Doyle 6, Campbell-Ryce 6.5 (Adams 46, 6), Cuvelier 6 (Baxter 73); Murphy 6.5, McNulty 6.5 . Subs not used: McGahey, Higdon, Turner, Kennedy . Scorer: McNulty 63 . Booked: Harris, Basham, Cuvelier . SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): Forster 6; Clyne 6.5, Fonte 6, Gardos 6, Targett 5.5 (Isgrove 46, 6); Schneiderlin 5.5, Wanyama 5.5; (Alderweireld 74), Mane 5.5 (Mayuka 71), Ward-Prowse 6, Bertrand 6; Long 5.5 . Subs not used: Davis, Yoshida, Reed . Sent off: Gardos . Booked: Mane, Clyne, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Fonte . Referee: Michael Oliver 6.5 . MOTM: Harris . Attendance: 21,906 . Morgan was sent to the stands after United's goal for making one comment too many and afterwards Koeman blanked Clough's offer to shake hands. 'I only shake hands with people who have respect for me as a coach, who have respect for the fourth official,' said the clearly cheesed off Dutchman. 'The behaviour of the bench of Sheffield United, I have never seen that (before). That was the reason I didn't shake hands.' Nigel's father Brian wouldn't have been happy at any alleged haranguing of fourth official Paul Tierney or any other official but he would have been delighted by the effort and commitment shown by the underdogs. Even though Southampton had lost their last four games and were without suspended top scorer Graziano Pelle, they do stand fifth in the Premier League and were hot favourites after Koeman named a strong team with regulars Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand and Victor Wanyama included, and Morgan Schneiderlin making a welcome return from injury. But United just didn't let them settle from the first whistle to the last, so much so that even Koeman didn't have any complaint about the final outcome. 'We hit the ball too long, we didn't play our normal football and to give them credit, they made it difficult for us,' he said. After an opening 45 minutes that saw 19 fouls committed without a single shot on target being registered, the home side – who beat West Ham earlier in the competition – stepped up a gear. Harris (left) celebrates with goalkeeper Howard as Sheffield United progress to the semi-finals . Southampton players look dejected after conceding the opening goal in the quarter-final clash . Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough and coach Morgan (left) have a word with referee Michael Oliver . Sheffield United goalkeeper Mark Howard goes flying as he collides with Southampton's Sadio Mane . Sheffield United's Bob Harris (right) puts in the tackle on Southampton's Sadio Mane . Southampton's Mane (centre) holds off the challenge from Sheffield United's Louis Reed . Southampton’s first shot on target in the match didn’t arrive until the 70th minute. They had eight attempts off target before then. Forster made fantastic saves to keep out Jamie Murphy and Michael Doyle but then became a culprit as Sheffield took the lead after 63 minutes. A free-kick by Bob Harris was fumbled by the Saints goalkeeper and from a couple of yards, McNulty beat a posse of players from both sides to get their first and squeeze the ball over the line. The Scot, signed from Livingston in the summer, couldn't stop smiling and said: 'It was a striker's goal, a poach inside the box.' Clough was also delighted. His side, fifth in League One, have now beaten four Premier League clubs in 2014. His half-time substitute Che Adams was playing non-league football for Ilkeston a few weeks ago. 'The only disappointment was we didn't win by more,' said Clough. 'That's the story, I don't think a sentence should be written about the managers,' he said rather irritatedly when the subject of the non-handshake came up. The real surprise was that Southampton failed to pepper the United goal when they had 27 minutes to save the tie. Instead, the home side seemed likelier to score and Southampton's misery was compounded at the start of four minutes' injury-time when Florin Gardos was shown the red card for fouling McNulty as he threatened to break away and make it 2-0. Here are the attacking stats from Sheffield United's 1-0 cup upset against Southampton - now click here for the rest from our Match Zone . Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster (right) safely catches the ball after a chance for Reed . Sheffield United striker Marc McNulty (centre) finds himself surrounded by Southampton players . Southampton players gather for a huddle ahead of the Capital One Cup quarter-final at Bramall Lane . A chastened Koeman admitted: 'It's cup football and it's not about the level. They showed the best cup experience. It's not the first time and it's not the last time a League One club will beat a Premier League. That's football.' Clough pointed out afterwards his side were forced to field a right-winger Ryan Flynn at right-back against a team of internationals. 'It is an incredible night for the club,' he said. 'I thought we deserved the victory, we created more chances and the only disappointment was that we should have had another goal. 'Whoever we get in the semi-final will be a special occasion, but nights like tonight stay in the memory for a long time.' As a player with Nottingham Forest when his dad Brian was the manager, Nigel won the League Cup twice in 1989 and 1990. With Chelsea still in the competition, it'd be a brave man to predict he'll complete a hat-trick but it won't be for a lack of trying. Referee Michael Oliver (centre) shows the red card to Southampton's Florin Gardos (right) Sheffield United players celebrate after producing a Capital One Cup upset at Bramall Lane . Sheffield United players gather in a huddle on the pitch after the match as the party begins . Reed (right) is fouled by Mane on the edge of the box as Sheffield United win a free kick . | Marc McNulty scored the winner for Sheffield United in the 63rd minute .
The League One club progress to the Capital One Cup semi-finals .
It is Southampton's fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions .
Ronald Koeman refused to shake hands with Nigel Clough at the end . |
60,454 | abd8504c133502fd739a4ce61292c51fe96f826c | By . Kieran Corcoran . 'Firestorm': Birmingham City Council CEO Mark Rogers predicted a 'serious' response from Ofsted's forthcoming report . Schools in Birmingham under investigation for their involvement into an alleged 'Trojan Horse' plot to force religious extremism into children's education have been warned to expect a 'bloody firestorm'. Headteachers from the schools affected by simultaneous investigations from Ofsted, Birmingham City Council, and the Department for Education were warned by the local authority that a forthcoming report would have 'serious implications' for the schools in question. The chief executive of Birmingham City Council told those present that the investigation - prompted by allegations of an extremist Islamic takeover in the city's schools - that the Government would use a forthcoming report as a stick to beat them with. Mark Rogers said: 'In early June that [Ofsted] report is made, published in the public domain and some kind of bloody firestorm will occur. 'The Secretary of State's [Michael Gove's] response will then repeat that firestorm as he decides what to do about that report'. In the recording, acquired by the Telegraph, he went on to say the document will have 'serious implications for all of us', implying that the Government could intervene over the way the investigated schools - a mixture of academies and council-run schools - are run. He added: 'We're not stupid - we know that this might provide a platform for the Secretary of State to put some further structural proposals on the city council'. According to the newspaper, Mr Rogers went on to criticise the head of Ofsted, whom he said would deliberately focus on radicalisation and extremism in schools. Under investigation: Park View school, pictured above, is being investigated over the plot - which headteachers fear could spread . The Bradford Muslim Education Forum has run events involving alleged Birmingham plotter Tahir Alam, who heads the governing body at the city's Park View school . He also attacked Education Secretary Michael Gove, saying he did not expect his 'firestorm' response to be 'moderate and considered'. However, the meeting heard that the council's own investigation had so far not discovered any evidence of extremism. The recording comes a week after the headmasters' union said that 'concerted efforts' had been made to infiltrate the Birmingham schools - which could even spread to other cities. The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers said some teachers were being appointed because of their Muslim faith rather than their skills. There was also evidence of ‘pressure’ being brought to bear on heads to adopt ‘certain philosophies and approaches’. Inquiry: On Wednesday, the names of 18 schools at the centre of the alleged 'Trojan Horse' plot were revealed in a list by Birmingham City Council. Above, one of the schools, Gracelands Nursery School in Sparkbrook . Under investigation: The allegations came to light earlier this year. Above, Adderley Primary School in Saltley . Speaking ahead of the union’s annual conference in Birmingham, he said: ‘We ourselves have concerns about what has been going on in and around half a dozen of those schools. ‘There have been things going on inside our schools which would make some of us feel uncomfortable.’ Meanwhile, it was claimed that dozens of teachers pushed out of schools by an alleged Islamist takeover plot are too afraid to speak out because of gagging orders. Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said at least ten teachers told him they were made to sign agreements offering cash in return for their silence. Ofsted is now inspecting 21 schools over the plot - whereby Muslim extremists infiltrate state schools and run them according to Islamic principles. Birmingham City Council is also investigating 25 schools. A spokesman for the council said it could not comment while the investigations were taking place. | Meeting of headteachers was told there would be 'serious implications'
Birmingham City Council CEO also attacked Ofsted and Michael Gove .
Mark Rogers predicted response could change ways schools are run .
Investigations were launched over alleged plot to sneak in extreme Islam .
Recording of the private meeting was leaked to the media . |
74,121 | d22da5c151ad9d8ac0ff4cf6c860e4e87e108025 | (CNN) -- The Indian city of Mumbai exploded into chaos early Thursday morning as gunmen launched a series of attacks across the country's commercial capital, killing scores of people and taking hostages in two luxury hotels frequented by Westerners. Deepak Chopra says extremists could be reacting to Barack Obama's gestures toward Muslims. CNN's Larry King spoke with author Deepak Chopra about the situation. Larry King: Let's go to Dr. Deepak Chopra, the physician, philosopher. His new book is "Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment." Where were you born in India, Deepak? Deepak Chopra: I was born in Delhi, but I have been in these hotels many, many times. I have stayed there, so I know the scene; I know the restaurants. I have been trying to get in touch with my friends and relatives, some of whom I have spoken to, some of whom I can't speak to. The lines are jammed. We're texting each other. A friend of mine from Egypt was in the restaurant at the Taj hotel when the firing started, and somehow she managed to avoid the fray, hid in a basement and is now holed up in a room which is right next to the Taj hotel and is waiting to be told what to do. The situation is complex, Larry, because it could inflame to proportions that we cannot even imagine. It has to be contained. We now recognize that this is a global problem, with only a global effort can solve this. And you know, one of the things that I think is happening is that these militant terrorist groups are actually terrified that [President-elect Barack] Obama's gestures to the rest of the Muslim world may actually overturn the tables on them by alienating them from the rest of the Muslim world, so they're reacting to this. You know, this is Obama's opportunity to actually harness the help of the Muslims. You know, there's 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. That's 25 percent of the population of the world. It's the fastest-growing religion in the world. We cannot, if we do not appease and actually recruit the help of this Muslim world, we're going to have a problem on our hands. And we cannot go after the wrong people, as we did after 9/11, because then the whole collateral damage that occurs actually aggravates the situation. In India, this is particularly inflammatory, because there's a rise of Hindu fundamentalism. We saw what that did in Gujarat, where, you know, Muslims were scorched and they were killed, and there was almost a genocide of the Muslims. India has 150 million Muslims. That's more Muslims in India than in Pakistan. So this is an opportunity right now for India and Pakistan to recognize this is their common problem. It's not a Muslim problem right now; it's a global problem. ... King: Do you think that this is just the beginning, that there's a potential impact, or more? Chopra: There is a potential impact of a lot more carnage. But it can be contained. And right now, one of the questions, you know, after I heard Barbara Starr talking about how coordinated this is, that there are militant groups that cross international boundaries, is who is financing this? Where is the money coming from? We have to ask very serious, honest questions. What role do we have in this? Are our petrodollars funding both sides of this war on terrorism? Why are we not asking the Saudis where that money is going that we give them? Is it going through this supply chain to Pakistan? It's not enough for Pakistan to condemn it. Pakistan should cooperate with India in uprooting this. They should be part of the surgery that is going to happen. It's not enough for Indians to blame Pakistanis. Indians should actually ask the Pakistanis to help them. And it's not enough for us to worry about Westerners being killed and Americans being killed. Every life is precious over there. We have got to get rid of this idea that this is an American problem or a Western problem. It's a global problem, and we need a global solution, and we need the help of all the Muslims, 25 percent of the world's population, to help us uproot this problem. King: What does India immediately do? Chopra: India at this moment has to contain any reactive violence from the fundamentalist Hindus, which is very likely and possible. So India has to condemn that by not blaming local Muslims. They have to identify the exact groups. And the world has to be very careful that they don't go after the wrong people. Because if you go after the wrong people, you convert moderates into extremists. It happens every time, and retribution against innocent people just because they have the same religion actually aggravates and perpetuates the problem. King: Are you pessimistic? Chopra: I think Mr. Obama has a real opportunity here, but a challenging opportunity, a creative opportunity. Get rid of the phrase "war on terrorism." Ask for a creative solution in which we all participate. King: Is it because the war on terrorism really can never be won because the terrorists (inaudible)? Chopra: Because it's an oxymoron. It's an oxymoron, Larry, a war on war, a war on terrorism. You know, terrorists call mechanized death from 35,000 feet above sea level with a press of a button also terror. We don't call it that, because our soldiers are wearing uniforms. They don't see what is happening, and innocent people are being killed. So, you know, terror is a term that you apply to the other. King: Thanks, Deepak Chopra, as always, extraordinarily enlightening. | "This is a global problem," author Deepak Chopra says .
Barack Obama must use chance to get Muslims' help, he says .
Officials must not go after the wrong people, Chopra says . |
262,174 | df91b7689ca8f95c352a45b0a23ff83df41e812f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A middle school teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, has been caught on video delivering an expletive-laden rant to a classroom full of student. The cell phone footage shows the Crawford Long Middle School teacher unleash on a male student because he fails to shut the door behind him when he enters class. 'I'm trying to do something, and I can't keep babysitting you. Close the door!' the unidentified teacher screams. But the boy ignores her and walks towards his seat. Angry, she yells: 'Stop! I ain't f***ing playing with you. You want to play? Stay home with your mama.' Scroll down for video . Rant: A middle school teacher, pictured, in Atlanta, Georgia, has been caught on video delivering an expletive-laden rant to a classroom full of student . The video was shot by a female student who had complained about the teacher a couple of months ago to her aunt, whom she lives with. 'Two months ago, Yvette came home and said the teacher had said "f you" to her and to sit down," Santosha Manuel told WSBTV.com. 'I told her, if it happened again, to get proof, and that's what her cellphone was for and to record it so that I would have proof this time.' Manuel said she was particularly angry that the teacher, during the tirade, attacked the students' mothers. Angry: The footage shows the Crawford Long Middle School teacher unleash on a male student, pictured, because he fails to shut the door behind him when he enters class . Cussing: Mid-rant the teacher, pictured, storms over and slams the door . 'I have a f***ing job, half your mothers don't,' the teacher says in the tape. 'You are talking down to them, you are talking bad about their parents,' Manuel said, disapprovingly. After Manuel handed Yvette's video to school officials, the teacher was almost immediately yanked from her classroom. The Atlanta Public Schools school district confirmed the teacher in the video works at Crawford Long Middle School in southwest Atlanta. School: The Atlanta Public Schools school district confirmed the teacher in the video works at Crawford Long Middle School in southwest Atlanta, pictured . They said she is on administrative leave while an investigation is undertaken. 'Atlanta Public Schools promotes a culture of ethics to which all employees are expected to adhere,' APS told WSBTV in a statement. 'This is a personnel matter that is currently being investigated. However, APS can confirm that the teacher is not currently assigned to work directly with students.' | Cell phone footage shows the teacher, from Crawford Long Middle School in Atlanta, unleash on a male student .
The tirade begins because he fails to shut the door behind him when he enters class .
'I ain't f***ing playing with you. You want to play? Stay home with your mama,' the teacher screams .
The video was shot by a female student who had complained about the teacher a couple of months ago to her aunt . |
159,917 | 5ab7809b9ccbd47d60f141d7d2d02f6adf3d6cfd | Justin Bieber's capuchin monkey -- famously seized by German customs officials after the singer brought it on tour without the right paperwork -- is now out of quarantine and about to join a new "family" in a German zoo. The young monkey, Mally, was taken to a Munich animal shelter after he was confiscated at the end of March as Bieber arrived in Germany on tour. But the capuchin has now been transferred to the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, near Hanover in northern Germany, to start life with his new family -- six other capuchin monkeys. Mally was transferred Wednesday to the zoo's new monkey area, consisting of a tree-covered island -- dubbed "Mally-bu" -- surrounded by a moat and equipped with a house for its seven residents. He's the first to arrive on the island and the others will be introduced gradually, if all goes according to plan, zoo spokeswoman Juliane Gunkel told CNN. The other capuchins are three males and three females, one of whom was born around the same time as Mally and is known as Molly, Gunkel said. Justin Bieber in accident involving pedestrian . While in quarantine, for several weeks at the animal shelter and another month at the zoo, the monkey clung to a stuffed toy thought to have been given to him by Bieber. But the zoo is confident he'll adjust to his new life quickly, Gunkel said. "He is very clever and he's the right age, not too old" to fit in, she said. Bieber had until May 7 to present the right paperwork to reclaim his pet -- who's now 27 weeks old and weighs a little less than three pounds -- but failed to do so, Gunkel said. As a result, Mally is now the property of the German government, and the Serengeti Park is acting as a caretaker for the creature. The park was picked because it was the only zoo in Germany that had a family of capuchins for Mally to join. Bieber had better slow down, neighbors say . The zoo contacted the pop star's management to tell it about Mally's new home but did not receive a response, Gunkel said. She doesn't anticipate a visit from the pop star to the zoo. So far Bieber's fans, known for their devotion to the 19-year-old singer, have not been rushing to the Serengeti Park, but some questions have been posted on Facebook and the zoo's website, she added. Bieber's representatives declined to comment at the time the animal was confiscated. Karl Heinz Joachim of the animal shelter told CNN in April that the monkey was "not distressed" but was too young to have been taken from his mother. Mally was about 14 weeks old when he was brought to the shelter, and would have been only about 9 weeks old when he was reportedly given to Bieber in March, Joachim said. | Justin Bieber's monkey, Mally, confiscated by German officials, is now living in a zoo .
Mally is being introduced to a family of fellow capuchin monkeys .
Bieber had until May 7 to reclaim his pet with the right paperwork but didn't, the zoo says .
The singer wanted to take the monkey on his European tour but it was seized in Munich . |
246,580 | cb1b0eccda14519757aa4bda3dc1b3024811b845 | By . Emily Crane . A teenage rugby player has died after suffering head injuries when he was knocked out during a match in New Zealand on Saturday. Triplet Jordan Kemp, 17, was taken to hospital via helicopter after the incident during a game in Whangarei, north of Auckland. He was put in an induced coma at the rugby grounds suffering from suspected bleeding on the brain, but died on Sunday afternoon at Auckland City Hospital. Tragedy: Jordan Kemp has died after suffering head injuries during a rugby match in New Zealand on Saturday . He collapsed after a suspected head clash during a game between his club the Otamatea Hawks and the Old Boys Marist. His sister Crishla posted updates on Jordan's condition when he was put on life support on Saturday night following surgery. 'They don't think he's gana make it over night. but my brother is fighter and has to make it he has to!!!!' she wrote. 'He's the other half of me and god only knows the plan he has for my brother but don't take him from us now!' Jordan, pictured here with his sisters Michaela and Crishla, was put in an induced coma at the rugby grounds suffering from suspected bleeding on the brain . Crishla, who was in the helicopter with Jordan when he was airlifted to hospital, posted an emotional tribute on Sunday afternoon saying that he had died at 3.45pm. 'The moment god took you from me... is the moment he took apart of me too,' she said. 'In the end your with us in spirit my bro I know you'll always be watching over us and I love you soooooo much you have no idea my bro save a spot for me up in heaven for me.' The teenager had been cleared to play five weeks ago after suffering a serious head injury at the start of the season, the Northern Advocate reports. Kevin Robinson, the president of Jordan's club Otamatea, was at the game and witnessed the teenager falling to the ground before getting back up on his feet. The teenager had been cleared to play five weeks ago after suffering a serious head injury at the start of the season . 'He fell down but then got up and staggered around before falling over again,' he said. 'He was looked after immediately and the game was called off.' Mr Robinson was also by Jordan's side when he was knocked out by a knee to the head several weeks ago. He had been 'blue-carded' at the start of the season - a system that gives referees the option to order concussed players off the field for three weeks - and had four weeks off from playing. 'That was awful. It was not nice to see,' Mr Robinson said, adding that Jordan had made a full recovery after the first hit. He had been 'blue-carded' at the start of the season - a system that gives referees the option to order concussed players off the field for three weeks - and had four weeks off from playing . The Northland Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby Union and the Rugby Foundation issued a statement on Sunday saying Jordan's injuries and death were being investigated. 'This is a tragedy for all concerned, in particular Jordan’s immediate whanau and friends,' the statement read. 'Jordan was a young man with a passion for life and for Rugby, he was a great guy from an awesome family and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. | Jordan Kemp died on Sunday at 3.45pm after being placed on life support at Auckland City Hospital .
The 17-year-old was injured in a rugby match in Whangarei on Saturday .
He put in an induced coma at the grounds before being airlifted to hospital .
He had only been back playing for five weeks after he was knocked out by a knee to the head at the start of the season . |
45,397 | 7ff349114b52155a4094cba096ee60f502ef6001 | Forty-six New Jersey lottery winners from July 2013 to July 2014 used Social Security numbers of dead people to collect their winnings, the state auditor said. An audit released Wednesday said the use of dead people's identification numbers creates a risk of reduced tax revenue for the state, overpayment of public assistance and lost collections on child support, defaulted student loans and other debt. Auditor Stephen Eells said that up to $890,000 in prize winnings could have been recovered if winners below $250,000 were checked for debts against the Treasury Department's Set-Off of Individual Liability system. An audit said people used dead people's identification numbers to avoid having winnings garnished or paying taxes . The lottery now only checks winners of more than $250,000 in the SOIL system, but the audit recommends checks for all winners over $600. Executive Director Carole Hedinger said during the Lottery Commission's monthly meeting Thursday that they are aware people try to cheat the system and are working to tighten their regulations. 'What we are working on is trying to find or get authorization to go even further to verify the legitimacy of social security numbers, something we are currently not authorized to do,' Hedinger said, referring to federal law that she says prevents the lottery from performing automated Social Security matches for all state departments. According to the commission, 26 winners were flagged as owing money after their Social Security numbers came up in various state agency databases in January. Twenty-three of them had their winnings garnished for things like public assistance, food stamps and student loans. The lotto failed to examine winners taking in less than $250,000 or check Social Security numbers on claim forms . 'That's a problem with all industries with people using illegal Social Security (numbers). In fact, we are ahead of the curve,' said Lottery Commission Chairman Thomas Tucci. 'We've been working to try to get that corrected, it's just a matter of getting the regulators to give us the authority to go further.' Hedinger said in her written response to the audit that the lottery has to balance providing good service and timely payments with its legal responsibilities. She said that the lottery collected nearly $300,000 from winners that owed the state. USA Today notes that lottery fraud is often a sign of ticket discounting, meaning the winning ticket has been resold. Carole Hedinger, Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery found nearly $900,000 in winnings had been claimed by the deceased according to an audit . If a winner wishes to avoid the scrutiny that would lead to garnishing, they can might sell the ticket to a third party for less than the prize value, a practice that is illegal. The third party is often a lottery retailer who will give the seller quick cash. The third party will then claim the prize under their names, or often that of a relative, which is how the deceased winners may have been entered. Eells added that the lottery wasn't verifying Social Security numbers on the claim forms. | Frauds got through as lotto officials failed to check Social Security numbers or scrutinize winners under $250,000 .
Fraud points to tickets discounting, the prohibited practice of selling a winning ticket to a third party to avoid scrutiny .
The third party may use a relative's name and Social Security numbers to avoid paying taxes themselves, potentially resulting in the name's of the deceased being entered . |
95,931 | 07581af3e38e14949a7f388089663d5532b667c9 | (CNN) -- Australia has passed a controversial new law which will see the country's 500 most-polluting companies pay tax on their carbon emissions. The Clean Energy Act was passed by 36 votes to 32 in the Australian Senate on Tuesday and will come into force on July 1 next year. The legislation sees carbon taxed at a fixed price of 23 Australian dollars ($23.7) per ton for three years before moving to flexible pricing in 2015. In a statement on the prime minister's official website, Julia Gillard described the vote as "history-making" and "a major milestone in Australia's efforts to cut carbon pollution and seize the economic and job opportunities of the future." The legislation, which passed through Australia's House of Representatives by 74 votes to 72 in October, will deliver cuts in carbon pollution of at least 160 million tons a year in 2020, according to Gillard's website. Nine out of 10 households will receive compensation to offset the expected rises in energy bills caused by the legislation, say the government. This will take the form of a mixture of tax cuts and extra family benefits funded in part by the revenues the government collects from the businesses affected. But opposition leader Tony Abbot, a staunch opponent of the legislation, called it "a betrayal of the Australian people" adding that three million Australian households will be worse off because of the tax. "The longer this tax is in place, the worse the consequences for the economy, jobs and families. It will drive up the cost of living, threaten jobs and do nothing for the environment," Abbot, leader of the Liberal party in Australia said in a statement on his website. Abbot also pledged to repeal the tax should he win the next general election scheduled to take place in 2013. International mining group Rio Tinto, one of the companies which will be affected by the new law, believes it will hinder the country's competitiveness abroad. "Australia's minerals sector now faces significant additional costs not faced by competitors. This will inevitably reduce potential investment and jobs growth in Australia, without reducing global emissions," David Peever, managing director of Rio Tinto Australia said in a statement earlier this year. But the Australian Greens, whose support ensured Gillard's minority government won the vote, said the new law promised a greener future. "Voting for a price on pollution is a vote for our ability to make a difference to climate change and provide a healthy, safe future for our kids and grandkids," Penny Wright, Australian Greens' Senator for South Australia, said in a statement. | Bill to introduce carbon tax on country's biggest polluters passed by Australian Senate .
Carbon price fixed at AUS$23 from July 1 2012 before moving to flexible pricing in 2015 .
Prime Minsiter Julia Gillard decribes vote as "history making"
Opposition leader Tony Abbot says tax will threaten jobs and raise taxes . |
230,930 | b705d807495fa4ed089689aa85f3d28738ca1966 | By . Adrian Thrills . PUBLISHED: . 15:14 EST, 23 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:37 EST, 23 May 2013 . When Glaswegian rockers Texas took a breather after their seventh album in 2005, singer Sharleen Spiteri thought they might be out of action for a couple of years before resuming a career that had seen them sell more than 30 million albums. She hadn’t expected the eight-year hiatus that followed, punctuated by personal upheaval, a change of record label and two solo albums. Only now, as the band finally return with new album The Conversation, does she feel ready to reflect. ‘We didn’t intend to take such a long break,’ she tells me over coffee near her London home in Primrose Hill. ‘But we needed to get away. People were getting blasé about Texas, because we’d be on the radio all the time. I did two solo albums, but I didn’t mean to make them at the expense of the band.’ Sharleen Spiteri said the band did not intend to take 'such a long break' when they took a breather following their seventh album in 2005. She is pictured right at the 2013 Ivor Novello awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, earlier this month . Her first solo effort, Melody in 2008, was meant for Texas. But Sharleen felt her songs were too personal, as she wrote them after a painful split from former boyfriend Ashley Heath, father of her daughter Misty, now ten. ‘I didn’t have the patience to discuss guitar solos with the group,’ she says. ‘They are like brothers to me, but there were never any big discussions about my life.’ Another solo record, The Movie Songbook, a collection of film themes made with late producer Phil Ramone, came two years later. But Texas had been struck in 2009, when guitarist Ally McErlaine suffered a brain aneurysm and was in a coma for nine weeks afterwards. The band only began work for their new album once he recovered and said he wanted to work again. Sharleen says: ‘I didn’t think we’d make another Texas record. Ally didn’t see music as his true calling. Then, after the aneurysm, he realised he wanted to play guitar again.’ The band's new album The Conversation sees a shift from pop and R&B to the guitar-driven rock of their formative years . Sharleen performing with Texas during an instore gig and signing at HMV, Oxford Street, in August 2005 . The Conversation sees a shift from pop and R&B to the guitar-driven rock of the band’s formative years, when former hairdresser Sharleen became a Telecaster-toting poster girl with hits such as I Don’t Want A Lover in 1989. Sharleen is now in a relationship with Welsh TV chef Bryn Williams, and her inspiration comes from heartfelt chats with friends — hence the album title. ‘I’m in a happy relationship and on good terms with my ex, too. I can tell my friends that things do get better. It’s the same with the band. When we started, I couldn’t see us lasting ten years, but we’re still going strong after 25.’ | Glasgow rockers Texas took eight years off after their seventh album in 2005 .
They have now returned with their new album The Conversation .
Gap punctuated by personal upheaval, a change of label and solo albums .
The Conversation is out on PIAS. Texas start a UK tour on November 9 at the Barbican in York (texas.uk.com). |
168,993 | 66a0ea8533bc4cc8d6472c9961c5fa4cbb525a70 | A 7-year-old Chinese boy dying from cancer and abandoned by his mother says he wants to see her one more time before he loses his sight. Ren Shihao, who has a brain tumour, told a local reporter in China's southwestern Sichuan province that he doesn't blame his mother for leaving the family, but added: 'I want to say I miss her. I want to say I love you mum. And I want her to hug me.' Ren can only see a few centimeters in front of his face as the growth puts pressure on his optic nerves. Ren Shihao's mother left the family before the 7-year-old was diagnosed with brain cancer but now refuses to come back as she has a new life with a different man. Here local volunteers play with Ren . The boy was diagnosed with cancer in September after his father, Cheng Li Ren, 35, took him to hospital when he began to feel ill. Cheng said: 'I took him to the hospital where they diagnosed him as suffering from a medulloblastoma, a kind of malignant cancer on the brain, in September. 'He had been feeling ill from September and in May he began to stagger. But hospital visits are hard for us to manage, we only took him there in September and the cancer was diagnosed. Doctor's in the regional capital of Chengdu operated on the growth, but by then it had already spread too far. Despite the tragic events Ren says he doesn't blame his mother for leaving but would like to see her one last time before the tumour robs him of his sight. Local well-wishers are helping him to make a video appeal . Ren's can only see a few centimeters in front of his face as the growth puts pressure on his optic nerves but maintains hope of seeing his mother again so he can hug her and tell her he loves her . After the failed operation Ren was sent back to his home in Yangyi village where local hospitals said they couldn't do anything for him and sent him home. His father added: 'He is starting to lose his sight, he thinks he will go blind, but he does not know he will die eventually. He wants only one thing, to see his mother before he loses his sight.' Ren's mother, Li Sun, left the household after arguments about money following his birth. Both parents had been forced to leave their village to work in the city, and Ren was raised by his grandmother, Zhao Yonglian. But the strain that put on the relationship was too much, and eventually Li kissed him goodbye and left. Cheng has since tracked her down, but she is in a new relationship and refuses to come back to see her dying child. He said: 'I never married her, and I left my son and managed to track her down, and discovered she now has a new life with a new man where she is married, so she has refused to come and see her son that we had. 'I guess her new family do not know of her previous life.' | Cheng Li Ren and Li Sun had son Ren Shihao outside marriage .
Li left the family following arguments about money .
Ren was diagnosed with terminal brain tumour in September .
Despite his condition mother will not visit as she has started a new life .
Ren doesn't blame her but says he wants to hug her one more time . |
260,804 | ddc0ea059969d872e0fe25c22617527676776638 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . and Associated Press Reporter . A Mexican teenager died from drinking highly concentrated liquid meth at a border crossing after he tried to persuade inspectors that it was only . apple juice, according to an an autopsy report. Cruz . Marcelino Velazquez, 16, volunteered to take 'a big sip' of the liquid at the San . Ysidro port of entry in San Diego on November 18, the report said. But when he was handcuffed . and taken to a security office, he began screaming in pain and shouted about 'chemicals' before yelling, 'My heart! My heart!' in . Spanish. Velazquez, a high school student from Tijuana, died hours later at a hospital in California from acute methamphetamine . intoxication. Scroll down for video . Killed: Cruz Marcelino Velazquez, 16, died in November after offering to take a 'big sip' of the liquid meth he was carrying in bottles across the Mexican border, in an attempt to prove it was juice . The San Diego County Medical Examiner's report . gives no indication if inspectors asked him to drink the liquid and . doesn't say if they had an opportunity to stop him when he volunteered. Velazquez was walking in a pedestrian lane at the crossing when an inspector became suspicious of the teenager, who was carrying two bottles and acting nervously. The inspector poured a capful of liquid on a counter because he thought it would . immediately crystallize if it was methamphetamine, according to the . autopsy report. The inspector smelled fruit and returned the boy's two . bottles after the liquid didn't crystallize. Inspectors also . raised questions about whether Velazquez had been working in the U.S., . which would violate terms of his visitor's visa, and ordered him to a . separate area, the report said. Liquid: The autopsy found he died from acute methamphetamine intoxication (file picture) After he was asked again about the bottles, he drank the . liquid, claiming it was juice. Acevedo was taken to the nearby Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, where he died that evening. The liquid in both bottles later tested positive for . methamphetamine and the capful that the inspector poured on the counter . eventually crystallized. The inspector who poured the capful 'was . educated by his supervisor that this was not a proper or safe test for . detecting methamphetamine', the report says. Jackie Wasiluk, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and . Border Protection, the agency that oversees ports of entry, had no . immediate comment on the findings . San Ysidro, the nation's . busiest border crossing, has emerged as a major corridor for smuggling . meth in the past five years as Mexico's Sinaloa cartel has . increased its presence in the area. Scene: Traffic and pedestrians are pictured at the San Ysidro border crossing, the world's busiest . To avoid detection, crystal . methamphetamine is dissolved in water and disguised in juice bottles, . windshield wiper fluid containers and gas tanks. It is later converted . back to crystals. Children are caught with it several times a week at San Diego crossings, an 'alarming increase,' Joe . Garcia, assistant special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and . Customs Enforcement investigations in San Diego, said last year. They are typically paid $50 to $200 a trip. Acevedo had no previous criminal record. ‘He . was an average student, he had no discipline problems, he regularly . attended class,’ María Guadalupe Estrella, principal at his school, Cobach Siglo . XXI, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. | Mexican high school student Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo was stopped as he crossed the border to San Diego in November .
He offered to take a 'big sip' as officials asked him about bottles of liquid .
But he started screaming, 'My heart! My heart!' and later died .
The liquid was determined to be pure liquid methamphetamine . |
121,549 | 2918c9c4055eed28a3d03805c2e25c74584ec802 | Ukip has surged to a record level of support in the wake of Brussels’ demands for an extra £1.7billion from Britain. Some 19 per cent of people now say they will back Nigel Farage’s party, twice the level seen early last year. Mr Farage last night said the EU should be told to ‘get stuffed’ and said the demand had been a 'gift' to his party. The rise of Ukip has come at the expense of both the main parties, with Labour slumped at the lowest level of support since Ed Miliband became leader. Ukip has jumped four points to 19 per cent - one point above their previous highest rating in a ComRes telephone poll in June . The new ComRes survey for The Independent puts Labour neck and neck with the Tories on 30 per cent. It means Mr Miliband has dropped five points in just a month, his worst rating ever as leader. At the same time backing for Ukip has jumped four points to 19 per cent - one point above their previous highest rating in a ComRes telephone poll in June. The Liberal Democrats are down one point on 9 per cent and the Greens unchanged on 4 per cent. Ukip appears to have been bolstered by the huge row over the demand that Britain pays an extra £1.7billion to the EU by December 1. Nigel Farage said the demand for an extra £1.7billion from Brussels had been a 'gift' to Ukip . Ed Miliband has seen support for Labour slump to its lowest level since he became leader, and is now neck and neck with David Cameron's Tories on 30 per cent . David Cameron yesterday insisted he will not meet the deadline, but suggested Britain could end up handing over hundreds of millions of pounds. He told MPs that the row had undermined public support for the EU. Despite his combative stance in the Commons, the Prime Minister appeared to shift his position by saying it was the ‘scale’ of the cash demand that was unjustified. However Mr Farage said he would tell the European Union to “get stuffed quite frankly”. He told ITV’s The Agenda: ‘Quite honestly politically it's a gift to Ukip… The Prime Minister was very clear. ‘We will not be paying this money before the first of December. ‘What he really means is they won't pay it until after the Rochester by-election. Then we will pay it because those are the rules of the club. ‘Either we abide by those rules or we say the club's not for us… I wouldn't pay it today. Never.’ Budget commissioner Jacek Dominik said it would be 'extremely difficult' for the Prime Minister to challenge the EU's demand for extra cash. Mr Dominik said the move risked opening a 'Pandora's box' which could put the future of the UK's £3billion-a-year rebate in question. But in a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon Mr Cameron said: ‘Britain will not be paying two billion euros to anyone on December 1 and we reject this scale of payment.' And in a clear indication that he believes the row has undermined public support for EU membership, Mr Cameron told MPs: ‘For those of us who want to argue that the European Union is capable of reform, this was not a good development.’ | Eurosceptic Ukip hits 19%, the highest level in a ComRes telephone survey .
Comes after demand from the EU for the UK to pay more towards budget .
Farage says the row has been a 'gift' to his party as support rises .
Labour and the Tories now neck and neck on just 30%, the poll shows . |
139,985 | 40fe07a4cef96e479921930001997df7594865f7 | By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 06:45 EST, 13 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:28 EST, 13 March 2013 . Families of the men had pleaded to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for clemency but the executions were carried out as planned . A human rights group has revealed the haunting final words of a man begging for justice nine hours before he was executed by firing squad in Saudi Arabia. Seven men convicted of being part of a criminal gang which committed armed robbery were shot by firing squad in the southern city of Abha today after the king rejected their families' appeals for clemency. Amnesty International has released a harrowing final phone interview with one of the men who claimed they had all been tortured into confessions. 'I'm one of the seven prisoners to be executed. I have nine hours left until I die,' said the man, who has not been named. 'We found this out through friends and relatives who saw the market square being prepared for the execution. 'There are now seven spots in the square for seven people to be shot. It's going to be in public, in the market, in the city of Abha. 'We don't know what we are supposed to have done wrong. 'We were forced to make confessions. We were mistreated by the investigators - they took our clothes and it was winter. They tortured us by suspending us from chains on the wall. 'They also used psychological torture such as threatening they would bring in our mothers and torture them in front of us. 'I didn't kill anyone - we were tried for robbery and we were forced to confess. I hope the execution will be stopped. 'I wish for it to be stopped and for a fair trial and for a reinvestigation. The trial was totally unjust.' Human rights campaigners had called for the sentences to be quashed because the men were juveniles when they were arrested. One of the men told The Associated Press last month he was only 15 when he was arrested as part of a ring that stole jewelry in 2004 and 2005. Nasser al-Qahtani said he was tortured to confess and had no access to lawyers. SCROLL DOWN FOR AUDIO . Human rights campaigners protest against beheadings in Saudi Arabia after eight Bangladeshi men were executed for an alleged murder . Al-Qahtani said that during the trial, . which lasted for years, he only faced the judge three times and when . the men tried to complain about the torture or show torture marks on . their bodies, they were ignored. He also said the judge never assigned . him a lawyer. They were convicted in 2009. The executions took place in Abha, a city in the southern region of Asir. The . south has been marginalized and suffered discrimination by the powerful . central Saudi region where the capital, Riyadh, and holy shrines of . Mecca and Medina are located. The . original sentences called for death by firing squad and crucifixion.related] . The . oil-rich kingdom follows a strict implementation of Islamic law, or . Shariah, under which people convicted of murder, rape or armed robbery . can be executed, usually by sword. Saudi . Arabia has executed 23 people so far this year, including the seven men . today. Last year it executed 76 and in 2011, 79 people. Also, . several people were reported crucified in Saudi Arabia last year. Human . rights groups have condemned crucifixions, including cases in which . people were beheaded and then crucified. In 2009, Amnesty International . condemned such executions as 'the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and . degrading punishment.' On March 4, Human Rights Watch appealed to King Abdullah to halt the executions and said there was 'strong evidence' that the trials of all seven men violated basic principles of rights to a fair trial. 'It will be outrageous if the Saudi authorities go ahead with these executions,' Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East director, had said. 'It is high time for the Saudis to stop executing child offenders and start observing their obligations under international human rights law.' The following day, the king ordered a one-week suspension for the case to be reviewed. But it has been reported today that the execution went ahead. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW IN FULL HERE . | Seven men publicly executed by firing squad in city of Abha today .
Accused of being part of a gang that committed armed robbery .
Kingdom observes strict Islamic law which includes capital punishment .
Human rights group says the men were juveniles when they were arrested .
Also claims they were tortured into a confession and didn't receive fair trial . |
114,249 | 1f67537a286184c9739847ed0108666f834bb364 | London (CNN) -- Queen Elizabeth II is marking her 86th birthday Saturday privately at Windsor Castle, a palace spokesman said. The Queen also has an official birthday in June, which will be celebrated publicly as part of events to mark the Diamond Jubilee. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment fired a 62-gun salute for her real birthday at the Tower of London, Retired Lt. Col. Stuart Green said. Hundreds of guests gathered for the salute, which included 21 guns for the Queen's birthday, 21 because it's a royal palace and 20 guns to show the City of London's loyalty to the monarch, Green said. The regiment, usually based in Gibraltar, is currently in London for ceremonial duties including guarding Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, he said. A 41-gun salute in Hyde Park and a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park were also held to honor the Queen. The salute in Hyde Park was performed by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using teams of galloping horses to pull six World War I-era guns into position. The 41 rounds were then fired at 10-second intervals, the Ministry of Defence said. On her official birthday each June, the Queen and other members of the royal family attend the Trooping the Colour military parade in central London. CNN's Bharati Naik and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report. | NEW: Teams of horses pull guns into position in Hyde Park for a 41-gun salute .
A 62-gun salute is fired at the Tower of London for the Queen's 86th birthday .
The Queen has an official birthday in June when she takes part in public events .
She celebrates her Diamond Jubilee -- marking 60 years on the throne -- this year . |
85,649 | f2eeb4e026fd65fa1524ae839cb14f31acc3b294 | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani judge sentenced Osama bin Laden's three widows and two daughters on Monday to 45 days of house detention for living illegally in Pakistan, the widows' lawyer said. The judge ordered that after their term, the five be deported back to their countries of citizenship, said Amir Khalil, the lawyer. He said the time served began March 3, when the five were formally arrested or taken into custody, and that they would all be released by mid-April. The widows -- identified by U.S. and Pakistani officials as Amal Ahmed Abdul Fateh, Khairiah Sabar and Siham Sabar -- have been in Pakistani custody since U.S. Navy SEALs raided bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad and killed the al Qaeda leader in May 2011. The daughters are ages 17 and 21, Khalil said. Since all five defendants confessed to impersonation, illegal entry into Pakistan and staying illegally in Pakistan, there was no need for a trial, said Khalil, who added that his clients would not appeal the "lenient" sentence. They will serve their sentence in the Islamabad residence where the trial took place, Khalil said. A source familiar with the widows' case said last week that the Yemeni government has expressed willingness to let Fateh, bin Laden's youngest widow, return home. Saudi Arabia, where the other two women are from, has been resistant. The judge also fined each of the defendants 10,000 rupees, or about $110, Khalil said, adding that the fines had been paid in court. Bin Laden spent years on the run in Pakistan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, moving from one safe house to another and fathering four children -- at least one of whom was born in a government hospital, Fateh has told Pakistani investigators. A deposition taken from Fateh gives the clearest picture yet of bin Laden's life while international forces hunted him. "While we may never be able to corroborate every detail, generally speaking, bin Laden's wife's account seems plausible, and it confirms some previously held theories on where the al-Qaeda leader was hiding over the years," a U.S. official said about the widow's account. In the January 19 police report, Fateh said she had always wanted to marry a holy warrior. When word of plans for her arranged marriage to bin Laden came in 2000, she flew to Pakistan, crossed the Afghanistan border at Quetta and went to Kandahar. She said she did not recall exactly when, but she was married before the 2001 attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. She lived with bin Laden and his two other wives until the attacks. The family "scattered" after that, she told police. She said she returned to the southern port city of Karachi with her eldest daughter, Safia, and stayed in an apartment for eight or nine months. She said that "all the things were arranged by some Pakistani family and Saad," bin Laden's eldest son. They moved six or seven times in Karachi before she reunited with bin Laden in the border city of Peshawar. They moved to the Swat Valley, living in two houses over an eight- or nine-month period. Next, they shifted to Haripur, also in northern Pakistan. Fateh's daughter Aasia was born there in 2003 and son Ibrahim the next year. Fateh said she stayed in a hospital on both occasions. They settled in Abbottabad in 2005 and stayed there for six years before bin Laden was killed. Fateh gave birth to two more children in Abbottabad -- daughter Zainab was born in 2006 and son Hussain in 2008. Fateh said two families, whom she called the Ibrahim and Abrar families, stayed with them while they were in Swat, Haripur and Abbottabad, and "everything was arranged by them." She said some members of those two families were killed in the raid, as was bin Laden's 20-year-old son, Khalid. She told police she never applied for a visa during her stay in Pakistan. CNN asked Pakistani officials in Washington, in e-mails and over the phone, whether they had any knowledge of Fateh's movements and got no response. | The 5 will be released in mid-April, lawyer says .
The three widows and two other relatives faced charges of living illegally in Pakistan .
The court orders their repatriation after completion of sentence .
They have been detained since the U.S. raid in May that killed bin Laden . |
268,511 | e7cd023136ee5b9ca2ceb2ec7acc9dfc4ef85e3c | (CNN) -- Indian doctors have successfully removed a 1.2-meter rod from a 3-year-old boy after he was impaled on it at his grandparents' house. Indian doctors say Mehul Kumar is out of danger after operation to remove 1.2-meter iron rod. The Times of India reported that Mehul Kumar had fallen on the rod while playing on his grandparents' under-construction roof terrace in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand state. The rod pierced through Kumar's body and he then fell to the ground, the newspaper reported. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and then taken to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Bariatu, six kilometers away. Dr. Sandeep Agarwal, the leader of the five-strong team of doctors who spent five hours operation on Kumar, told the Times the boy was out of danger. "We first removed the rod following which an operation was done to repair the vital organs that had been injured,'' he said. | Indian doctors successfully remove 1.2-meter rod from three-year-old boy .
Mehul Kumar impaled himself while playing on terrace at grandparents' house .
Doctors spend over three hours removing rod and repairing damage to organs . |
31,282 | 58ea4be10b8642cfa2bbbd2a8ff86fd1421b3e62 | (CNN) -- Thousands of mourners descended on a suburban church in northern Italy on Thursday for the funeral of footballer Piermario Morosini, who died after collapsing on the pitch last week. Mourners lined the streets of Bergamo to see the 25-year-old Livorno player finally laid to rest in his hometown at the Church of San Gregorio. The midfielder's coffin was draped in his Livorno shirt as well as an Atalanta top bearing his name and the No. 8. Priest Luciano Manenti looked on as the coffin, adorned with wreaths and flowers, was carried from the church into a hearse. Morosini, who was on loan from Udinese, started out in Atalanta's youth team. Among the mourners were his longtime girlfriend Anna Vavassori, Italian soccer federation president Giancarlo Abete and national team coach Cesare Prandelli. "Soccer must pose itself questions following this tragedy," Prandelli said after the funeral, according to Italian news agency Ansa. "Sporting medicine and prevention are state of the art in Italy, but it's possible to improve." Morosini's life had been blighted by tragedy with the loss of both his parents before his 18th birthday. His disabled brother later committed suicide, leaving him alone with his handicapped elder sister Maria Carla. The funeral followed a packed memorial ceremony at Livorno's Armando Picchi Stadium the previous day. Thousands of mourners filled the stands to pay tribute as a hearse carrying Morosini's coffin did a lap of the ground. Livorno's president Aldo Spinelli struggled to hold back tears as he saluted the player. Morosini died last Saturday after collapsing on the pitch during his side's Serie B game at Pescara. Initially it was thought Morosini had suffered a cardiac arrest but a post mortem on Monday proved inconclusive. The entire Italian football program that weekend was canceled and a minute's silence was observed at major league games around the world in his honor. Morosini's death has raised questions about the procedures in place at Italian stadiums to deal with an emergency of the type that cost him his life. Prosecutors are investigating whether a badly parked police car delayed the arrival of paramedics on the scene. Udinese has set up a fund for Maria Carla, who relied on her brother for financial support. | Thousands of mourners line streets of Morosini's hometown Bergamo for funeral .
Italy's national soccer coach is among those who attend church service .
The previous day thousands of fans fill Picchi Stadium in Livorno for memorial ceremony .
Morosini's death has raised questions about emergency procedures on the pitch . |
1,560 | 047a002209d9cb1a08ae5b39bab4601382f676de | Katie Bowman claims she is being harrased by police after splitting from her PC boyfriend . A forensic science graduate says her life was made a misery after she was allegedly harassed by police following a split from her PC boyfriend. Katie Bowman, who has never been convicted of a crime, claims police interest in her – which saw her stopped 70 times for suspected offences ranging from drink-driving to assault – meant she could ‘barely leave the house’. The 24-year-old alleges she was targeted over 28 months by Thames Valley Police officers from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after splitting from Alexander Ash. Miss Bowman says that despite never . securing a conviction against her, the force has kept damaging . intelligence reports on her which are stopping her getting a job. She . has won the support of her local MP, Attorney General Dominic Grieve, . who said he was ‘seriously concerned’ by damning comments held on file . about her, which he said bordered on ‘trivial’. Miss . Bowman claims the harassment started in earnest in 2007 when she was 18 . and PC Ash, also based in High Wycombe, was disciplined by his force . for making inappropriate contact with her after their split. PC . Ash, who denies ever having been in a relationship with Miss Bowman, . said this disciplinary action instead related to drunken behaviour on a . night out with friends. Papers . obtained by Miss Bowman’s family suggest that more than ten of the 40 . intelligence reports on her were filed by a friend and colleague of PC . Ash. Following . court action by her family, Thames Valley Police launched a review last . year and earlier this year and removed 20 of the reports. However, . the Bowmans have vowed to take legal action to clear her name fully. They also hope to bring the officers they claim are involved to justice . and to seek compensation. Miss . Bowman, now engaged and expecting her first child, says she was . breathtested 70 times – 54 in one year from September 2007. Each time . the result was negative. She . was stopped on suspicion of possessing drugs and given a caution for an . alleged assault – later rescinded after a professional standards . investigation. Her car was seized eight times, and she was given . disorder penalty notices. Miss Bowman, 24, alleges she was targeted over 28 months by Thames Valley Police officers from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after splitting from PC Alexander Ash (file picture) Her . father Brian Bowman, from Hertfordshire, said: ‘Katie could barely . leave the house without being stopped. Her life was made an utter misery . by a gang – but a gang in police uniform.’ Miss . Bowman says that, with the support of Mr Grieve, she has repeatedly . complained to the force. She has successfully challenged the more . serious allegations which would have led to a criminal record. Mr . Grieve has written to Thames Valley Chief Constable Sara Thornton . twice, branding the reports kept on Miss Bowman as ‘entirely lacking in . substance’. He told the Mail: ‘I am very concerned, her allegation is of . a serious nature.’ One . intelligence report alleges a set of blue LED decorative lights placed . pointing into the footwell of her car amounted to unlawfully displaying . emergency blue lights. Despite . never leading to an arrest, the claims showed up in CRB checks and cost . Miss Bowman her job as an ambulance call handler in 2007 and saw her . sacked from another job as a student paramedic three years later. It . also stopped her becoming a special constable in 2011. In . his letter to the chief constable, Mr Grieve said she ‘is a person of . good character... adversely affected by the numerous derogatory comments . made about her by police’. Having met Miss Bowman twice, he found it ‘difficult’ to match up the image of her as ‘the wayward teenager’ portrayed in police reports. He also raised concerns that the possible motive for the police’s conduct is that she was being punished for getting PC Ash in trouble. Last night PC Ash, 31, who married recently, said: ‘I met her on a night out about six years ago and again when she came for an open day for prospective employees who want to join the force.’ The roads policing officer added: ‘I think she was upset because I wouldn’t go out with her and made several allegations about me. I have absolutely no idea why she would say we were an item.’ Thames Valley Police said: ‘The need to retain the intelligence reports relating to Ms Bowman was reviewed in 2012 (following which a number were removed) and in 2013 following further requests made on her behalf. ‘Thames Valley Police will not be commenting on the details of the reports, but we seek to comply with all aspects of the Data Protection Act and the national standards for the management of police information.’ The force said it had investigated a complaint from Miss Bowman in 2009 that ‘officers from High Wycombe have harassed her by causing her to be stopped, arrested, her vehicle seized and maliciously prosecuted’. It added: ‘The complaint was found to be unsubstantiated and Miss Bowman’s appeal to the IPCC was not upheld.’ | 24-year-old claims Thames Valley Police targeted her over 28 months .
Says damaging intelligence reports on her are stopping her getting a job .
Her car was seized eight times, and she was given disorder penalty notices .
PC was allegedly disciplined for making contact with her after their split .
Claims they were never an item and she is making allegations against him . |
153,568 | 52706fcd5686ab9b7bc2e90e5d021c737c79c29f | By . Ben Endley . PUBLISHED: . 16:57 EST, 20 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:12 EST, 20 February 2014 . Grandma Susan Burgess was just 59 when she died on December 5, 2012 after suffering a pulmonary embolism . A care home nurse who refused to attempt CPR or call an ambulance after a grandmother stopped breathing has been condemned by the lady's daughter. Susan Burgess was just 59 when she died on December 5, 2012 after suffering a pulmonary embolism in her room at Holme House care home in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire. Nurse Winifred Jozi was called when . Mrs Burgess was found at 6.20am but an inquest heard she refused to . attempt resuscitation and didn’t even call for an ambulance - instead, . choosing to ring the non-emergency NHS Direct service. Mrs Burgess, who had been staying at the care home because she was suffering from dementia, was pronounced dead an hour later. Coroner Oliver Longstaff blasted Mrs Jozi after the inquest at Kirklees Coroner’s Court in Huddersfield was told she had been sacked and suspended from working as a nurse pending an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Mrs Burgess’ daughter, Julie Marsden, 40, claims Mrs Jozi - the only nurse on duty - didn’t even check her mother’s pulse, and said she knew there was nothing she could do 'just by looking at her'. She said: 'I’m absolutely appalled with the actions of nurse Jozi. 'She claimed that she knew my mum was dead just by looking at her, so she didn’t even check her pulse or do any of the other checks that a medical professional should do. 'I’m not a nurse and if someone looked to be in trouble I would do whatever I could to help. 'But this nurse, who claims to have 20 years of experience, just stood back and didn’t even attempt to help. Mrs Burgess was found at 6.20am in her room at Holme House care home in Cleckheaton, West Yorks . 'She just looked at my mum and said, ‘there’s nothing I can do’. She didn’t even try. She didn’t do her job.' The inquest heard that Mrs Burgess, of nearby Dewsbury, was last seen alive in her chair at 5.45am. A doctor had ordered she was checked every half an hour due to a suspected water infection. At 6.20pm staff summoned Mrs Jozi who refused to attempt CPR on Mrs Burgess because it was ‘not beneficial’, the court heard. Instead she called NHS Direct who told her an operator would call back within two hours. The inquest heard other staff were unhappy with the nurse’s decision and called 999 - when they were told by the emergency operator to try to resuscitate Mrs Burgess before an ambulance arrived. A postmortem found she had died from blood clots in her lungs coupled with pneumonia. The coroner accepted that it was unlikely Mrs Burgess would have survived, even if CPR had been attempted, but added: 'It seems Mrs Jozi didn’t look for a pulse. She took the proverbial ‘one look’ at her and decided she was dead. Nurse Winifred Jozi was dismissed from her post and her actions being reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council . 'I simply don’t understand how nurse Jozi in her professional capacity could accept a callback in two hours as an appropriate response to unexpected death.' Mother-of-two Mrs Marsden, who lives with partner Simon, 52, added: 'My mum used to work as a care assistant and she was the most loving, caring person you could ask for. I’m upset she didn’t get the same treatment herself when she needed it. 'As far as I can see, the nurse hasn’t been remorseful at all. It’s almost as if she doesn’t think she did anything wrong. 'She was a nurse who should have been able to deal with anybody who’s stopped breathing.' A spokesperson for Croft Care, which runs Holme House, said: 'The management of the home found that the registered nurse did not follow the protocols that the home had in place . 'The home reported this to Kirklees Council Safeguarding Team and the police at the time of the incident and the company carried out a full investigation into her actions culminating in her being dismissed from her post and her actions being reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. 'The due diligence of the other staff who did follow the protocol that was in place ensured a professional response to the poor practice of the nurse in charge. 'The company is disappointed that it was not invited to attend or comment at the inquest. 'The manager of the home worked closely with the family at the time of the incident and the company offers its deepest sympathy at the loss of their loved one.' | Susan Burgess died from a pulmonary embolism at Holme House care home in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire .
Nurse Winifred Jozi didn't attempt resuscitation but called NHS Direct .
Inquest hears Jozi knew there was nothing she could do 'just by looking'
Daughter Julie Marsden said: 'I'm absolutely appalled' |
58,238 | a520c466d63eba93adc7154ca78a89b46f8d7753 | By . Tara Brady . This photographer is walking on thin ice after taking stunning photographs inside an Alaskan ice cave that could collapse at any moment. With its dazzling turquoise walls and huge open spaces, it's hard to imagine that this incredible frozen cavern was only formed at the beginning of 2012. But despite its seemingly mystical allure, the fascinating natural phenomena is at risk of collapsing in on itself without warning. A friend of Ron Gile holding up a red road flare inside the amazing Alaskan ice cave which is in danger of collapsing at any moment . This photographer is walking on thin ice after taking stunning photographs inside an Alaskan ice cave that could collapse at any moment . Photographed by ice caver, Ron Gile, 55, the adventurer has known many caves collapse and disappear in his eight years exploring the local area. After trekking across a two mile long frozen lake, Ron and a few friends descended into the underground chamber and used a red road flare to highlight the ethereal blue of their surroundings. Amazingly, the cavern is over 400 feet deep and at the back of the cave resides a moulon, a hole that leads straight up to the surface and is created by melting water pouring down to floor of the glacier. The intense colours are created by pure ice that is free of air, as the ice absorbs all colours of the light spectrum except for blue, the cave is lit up in a spectacular fashion. Daring: A friend of Ron Gile holding up a red road flare inside the amazing Alaskan ice cave which could collapse at any moment . With its dazzling turquoise walls and and huge open spaces, its hard to imagine that this incredible frozen cavern was only formed at the beginning of 2012 . Ron Giles friend Jacob holds a red flare (left) and looks up into the moulon (right), a hole that leads straight up to the surface and is created by melting water . Despite its seemingly mystical allure, the fascinating natural phenomena is at risk of collapsing in on itself without warning . Mr Gile said: 'I always find it fascinating being inside any of these caves, but I do get a little apprehensive going in, they can and do collapse. 'However, the beauty inside is just too powerful a temptation to not go inside. 'The caves do melt back and disappear but this large cave has been holding on since the start of 2012. 'I have found and explored about 15 caves now, some are small and some are very large, but this one was amazing because of its length. The entrance to the stunning Alaskan ice cave which was photographed by ice caver, Ron Gile, 55, who has been taking pictures of caves for eight years . After trekking across a two mile long frozen lake, Mr Gile and a few friends descended into the underground chamber . The entrance to the stunning Alaskan ice cave: The cavern is over 400 feet deep and at the back of the cave resides a moulon, a hole that leads straight up to the surface . 'I was with some friends from Hawaii at the time the photographs were taken, one of them have never even seen snow before let alone walk under a glacier, it was quite the experience for him. 'At the end of the cave is a moulon, this is a hole created in the glacier that goes straight up and out and is created when melt water from the surface of the glacier starts to open a channel that pours down to underneath the glacier. 'The red in the images is created by a road flare, I thought the red to blue color contrast would be fun to photograph and make for some great pictures.' | Photographs taken by ice caver Ron Gile, 55, who has been exploring the area for eight years .
The incredible frozen cavern was only formed at the beginning of 2012 .
Ron and friends used a red road flare to highlight the ethereal blue of their surroundings . |
77,862 | dcbf3eb722bd661c90a9935c2c78ce1263eed695 | (CNN) -- The mother of an 8-year-old boy suspected in the shooting deaths of his father and another man said Monday that the youngster "loved his dad" and had a strong relationship with him. "He's a very good little boy," Eryn Bloomfield said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "What happened to being innocent until proven guilty?" For legal reasons, Bloomfield -- who is identified in court papers as Eryn Thomas -- could not discuss details of the case. She said she is not even allowed to discuss the case with her son. Prosecutors in Apache County, Arizona, filed a motion Friday to dismiss one of the two murder charges against the boy -- the charge involving the death of his father. The filing gave no explanation, saying only, "The state believes the interest of justice will be served by such a dismissal." Authorities last week released a videotape of the boy's police interview in which he initially denied any involvement in the shootings, but later said he had shot his already-wounded father "because he was suffering." Watch the boy talk to police » . Legal questions surround the interview. One of the boy's defense attorneys said he was not read his rights and had no attorney or parent present. Police have not responded publicly to those complaints. Asked what she heard on the interview tape, Bloomfield responded, "A scared little boy, that's what I hear -- someone who's very afraid of what's going on." "He had a very good relationship with his father. He did a lot with him," she said. "They did everything together. He loved his dad." She described her son as "very outgoing. He loves animals. He likes to ride his dirt bike, skateboarding, you know, outdoor things." Asked if he's ever been in trouble at school, she replied, "No. Not at all. I mean, acting out as far as not raising your hand when he needs to speak -- you know, just normal stuff like that." The boy lived with his father, Vincent Romero, 29, in St. Johns, Arizona. Bloomfield lives in Mississippi. The Apache County Superior Court clerk's office said the latest legal agreement between the boy's parents was from April 2006. The mother had weekly visitation rights and had the boy on some weekends and holidays, according to court documents. Romero and Tim Romans, who rented a room in Romero's home, were found dead inside the house November 5. Police said the next day that the boy had confessed to shooting the men with a .22-caliber weapon. Watch why observers find the interrogation troubling » . The killings shook the town of about 4,000 residents near the New Mexico border. Trying to hold back tears, Bloomfield told ABC that her son is scared and living alone at a juvenile detention center. The other children were removed so that older juveniles could not influence him "in the wrong way," she said. "So he's in there by himself, in his cell by himself," she said. Authorities have said the boy is attending school at the detention facility. Apache County Court Administrator Betty Smith said earlier this month, "Every effort is being made to see that he's comfortable." Bloomfield described heart-wrenching visits -- 30 minutes each day -- when she can speak to her son through a glass partition. "I get two visits with him that are physical visits -- to where we sit in a room and he will come and sit in my lap pretty much the whole time and hold onto me," she added. She will be allowed 48 hours with him at home over the Thanksgiving holiday, she said. "We're going to watch movies, play games, try to keep things normal as possible," she said, adding that the boy had picked out the movie "Kung Fu Panda." Officials from the juvenile detention center and a court-appointed guardian will be present during the visit, Smith said. According to a report in The Arizona Republic, Judge Michael Roca warned the media not to contact the juvenile. "The minor is off-limits," he said, according to the newspaper. "I think common decency should protect him, but, just in case, he is not to be contacted." Asked what she'll say to him on Thanksgiving, Bloomfield answered, "I tell him every day that I love him, and I don't know how much more I can express that, but I definitely plan on doing that -- just to let him know that I'm here for him and how much I do love him." | Mother: Son rarely in trouble outside of incidents like speaking out of turn in class .
Boy will be allowed home for holidays, has asked to watch "Kung Fu Panda" movie .
Boy is suspected in two shooting deaths, but prosecutors look to drop one charge .
The 8-year-old is scared, in "cell by himself" but visits often with mother, she says . |
6,905 | 138e5bddc0fb20e25c67bec4f65727f3b1293a61 | A little girl has gone from foster care to fairy tales as she lives out her fantasies through her dressing up box. Alice Lewis', 10 from Atlanta, Georgia, dreams became a reality after she was adopted by a photography couple who have encouraged their daughter's penchant for dressing up. Alice has assumed the identity of Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Joan of Arc, thanks to her photographer mum and cosplay, a performance art which uses costumes and fashion accessories. Scroll down for video . Alice Lewis was adopted by photography couple Kelly and James who encouraged their daughter to live out her fantasies through the dressing up box . For years Alice played make-believe while she dreamed of having her own happily ever after with a family, which she found, aged 7, when she was adopted by James and Kelly Lewis. The mother and daughter began cosplaying almost immediately with the pair first dressing up just two weeks after Alice moved in with her new parents. Kelly and Alice were shopping when the young girl spotted a Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz dress and her mum asked if she wanted to buy the outfit and pose for a photo shoot in character. Alice has transformed herself into many cosplay characters including Joan of Arc, pictured . Kelly Lewis is a professional photographer so was already equipped with lots of props for the photoshoots, here Alice is transformed into the animated character Coraline . Kelly says that Cosplay helps Alice to cope with her past . It wasn't just her appearance that Alice wanted to change. With her new life the 10-year-old decided to reinvent herself by changing both her first and last name after joining the family in July 2012. Originally named Destiny by her birth mother, Alice thought long and hard about a new name. Kelly, 33, explains that choosing a new name was not a decision that Alice took lightly. 'Once we had an adoption hearing scheduled Alice started practicing her new last name. She then asked us if she could have a new first name as well. The ten-year-old was originally called 'Destiny' by her birth mother but decided to change her name once she was adopted . Alice renamed herself after the character form the Lewis Carroll story at the age of 7 . Alice opted for the fairy tale name as she saw some of herself in the character . This image of Alice was taken in the courthouse where she was adopted . The 10-year-old took part in the Alice in Wonderland shoot for her 8th birthday . 'We spent weeks of sifting through the names of various Disney princesses before Alice decided that she wanted to be Alice, after Lewis Carroll's beloved character. 'Alice asked to take on my middle name, as I was now her mother forever, and so she became Alice Elizabeth Lewis.' Alice says that she finally settled on the storybook name as she saw some of herself in that character. Kelly (left) often takes part in the photo shoots with her daughter . Here the pair dress as Morticia and Wednesday Adams from The Adams Family . 'I love the character of Alice because she's curious and clumsy. I like it when she is asking herself questions while she's falling down the rabbit hole.' In celebration of her new name, Alice dressed up as Alice in Wonderland and enjoyed a cosplay photo shoot for her 8th birthday on November 8th 2012. 'We both really enjoy buying the little dresses and props from thrift shops for our shoots.' Says Kelly. The mother and daughter enjoy going shopping together for fancy dress costumes, here she dresses as Marie Antoinette . Kelly says that Wonder Woman was Alice's favourite shoot as she was able to wear a wig and do the superhero pose . 'We took the Alice in Wonderland shots in several locations over a few days. 'The photographs of Alice in the room with the checkerboard floor were actually shot in the courthouse where she was adopted.' Kelly added that she believes that Alice's love of dressing up has enabled her to overcome her painful past. 'Alice is a very imaginative child. Playing make-believe is how she coped with all of the abuse, neglect, and rejection she's lived through. Alice's family are very open about her adoption and hope that their story will inspire others . Alice as India Stoker from the film Stoker with her mother Kelly behind the camera . 'Cosplaying gives her a creative outlet to express herself and be whoever she wants to be. It's her dream to become an actress.' Since the Alice in Wonderland adventure, the mother and daughter have enjoyed many other cosplay photo shoots, where Alice has posed as a variety of characters, including Marie Antoinette, Edward Scissorhands, and Wonder Woman, which was a particular highlight for the 10-year-old. 'Wonder Woman was Alice's favourite cosplay because she got to wear a wig and do the superhero pose' says her mother. Alice makes a convincing Edward Scissorhands in this cosplay transformation . Alice is transformed into a dark Little Miss Muffet (left) and Carrie White from the Stephen King novel Carrie . As photography was a part of Kelly's life before Alice arrived, she already owns plenty of props and outfits that come in handy when cosplaying. Kelly says that she hopes that Alice's story will help other couples who are thinking about adopting. 'We're very open about Alice's adoption and she's proud of it. 'If one person is inspired to adopt a child after reading or hearing about Alice's story then it's worth every negative comment from people who don't understand.' Kelly added that Alice herself is also hopeful that her story will encourage others to adopt. 'Alice is very passionate about kids in foster care. She independently started writing and illustrating her adoption story because she wants kids to know how great adoption can be.' | Alice Lewis was adopted by photography couple Kelly and James in 2012 .
Kelly encouraged Alice to live out her fantasies in cosplay photo shoots .
Kelly says that it has helped Alice overcome her painful past .
The family hope their story will encourage others to adopt . |
282,854 | fa612d874516ddc36abe3ee4a40194e138e637c5 | New York Giants team captain Victor Cruz suffered a hideous injury in last night's National Football League game and was taken to hospital. Cruz, the Giants star receiver was left writhing in agony on the ground when he tore his right knee tendon in the third quarter. The Giants team captain left the field in tears on a cart and was taken to a Philadelphia hospital. As he departed, he was surrounded by distressed players from both teams. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Victor Cruz lies on the ground clutching his knee after he tore the right knee tendon in a serious injury . Cruz left the field in tears after he suffered the sickening injury in the third quarter of last night's match . Cruz was put on to a cart and taken to a Philadelphia hospital - he is expected to miss the rest of the season . The team captain was watch on by his distressed team mates, who will now be without their star receiver . The injury is a huge blow for the Giants, as since 2011, Cruz has made the most touchdowns out of any wide receiver in the league. Cruz was in good spirits before last night's match . Cruz, 27, was also a Pro Bowl pick in 2012 and is known for his salsa dance after scoring touchdowns. The injury happened in the third quarter as Cruz leapt for a ball. As the ball tipped his hands, his right leg appeared to twist and he immediately grabbed for his knee while in mid air. The pass fell incomplete and Cruz crumpled to the ground in obvious pain. Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said: 'It's a huge loss. The players have a lot of respect for Victor. Everyone grieved. It wasn't a good scene. 'It was tough to say anything to him. I went there and patted him on the shoulder, but he was in some pain, and it wasn't a great opportunity, . 'Anything I would have said, he wouldn't have heard me.' Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said: 'At the end of the day, we are praying for him (Cruz). Hopefully he gets well, and the next person has to step up.' A miserable night for the Giants was compounded by the final 27-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In the third quarter of the match against the Eagles, Cruz leapt for a ball but his right leg twisted in the air . The pass fell incomplete and Cruz crumpled to the ground in obvious pain, clutching his right knee . | Cruz, a Giants team captain, suffered the hideous injury last night .
It happened in the third quarter in the match against Philadelphia Eagles .
He jumped for a ball, his right leg twisted and he tore his right knee tendon .
The star receiver is expected to miss the remainder of the season . |
241,557 | c4a646241466f3cf88bb8d68392085167d2d7596 | George Weber, 47, was stabbed 50 times and duct taped at the ankles . Journalist's family forgave the killer in court . By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 3:28 AM on 14th December 2011 . A teenager who stabbed a radio journalist more than 50 times must serve 25 years to life in prison, a judge said today. John Katehis, 18, murdered 47-year-old George Weber after they met on Craigslist and arranged a sexual encounter at the broadcaster's home. Katehis, from Brooklyn, New York, winked and smirked in his videotaped confession and during court proceedings. Slaying: John Katehis posed on his MySpace page holding knives. He confessed to stabbing George Weber to death in Brooklyn when he was 16 . Justice Neil Jon Firetog handed down the maximum sentence at Brooklyn Supreme Court to Katehis who was dressed in a suit and tie and and had his hair closely shaved. Prosecutor Anna-Siggac Nicolazzi called Katehis' brutal slaying of Mr Weber in March 2009 a 'thrill kill', according to the New York Daily News. The murderer carried out the crime when he was just 16. She said: 'This is exactly the kind of person society should be protected from.' However the family of the ABC reporter showed compassion for the teenage killer. Sexual encounter: Radio journalist George Weber was stabbed more than 50 times after he had arranged a meeting for kinky sex at his New York apartment . Mr Weber's brother-in-law faced Katehis in court, saying: 'I forgive . you. I have no hatred.' At his sentencing, Katehis said: 'For the death of George Weber, I am sorry. I regret it.' The 18-year-old had been in court last year but proceedings ended in a mistrial. However a second round of jurors rejected Katehis' claim last month that he had acted in self-defence. Teenage killer: John Katehis, aged 16 leaves the 76th Precinct in New York after being charged with the murder of George Weber, 47 . The two men met via Craigslist, where Katehis advertised sexual services and Weber had posted that he was looking for someone to smother him. Mr Weber was found stabbed to death in his apartment in Brooklyn on March 20, 2009. His pants and underwear were at his ankles which has been duct taped, according to an autopsy carried out at the time. He had injuries to the neck, chest and back along with stab wounds on his hands, indicating he had tried to fight back. Katehis was taken into custody five days later after he was found hiding out at a friend's apartment. On a MySpace page, Katehis has posted a series of photos with various knives, one with the caption, 'Love this blade'. He described himself as 'a very easy person to talk to', but also as 'an Extremist, an Anarchist and a Sadomasochist'. According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Katehis had once appeared in court with 'Prince of Darkness' scrawled on the sides of his shoes. | George Weber, 47, was stabbed 50 times and duct taped at the ankles .
Journalist's family forgave the killer in court . |
227,113 | b21478e79dda56b6de62a2a939609e0d50ee7990 | (CNN) -- The debate has gone on for years. The athletes in big-time college sports bring in billions of dollars for their universities and the NCAA, but get nothing in return -- other than a scholarship that does not even cover the full cost of attending school. Until now, it has been largely a philosophical discussion among academics and sports enthusiasts. Are college athletes amateurs? Are they being exploited? Should college sports be kept "pure"? But thanks to a decision by National Labor Relations Board last week and a class action lawsuit filed against the NCAA, the questions have moved out of the theoretical and into the courtroom. 'Amateurism is a myth': Athletes file class-action against NCAA . Labor board: Northwestern University football players can unionize . The lawsuit challenges the NCAA's rules against player compensation as an illegal agreement among universities to fix the prices paid to college athletes. The NLRB decision found that Northwestern University football players are employees of the school and are therefore entitled to unionize. Taken together, the mighty NCAA has never been more vulnerable in its tired defense of college sports as an amateur pastime, and in its depiction of college athletes as merely students who also play ball. While their objectives seem simple enough, the legal battle will be fierce, as will the inevitable appeals to the NLRB's groundbreaking ruling. For years, the NCAA and its defenders have argued the player compensation ban is necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports and the educational mission of the NCAA and its member universities. Once that system is broken, they claim, college sports will never be the same. Nor will the governing ideal that these players are students first, and athletes second. But we are well past the time to deflate the myth of what major college football and basketball are really all about. It is not about serving the so-called "student-athletes." Or fostering their educational pursuits. Or protecting them from commercial exploitation. Or safeguarding the integrity of the game. And it certainly has nothing to do with the mythical notion of amateurism. Instead, major college football and basketball is all about the money. And the money is substantial. The NCAA and its members rake in billions of dollars a year -- with nearly $1 billion of that coming just from the three-week Division I men's basketball tournament. Head coaches are paid in the millions, in some cases out-earning their NFL and NBA counterparts. In most cases, head football or basketball coaches at state schools are the highest paid public employees in a state. Even the university athletic directors, conference commissioners, bowl organizers and NCAA executives get their sizable share of the booty. Major college football and basketball is an industry where everyone profits -- everyone, except the athletes. It is no accident why. The NCAA forbids it. To put it simply, the NCAA rules prevent college athletes from being compensated in any way connected with their sport other than a limited athletic scholarship. They cannot even accept textbooks, a bag of groceries or a trip home to see their parents. Nor are they allowed to access the free market for their own promotional and marketing deals. And forget about getting advice or representation from a sports agent. It is all off-limits. No exceptions. To the NCAA and its members go all the spoils, while the players toil away, sacrificing their education and physical well-being, to fuel this multi-billion dollar corporate enterprise. In any other industry, this system would have been condemned long ago as a per se illegal price-fixing conspiracy (not to mention a blatant violation of the most basic labor laws). The NCAA and its members, however, have for years successfully hidden behind the Orwellian concept of "amateurism" as a legal and economic justification for this scheme. The time when major college football and basketball were ever truly considered "amateur" sports has long since passed. What remains is a wide-ranging conspiracy to maintain and solidify the very exploitation the NCAA and its members profess they are guarding against. If protecting the college athlete from commercialization were really the NCAA's concern, it would restrict or eliminate this commercialization in the first place. No corporate branding on uniforms, stadiums and arenas. No corporate sponsorships of bowl games and tournaments. No mass merchandizing of player jerseys and apparel. No 10-figure television deals. And no scheduling of game times to accommodate prime time ratings (without regard to academic schedules). Instead, the NCAA and its members feed the corporate frenzy and keep all the proceeds for themselves. The NCAA could also employ a number of softer alternatives to its blanket ban on player compensation. It could create a revenue share "lock box" which athletes could draw upon for educational or career development pursuits. It could follow the Olympic model of amateurism and allow athletes open access to the commercial free market for endorsement and promotional deals. And it could make available a slew of benefits and subsidies to better protect the health and educational well-being of the players. In not adopting these alternatives, the NCAA and its members have made it clear that either they have no real concerns about amateurism, or they have no real concern for the well-being of their big-time athletes. To be sure, the two-pronged assault on the NCAA remains very much an uphill battle. There have been numerous legal challenges to the NCAA ban on player compensation and virtually all of them have failed. The courts just don't seem willing to upset the archaic model of amateur college sports, an ideal even the Supreme Court has recognized as worthy of protection. But this class-action case is unique in its "full-monty" attack on the system and the undeniable fact that whatever big-time college sports once was, it can no longer be described honestly as any kind of amateur pursuit. The NLRB ruling is likewise firmly grounded in this reality of what major college sports has become. Whatever ultimately happens on this new legal front, this twin-challenge to the NCAA should serve as a much needed wake-up call. One way or another, this supposed guardian of the student-athlete needs to do a much better job of serving and protecting those within its ultimate charge. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion. | Gordon Schnell and David Scupp argue that amateurism in college sports is now a myth .
College athletes, they say, are responsible for the billions the NCAA earns each year .
They should be paid, they argue, and not exploited . |
163,600 | 5f8c6d2742d81c36c8c2f74d15e435025961f50d | By . Ashley Collman . PUBLISHED: . 01:33 EST, 24 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:03 EST, 24 December 2013 . Breaking silence: Edward Snowden gave his first interviews since seeking asylum in Russia last August in an story published by the Washington Post Monday night . Six months after being forced to seek asylum in Russia, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden is content with the work he's done to expose how the U.S. government was spying on its own people. He told the Washington Post in his first interview since arriving in Moscow that his 'mission's already accomplished'. 'I already won. As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated,' he said. Snowden explained that he wasn't out to change society by releasing secrets on the NSA's wiretapping programs. He just wanted the public to have the information necessary to make a decision on whether they were comfortable with such wide-reaching intelligence gathering. This greater good has come at a huge personal cost to Snowden, as a target appeared on his back the moment the first articles were published using his leaked information last May. By then, Snowden was already out of the country in Hong Kong, but he soon outstayed his welcome there. En route to Latin America, the U.S. cancelled his passport and he was stuck in limbo in the Moscow airport. President Vladimir Putin eventually agreed to give Snowden a temporary asylum in the country last August, but Snowden still seems uneasy in his current home. During his two days of interviews with the Post, the reporter notes that the 'ascetic' never goes outside once. Snowden says he lives off ramen noodles and chips and spends most of his hours on the internet keeping up on the progress of his cause back in the states. No longer the company man: Snowden became unwelcome in his own country last spring when he supplied journalists with information on how the NSA (headquarters pictured above) spies on American citizens . 'It has always been really difficult to get me to leave the house,' he said. 'I just don't have a lot of needs...Occasionally there's things to go do, things to go see, people to meet, tasks to accomplish, But it's really got to be goal-oriented, you know. Otherwise, as long as I can sit down and think and write and talk to somebody, that's more meaningful to me than going out and looking at landmarks.' Snowden is believed to still have a cache of NSA documents in his possession, making him an uncomfortable Russian resident for the Obama administration. The administration has been staunchly against granting Snowden asylum in exchange for him not releasing the rest of the documents, saying they intend to prosecute him if he ever returns to the country. But that's not an opinion universally held. Rick Ledgett, the NSA's incoming deputy director, told 60 Minutes that Snowden is estimated to be in the possession of 1.7million documents and that he would favor giving the whistleblower amnesty to get those secrets back. Not welcome: Susan Rice, national security adviser to President Obama, says she is against granting amnesty to Snowden . Friendly chat: Snowden speaks with ex-U.S. intelligence officers in Russia last October . There are already rumors that Snowden may have already brokered the documents over to the Chinese or Putin - his current protector. But Snowden denies such allegations saying the documents were secured in a safe place, and that he doesn't even have any of the information on his laptop's hard drive or in Russia at all. 'There is no evidence at all for the claim that I have loyalties to Russia or China or any country other than the United States,' he said. 'I have no relationship with the Russian government. I have not entered into any agreements with them.' 'If I defected at all,' Snowden said. 'I defected to the public.' | Edward Snowden leaked documents detailing the SNA's spying programs last May .
In June he was trapped in Russia while en route to Latin America when his passport was cancelled .
In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him temporary asylum in the country .
He gave his first interview since arriving in the country this week, telling the Washington Post that he's happy with the work he has done to shed light on the NSA's expansive spying programs . |
20,081 | 38ff9b3afe0567eb0115bd5e7b932b22bc34f583 | (CNN) -- Manchester United's record signing Juan Mata made a winning start to his Old Trafford career on a night when Arsenal's Premier League ambitions encountered a setback. The Spaniard played 85 minutes of United's 2-0 victory over Cardiff City before being substituted to a standing ovation following a promising debut. "It was a very special day for me. My first game -- my debut -- with a victory. It was perfect. I enjoyed it a lot," Mata told Manchester United's in-house media company MUTV. "What I love most is to play. So these minutes [on the pitch] are very important. Now I'm going to train and I'm looking forward to playing at the weekend and trying to do my best for the team." Signed for a club record $61 million, Mata -- who trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Monday following his move from Chelsea -- had a hand in United's opening goal. It came as he swept a diagonal ball out to Ashley Young, whose cross was eventually turned in by Robin van Persie after Antonio Valencia's header hit the crossbar. The Dutchman had needed just six minutes to score after making his first start since December 10 following a thigh problem. Young doubled the lead in the second half as United ensured that the return of 1999 Champions League winning legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, now in charge of Cardiff, to Old Trafford was not a happy one. United's victory enabled them to close the gap on sixth-placed Everton, who were thumped 4-0 by city rivals Liverpool as Daniel Sturridge (2), Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard gave the home fans a night to remember. The misery for Blues boss Roberto Martinez was compounded when Romelu Lukaku was forced off the field on a stretcher after a worrying injury to his ankle. Dropped Points . Another manager who may be feeling a little unease is Arsene Wenger, whose Arsenal side lost two potentially crucial points at Southampton in a 2-2 draw. The Gunners' coach was held up in traffic ahead of the game and the team also struggled to go through the gears, trailing 1-0 at halftime following a lackluster 45 minutes. Goals from Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla turned the game on its head, but Adam Lallana replied for the hosts to ensure that the match finished 2-2. Arsenal still lead the Premier League but the draw means second-placed Manchester City can climb above them should Manuel Pellegrini's free-scoring side win at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Chelsea can also climb above Arsenal on Wednesday, should Jose Mourinho's side beat West Ham at home by more than two goals. In Tuesday's other games, Swansea and Crystal Palace recorded much-needed wins -- at home to Fulham (2-0) and Hull (1-0) respectively -- while Norwich hosted Newcastle in a goalless encounter that featured a red card apiece for both sides. | Record signing Juan Mata makes Man Utd debut and departs to standing ovation .
United beat Cardiff City 2-0 as Van Persie marks return from injury with early goal .
Arsenal stumble at Southampton to allow Man City the chance to go top of the Premier League .
Liverpool thrash Everton 4-0 thanks to goals from Sturridge (2), Suarez and Gerrard . |
188,081 | 7f926afbb27d3e2a789badea81f0edf075267c8d | By . Alex Greig . and Associated Press . A dangerous Nile crocodile has been captured alive in Florida's Everglades National Park after a two year hunt. Wildlife officials believe the five-and-a-half-foot killer may be the same one that escaped from a Miami-Dade facility and had eluded them for almost two years. The African species grows up to 20-feet-long, can weigh as much as 2,000lb, and is much more aggressive than the smaller American crocodile, which is shy of humans and rarely seen. Juvenile: This Nile crocodile was captured on Sunday in Florida's Everglades National Park . The Nile crocodile is thought to be responsible for 275 to 745 attacks on people a year, most of them fatal, making it the third-most dangerous species in Africa, after the lion and hippopotamus, according to the Crocodile Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 'They get big. They're vicious. The animals are just more aggressive and they learn that humans are easy targets,' said Joe Wasilewski, a reptile expert and veteran wrangler. The American croc 'is a gentle animal, believe it or not. That's their nature. They're more fish eaters. They don't consider humans a prey source.' Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino says they believe the Nile croc may have escaped from a facility in Miami-Dade County. He says they're looking at DNA to confirm their suspicions. Allowing Nile crocodiles to escape into the wild is a third-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 and jail time of up to six months. Prevention: Florida has more invasive amphibians and reptiles than anywhere else in the world, and the Everglades' delicate ecosystem has already been overrun by Burmese pythons, so authorities are eager to prevent the same problem with Nile crocs . The croc was spotted last week by volunteers with the Swamp Apes, a team that searches for invasive Burmese pythons, reports the Miami Herald, but before that hadn't been seen since April 2012. Two days later, a team of volunteers used nets to corner the crocodile in a canal in the Chekika area in the northeast corner of the park then tranquilized it. The croc was taken to the Everglades Alligator farm in Homestead, where it will remain while officials determine its fate. Crocodiles have been around for more than 200 million years. The average lifespan of a Nile crocodile is about 45 years, but can be much longer in captivity. It's not unusual for Nile crocodiles to kill huge prey such as young hippopotamuses, giraffes, lions, buffalo, and on rare occasions, humans. | A juvenile Nile crocodile has been captured in Florida's Everglades National Park .
The five-and-a-half-foot croc is believed to have been at large for two years after escaping a Miami-Dade facility .
DNA testing is being carried out to determine who owns the crocodile and criminal charges could be pursued .
Nile crocs can grow up to 20 feet and weigh 2,000lb .
The species is much more aggressive than the smaller, rarely seen American crocodile . |
45,276 | 7fa439ac05cae27e0b090b56ccd92331d55ec28a | (CNN) -- The age rating for new mobile video-sharing app Vine has been raised to 17+, meaning appropriate for users 17 and older, after it was flooded with pornographic images. Since its launch two weeks ago, the Twitter-owned Vine had been rated 12+ in Apple's App Store, the only place it is currently available. But sexually explicit video clips almost immediately began appearing within the app, including one mistakenly showcased in its "Editor's Picks" section, drawing outrage from some users. The new rating, for such criteria as "frequent/intense sexual content or nudity," means users wishing to download Vine must click on a window promising that they are over 17. There is no age-verification system, however, and nothing to stop younger users from downloading the app. The changes are part of an update to Vine, announced Wednesday, that also allow users to block or report a profile they find offensive. Does Twitter's Vine have a porn problem? Twitter had already taken steps last week to restrict how users can share sexually explicit clips. Hashtags for such search terms as "porn," "nude," "sex" and "naked" no longer delivered any results. The issue made headlines January 28 when Vine users noticed a video of what was described as hardcore pornography showcased in the prominent Editor's Picks section of the mobile app. Twitter pulled the clip and apologized, saying it was a mistake. Tumblr, the popular blogging platform that includes some porn among its roughly 92 million blogs, soon afterwards reclassified itself with the 17+ tag. Apps are typically submitted to Apple with a suggested age rating, although Apple can request that the rating be changed. In the App Store, 17+ is the most restrictive rating. App stores: Gatekeepers, or censors of the mobile Web? | The age rating for new mobile video-sharing app Vine has been raised to 17+ .
Sexually explicit video clips have been appearing within the app .
Since its launch two weeks ago, the Twitter-owned Vine app had been rated 12+ . |
42,121 | 76dfbb1f5fb45c28dc0075e1c2bd99d8d1018b78 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- After approximately a week of poring over 145 jury questionnaires, lawyers in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor are due in court Wednesday to discuss removing jurors whose answers they believe should disqualify them from hearing the case. But legal experts say prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Conrad Murray trial will be doing more than simply screening jurors based on their answers to the more than 100 questions filled out on September 8 and 9. They'll also be scrutinizing what prospective jurors may have said outside the courthouse and online about events surrounding the June 2009 death of pop star Michael Jackson. "This is the world of social media, and it directly impacts criminal trials," said Thomas Mesereau, the attorney who successfully defended Jackson during his 2005 molestation trial. "I have no doubt that both sides will hire competent people to explore every aspect of social media to try and find out whatever they can about these jurors, and also to see if these potential jurors have communicated themselves with anyone else about this case." The questionnaire asks whether potential jurors "ever posted any blogs or posted comments on any internet sites" and goes on to specifically ask whether the individual "accessed or posted" any comments about Murray, who is accused of administering a lethal dose of drugs to Jackson. "I think it is safe to say that contemporary trial practice dictates that you make an effort to find out whatever information you can about jurors," Los Angeles defense attorney Shepard Kopp said. "If somebody has a Facebook page where the settings are public, and you can see what their interests are, you can very well learn valuable information there." A simple Internet search can link attorneys to prospective jurors' blogs, tweets and postings on social networking sites to see if they have commented on a specific case. It also may offer insight into jurors' psyches. "Any information you can get on a prospective juror is helpful, because you have such a short period of time in which to evaluate who the person is that is ultimately going to be making a very important decision in the case," said Richard Gabriel, a jury consultant with Decision Analysis. Gabriel has been advising attorneys for 25 years on such high-profile murder cases as O.J. Simpson's and Casey Anthony's. He says screening jurors today is easier because of the amount of information people share on the Internet. "If they have a Twitter account, it can give you a little bit more about how they interact with the rest of the world, not just in a courtroom setting," he said. But Gabriel added that it is rare for a legal team to have time to do such vetting of prospective jurors, because jury selection is completed within hours in a vast majority of trials, not over several weeks as in the Anthony case (and most likely Murray's as well). "The last thing you want to be doing in jury selection is research on your laptop computer in court," Kopp, the attorney, said about finding time to vet jurors. "That can send the message to the jurors that you are engaged in some other kind of work and you are not interested enough in the case you are trying." And who knows what the reaction might be if jurors knew they were the ones being judged online -- to determine if they were fit to sit in judgment. Opening statements for the trial, which will be televised, are scheduled for September 27. The trial is expected to last about a month. If convicted of the involuntary manslaughter charge, Murray could face up to four years in prison. | Attorneys are due in court Wednesday to discuss Conrad Murray case jury selection .
Lawyers will be screening based on what potential jurors have said online, experts say .
Simple Internet search can show blogs and postings on social networking sites . |
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