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21,344 | 3c96f52add4a3b8dbbf8c1c9e313248a3fcc56b8 | MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- A legislative candidate was killed, along with his wife and two children, bringing campaigns for statewide offices in the southeastern state of Tabasco to a halt, the state-run news agency Notimex reported. PRI candidate Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon was killed, along with his wife and their two sons. The bodies of Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon, his wife and two young sons were found inside their home in the capital of Villahermosa on Saturday. According to local reports, Fuentes' wife was shot in the head, and the boys, ages 10 and 13, had been asphyxiated. Less clear was the candidate's fate. Some reports said that his body had signs of torture and had a wound on his neck, which may have been from a gunshot. As of Sunday, authorities had not released a motive for the crime, though speculation of a drug cartel hit or a robbery circulated in Tabasco. Fuentes' party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, immediately announced a campaign moratorium for all of its candidates for the state's October 18 elections. Other political parties followed suit. "The PRI cannot go out at this moment and ask citizens for their vote when it finds itself with a broken heart because of the homicide of its candidate," Tabasco PRI director Adrian Hernandez Balboa said, according to Notimex. In response, the Tabasco state government offered all political candidates protection during their campaigns if they requested it, a statement from the office of Gov. Andres Granier Melo said. Mexican President Felipe Calderon called Granier to offer his condolences and show his support for the investigation, the statement said. The weekend slaying was not the first time an entire family has been killed in Tabasco. In February, a Tabasco police official who had arrested a drug trafficker a week earlier was killed together with his mother, wife, children and nieces and nephews. His brother, also a state police officer, was wounded, as were two others. The day before Fuentes and his family were killed, unknown gunmen fatally shot two state police officers in Villahermosa and injured two others. | Bodies of Jose Francisco Fuentes Esperon, wife and 2 sons found inside their home .
Discovery brings campaigns for statewide offices in state of Tabasco to halt .
Fuentes' wife shot in head; their sons, 10 and 13, had been asphyxiated .
Officials release no motive for slayings; speculation centers on drug cartel or robbery . |
40,408 | 72096b77b4f939d1ac444cd14a0e25609d717e0c | (CNN) -- Researchers have solved the first step in treating the common cold, by mapping its entire genome, or genetic map, teams from the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported Thursday. The common cold, also known as the human rhinovirus infection . "We have the pieces all in place. They can't go in any other way. Now we have to understand what the pictures are telling us," said Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of its Cardiopulmonary Genomics Program. The research was published in the online edition of the journal Science on Thursday afternoon. Technically known as the human rhinovirus infection, the common cold is responsible for half of all asthma attacks and is a factor in bronchitis, sinusitis, middle-ear infections and pneumonia. The coughs, sneezes and sniffles of colds impose a major health care burden in the United States -- including visits to health care providers, cost of over-the-counter drugs for symptom relief, often-inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and missed work days -- with direct and indirect costs of about $60 billion annually. How mapping the cold genome may lead to a cure » . "We generally think of colds as a nuisance, but they can be debilitating in the very young and in older individuals and can trigger asthma attacks at any age," Liggett said. "Also, recent studies indicate that early...infection in children can program their immune system to develop asthma by adolescence." Finding a cure for the common cold has been elusive. That's because the rhinovirus is so complex. Made up of at least 99 different strains, it can infect different people with different symptoms. Visit CNNhealth.com, your connection for better living. By mapping the genome of the common cold and assembling the results into a "family tree," scientists can see how the virus strains are related, as well as their differences. Liggett, who is also the study's senior author, says this is a breakthrough in solving the common cold puzzle because. "At least now we have an understanding of which virus one might have." Now that the pieces are together, drug companies can work on developing new treatments that would either halt or prevent the cold virus before it begins to spread. Researchers found that human rhinoviruses are organized into about 15 small groups. So the idea of one drug fits all probably won't work, Liggett says. "Our mindset right now is to consider more along the antiviral treatment, rather than vaccines, but always keep an open mind to the new technology of vaccine development." Investigators are so optimistic with their findings that they predict the development of new drugs within the next two to five years, depending on Food and Drug Administration approval, which could mean one day soon, runny noses caused by colds may be a thing of the past. | Scientists map entire cold virus for first time .
Could be a step toward finding a cure, researchers say .
Colds result in direct and indirect costs of about $60 billion annually in the U.S. |
247,305 | cc0b8ef1c5aa2f48aa27d0ad52568086c44cb33a | Dutch installation artist Florentijn Hofman must be feeling cursed right about now. The man whose giant rubber duck was stabbed 42 times in Belgium, attacked by a suspected eagle in Keelung City, Taiwan, and sunk in Hong Kong has a new disaster to contend with: grilled rabbit. Hofman's giant Moon Rabbit, on exhibit at the Taoyuan Land Arts Festival since September 4, was damaged in a fire on Monday, a day after the 11-day festival concluded. "The workers have disassembled and set aside the rabbit's ears and head before removing the limbs of the rabbit," according to Department of Cultural Affairs, Taoyuan County Government. About five percent of the remaining rabbit is scorched, resulting a charred torso and paws. Cause of fire unknown . The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but is believed to have been "caused by sparks from chainsaws" used by workers disassembling the rabbit, according to Focus Taiwan. Made from Tyvek -- a waterproof, paper-like construction material -- Hofman's enormous yet adorable Moon Rabbit spent the festival reclining on a grass-roof bunker, gazing at the moon. The Moon Rabbit was inspired by Chinese folklore associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which took place last week. According to legend, the rabbit lives on the moon and is the companion of the moon goddess Chang'er. "The fortunate thing is that Moon Rabbit was especially designed for the short-term exhibition for Taoyuan Land Arts Festival, and the festival was over yesterday," said Hsin-yi Hu, exbihition manager for Blue Dragon Art Company, the Taiwan-based group responsible for bringing the rabbit to the festival. "As a typhoon is coming, workers had been trying to disassemble the installation as quickly as possible," said Hu. "The fire started on the lawn before spreading to the rabbit." Hofman, after being notified, said he was relieved to hear no one was injured from the accident and "blamed" that on the warmess of Taiwanese people to his work, according to the statement. | Larger-than-life bunny art installation in Taiwan catches fire .
Cause of fire unknown, but said to have been accidentally started by workers .
Massive bunny was made mostly of Tyvek construction material .
It's not first mishap for one of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's creations . |
59,650 | a964a693efd711886abe7ab5df7a62702ba41bc6 | By . Cherry Maslen . PUBLISHED: . 16:00 EST, 14 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:01 EST, 15 September 2013 . It is hard to imagine a more impressive setting for an apartment. Wardour Castle is a very grand Palladian mansion surrounded by 40 emerald-green acres in a quiet corner of rural Wiltshire. Driving along country lanes from the nearby village of Tisbury, you could believe you have travelled back in time to a previous century. Wardour is one of the many country mansions that have been divided into apartments, but what’s unusual for a building of this size is that there are just ten apartments. Two of them – by far the largest and most spectacular – are owned by designer Jasper Conran, son of Habitat founder Sir Terence Conran. Within his central apartment, which covers the ground and first floor, where the grand public rooms used to be, is the centrepiece of the house, a curved staircase rising 60ft to a dramatic decorated rotunda with circular skylight. House on the hill: The imposing exterior of 18th century Wardour Castle which contains ten apartments . The castle was built in 1776 by Lord Arundell, whose family had owned the previous Old Wardour Castle, now a romantic ruin a mile away, since 1547. The family lived in the ‘new’ castle until the 16th Lord Arundell died without an heir during the Second World War. After a period of neglect, the mansion became a girls’ school but suffered inglorious extensions in the 1960s, and a tennis court was built on the Great Terrace. It was eventually sold to a developer in the 1990s, who got rid of the extensions, did a great deal of restoration work and turned the mansion into elegant apartments with the help of architect John Pawson. Fans of the film Billy Elliot will have seen some of Wardour’s interior, as it was used during filming as the dance school. Dream kitchen: The brightly decorated hub in Helen and Paul's apartment at Wardour Castle going on sale for just under £700,000 . Flooded with light: All the rooms in Paul and Helen's flat have mesmerising views of the idyllic parkland and Wiltshire hills and farmland beyond . The apartments are all completely different shapes and sizes, but their generous square footage means that little of the grandeur of the original building is lost. Artist Helen Cowcher and photographer Paul Wakefield bought one of the three top-floor apartments 14 years ago. They were living in South London but wanted somewhere peaceful they could escape to at weekends. They knew someone who lived nearby who told them there was an apartment for sale in the castle. ‘We got very excited as soon as we saw it,’ says Helen. ‘It’s the most amazing building. As soon as you walk into the hallway downstairs, you get this fantastic feeling of space – you know that you’re in a mansion.’ Space, style and light are what strike you most about Helen and Paul’s three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. Ward of Wardour: Designer Jasper Conran has two flats in the mansion . The lofty ceilings, beautiful sash windows with deep recesses revealing the thickness of the walls, wide doorways, timber flooring and white walls create an elegant backdrop for Helen’s paintings and Paul’s photographs. ‘The building is Grade I listed so you can’t do anything structural, but you can decorate as you like,’ says Helen. ‘We prefer white walls and ceilings so nothing gets in the way of the architecture.’ They have added colour and texture with bright cushions, 1950s ceramic lamps and quirky objects they have collected from all over the world. The sitting room is a generous 28ft . by 25ft, big enough for five sofas and flooded with light from four . windows, two on opposite sides of the room. The dining room next door is . also 28ft long, though narrower, but there is more than enough space . for the huge rustic wooden table that could seat ten guests. All . the rooms have the most mesmerising views of the idyllic parkland and . Wiltshire hills and farmland beyond. From the master bedroom you can . take in the whole bucolic scene without even getting out of bed, as you . can from the roll-top bath in the spacious en suite. ‘We . have loved it here. It’s a great place for entertaining, and the . history is a big part of it for us,’ says Paul. They have bumped into . some of the women who were at school here, and have even met a woman who . used to ride her pony inside the house when it was empty. ‘It’s . also ideal because we can just come and enjoy the countryside without . having to worry about the garden or maintenance,’ adds Paul. ‘With 40 . acres, there’s no need for a garden.’ Helen, . 61, and Paul, 63, have decided to sell both their London house and the . castle apartment to buy a bigger place in the area, where Helen can have . a studio. The apartment is on the market for £695,000 with a 170-year lease. ‘It’s very quiet here because the walls are so thick that you’re not aware of anyone else in the building,’ says Paul. ‘People like their privacy but everyone here is very friendly.’ And what about their famous neighbour Jasper Conran? ‘He’s friendly and he has a good sense of humour,’ says Helen. ‘And of course he has impeccable taste . . .’ www.struttandparker.com . | Apartment in Wardour Castle is on the market for £695,000 .
Designer Jasper Conran has two flats in the Grade II mansion .
Castle was built in 1776 and has been converted into ten flats . |
47,607 | 864be4d5d7a71f41f5dfaba343c01ce94ca6ee0a | The normally stoic coach of the Newcastle Knights revealed he lost interest in football in the weeks after one of his players Alex McKinnon suffered a devastating spinal injury that ended his career. Wayne Bennett sat down with the NRL Footy Show's Erin Molan on Thursday night and opened up about the emotional time. When asked if he ever contemplated ending his coaching career, Bennett takes a deep breath before answering: 'I wasn't interested in football for a couple of weeks.' Scroll down for videos . Erin Molan (right) spoke with Alex McKinnon (left) in his only one-on-one interview since his accident on the footy field in March . Fighting off tears during the interview, the seven-time premiership coach said he cared about his players but 'didn't really care whether we won or lost'. 'Football was still important to me, but it wasn't that important,' he said. The interview was part of a telethon special to raise money for Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon who ended up in a wheelchair after he was tackled during his team's March 24 clash against the Melbourne Storm. The 'Rise for Alex' campaign is aiming to raise funds for McKinnon's ongoing medical expenses and a league of stars threw their support behind McKinnon - including Australian surfer Mick Fanning, singer Jimmy Barnes, and Sydney Swans players Kieran Jack and Adam Goodes. Mc Kinnon, 22, was also interviewed by Molan and renewed his vow to walk his fiancee, Teigan Power. 'I love her so much and I always will,' he said. Four months after the accident, McKinnon described how he felt when he was left lying on the pitch. 'I just wanted to get off the field...and people to stop looking at me,' he said. And also joked about his time in hospital: 'I was waking up a bit three days after and the surgeon said "you're a very lucky boy Alex" and I said "hmm I don't know about that".' 'Someone always told me that God gives the toughest challenges to his best soldiers and that's the way I'm taking it and the only way you can take it,' he said. After initially being told he would never walk again, a full recovery is a realistic goal for McKinnon who says he has come to terms with his situation. McKinnon said he tried to maintain upbeat - focusing on his rehabilitation - but he did have his 'low points'. 'They're pretty bad...[but] it would only be 20 minutes or 30 minutes,' he said. 'Hopefully I can impact on the game another way.' Wayne Bennett (right) breaks down as he describes how he was 'living a lie' and not letting his emotions over Alex McKinnon's (left) accident out in the open . Former Newcastle Knights NRL player Alex McKinnon (right) and coach Wayne Bennett (behind) will speak about McKinnon's accident on the NRL Footy Show on Thursday night . The interview was particularly emotional for his coach Wayne Bennett who announced last week he would be leaving the side at the end of the season. He said right off the bat he knew McKinnon's injuries were bad. 'I knew it wasn't good. I didn't want to go back to the replay, I didn't want to look at it,' Bennett told Molan. 'I was very confused with myself, very confused. I didn't feel as emotional as I thought I should and then it dawned on me that I was living a lie and not letting my emotions come through because I couldn’t afford to. 'But I've shed a lot of tears since about him...and I suppose I'll shed some more. 'It's good to get it off my chest.' He later added during his first live appearance on the Footy Show: 'It's the toughest thing that's happened for me in rugby league.' Bennett said what he wanted for McKinnon now was for him to be happy. 'I saw a bit of myself [in him] when I was younger,' he said. 'I like his style and how he carried himself and I'm really proud of him.' Speaking to the media at the launch of the NRL's 'Rise For Alex' round 19 at ANZ Stadium on Monday, he said he was hoping one day soon to resume a normal life. 'As much as I would love to get home and get back to my family and get back to Newcastle and get on with my life, I want to walk again,' McKinnon said on Monday. 'You see a lot of stories about people who get on with their lives and don't walk again. My focus is to get as much back of my movement as I can and I am slowly improving. 'For example, when I first got diagnosed I was a C4 - all that is shoulder movement. Nothing else. No fingers, no movement in your legs, or anything like that. 'I am slowly progressing with the movement, I am a C7 now.' Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon was tackled by Melbourne Storm players, with his head hitting the ground first and causing severe spinal injuries . McKinnon suffered the devastating spinal injury in March but he promised he would walk his fiancée down the aisle . 'It's going to be a slow and long process but I am willing to do that. 'I'm 22 and I'm going to give it my best shot.' McKinnon says he doesn't remember the round three incident at Melbourne's AAMI Park, only the aftermath of 'the whole ground looking at me'. 'Obviously being thrown into a situation like this you don't know how to handle it but the people around me and their help has really motivated me to get back to the person that I am,' he said. 'There is no point of me being angry. You would think I would be filthy on the world and filthy on the game but I'm not. You may as well be content with the situation. 'What rugby league has done for myself and my life is ridiculous and I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. I wouldn't have met Wayne [Bennett]. I wouldn't have met some of my best mates. I wouldn't change it for anything.' Engaged: Alex McKinnon proposed to his girlfriend Teigan Power just a week after being told he may never walk again . McKinnon launched the round alongside Knights coach Bennett with teammates Willie Mason, Darius Boyd, Dane Gagai and Korbin Sims looking on. Bennett said the way McKinnon was dealing with the situation was an inspiration. 'He was very valuable before he was injured and he's more valued now because we all feel his pain,' Bennett said. 'He's a pretty outstanding young man and he's become even more outstanding in my eyes since the accident because he's made sure it has been easier for all of us. 'Despite all the pain and all the grief and all that is in front of him he is more concerned about us and how we feel and when we come to see him he's always putting on a brave face. 'It's remarkable the way he has carried himself.' A full house is expected at Hunter Stadium on Sunday when the Knights host the Gold Coast. The NRL will donate $1 to Alex's foundation for every fan in attendance at each game this weekend.Fans can also make donations online at www.riseforalex.org.au or by texting RiseForAlex to 0498 555 555. | The usually stoic coach held back tears during Thursday's interview .
Wayne Bennett said he 'didn't care whether we won or lost' games .
Alex McKinnon renewed his vow to walk again during the Footy Show .
Interview was part of a telethon special to raise money for medical bills . |
176,023 | 6fddba3e44120b8ce98f95bd80daf559b6f947d3 | An eight-year-old boy who fell from a second floor window as he tried to escape being tickled by his little sister survived after a plastic porch broke his fall. Rhys Sykes plunged two storeys when he recoiled from being tickled by his little sister Megan and accidentally tumbled out of the window of his Cheltenham home. The youngster survived and escaped any serious injury after a plastic porch broke his fall. Paramedics said the porch saved the youngster's life, because without it he would have fallen 10 feet to the concrete below. Rhys Sykes escaped a fall from a second storey bedroom at his family home without serious injury because a plastic porch broke his fall, after he tumbled out of the window as his little sister tried to tickle him . The youngster, eight, survived because he landed on the the plastic porch (pictured above) Tricia Sykes found her son lying outside. She said: 'I got there as he was trying to get up,' said Mrs Sykes. 'He was just screaming constantly. My neighbour actually thought someone was dying.' Rhys suffered an eight millimetre-long bleed on his brain and a fractured skull from the fall but after spending five days at Bristol Children's Hospital was well enough to be released. Mrs Sykes added: 'I didn't see any of it but from what we can gather from Rhys, and the holes left in the porch. He fell out the window and landed squarely on the porch. 'Then he fell on to the concrete next to the back door. 'He is so lucky as on either side of the walkway is a wall, if he had fallen on that he could have broken his back or something, but incredibly he fell on the floor.' Megan, six, had tried to tickle her older brother Rhys as the two played a game and he recoiled, falling out . She said she had never expected her naturally cautious son, who took six months worth of encouragement to play basketball would hurt himself. The eight-year-old had been watching a film with his sister Megan in his parents' bedroom and had climbed up on to the ledge under the window - which doubles as an emergency exit. He then recoiled as his little sister tried to tickle him and tumbled down. Mrs Sykes and husband Adrian, 29, who were downstairs, heard a bump and assumed Rhys has fallen asleep watching the film and tumbled out of bed. But as Mrs Sykes went upstairs she saw a stricken Megan, who told her: 'He's outside mummy. Rhys is outside.' Rhys was taken to hospital by his mother and had to spend five days there after fracturing his skull . A CT scan after the accident revealed that Rhys had a small bleed on the left hand side of his brain . Tricia said: 'My nurse cadet training from school just kicked in and I rang for an ambulance. 'I went into autopilot really. I left the back gate open for the paramedics. I went around packing Rhys' possessions for hospital. If I hadn't have had the training, I would probably have been flapping. 'Rhys was very erratic. He was screaming in and out of the ambulance. The left side of his brain was swelling. Rhys was rushed to the Gloucester Royal Hospital, where after a CT scan revealed a skull fracture, he was transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Rhys Sykes was released from hospital after five days and has made a recovery after the ordeal . The fall has left Rhys more sensitive to noise although doctors believe he will adjust as he grows older. Mrs Sykes added: 'It is a complete miracle, still to this day I have no idea how we were only in the hospital for so few days. 'I've always said the first person to break a bone or end up in hospital would be Megan as she is a daredevil.' | Rhys Sykes, 8, was playing with his younger sister Megan in parents' room .
He climbed on window ledge for game and recoiled as Megan tried to tickle .
As he recoiled Rhys tumbled out of second storey window of family home .
His fall was broken by a plastic porch, saving him from serious injury .
If porch had not been there Rhys would have fallen 10ft onto concrete .
He suffered a bleed on brain and fractured skull and was released from hospital in Bristol five days later . |
276,017 | f19b6604e2c994e8e9ece74fbf5f9f086c39755b | By . Associated Press . and Zoe Szathmary . A Florida woman left her 19-month-old daughter inside a car while she went shopping on Monday. Vita Abramenkova, 35, was shopping inside a Pinellas Park Target while her daughter was inside her car, Sgt. Adam Geissenberger said in a release. Abramenkova was inside the store for 40 minutes and admitted to leaving her daughter in the locked car, he said. Charged: Vita Abramenkova admitted to police she left her 19-month-old in a car while she shopped inside a Target for 40 minutes . Geissenberger said the car was left on with the air conditioning on a low setting - while the temperature in the parking lot was 92 degrees. The toddler was found crying inside Abramenkova's car. Abramenkova told police she didn't want to wake up her sleeping daughter, Geissenberger said. A parademic who was not working at the time reported the child to authorities, he said. Abramenkova was charged with child neglect. She was released on $2,000 bond. Pinellas County jail records did not show whether she had an attorney. Witness: A parademic who was not working at the time reported the child to authorities. Abramenkova's daughter was found crying inside the car . | Vita Abramenkova, 35, was shopping inside a Target while her daughter was inside her running vehicle .
Police said the car's air conditioning was circulating on low while the temperature in the parking lot was 92 degrees .
Abramenkova was inside the store for 40 minutes and admitted to leaving her daughter in the locked car . |
180,674 | 75e176ba5b4ff99eca98e37efd6b4cf8a4221ca4 | (CNN)Protesters gathered at Kiev's Independence Square Sunday to march for peace, while fighting in Ukraine's east claimed more victims. Ukraine's President and prime minister were among those who attended the rally that had as its slogan "I am Volnovakha," in memory of the 13 passengers who died near the city of Volnovakha after their bus was hit by artillery shelling on January 13. "We will remember every Ukrainian hero who gave (life) for the sake of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "We will not give up a single meter of our land." Meanwhile, fighting in the east continued. Government forces and pro-Russia rebels have been battling for control of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions since April, after Russia annexed Ukraine's southeastern Crimea region the previous month. The Ukrainian army was able to regain full control of the Donetsk airport, military spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko said Sunday. Over the last 24 hours, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 32 were wounded, the spokesman said. A 7-year-old boy and a 16-year-old were killed when a missile struck a house in the town of Vuhlehirsk, in Donetsk, said Donetsk's regional police chief Vyacheslav Abroskin on his Facebook page. A young girl was seriously injured. A ceasefire deal was reached on September 5 in Minsk, Belarus, following talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia and rebel leaders. A subsequent agreement on September 19 set out more measures, but there has been little sign of progress as all sides blame each other for the bloodshed. The United Nations issued a statement Sunday, calling on all parties to exercise restraint. "The Secretary-General is alarmed by the severe escalation of fighting for control of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, which has already caused numerous casualties and threatened to completely unravel a hard-won September 2014 cease-fire," it read. The statement continued: The Secretary-General stresses that further deterioration of a situation that has led to heavy loss of life and civilian suffering must be avoided at all costs. The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts toward de-escalation and the resumption of a genuine peace process to restore Ukraine's stability and territorial integrity." CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Dana Ford contributed to this report. | The Ukrainian army regains full control of the Donetsk airport, spokesman says .
Government forces and pro-Russia rebels have been battling since April . |
199,195 | 8dddee0ae4b4949e6a60d745ddd410aa2cd5ad28 | By . John Drayton . NBA star LeBron James led the get well wishes after Jozy Altidore’s World Cup campaign appeared to be all but over. The Sunderland striker was reduced to tears after being taken off on a stretcher off midway through the first half of the USA’s 2-1 win over Ghana with a hamstring injury. Altidore’s time in Brazil looks finished, with Miami Heat ace James among those wishing the 24-year-old a speedy recovery. Crocked: Altidore is treated by the USA team physio after injuring his hamstring . Concerned: Miami Heat star LeBron James wished Altidore well on Twitter . Show of support: James was watching on as his countrymen began their World Cup campaign . He tweeted: ‘Keep well Jozy! Hate to see that happen.’ Aron Johannsson came on in Altidore’s place, and Clint Dempsey has challenged the rest of USA’s strikers to step up to the plate to help fill the void. He said: ‘You could see the tears in his eyes going back to the locker room... Other players have to step up now.’ Meanwhile, Jurgen Klinsmann hailed his side’s character as John Brooks earned them a dramatic victory against the Ghanaians. The Americans looked like being denied three points when Andre Ayew cancelled out Dempsey’s lightning-quick opener – the fifth fastest goal in World Cup history. King of the court: James, 29, is considered among the best basketball players on the planet . In the balance: Altidore faces an anxious wait to discover his fate . However, substitute Brooks popped up with a header in the dying minutes as Klinsmann celebrated his 50th game in charge with a win. His side were under the cosh for the majority of the second half, and he paid tribute to the way they responded after being rocked by Ghana’s equaliser. He said: ‘We have a great spirit – the US team always does and fights until the last second. ‘I said to the bench: “we are going to get another chance in the game”. ‘Ghana are a very good team, which is what we expected. But we got the three points that we wanted. It was well deserved.’ Late winner: John Brooks sealed the there points for the USA with a header from a corner . | USA striker Jozy Altidore taken off injured in 2-1 win World Cup over Ghana .
Altidore went down feeling his hamstring and was taken off on stretcher .
Striker expected to be ruled out for remainder of the tournament .
Basketball star LeBron James tweets good luck message for Altidore . |
98,208 | 0a7083ef01c346775a3fefaf577b6e14a0dbfbda | By . Anthony Hay . Follow @@Anthony_Hay . Everton boss Roberto Martinez has revealed midfielder Ross Barkley could be out of action for up to five months after he suffered a knee ligament injury in training. The Toffees originally thought they would be without their star midfielder for six to eight weeks, however it now appears as if Barkley's injury is worse than first feared. Martinez, speaking after his side's 2-2 draw with Leicester, said on Barkley's injury: 'He had a scan but it was a bit difficult to determine the extent. With the swelling we don't really know how bad the injury is. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Ross Barkley smash one in during England training . Setback: Everton's Ross Barkley (right) is set to miss a substantial amount of the Premier League season . Blow: The England international was hurt during a session at the club's Finch Farm training ground on Friday . 'We know it's a partial tear but that could be anything between seven weeks and I've seen injuries like that that take four or five months. 'Ross Barkley is a phenomenal footballer and we're going to miss him, there's no doubt about it. He was so sharp in pre-season, I thought he came back with a different approach. 'He was very unfortunate to (sustain the injury) through an innocuous challenge in training and now he's going to be out for a long, long time. 'The squad should be big enough to be able to cope with losing a player and be able to perform well, but it's a disappointing moment when Ross Barkley was going to have a really big start to the season. 'Now it's coping with the frustration and allowing him to come back when he's fully fit and ready for whatever's left in the season.' Barkley was hurt during training at the club's Finch Farm headquarters on Friday and was seen leaving with his leg in a supportive brace. Martinez has revealed the England international is extremely disappointed after yet another injury setback. Headache: Everton boss Roberto Martinez had made Barkley one of the key figures in his starting line-up . | Ross Barkley was originally ruled out for eight weeks with a knee injury .
However Roberto Martinez now fears he could be without Barkley for longer .
Everton drew 2-2 with Premier League new boys Leicester on Saturday . |
223,692 | ada21259e6d159a76b01ef969da9cb64fa936065 | (CNN) -- If Pharrell Williams lived by Coco Chanel's rule and removed one accessory before leaving for the Grammy Awards Sunday, we all would have been worse for the wear. The producer/singer/songwriter showed up in a hat that became the conversation piece on a night when the conversation should have been about the music. Somehow, Pharrell's hat out-performed Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar combined. When the artist first arrived on the red carpet, we couldn't wrap our minds -- nay, our eyes -- around what we were seeing. The headgear seemed to be as tall as it was wide, and we couldn't tell if Pharrell was channeling Smokey the Bear: . Curious George's hat-loving companion: . Or was just a devoted fan of Arby's. Of course it didn't take long until Pharrell's Hat got its own Twitter account. In the end, what appeared to be a fashion faux pas turned into a style win by the end of the night. Beyoncé's hair during her opening performance of "Drunk In Love"? That's another story. The superstar took the stage with a short hairstyle of wet waves -- an obvious reference to the hair she wears in the music video for the song. But Twitter took one look at the water-logged locks and went wild: . We don't think Queen Bey suffered as much criticism as Madonna did, though. While the 55-year-old mom explained that her black suit, hat and cane were chosen by her son, David (who wore a matching outfit), that didn't make the armchair fashionistas any kinder. But, for all the talk about their outfits, all three artists walked away with bigger accomplishments last night. Beyoncé stunned on the red carpet and off it with her performance, Pharrell walked away with the producer of the year (non-classical) Grammy award, and Madge helped marry off 33 couples -- yes, 33! -- during a performance of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love." Stars rock all-white ensembles at Grammys . Trent Reznor spitting nails after cutoff . 5 things we loved about the 2014 Grammys . | Pharrell Williams wore a hat to the Grammys that couldn't be ignored .
Soon, it was one of the most talked-about moments of the night .
Beyonce's hair and Madonna's outfit were also turned into memes . |
107,621 | 16c42ce777795bb2d0bfc27f7805c96b95c3ff9c | Which Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post for $250 million? Was it the Bezos who helped recover two Apollo-era F-1 engines from the bottom of the Atlantic ocean this spring? A savior capable of raising rusted heaps out of their watery graves? Was it the Bezos who's sunk $42 million into the "Clock of the Long Now," a timepiece that will run for 10,000 years entombed inside a man-made cavern carved into the top of a mountain outside of Ely, Nevada? An eccentric billionaire who'll drop vast amounts of money into, well, a hole in the ground? Was it the Bezos who founded Amazon, the biggest store in the world, a company that has both transformed and trampled nearly every formerly brick-and-mortar industry it has entered, from books to shoes and beyond? Or was it the Bezos whose personal investments -- in companies like Twitter, Airbnb, Makerbot, Uber and many others -- demonstrate an innate understanding of the shifting trends of the web? Each one of those Jeff Bezoses would do interesting things to the Washington Post (well, maybe not the crazy mountain clock guy). But as someone who spends every day thinking about the intersection of journalism and technology, I hope it was the Jeff Bezos who shepherded AWS -- Amazon Web Services -- into being. Unless you build things on the Internet, you've probably never heard of AWS. That's because AWS is in one of the world's least sexy businesses: server and computational infrastructure. AWS began as a commerce problem. Amazon needed a massive server cloud for the holiday shopping season but only a fraction of it for the rest of the year. That means a lot of expensive servers would be sitting idle to make sure your Christmas presents don't get hung up when you press "purchase." So the idea hatched that those idle computer servers could be rented out to other companies. It worked. Now, when you watch a movie streamed from Netflix, you're using AWS. When you check out your friend's picture on Instagram, read a blog on Tumblr, pin something on Pinterest, you're accessing AWS. Reddit, the "front page of the Internet"? That's built on AWS. The infrastructure of the Obama for America re-election campaign -- vaunted as the most technically sophisticated campaign in history -- relied on AWS, too. The size, scale and impact of the AWS server cloud is massive and growing. AWS is one of the most transformative and oft-overlooked technologies of the last decade. And it started as little more than a "hare-brained scheme," as Benjamin Black, one of the original drafters of the technology, described it in 2009. AWS is about as "all of the buffalo" as you get in technology: Use every part of the tech stack so that your servers are always in use, either by you or by others. With AWS, Bezos found value in every part of the process. He looked at risks and embraced "hare-brained" experiments. He saw opportunity in extending Amazon technology externally, not just keeping it all in-house (AWS serves the streaming movies of Amazon's competitor Netflix just as efficiently as it serves its own). Similar to the creation of AWS, journalism has its done its share of invention and experiments that have transformed the Web. Django, a Web framework used by companies like Pinterest and Instagram, got its start in the newsroom of the Lawrence Journal-World. Backbone, a Javascript library that powers sites like Hulu and Pandora, was created as part of the Document Cloud project at the New York Times. These newsroom technologies and others like them are transformational not just to journalism but to the entire Web the same way AWS doesn't power only Amazon. These spinoffs, these "hare-brained" ideas, these bits and pieces of code that start in the newsroom and end transforming the Web itself, are what technologists in journalism do best when they have the right support and leadership behind them. That leadership is still too rare in the journalism industry. That may have changed in a big way on Monday. In a letter written to Washington Post employees, Bezos says that, moving forward, "we will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment." Let's do it. | Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post for $250 million .
Dan Sinker: I hope it was the Bezos who shepherded Amazon Web Services into being .
He says with AWS, a transformative technology, Bezos embraced experiments .
Sinker: Leadership that allows journalists to invent and experiment is what we need . |
126,949 | 301af2ef2181feab725c8f5a73a928241bb2ec00 | Isa Saharkhiz and his son Mehdi haven't seen each other in nearly a decade. But the dream of a reunion between the dissident journalist and his 32-year-old son came one step closer to fruition when Iranian authorities unexpectedly released the elder Saharkhiz last week after imprisoning him for more than four years. "Yes, it was a surprise," said Saharkhiz, speaking by phone to CNN from his home in Tehran. The longtime critic of the Iranian regime described how last Thursday, a prison official made an unannounced visit to the hospital room where he had been detained for months due to his deteriorating health conditions. "He told me that 'you are released now,'" Saharkhiz said. Within hours, he was back at his home surrounded by his wife and daughter and friends. Mehdi was at the design company in northern New Jersey where he works as a production manager when his relatives in Iran called with news of his father's release. "I was really shocked," he recalled. Father was rounded up during 2009 unrest in Iran . Since 2009, the younger Saharkhiz has led a one-man digital campaign from his home in New Jersey aimed at liberating his father. "I confess that I am not ashamed that my father is in prison. And I am proud of him...his bravery has made life harder for the cowards in power," Mehdi announced on camera in Farsi, in a 2009 video he posted on YouTube. The young man appeared in the video wearing a T-shirt printed with his father's portrait. Iranian security forces first arrested Isa Saharkhiz, 59, during the summer of 2009. The former journalist had been working as an international spokesman for the campaign of Mehdi Karroubi, a moderate politician who ran for president in June 2009. Huge street protests erupted that month after Iranian authorities declared the firebrand incumbent candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winner of the election. Opposition groups accused the Iranian regime of rigging the results in favor of Ahmadinejad, a claim Tehran vehemently rejected. In the ensuing crackdown on what became known as the Green Movement, Karroubi and another opposition presidential candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, were placed under house arrest. Security forces used brute force and widespread arrests to crush the street protests, while also rounding up top officials from Mousavi and Karroubi's political campaigns, including Isa Saharkhiz. "They tortured me," he said, describing how officers beat him and broke his ribs during his initial detention. Iranian authorities justified the 2009 crackdown by frequently accusing opposition leaders of being part of a foreign conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the government. Iranian officials also accused some protesters of being mohareb, or enemies of God. Chinese journalist Shi Tao released after 8 years in prison . Saharkhiz later received a sentence of three years in prison for conspiring against the government and insulting the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Singled out as a former insider? During his incarceration, the writer said he was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, while also being held in solitary confinement for long periods. "In January, in the winter, they sent me on the roof of the jail for two hours when the weather was very cold," Saharkhiz said. "They put me out without any shoes, any socks, and very few clothes." Experts say Iranian authorities reserved especially harsh treatment of well-known intellectuals such as Saharkhiz because he was a former regime insider, who had risen to prominence after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. For a decade, he worked as a reporter for one of the main state news agencies. He also founded a free-speech advocacy group called the Society for the Defense of Freedom on the Press. "Saharkhiz is not an outsider to the regime. Like others in the reformist movement that emerged from within the ranks of the government of the Islamic Republic, Saharkhiz angered many, including the Supreme Leader," said Behzad Yaghmaian, an Iranian-American academic and author of "Social Change in Iran." Yaghmaian commended Saharkhiz for his "principled resistance to the government and the supreme leader." "People like Saharkhiz are considered even more dangerous than those opposing the regime from outside," he added. As the elder Saharkhiz languished in prison in 2009, his son Mehdi became an opposition activist from the relative safety of exile in New Jersey. Using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Mehdi distributed amateur videos smuggled from Iran showing Iranian security forces beating and arresting demonstrators. "The least I can do is get their voices out," he said, in a 2010 interview with CNN. Election of Rouhani may have had impact . Mehdi has lived in the United States for many years, and last year became a naturalized American citizen. His father was stationed in New York for several years in the 1990s while working for IRNA, the official Iranian news agency. During that time, Mehdi attended high school in suburbs outside New York City. Four years after his arrest, the elder Saharkhiz said there was no formal reason given for his release. But he said the move was likely linked to the recent election of Hassan Rouhani to the post of president. Several other dissidents detained during the 2009 crackdown were released last month, according to the English-language daily Tehran Times. The Iranian government never issued a formal explanation for why these political prisoners were freed. Rouhani campaigned on a platform of reform and an end to Iran's international isolation. Last month, he called for a negotiated end to Tehran's long feud with Washington over its nuclear program. His charm offensive during a visit to the United Nations General Assembly climaxed with a brief phone conversation with Barak Obama. It was the first direct contact between American and Iranian presidents in more than 30 years. "Not the system, but the situation has changed," explained Isa Saharkhiz, during his interview with CNN. Though optimistic about Rouhani's presidency, Saharkhiz warned that Iran was a "double state," where true power lies in the hands of Supreme Leader Khamenei and senior military commanders. He argued that expanded relations with Washington and the removal of crippling economic sanctions would help moderate figures such as Rouhani engaged in policy and power struggles with Iranian hard-liners. Removal of American embargoes would also help ordinary Iranians who could no longer afford life-saving foreign phamaceuticals, he said. Saharkhiz's note of cautious optimism was echoed by his son. "There's a lot of hope from what Rouhani did in the U.S. and there's a lot of good response from the people," Mehdi said. "But then you have a lot of people who were in charge before the election and are still in charge and don't like it." Son not sure when he can travel to Tehran . For now, Mehdi says it is not safe for him to return to Iran to visit his father. He has yet to fulfill his mandatory Iranian military service, and he fears he could be detained due to his own outspoken criticism of the regime. "Maybe in a few years I will be able to go back, but it's a really big risk," he said. Meanwhile, his father predicted he is still at risk of being thrown back in prison. "I will support freedom in Iran, and maybe criticize the leadership in Iran," he said. "So it is possible that they will come here and capture me again." Both father and son hope, however, that the authorities will lift an earlier travel ban that prevented the veteran journalist from leaving Iran. If so, the two hope to reunite for the first time in more than a decade in a third country such as the United Arab Emirates or Turkey. "It will be a very emotional time," Isa Saharkhiz said. It would be, his son said, a dream come true. In April: Four Italian journalists released from captivity in Syria . | Dissident journalist recently released from prison .
Isa Saharkhiz had criticized country's supreme leader .
His son, Mehdi, lobbied for his release from the U.S. |
166,489 | 6349b5262a74289620bdc371ea26a98abcbe200d | (CNN) -- "Yes, but what was the best film for grown-ups?" a friend asked me when I told him "Hugo" was my favorite movie of the year. That took the wind out of my sails. Of course he hadn't seen "Hugo," which is absolutely a film for sensitive, alert, thinking-audiences of all ages. The movie is very much concerned with art, mortality and the passage of time, which some might consider mature and adult themes. But in a more general sense, he had a point. The movies -- and especially Hollywood movies -- have been so thoroughly infantilized over the years that even the New York Film Critics Circle can overlook the few truly grown-up movies out there -- "Margaret," "The Descendants," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "J. Edgar" and "Tree of Life" -- to nominate "The Artist" as the film of the year. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed this charming, anodyne, affectionate pastiche, not least because it reminded me of many, far better movies such as "Singin' in the Rain," "A Star is Born" and bits and pieces by Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. But even though it's calculated to appeal to a middle-class crowd, this is essentially bland, sentimental entertainment. It doesn't challenge the audience, ask questions or provoke. It doesn't stir the emotions, break new ground or grapple with the pressing issues of our time. Does "Hugo"? I think so. Like "The Artist," "Hugo" resurrects a bygone era of cinema. In this case, Frenchman Georges Melies, a pioneer in the techniques of special effects, jump cuts and superimposes live action and animation in a kind of proto-CGI. In evoking this pioneer, veteran director Martin Scorsese means us to reflect on how quickly fame and fortune pass by and on what is important about the past. No coincidence that "Hugo" was made in 3-D -- and beautifully, I might add. This was a tectonic year in the movie industry -- the year that 35mm was all but phased out of the exhibition sector in favor of digital projection. The shift does not come at the instigation of filmmakers or the audience, but rather to cut the costs of distribution. Nevertheless it will have considerable effect on the way movies are made, how they look and how they are consumed. In this brave new multiplex world, 3-D is not the only story, but it is a major part of it, and a generation of children are growing up watching stereoscopic animated features and family blockbusters. Will these kids look back on 2-D, "flat" movies with the same disinterest the preceding generation feels for anything in black and white? I don't know, but I suspect that's why we've seen such heavyweight filmmakers as Scorsese, Steven Spielberg ("The Adventures of Tintin"), Werner Herzog ("The Cave of Forgotten Dreams") and Wim Wenders ("Pina") embracing 3-D this year. And what's more, each of them makes a compelling case for the new form in the very different ways they explore movement. The Best . 1. "Hugo" Scorese turns back the clock to celebrate the genesis of cinema even as he fashions perhaps the most beautiful 3-D movie yet. 2. "Margaret" Kenneth Lonergan's second film took six years to find even a token release, but it's a masterpiece. Anna Paquin is outstanding in this teeming, devastating movie about connection. 3. "The Descendants" There is no sharper comic filmmaker than Alexander Payne, and this poignant Hawaiian family story is astute and perfectly turned. 4. "Source Code" A commuter train trip becomes a kind of purgatory for Jake Gyllenhaal, with each journey ending in death. Easily the smartest sci-fi movie of the year. 5. "Drive" Pure pop bliss, this chic retro thriller cast Ryan Gosling as an icon of machismo cool and rediscovered the latent noir malignancy in Albert Brooks. 6. "Melancholia" Only Lars von Trier would dream of destroying the planet without ever leaving the grounds of a country house -- and get away with it. It's an excessive, frustrating but formidable movie with a remarkable performance by Kirsten Dunst. 7. "Nostalgia for the Light" There were several stunning documentaries this year -- I strongly recommend "The Interrupters," "Project Nim" and "Tabloid," for starters. But this Chilean nonfiction essay is something apart, a scintillating rumination on humanity and the cosmos. 8. "Take Shelter" Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are the bedrock, blue-collar Christians whose life is torn apart by his visions of a biblical storm on the horizon. 9. "Poetry" This South Korean film about a grandmother looking for grace in the midst of a sea of trouble is one of those slow-burners that stays with you. 10. "Bridesmaids" Probably the most fun you could have at the movies this year. Kirsten Wiig's raucous anti-chick flick was lewd and crude but a laugh riot. The Worst . 1. "Sucker Punch" Zack Snyder strikes again. This inane video game wannabe fetishizes feminism for cheap thrills to deeply dull effect. 2. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" This misconceived, terminally cute "prestige picture" asks all the wrong questions about 9/11 and exploits that tragedy to jerk out easy tears. 3. "Cowboys and Aliens" Should have been fun. Wasn't. 4. "Your Highness" In which several talented people (including James Franco, Natalie Portman and director David Gordon Green) aim low and wind up looking silly. 5. "The Beaver" In which Mel Gibson's convincing portrait of a middle-age breakdown is undermined by an incoherent script and Jodie Foster's hackneyed direction. | Movies have been thoroughly infantilized over the years, Tom Charity says .
Charity: Like "The Artist," "Hugo" resurrects a bygone era of cinema .
Heavyweight filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg embrace 3-D . |
60,961 | ad2dcb293a00358ec30d8f630c012631ca8233f0 | Craig Stockham, 33, (pictured) from Flintshire, abused his position as finance director at LiveWire and Culture Warrington to siphon thousands of pounds into his bank account to fund his drug habit . A finance boss stole nearly £30,000 of taxpayers' money to fund his £150-a-day cocaine habit, a court heard. Craig Stockham abused his position as finance director of two non-profit organisations to siphon thousands of pounds of into his own bank account. The 33-year-old, from Flintshire, Wales, was caught out by colleagues on his last week of work at LiveWire and Culture Warrington, which provides and manages leisure services for Warrington Borough Council. Halton Magistrates' Court, in Cheshire, heard how he stole about £28,670 from the organisations between January and November before using it to fund his cocaine habit. Stockham, who was dressed in a grey suit, striped shirt and blue tie, admitted theft at the court hearing yesterday and the case was sent to Warrington Crown Court, where he will be sentenced at later date. During the hearing, magistrates heard how Stockham was recently promoted to his senior role - which gave him access to funds and the responsibility of making strategic management decisions – after being taken on by the groups when they were founded in 2012. He was set to receive a severance package after working his last day, on what would have been November 18, but was instead immediately suspended, without pay, just a few days prior after colleagues discovered missing funds. It was only when a fellow colleague asked a worker to double check one of Stockham's payments that his actions come to light. After investigating the payment further, the worker discovered that Stockham had made one payment to a separate bank account, which was found to be his own. Following a review, it was found that he stole around £24,000 from LiveWire and £4,670 from Culture Warrington, the court heard. LiveWire runs former council-owned Warrington leisure centre while Culture Warrington manages the Parr Hall and Warrington Museum. When arrested on November 12, he tested positive for cocaine and police found paperwork in his room which showed that he was in debt. Prosecuting, Alison Warburton, said: 'He had a cocaine habit, he was spending around £150 on cocaine a day. 'He had access to spending a lot of the budget. It is a very serious breach of trust.' The companies insist appropriate financial systems and procedures were in place and have slammed the 'devastating' effects of Stockham's actions. Finance director Stockham (left) stole almost £30,000 from the two non-profit organisations - which manage leisure services for Warrington Borough Council - to fund his £150-a-day cocaine habit (file picture, right) Stockham admitted theft at Halton Magistrates' Court, in Cheshire (pictured), and the case was sent to Warrington Crown Court for sentencing at a later date. A date has not yet been fixed for the next hearing . Speaking after yesterday's court hearing, Jan Souness, managing director for both LiveWire and Culture Warrington, said: 'As finance director, Craig was a trusted and valued member of our senior management team. 'He came to us with impeccable references and was a unanimous choice when he was appointed. 'He was popular among peers and was one of the original team. 'We worked hard to support each other and we thought there was strong trust and transparency among us. 'His actions had a devastating impact on the team in terms of his betrayal of his office, his colleagues, the board and the people of Warrington whom we in LiveWire and Culture Warrington endeavour to serve to the best of our ability. 'Whilst we are insured for the loss and so the impact on both companies in a material sense is minimal, it is the sense of betrayal that has been the hardest to cope with. 'I’m proud to say that the teams across both organisations have pulled together to ensure the continued high standards of service to our customers.' Defence barrister Nick Terry advised the magistrates to send the case to the crown court. A date has not yet been fixed for sentencing. | Craig Stockham abused his position as finance director to siphon funds .
He managed money for organisations which run council leisure services .
33-year-old was suspended after colleagues discovered £28,670 missing .
Stockham used cash to fund his £150-a-day drug habit, magistrates heard .
Amitted theft at Halton Magistrates' Court and case adjourned for sentence . |
201,104 | 905b0c2bdf57b94b37c908d42c8033c7d96222c3 | (CNN) -- He forged his views of war and the military as a young man in mine-plagued fields of Vietnam. Now Chuck Hagel may become the first Vietnam veteran and first enlisted soldier to serve as U.S. defense secretary. In nominating him to succeed Leon Panetta, President Barack Obama urged the Senate to confirm a man he said "bears the scars" of that war and has the skill to guide the military through new challenges. "Chuck Hagel is the leader that our troops deserve," Obama said. If Hagel is confirmed, the Defense Department would be led by someone who advocated deep cuts to its budget. He's bucked his fellow Republicans in opposing troop surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, telling his biographer: "I will do all I can to prevent war." And he's come under fire over comments about Israel, a top American ally, and Iran, a top American foe. Read more: Who's in, who's out of cabinet . Those issues and others have assured that the former Nebraska senator's path to the Pentagon won't be easy. But Hagel said he's eager to answer critics. Until Obama's announcement that ended weeks of speculation over his nomination, Hagel told the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper in his home state that he'd been "hanging out there in no-man's land unable to respond to charges, falsehoods and distortions" about his record. Now, he said, he has "an opportunity to set the record straight." "All I ask is a fair hearing, and I will get that," Hagel told the paper. "I am very much looking forward to having a full, open, transparent hearing about my qualifications and my record." Carl Levin, who will chair those hearings as head of the Armed Services Committee in the Democratic-controlled Senate, praised Hagel's qualifications and said the panel would give "prompt and careful" consideration to his nomination. What's really behind Hagel nomination fight . Iraq, Iran, gay rights among hot-button issues . Hagel, 66, said Monday that he was honored Obama had "confidence in me and not unmindful of the immense responsibilities that go with it." The current Georgetown professor and head of the Atlantic Council, a non-partisan international affairs group, praised troops who serve with "such dignity and selflessness." Hagel promised to work to "strengthen our country's alliances and advance global freedom, decency and humanity" in the effort to "build a better world for all mankind." At the same news conference where he announced the nomination of John Brennan as CIA director, Obama praised Hagel as a "patriot" who knows what it's like being on the frontline, in part from his year fighting alongside his brother in Vietnam. "He understands that sending young Americans to fight and bleed in the dirt and mud is something that we only do when it's absolutely necessary." Opinion: GOP, don't fight the Hagel nomination . The president, a Democrat, also said Hagel's selection "represents the bipartisan tradition that we need more of in Washington." But many in the GOP establishment begged to differ. "He has long severed his ties with the Republican Party," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said Sunday, when news surfaced that Hagel would be nominated. Sen. Chris Murphy, a freshman Democrat from Connecticut, countered that he believes "Republicans are spoiling for a fight." A host of issues swirling around Hagel have set the stage for a contentious confirmation hearing with Republicans expected to lead the charge against him. A few years after famously bucking his party in opposing a U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq, Hagel voted against sending 30,000 additional troops in 2009 to Afghanistan -- a move that put him at odds with Republicans and Obama. Some also are bothered by a comment he made in 1998 about an ambassadorial candidate James Hormel being "openly, aggressively gay" -- which he apologized for in December, 14 years later. This issue is compounded by the fact that Hagel could oversee a military that recently dropped its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gay and lesbian personnel, a policy he supported. The Log Cabin Republicans, a group that supports gay rights, called the Hormel apology "too little, too late." Yet gay rights activist Rick Jacob stood behind Obama and said "no one trying to derail (Hagel's) nomination attacks his qualifications." Hagel has also come under fire over Iran. In addition to calling for talks with the Middle Eastern nation, which openly antagonizes Israel, Hagel has spoken out against certain sanctions -- a cornerstone of Obama's foreign policy aimed at pressuring Tehran over its nuclear program. The New York Times notes that Hagel was "one of only two senators to vote against the Iran-Libya sanctions act in 2001, arguing that it would undercut efforts to engage with Tehran." In a September editorial in the Washington Post, Hagel -- writing with several others, including retired Gen. Anthony Zinni and former Rep. Lee Hamilton -- said that he thinks "all options (should be) on the table" regarding Iran, a stance that aligns him with Obama, as well as many Republicans. GOP senator: Hagel would be 'antagonistic' toward Israel . But the most charged subject is likely Israel, with Graham arguing -- if confirmed -- Hagel "would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense" toward Israel "in our nation's history." Read more: Choice in Hagel sparks mixed reactions . Hagel has supported Israel entering negotiations with Hamas, the Islamist movement that oversees parts of the Palestinian territories and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while also insisting that Hamas end terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist. He also was one of 12 senators who refused to sign a letter to the European Union trying to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization." In 2007, Hagel joined two other senators in introducing a resolution in June 2007, pushing for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In an interview that year, Hagel said a "Jewish lobby intimidated lawmakers" -- sparking sharp criticism from some Jewish organizations and across the political spectrum. Graham has blasted what he calls "an in-your-face nomination by the president to all of us who are supportive" of Israel. But others have rallied around him, including his friend Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska. Azriel, who grew up in Israel and says he's personally open for talks with Hamas and Hezbollah, praised Hagel as "definitely a friend of Israel. He is independent, has wonderful, fresh ideas to try to reengage the discussion about the Middle East." Hagel told the Journal Star there is "not one shred of evidence that I'm anti-Israeli, not one (Senate) vote that matters that hurt Israel," claiming his critics have "completely distorted" his record. Read more: White House officials reach out to Jewish community to answer Hagel concerns . He emphasized his "unequivocal, total support for Israel" and support for tough international economic sanctions against Iran, the paper reported. Such fiery rhetoric has prompted presidential nominees in the past to pull out. But the bumpy road ahead is unlikely to faze Hagel. "Chuck Hagel is not afraid of challenge -- or risk," his biographer, Charlyne Berens, wrote in 2006. Praise from Powell, criticism from Iraq vet . One high-profile Vietnam veteran standing by Hagel is Gen. Colin Powell, a former Joint Chiefs chairman who was secretary of state under the Republican administration of President George W. Bush. "You can always count on him to analyze a difficult situation and take a position that reflects his best judgment," said Powell, a Republican who nonetheless had similarly endorsed Obama. "I believe that more than ever we need that kind of independent and bold leader who thinks in and out of the box." Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander, said Hagel has earned the president's trust. Hagel's experience in Vietnam, which earned him two Purple Hearts, gave him "the proper appreciation for what it's like on the ground, at the bottom," Clark said. But Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is not supportive. "Our troops deserve much better than a man who voted to send them to war when it was popular and then abandoned those very troops when it was unpopular," he said. He was referring to Hagel's 2002 vote authorizing the war in Iraq and his ultimate opposition to it. Willingness to speak his mind stirs criticism, support . If he becomes defense secretary, Hagel will be tasked with carrying out the orders of a president who concluded the war in Iraq and plans to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Ending and avoiding war are part of what he committed his life to while in his 20s in Vietnam, Berens wrote. "After a year of Vietnam's miserable heat, nearly constant danger, and violent campaigns like the Tet Offensive, Chuck Hagel came back to the United States ready to get on with things -- and with both a loyalty to the U.S. military and a belief he should do all he could to prevent his nation's being involved in another war." Read more: Chuck Hagel's views on war forged by Vietnam experience . His fierce opposition to the Iraq War went far toward creating the schism that now exists between him and the GOP establishment. "The damage this war has done to our country will play out for years to come," he wrote in his 2008 book, "America: Our Next Chapter." "While it is easy for nations to blunder into war, they never blunder into peace," he added. Especially on foreign policy issues, Hagel has shown time and again his willingness to speak his mind -- even if it goes against the prevailing Republican thinking or, in the case of the 2009 Afghanistan surge, the position of Obama. His independence has spawned critics, as well as cheers. "He's a guy with really serious foreign policy chops and someone, frankly, who hasn't been afraid to depart from his party when he thought they were wrong," Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut, told CNN. Hagel himself said Monday that he won't hold back if he becomes defense secretary, telling Obama, "I will always give you my honest and most informed council." CNN's Mike Mount, Kevin Liptak, Jill Dougherty, and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report. | Obama says the ex-senator from Nebraska is "the leader that our troops deserve"
Hagel says he's eager to "set the record straight" about where he stands on issues .
He's been criticized by Republicans for his position on Iraq, Iran and Israel .
Colin Powell says he supports Hagel; Iraq vet Rep. Tom Cotton opposes him . |
199,500 | 8e4511024363450457bdff6610123900a7a49614 | Eric Trump's bride-to-be Lara Yunaska doesn't need to buy a Halloween costume this year, thanks to her scary looking wrist injury. The 31-year-old CBS producer posted a picture today of the painful stitches in her arm, the result of the horse riding accident she got into last week. 'Happy Halloween. I have a built-in costume this year! #FrankensteinArm,' she captioned the photo taken at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was presumably having her injury checked out by doctors. Frankenstein arm: Eric Trump's bride-to-be Lara Yunaska posted a picture today of the painful looking stitches in her arm, a result of a horse riding accident she got into last week . The bride-to-be broke both her wrists in a riding accident last Thursday, just two weeks before her November 8 wedding to the son of billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Since then, she has posted a handful of understandably morose photos of her bandaged wrists to Instagram, captioning one: 'Wedding countdown: 2 weeks and 2 casts to go! #HopeImAFastHealer.' This is an optimistic outlook, since a broken wrist typically takes between six and eight weeks to heal; so with her wedding going ahead as planned, she'll be wearing more white than she bargained for. Lara first announced the injury last Thursday with a selfie from her bed, captioned: 'There's no place like home. Also, a #selfie w two broken wrists is quite a task. #imexhausted.' Downcast: Lara , 31 ,both both her wrists in a riding accident last Thursday, just two weeks before her November 8 wedding to the son Donald Trump . Brave face: Lara captioned this image on Saturday, 'Such a lovely day for a walk! Thanks to my dexterous helpers, @torryhixon and #CharlieDog' Passion: Despite her painful fall, Lara has stated that it won't stop her from getting back on a horse. 'There are inherent risks that we all take in life. When you truly love something, it's worth it,' she wrote . But despite her painful fall, Lara has stated that it won't stop her from getting back on a horse. 'There are inherent risks that we all take in life. When you truly love something, it's worth it,' she wrote. 'I wouldn't take back one day of riding - stuff happens. I will ride again and it will be better than ever. Most importantly, I still get to marry the love of my life on Nov 8th.' Lara and Eric, 30, announced their engagement last July and over the summer, revealed that the wedding would take place at the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 8. Soon-to-be wed: Lara (pictured last month with fiance Eric Trump and their dog Charlie) is a former personal trainer and now associate producer for Inside Edition . Engaged: Eric, who is the youngest of Donald's children with his first wife Ivana, proposed to Lara last July at the Trump Seven Springs estate in Bedford, New York . Eric's father Donald told MailOnline on Wednesday that 'it's going to be interesting' for Lara to fit her casts into her dress at the wedding. 'She'll either disguise it, or else she'll hold it up proudly. That'll be interesting, right?' he said. Trump added that even though her wrists are injured, it won't have any effect on exchange of rings. 'At least her fingers are exposed. So the ring is good,' he said. The real estate mogul added that what matters most is that they love each other. 'It's too bad,' he said of the accident. 'But she's really strong, and they dig each other, so that's important.' Fall wedding: Over the summer, it was revealed that the wedding would take place at the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida (pictured) on November 8 . The couple, who have been together for six years, will begin the wedding festivities with a wine tasting at the Trump Winery on Friday November 7, followed by the black-tie ceremony on Saturday and a brunch on Sunday. Eric, who is the youngest of Donald's children with his first wife Ivana, proposed to Lara last July at the Trump Seven Springs estate in Bedford, New York. Lara, a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, certainly looks the Trump wife part, with her blonde hair, washboard abs and permanent tan. After graduating from North Carolina State University, she attended the French Culinary Institute where she obtained a degree in Pastry Arts. | Lara Yanaska broke both her wrists in a riding accident just two weeks before her November 8 wedding to fiancé Eric Trump, son of billionaire businessman Donald Trump .
The horse enthusiast has stated the wedding will go ahead as planned . |
153,390 | 522e308d5c9c5be2a79c32d9b9e4cd22d6b0792a | More than one in six civil servants has been sacked under the coalition’s austerity cuts, new figures revealed today. Since 2010 more than 87,000 staff have been laid off, taking total headcount to under 440,000. The government boasts that the civil service is now smaller than at any point since the Second World War but unions warn services will suffer. Since 2010 more than 87,000 staff have been laid off, taking total headcount to under 440,000, according to the Office for National Statistics . Deep spending cuts since the 2010 election have cut the deficit from £140billion to around £94billion this year. While tax rises and benefit cuts have saved billions, big reductions have been made in the number of people on the public sector payroll. In March 2010, just before the general election, there were 527,500 people employed in the civil service. New figures from the Office for National Statistics today show the number is down 17 per cent to 439,900. A Cabinet Office source said: ‘As part of this Government’s long-term economic plan we are making Whitehall more efficient. ‘This year the Civil Service reached its smallest level since the Second World War with productivity significantly increased since the 2010 General Election. ‘Our overall efficiency reforms helped save taxpayers £14.3 billion last year alone, compared to spending under Labour in 2009-10.’ Overall the number of full-time civil servants fell by 7,353 to 332,692 between March 2013 and March 2014. The number of part-timers fell by 1,540 to 107,250. Workers classed as being at the ‘administrative responsibility level’ saw the biggest job losses in the last year, down 9.4 per cent. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said cutting civil service jobs is not 'glamorous headline-grabbing stuff' but is needed to cut the deficit . At the same time the number of employees working at the Senior Civil Service responsibility level increased by 11.8 per cent. There was an increase of 7.9 per cent in the number of Grades 6 and 7 – some of the best paid people in Whitehall - and an increase of 7.3 per cent in the number of Senior and Higher Executive Officers, the ONS said. The number of people working in the civil service aged over 50 rose, but the number of employees in all other age bands fell. Cabinet office minister Francis Maude used his speech to the Tory conference last week to insist there was more to do to reduce numbers. 'We’ve cut the size of the Civil Service - down 17 per cent so far, with more to come,' he said. 'None of this is glamorous headline-grabbing stuff. It’s hard detailed grind. Getting deep into the numbers; asking tough questions; long meetings renegotiating over-rich contracts with some of the biggest companies in the world. 'And it won’t surprise you that not everyone in Whitehall was as enthusiastic as we were. So I’m really grateful to the Prime Minister and Chancellor for their unstinting support for the difficult things we were driving through. 'This is about efficient and effective government, government that cares about public services and cares about the taxpayer.' The number of civil servants in most regions fell, but in London, the South West and Northern Ireland there were small increases. The North East, widely seen as one of the regions most reliant on state-funded jobs, saw the largest percentage fall, down 7.8 per cent in the year to March. Pay also rose in the Civil Service, up by £350 or 1.5 per cent in a year to £24,730. Next week up to a quarter of a million civil servants will stage a strike in protest at pay restraint and job cuts. A spokesman for the PCS union said: ‘The focus of the strike next week is pay but we include in that cuts to jobs as well because all of those cuts flow from the decision to cut public spending which we say is not necessary. ‘Where services are being provided to the public, if you cut the number of people doing it, inevitably services will suufer. ‘The headline figures on job cuts are pretty shocking. But if you look at something like the Passport Office, at the start of the summer we saw exactly what the impact of job cuts was.’ Thousands of people faced delays in applying for passports as officials struggled to get a grip on a mounting backlog. | Since 2010 more than 87,000 staff have been axed, ONS figures show .
The total civil service headcount has now dropped to to under 440,000 .
Biggest falls among full-time staff and those in administrative roles .
Numbers among the Senior Civil Service has increased by 11.8% in a year . |
239,510 | c21a17a9931e889d320d6a1aa46171a304653bf9 | By . Ian Ladyman . Follow @@Ian_Ladyman_DM . One of the most peculiar sights of this World Cup came last week in Recife. As the roads of the north-east coastal city ran two feet deep in water after overnight rain, journalists on a media bus battling through the torrents to reach the Arena Pernambuco took photographs and shot video of the chaos. It was only after a few moments that it became clear that some of the townsfolk – clinging to lamp posts and traffic islands to keep dry – were taking photos right back. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Adidas customise World Cup footballs ahead of quarter finals . Spectacle: The atmosphere at the stadia in Brazil has been impressive . To many – probably most – Brazilians, this World Cup is a curiosity, something that has simply been going on around them. There are not many local black faces in the stadia on match day. World Cup 2014 has out priced vast swathes of its host nation but we shouldn't be surprised and it is not alone. This is the way in modern sport. Go on to a council estate in London and ask people how many of them have tickets for the next Six Nations and you will get my point. It was the same in South Africa in 2010 and will be the same in Russia in 2018. The World Cup has long since been an event for tourists and televisions. If you own a hotel or restaurant in Brazil then you will have won over the last three weeks. If you live in one of the scruffy narrow streets that branch off the new four lane highway that runs up to the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza then forget it. This World Cup – like all the others – has been nothing more than a procession passing by your window. Eye-catching: There has been 154 goals scored at the World Cup so far . As a model for social equality, then, this World Cup has achieved little. As a sporting event, however, it has passed its test comfortably and – thanks to the beauty of the football – spectacularly. This, remember, was supposed to be the World Cup that wouldn't work. It was to be the tournament where stadia weren't ready, where the infrastructure wouldn't cope and where visiting football fans would lose their wallets and mobile 'phones. They said all this before South Africa, of course, and, just as it didn't happen then, it hasn't happened here. There is a firmly held belief here in Brazil that things are better when left to the last minute. It's reflected in the haphazard nature of the service industry. If you want your bar meal by full-time, then you are really better off ordering it before kick-off. Certainly, that has been reflected in the way that the stadia, airports and hotels dragged themselves in to shape just in time. Those who visited Brazil in April returned with horror stories of unfinished airport terminals, half-completed roads and stadia without roofs on. But while it hasn't been perfect, it has certainly worked. Success: Sepp Blatter has been kept in the background by events on the pitch . While you wouldn't wish to get to the airport in Natal in a hurry – the shiny new road from the terminal gives way to cobbles and potholes after about a mile – or reach the stadium in Recife in time for a pre-match sandwich, these have been the exceptions. The airports here would certainly shame Heathrow in Manchester and while some hotels haven't been places in which you wish to linger for post-dinner drink it must be remembered that Brazil remains, in essence, an extremely poor country. Those who have followed their teams across this vast landscape will have returned home exhausted, penniless and with more air miles than Richard Branson. Brazil doesn't do trains. That, however, is FIFA's issue and, happily, it is one they seem set to address in time for Russia 2018 where we will return to the old system of basing each group in one city. That way, supporters won't get to see as much of Russia but will also mean a World Cup holiday won't require a second mortgage. FIFA, of course, will make a fortune out of this tournament. Ticket prices are far too high and some FIFA-recommended hotels profit from the uncertainty of the knockout stages by charging last-minute visitors rates to make the eyes water. More than £800 for two nights at the Fortaleza Holiday Inn, anyone? It is indicative, though, of a successful tournament that FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hardly been mentioned since this one started. When the football is good, and the World Cup ticks along without undue drama, all the rest just becomes a sideshow. My World Cup so far totals twelve matches, 16 flights and – most importantly – 36 goals. That's a spectacular return in keeping with the overall figure of 154 goals so far. The atmosphere in the stadia has far outstripped that of South Africa, thanks largely to vastly increased numbers of visiting fans from competing nations. And the really good news? There are still eight games to go. | World Cup 2014 has out priced vast swathes of its host nation .
Stadia, airports and hotels dragged themselves in to shape just in time .
FIFA will make a fortune out of the tournament in Brazil . |
196,244 | 89f8616824ef443060b9f3b48f1dfcec473611e1 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:30 EST, 10 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:38 EST, 11 September 2013 . Promise: Jeremy Hunt has pledged £500million will help boost cover at understaffed A&E units . The number of senior doctors working in A&E at night is to be boosted after the Daily Mail revealed there are only five across all of England. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a portion of the £500million being given to hospitals over the next two years to ease A&E pressures would go towards paying consultants to work out-of-hours. At nearly all A&E units in England consultants go home between 8pm and midnight, leaving patients in the hands of junior doctors supervised by one or two more experienced medics. The Mail revealed yesterday that only five NHS trusts in England employ a consultant to work after midnight in their casualty department. Although there is a designated on-call consultant who can be contacted in an emergency after they have gone home, Mr Hunt accepted this system needed to be ‘beefed up’. He told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘About a quarter of the £500million the Prime Minister announced is going towards increasing consultant cover.’ Labour suggested the problem could be eased by allowing hospitals to advertise abroad to fill consultant posts. Currently they are banned from recruiting from overseas until they have tried to fill vacancies from within this country. Mr Hunt unveiled plans to help hospitals cope with the increase in those turning up at A&E and an expected surge in sick patients this winter. Fifty-three NHS trusts whose A&E units are understaffed or lack beds will be given a total of £250million, while around £62million will go towards extra staffing including paying consultants to work evenings and weekends. Care of elderly and other vulnerable patients at home will be improved to prevent them needing to go to A&E, and ambulances could be turned into mobile casualty units with patients diagnosed, treated and even dropped off back at home. Pledged: Mr Hunt has said about £125million will be spent providing extra consultant cover . | Health secretary promises cash to pay for consultants to work out of hours .
Just FIVE senior doctors can be found on duty in England's A&Es at night .
Junior doctors left to staff A&E departments between 8pm and midnight .
Jeremy Hunt has now admitted the system needs to be 'beefed up' |
93,823 | 04a45744ed3246cb709769f746cef93436033480 | The attorney for an 18-year-old man featured laughing and joking over the fate of the alleged Ohio rape victim in a leaked YouTube video described the teenager's behaviour as, 'disappointing, insensitive and unfortunate' on Monday night. Speaking at a brief press conference Dennis McNamara sought to distance his client, Michael Nodianos, from the horrific events alleged to have taken place in Steubenville Ohio last August. Mr McNamara said, 'After some sober reflection he is ashamed and embarrassed himself. He's sorry to victims and his family. He was not raised to act in this manner.' It also emerged on Monday that Mr Nodianos has been forced to drop out of Ohio State University, where he was on athletic scholarship, after receiving numerous threats. Scroll down for video . Laughing: A video from the night of the alleged attack shows Michael Nodianos, a former Steubenville student, laughing callously and referring to a girl getting raped while she was reportedly drunk . Tension: Many in the community believe police have failed to fully investigate an allegation of rape. Two high school football players have been arrested following the alleged sex attack . Picking sides: Members of 'hacktivist' group Anonymous- seen wearing . their trademark masks- have taken on the Steubenville case because they . feel there is a police cover up protecting other people involved . Mr McNamara insisted that his client had not been in the house at the time of the alleged attack but had arrived as the girl was being taken out of the house. He claimed that his client's personal and Ohio State University email accounts have been hacked since the video was leaked and that his parents have been forced to change their telephone numbers after receiving death threats. 'There were people trying to find his class schedule at OSU, trying to access him there,' McNamara said. 'Some have even been at the dormitory during the fall term looking for him.' The Daily Beast reports that the freshman student was forced to drop out because of the threats. Nearly 1,000 people gathered in the . small town of Steubenville, Ohio over the weekend to protest the . handling of an alleged gang rape where a teenage girl claims she was . sexually assaulted by two star football players. The case has sparked fury both in the . rural town and across the country as those involved have effectively . been accused by social media, even though police have only arrested two . 16-year-old boys who were pictured carrying the alleged victim's limp . body on the night of the incident. The . backlash has echoes of the international outrage triggered by the death . of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey, who died as a result of the massive . injuries sustained during a brutal gang rape at the hands of six men in . Delhi, India. In Ohio, only two teens have been charged- Ma'lik Richmond and Trenton Mays - though many in the close-knit town believe that there is a cover up underway to keep more players from the beloved high school football team from being arrested. Over the weekend, Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said officially that no further suspects would be charged. 'There was more than two kids involved. The kids who have money in this town have not been arrested,' demonstrator Lisa Waxler said. Beliefs like that have prompted defense attorneys to call for serious changes in the case before any trial takes place. Lawyer Walter Madison wants to move the trial to a different town because activists simply want to draw blood and have less concern for what is truly justified. Anger: Up to 1,000 people protested at Jefferson County Courthouse in Steubenville, Ohio, today. They believe local police have failed to fully investigate a 16-year-old's rape allegations to protect the local football program . Standoff: Deputies stand guard shortly after the sheriff announced there would be no more arrests in the case . 'What we have in this county is a legal lynching and I can't stand for that on my watch,' he told NBC. The party where the alleged rape took place dates back to August of last year- just before the school year began at Steubenville High School- but the case did not garner much national attention until recently. Horrible: This pictured, originally posted to Instagram, shows Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays carrying the seemingly lifeless body of the unidentified victim . A sect of the hacker group Anonymous took on the case and have scoured the internet for various photos and videos posted by students who were at one of the three parties that Richmond and Mays are said to have brought the allegedly unconscious victim, whose name has not been released due to her age and the sexual nature of the accusations. One of the most jarring pictures is that of the two teens carrying the girl by her ankles and wrists, which was posted to the photo-sharing application Instagram by another party attendee. The group, which arranged today's 'Occupy Steubenville' protest, also released a video that . showed several other young men joking about an assault. The sheriff, who said the protesters would not listen to his defense of the police, said there would be no . charges linked to the video, as it added no new evidence of any . crimes. 'I'm not going to stand here . and try to . convince you that I'm not the bad guy,' he said to a chorus of boos, . according to a Reuters report. 'You've already made your minds up.' Abdalla, who said he first saw the video three days ago, later . commented: 'It's a disgusting video. It's stupidity. But you can't . arrest somebody for being stupid.' Anonymous: The online activist group organized a protest in Steubenville yesterday. They accuse police of failing to thoroughly investigate an allegation of rape. County Sheriff Fred Abdalla, pictured left, defended officers yesterday, as hundreds, including many in the group's trademark masks, pictured right, demonstrated . Accused: Two 16-year-old members of the Steubenville Big Red football team are charged with rape. Protesters in the city yesterday said the police hadn't fully investigated the allegations in order to protect the team . Jyoti Singh Pandey, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, died in a Singapore hospital 13 days after being attacked as she made her way home from the movie theater in New Delhi. The brutal case has caused uproar in India, with mass demonstrations for women's rights, tougher rape laws and calls for the suspects in the case to be hanged. She and a male friend were attacked when they got in what they believed was a shared van. The five adult suspects appeared in court as the trial is due to start, and the youngest man involved is only 17-year-old so he faces charges in youth court. The leader of the protest in the close-knit city of Steubenville, just outside Pittsburgh, called on . victims of sexual assault to step forward, with several . people reacting, telling their stories to the crowd. Abdalla responded that he had dedicated his 28-year career to investigating such crimes and had arrested more than 200 suspects. Yesterday authorities launched a website they said would sought fact from fiction in the case. It has the . appearance of a legal briefing, with black type on a white background, . providing an intentional departure from escalating emotions over the . case and how it's been handled. 'This site is not designed to be a forum for how the Juvenile Court ought to rule in this matter,' the site declares. The . website provides a timeline of the case, summaries of Ohio laws that . affect sex charges, online posts and reaction to them, facts about the . local police force and a pledge of transparency. Public . interest in the case increased this week with circulation online of the . unverified video, featuring Mr McNamara's client and more than 12 minutes long, that purportedly shows . another young man joking about a sexual assault. Ohio Attorney General Mike . DeWine called the posting 'despicable' but agreed it didn't constitute . new evidence for local investigators, who were aware of it before the . posting. The accused two students will be tried as juveniles on February 13. The sheriff has also come under fire for . leaving the case with local police and refusing to revisit the . original investigation. 'People have got their minds made up,' he told the news agency. 'A case like this, who . would want to cover any of it up?'. VIDEO Controversial footage sees a teen giggling about a sexual assault in Steubenville . MailOnline has edited this content . | Rape case in Steubenville, Ohio drawing national attention .
High school football stars allegedly raped teenage girl when she was 'unconscious' and they physically carried her to different parties .
YouTube boy's attorney insists his client was not in the house when the alleged assault took place .
Protest draws crowd of nearly 1,000 as sheriff says no further arrests will be made .
Defense attorney wants trial moved to different town because he feels his client won't get a fair chance: 'This is a legal lynching'
Similarities drawn to horrific gang rape in India of a 23-year-old student . |
10,302 | 1d3f2441ba307bba3b4269b517b74688ae874bc3 | Still thinking about the guy with the sweet smile you fleetingly passed on your way to work? You may even have locked eyes for a brief moment before watching him disappear into the abyss. Well now there's an app to ensure those opportunities for romance don't pass you by. French innovation happn sells itself on being the app that saves us from missed connections. When you cross paths with someone in real life, which in happn land means being within a 250m radius, you flash up on each other's screens. It's a crush! When both happn users 'like' each other the app allows a conversation to commence . Then much like Tinder, if you're interested in their suggestion, you press the heart to 'like' the match. When there's mutual appreciation, the app announces 'It's a crush!' and a (flirty) conversation can commence. The app has already been a huge hit on French home soil, attracting 150,000 users and since launching in the UK five weeks ago, 25,000 hopeful Brits have followed their lead. Unlike its mighty Silicon Valley rival Tinder, which now has 10 million users worldwide, the Parisian happn is a hook-up site with heart, and has a slightly more romantic premise. Second chance: The new app will show you who you've crossed paths with - in case you want to meet again . The website explains: 'He would have liked to meet you, you would have liked to talk to him. Find each other again. 'With happn, discover the people you’ve crossed paths with, the people you like, the people you'd like to find again!' The app has attracted 150,000 users and since launching in the UK five weeks ago, 25,000 hopeful Brits have followed their lead . The app was set up by three Parisians - Fabien Cohen, a legal hacker, Didier Rappaport, a serial entrepreneur, and Antony Cohen, a computer engineer. It seems it's on the path to worldwide dating domination with Berlin also now on the happn map. The app is also designed to guarantee the safety of the users and the confidentiality of their data. Users positions are not saved and remain completely invisible to other members. Only the position of where two people have passed each other is registered. Happn makes a promise that it will never publish anything about its members on Facebook and it also makes rejection totally painless. You can decide at any given time that a profile doesn’t interest you anymore and you’ll never cross paths with each other on happn again. The rejected party will never even know they've been given the happn boot. You can also report any unwanted behaviour or block a profile by clocking 'report' on the person's profile. The happn advertising campaign focuses on those moments that could have been . How do hopeful happn-ites rate the app? 'Happn l'application magnifique' tweets one happy Frenchman. 'Happn . is literally the most useful app ever,' gushes another Scottish user. 'See a hot guy in the street? You can get to talk to him just by passing . by.' As far as we know there's yet to be a happn wedding, but we predict romance ahead. | Both users need to 'like' each other's photo to start a conversation .
With happn, potential matches are always within a 250m radius .
App pinpoints on a map the spot where you crossed paths .
Technology was developed in Paris and already has 150,000 French users . |
207,876 | 99211d2d647c7a761b55d59405d922ce5644d1ed | By . Emma Innes . Moderate wine consumption can prevent the development of kidney disease . Many people feel a little guilty as they sip their wine of an evening. But now, new research suggests the odd glass could actually be good for the health. Moderate wine consumption could help keep the kidneys healthy and may protect the hearts of people who already have kidney disease. Researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver found that people who drink less than one glass of wine a day have a 37 per cent lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease than those who drink no wine at all. And, people who have chronic kidney disease are 29 per cent less likely to also have heart disease if they drink a small amount of wine. The researchers, led by Dr Tapan Mehta, used 2003 to 2006 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 5,852 individuals, 1,031 of whom had chronic kidney disease. Thomas Manley, director of scientific activities at the National Kidney Foundation, said: ‘Similar to previous studies showing that moderate wine consumption appears to impart some health benefit by lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes, this study suggests an association between moderate wine consumption (less than one glass per day) and lower rates of chronic kidney disease.’ Moderation is the key for kidney patients when it comes to alcohol consumption, with a few caveats, he added. ‘Excess alcohol consumption has definitely been shown to have negative effects on kidney function. ‘Alcohol can also worsen hypertension, a major cause of chronic kidney disease, so those with poorly controlled hypertension should definitely limit the amount of alcohol they consume. ‘It's also important to consider the nutritional contents of the various alcoholic drinks to be sure they comply with the prescribed renal diet.’ In people with chronic kidney disease, moderate wine consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease . The researchers are not sure exactly why wine is linked to good kidney health. Dr Mehta says it could be because moderate drinking is linked to lower levels of protein in the urine and that those with kidney problems tend to have higher urine protein levels. And while he cannot be sure, Dr Mehta says it is possible red wine is more protective against heart and kidney problems than white wine is. | Moderate wine consumption can help keep the kidneys healthy .
It can reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease by 37% .
People with kidney disease are less likely to develop heart disease if they drink wine in moderation - less than one glass a day . |
158,101 | 586de064c42d8efad0f3c4ab3d6ba0eaa2c0454c | Arnold Ferrier is a man who openly admits he’s rather admiring of what he sees in the mirror. And so he should. For the 45-year-old IT executive has a grooming ritual on a par with that of a supermodel — he works out every day and refuses to drink alcohol or eat carbohydrates on week days. But he also has another beauty secret, one done in private behind the bolted bathroom door of the four-bedroom home he shares with his fiancee and her young son in Hove, West Sussex. 45-year-old IT executive, Arnold Ferrier, started shaving his chest two years ago and he's not the only one, a study by Mintel last year found that 13 per cent of men have removed their chest hair . Every week, he spends the best part of an hour shaving his chest. First he washes the area with one of his favourite upmarket soaps, then he applies some L’Oreal For Men shaving foam and removes the offending hair with a razor. Afterwards, he lovingly massages in a post-shave healing lotion before applying tinted moisturiser. While such a routine might sound peculiar for a heterosexual father-of-two, for Arnold it’s a luxurious moment of ‘me’ time that he wouldn’t be without. ‘When I dress after having shaved my chest,’ he says, ‘I can only describe it as the wonderful feeling you get when you’ve changed your bed sheets and then slip into them or stay in a posh hotel with fabulous Egyptian-cotton bed linen. When your smooth, hairless skin touches crisply ironed natural fabric, it’s the most wonderful sensation, there’s nothing like it.’ Men with smooth chests such as David Beckham (pictured), Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Cruise are now held up as style icons rather than their hirsute counterparts of the 20th century . Not only do Arnold’s two teenage children find his habit ridiculous, but so does his fiancee Laura. Indeed, she says, if she’d discovered how obsessed he was with his grooming habits at their first meeting a year ago, there wouldn’t have been a second. ‘When I found out I was absolutely horrified,’ remembers 40-year-old Laura, a sleep counsellor and mother to Joe, seven. ‘We laugh about it now but I was quite disgusted at the time. ‘When we first got intimate, my initial reaction was to recoil in horror. At the gym, the guys like that are a total turn-off. They look so vain — they’re always admiring themselves in the mirror. ‘I’ve had to accept that Arnold is exceedingly vain. It’s pointless me trying to stop him indulging in his grooming habits. It’s constant, I do come second place to his reflection.’ Rather worryingly for those who cling to the idea that a hairy chest is a sign of virility, Arnold isn’t an anomaly. Indeed, it’s part of a growing trend among middle-aged men. Researchers even have a term for it — ‘manscaping’. A study by Mintel last year found that 13 per cent of men have removed their chest hair and one-in-five feel expected to remove hair from their torso. Bernadette Harte, non-surgical training manager at The Harley Medical Group, puts this down to the 2012 Olympics: ‘Suddenly ordinary men were constantly exposed to athletic, fit and hairless bodies. They wanted to emulate them. They started working out and removing body hair too.’ Indeed, it seems no British male is immune to temptation — the survey found 22 per cent of over-65s felt pressure to remove or groom body hair. Perhaps it’s no wonder. Men with smooth chests such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Cruise are now held up as style icons rather than their hirsute counterparts of the 20th century. Indeed Arnold cites Ronaldo as his icon. ‘When you look at the chests of today,’ he claims, ‘Ronaldo is the ultimate pin-up. It’s completely clear of hair and extremely well-toned and sculpted. He’s like a Greek God.’ Arnold's fiancee Laura (pictured) was horrified when she first saw Arnold's chest. She says: 'We laugh about it now but I was quite disgusted at the time' Arnold started shaving his chest two years ago, after coming out of a seven-year relationship, and denies it’s in any way narcissistic. ‘With all of the stress involved [in the break-up], I’d let myself go,’ he says. ‘One of my goals was to get in shape. There’s no better indicator of being on the road to success at 45 than if you can see your abs in the mirror. I was hairy — it was hiding what was underneath. That was a motivating factor to start shaving, so that I could see the improvements under the hair.’ While Arnold denies he’s undergoing a mid-life crisis, Bernadette Harte believes that this is often the case for 40-something men. ‘If a chap is back on the market then the last thing he wants to see is grey hairs on his chest. If they’re already discreetly dying their hair then they’ll remove the give-away ageing signs on their chest. ‘Society has moved on — they read the magazines, they go to the gym, they even talk to each other about it. Men today don’t want to look younger, they want to look good for their age.’ Daniel Remon, 40, a building engineer and stepfather to four children aged 15 to 26, has been shaving his chest and legs since his late teens. ‘I was 12 when I developed a moustache,’ says Daniel, who lives with his wife Jacqui in Symonds Yat, Herefordshire. ‘It was always commented on in the changing rooms that I was really hairy. I was teased relentlessly. ‘When I reached my late teens, someone dared me to shave off all of my hair. I thought it looked quite neat, I enjoyed the sensation of having smooth, hair-free skin. That’s why I carried on doing it.’ Even so, until recently it’s a habit that he’s kept to himself. ‘There has been a social prejudice that men can’t do this kind of thing. Girlfriends in the past couldn’t stand it and it has ended relationships. One in particular couldn’t come to terms with me preferring to be hairless. ‘Even my 15-year-old stepson called me “gay” and said I’m “bizarre” when he found out I shaved everywhere. But I’d rather be smooth than hirsute.’ Jacqui, a 52-year-old writer, is accepting of his habit. ‘I know a lot of men in their 40s and 50s who do it and they’re all normal blokes in normal jobs. It’s not just for metrosexuals or gay men any more. Among my social circle are men who are quite vain — they dress nicely, do their nails and look after themselves. Dan is vain, I’ve come to accept that.’ As with Daniel, 48-year-old Chris Nurding’s trigger to shave his chest also came about in his teens, but for a far more serious reason. ‘I was 18 and I’d just passed my driving test when I was involved in a horrific car accident. I spent months in hospital. Arnold cites Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured) as his icon. ‘When you look at the chests of today,’ he claims, ‘Ronaldo is the ultimate pin-up. It’s completely clear of hair and extremely well-toned and sculpted' ‘When I was discharged, I was just 6st. At 5ft 11in I was desperately underweight and part of my rehabilitation included physiotherapy and weights. ‘I got into developing my chest and to chart my progress it was a natural step for me to shave. It made a difference seeing the skin and muscle tone develop. ‘It was 1985 and that kind of behaviour for a man wasn’t the norm. I did keep quiet about it. Everyone would snigger at oily, hair-free bodybuilders. I certainly didn’t want to be mocked either.’ The property developer, who lives with partner Kristina Papapetrou, 43, an art therapist, in Barnet, North London, has continued his habit to this day, relying on an electric razor to shave both his head and chest once a week. ‘While I keep in shape, I don’t go to the gym any more, but I still like to shave my chest. If I’m renovating a property, it’s often too hot with body hair. I genuinely think I look better without a hairy chest. Women prefer it, too. In my experience, not many women like rugs.’ Chris’s partner Kristina discovered by surprise that Chris shaved his chest when they were on holiday. ‘I thought it was really lovely he took pride in how he looked. I enjoy dressing up, putting on make-up, ensuring my hair looks nice for Chris and I like that he takes an interest in himself for me too. ‘Chris feels good about himself and more confident. It’s a good thing for middle-aged men to do.’ | Arnold Ferrier began shaving his chest two years ago .
His fiancee Laura was initially horrified by the revelation but has learnt to live with it now .
Arnold isn't the only one, 13% of men have admitted doing the same . |
269,965 | e9a41f96a04281e5b74521924e7f6cd7869426ce | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Suleman Maknojioa denies seven counts of sexually touching a child . A religious teacher put his hand under a schoolgirl's headscarf and touched her sexually as she prayed, a court heard. The attacks allegedly took place as he gave religious lessons to the girl - who is of primary school age - and her brothers. Suleman Maknojioa, 40, of Blackburn, Lancashire, was said to have 'squeezed' the youngster's chest, by placing his hand beneath the long folds of her headscarf. He denies seven counts of sexually touching a child. Giving evidence by video link yesterday, the youngster cried as she told Preston Crown Court she was 'afraid of what he would do'. She said the problems began some months after she started tuition of the Koran in Arabic. She said inappropriate touching, which had occurred over several months, started 'gradually', beginning with the arms and head, then moving to the legs, feet and chest and her thigh. Her brother, who also gave evidence, told how he and his sibling had noticed 'inappropriate' touching of his sister and favouritism towards her. The girl told the court that touching had typically occurred as she prayed; kneeling or cross-legged while reading from the Koran. She said: 'He would put his hand under my head scarf on my chest and he would squeeze. 'He would only use the one hand. The other hand would be writing something or he would be pointing to my brothers and telling them to pray harder. 'No matter how hard my brothers tried to pray it wasn't good enough. He would always say I was better even if I wasn't. 'My brothers asked me what he had been doing and I didn't know how to describe it. I told them he had touched me up.' Giving evidence by video link yesterday, the youngster cried as she told Preston Crown Court she was 'afraid of what he would do' She became tearful as she added: 'They told me to tell mum and dad - but I just didn't want to tell anyone.' Under cross examination, the girl was asked if it was not just 'reasonable' pats on the shoulder to say 'well done'. She replied: 'No, it wasn't like that. It was never to say well done. It went on for ages, his hand going up and down. You don't do that to say "well done".' Defending Maknojioa, Frida Hussain asked if she disliked the lessons. The girl replied: 'Yes, because I was afraid of what my teacher would do.' Giving evidence, her brother said: 'I knew what was happening for about a month before my parents. My sister would get very upset at the idea of anyone knowing. It was difficult for me to know what to do. 'He favoured her and praised her. He would give her 10 pages to learn and we would only get three. That way he spent most of the lesson with her. He did it slyly so we didn't notice. 'When it happened she was trying to pray and he would interrupt her.' He added: 'I have seen him touching her thigh in a stroking motion.' The defence barrister asked: 'Was it in fact a reasonable teacher and pupil relationship where touching was done to console her?' The brother said: 'No, it was inappropriate.' The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Suleman Maknojioa said to have 'squeezed' the child's chest, court hears .
40-year-old, of Blackburn, denies seven counts of sexually touching a child .
Attacks allegedly took place as he gave religious lessons to girl and her brothers . |
192,769 | 858dae2c73f1acb47a1aecac574be74af93bf392 | (CNN) -- War and toys: two words rarely associated with one another. But veteran photographer Brian McCarty is bringing the two together in photography and a documentary film to explore what children in the war zone endure every day. With simple toys and drawings, the War-Toys project explores the daily struggles of Palestinian and Israeli children through their own eyes, with the help of local humanitarian organizations. McCarty, who has used toys in art projects in the past, takes the drawings from children's art therapy and recreates some of those scenes with toys and photographs them. CNN's Asieh Namdar talked to McCarty about how art therapy is helping kids open up about war, living with fear and day-to-day reality for them. CNN: How did this idea of "War-Toys" get started? McCarty: It started 14 years ago at an exhibit in Zagreb, after the Croatian war of independence. I chose to do a study of war toys as cultural artifacts, and as a tool for getting perspective on war. But it was in the abstract form; it wasn't tied into cultural or personal experiences. Over the years I started to see the potential of toys for healing and communication. So War-Toys in a nutshell allows children to articulate their experiences of war, occupation, terrorism through a collaborative process. It's all based on art therapy and play therapy. I essentially go and interview kids, working with established therapists. You ask them to draw a picture or write a letter, and somehow they express what they've seen, what they feel, what they've heard. And from those drawings, I then go and buy local toys, and recreate at the actual locations, what they've described. (CNN Photos: See images from the War-Toys project) CNN: What drew you to kids in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? McCarty: I chose the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because the region has been in conflict since the dawn of humanity. It is a reflection of the flaws of human nature -- a place where there is a very definite two sides. It's a place ruled by passions and faith. So far I've only been to the West Bank and Israel. I've worked mostly with the Palestinians. Going forward, I want to work with the Israelis. It's really important to me that the project is completely neutral. I want to show all sides of the conflict, and show the cost of the conflict from the kids, who are just stuck in the middle of this whole mess. CNN: How does art and play therapy work? McCarty: Art therapy is a way to really have a child be in control and express his or her feelings and emotions from a very safe place. I've been working with some amazing art therapists. Art therapy bridges so many gaps. Children are smart. They know what's going on, they know what's happening -- they have emotions attached to it all. But their language abilities may not be there, so they can never sit there and tell you, "This is what happened to me, this is what I feel about it." So as a result, their accounts of war aren't seen or aren't valued. What they draw brings their experience to life, and I try to capture that. Same can be said for play therapy -- it's even harder to quantify. It's children in a room playing with toys, and a trained therapist watching how they play with toys, asking questions and getting them to explain what happened. It's really the only recognized way to deal with children in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) situations, war and that sort of thing. We'll pick the drawings we can capture in a photograph. CNN: What is your role during therapy sessions? McCarty: In the therapeutic setting, my role is observer. I rely on humanitarian organizations with ongoing art therapy and play therapy programs. It's not wise for me to work with the kids directly. In that moment, it would be irresponsible for me to get involved in that way. My biggest fear is to be exploitative, or cause any more harm than these kids have already gone through. It's a real danger, and I'm kind of walking a fine line. CNN: What's been the kids' reaction so far? McCarty: Children in the therapeutic process in the art process are generally excited, because they're drawing -- it's fun. They rush to grab the pastels and the pieces of paper, and they carve out little spots on the floor, and it's adorable. But the drawing can also be disturbing. I watched a little girl coloring in pools of blood. It was hard, it took a lot out of me. After I'd done some of the photographs, I brought them back to the kids and showed them the drawings they had done next to the photographs that I did, and their reaction was wonderful. The kids loved them, they went crazy for them: "This is exactly what we're feeling, this is wonderful." The art, for as painful as it was for me to watch, (the kids) were expressing themselves, and able to do so freely. I absolutely saw a release when they were doing the art. One asked ... "Why toys?" He was offended -- he asked me why I was shooting toys, and not the reality on the ground? That gave me the chance to conceptually defend the project to a child. And it was a challenge. I was not expecting it. I was able to say this is my method of communication, this is how I get context and boil down what's happening --- a new way of thinking and seeing. It takes quite a long time for the therapeutic process to really have an effect. But to have someone interested in their perspective, to have someone listening to them and someone who wanted to see what they were drawing, that alone kind of validates humans and makes it better. CNN: What is the most memorable experience so far? McCarty: The most overwhelming experience was just shooting video at the barrier wall just inside of the West Bank at the Kalandia checkpoint. The day that I picked happened to be a day that there was a giant protest. I'll never forget a child who drew an account of a shooting by the wall: a little boy being shot in the head. When the boy drew it, you could tell he was really emotional, and he went so far as to cross out the drawing after making it, so I really wanted to do it right. So I went to the wall and set up some toy soldiers, set up a little boy, put down fake blood. Right about then, the protesters showed up en masse, marched on the checkpoint. It was chaos, screaming, running, tear gas. What's remarkable to me looking back, my own reaction. I didn't acknowledge them, just focused on my own shoot. The project isn't about my experiences of war, it's about the kids, it's about articulating what they felt and what they've seen; so my experiences are secondary. CNN: Where do you want to see yourself in a few years from now? McCarty: It's hard to say exactly where I'll end up. It depends on funding, of course, but I've thought about Somalia, thought about Afghanistan, I've thought about Iraq, I've thought about Mexico and the drug wars. Really wherever these things are happening and I think that children's perspectives are either underserved or unseen. That's the motivation for it. My goal for War Toys is to use locally bought toys, to really go to the markets and the places where the children who live there buy their toys, or in some cases, make their toys. But the idea has been to use the toys to reflect socioeconomic conditions. If it's a poor neighborhood you'll have cheaper toys. Those differences to me just add another layer of commentary to the project. CNN: And finally, you've had success with your photography using toys as subject matter. Why toys? McCarty: I am definitely still a kid at heart. My house looks like a rich fourth grader lives there. I'm still a kid. I think through toys. It's how I view the world, it's how I interact with the world, it's how I make sense of the world. | Photographer Brian McCarty has used toys in his art projects for years .
His latest work is combined with a children's therapy effort .
His photographs aim to show the conflict from the kids' perspectives . |
49,970 | 8d4bb9888a3c4a587c30001e9cdf1a942bf20b1d | (CNN) -- World champion Jenson Button is up to third place in the drivers standings after his victory in the Australian Grand Prix. The Briton, who was claiming his first success in a McLaren after winning the world title for Brawn GP, secured the maximum 25 points in Melbourne to move up to 31 points overall. It is tight at the top with two-time former world champion Fernando Alonso following up his opening race victory in Bahrain with fourth place behind Button. The Spaniard leads Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who finished third on Sunday, by just four points. Meanwhile, Ferrari already appear to be the contructor to beat, as they have opened up a 16-point advantage after two races. Drivers' Championship (after two rounds): . 1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 37 points 2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 33 3. Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 31 4. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 23 5. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 20 6. Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 18 7. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 12 8. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP 9 9. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 8 10. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 6 Constructors' Championship: . 1. Ferrari 70 points 2. McLaren 54 3. Mercedes GP 29 4. Red Bull 18 4. Renault 18 6. Force India 8 . | Fernando Alonso maintains his lead in F1 drivers' standings with second race in Melbourne .
Alonso four points ahead of teammate Felipe Massa after finishing fourth in Australian GP .
World champion Jenson Button secures victory in his McLaren to move up to third overall . |
203,694 | 93b35cdee865e588779b4d0259bc053594a6bc2c | Cyle Warren Abbott Jr, 23, demanded cash from the gas station, but returned three hours later to apologise and hand himself in . A 23-year-old man robbed a gas station with a loaded BB gun before returning three hours later with the money to apologise, say police. Cyle Warren Abbott Jr from Eureka, California, demanded cash after entering the gas station brandishing what the clerk believed was a semi-automatic handgun, according to police. He was given a small, undisclosed amount of cash before he fled the scene at around 6am on Friday, taking with him two bottles of beer. Eureka Police Sergeant Steve Watson said Abbott told officers he needed cash to leave town for a fresh start, but then realised his mistake. Abbott returned three hours later and gave back most of the cash saying he was sorry. He told police the weapon he had used was a BB gun which he had thrown in a grassy area after leaving the station, but police have not found it. Police said he took officers to the spot where he tossed the gun, but it could not be located. Abbott was arrested on suspicion of robbery and a probation violation. He was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and his bail has been set at $50,000. Anyone with any information concerning this incident, including the whereabouts of the pistol, is asked to call the Eureka Police Department at 441-4060 or 441-4044 after hours. He was given a small, undisclosed amount of cash before he fled from the gas station on the 1000 block of Broadway on Friday, taking with him two bottles of beer . | Cyle Warren Abbott robbed a gas station in California with a loaded BB gun .
He was given a small amount of cash and beer before he fled the scene .
But he returned three hours later with the money to apologise to employees .
Police said Abbott told officers he needed cash to leave for a fresh start . |
7,728 | 15e4e211905f0deec2bf01b0500c7b24c63d4768 | Enner Valencia announced himself to the Premier League on Monday night when he scored a stunning goal for West Ham in their 2-2 draw with Hull at the KC Stadium. The Ecuadorian's effort, which was blasted into the top corner from 25 yards, left keeper Allan McGregor with no chance and put the Hammers back on level terms following Abel Hernandez's opener. After the game, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville asked fans to name the best Premier League goals scored from distance when the ball was struck off the ground. With that in mind, Sportsmail takes a look at 10 of the best. VIDEO Scroll down to watch all 10 goals in our countdown . West Ham striker Enner Valencia scores his first goal for the club with a powerful strike against Hull City . Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville asked fans for their opinions after Enner Valencia's brilliant goal . Thierry Henry - Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United, Premier League - March 28, 2004 . Even though he was well known for his ability to generate power, Thierry Henry took everyone at Highbury by surprise when he smashed a long-range effort past Roy Carroll in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in March 2004. The Frenchman's strike was straight down the middle but United's goalkeeper had no chance given the swerve and pace on the shot. Thierry Henry beats Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll with a swerving drive at Highbury in 2004 . Cristiano Ronaldo - Porto 0-1 Manchester United, Champions League - April 15, 2009 . Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had the last laugh on his return to his homeland when he fired Manchester United into the semis of the Champions League with an incredible strike at the Estadio do Dragao. He picked the ball up 40 yards from goal and took two quick touches before unleashing a rocket of a right-foot shot into the top corner and beyond goalkeeper Helton Arruda. Cristiano Ronaldo sent Manchester United into the Champions League semi-finals with this goal against Porto . Erik Edman - Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham, Premier League - April 16, 2005 . Swede Erik Edman will be forever remembered by Tottenham fans for his out-of-character goal against Liverpool at Anfield back in 2005. The left back, who was allowed plenty of space inside the Reds half, pushed the ball out from his feet and smashed an unstoppable left-footed shot into the far top corner. Keeper Jerzy Dudek could only watch and admire. Tottenham defender Erik Edman stunned Anfield with this brilliant goal in a 2-2 draw in April 2005 . Darren Ambrose - Manchester United 1-2 Crystal Palace, Carling Cup - November 30, 2011 . The hosts might have had youngster Ben Amos in between the sticks but no goalkeeper in the world would've saved Darren Ambrose's ferocious drive during Crystal Palace's Carling Cup quarter-final upset at Old Trafford. The former Charlton midfielder has a tendency to pull off the spectacular but this will likely go down as the best goal of his career. Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose celebrates after scoring a screamer against Manchester United . Sebastian Larsson - Tottenham 2-3 Birmingham City, Premier League - December 2, 2007 . As if scoring a brilliant goal at White Hart Lane wasn't enough, Sebastian Larsson decided to do it in the last minute to seal a dramatic away win for Alex McLeish's side. The Swedish international cut across the ball from 25 yards to swerve it just out of the reach of Paul Robinson, whose dive made it look even more impressive. Sebastian Larsson sealed a 3-2 win against Tottenham for Birmingham with this long-range effort . Obafemi Martins - Tottenham 2-3 Newcastle, Premier League - January 14, 2007 . Another 3-2 for the away team at White Hart Lane and another thunderbolt of a goal, this time by Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins. The Nigerian exchanged passes in the middle of the pitch before pushing out towards the left. He appeared to be going nowhere before powering a shot past the despairing Robinson in goal. Newcastle's Obafemi Martins (right) unleashes an unstoppable shot during a 3-2 win against Tottenham . Mario Balotelli - AC Milan 1-0 Bologna, Serie A - February 14, 2014 . Controversial striker Mario Balotelli ensured he was loved by AC Milan fans on Valentine's Day this year by netting an outrageous winner against Bologna at the San Siro. The Italy international picked the ball up on the right and took two touches before arrowing a strike into the far top corner in the 86th minute. AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli scores a stunning winner against Bologna on Valentine's Day earlier this year . Laurent Robert - Newcastle 4-0 Tottenham, Premier League - December 13, 2003 . Having already bagged a typically eye-catching volley in the first half, Laurent Robert followed it up after the break with another left-footed Goal of the Season contender. The Frenchman drove down the left before smashing a 25-yard effort into the back of Kasey Keller's net as the Magpies sealed a comfortable win against Spurs. Newcastle midfielder Laurent Robert celebrates the second of his brilliant goals against Tottenham in 2003 . Giovanni van Bronckhorst - Uruguay 2-3 Holland, World Cup - June 6, 2010 . Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst helped his side into their third World Cup final with this wonder goal against Uruguay in South Africa. The former Arsenal and Barcelona left back found himself in space 30 yards from goal and opted to shoot rather than cross. Holland boss Bert van Marwijk was glad he did. Holland defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst opens the scoring against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup . Gareth Bale - Real Madrid 3-0 Elche, La Liga - February 22, 2014 . Some doubted whether Gareth Bale was good enough to join Real Madrid's galacticos but goals like this one have quickly endeared him to the Bernabeu faithful. One of 15 La Liga goals he scored in his debut season, this thunderous strike crashed off the underside of the bar and helped Carlo Ancelotti's men to an easy victory. Real Madrid midfielder Gareth Bale scores a stunner off the underside of the bar against Elche last season . | Enner Valencia netted a brilliant goal against Hull on Monday night .
The striker's effort was struck cleanly off the turf at the KC Stadium .
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville asked fans to tweet him their favourite Premier League goals that where hit with the ball on the ground .
Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo feature in our countdown .
Gareth Bale, Mario Balotelli and Obafemi Martins also make the cut . |
99,101 | 0ba8852529598f4ef0201273b096d01a6b6766de | Editor's note: As part of CNN's Defining America project, CNN iReport is conducting a cultural census. We're asking people to share a self-portrait, show off their handwriting, tell us what they typically eat for dinner, and more. This piece is part of our series focusing on the self-portrait project. It was inspired by the fact that the self-portrait assignment was the most popular of the five cultural census assignments, with around 500 submissions. CNN -- After scavenging through thousands of strangers' Facebook photo albums, you learn a thing or two about how to represent yourself online. "You can tell who puts in the effort to curate their online profile and who doesn't," says New York artist Matt Held. With the help of wife Joelle Held, he has painted 75 portraits based on real Facebook pictures, and in the process gained an intimate look at some of the best and worst kinds of photos you can post. If you use social media, you've no doubt seen a few people who are a little shy about the whole profile picture thing. Maybe they leave up the pale blue default avatar or hide in a massive group of nubile co-eds. Or, perhaps they have an outdated photo -- or keep changing it every day. Before you update your profile, think about what images you use to represent yourself. "Nobody wants to see you making out with your boyfriend," Joelle Held quipped. The Helds' Portrait Painted project ran from 2008 to 2010, and the Facebook photos they used were selected from the 5,000 or so new "friends" they made along the way. Many of the Helds' subjects made the paintings their default photos because they were such a unique creation that told so much about them. No surprise, social media sites are becoming more and more important for networking and socialization. New friends and potential employers alike could be encountering your profile photos and information before actually meeting you in person. Profile photos are all the more important now. Matt Held says he was looking for amateur-style images rather than glossy compositions from professional photographers. "I was looking for that sort of everyday photo, but there had to be something quirky about it whether it was a prop they used or their hair was bright blue." Share a photo of yourself as part of the cultural census project . A profile picture conveys a sense of identity, and nowhere is this more apparent than on Facebook, which even has the word "face" in its name. Inspired by the tradition of scholastic facebooks designed for students to identify each other, the site began as a place where college students could put names to faces and vice versa. Whether you're searching for a new friend or reconnecting with an old pal, photos help bridge the gaps between individuals, says Meredith Chin, manager of product communications for Facebook. They also help distinguish one John Smith from another. Chin recommends using a photo of yourself if possible. However, it's quite common to see people post photos of an inanimate object or their dog. "Being able to see someone's face is really important," says Chin. "It's also a big part of expressing who you are." She notes that this self-expression extends to becoming part of a community and feeling a sense of belonging. The Facebook team has noticed a few trends over the years. In the aftermath of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, students uploaded photos with the school colors as a show of support. Mother's Day and Father's Day bring photos of parents to profile walls every year, and spontaneous memes and trends sometimes pop up around holidays and news. President Obama's inauguration inspired many Facebookers to post artsy photos of themselves filtered in the style of Obama's campaign logo. "When you see your friends doing something or express an opinion about something ... you're a lot more inclined to offer your own experience or share your own opinion," Chin says. Facebook generally keeps tight wraps on profile photo information, but other sites have actually produced graphs and visualizations based on their data aggregations. The dating site OkCupid maintains a blog called OkTrends, and it's a fun place to study profile anthropology. Christian Rudder, OkCupid editorial director, says sites like Twitter give people 140-character status nuggets, but potential dates have less to work with. "A dating site is one of the few places where a stranger is trying to make a judgment about you and a profile picture is all they have to go on," Rudder says. After hours of combing through all the photos on the site and manually tagging them according to various criteria, he's noticed a few things that seem to help users get more messages, which was a metric for defining what constitutes a "better" profile image. A few basics go a long way. Skip the flash; use natural light instead. Don't get super close, and make sure you're in an interesting or meaningful setting. Worry less about technology and more about the composition of your shots. "With the advent of high-quality, not too expensive, kind of pro-am cameras, people are able to take better pictures." The data also suggests you might be able to get away without showing a photo of your face, so long as your chosen image is interesting and eye-catching. Whatever you choose, be true to yourself. Be the way you really are. Don't try to be a suit if you're really a T-shirt. "You've got to ask that secondary question: What am I about and who do I want to meet?" That means putting some thought into what you hope to say about yourself with your profile. If you're a world traveler and want to interact with others like yourself, Rudder says post a photo from one of your recent adventures. Same goes for other hobbies and pursuits. Or, if it so happens you're looking for romantic exploits, the numbers say you might want to consider posting something tastefully suggestive. Seriously. And as much as people gripe about shirtless photos, Rudder says they seem to work in the dating arena. "Those people do get lots of messages, that's for sure." Looking back on their favorite paintings, the Helds say photos with an original, creative approach make the best impression. Matt Held suggested showing some of the environment in profile photos to add context. He gave an example of skaters who showed an urban and industrial environment, an "almost perfect" snapshot of their life. Another memorable image the Helds recall was a man in a pink bunny suit. The resulting painted portrait seemed to hint at inner sadness beneath the rabbit-eared smile. Things to avoid? Intimate moments, private parts and anything tacky. Go easy on photos of your kids, and avoid putting up photos of yourself in your underwear. And if children are using Facebook, it's especially important to exercise caution with what they're posting online. But the most important rule of all might be to remember that the Internet never forgets, so put some thought into what you share. "That stuff really does stay there forever," Matt Held says. | Profile pictures represent you online, and help people know they've found you .
Your photo should include clues about your life, say some .
Facebook users on occasion change profile photos en masse as part of social movements .
Share your own self-portrait as part of CNN iReport's cultural census . |
278,554 | f4d47178cbb4dac36604c8938a7478dfdbb2e858 | (CNN) -- Change is never pretty. And the change that results when 50 states step in to take on a job Washington has tried and failed to do can be especially messy. This is what's happening -- with a vengeance -- on immigration. In the past five years, there has been a virtual revolution in immigration lawmaking. And the result is not just chaos -- it's a lot of bad policy. States from Arizona to Virginia have enacted laws cracking down on illegal immigration. Some go after the immigrants; some target the businesses that hire them. Some rely on local police to do the job; others require that employers use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. Many of these statutes have been challenged in court, and the decisions that have been handed down are all over the map. The most controversial provisions of Arizona's 2010 immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, were put on hold by a federal judge before they could go into effect, and in April the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling. But when Alabama's similar law, passed in June, came before a federal judge, she came to exactly the opposite conclusion, upholding sections almost identical to those blocked by the 9th Circuit. And on Friday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took yet a third view, blocking some provisions of the Alabama law but upholding others -- including the section that permits local police to ask about the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons. An immigration reform advocate who went to sleep five years ago when Congress last tried and failed to pass immigration reform wouldn't recognize the landscape today. The notion that immigration policy is a federal responsibility -- once widely accepted by both parties -- has been shattered, probably forever. Far from finding state immigration laws unconstitutional -- as many legal experts once insisted -- the Supreme Court's May ruling in the Whiting v. U.S. Chamber of Commerce case endorsed the principle that states can and should play a significant role in controlling illegal immigration. And policies once unthinkable to many are now commonplace. A full one-third of the states now require some or all employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new hires. Four states have enacted measures modeled on Arizona's controversial policing law. Of course, it's understandable that states are stepping in to grapple with immigration: The system is dysfunctional, and voters want something done. The problem is that most state lawmakers respond to this clamor by intensifying state enforcement. But critical as enforcement is, enforcement alone won't solve the problem. To do that, lawmakers need to combine enforcement with fixes to the legal immigration system -- providing enough visas for immigrants who contribute to the economy, create jobs and keep our cities vital while also protecting U.S. workers. And these kinds of fixes are much harder for states to make. So instead, most simply crack down harder on the broken system. Consider what happened this year in Alabama, the state with the nation's toughest immigration law. The new measure touches nearly every aspect of life in Alabama: hiring, firing, policing, the criminal justice system, state contracts, schools and religion -- the aim being to make every aspect of life harsher and less hospitable for illegal immigrants.The two recent court decisions on the law are not the last word -- there will be many appeals. And in the meantime, chaos reigns across Alabama. Local law enforcement officials are at a loss, unsure who they should asking for immigration papers or where to house those they arrest -- most jails in Alabama are already full. Immigrants are fleeing the state in droves -- illegal immigrants but also legal residents who have unauthorized relatives and are afraid to lead police to their doors. Five percent of Hispanic children have stopped attending school. Employers -- particularly farmers -- are complaining desperately about labor shortages. And fruit and vegetables are rotting in fields across the state. Is there a silver lining? At first blush, it's hard to see one. But sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. Voters aren't blind. Most support tough immigration enforcement, but they can also see the crops rotting not just in Alabama but also in Georgia, Arizona and other states. Employers and business groups once hesitant to get involved in the debate are coming out of the woodwork to complain about worker shortages. And in a few states, this has led to productive dialogue, even, occasionally, a breakthrough. In a handful of states, the two parties have put their heads together and considered options for solving the problem. In other places, lawmakers have listened to employers when they explained the damage harsh enforcement would do to the economy. This ferment bore fruit in several states this year. In Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Texas, legislators stopped short of passing the most draconian measures on the table. And in Utah, politicians, business leaders, law enforcement and faith groups came together to enact legislation that went beyond enforcement only -- trying to create a system that works, at least in Utah. The most important part of the Utah solution is a state guest-worker program. Exactly how it will function is controversial -- Utah's answer involves unauthorized workers already in the state and others waiting in Mexico for legal visas. But the underlying principle is only common sense: replacing illegal immigrants with a legal foreign work force that employers can turn to when they can't find enough willing and able American workers. Justice Louis Brandeis called the states the "laboratories" of democracy. A lot of what's going on in those laboratories today is disastrous. Certainly, in Alabama, the results look more like a train wreck than science. But maybe even that offers some reason for hope. After all, even Congress can stand by only so long. At some point, surely, Washington will have to impose order on the chaos spreading in the states. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tamar Jacoby. | Tamar Jacoby: States grappling with immigration by making own laws have made bad policy .
She says feds failed at immigration reform, now states just focus on enforcement .
She says more visas for good workers needed as well as ways to protect U.S. workers .
Jacoby: Silver lining to bad laws is that they clarify need, can help start dialogue about reality . |
192,053 | 84b0ecf63e4a8627d5f18cfa1e80d2d340ddc1ea | Standing in the sunshine, chatting with my friends in the park on a lovely Saturday morning, I could not have been more content. Then I caught a glimpse of garish pink and DayGlo yellow. In an instant, my mood was shattered as a voice gasped: 'Dear God, Jennie. Is that your husband?' And there he was, walking towards us in an outfit even Daniel Craig would struggle to pull off. In fact waddling would be a more apt description, as his cycling shoes made walking all but impossible. Scroll down for video . Cycle of despair: Jennie Price and her husband Richard with his £2,000 bike . Yet, as I stood there mortified, Richard had a smile as broad as the Thames. For my darling husband is a MAMIL, and had just returned from his ritual Saturday bike ride. 'What is a MAMIL?' I hear you cry. Well, as of last week you need look no further than the Oxford Dictionary to find out. It stands for a Middle Aged Man In Lycra. The definition is 'a middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike and wears the type of clothing associated with professional cyclists'. Crisis: Richard's mid-life crisis is entirely his choice, says Jennie who says it has turned her into a weekend widow rapidly turning grey as she watches money drain from their joint account . You will have seen them. Their numbers are swelling at an alarming rate, thanks to Tour de France winners Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome — men I would admire but for my husband's desire to emulate them. As professional sportsmen, it is their job to dress in ridiculous clothes and spend endless hours in the saddle. But Richard's mid-life crisis is entirely his choice, and has turned me into a weekend widow rapidly turning grey as I watch money drain from our joint account more quickly than a Mark Cavendish sprint. For those fortunate enough to have normal husbands, allow me to elaborate. Being a MAMIL is about much more than squeezing your ample frame into tight lycra. MAMIL hero: The men all want to be like Tour De France winner Bradley Wiggins . This means boring dinner parties into silence with endless chat about bikes, spending long hours of family time out 'training', embarrassing your children walking around the house in bib shorts (think a mankini with padding around the nether regions) and paying eye-watering sums for obscure items of kit. Richard's transformation into a MAMIL began five years ago when, to get fit, he bought a road bike. At first, he wore a sensible pair of shorts and a loose-fitting jersey. But then the buying began in earnest. New wheels (the old ones were slowing him down, apparently), a pair of cycling shoes, then another pair, then a 'quicker' helmet, then a personal trainer to help him shed the pounds and improve his 'power to weight ratio'. Transformation: Richard's evolution into a MAMIL began five years ago when, to get fit, he bought a road bike . The clothes grew tighter, the cost escalated as he bought a cycling computer (a glorified satnav), which at £500 cost almost as much as his bike, and £250 sunglasses (they have gaps in the lenses to stop them steaming up — but if you sweat as much as Richard, they steam up anyway). Now our weekends have been taken over by cycling. For MAMILs do not simply go on an hour-long run out. Rides regularly last three hours or more, while in the spring and summer they disappear for days to ride in 'sportive' events. My husband, like so many of his friends, is a fanatic. He buys an average of one bike a year, each more expensive than the last. His first was a relatively meagre £800, that he sold two years on for £200. Emulating their idols: Jennie's husband and his friends go on cycling trips abroad so they can cycle routes taken by professionals like Chris Froome, pictured right . Today, he has three: a day-to-day 'workhorse' (£1,000), a steel 'winter trainer' (£850) and a custom-built, red, white and blue road bike (£2,000 — his name is painted on the frame). Then there are the clothes, gadgets and 'sports nutrition'. Tools, inner tubes, tyres, wheels, hats, gloves (summer, autumn, winter and spring versions), shoes (waterproof for the winter, lightweight for the summer), overshoes, arm warmers, leg warmers, lights, pumps, pedals and saddles... the list is endless. Every week another mysterious package arrives, with the latest waterproof jersey or a vintage cycling cap of a type once worn by one of his increasingly obscure heroes. Spending: Jennie says every week another mysterious package arrives, with the latest waterproof jersey or a vintage cycling cap of a type once worn by one of his increasingly obscure heroes . At night in bed, he reads Cycling Weekly or autobiographies of surly-looking Belgians. He has also been agonising over whether to shave his legs or not, although the only reason he can give me for doing so is 'the pros do it'. Even when it rains we get no respite. Rather than miss a ride he sets up rollers (a treadmill for bikes) in the kitchen and scares the dog witless by riding on the spot for a noisy hour. Then there are the foreign trips. We live in the Surrey Hills — one of the best cycling spots in the country. Box Hill, where the Olympic road race was held, is a local climb and the Tour of Britain passes through every year. All the gear, no idea: Jennie's husband as much kit as Mark Cavendish but cycling is not his career . The one thing we don't have is a mountain. So a couple of times a year Richard and his MAMIL pals pack their bikes into protective boxes (£500) and fly to the Pyrenees or the Alps, for a weekend emulating their professional cycling idols. It may drive me to distraction, but I must admit I admire his dedication. Our son, James, six, certainly looks up to him and wants a road bike, too. Even Jessica, eight-going-on-18, was genuinely interested in racing a bike until recently, when she started to prefer my Zumba and dance classes. For a man diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years ago, Richard is impressively active . Both ride well and have picked up a love of exercise from Richard and me. For a man diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years ago, Richard is impressively active. Within a year of taking up cycling he rode from London to Paris and this summer did the Etape du Tour — a mountain stage of the Tour de France, in appalling weather. As mid-life crises go it could be a lot worse. I am far happier my 41-year-old husband is out riding a pushbike with a bunch of other men than zooming around on a Harley-Davidson and chasing girls half his age. I also take comfort from the fact I am not alone. In our circle of friends, six of the husbands have taken up cycling . They are putting this passion to good use, too. Next May they will take part in a charity cycle ride from Guildford to Bordeaux in aid of The Fountain Centre, a local cancer charity. Being a MAMIL, like all mid-life crises means acting like little boys. As 11-year-olds do, they have their in-jokes, asserting the perfect number of bikes to own is N + 1 (N is the number of bikes you have already). Another formula, which shows they are not entirely stupid, is S – 1 (S is the number of bikes that will prompt your wife to demand a separation). In Richard's case, he seems to have taken heed to the latter — he used to have two more than now (a mountain bike and a Brompton folding cycle). Of course, he hankers for more. Recently, he has been wittering on about carbon and titanium frames, in the hope of boring me into submission. I humour him up to a point, but on one issue I will not budge. Since that day in the park Richard is banned from attending any social occasion dressed in lycra — on pain of his bike being sent to the tip. Would I really follow through with the threat? Just try me. | Jennie Price from Surrey is a cycling widow .
Her husband Richard's transformation began five years ago .
To get fit, he bought a road bike but soon became obsessed .
Now he spends hours in the saddle .
He has also spent a fortune on bikes, cycling clothing and gadgets . |
56,324 | 9f9d0ce3309e2e9c012b5b3c1de7d76a5089c026 | Everton striker Samuel Eto’o is in discussions over a move to Sampdoria. The Italian side, led by eccentric president Massimo Ferrero, have opened talks with Eto’o’s representative Claudio Vigorelli. The 33-year-old Eto’o has been offered £1.7million a year plus bonuses by sporting director Carlo Osti on an 18-month contract. Everton forward Samuel Eto'o could join Italian outfit Sampdoria on an 18-month deal . Eto'o, pictured with Toffees boss Roberto Martinez, joined Everton at the end of August 2014 . Eto’o is a popular figure at Everton and has scored four goals in 20 appearances this season. The Toffees' Premier League rivals West Ham have also shown an interest in signing the Cameroonian. Former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Eto'o was an unused substitute in Everton's 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Saturday. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is also said to be keen on making a move for Eto'o . | Representatives of Samuel Eto'o have opened talks with Italian outfit .
West Ham are also said to be keen on signing the 33-year-old striker .
Eto'o was an unused substitute in Everton's 1-1 draw with Man City . |
28,047 | 4f7f073ce92bceddcf0a7a1eae99d902af7dd999 | By . Ap . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:02 EST, 16 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:02 EST, 16 February 2014 . A big-game hunter from . Montana is suing a Canadian outfitter and a world-renowned hunting . guide in Tajikistan he accuses of turning his once-in-a-lifetime . adventure of bagging a rare, wild argali sheep known as the 'Marco Polo' into a nightmare. Rick Vukasin said in a . lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Reno last week that he spent . more than $50,000 pursuing the animal in the Pamir mountains of . northeast Tajikistan near China's border in December 2012. The . 65-year-old electrician said he felt like he was literally on top of . the world after he tracked, shot and killed a 400-pound, big-horned ram . with the coveted, spiraling horns at an elevation of 14,000 feet. But he . was mortified two months later when he opened up the box shipped to his . home in Great Falls to find the horns were not the 58-inch-long ones . from his trophy animal. 'Marco Polo': Rick Vukasin claims the horns he was sent are not the horns that were on the animal he shot . 'I could tell right away,' Vukasin said. 'I was sick.' The . native Montanan who grew up hunting deer on the eastern front of the . Northern Rockies had stalked moose in Saskatchewan and red stag elk in . New Zealand. 'But the thing I really wanted to . do was a Marco Polo sheep hunt,' he said. He poured over books, guides . and websites before settling on the excursion halfway around the world. 'The . biggest of the species is in Tajikistan. So I figured if I was only . going to be able to do this once, I'm going top shelf,' he said. Vukasin . and his guide, Yuri Matison, saw animals the first day but had . difficulty tracking them partly because it's hard to breathe at that . altitude, he said. But the next day he said he 'felt lucky' to land a . prize with a rack in 'pretty good shape ... not all busted up from . fighting.' The horns he ended up with are . missing a few noticeable chips and weathered to the point he suspects . they are at least two years old. Vukasin said . Matison and the booking outfitter - Ameri-Cana Expeditions Inc. of . Edmonton, Alberta - first insisted the horns were the originals, then . offered to send a replacement. Rare: The wild argali sheep can be found in the Pamir Mountains and is one of the rarest sheep in the world . He's demanding . reimbursement or his original horns, but he said a possible exchange is . complicated by international treaties governing hunting of argali, a . threatened species in Tajikistan. Only 60 permits are issued there . annually for the sheep named after the 13th century explorer. The . Safari Club International considers the argali's horns the 'most . spectacular' of all the world's sheep, according to its record book. Vukasin shot his in the same region where Matison had served as guide . about a month before for Soudy Golbachi of Augusta, Ga., when he set a . club record for landing one with horns more than 71 inches long. Vukasin said Ameri-Cana co-owner Dan Frederick dismissed his concerns, telling him 'it's just hunting.' 'Granted,' Vukasin said, 'you can have bad weather or you might not see any animals or you might miss the shot. That's hunting. 'But to shoot the animal and take pictures of it and then not to get it, somebody has to be responsible.' Frederick didn't immediately return calls or email seeking comment. The Associated Press was unable to locate Matison. Tajikistan: Vukasin traveled all the way to the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan for a chance to hunt the rare sheep . Vukasin . said he contacted an FBI agent in Great Falls, who indicated he . probably was a fraud victim but there was little authorities could do . unless they found a number of other hunters who'd also been duped. FBI spokesman William Facer in Salt Lake City said on Friday the agency could not comment. Linda . Linton, a Reno lawyer, said she filed Vukasin's lawsuit there because . Matison and Ameri-Cana advertise and do business there regularly at . conventions of the Safari Club International and the Wild Sheep . Foundation, the latter of which named Matison to its Mountain Hunter . Hall of Fame in 2009. Vukasin is seeking $75,000 in damages for lost money, 'worry, anxiety, loss of sleep, physical and mental distress.' 'I've . been fighting them more than a year. I finally got fed up and decided . to do something about it,' he said, adding he's convinced others have . been victimized. 'I have this stuff sitting in my living room and every . time I look at the horns, I just get that much more mad.' | The argali sheep is known as the 'Marco Polo' of goats and is amongst the rarest in the world .
Rick Vukasin traveled to Tajikistan for a chance to kill one .
Vukasin says the goat he killed had nearly flawless horns .
The horns the outfitter sent him were chipped, and were not the same horns that were on the animal he killed . |
195,944 | 899690d116d2f7c02f780ab0113ae68e4fc2d7b6 | By . Paul Thompson . UPDATED: . 02:17 EST, 21 June 2011 . A Japanese supercomputer has snatched the title of the world's fastest machine, ending China's brief reign at the top after six months. The K supercomputer, built by the Fujitsu Company, is as fast as one million desktop computers connected together. It has more than three times the power than the previous title-holder and is capable of performing eight quadrillion calculations each second. High-tech: The K supercomputer at Riken's laboratory in Kobe, contains 672 racks with a total of 68,544 CPUs . A quadrillion is one followed by 15 zeroes and in computer jargon the speed is known as 8.2 petaflops. The previous fastest machine was the Chinese computer Tianhe-1A, which was clocked at 2.507 petaflops and highlighted the emergence of China's growing technological and economic power. The Tianhe- 1A machine was the first time China had topped the speed list, wrestling the title from the U.S. who had four of the top ten supercomputers. Experts said the development of the K machine, which is faster than five of its closest competitors combined, marks a giant leap forward in technology. 'It's a very impressive machine - it's a lot more powerful than the other computers,' said Professor Jack Dongarra, who releases a six-monthly list of the world's top supercomputers. The speed rankings are based by running a standard mathematical equation. The bragging rights for Japan's K computer, which has cost $1.2bn to develop, marks a return to the top for the first time in seven years. Impressive: The computer is faster than five of its nearest rivals and marks a giant leap forward in technology . Developed at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan, the giant computer is housed in a climate-controlled, warehouse-like structure. It consists of 672 cabinets filled with circuit boards containing almost 70,000 processors. A family computer or laptop uses a single processor. The K supercomputer uses enough energy to power 10,000 homes and although its creators claim the machine is energy efficient, its running costs are put at £6m a year. 'Use of the K computer is expected to have a groundbreaking impact in fields ranging from global climate research, meteorology, disaster prevention, and medicine, thereby contributing to the creation of a prosperous and secure society,' a spokesman for the RIKEN institute said. Fujitsu and RIKEN chiefs say the project had overcome difficulties posed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country's northeast Tohoku region. There are five U.S. supercomputers in the top-10 rankings, including the third-ranked Jaguar system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Others in the top ten include two machines from China, two from Japan and one from France. | New machine is three times faster than China's former record holder . |
116,353 | 222d88624eaa72a049da748135c1156fe8fd420c | By . Chris Foy . Follow @@FoyChris . The last time England were in the ‘City of Sails’, they had become figures of fun and were mercilessly mocked as they made a shambolic exit from the World Cup. That was three years and a veritable lifetime ago. The locals aren’t laughing at Stuart Lancaster’s national team now. The joke has long since worn off. Instead, Kiwis are coming to terms – somewhat grudgingly – with the fact that England are emerging as very serious challengers to their beloved All Blacks’ global pre-eminence. Saturday’s tense first Test at Eden Park may just go down as the watershed occasion when the national team proved they really are capable of wresting the World Cup from New Zealand next year. Amid the devastation of losing a game they could have won, England will seize on some highly encouraging signs about their collective development. VIDEO Scroll down to see Lewis Moody correctly predict an England first game loss . Knock-out blow: All Blacks centre Conrad Smith scored the decisive try with two minutes left to play . Time to shine: If England play their cards right, they can join a small group to have won in England . Heartbreak: England must bounce back from their loss and keep the series alive with victory in Dunedin . What a savagely-weakened line-up . showed in this series opener was that they are amassing the depth of . talent to be prime contenders at their home tournament next year. They . exposed the fact that the All Blacks are afflicted by mortality — in . defiance of popular myth — and also obliterated the notion that weary . European teams must head south in June and meekly accept their medicine. It . is now evident that England are not battling demons on this side of the . Equator. These tourists will not accept the age-old perception that in . these parts, they are inherently inferior. English spirit no longer . withers in the Antipodes, thanks to the conviction generated by . heartening past results and the coaches’ ability to instil soaring . confidence in their players, even those who have been out of form or . lacking match-fitness. Manu Tuilagi is a case in point. The last time he was here he was lampooned after jumping off a ferry for a dip in the harbour. War dance: The All Blacks perform the haka ahead of kick off at Eden Park . On target: Freddie Burns kicks a penalty during England's first Test against New Zealand . Tuilagi . hadn’t played for his country all season due to injury but he stormed . back to prominence on Saturday. New Zealand had suffered from the . Leicester centre’s marauding midfield presence during their record . defeat at Twickenham 18 months ago and how they suffered again this . time. The 23-year-old pounded the home defence and the Kiwis were simply . unable to contain him. After . Conrad Smith’s late try had condemned Lancaster’s heroic side to a . heart-breaking fate, Tuilagi cut a disconsolate figure. In days gone by, . this result would have generated English satisfaction but not this . time. The Tiger’s trademark grin was largely eclipsed by a stern . demeanour as he made it abundantly clear that glorious failure would not . suffice. ‘No-one is happy . that we have lost today,’ he said. ‘A loss is a loss. It doesn’t matter . if you lose by one point or 40 so the boys in the changing-room are . gutted. I think we should have won. We had a few opportunities but we . didn’t finish them. In games like this you are only going to get one or . two chances and you have to take them.’ Bombing forward: Englandís Chris Robshaw makes a break against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland . Back with a bang: James Haskell is tackled Dane Coles on his England comeback . Clockwork: England's Geoff Parling rises highest to claim the ball from a line-out . On the charge: Israel Dagg makes a break from full back in the first Test . Asked . if England’s progress was such that they now regard themselves as the . All Blacks’ equals, Tuilagi added: ‘Absolutely. We showed that today. We . played well, we held on to the ball well, we defended well. But it is . all about those little margins. The good thing is we’ve got two matches . left and we still have the opportunity to go for the series.’ To . a man, England’s players and coaches lamented their cruel demise at . Eden Park and expressed the view that they can fight back in this . three-Test series by beating New Zealand in Dunedin this Saturday. Ben . Morgan, who was outstanding at No 8, insisted that this result wasn’t a . catalyst for belief among the tourists because they already possessed it . in abundance. ‘We didn’t . have any fear,’ said the Gloucester forward. ‘The confidence in our . squad has been building over the last couple of years and we just feel . stronger and stronger. We will go away from this game, rectify things . and continue to improve. We believe in our squad and how we play. If you . go into a Test match with elements of doubt you have lost before you . begin.’ Flying winger: England's Jonny May attempts to beat the tackle of Liam Messam (left) and Ben Smith . Comeback: Aaron Cruden scored two penalties to put New Zealand back into the lead with ten minutes to go . Dangerous break: Kyle Eastmond charges at the New Zealand defence as England clear their lines . Quick ball: All Blacks scrum half Aaron Smith keeps the New Zealand attack ticking . There was no doubt . or fear, which is an endorsement of the work done by England’s coaches. It was an occasion which provided further evidence that Lancaster and . his assistants have the technical, tactical and motivational qualities . to turn their team into a major global force. Frankly, . given the uniquely trying circumstances, the visitors were not expected . to make a game of it. Forced to operate without around a dozen of their . leading players the Red Rose management worked wonders to bring the . best out of the men left standing. Certain . members of the starting XV had gone into this daunting fixture against a . backdrop of poor or disrupted seasons but almost to a man they . delivered, notably Freddie Burns and Kyle Eastmond as a raw 10-12 . combination. The fundamental point is that the England set-up now serves . as a centre of excellence, enhancing those involved, and that has not . always been the case. Players appear to grow in stature within the . national ranks. Heavy hitter: England No 8 Ben Morgan carries the ball upfield . Making yards: New Zealand's Brodie Retallick leaves England's Freddie Burns lying on the ground . Late blow: Marland Yarde is shown a yellow card by referee Nigel Owens after illegal play at the breakdown . Late charge: Danny Cipriani made an immediate impact after coming off the bench in the second half . Yet, for all . the encouragement, a famous victory proved beyond captain Chris Robshaw . and Co. They were not behind on the scoreboard until 10 minutes from . time and when New Zealand snatched their late try, England were down to . 14 men as Marland Yarde was in the sin-bin. Inexplicably, . Ma’a Nonu and Malakai Fekitoa escaped yellow-card punishment for . cynical acts of foul play and those were not the only dubious decisions . made by referee Nigel Owens which hurt England. But they kept any sense . of injustice under wraps — pointing instead to costly handling errors . and a lack of clinical precision when chances were created. The . All Blacks were forced into a torrent of mistakes but when it mattered . they found a way to win a Test they could have lost, which has become a . hallmark under Steve Hansen. Yet, their profound relief will have been . tempered by the knowledge that England are coming for them, with . increasing purpose. In this series and in next year’s World Cup, the Red . Rose is destined to become a symbol of danger, challenging Kiwi . supremacy. Powerful: Malakai Fekitoa of the All Blacks is hauled down by Ben Morgan and Geoff Parling . Deadly touch: Veteran centre Conrad Smith dives over in the corner at Eden Park . Jubilation: Conrad Smith is congratulated by team-mate Ben Smith after scoring the only try of the match . Valiant effort: Ben Morgan and Kyle Eastmond of England walk through the tunnel after the final Test . | England narrowly lost 20-15 to New Zealand at Eden Park .
All Blacks have not been beaten at their rugby citadel for 20 years .
A late try from Conrad Smith sealed dramatic victory for the Kiwis .
England were in front for most of the game thanks to penalties from Freddie Burns .
Danny Cipriani kicked a late penalty on his return to England action . |
92,632 | 032155728cdac1acc32909508daee42acc94658d | By . Ruth Styles . Cooking for guests is always a nerve-racking experience, so spare a thought for the schoolboy who was handed the task of whipping up ice cream fit for a royal countess. Luckily for the junior chef in question, the royal was Sophie Wessex and the cone was made using easy-to-handle paper instead of sugar and cream. And it certainly seemed to go down well with the Countess, who beamed as she accepted the cone during a tour of the Gatten and Lake Primary School while on a visit to the Isle of Wight. Can I eat this? Sophie looks ready to tuck in but unfortunately for the Countess, this treat is made of paper . The Countess, whose last appearance was an emotional visit to the Surrey hospital where she gave birth to both of her children, looked on fine form as she was shown around the school and crouched down to get a closer look at the projects on display. Ever the style maven, the Countess was chic in a cream pencil skirt which she teamed with a tailored black jacket that showed off her svelte figure. After inspecting the school's project, Shanklin Our Town, the Countess was shown artwork created by pupils and was treated to a song about the town. Gatten and Lake schoolchildren were joined for the day by others from the nearby St George's School and St Catherine's School, all of whom have recently achieved their Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award. All smiles: The Countess crouched down as she chatted to a smiling little girl and a rather bashful young boy . Elegant: For the tour, Sophie plumped for a chic white skirt worn with a neat, fitted black jacket . Pleased: The Countess appeared to be thrilled with the posy of seasonal flowers handed to her by a pupil . The Duke of Edinburgh scheme, which is open to children and young people between the ages of 14 and 24, is a project close to the Countess of Wessex' heart, and she and husband Prince Edward, recently toured the Caribbean to promote the international version of the award. After accepting a posy packed with seasonal hyacinths from a six-year-old pupil, the Countess was whisked off to visit ethical fashion label Rapanui at their headquarters in nearby Sandown Bay. There she met the company's two new apprentices as well as founders Rob Drake-Knight and Martin Drake-Knight, who gave her a tour of the premises. The company specialises in organic casualwear, all of which is manufactured in ethically-approved factories powered by wind and solar power. Green: Sophie later visited the Isle of Wight headquarters of eco clothing company, Rapanui . | Visiting the Lake and Gatten Primary School on the Isle of Wight .
After tucking into the sweet treat, she was shown artwork created by pupils .
Met older pupils who had completed their Duke of Edinburgh bronze award .
Later visited ethical clothing company Rapanui and met new apprentices .
Makes organic casualwear using wind and solar powered factories . |
141,145 | 428081ed6037b5da1b9c8ba1503c09a45f1137b0 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 09:22 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:24 EST, 10 December 2013 . While not everything that glitters is gold, the sparkling new polish from celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann most certainly is. Instead of metallic plastic, the festive sparkle in Boom Boom Pow, £18, was created by including shavings of real 24-carat gold. And with famous fans that include Lady . Gaga, Lena Dunham, Kelly Clarkson and Sarah Jessica Parker, the luxury . lacquer has already secured the A-list seal of approval. Luxury manicure: The Deborah Lippmann nail polish contains shavings of real 24-carat gold . Celebrity fans: Manicurist Deborah Lippmann has worked with Reese Witherspoon (left) and Lady Gaga . Sparkle: Boom Boom Pow nail lacquer by Deborah Lippmann contains real 24-carat gold . But Boom Boom Pow isn't the only Lippmann polish to contain an unexpectedly expensive ingredient: also available are polishes that contain powdered diamonds and crushed pearls. Other highlights from the range, which launches at Selfridges and Look Fantastic this month, include striking chrome effect polishes and the Staccato collection which combines pastel hues with striking black glitter. As a result, the brand has become a regular on the fashion circuit with Valentino, Bulgari and Burberry among those to enlist Lippmann for their shows. The manicurist has also created bespoke looks for some of the biggest celebrity names in the business. Most famously, Lippmann did the nails of Reese Witherspoon on the night she took home an Oscar for her part in Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line in 2005. Lippmann has also teamed up with some of her celebrity clients to produce bespoke shades that are available for the rest of us to buy. Among the A-list approved hues are Lara's Theme, a bright orange-coral created with the help of model Lara Stone, and the glamorous deep-red Just Walk Away Renee, which was originally made for Renee Zellweger. | The sparkling £18 polish contains shavings of real 24-carat gold .
Lacquer created by celebrity manicurist, Deborah Lippmann .
Lippmann's clients include Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga . |
147,724 | 4b057bd72a7c878df4dc5332e917b6c1164a85c4 | Sir Alex Ferguson made more than £2million during his first eight months in boardroom roles at Manchester United, accounts reveal. The former manager's 26-year reign in charge of the football team came to an end in 2013, when he became a director and global ambassador for the club. Club accounts now reveal his reported £100,000-a-day roles allowed him to make £2,165,000 between October 2013 and June last year. Sir Alex Ferguson, pictured at the unveiling of a road named after him, earned more than £2m in eight months . The former manager tried to keep a low profile during his first season away from management, for fear he would overshadow his replacement David Moyes, who was sacked after a season in charge. But the club were keen to use Sir Alex's world-famous status to promote the Manchester United brand around the globe. He has travelled the world in his role, with duties including the unveiling of Park Ji-Sung as another ambassador for the club last October. Park became one of five other ambassadors working alongside Sir Alex, joining former greats Sir Bobby Charlton, Andrew Cole, Denis Law and Bryan Robson. Ferguson topped football's managerial rich list shortly before his retirement, when his estimated £7million-a-year from United while he was manager led his estimated worth to be £34million. The club's accounts show the Scotsman - known for his team's 'Fergie time' goals at the end of matches - is being well rewarded for his continued work at United. Ferguson's role as 'global ambassador' after retiring as Manchester United manager has been lucrative . Ferguson also has other sources of income, making at least £1million from sales of his autobiography and more than £2million selling off part of his wine collection last year. He also has a number of other roles he carries out, having been appointed to a teaching position at Harvard University in the US and heading an elite coaches forum for European footballing body Uefa. The same accounts show Sir Bobby Charlton was also paid by United in 2013-14 for ‘consultancy services’, although he made just £105,000. A spokesman for Manchester United said: 'Sir Alex has been employed as an ambassador for the club, providing support to the club as directed from time to time. As was the case during his time as manager, his contract is a private matter between the club and Sir Alex.' Ferguson (right) travels the world and his duties have included the unveiling of Park Ji-Sung as ambassador . | Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as Manchester United manager in 2013 .
He took up an ambassadorial role and earned £2.17m in eight months .
Position is said to earn him around £100,000 for every day he works .
Former manager also made seven-figure sum from autobiography sales .
Sir Bobby Charlton also picked up £105,000 for his ambassador work . |
228,768 | b43354514aa36aa259fd7dc496cbe5e3495e1f7c | The IRS 'lost' the emails of six other agency officials associated with a scheme to target conservative organizations – in addition to those of former official Lois Lerner – and kept it a secret for months, the House Ways and Means committee learned on Tuesday. The news prompted the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to issue broad subpoenas on Tuesday afternoon for hard drives, thumb drives and other backups that Lerner and the tax authorities may have used to archive her messages. Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp and Rep. Charles Boustany, who chairs the Ways and Means oversight subcommittee, said that the IRS has known as far back as February that it no longer had email correspondence for Lerner and other key players implicated in the tea party targeting scandal and failed to share that information with Congress. 'It looks like the American people were lied to and the IRS tried to cover-up the fact it conveniently lost key documents in this investigation,' the duo said in a press release. 'Plot lines in Hollywood are more believable than what we are getting from this White House and the IRS.' Scroll down for video . House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, pictured here at the end of May, and his committee discovered today that the IRS 'lost' the emails of six other IRS officials in addition to Lois Lerner . The Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS is at the center of a scandal involving years of intrusive screening of . conservative groups that sought tax-exempt status beginning in 2009. Hundreds of them saw their applications delayed or denied while . politically liberal organizations skated by and quickly received . approval. The . IRS informed the committee on Friday that 28 months of emails of the former head of the tax-exempt division, Lois Lerner, had been lost in a computer crash and could not be recovered because many records were not backed . up on servers, tapes or external drives. Its own guidelines require that . 'IRS offices will not store the official recordkeeping copy of e-mail . messages that are federal records ONLY on the electronic mail system.' It also requires its offices to back up email messages to 'a separate electronic recordkeeping system.' The Daily Caller reported on Tuesday that IRS regulations require employees to print out copies of all communications that are subject to federal recordkeeping laws. 'The Treasury Department’s current email policy requires emails and attachments that meet the definition of a federal record be added to the organization’s files,' the agency's employee guidance reads, 'by printing them (including the essential transmission data) and filing them with related paper records.' According to the IRS, none of this happened and Lerner's emails from January 2009 to April 2010 are missing. Now the IRS says its also missing emails for Nikole Flax, who served as Chief of Staff to Steve Miller, then- Deputy Commissioner of the IRS. Flax visited the White House more than a dozen times between July 2010 and April 2013, according to a Politico. The Ways and Means committee leaders said Tuesday that Flax's repeated visits to the White House were suspicious and will be the subject of further investigation. 'Who was she visiting at the White House and what were they talking about? Was she updating the White House on the targeting or was she getting orders? These are answers we don’t yet have, because – surprise, surprise – a few computers crashed,' they said. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen will be hauled before two House committee hearings next week to explain how Lois Lerner's emails could have been lost despite robust data-retention standards in the U.S. government . Cruella de Washington: Lois Lerner retired with a full government pension and has refused to testify about her role in a years-long scheme to target tea party groups with politically imbalanced scrutiny . Camp and Boustany said Monday that 'we are simply not going . to accept the IRS claim that these documents are not recoverable. We . will demand the president live up to his promise to work "hand in hand" with Congress to get the facts.' The . two lawmakers wrote to President Obama yesterday asking for its . records of emails between Lerner and employees the White House, the . Treasury Department, the Department of Justice, the Environmental . Protection Agency, the Federal Election Commission and the Occupational . Safety & Health Administration. That . move came hours after Ways and Means committee staff interviewed government employees . charged with running the IRS's internal computer networks. A . committee aide told MailOnline that those IRS workers confirmed that . budget and space limitations forced the agency to limit officials' access to networks that would ordinarily store email archives. They . also said, according to the aide, that other executive branch agencies . have their own independent archives of the records now lost at the IRS. Camp and Boustany asked Obama to order 'an exhaustive search for all Lois Lerner emails' throughout the executive branch. Republicans . hope to establish whether or not Lerner colluded with Obama . administration officials to play political favorites and single out . right-wing groups for special scrutiny. But . the White House is likely under no obligation to cooperate. President . Obama has already referred to the IRS matter as one of several 'phony . scandals' that he believes are politically motivated. Yet in May 2013 when the scandal first erupted, Obama pledged that his administration would 'make sure that we are working hand in hand with Congress to get this thing fixed.' Subpoena: Rep. Darrell Issa is demanding Koskinen show up for an evening interrogation on June 23 . The Ways and Means Republicans threw that phrase back in the president's face on Monday. 'In order to ensure accountability and “get this thing fixed,” please provide ... all communications between Lois Lerner and any persons within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) for the period between January 1, 2009 and May 1, 2011,' they wrote. 'Also, please indicate in writing when the EOP [Executive Office of the President] was informed, and by whom, that the IRS had lost critical Lerner documents.' Yesterday, California . Rep. Darrell Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform . Committee, demanded that IRS Commissioner John Koskinen explain – in person – . how 28 months of emails to and from . Lerner were 'lost' to a computer crash. Issa wrote to Koskinen in reaction to his agency's claim Friday . that the IRS no longer has copies of emails between Lerner and anyone . outside the IRS from January 2009 through April 2011. Issa demanded in his letter that Koskinen appear in a rare evening hearing on June 23, a . half-day before he's scheduled to testify before the House Ways and . Means Committee. 'I . will not tolerate your continued obstruction and game-playing in . response to the Committee’s investigation of the IRS targeting,' he . wrote. 'For . too long, the IRS has promised to produce requested – and, later, . subpoenaed – documents, only to respond later with excuses and . inaction.' In the House Oversight Committee, Issa hammered Koskinen for promising in a March 26 hearing that he would deliver every email Congress sought. At the time, however, he insisted that it would take 'years' for lawyers to sift through them all and excise private taxpayer information that the IRS isn't permitted to share – not even with other arms of government. And simply searching through Lerner's individual email storage, Koskinen said then, wouldn't produce an exhaustive record. 'They’re stored somewhere,' he explained to Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz during the hearing. 'They get taken off and stored in servers and you’ve got 90-thousand employees,' he insisted, but 'we can find, and we are in fact searching – we can find Lois Lerner’s emails.' At the time, he didn't mention the computer crash which became an overnight butt of jokes among conservatives. 'It's OK. The NSA has the original files,' Capitol HIll speechwriter Amanda Carpenter tweeted. 'Wonder what the #IRS would say if we told them we couldn’t submit tax documents because of a computer crash?' replied her boss, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. 'Wheel of Fortune' game show host Pat Sajak, who has begun wearing his conservatism on his sleeve in recent years, tweeted: 'Weird. Hundreds of emails to & from someone named Lerner just showed up in my spam. Must be British. Lots of tea talk.' | A congressional committee has issued subpoenas for all the hard drives the IRS and former official Lois Lerner used to back up her emails .
IRS policy requires the agency to print out every email that archiving laws apply to, just in case electronic records are lost .
But on Friday the IRS told told the House Ways and Means committee that more than two years' worth of Lerner's emails to and from people outside the IRS were lost in a computer crash .
Now the agency says it does not have emails for six other officials involved in the tea party targeting scandal .
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen .
testified in March that Lerner's emails were .
accessible but would take 'years' in some cases to gather .
Koskinen said messages are stored 'on a server' and not on individual employees' PCs .
Republicans hope to find out if IRS officials colluded with the White House, the DOJ, the Treasury Department or other agencies to play political favorites with the tax code . |
16,463 | 2eb59b5843a042ec3ca22ea29aad36a0b9f402e0 | By . Associated Press . and Damien Gayle . Dynasty: Ted Kennedy Jr announces his candidacy to run for Connecticut State Senate at Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford, Connecticut . Ted Kennedy Jr has finally given into the pressure to join the family business by agreeing to make a bid for political office. The . son of the well-respected late U.S. senator from Massachusetts will . stand for election to the Connecticut state senate, after a long legal . career. Hundreds turned out . yesterday for his official announcement at a carefully choreographed . rally in his home town of Branford, where his comments drew standing . ovations from the crowd. 'I'm proud of my . family's legacy of standing up for working families, for political, . social and economic justice,' the 52-year-old said. He . claimed to share the same consensus building philosophy as his late . father, who died in 2009 and was widely regarded as the U.S. Senate's . most prominent liberals. 'We . need people in government, both Democrat and Republican, who are able . to build bridges and find common ground,' he said while joined on stage . by his wife and two children. Mr . Kennedy, whose voice boomed like his father's at times, revealed that . his father was among those who had encouraged him to run for office over . the years. But he said he wanted to raise his family and develop his own expertise on the issues before running. 'I . have been a fighter for children and families that have been impacted . by environmental contamination and lead poisoning,' he was quoted as . saying by ctpost.com. As . well as his work as a lawyer specialising in health issues, Mr Kennedy . serves on the board of the American Association of People with . Disabilities. He said a life of advocacy grew from the loss of his leg to cancer as a child. He . told the audience at the Blackstone Library of the . horror that he felt when he learned as a 12-year-old that doctors would . have to amputate the limb. He thought his life was over, he said, but the experience had eventually helped him appreciate the needs of others. When . he met another boy who lost his leg and learned he couldn't afford an . artificial one, he said he resolved to do something with his life and . make sure others did not have to experience such hardship. Family man: Mr Kennedy was joined by his wife and two children as he made his announcement yesterday . Experience: His decision to stand for office comes after a long career as a lawyer and disability campaigner . Heir apparent: Retiring senator Ed Meyer presented Mr Kennedy at the rally at the Blackstone Library . Patrick . Kennedy, who represented Rhode Island in Congress for 16 years until he . retired in 2011, said on Monday that his brother's life was transformed . when he lost his leg. Borrowing . a phrase from their illustrious uncle, President John F. Kennedy, he . said his brother became a 'profile in courage' by surviving and becoming . a champion for people with disabilities. The . younger Kennedy is making a bid for the Democratic nomination for the . 12th Senatorial District representing towns near New Haven, which since . 2002 has been represented by Democrat Edward Meyer. Mr Meyer, 79, who is to retire at the next election, introduced Mr Kennedy at the rally as his heir apparent. It's . a far lower profile seat than the U.S. Senate, where Mr Kennedy's name . has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but the lawyer says he . believes he can make an impact at state level. Modest: Mr Kennedy's name has been touted as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and he said his father too had tried to persuade him to run, but the lawyer said he believes he can make a difference at the state level . There are no other declared candidates in the race, but Republicans have vowed to vigorously contest the seat. State Republican Party Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. said his party has several quality candidates interested in running. He told ctpost.com: 'Sen. Meyer has been increasingly out of touch in a district which has been trending Republican. 'I . can't imagine that the voters would now want to move further to the . left of Sen. Meyer. This candidacy represents the same liberal orthodoxy . employed by (Gov.) Dan Malloy, which is driving people out of our state . and wrecking our economy.' Campaign mode: Mr Kennedy Jr speaks to supporters and the media after declaring his candidacy . Finally! Gina MacDonald-Page poses with Mr Kennedy, whose candidacy for the Connecticut senate seat comes after years of pressure to join in the family business . Darrell . West, a former Brown University professor who wrote a book on Patrick . Kennedy, told the Associated Press that Ted Kennedy Jr's decision to run . for state office makes sense. 'Even . if your last name is Kennedy you have to establish yourself,' said . West, vice president of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. 'It still creates the opportunities to run for higher office down the road.' | Ted Kennedy, 52, will run for a seat in the Connecticut state senate .
He is introduced as heir apparent by retiring incumbent Edward Meyer .
A healthcare lawyer, Mr Kennedy has long campaigned for disabled people . |
37,286 | 69a1eedcddb48029bbeb93d90ec1a628fe0ddaf4 | A gruesome new beer brewed with goat brains has launched, paying homage to the hit zombie show The Walking Dead. The Dock Street Brewing Company in Philadelphia says the animal organs - which are cooked over hot coals before being added to the liquid mix - add an 'intriguing, subtle smoke' flavor to the American pale stout. The 7.2% alcoholic beverage will debut on Sunday March 30 to coincide with the season finale of The Walking Dead and has been named the 'Walker' after the series' wandering corpses. Punchy pint: As a liquid tribute to the hit zombie show The Walking Dead, The Dock Street Brewing Company in Philadelphia has crafted a beer using goat brains . Along with brains, the beer also contains cranberries, which apparently add a 'sinister, bloody hue' and 'slight tartness.' Other more common ingredients in the ale include malted wheat, oats and flaked barley and fuggle hops. Head brewer Justin Low said that he and many of the staff at Dock Street are loyal fans of The Walking Dead and they would spend Monday shifts recapping the previous night's episodes. Long process: The goat brains are smoked in a fire before being added to the beer mix . Fancy a sip? Along with brains the beer also contains cranberries, which apparently add a 'sinister, bloody hue' and 'slight tartness.' The show, set in Georgia, premiered in 2010 on the AMC network and was renewed for a fifth season last fall. As well as serving up its brain-infused beer, Dock Street will also show the season four finale on a big screen. While the venue is excited about its latest creation, others aren't as enthused. 'Yuck. Nasty,' one commenter wrote after learning about the Walker beer. 'Mmmmmm,' another added suspiciously. Dock Street isn't the first to brew with meat. Hit zombie show: The Walking Dead season finale will air on Sunday March 30 . Last year, Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing . Company made national news by launching the Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, . a beer made with roasted bull testicles. It was described as an 'assertive foreign-style stout, slightly viscous, with a deep brown color. 'It has equally deep flavors of chocolate syrup, Kahlua, and espresso, along with a palpable level of alcohol and a savory umami-like note.It finishes dry and roasted with a fast-fading hop bite.' Wynkoop's head brewer Andy Brown added: 'We've been making ballsy beer for the past few years, and this is great proof of that.' | The Dock Street Brewing Company in Philadelphia says goat brains give an 'intriguing, subtle smoke' flavor to its American pale stout . |
21,807 | 3df885f59613f8dadcd37b97c54f6ff9921595f0 | Al-Qaeda has called for a new generation of 'lone wolf' terrorists to blow up American Airlines, United and Delta planes using bombs made in their kitchens. The chilling call to arms in the terror group's magazine, Inspire, says the high-profile airlines should be targeted in a bid to gain headlines and 'crush the enemy's economy'. Released on Christmas Eve, the disturbing publication names the four companies because of their size - including United, the 'world's largest airline with 86,852 employees'. Chilling: Al-Qaeda's house magazine (above) calls for high-profile airlines British Airways, easyJet, AA, Delta, United and Air France to be targeted by bombers to 'crush the enemy's economy'. Police are investigating . American Airlines, United, Continental and Delta are also named in the magazine - despite the fact that Continental Airlines stopped flying planes under its name two years ago after merging with United . Also targeted are Air France and British carriers British Airways and easyJet - alongside high-profile U.S. figures Bill Gates and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. Continental Airlines is also singled out despite the fact that it stopped flying planes under its name two years ago after merging with United to form United Continental Holdings. The magazine praises Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called 'underpants bomber' who was jailed for life in 2012 after he tried to bomb a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The 300 people on board were saved partly because the bomb sewn into his underwear failed to detonate fully, prosecutors said at the time. The latest edition has been published four years after the first issue of Inspire contained a notorious explosives guide called Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom. The guide was suspected to have been the template for explosives which killed three and injured more than 250 in last year's Boston Marathon bombings. Targets: The sick magazine picks out British Airways and easyJet as targets for would-be terrorists . Journal: The magazine has been connected to the Boston Marathon bombings in April last year . Its author was dubbed the 'Al-Qaeda chef', and an extremist assuming the same name was interviewed in the latest issue as it claimed the Boston attacks were a 'natural reaction' to the 'arrogance' of the U.S. He said the 'first priority' for any of his terrorists would be the U.S., 'then the United Kingdom, then France and so on.' And he called for the rise of the 'lone wolf' jidahist, saying: 'It is hard to uncover, because none knows him but Allah. He has no relationship with any group or any individuals.' The magazine also praised an axe attack on a group of New York city policemen in October as a 'splendid' example of a 'lone wolf'. U.S. Navy veteran Zale Thompson was shot dead in the street after the brutal hatchet attack, which the FBI confirmed last month it was considering as an act of terror. FBI director James Comey said Thompson had been watching Islamic State beheading videos and other radical jihadist material online, adding there is 'no doubt that played a role' in the attack. 'There is no doubt it was terrorism,' he added. Shock tactics: The magazine includes images of an airport departures board and, on its cover, a jumbo jet . Praised: The Boston bombings (left is suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev) and 'underpants bomber' Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (right) are both mentioned in the magazine, whose possession in the past has led to arrests . The magazine is published by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and its possession by terror suspects has led to arrests in Britain. Belonging to Al Qaeda has been banned since 2001, and the 2000 Terrorism Act made it illegal to possess any document which could help someone 'prepare an act of terrorism'. Four men from Luton, Bedfordshire, were jailed for a combined 44 years in April 2013 after a court heard they had planned to follow instructions from Inspire magazine to carry out an attack. Other terrorists were convicted under section 58 of the act solely for possessing the magazine. Those who are found guilty can be jailed for up to ten years. A British Airways spokesman said: 'The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We continue to work closely with airports and governments around the world.' He added: 'We never comment on matters of security.' An easyJet spokesman added: 'The safety and security of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority. We are unable to comment further on matters of security.' A spokesman for Britain's Home Office said: 'We are aware of this publication and the police and security agencies are taking appropriate action. National security and protecting the public is our priority. 'Our comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy includes measures to remove terrorist material hosted online, prevent radicalisation and protect the UK from acts of terrorism.' | Terrorists' journal Inspire calls for 'hidden bomb' attacks on key firms .
AA, United, Continental and Delta targeted in US alongside Air France .
British Airways is UK's 'flag carrier' and easyJet 'has many passengers'
Chilling articles praise Boston bombings as 'natural reaction' to the US .
October axe attack on New York policemen described as 'splendid' |
47,735 | 86b2eae05697b25f66d63c9b2094d41c1e61390e | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has authorized the release of dozens of prisoners seen as a security threat by the United States. A judiciary meeting chaired by Karzai decided Thursday to free 72 prisoners from Bagram prison after the presentation of a report from the Afghan spy agency saying there was no evidence against them, Karzai's office said in a statement. But the U.S. State Department disagreed with the decision. "These 72 detainees are dangerous criminals against whom there is strong evidence linking them to terror-related crimes, including the use of improvised explosive devices, the largest killer of Afghan civilians," Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said at a news conference Thursday. "These insurgents, who pose threats to the safety and security of the Afghan people and the state, are being released without an investigation and without the use of criminal justice system in accordance with Afghan law," Psaki said. The prisoner release order comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Kabul over Karzai's current unwillingness to sign a bilateral security agreement to keep some U.S. and other coalition troops in Afghanistan after this year. Karzai has said he won't sign the deal until after the country's elections in April and until certain conditions are met, including an end to U.S. raids on Afghan homes and the release of Afghan prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The judiciary meeting chaired Thursday by Karzai tasked the Afghanistan Criminal Cases Review Commission with releasing the 72 prisoners. It also asked the review commission to reassess the cases of the 16 other inmates in the prison against whom the spy agency says there is evidence. The planned release of the 72 prisoners "undermines Afghanistan's court system and rule of law, because the Afghan people do not get their day in court," Psaki said Thursday. It's not the first time that Karzai's decision to release prisoners has upset the United States. The early and pre-trial release of prisoners by the Afghan government, at times at Karzai's hand, frustrated U.S. officials, diplomatic documents released in 2010 by WikiLeaks revealed. CNN's Masoud Popalzai reported from Kabul, and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. | The Afghan spy agency finds no evidence against 72 inmates of Bagram prison .
A judiciary meeting chaired by President Hamid Karzai clears them for release .
The prisoners are "dangerous criminals" linked to terrorism, the United States says .
The release order comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Kabul . |
198,194 | 8c8c835187af43f20c65caf1599c6dbc97d2e706 | Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Politicians and foreign diplomats said they were doggedly working Friday to salvage a newly-minted Iraqi government power-sharing deal, a long-awaited agreement that threatened to unravel just hours after it was announced with great fanfare. Mahmoud Othman, an Iraqi Kurdish lawmaker, told CNN mediation efforts by Kurdish officials, Americans and the Arab League began Thursday after a dramatic walkout by Sunni Arab lawmakers and will continue ahead of Saturday's scheduled parliament session. Saying that the walkout stemmed from political misunderstandings and deep distrust among politicians, Othman said he hopes the power-sharing agreement will not fall through, but if the situation is "not amended" and "they don't come back I am afraid it will." Othman believes that Saturday's session will be a key indicator of the deal, hammered out to meet the demands of Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds. The compromise announced Thursday was designed to end an eight months' long stalemate that drew fears of a resurgence in sectarian and insurgent violence in Iraq. The Sunni walkout, staged by lawmakers in the Iraqiya bloc, was prompted by what it said was the failure of parliament to actually cast a vote on the power-sharing agreement. It threatened to undermine political amity and lead to the formation of a government without adequate Sunni representation. The squabbling, regarded as a political hiccup by some politicians, was considered possible disaster by others. President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials praised the power-sharing agreement. "There are still challenges to overcome, but all indications are that the government will be representative, inclusive and reflect the will of the Iraqi people who cast their ballots in the last election," Obama said at a Friday news conference at the G-20 summit in Seoul, South Korea. But Ayad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister who heads the Sunni-backed and cross-sectarian Iraqiya, told CNN that he scorned what he viewed as a political double-cross. "This is a new dictatorship that is happening in Iraq," said Allawi, a secular Shiite who walked out with his Sunni allies. Under the proposed deal, the three major governmental positions were to have been filled by three members of the country's largest ethnic groups -- the Shiites, the Kurds and the Sunni Arabs. Politicians forged a compromise that left Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, and Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish president, in power for another term. The deal created a powerful new office that was expected to be headed by Allawi, his rival. That office would be called the National Council for Strategic Policies and it would be a check on al-Maliki's power. Iraqiya also issued demands, including that legislators pass a law within 30 days forming the national council and form a committee to review the files of people illegally detained, a great concern for Sunni Arabs who have accused Iraq's Shiite-dominated government of persecuting them. It also called for a final agreement on outstanding legislation and for canceling a ban on several Sunni Arab politicians from running in elections. Those politicians have been accused of ties to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baathist movement. After lawmakers elected Talabani for a second term, the president gave al-Maliki 30 to 45 days to form a government. Parliament also elected Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Arab from the Iraqiya bloc, to be the parliament speaker. But Sunnis walked out when parliament didn't accept its demand for a vote on the actual power-sharing agreement and decided to go ahead and make the key vote for a president. Shiite lawmakers said the vote for power-sharing couldn't be taken because it was not on the agenda, but Allawi disputed this. "The proceedings were going in the right way. Then suddenly they said we are going to elect the president," Allawi said. "We said, 'Wait a minute here we agreed that there are points that we agreed that are going to be announced and voted on.' " "I was very surprised, I was extremely surprised. This agreement was done after talking to Obama, the Arab League." Allawi said. "It's a joke in a way. What this reflects really, it reflects the intentions of these guys. They don't have the intention to really work on a power sharing formula." "We don't want to be puppets for a government that does not respect the will of the people, that does not respect power sharing. After all the compromises I am not going to be a puppet running around being a false witness to history." But Othman said what happened in parliament Thursday was a result of a "misunderstanding" between the country's leaders. He said al-Iraqiya was under the impression that a U.S. -brokered agreement between al-Maliki, the Kurdish region's president, Massoud Barazani and Allawi would be formalized in a parliamentary vote, while the other blocs thought it was a political deal that would not go to parliament. Othman said the scenario on Thursday reflected a state of "widespread mistrust" among the political groups and a result of hasty negotiations and a deal that was put together very quickly. He said while Iraqiya had the right to demand a parliamentary vote, he said their timing was off kilter. He said Iraqiya got its choice for speaker elected and it should have waited for the Talabani to be voted on before pushing for their demands. Allawi said on Friday he expects the boycott to continue and that he doesn't see himself accepting a role in the new government. "I personally have made up my mind. I will not be a part of this theater," he said. "I am thinking of forming a council for opposition from inside parliament to start building the issues that we think are right for this country and to use all possible peaceful means to achieve the objectives." CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | U.S., Kurds, Arab League are mediating .
Politicians say misunderstandings resulted in the walkout .
Parliament will meet again on Saturday . |
109,262 | 18d6edb12fbc43f3a0f53f803418f4f5e7a83642 | By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 05:24 EST, 24 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:42 EST, 14 October 2013 . The dust has barely settled since last week's launch of Apple's new iPhones, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill starting up again - this time about the imminent arrival of a second-generation iPad mini as well as an iPad 5. Reports suggest that Apple will launch successors to its current range of tablets at an event on 15 October, and leaked photos hint at what the tablets could look like, including a range of colourful cases. The speculation comes as sales figures show Apple's gamble with colourful iPhones is paying off, with the pink model accounting for 46 per cent of sales - almost more than all the other colours combined. Almost half of iPhone 5C sales are of the pink model, according to iPhoneStockChecker. The blue model is second most-popular, accounting for 32 per cent of 5C sales. In third place is green, at 12 per cent, followed by white at 9 per cent and yellow brings up the rear, accounting for just 1 per cent of sales . The plastic iPhone 5C range, pictured, is the first time Apple has released its handsets in a selection of colours. The strategy was used on earlier iPods, and Apple may be looking to follow suit with a range of colourful iPad 5s, or at least more colourful cases, according to leaked images . Apple announced it has smashed its own records by selling nine million iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C handsets during the first three days - working out as 125,000 an hour, on average, or around 2083 a minute. The tech giant also announced that 200 million devices are now running the iOS 7 software, despite download problems and divided opinion. Last year's iPhone 5 sales topped five million during its opening weekend in September 2012, yet only one handset was available - as opposed to this year's two - and it wasn't sold in China from launch. Reports from iPhoneStockChecker.co.uk found that the blue model is the second most-popular device, accounting for 32 per cent of 5C sales. In third place is green, at 12 per cent, followed by white at 9 per cent and yellow brings up the rear, accounting for just 1 per cent of sales. Apple could be looking to take this strategy into the iPad part of the business. Experts have already said there could be at least two new iPads released as soon as next month. Apple is yet to officially confirm the date of its next product launch, but analysts have begun pointing towards the 15 October. During the iPhone announcement on 10 September, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said: 'Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new . hardware, software and services that we can’t wait to introduce this . fall and throughout 2014.' The current iPad mini came out in . November 2012 and if Apple follows suit, this would suggest a . mid-October announcement followed by an early-November sale date, all in . time for Christmas. The price of the current iPads is also being cut in various regions, suggesting a new tablet is coming. A new range of iPads are expected to launch on 22 October. These leaked images from technology site Tactus, allegedly show the rear shell of the iPad 5, pictured, with coloured cases. Apple could also unveil a second-generation iPad mini . It's likely the iPad mini 2 will keep the current 7.9-inch screen and not drop to 7-inches, in a bid to stay slightly bigger than Google's Nexus 7 and Tesco's new Hudl. If Apple adds the Retina display seen on its new iPhones and larger iPads, its possible the second-generation iPad mini will be heavier and thicker. However, leaked photos of casing suggest it will be thinner - suggesting Apple will wait to add the high-definition display to later models. According to Apple site, 9to5Mac, the rumoured iPad 5 will also keep the 9.7-inch, high-resolution screen seen on older models. The camera is due an upgrade and is . rumoured to move to an 8MP rear-facing lens, with the possibility of . even a 12MP camera being added. The rear of the rumoured iPad 5, left, and iPad mini 2, right. According to 9to5Mac, the rumoured iPad 5 will keep the 9.7-inch, high-resolution screen seen on older models. The camera is due an upgrade and is rumoured to move to an 8MP rear-facing lens, with the possibility of even a 12MP camera being added . Leaked images from Tactus additionally suggest the iPad 5 will be thinner than its predecessors. Technology site Expert Reviews believes Apple will stick with its traditional pricing strategy for both models and charge the same price for its new products as it did for the outgoing models. For example, the 16GB iPad 5 is expected to cost around £399, this raises to £479 for 32GB and £559 for 64GB. If Apple additionally follows its . iPad 4 launch and introduces a 128GB iPad 5 model, this should start at . around £639 for 128GB, while 4G-ready models will cost more still. Similarly, the iPad mini is expected . to launch with at around £269 for 16GB and then in £80 increments for . the 32BG and 64GB models. Models with 3G and 4G access will cost more. Because the colourful iPhones have proved so popular, case manufacturer Mophie has created a range of cases in purple, green, pink, red and blue for the older iPhone 5. The cases are known as Juice Packs because they can also be used to give the phone a battery boost. Mophie claims the cases offer 80 per cent more power. The colourful iPhones have proved so popular, case manufacturer Mophie has created a range of cases in purple, green, pink, red and blue for the older iPhone 5. The cases are known as Juice Packs because they can also be used to give the phone 80 per cent more power . | Pink phones account for almost half of iPhone 5C handsets sold .
Least popular colour is yellow, accounting for only 1 per cent of sales .
Apple sold nine million 5C and 5S handsets in the first three days .
Leaked photos suggest Apple is now gearing up to launch an iPad mini 2 .
Rumours also hint at a new iPad 5 set to launch on 15 October . |
163,453 | 5f5869fc2e83ffed640bb135167568486b3b3d89 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- A police officer in Los Angeles who claimed he was shot while patrolling near a high school has now been arrested for making up the story, authorities said. Officer Jeff Stenroos of the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department had said he was shot in the chest on January 19 in the west San Fernando Valley. He said the shooting happened when he got out of his squad car to check on a man peering into parked vehicles near the El Camino High School. The alleged shooting prompted an hours-long lockdown of several schools as police scoured the area looking for the shooter. In the following days, authorities released a sketch of the alleged gunman, and the reward for information grew to $100,000. But Thursday night, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Stenroos had been arrested on a felony count of filing a false police report. "The current state of the investigation refutes Stenroos' initial account of the incident and we are now certain that there is no outstanding suspect in this shooting," he said in a statement. Beck said detectives followed up on more than 350 clues, carried out several neighborhood canvasses and distributed "countless" fliers seeking information. After the shooting, a Good Samaritan used Stenroos' radio to call for help and tended to him until medics arrived. The officer's protective vest had prevented the bullet from entering his body. Beck's statement Thursday night did not elaborate on how Stenroos may have acquired his wound. "While I understand the media and the public's intense interest in this investigation, and the desire for answers to the many questions that will be asked with this new development of the officer's arrest, I cannot provide more detailed information at this time," he said. CNN's Scott Thompson and Sonya Hamasaki contributed to this report . | The officer says he was checking on a man who was peering into vehicles .
Police release a sketch of the gunman, locks down schools and offers a reward .
The officer is later arrested for filing a false police report .
Police: Investigation "refutes Stenroos' initial account" |
186,345 | 7d63b2afcf56e454adb5cdd0011fe37b427851dd | By . Lizzie Edmonds . Leonard Webb, 68, appeared in court today accused of murder. It is alleged he stabbed his wife Doreen, 64, in the chest on Good Friday . A retired British Army officer has appeared in court today accused of murdering his wife of more than 40 years on Good Friday. Leonard Webb, 68, is alleged to have stabbed his 64-year-old wife Doreen to death in their home in Durrington, Wiltshire. The man, described by neighbours as a retired Colonel, appeared before a special sitting of magistrates' today charged with murder. He was remanded into custody at the brief hearing at Chippenham Magistrates' Court. Emergency services were called to the home at 1.45pm on Good Friday. There, medics battled to save nursery worker Doreen from a knife wound to the chest. Ambulance sources said . desperate efforts were made to save Mrs Webb's life, including opening . up her chest and massaging her heart. However, she was declared dead soon afterwards. Neighbours told how they saw a man being led away by police in handcuffs shortly after the incident. Mrs . Webb's body was taken to the local Salisbury General . Hospital. Yesterday, a pathologist carried . out a post mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of her death - the result of which is yet to be released. More than a dozen floral tributes were left outside the semi-detached property where the couple lived - which remained cordoned off by police who stood guard at the house today. One elderly neighbour, who asked not to . be named, said Mr and Mrs Webb had lived in the quiet residential street . for at least 30 years. Medics rushed to save Doreen, 64, a nursery worker who was found at the property in Durrington, Wiltshire . The scene outside the semi-detached property yesterday. Webb was remanded in custody today . 'Everybody here is amazed because they were such a good couple,' said the woman. 'You couldn't have wished for a happier couple.' 'None of us can believe what has happened. He was an officer in the Army. I think he was a Colonel before he retired.' Webb is thought to have ran a military business selling old swords and bayonets. Webb was remanded into custody until April 23. Webb pictured during his time in the army. It is thought the image was taken nearly 50 years ago . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Leonard Webb, 68, alleged to have stabbed wife Doreen in the chest .
Medics rush to couple's home in Durrington, Wiltshire, on Good Friday .
Ambulance crews could not save the 64-year-old nursery worker .
Webb, believed to be a retired Colonel, was then led away by police .
He appeared at magistrates' court today charged with murder . |
275,624 | f111136b113f41aff5f7904cee3b639f26e70dcd | An events company is offering children the chance to transform themselves into mini celebrities for the day by recreating a 'real' red carpet experience. New York-based party planners Red Carpet Kids specialize in organizing one-of-a-kind birthday parties for youngsters who are eager to experience the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, even for just a few hours. From hiring bouncers to check each name on the guestlist to casting actors who will star alongside the children in their own mini movies, Red Carpet Kids ensures that the birthday boy or girl, and their friends, get the chance to experience all of the most exciting aspects of celebrity life. Scroll down for video . Who are you wearing? While walking down the red carpet, the youngsters are interviewed and photographed . Mini movie stars: Children are given the chance to experience a real red carpet . 'We felt that everyone should be able to have their own little red carpet moment,' actress and Red Carpet Kids founder Eva Shure told ABC News. 'When the kids arrive they are greeted by a butler and security guard, who are both on headset, who are checking the kids in and making sure that they are on the list. 'Then the butler is taking them to the red carpet, where they are going to be greeted by a correspondent and there's going to be paparazzi with real paparazzi cameras. 'They're asking the kids questions about who they're wearing and about their upcoming projects.' After making their red carpet debut, the young celebrities are whisked away to the green room, where they are given the chance to dress up in costumes and make their own movie which will then be screened in a special viewing room for them all the enjoy. The glamorous event is then topped off with an Academy Awards-style ceremony which sees the young party-goers rewarded with a variety of accolades from Best Actress to Best Dance Battle Moves. Video by Red Carpet Kids . Lights, camera, action! In addition to walking the red carpet, the party-goers also get the chance to film their own mini movie . Center stage: Red Carpet Kids provides make-up and costumes, as well as a full green screen set-up, in order to ensure the experience is as authentic as possible . 'Kids are able to get that experience of winning an Academy Award and they get up and do speeches - everything you would think of in a real award show,' Ms Shure added. If movies aren't your child's cup of tea, the company offers a number of other party packages, from a 'Frozen' Red Carpet Party to a Fashion Week Experience, and can also cater to clients eager to create their own tailor-made experience. '[The most ridiculous request] to date has been live reindeer,' the founder revealed. 'We were doing a holiday-themed event and they wanted these reindeer to pull a sleigh in with the birthday child. 'Probably the most expensive party is for a ten-year-old coming up and it's $20,000 for a kid. It's the Grammy's, so it's sort of live in concert at Lincoln Center.' | New York-based events company Red Carpet Kids recreates glamorous celebrity events for children's birthday parties .
Prices start at $3,000 for the most basic parties but many cost upwards of $10,000 . |
144,975 | 4785981c93c267e094fe221db032de3d68ff1e35 | An entire shoal of fish has been frozen mid-swim off the coast of Norway. Thanks to a sharp eastern wind, part of the ocean froze near Lovund, a small island just a few miles from the northern shores of the Norway mainland. It was only -7.8 degrees, but the wind made wind chill cold enough to freeze the large amount of fish in place. The fish frozen in their shoal off of the coast of Lovund, a small island on the Northern coast of Norway, in ice so thick walkers have been able to safely take their dog out for a walk on it . Aril Slotte of the Norwegian marine research institute Havforskningsinstituttet told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) that he thinks the fish were being chased by a predator, which have made them group up in such big numbers. Ingolf Kristiansen said that because the ice was so frozen, no birds were able to fish in the seas. This is not the first instance of an animal being caught frozen in a Norweigian body of water. An elk was found frozen solid after falling through the icy surface of a Norwegian lake, found half visible above the ice. It appears as though it was trying to cross the ice, when it cracked, trapping the elk in the freezing water. Frozen: The animal was found frozen solid in the middle of the water near Bodo in northern Norway with just its antlers and back visible above the ice . Inger Sjøberg, 47, found the animal as she was skating across the lake, reported The Local. 'I was out skating with my boyfriend, and we saw something dark on the ice,' she told the Norway edition of the English language website. 'I thought it was some wood or some grass or something, and when we looked at it, we saw that it was an elk. I have never seen it before, a frozen animal in the ice.' 'We had to go out a bit from land, so the ice was strong enough when he started to walk, but then further out it was not strong enough. It's part of nature that animals die in this way.' A frog frozen to a lake. A frog in search of a mate froze to death while trying to cross a frosty lake . Photographer Svein Nordrum, 54, took this shot of a frog frozen on the surface of Lake Bindingsvann, just outside of Oslo, Norway . But it's not just large animals that have trouble with the frigid Norwegian winters, as smaller animals like frogs have been stopped in their tracks by freezing temperatures. It was thought that this frog was crossing lake ice near Oslo to try and seek out a mate, but was frozen solid in the process. The winter weather in Norway is some of the coldest in the world, with temperatures in inland areas sometimes reaching -40 degrees. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Norway was around -52 degrees in 1886 in one of the northernmost towns in the country. An ice-skater on the Norwegian Lake Bindingsvann, near where the frozen frog was found . | Entire shoal of fish caught under ice thick enough to walk on .
Fish could have been on the run from a predator at the time .
Elk caught only days before in another Norwegian lake . |
174,846 | 6e492159abf07fb05054588d2180616096b15c79 | Russia's deputy prime minister has tweeted a picture mocking Barack Obama's masculinity just days after the U.S. president announced a fresh wave of sanctions against the country. Dmitry Rogozin uploaded an image of Russian president Vladimir Putin posing with a leopard alongside an image of Obama holding a white poodle. The peculiar display of one-upmanship was captioned 'We have different values and allies,' making it clear what the Kremlin thinks of the U.S. president and his Western counterparts amid heightened tensions following the shooting down of flight MH17 in Ukraine, which left 298 people dead. Scroll down for video . Mockery: Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin uploaded this image of Russian president Vladimir Putin posing with a leopard alongside an image of Obama holding a white poodle . Macho: Rogozin's image is the latest attempt by Russian officials to present Putin as an ultra-manly figure. He has previously posed for staged photographs topless on horseback . Rogozin's image has so far been retweeted more than 1,000 times and is the latest attempt by Russian officials to present Putin as an ultra-manly figure. He has previously posed for staged photographs topless on horseback, swimming at sea, embracing a polar bear and hang-gliding with migratory birds. The image of his posing with a snow leopard is believed to have been taken during a visit to a sanctuary in the run-up to the Sochi Winter Olympics last year. The photograph of Obama, meanwhile, is understood to have been taken in the mid-2000s when he was campaigning to become Senator of Illinois. It is not the first time Rogozin has taken to social media to defend his country's might. Earlier he tweeted a short YouTube documentary on the history of the Russian-made Ural tank. Joke: The image mocking U.S. president Barack Obama (left) uploaded by Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin (right) has so far been retweeted more than 1,000 times . Outdoorsy: Russian president Vladimir Putin regularly poses for staged photographs to boost his macho image . Tough guy: Vladimir Putin has long been keen to show off his physical prowess as well as his political strength . Obama himself, meanwhile, is not exactly the most popular in the U.S., with his approval rating close to an all-time low in the crucial Ohio swing state. In many Democrat-voting areas of U.S. he is now seen as a less-popular figure than potential presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, amid anger over his domestic policies on illegal immigration, health care and gun control. He has also been criticised for being more concerned about his celebrity image than foreign policy and was accused of 'partying while the world burns' when hosting a Katy Perry concert at the White House last night. As violence intensifies in Gaza, ISIS militants continue their brutal campaign in Iraq and Syria, and tensions with Russia reach Cold War levels, Obama introduced the pop star on stage with the words 'I love Katy Perry. She is just a wonderful person... for her to take time out to do this is really special.' Winning mentality: Putin is a fan of judo and often arranges photo shoots where he will take on and occasionally beat professional athletes . Not so tough: Although Rogozin suggested Obama was weak for posing with a dog, Putin obviously considers doesn't consider it a faux-pas. Here he is seen snuggling up to his puppy he was given during a visit to Bulgaria . Rogozin's mocking tweet comes after EU countries and the United States tightened sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. Russia has been accused of supporting anti-government forces in the east of Ukraine . It has also claimed they provided the BUK suface-to-air missile launcher that down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in the state of Donetsk on July 18, killing all 298 people on board. Today it was announced that Russia will impose import duties on products from Moldova and its latest move to limit trade with the former Soviet republic, which signed an EU free-trade deal in June. Moscow has put curbs on trade with some other countries that have attempted to move out of its orbit, including Ukraine. In . fact it was tensions over whether Ukraine should position itself closer . either to the EU or Russia that kicked-off the violence in the country . late last year. Unpopular: Barack Obama is not exactly the most popular in the U.S., with his approval rating close to an all-time low in the crucial Ohio swing state . Party: Barack Obama has also been criticised for being more concerned about his celebrity image than foreign policy when hosting a Katy Perry concert at the White House last night (pictured) Russia is currently Moldova's third-largest export market after the European Union and Ukraine. The Russian government today said import duties at 'Most Favoured Nation' rates will be introduced for Moldova on August 30, covering products such as meat, vegetables, sugar and wine. Under the regime, Russia applies basic import duties to products from countries that are not members of its free trade zone and do not enjoy any other preferences. Moldova currently supplies products to Russia with a zero duty, according to their agreement. The move follows Russia's decision to suspend imports of fruit and limit meat imports from Moldova after the country of 3.5 million - one of Europe's poorest states - signed the free-trade and political cooperation agreement with the EU. | Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin uploaded picture to Twitter .
Image captioned 'We have different values and allies' retweeted 1,000 times .
Mockery comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S. following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine . |
153,004 | 51bcea056355f888b0168a6371d30e94d8de074a | By . David Wigg . PUBLISHED: . 04:30 EST, 19 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:59 EST, 19 September 2013 . Sorely missed: Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley are now parted forever . Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary is in deep mourning. She spends her days in her bedroom, dressed in black or purple, staring at a framed photograph of her late husband, Matthew, on the dressing table. ‘Anyone who tries to lift me out of it has an almost impossible task on their hands,’ says Michelle Dockery, who plays the recently widowed Lady Mary — and new mother of baby George — in the fourth series, which returns this weekend. ‘Lady Mary has gone back to being as unapproachable as she was in the first series, but for a different reason,’ says Michelle. ‘Then, she was a very petulant, spoilt . aristocrat, but over the years — and especially since she had known . Matthew — she softened. But now, in her grief, she has put the barriers . back up again.’ The last . time we saw the great house standing proudly on its manicured lawns, in a . Christmas Day special, dark clouds were descending. Dashing . young Matthew was killed when his open-top sports car crashed, just . after the birth of George, heir to the family’s estate. The . new series begins six months after Matthew’s death in 1922, with Lady . Mary still consumed by grief and wondering whether she will make a good . mother and be able to bond with her fatherless son. Even . a consoling visit from the family’s trusted butler, Carson, cannot . shake Lady Mary out of her depression. Can Tom Branson, the wilful . former chauffeur and widower of her sister Lady Sybil, be the one person . who can bring happiness back into her life again? ‘Although it’s a dark period in Mary’s life, I do enjoy playing that side of her, when she’s got more of a sting in her tail,’ says Michelle, 31. Bonding over their grief: Michelle as Lady Mary with son George and Allen as Tom Branson with baby Sybbie . As you will see, she’s even quite brutal with Carson (Jim Carter), whom she had always turned to for guidance. ‘She’s also very dismissive of caring Anna Bates [Joanne Froggatt], the head housemaid. She hurts people who want to help her.’ The . death of Matthew (Dan Stevens) shocked millions of viewers. It had been . a well-kept secret, although Stevens had for some time been signalling . his intention to leave Downton and try his luck in Hollywood. Darker drama: Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary is struggling to escape her grief in season four - and even Michelle felt her loss . ‘We’d . all signed up initially for three series of Downton, so the time was . right for him to make his move,’ says Michelle. ‘Any of us could have . made the same choice. ‘Of . course, I would have loved Dan to have stayed, but there does come a . point where you have to make decisions about your career and what you . want to do. ‘I was worried . at first because without Dan the story had to change. His character was . not only my husband, but the hopes for the family’s estate were pinned . on him. ‘It means that this . new series has had to take a real turn, something Julian Fellowes [the . Oscar-winning writer] hadn’t bargained for.’ When Stevens first said that he wanted to leave at the end of series three, Fellowes urged him to wait until a convenient moment arose in an early episode in series four. Then he would write him out by sending Matthew on a business trip to America, which would still leave the role open to him to return should things not work out later. He even offered to film some scenes in New York. But Stevens was determined to move on, so Fellowes reluctantly had Matthew make a dramatic exit in a fatal car crash — but not until the very end of the Christmas episode, so that viewers wouldn’t be as upset as they would be if it had happened mid-way through the show. ‘I’m not mourning Dan like Lady Mary is for her husband,’ says Michelle, ‘but I do miss him. We had become close and it has seemed strange without him. ‘It’s the same with Jessica Brown Findlay, who played my sister Lady Sybil, who died soon after bearing her baby daughter. ‘We all spent so much time together, and suddenly they are not there. Mary feels isolated in her grief — and I’m missing two good friends.’ Grieving: Both Lady Mary and Michelle suffers after the death of Dan Stevens' Matthew . Servant support: Lady Mary turns on all her helpers, even her own maid Anna Bates . In loving memory: Lady Mary struggles to bond with her son George following the death of Matthew and passes him on to a wetnurse . So what is the future for Lady Mary? It’s clear, from the opening sequence of the new series, that it’s likely to be a long time before she will receive gentlemen suitors. Says Michelle: ‘Mary is nowhere near ready. I don’t think it would be right for her to move on that swiftly — and the viewers wouldn’t like it, either. So you’ll have to see. It’s going to be a while.’ However, the gossip from the set is that there are admirers on the horizon. As Fellowes says: ‘A lot of men will be interested in a beautiful, clever, well-connected woman with a big estate. Women like that have a lot of pursuers.’ Although she forms an alliance-through-grief with her brother-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), it is likely that their partnership will be more to do with fulfilling Matthew’s plans for modernising the estate, as well as sharing the problems of being single parents. ‘We are kindred spirits, but I am her rock, because her world has collapsed around her,’ says Leech. ‘That’s all there is to it.’ One hotly-tipped candidate for Lady Mary’s eventual affections is Lord Anthony Gillingham, an old family friend she’s known since they were children, played by 28-year-old Welsh actor Tom Cullen. Another is the aristocratic Charles Blake, a role taken by Foyle’s War actor Julian Ovenden, and there is also speculation that Lady Mary shows a keen interest in Chicago jazz singer Jack Ross, played by Gary Carr. ‘I’m giving no clues,’ says Michelle Dockery. ‘But all I will say is that although at the start of the series we see Lady Mary reverting to being a glamorous ice princess, it will take a special man to make her melt.’ Downton Abbey, ITV, Sunday 9pm. | New series opens with Lady Mary's crippling grief after Matthew's death .
Michelle Dockerey says Downton has been 'strange' without Dan Stevens . |
612 | 01c953ec5662079f85a09664d478ae93578aa769 | (CNN) -- Gilad Shalit was a 19-year-old enlisted man guarding an Israeli army post when Palestinian militants attacked his tank, killed the two men he was serving with and took him prisoner more than five years ago. Israelis are overjoyed that he went free on Tuesday in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. "We have experienced the rebirth of a son," Shalit's father said. It has been "an exhausting and long struggle." "Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud," Israeli President Shimon Peres declared. "We have become ourselves again." "He really is the child of us all," said Daniel Taub, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, noting that almost all Israelis do military service. Shalit told Egypt's state-owned Nile TV after his release Tuesday that it was "exciting" to meet many of the people who "have worked very hard in order to release me. I would like to thank them for all this effort." He said he received the news of a possible deal to free him a week ago, "but I felt it for the last month. ... I was afraid that the negotiations could go wrong." Much of Israel came to a halt in a nationwide demonstration earlier this year in response to a Facebook campaign that went viral. On March 15, cars pulled to the side of the road, schools halted classes and Israeli President Shimon Peres paused at a conference in the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Israelis were not the only ones marking the soldier's captivity. "Jews across the world have been pining for Gilad Shalit's release for over five years," said William Daroff, a vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America. "Thousands of us have had an empty chair at our Passover seder tables reserved for Gilad," he said, referring to the celebratory meal that marks the beginning of Passover. "We have prayed for his release. We have met with his parents, we have sat with his family in their tent outside the prime minister's residence, we have marched for Gilad's release." Shalit's parents led a 12-day march from their home in northern Israel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem in June 2010 and camped out in a tent there until last week. Soon after the protest camp was set up, the British government demanded Shalit's "immediate and unconditional release." "His detention is unjustifiable and unacceptable," the British Foreign Office said on Shalit's 24th birthday. In June of this year, the United States condemned Shalit's captivity "in the strongest possible terms," according to a White House statement. America "joins other governments and organizations around the world" in calling for his immediate freedom, the statement said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday his thoughts were with the victims' families of the Palestinian prisoners released under the terms of the deal. "Gilad could not pay for everybody," Sarkozy said. Asked what he missed most during his captivity, Shalit told Nile TV Tuesday he missed his family. "I missed going out and meeting people," he said.' Shalit traveled via Egypt because it acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas. Asked why he thought the Egyptians succeeded and others did not, he said, "I think the Egyptians were successful because they have good relations with Hamas and with Israel." On whether he will help bring about the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Shalit said, "I will be glad if they are released, as long as they do not return to fighting Israel." And he said he hopes the deal that brought about his release "will move the peace process forward." Shalit was born August 28, 1986, in the Israeli coastal city of Naharia and moved with his family to western Galilee two years later. He has two brothers and was an outstanding science student in high school, his family says. An Israeli military operation immediately after his capture failed to free him, and he was held incommunicado throughout his captivity. His family calls it a violation of international law that organizations such as the Red Cross were not allowed to see him and that they were only able to get one letter to him. The last proof he was alive came in a video in 2009 in which the noticeably thin young man held a newspaper dated September 14. In the video, he talks about his family, saying: "I miss them very much, and I am longing for the day when I will see them again." The day after his capture, a trio of Palestinian groups, including members of Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad, said they would release him in exchange for all female Palestinian prisoners and all security prisoners under the age of 18 held by Israel, the Shalit family said. In the end, Israel is releasing significantly more than the Palestinians originally demanded -- despite the objections of at least some Israeli families who do not want to see the killers of their relatives released. The Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the agreement to release more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange for Shalit, according to a poll published in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth the day before his handover by Hamas to Egyptian security. Israel's ambassador to London summed up the mixed feelings many experienced in his country as they waited for their most famous captive to taste freedom. "Seeing Gilad coming home ... is really coming home to every family. But at the same time it's very bittersweet," Taub said, since "every one of us in some way has been touched by terrorism." CNN's Guy Azriel and Michal Zippori contributed to this report. | NEW: Shimon Peres: "Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud"
Palestinians abducted Israeli soldier Shalit in 2006 when he was 19 .
Shalit's parents camped out in front of the Israeli prime minister's office for more than a year .
Israel inked a deal to get him back in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners . |
226,849 | b1be228f97a55fe49fea9b56b8f2b1e1c510f011 | Suspicious: Shane Todd was found dead in his Singapore apartment last summer. He apparently hanged himself, but his family claims he was murdered . The hanging death of an American electronics engineer in Singapore last summer has ignited an international mystery, after his family and girlfriend developed suspicions that he may have been murdered the week before he was scheduled to return home to the U.S. The family of Shane Todd visited his apartment in the Chinatown district of Singapore days after they received news of his June 2012 death, saying that their son had misgivings about some of the work he was doing for the company. Dr Todd, 31, was slated to return to the U.S. after completing an 18-month stint at the Institute of Microelectronics, and his family is now desperately searching for how – and why – their son is dead. A February 15 piece published in the Financial Times magazine tells of how Mr Todd’s parents, Mary and Rick Todd, traveled from Montana to Singapore days after their son’s death on June 23, 2012. Mrs Todd told the magazine in no uncertain terms: ‘We think our son was murdered.’ The Todds did not immediately respond to a request sent by MailOnline. According to the magazine, the Todds, joined by their sons, John and Dylan, went to see where Shane had spent his last hours. His parents have said he was murdered because of his involvement in the project, which they say involved exporting sensitive military technology to China. IME did not immediately respond to MailOnline’s request for comment. The family told the FT that they discovered several things awry at Dr Todd’s Colonial-era apartment. Piles of laundry were neatly folded and ready to be packed in suitcases, packed moving boxes littered the apartment, and his plane ticket back to the States was sitting on his dining room table. Close: Mary and Rick Todd, center, are mourning the death of their son Shane (back right, pictured with brothers John, back left, Dylan, front right, Chet and his wife Corynne , front left) The Singapore police report from last summer states that Mr Todd – who stood more than 6ft and 200 pounds – constructed a sort of noose by bolting a pulley to the bathroom wall and wrapping a strap through the contraption. However, when the Todd family arrived days later, they were appalled to find that their late son’s front door was unlocked, there was no crime tap indicating an active investigation, and more importantly – no bolts drilled into the bathroom. The Singapore Police released a statement today in response to the FT article, reading in part: ‘The police investigate all unnatural death cases thoroughly, working closely with the pathologist and other relevant experts, and no prior assumptions are made on the cause of death,’ according to Yahoo! Singapore. The FT article also states that the FBI bureau in Singapore has volunteered their forensic help on two separate occasions, but said that the local police had declined their help. An FBI source in Washington told the paper that they could do nothing to help the investigation until the Singapore Police formally accepted their assistance. In the statement, Singapore police added: ‘Since the death of Mr Shane Todd, the Police have engaged and assisted the family without impending the objectivity of our investigation process. We will continue to do so. Police have also kept the American Embassy and FBI informed of this case.’ The family also recovered a hard drive with backup data from his time at IME. The FT gave information on the hard drive to Professor Sir Colin Humphreys to analyze. The professor works as the director of research at Cambridge University’s Centre for Gallium Nitride. Brothers: Shane Todd was one of four boys and his grieving family want to know the truth about his death . According to the centre’s website, the chemical, known as GaN, is ‘probably the most important semiconductor material since silicon.’ The chemical is used in many of today’s high-tech products, from Blu-ray players to hybrid electric cars, and can withstand heat to much higher capacity than silicone. It is the building blocks for blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Sir Colin told the FT that the data on Dr Todd’s hard drive was fore a high-electron mobility transistor made from GaN, adding that the project had applications for both the military and commercial use. Singapore police said they were still investigating the death of Dr Todd and would submit their evidence to a coroner. Singaporean pathologists concluded in an autopsy last June that he died by hanging in his Singapore flat. Chemicals: Dr Todd was working with Gallium Nitrate (GaN), a synthetic material used in many high-tech objects like Blu-ray players and hybrid electric cars . 'IME approached Huawei on one occasion to cooperate with them in the GaN field, but we decided not to accept, and consequently do not have any cooperation with IME related to GaN,' Huawei said in a statement. Huawei said that the development of GaN technology was commonplace across the telecommunications industry. Interviews with the family, colleagues and friends revealed conflicting views on Dr Todd's state of mind before his death, the nature of his work and how he died. Colleagues said that he was increasingly depressed in his last few months, but said that his concerns appeared to centre on a sense of failure about his work, and an ambivalence about returning to the United States. On assignment: Dr Todd lived in the Chinatown district of Singapore; here the skyline is pictured . Researchers in unrelated fields have also questioned how, if his work was so sensitive, he was able to take home computer files from his office. IME is part of a network of research institutes managed by government-run Agency for Science, Technology and Research, or A*Star. A former A*Star researcher now working in the United States pointed out that IME and other A*Star institutes were not military research organizations. Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunication equipment companies, but has been blocked from some projects in Australia and deemed a security risk by the U.S. congress on the grounds that its equipment could be used for spying, according to Reuters. Huawei has routinely denied such accusations and has said it is not linked to the Chinese government. Dr Todd's parents said in interviews in July that Singapore police and IME had failed to properly investigate his death after his body was found hanging from a door in his Singapore apartment on the evening of June 24, two days after he quit IME. Singapore police say they have handled the case as they have handled other cases, and their procedures follow high international standards. They said in such cases of unnatural death, 'no prior assumptions' were made about the cause. Big business: Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunication equipment companies, but has been deemed a security risk by the U.S. congress on the grounds that its equipment could be used for spying . Mrs Todd said in a telephone interview with Reuters last July that he had been scared. 'I had been talking to him for months for at least an hour every week and he told us he was afraid of being murdered because of his contacts with the Chinese government,' she said. 'He quit his job because of it.' Huawei declined to say whether they had been working on other projects with IME. Colleagues said shortly after Todd's death that he had told them at one point he had been working on a project with Huawei but that it was not sensitive or high-level in nature. One described it as carrying out 'measurement test reports' of semiconductors. The FT said that Dr Todd had been involved in proposing a joint project with Huawei. While it did not say whether the project was approved, it quoted his parents as saying that subsequently he complained to them of being asked to do things with a Chinese company he did not identify that made him uncomfortable. Dr Todd was described in his obituary as an avid baseball player and a brilliant scientific mind. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Santa Barbara. Reuters contributed to this report. | Shane Todd, an American working on an 18-month assignment in Singapore, was found hanged in his apartment in June 2012 .
Family claims he was murdered and Singapore police refuse to accept help from FBI .
Todds also recovered hard drive with backup data from son's project .
Dr Todd was doing research on high-tech chemical and was collaborating with Chinese company, according to report . |
152,229 | 50c00b4db44e61fd51c07b950025a26768a2f5b1 | (CNN) -- Are you "in a relationship" on Facebook? If so, you might wish to go to this link: Facebook.com/us. The page is the newly launched digital version of the relationship between you and your significant other, including posts, events and photos that both of you are tagged in. Cute, right? Well, not so much, according to the (always cheery) Internet. "I want to vomit," wrote blogger Jennifer Wright. Emma Barnett, women's editor at The Telegraph, wrote that she may break up with her husband on Facebook just to get rid of the newly created couple's page. "Mr. Zuckerberg: by all means keep giving people new tools -- as you did when you created Facebook," she wrote, referring to Facebook's co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. "But when you start doing things for us -- the experience is anything but social or remotely positive. You have infantilised my relationship for me with the creation of www.facebook.com/us. Only I should get to do that." A little history makes this seem a bit less dramatic. Facebook Friendship Pages, which show posts that you and a friend have in common, have existed for more than two years. So there likely already was a "friendship" page between you and the person who you are "in a relationship" with on the billion-person social network. The main change is that now there is an Internet address -- Facebook.com/us -- that redirects to your relationship. Additionally, all of those Friendship and Relationship pages, starting last Thursday, are being updated to look more like Facebook's Timeline. They're more visual than the old pages. To see the Facebook version of a friendship with someone in your network, go to their page and click the gear icon at the top right of the page. Click "see friendship." On his blog, writer Justin McLachlan says the changes should be celebrated. "There's nothing creepy here, that I can see, just more out of proportion reactions to something new, different and innovative," he wrote in response to The Telegraph's article. "It's no different, really, than typing your name into Google and seeing your face and other personal details from social networks mashed up in sidebar." If you love someone on Facebook but don't love the new Facebook.com/us pages, here's more news, however, that might bother you: It's impossible to get rid of them. You can, however, have a say in what content appears on them. "You cannot deactivate the pages, but you can control what you share on Facebook using the privacy settings for each post," Facebook's Jessie Baker wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "The friendship page respects the privacy setting of each post. This means the person viewing the friendship page may see each post elsewhere on Facebook, like on either friend's timeline or in news feed. You can curate your friendship page by hiding stories you do not want to appear. "As a reminder, selecting to 'hide' an object from your timeline or friendship page does not remove it from Facebook, and the object may show up in other places such as news feed. If you would like to remove a story you posted from Facebook altogether, you can do so by selecting delete post or untagging yourself from photos." | Facebook rolls new new Friendship and relationship pages .
Go to the URL Facebook.com/us to see your relationship with a significant other .
It's impossible to delete the pages, Facebook says, but you can change the content .
Facebook: "The friendship page respects the privacy setting of each post" |
183,899 | 7a3568b2e376bd9f924890ffcf68cc3cca6299da | A gang of robbers stole £1million of jewellery then set a trail of small fires and strung wire ropes along their escape route to distract police. The raiders plundered Leslie Davis in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, at 3am before laying a path of destruction to evade arrest. Thames Valley Police were alerted to the scene by burglar alarms but arrived to find the gates of the shopping centre padlocked shut. A gang of thieves raided Leslie Davis in Milton Keynes at 3am this morning before setting a trail of small fires in litter bins to distract police while they escaped . Their pursuit was also hindered by thick, wire ropes strung across roads and small fires set in bins on approach to the shop. The thieves, who stole £1million worth of gold, silver and diamonds, escaped and have not yet been found. 'This burglary was carried out by offenders who used planned distraction and deterring tactics to delay officers attending the scene,' a Thames Valley Police spokesman said. 'These included setting small fires nearby as well as using metal ropes to prevent vehicular access and padlocking entry gates. Forensics experts were scouring the store in Milton Keynes this morning for traces of the raiders . Smashes glass is scattered across the floor at the store. An estimated £1million of gold, silver and diamonds was stolen in the raid . 'We are currently undertaking extensive forensic work in and around the location of the burglary, meaning that disruption to traffic, particularly access across the over-bridge to the centre of Milton Keynes, is unavoidable. 'I would ask the public for their patience while we carry out this necessary part of our investigation.' It is not known how many people were involved in the raid or whether a vehicle was used in their escape. | Gang plundered Leslie Davis jewellery store in Milton Keynes at 3am .
Set small fires in litter bins and strung wire ropes across approaching roads .
Police arrived to find gates of shopping centre had been padlocked .
Thieves escaped with an estimated £1million of gold, silver and diamonds . |
267,293 | e62f03803ad7c62e952b78f1a272a82462be97fd | (CNN) -- Two U.S. Air Force officers who died in a crash in Laos in 1969 were laid to rest Monday at Arlington National Cemetery and honored with a final flyover -- but not one provided by the U.S. military. Citing budget concerns, the Air Force denied a request to honor the fallen service members with a military flyover. That prompted a private air squadron to step in. "Unfortunately, the government hasn't been able to supply flyovers for these gentlemen that have served and gave up the greatest sacrifice they could, so all of us have decided to go ahead and fulfill the mission," said Calvin Peacock, a volunteer with nonprofit group Warrior Aviation. Maj. James Sizemore of Lawrenceville, Illinois, and Maj. Howard Andre Jr. of Memphis, Tennessee, were shot down in their A-26A Invader aircraft during a reconnaissance mission over Laos during the Vietnam War, according to the Defense Department. The pilots were considered killed in action. The crash site was discovered in 1993, but the pilots' remains were not discovered until April. Military scientists then matched the remains with the dental records of Sizemore, solving the 44-year-old mystery and bringing closure to the families. A flyover is a military ceremonial ritual reserved for the most esteemed of fallen service members. The Department of Defense refused a military flyover for Sizemore and Andre because of the forced budget cuts known as sequestration. The private squadron consisted of a B-25, two P-51s, four L-39 jets and an A-26 Invader, the same type of plane Sizemore and Andre flew. The Warrior Aviation organization is comprised of volunteers, most of whom are veterans. "People like myself, the Vietnam generation, we know what sacrifice these guys made. It was a true honor to be a part of the group that is allowed to do this. When they asked me to do this, I said, 'Absolutely, it would be a honor, '" said Warrior Aviation volunteer Larry Kelly. The Defense Department records indicate that more than 1,640 American military personnel are still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Civil War sailors laid to rest 150 years later . A war hero returns home, 40 years later . CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report. | James Sizemore and Howard Andre Jr. were shot down over Laos in 1969 .
The remains of the majors weren't discovered until April .
The nonprofit Warrior Aviation provided the private flyover at Arlington . |
202,385 | 9202dbe4b9442f6fc619877282be3b133df47ea9 | Residents have gone nine months without Royal Mail deliveries - after postmen were attacked by a dog from a neighbouring street. The 'temporary suspension' started in February 2014 for some homes on Surrey Road, Blackburn, Lancashire. It came after Royal Mail bosses claimed that an American bulldog named Winston, belonging to Hayley Sandiford who lives on a neighbouring street, had attacked two of their workers. Royal Mail bosses claimed that an American bulldog named Winston (pictured with owner Hayley Sandiford), had attacked two of its workers . David and Rosemary King (pictured), who live in Surrey Road near the junction with Worcester Road, said they had heard little from Royal Mail by way of explanation . A number of residents in the area - including some that do not even live on the same road as Ms Sandiford - now say they face a four-and-a-half mile round trip to collect their post. Royal Mail, which has apologised for the inconvenience to its customers, said the suspension would continue indefinitely after another attempted attack on a postman a fortnight ago. Residents, among them pensioners and a pregnant woman, have hit out at the decision with some saying important medical letters have gone missing. They have to drive to and from the Blackburn Delivery Office in Canterbury Street, as do residents in neighbouring Worcester Road, if they want to collect their mail. A councillor for the area said the situation had now been going on for too long and called for a swift resolution. Ms Sandiford, of Worcester Road, was given a six-month community order at Blackburn Magistrates' Court in October after she pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. The court also ordered that her American bulldog must be accompanied, muzzled, and kept on two leads when in public, while her garden must be securely fenced and adequately locked to prevent the animal from escaping . Trevor Smith, who lives in Surrey Road, said his wife Joan, 67, had missed a hospital appointment as a result of post not being delivered and now arranged visits over the phone. The 'temporary suspension' started in February 2014 for some homes on Surrey Road (pictured), Blackburn, Lancashire . Mr Smith, also 67, said: 'I believe the dog has been examined and there is nothing wrong with it. My wife has missed appointments through letters going missing and I know she's not the only one on this street. 'There are a lot of elderly people here and a pregnant woman across the road who have all had letters go missing. 'It also starts to add up when you have to drive or get a taxi to Canterbury Street once or twice a week. It's just wrong.' Louise Johnston, 85, who is recovering from an operation, said her son had to travel from Bury to pick up letters on her behalf. She said: 'One letter was posted to me on the 27th and arrived on the 4th. My hospital appointment was on the 3rd. It's not good enough.' Neighbour Mark Crear, 41, said: 'Me and my partner both work night shifts so it's hard enough to get to the delivery office. I feel like we're being unfairly punished. The dog doesn't even live on this street. 'I don't understand why they can't put the post in the Accrington Road post office and that would save the whole community going to Canterbury Street all the time.' A court ordered that Hayley Sandiford's American bulldog (pictured) must be accompanied, muzzled, and kept on two leads when in public . Val Regan, 75, whose husband Phillip died last year, said she found it difficult frequently getting taxis to and from the mail depot. She said: 'The cost of going to the sorting office is something I could do without. There have been Christmas cards missing too. 'I have a lot of hospital appointments and sometimes I won't know when they are until the last minute.' David and Rosemary King, who live in Surrey Road near the junction with Worcester Road, said they had heard little from Royal Mail by way of explanation. Mr King said: 'Luckily we can do our appointments by email, but not everyone can do that. My wife is disabled and it's not right that our street is still being excluded.' Councillor Tony Humphrys, who represents Shadsworth with Whitebirk, said he felt sorry for all parties involved. He said: 'I sympathise with both sides, with Royal Mail and with the residents because it is now so long since they have had mail delivered. 'I also have sympathies with Twin Valley Homes as they have tried their best to resolve it. 'It has gone on for too long now and there has to be a resolution.' The Royal Mail has said it had decided on areas where deliveries would not take place based on reported sightings of the animal. Spokesperson Val Bodden said: 'Royal Mail can confirm that we are continuing with the temporary suspension of deliveries to a number of addresses in the Worcester Road area of Blackburn, while concern for our postmen's safety continues, with the dog which attacked two of our postmen earlier this year still being allowed to roam freely on occasion while our postmen are out on delivery. 'In a recent incident on December 18, following restoration of deliveries to several addresses in September, our postman had to seek shelter when the dog, unattended and without a muzzle, tried to attack the postman. 'Suspending deliveries is always a last resort but we take the health and safety of our employees very seriously and we have reported this latest incident to the police and local dog warden. 'We apologise to all affected customers and we want to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.' | Suspension started last February for some in Surrey Road, Blackburn .
Came after an American bulldog named Winston attacked two postmen .
Dog belongs to Hayley Sandiford who lives on nearby Worcester Road .
Royal Mail postmen will not deliver to a number of homes on both roads .
Some residents have gone without Royal Mail deliveries for nine months .
Bosses say suspension will continue indefinitely amid claims of another attempted attack by the dog on a postman a fortnight ago . |
181,447 | 76e5b44a66d73016a4c83b28e6cd006f75cc9355 | (CNN) -- Outrage over the reported discovery of the bodies of almost 800 children at a former home for unmarried mothers run by nuns in Ireland prompted calls Wednesday for a full investigation. The children whose remains have apparently been found in Tuam, in County Galway, are believed to have died between 1925 and 1961, according to local media reports. The grim discovery was highlighted in a front-page report in the Irish Mail on Sunday, which cited the efforts of local historian Catherine Corless to research the burial sites of 796 children listed as having died at the home, which was run by the Sisters of Bon Secours. According to the newspaper, Corless believes their remains are all buried in the unmarked mass grave next to the place where the home once stood. Local children stumbled upon the grave in the 1970s, local media reported, but the site was never examined afterward. The revelation has sparked calls for an investigation and renewed questions about the treatment of unmarried mothers and their children by the Catholic Church and institutions associated with it. Sgt. Brian Whelan, in the press office of Garda, Ireland's national police, told CNN there was nothing to suggest any impropriety and that police are not investigating the matter. Whelan also disputed media reports that remains were found in a septic tank. The skeletal remains were found in a graveyard in the grounds of the home, he said. Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Charlie Flanagan said in a statement Wednesday that "active consideration" is being given to how to address the details that have emerged about the burial of children who died in homes for unmarried mothers. "Many of the revelations are deeply disturbing and a shocking reminder of a darker past in Ireland when our children were not cherished as they should have been," he said. Government departments are working together to establish the best course of action, said Flanagan. 'Tip of the iceberg' Opposition parties Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail urged a comprehensive government inquiry into the matter. "The news that the remains of some 800 babies were found on convent grounds in Tuam has shocked citizens," said party leader Gerry Adams in an online statement Wednesday. "This case warrants an immediate full public inquiry into the neglect and maltreatment which caused the deaths of these children. "Unfortunately, this case is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the treatment of women and children in mother and baby homes." Colm Keaveney, a Fianna Fail lawmaker in Galway East, insisted that Ireland's Prime Minister -- or Taoiseach -- Enda Kenny, must take a lead in investigating the reports. "These shocking revelations about the appalling treatment of hundreds of babies and their mothers must be dealt with by the highest levels in Government," he said. "We need to hear from the Taoiseach today about the Government's plans to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of these children, the dumping of their remains, the treatment of their mothers and the State's role in the activities at this home." Archbishop: Huge emotional wrench . A petition set up Tuesday on the activist website Avaaz.org calls for a judicial investigation into the circumstances of the children's deaths. More than 8,000 people had signed it as of Thursday morning. The petition, which is addressed to the Irish Minister for Justice and Equality, says, "We are concerned that evidence suggests that the mortality rate for these children was significantly higher than the national rate of infant mortality at the time. "And we are shocked at reliable, contemporaneous accounts that the children were malnourished and seemingly uncared-for, when the Irish State was paying the Bon Secours to look after them." Archbishop Michael Neary, who heads the Tuam archdiocese, welcomed the government's move to examine what happened at the home -- and said it was hard to fathom the suffering of the mothers involved. "I was greatly shocked, as we all were, to learn of the extent of the numbers of children buried in the graveyard in Tuam," he said in a statement. "I can only begin to imagine the huge emotional wrench which the mothers suffered in giving up their babies for adoption or by witnessing their death." Despite the length of time elapsed, "this is a matter of great public concern which ought to be acted upon urgently," Neary said. "It will be a priority for me, in cooperation with the families of the deceased, to seek to obtain a dignified re-interment of the remains of the children in consecrated ground in Tuam." He said the Church would work with the Bon Secours Sisters and the local community to put up a memorial plaque to the infants who died. Neary said that the diocese has no documents related to the home, since it was not involved in running it, while the Sisters of Bon Secours handed over their archives to local authorities in 1961. He added, "There exists a clear moral imperative on the Bon Secours Sisters in this case to act upon their responsibilities in the interests of the common good." Harsh treatment . The Tuam case is the latest high-profile episode in which the state and Catholic Church have been called to account over care of the most vulnerable in Irish society. A government report last year into the so-called Magdalen Laundries, run by various Catholic orders, acknowledged that Ireland's government sent thousands of women and girls to "harsh and physically demanding" workhouses, where they worked and lived without pay, sometimes for years. The laundries operated from 1922 to 1996. While some were sent there by courts, others were unmarried mothers, victims of sexual abuse, orphans considered a burden to relatives or the state, or were mentally or physically disabled. And earlier this year, Philomena Lee -- whose decades-long search for the son she was forced to give up for adoption in the 1950s was the subject of an Oscar-nominated film -- launched the Philomena Project in hopes of compelling the governments of Ireland and the United States to open access to adoption records. | NEW: Tuam archbishop says he will seek a "dignified re-interment" of children's remains .
Remains reported found in County Galway are believed to date between 1925 and 1961 .
Irish Mail cited the efforts of a local historian to research burial sites of children .
Pressure grows for investigation and accountability from government, Catholic Church . |
165,498 | 6203a37b8e23f2e1e7eb7a8b239a33fd0fbbfc62 | Washington (CNN) -- The Boston Herald and its cartoonist apologized Wednesday for a cartoon that quickly drew criticism on social media for being racist. A satire on the recent news that an intruder got farther into the White House last month than previously known, the cartoon depicts the intruder sitting in President Obama's bathtub, asking him if he has tried the "watermelon flavored toothpaste." Critics quickly pounced on the watermelon aspect of the cartoon, arguing the cartoonist was playing off a stereotype that African Americans are particularly fond of the fruit. The cartoonist, Jerry Holbert, said on Boston Herald Radio the watermelon reference was inadvertent. He argued he was "naive" about any racial undertones and "wasn't thinking along those lines at all." Holbert said he used the watermelon flavor because he found "kids Colgate watermelon flavor" toothpaste in his bathroom at home. "I want to apologize to anyone I offended who was hurt by the cartoon," Holbert said. "It was certainly, absolutely, not my intention." The Herald also issued an apology: "His cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize. His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful. We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity." A syndicated version of the cartoon uses the term "raspberry" instead of watermelon. Holbert said the syndicate called him Tuesday night asking if they could change the flavor. Pressed Wednesday on whether Holbert should have called the Herald after his talk with the syndicate, Holbert said, "I wish I had done that." | The Boston Herald cartoon was published Wednesday.
The cartoon depicts the White House intruder and President Obama.
Critics say it plays off a stereotype about African Americans. |
124,247 | 2ca0d7a86074426e5ae5ed7ad8da8546b2d217cb | (CNN) -- Great Britain can legitimately claim to have invented ice hockey, and even won gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics -- but its modern-day heroes are struggling to uphold that heritage in the face of adversity. When some British solders first ventured on to the ice in Ontario, Canada in the mid-19th century to play a modified version of field hockey, they could never have dreamed a multibillion-dollar business would be the legacy. However, while the sport has flourished in North America and other European nations, in the UK it battles a chronic lack of funding and fights for snippets of media coverage in a country where football dominates the back pages. Team GB has not played in the Winter Games since 1948, and suffered another heartbreaking failure last week in the final round of qualifying in Riga. Despite the setbacks, stalwart player David Clarke remains optimistic for the future of the sport. "Great Britain isn't renowned for its ice hockey talent, but it's growing and we've made a great account for ourselves over the last four or five years," Clarke told CNN's Human to Hero series. "So, I think gradually we are getting more respect but with that comes expectation." A squad coached by Scotsman Tony Hand, who briefly played alongside Wayne Gretzky in the NHL, lost to 11th-ranked hosts Latvia, France and Kazakhstan, ending their hopes of going to Sochi in 2014. "We gave a decent account of ourselves, but it would have been nice to have been able to get together as a team for more than just two days to properly prepare," said Clarke. Andy French, general secretary of Ice Hockey UK, which now boasts over 10,000 registered players, is dismayed they receive no funding from the British sports authorities. "Extra backing would create more revenue to enable all our teams from junior to senior level to have four international breaks per year to prepare for world championships, to bring on board a sports psychologist, team nutritionist, better preparation," he told CNN. Clarke could have followed Hand over the Atlantic to try his hand in the toughest league of all, but decided to stay home after becoming a father at the age of 18. He also had trials for his local professional football club Peterborough, but chose hockey. Star player . If he has any regret at missing out on the possible riches in the NHL, or even the EPL, the 31-year-old does not show it. He has forged a reputation as one of the star players in the British domestic league, being the all-time top scorer, and has helped Nottingham to a Playoffs and Challenge Cup double the past two seasons. Matches are played in purpose-built arenas, with the capital cities of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland hosting the Cardiff Devils, Belfast Giants and Edinburgh Capitals before audiences of between 5,000 to 8,000 partisan fans. London had a team, for which Clarke briefly played, run by the Anschutz Entertainment Group -- one of the world's largest sporting owners and investors. The London Knights were wound up in 2003 after only five years when the competition they played in folded and their home stadium was sold. The NHL hosted two fixtures between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings at London's 02 Arena in 2007, but French bemoans the fact the English capital is not represented in the GB professional league. "I think having the NHL play here is great for the fans and also does encourage people to find out where their nearest ice rink is either to go and watch a game or for the youngsters to start playing," he said. "But one big issue that we have is that we do not have a professional team playing in London. We used to have the London Knights but they finished a few years ago now." But Clarke is encouraged by the rise of homegrown talent in a GB team which used to be packed with dual nationality players, often of Canadian and U.S. heritage. So can a GB team make it to a future Olympics and take a short step towards emulating the 1936 heroes? "Without a doubt," he said. "But if we don't start now we are going to miss the opportunity. "It's a case of getting that talent to play to the best of their abilities. Slovenia, who we have beaten, came through the qualifying to make it to Sochi, and so can we at future Games." Clarke shows no signs of hanging up his sticks, and playing for his country remains the ultimate goal. "It's a massive honor. Any sport you're involved in, the pinnacle is to represent your country," he said. That he has been able to survive at the top of the tree for that long is testament to Clarke's commitment and a fitness program that begins at 7 a.m. each morning. He practices on the ice for about two hours, in the gym for an hour and a half followed by about 45 minutes of rehabilitation and stretching. "We consume lots and lots of food, way over the recommended daily allowance," he said. "Especially for me because I struggle to keep my weight on." Physical sport . The world over, ice hockey is a tough and physical sport and Clarke has his tales of woe. "Broken leg twice, a few knee ligament injuries, concussions. A few pucks, sticks in the head but we have good dentists and good doctors on hand." He first picked up a stick at his local rink when only six years of age and, aside from the brief flirtation with football, was dead set on representing Britain at ice hockey. He progressed through the under 18 and 20 ranks, eventually taking his place in a GB lineup with players he had considered "his idols" when watching as a youngster. "When he first broke into the British squad at the turn of the century his talent was obvious," said Ice Hockey UK's media officer Chris Ellis. Clarke's regular position is as an offensive forward "expected to contribute goals and in assists" and his standout abilities earned him a one-year contract with Alleghe in Italy in 2007. "He is one of the few British players to play abroad at the top level," said Ellis. But the lure of home proved too strong and he returned to Nottingham for another successful spell. The Elite League has a heavy schedule, ending in April when Clarke will again hurriedly form up with the GB team as they bid to erase memories of their Latvian disappointment. "We've got the world championship which is in Budapest this year and that will be our next focus ... we'll give it our all," he said. Britain plays in the second tier of competition -- the top pool dominated by the likes of the United States, Canada and Russia -- but will be bidding to improve its 21st ranking. It's a far cry from the days when a GB team took bronze in the 1924 Games in Chamonix, and capped that with gold in Germany 12 years later. The sport's powerhouses Canada and the United States took the silver and bronze, but with the NHL going to strength to strength in North America the foundation for their later domination was forged. The break-up of the Soviet Union also made it tougher for the likes of Britain to take a place at the top table, with countries such as Latvia and the Belarus forming strong national teams, with many of the players competing in the Russian league. Early roots . After those early Olympic successes, the British influence at the highest levels faded fast, but it has been a popular spectator sport and in the late 1980s enjoyed a revival with top teams featured on national television. Sadly, momentum was lost, and the likes of Clarke have the satisfaction of taking part in a sport with strong regional identity, but without the sponsorship to attract widespread TV coverage. He is already looking to the future, and believes that in the junior group he coaches, there are players with potential to do "very big things" in the future. Maybe one of his charges will find their way to the NHL, and if they show the dedication to the cause -- "never leave anything behind on the ice" is his motto -- that Clarke has displayed over his long career, then his predictions could prove spot on. | Great Britain won Olympic gold medal in ice hockey in 1936 .
GB has not qualified for the Winter Games since 1948 .
Sport suffers from a lack of government backing and TV coverage .
David Clarke has been a stalwart of GB team for over 10 years . |
10,411 | 1d9d8ef401e994c2e0390ebcf83eaa4d76544aac | By . John Drayton . BBC World Cup pundit Robbie Savage came within minutes of missing his flight to Brazil after taking his wife's passport to the airport. The former Wales international, who will line up alongside the likes of Gary Lineker and Rio Ferdinand on screen this summer, only realised his mistake when he arrived at Heathrow. Fortunately somebody was on hand to deliver Savage's correct ID and he was rushed through security in order to make his flight to South America. On his way: BBC pundit Robbie Savage (left) just made his flight to Brazil after taking his wife's passport to Heathrow airport . Twins? Savage sports flowing blonde locks just like his wife Sarah . The ex-Blackburn midfielder tweeted: 'Wow thank you @britishairways great staff for rushing me through as I turned up with my wife's passport just got mine in nick of time' Savage later posted: '2nd time it's happened I'm going to have to tell my wife to get her haircut', before tweeting a picture of himself and his wife with the message: 'Nearly passed for her to be fair!' The 39-year-old will fly a total of 25,000 miles and visit five cities during his month in Brazil. Wise words: Savage will work for the BBC during the month-long World Cup in Brazil . | Savage was rushed through the airport in order to make his flight .
This is the second time the former midfielder has taken his wife's passport .
The 39-year-old will work as a pundit for the BBC throughout the month-long tournament . |
196,412 | 8a32f3a71dfc6b60e82301c0ccbb06589601bb67 | By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 07:16 EST, 5 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:08 EST, 5 October 2013 . These pictures show soldiers leaving the last remaining British Patrol Base, PB2, in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. They left the base for Camp Bastion this week ahead of the UK's full withdrawal from the country in 2014. The former key strategic location, in the green zone, will now be completely taken over by Afghan forces. Soldiers from 1st Mechanized Brigade pose for a final group photograph in front of a Husky vehicle before they leave the last remaining British Patrol Base, PB2, in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan . An Afghan national walks behind a Combat Logistic Patrol as it heads back to Camp Bastion for the last time . Captain Chris Hallam, 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artilliary, makes final checks and straightens out the Union Flag aboard his Husky vehicle . British Soldiers from 1st Mechanized Brigade load a forklift truck aboard a vehicle destined for the UK . Preparing to leave, soldiers from the 1st Mechaized Brigade loaded up all remaining equipment for the journey to Camp Bastion. The 1st Mechanized Brigade is one of the Army's seven deployable brigades and is part of 3rd UK Division. It comprises armoured, mechanized and light role troops, making it capable of a wide variety of missions anywhere in the world. The Afghanistan war was launched in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. It . seemed to be close to resolution after three months, when every major . Taliban city in the country had fallen and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin . Laden was on the run. But bin Laden evaded capture, and while America was waging war on Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and regained control in key areas of the country.. British soldiers from 1st Mechanised Brigade throw rubbish onto a burns pit at the last British Patrol Base . Vehicles arrive back in Camp Bastion from a Combat Logistic Patrol . This British Patrol Base in the Nahr-e Saraj district, which over the years has seen heavy fighting . Soldiers from 1st Mechanized Brigade load ISO containers filled with equipment destined for the UK . Today a man shot dead a member of the US-led international coalition in southern Afghanistan. NATO blamed the shooting on an 'alleged contracted security guard'. It did not say if he was an Afghan or foreign national and provided no other details. It also did not provide the service member's nationality. A local Afghan boy watches as a Combat Logistic Patrol heads back to Camp Bastion for the last time . The base will now be completely taken over by Afghan forces as part of the drawdown . Afghanistan is heading towards a total withdrawl of UK forces in 2014 . A British Soldier from 1st Mechanized Brigade sleeps as he waits for the final vehicle patrol back to Camp Bastion . | Soldiers left last remaining British Patrol Base, PB2, in Afghanistan this week .
The former key strategic location will now be completely taken over by Afghan forces .
Comes ahead of full withdrawal from the country in 2014 . |
184,197 | 7a9572391c37089b441c524d103e8115c3c4201d | A young father horrified by the number of babies left alone in hot cars has invented a device to alert parents if they forget to take their child with them. Matthew Sheets, 26, has designed a weight-activated seat sensor which notifies a parent's mobile phone when their child is still in their baby seat. The alert appears on their phone once they step outside of a 20ft (6 metres) radius from the baby seat if they've forgotten to take their child out of its seat. Scroll down for video . The small Starfish sensor is 1.5 inches (3.8cm) round and as thick as a few coins. It will cost £36 ($60) What's more, if they haven't noticed the notification on their phone, the device - called Starfish - will then tell their emergency contacts within five minutes. The small sensor - just 1.5 inches (3.8cm) round and as thick as a few coins, will cost £36 ($60) when its Kickstarter crowd funding campaign ends in September. Mr Sheets, founder of Studio Whale who made the device, became a father to Henry for the first time just over four months ago. He said: 'On average, one child dies in a hot car every nine days in the United States. With Starfish, we aim to make that number zero. The Starfish gadget was created by Matthew Sheets, 26, who is a father of a four-month-year-old (pictured) When activated, Starfish creates a 'geo-fence' around itself and sends a notification to the parent's phone . 'As a new father, hearing the news of yet another infant losing his life in a hot car horrified me. 'I asked myself, 'How? Why? What can be done?' Starfish is a weight-activated seat sensor that notifies a smartphone when someone has left their car - without their child. The device, which sticks to a child's seat, automatically pairs to the parents iPhone or Android phone using Bluetooth. It then sends a notification that the child is in his or her seat. When activated, Starfish then creates a 'geo-fence' radius around itself. If the phone leaves the 'geo-fenced' area - which is around 20ft (6 metres) - Starfish will automatically notify the parent that their child may be in danger. Starfish can also notify an emergency contacts the parent doesn't respond to the notification after five minutes. 'The search for answers prompted me to start developing a device that could easily prevent these tragedies from happening. That device is Starfish.' Mr Sheets, who lives in Birmingham in Alabama, with wife Jessica, 25, called it Starfish because of the way it will stick inside a child's seat. He expects to be able to ship the product in December, which will work on both Apple and Android smartphones via bluetooth. He added: 'When you place your child on the Starfish device, it automatically pairs with your smartphone, sending you a notification that your child is in his or her seat. 'When activated, Starfish then creates a 'geo-fence' radius around itself. 'If you leave the "geo-fenced" area, around 20ft (6 metres), Starfish will automatically notify you that your child may be in danger. 'For me, this technology is all about saving lives. Starfish is a simple way to prevent these tragedies from happening. 'With enough support, we will enter production by October, and have plans to ship units by November and first runs by December.' The device, which sticks to a child's seat (left), automatically pairs to the parents iPhone or Android phone . Matthew Sheets, founder of Studio Whale, became a father to Henry for the first time just over four months ago. 'As a new father, hearing the news of yet another infant losing his life in a hot car horrified me, he said. 'I asked myself, 'How? Why? What can be done?' | £36 Starfish is a weight-activated sensor that fits to child's car seat .
It automatically pairs to parent's iPhone or Android using Bluetooth .
When activated, Starfish creates a 'geo-fence' radius around itself .
If the phone leaves the geo-fenced area, Starfish will notify the parent .
On average, one child dies in a hot car every nine days in the US . |
6,832 | 13674908b97d2ea88e731c6a9114b77da47bc095 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several Marines who were involved in the November 2004 offensive in Falluja, Iraq, are now the focus of an investigation into allegations that civilians were intentionally killed during the operation, several Pentagon officials have confirmed. Members of the 1st U.S. Marines Expeditionary Force operate in Falluja, Iraq, in November of 2006. No one has been charged in the probe, which is based on what one official told CNN were "credible allegations" from a former Marine. That Marine volunteered the information during an employment polygraph test administered by the U.S. Secret Service. Several sources familiar with the probe say the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting the investigation. The allegations first surfaced on a Web site, defendourmarines.com, posted by Nathaniel Helms, a military journalist who wrote a book about the Marines in Falluja. The Web posting includes an account from a Marine who alleges eight captured Iraqis were gunned down following a firefight. The weeklong anti-insurgent offensive in Falluja began on November 7, 2004. It was called Operation New Dawn, and it sparked intense fighting involving airstrikes and house-to-house searches. There were reports of civilians being killed in the crossfire at that time. The allegations are the latest involving Marines and civilian deaths in Iraq. Seven Marines and a Navy medic were charged with killing an Iraqi civilian in Hamdaniya in April 2006. One Marine will serve eight years in a plea deal; another Marine withdrew his guilty plea, saying he acted under orders. Four Marines were charged with murder in the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Four officers are accused of failing to investigate and report the deaths properly. Haditha was a target of Marine operations to root out insurgents. Both U.S. military law and international law of armed conflict prohibit the killing of unarmed captured prisoners, whether or not they are combatants. E-mail to a friend . | Several Marines are the focus of 2004 Falluja civilian death investigation .
Allegations from former Marine called "credible"
Sources: Naval Criminal Investigative Services conducting the probe . |
36,976 | 68d3401b856e4bcde9c23f30452c574a035d5cc3 | By . Corey Charlton for MailOnline . Robert Toney failed to provide basic life-saving treatment to the baby when he arrived at the scene . A paramedic who failed to give adequate emergency care to a new-born baby boy that was blue and ‘looked dead’ was suspended for a year today. Robert Toney raced to an address in Plymouth, Devon, after receiving an emergency call about a woman in labour. But when he arrived he made no attempt to give the baby oxygen despite the fact that he was struggling to breathe, the Health and Care Professions Council heard. Fellow paramedic Sheryl Hanks attended the scene shortly after Toney when the emergency call was made at 7.13am. She said: ‘I immediately thought that baby was not breathing adequately enough - it looked a horrible colour and actually, in all honesty, it looked dead. ‘The baby was laid on towels with its arms up in the air above its head, not wrapped just with an open towel underneath it.’ Mrs Hanks explained the baby was in ‘serious respiratory distress, almost on the stage of death’ when she arrived. She said Toney failed to provide basic life-saving ventilation oxygenation and that the standard of care given was inadequate. Toney had worked for the South West Ambulance Service NHS Trust for 28 years. He blew on the baby’s face and rubbed him with towels but did not use a resuscitation kit because he said he did not have the right equipment. The baby improved on the journey to the hospital and recovered at Derriford General Hospital on arrival. Toney was found to have provided inadequate care to the new-born baby, in that he did oxygenate or deliver ventiliations. The panel also found that Toney did not seek urgent assistance or make his bosses aware of the baby’s condition. HCPC panel chairman Brian Wroe said: ‘The panel is satisfied that the registrant expressed real and genuine remorse as he wanted to see the family after the event to see if the baby was alright. The baby boy improved during his ambulance journey and recovered at Derriford General Hospital in Plymouth . ‘But the panel is of the view that the registrant has a limited insight into his failings, demonstrated by his admissions. ‘However, he does not fully accept that he has failed to act promptly in a time critical situation. ‘He has failed to demonstrate that he has reflected on the situation, has learned how things went wrong and how he would address such a situation differently in the future. ‘The trust had identified a college based assessment day in respect of paediatric care, the need for a reflective log and the need to be assessed by a tutor in terms of leadership before the registrant could return to being part of a crew. ‘The registrant failed to take up any of these suggestions and has instead decided that he no longer wishes to practise. ‘Although he is no longer operating as a paramedic, he remains employed on an ad hoc basis as an Emergency Care Assistant. ‘He has taken early retirement and said that he wished to avoid stress, wanted to give new paramedics an opportunity and wished to devote his time to family. Toney was suspended from the profession for 12 months. | Robert Toney failed to give the baby life saving oxygenation when he arrived .
Instead he blew on its face and rubbed him with towels, tribunal heard .
He was today suspended from the profession for 12 months . |
273,360 | ee1cb046e579847de8be04f4a95089ab4805ef4b | A woman was left feeling ‘hideous’ after an allergic reaction to hair dye triggered severe rosacea and her skin erupted in furious spots. Deborah Duffie, 33, had her hair dyed blonde at a salon after getting engaged to her fiancé, Chris. But hours later, she was rushed to A&E because her face and lips had swollen to twice their size. Doctors gave her steroid creams and antibiotics and said the redness would be temporary, but weeks later her skin was still stinging and covered in spots. She was diagnosed with rosacea, a skin condition which usually affects older women, as a result of an allergic reaction to the hair dye. Scroll down for video . Deborah Duffie, 33, suffered an allergic reaction to hair dye which triggered severe rosacea, a condition which left her skin red, sore and blotchy. Just months before her wedding and after becoming distressed over her skin, she was recommended a cream containing capers which cleared her skin within weeks . Mrs Duffie experienced soreness and redness at the slightest trigger for months. Having a glass of red wine, or going out in the cold could trigger a flare up, as could wearing make up or using products. Finally she found a cream which worked after tweeting a beauty blog. Here she is pictured, left and right, with clear skin . After using the caper-containing cream Mrs Duffie's skin cleared for her wedding day. Being able to look 'radiant' as she walked down the aisle was the 'best wedding present she could have asked for', she says . For months, her skin would burn hot and red after a glass of wine or going out into the cold and she thought about cancelling her upcoming wedding. Desperate for clear skin on her big day, she tweeted beauty blogs for advice. She eventually stumbled across a skin cream that contains an extract of capers, the salty green buds found in tartare sauce. The caper extract in the cream is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, and within three weeks the spots had subsided and her skin was less sensitive and red. Miraculously, by her wedding day just weeks later, her skin was ‘radiantly clear’ - something she described as the 'best wedding present ever’. Mrs Duffie, from Glasgow, said she was eventually told is was her hair dye that triggered the rosacea in the first place. She told MailOnline: ‘I had just got engaged and fancied a change so decided to get my hair highlighted. Naturally I am brunette. ‘I was delighted with my new blonde hair until I got home and my face started swelling up. 'Within a few hours I could barely see. My eyes were like two swollen eggs, my lips had swollen to almost double the size and I had red blotches all over my face and my skin was red hot.’ Rosacea is a common but poorly understood long-term skin condition that mainly affects the face. Symptoms often begin with episodes of flushing (where the skin turns red for a short period), but other symptoms can develop as the condition progresses, such as: . Rosacea is a relapsing condition, which means there are periods when symptoms are particularly bad, followed by periods when the condition is less severe. Many of the symptoms of rosacea can be controlled to a degree with treatment. But the changes to physical appearance that may occur as a result of the condition can still have a significant psychological and social impact. It affects how a person feels about themselves and how they interact with others. ‘In panic, we rushed into A&E as I was worried the swelling wasn’t going to stop and that maybe my skin would split as my face was stinging like crazy.' Mrs Duffie was told she had suffered a severe reaction to the hair dye. Doctors gave her steroid injections to try and calm the swelling and she was eventually sent home with a course of antibiotics and tablets to take for two weeks. Although the doctors said the reaction was bad, they added it would be temporary. But after a week, while the swelling had subsided, her face was still red, blotchy and very sore. She said: ‘My skin kept flaring up red and I had developed small furious spots all over my cheeks, nose and chin. 'Before the hair dye reaction I’d always had lovely skin, I was devastated' For months the symptoms persisted and she could no longer put products she’d used for years on her face for fear it would cause a flare-up. She said: ‘Anything would trigger it from a hot room to wind or a glass of wine. My skin seemed totally out of control. ‘I started reacting to almost every skin cream or cosmetic I put on my face, ones I had been using for years with no problems. ‘Now they would make my skin sting and go furiously red and blotchy. ‘I knew there was something seriously wrong with my skin but I didn’t realise it was such a serious condition.’ Eventually, Mrs Duffie went to her doctor who immediately diagnosed her with rosacea as well as hyper sensitivity of the skin. He said the hair dye reaction had triggered full blown rosacea even though she was relatively young to have it. Usually rosacea effects women in their 40s and 50s. Miss Duffie (right) was trying out a new blonde hair colour in celebration of her engagement to fiancé Chris (left). They were at a black tie dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel in London when her face began to swell up . Mrs Duffie had experimented with her hair colour when she was younger. She is pictured here, left, with blonde hair. She had decided to dye her hair blonde again in preparation for her wedding . She was prescribed a steroid cream to put on her skin, which worked well for six months, before the rosacea came back with a vengeance. Her doctors warned long-term use of the steroid cream could damage her skin permanently. Mrs Duffie said: ‘By this time I was becoming panicked as I was due to get married in a few months and my skin was getting worse and worse,’ she recalls. ‘I imagined myself in my wedding photos with this bright red spotty skin and it made me feel like cancelling the whole thing. ‘I was desperate to find something other than steroids that could help with my skin.’ She tried an array of cosmetics, from nappy cream to Vaseline, but northing worked. ‘Most products burned my skin and made the redness worse and I had had to resort back to the steroid cream to control my skin, as a result. ‘Some products dried out dry my skin so badly it started to flake off. It was a vicious circle. Nothing really works on the redness, which was almost always there, even with the steroid cream.’ Her fiancé Chris was very supportive, but was upset as he could see how distressed she became as their wedding day crept closer and closer. It was a traumatic incident in a brideswear shop that triggered her to find products that wouldn’t inflame her skin. She said: ‘One day when I went shopping for my wedding dress with my mum and bridesmaids my face went so red I had to abandon my dress fitting and sit down in a café with ice cubes on my face.’ ‘I got home and decided I just had to stop using everything on my skin even if it meant looking dreadful. Mrs Duffie says she hopes her story will give hope to rosacea sufferers who are searching for treatments for the condition. Here, she is pictured with clear skin after using the Skin Shop's KALME range . ‘I felt my skin had just had enough and it was reacting to everything I put on it. When I stopped the steroid cream completely my skin erupted. I looked hideous.’ In desperation, she tweeted beauty blogs to see if anyone had a remedy for rosacea without chemicals in it. She stumbled across the Skin Shop’s KALME products after someone tweeted her back and recommended it. ‘It’s been the best bit of advice I’ve ever had,’ she said. KALME skincare contains a patented caper extract called Derma Sensitive. Its manufacturers claim it can reduce skin redness and sensitivity by up to 70 per cent in four weeks, after carrying out a clinical trial of 20 people. This is because the caper-extract present in the product has anti-inflammatory properties, they claim, as proved by a Saudi Arabian study published in 1985. ‘Within three weeks the spots had started to subside and my skin was much less sensitive and red,' Mrs Duffie said. A study carried out in 1985 found capers - used in KALME products - have anti-inflammatory properties . KALME claims its cream can help rosacea sufferers because it contains a blend of caper extracts called Derma Sensitive. A study published in 1985 showed that caper buds offer anti-inflammatory activity and are almost as effective as a recognised anti-inflammatory compound called oxyphenbutazone, the study reported. Capers induced a 50 per cent reduction in inflammation, as opposed to 66 per cent for oxyphenbutazone. KALME tested its new formula on a panel of 20 people with sensitive, reactive skin, prone to discomfort and redness. After four weeks, the volunteers reported improvements to their skin of between 10 to 70 per cent, compared with another calming ingredient called Bisabolol. KALME claims its range significantly reduces redness, decreases skin reactivity and improves skin comfort. Source: KALME . ‘My friends started commenting on how amazingly clear my skin looked.’ With her wedding just a few weeks away, she was delighted with the results. ‘Not only had the redness drastically reduced, my skin was virtually clear of spots and had stopped stinging.’ Mrs Duffie was able to celebrate her wedding day without the embarrassment of red skin. She said: ‘For my wedding day, my skin was radiantly clear, it was the best wedding present I could have asked for.' Now, she is able to wear make-up, but she gives her skin ‘breaks’ at weekends or when she goes on holiday. She hopes her story will give hope to rosacea sufferers who are searching for treatments for the condition. She said: ‘I’d recommend KALME to anyone with rosacea who feels a sense of despair that there is nothing that will help calm down their skin because I have discovered that there is.' | Deborah Duffie, 33, dyed her hair blonde to celebrate her engagement .
But hours later, her face began to swell so much she couldn't see .
She received steroid injections and antibiotics in A&E and went home .
Doctors said the reaction was temporary, but her face remained red .
For months her skin became blotchy and sore at the slightest trigger .
She was diagnosed with severe rosacea, triggered by the allergic reaction .
While a steroid cream worked initially, it stopped helping within months .
Knowing her wedding was coming up she tweeted beauty blogs for advice .
Someone recommended a cream containing an extract of capers .
Within weeks, the cream calmed her skin, clearing her spots and redness .
Had 'radiant' skin on the big day, which was 'the best present ever' |
207,362 | 987b4c73dd38bcaec9fa9a30a06b30bcc0955d07 | By . Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 18:54 EST, 15 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:49 EST, 15 January 2013 . Ahead of the pomp and decorum of the 57th presidential inauguration next Monday, the president will hold a private swearing in from the White House the day before. President Barack Obama will take his oath shortly before noon on Sunday in the Blue Room of the White House, administered by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. This is in accordance with the Constitution, which dictates that the president's term begins at noon on January 20. Since that falls on a Sunday, the public inauguration will then be held on Monday. Taking oath: President Obama, pictured four years ago taking the oath, will first take a private oath on January 20 ahead of Monday's official inauguration, as the Constitution dictates . Location: The private oath will take place shortly before noon on Sunday, January 20 in the Blue Room of the White House . White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the event will be sparsely attended ahead of Monday's grand ceremony. The Constitution's 20th Amendment, passed by Congress in March 1932 and ratified by the necessary states the following January, sets the inauguration date as January 20 at noon. Because that's a Sunday this year, Obama will take the official oath of office that day in a private ceremony. A public ceremony will be held January 21 on the west front of the U.S. Capitol. This is the seventh time the inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday. Inaugural ceremonies, however, are not traditionally held on Sundays because courts and other public institutions are closed. Before 1933, the president had been sworn in on March 4, typically the final day of the congressional season. But the stretch between the November elections and the March 4 inauguration led to a lengthy lame-duck sessions of Congress and became a concern during times of national crisis. Sen. George Norris, R-Neb., suggested the 20th Amendment, which called for a new Congress to begin on Jan. 3 and for the president to be inaugurated on January 20. President Franklin Roosevelt's first inauguration, in 1933, was the last swearing-in ceremony held on March 4. Source: AP . Among those in the White House's Blue Room will be Obama's family will, along with a few reporters. However, Mr Obama isn't expected to make a speech. The Constitution requires the president's term to start on January 20, but because that falls on a Sunday this year, Mr Obama will have two ceremonies: one on Sunday and a larger, public ceremony on Monday, followed by a parade and inaugural balls. The presidential oath, as outlined in Article II, Section I is as follows: 'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ He has elected to use two Bibles for Monday's event – one belonging to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other belonging to Abraham Lincoln. Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in during a separate ceremony Sunday morning at the Naval Observatory. Mr Obama's first inauguration marked many firsts. He was the first Hawaii-born citizen to hold the office, the first African-American to be president, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein became the first woman to emcee the ceremony. Set up: Preparations at the reviewing stand continue today for the inauguration on Monday the 21st . Swearing in: Obama, pictured placing his hand on the Lincoln Bible, will use that Bible and one owned by Dr Martin Luther King Jr . Following the quiet ceremony Sunday, Mr Obama and his family will welcome in the next four years with considerable more pomp. The first family will lead a parade of clanging bands, elaborate floats and marchers, including costumed dancers, prancing horses and military units, down Pennsylvania Avenue. The president will dance with the first lady, whose dress seems destined to be most anticipated fashion statement of the second Obama administration. A new element of the inaugural events will be announced next week, with the appointment of around half a dozen 'citizen co-chairs,' community leaders from across the country chosen because they represent the president's accomplishments and commitments. They will take part in inaugural events throughout the weekend. Estimates of turnout are 600,000 to 800,000, compared with the 1.8million in the record crowd on the National Mall four years ago to see the first swearing in of a black president. | Constitution requires that the president be sworn in at noon on January 20 .
But because that date falls on a Sunday, public inauguration to be held on Monday instead .
Sunday's swearing in will be private and attended by family and a few reporters . |
12,966 | 24bff63a7272bc1e90960d71b17a2f58fe185b19 | Stephen Hawking recently said that the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. Now, Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt has weighed into the discussion, arguing that there is no need to fear AI, and it could even be the making of humanity. 'These concerns are normal,' he said onstage during the Financial Times Innovate America event in New York this week. 'They're also to some degree misguided.' Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, says there is no need to fear AI, and it could be the making of humanity . The Google chief, who is involved in the development of AI in applications such as self-driving cars, also says that the fear of robots stealing human jobs is unwarranted. 'There's lots of evidence that when computers show up, wages go up,' he said, according to a report by Issie Lapowsky in Wired. 'There's lots of evidence that people who work with computers are paid more than people without.' He argues that machines are far more simplistic that people believe. He used the example of an experiment Google conducted a few years ago on a computer 'neural network'. The Google chief, who is involved in the development of AI in applications such as self-driving cars (pictured), also says that the fear of robots stealing human jobs is unwarranted . Eric Schmidt's comments (right) following a warning by Professor Stephen Hawking (left) that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment . During the test, company's scientists used and artificial neural network and inputted 11,000 hours of YouTube videos to see what it could learn, without any training. 'It discovered the concept of "cat",' Schmidt said. 'I'm not quite sure what to say about that, except that that's where we are.' With Google at the forefront of AI development, Eric Schmidt has a lot to gain from public acceptance of the technology. Our desire to create helpful digital assistants and self-driving vehicles could bring about our demise. Professor Stephen Hawking has again warned that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment. Speaking at event in London, the physicist told the BBC that: 'The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.' This echoes claims he made earlier in the year when he said success in creating AI 'would be the biggest event in human history, [but] unfortunately, it might also be the last.' He argues that developments in digital personal assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana are merely symptoms of an IT arms race which 'pale against what the coming decades will bring.' But Professor Hawking noted that other potential benefits of this technology could also be significant, with the potential to eradicate, war, disease and poverty. 'Looking further ahead, there are no fundamental limits to what can be achieved,' continued Professor Hawking. 'There is no physical law precluding particles from being organised in ways that perform even more advanced computations than the arrangements of particles in human brains.' Google's DeepMind start-up, which was bought for £255 million ($400 million) earlier this year, is currently attempting to mimic the properties of the human brain's short-term working memory. By combining the way ordinary computers work with the way the human brain works, the artificial intelligence researchers hope the machine will learn to program itself. Described as a 'Neural Turing Machine', it learns as it stores memories, and later retrieve them to perform logical tasks beyond those it has been trained to do. The acquisition of DeepMind followed Google's recent purchase of seven robotics firms, including Meka, which makes humanoid robots, and Industrial Perception, which specialises in machines that can package goods, for example. In August, Google also revealed it had teamed up with two of Oxford University's artificial intelligence teams to help machines better understand users. 'It is a really exciting time for AI research these days, and progress is being made on many fronts including image recognition and natural language understanding,' wrote Demis Hassabis, co-founder of DeepMind and vice president of engineering at Google in a blog post. But despite these projects, and Schmidt's comments, Google is also aware of the dangers involved with AI and machine learning. So much so that in January it set up an ethics board to oversee its work in these fields. In fact, one of the original founders of Google's DeepMind warned artificial intelligence is the 'number 1 risk for this century,' and believes it could play a part in human extinction. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in an interview earlier this year. The ethics board, revealed by web site The Information, is to ensure the projects are not abused. Earlier this year, Elon Musk likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'. The Tesla and Space X founder previously warned that the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, Elon Musk similarly likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'. The Tesla and founder previously warned that the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons . Google's DeepMind start-up, which was bought for £255 million ($400 million) earlier this year, is currently attempting to mimic the properties of the human brain's short-term working memory . | Comments follow Stephen Hawking's warning that AI may be dangerous .
'These concerns are normal,' said Eric Schmidt. 'They're also misguided'
Schmidt says robots could improve wages, rather than steal human jobs .
He added that computers are far more primitive that people like to believe .
Google is heavily involved with AI, including its use in self-driving cars . |
93,792 | 0498c5058e8dea67c0d80fe347232141d44432d0 | Seattle, Washington (CNN) -- The plastic Ziploc bag thrown in the trash in Seattle, Washington, spent a week traveling 300 miles to an Oregon landfill. The old Apple iBook that was recycled is a month into its journey. And a pair of worn Asics running shoes is still logging miles even after being dropped in a bin for used shoes. Those are just some of the trails of trash exposed in a high-tech trash study. "Normally, you think about the trash for minutes while you take it out to the can," says Ethan O'Connor, "and this trash we are going to be watching on our Web browsers for weeks." O'Connor and Shannon Cheng are volunteers in a study tracking their trash -- and giving them the opportunity to reflect on what they use and discard. The tracking devices are about the size of small cell phones and allow for near-real-time tracking of thousands of pieces of garbage. The tracking is not part of some top-secret government program to spy on garbage, but rather the brainchild of MIT researchers who wanted to learn if society could more efficiently dispose of what it throws out. "The idea with this tagging exercise is to bring an invisible system to life," said Assaf Biderman, associate director of MIT's SENSEable City Lab. "By knowing how long it stays in the system, where it goes, we are hoping to create an increased awareness in the public." Before that increased awareness could be created, however, the scientists needed to devise a way to track pieces of trash, some for hundreds of miles and for up to six months. Researchers are doing most of the tracking via volunteers in Seattle. They plan to expand the program to other cities and compare the attitudes that people in different regions have about garbage. Working with the telecommunications company Qualcomm, the MIT researchers created a device -- or, as the researchers call them, "traces" -- that could track a piece of trash using both GPS and cell phone towers. The researchers then asked volunteers to supply items they were already planning to get rid of and put the tracking "traces" on the items. The volunteers then threw the material out as they usually would. Just getting the trace on the piece of trash presented its own challenges. Some needed to be taped or sewn into the garbage; others were stuck to the trash with a sticky aerosol spray. The researchers stipulated that the trace not alter how the garbage traveled through the waste system or call attention to the item. "The thing about trash is that each object is very different," Biderman said. "Different sizes, different textures, different constraints." O'Connor and Cheng live on a houseboat, where space is at a premium. Participating in the study has allowed the couple to think of larger-picture issues about the trash they produce. But it's not just the trash's owners who are tracking the tems. Waste Management Inc., a waste removal and recycling company, is helping fund the study in the hope that it will show that the trash they dispose of goes where it should. Officials say they are also looking for ways to better deal with garbage. "It could make a huge difference," Waste Management spokeswoman Rita Smith said. "We want to do everything we can to get our materials to their destinations as efficiently as possible; not only because of the economic cost, but also because of the environmental cost. There's no point in hauling material around in circles." Researchers are still compiling data as the trash makes its journey. Even though the study has not been completed, the MIT group sees its efforts as a step toward better informing Americans about trash. "Can we create a situation of minimum waste?" Biderman said. "In a certain way, it's about telling people about what they throw away, making people more aware about waste, and perhaps changing their behavior." Participating in the study has already altered O'Connor's outlook. "The disposal is one part of it, the using is another," he said. "No one's saying we are bad people for using stuff, but the reality is each one of us gets one-six-billionth of what the Earth can produce, and what we have is much more than that." | Trash study tracks how pieces of garbage may travel hundreds of miles .
MIT researchers hope study will help people better understand impact of garbage they produce .
"Can we create a situation of minimum waste?" researcher says . |
139,477 | 405b17458099504d8744302de9ced995a8975eaa | (CNN) -- MOEX Offshore, the minority owner of a well that was the source of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has agreed to a partial settlement with the federal government. The company, a subsidiary of the MOEX USA Corporation owned by Mitsui Oil Exploration Co., Ltd., will pay a total of $90 million in the settlement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday. MOEX, which owned 10% of the Macondo well, has agreed to pay $70 million in civil penalties to fulfill its share of alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. Of that amount, $45 million will go toward the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which pays for any response actions, cleanup and damages caused by future spills. Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas will receive $25 million divvied up between the states accordingly. The remaining $20 million will go to land acquisition projects in several Gulf states with the aim of funding environmental and natural resource-protected habitats. "The companies are pleased to have resolved these claims," a spokesman for MOEX said Friday. The settlement is the largest civil penalty ever recovered under the Clean Water Act, instituted in 1972. "The Department of Justice has not wavered in its commitment to hold all responsible parties fully accountable for what stands as the largest oil spill in U.S. history," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. "This landmark settlement is an important step -- but only a first step -- toward achieving accountability and protecting the future of the Gulf ecosystem by funding critical habitat preservation projects." The three-month-long spill was triggered after an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010. Eleven people were killed in the blast. MOEX is the first company to settle with the U.S. government, which still has several claims outstanding against eight other defendants -- including BP Exploration and Production Inc., the majority owner on the doomed well. | MOEX Offshore owned 10% of the well that was involved in the 2010 Gulf oil disaster .
The settlement is the largest civil penalty ever recovered under the Clean Water Act .
The three-month-long spill was the largest oil spill in U.S. history . |
87,065 | f70e381def8ed219c652bb6d83eae1e5e97f2c63 | A candidate in Brazil's presidential elections died today after his private jet crashed into a residential area of a city. Eduardo Campos, was running for president for the Brazilian Socialist Party and was running third in opinion polls. His Cessna 560XL plane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro's domestic airport and was heading for the town of Guaruja, in Sao Paulo state. Scroll down for video . Damaged buildings where an aircraft crashed, in the residential area Na Rua Vahia de Abreu in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil . It was reportedly cloudy and raining when the jet crashed into houses in the port city of Santos, 43 miles east of Sao Paulo in south-east Brazil. According to reports, the other six people travelling with him on the plane were also killed, as well as at least four people on the ground. The other people on board the plane who were killed in the crash were the two pilots, Campos' private secretary and press officer, and a photographer and a cameraman documenting his election campaign. Logistics analyst Tassio Silva, 25, who witnessed the accident said the plane 'fell nose first' at an angle of 65 degrees. He said: 'I work 200 metres from where the plane came down. My desk is in front of the window. I was stunned, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was an explosion and a lot of smoke. The emergency crews arrived quickly.' Campos had hours earlier given an interview on Brazil's main news programme, Jornal Nacional, where he had promised free public transport for state school student, to increase public health care spending by ten per cent and to increase national security budget by ten-fold. The Cessna 560XL plane (pictured here before take-off) had taken off from Rio de Janeiro's domestic airport . Eduardo Campos, 49, a candidate in Brazil's presidential election, was killed when a small private plane crashed in a residential area in Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo . Campos was born in Recife, Pernambuco state, in 1965 and was the grandson of renowned leftist leader and former Pernambuco governor Miguel Arraes. According to Air Force officials, air traffic control lost contact with the 12-seater plane after it could not land in Guaruja due to poor visibility. Mr Campos, 49, was governor of Penambuco state before announcing he was running for president in the October 15 elections. Previously he had served for 20 years as a state then federal congressman. | Eduardo Campos was running for the Brazilian Socialist Party .
His Cessna 560XL plane took off from airport in Rio de Janeiro .
It crashed into houses in Santos, 43 miles east of Sao Paulo . |
239,787 | c26e18c4fccf7f820264ad4e617c65ac1405be74 | Three NHS surgeons have been banned from performing operations on cancer patients after at least five deaths, it has emerged. Lawyers are also probing another 17 cases in which patients may have died or suffered complications after botched surgery by the men. Despite the ban, the doctors are still being allowed to carry out other surgical procedures for an NHS Trust in Kent. Investigation: Concentrating surgeons performing operation in operating room (file picture) The three surgeons – all who work for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust – have been prohibited from undertaking keyhole surgery for upper gastrointestinal cancer. Five people who underwent the procedure are known to have died but it is feared there could be many more victims of the operations. Families of patients who died after the surgeons used the technique are set to sue the trust for negligence, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph. They have accused hospital bosses of a cover-up and failing to tell them why their loved ones died. Rosemary Coleman, whose husband Philip died aged 63 after months of agony following a keyhole operation, said: 'I can't believe these surgeons are being allowed to carry out any work at the hospital when there's still so many questions hanging over the way they carried out this procedure.' As well as still working for the trust, the three surgeons, Professor Amir Nisar, Haythem Ali and Ahmed Hamouda are also working privately. No further disciplinary action has been taken against the doctors by the trust itself, even though they have been referred to the General Medical Council. The GMC is now considering whether to investigate their fitness to practice. Fears have been raised that the doctors may have been too enthusiastic about using the keyhole procedure to enhance their own prestige. A 51-year-old man died within half an hour of a second operation held to correct problems caused by an original GI procedure. His partner told the Sunday Telegraph: 'We still don't know if it was the procedure itself that was wrong or if it was the surgeon's technique that was at fault. 'We need a proper explanation so that this never happens again to anyone else.' The trust referred itself to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) after a number of 'unexpected' and 'potentially avoidable' deaths following GI surgery in 2012 and 2013. Following an investigation by the college, the operations were stopped and it was warned the surgeons had 'not been able to demonstrate sufficient attention to the detail of surgical outcomes or clinical decision-making to provide a safe service to patients' with regards to keyhole procedures. Despite pleas from family members, the trust has still not released the full RCS report. A spokesman for the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: 'The trust accepted and implemented recommendations from the review that the consultants providing this service should no longer carry out laparoscopic upper GI cancer surgery. 'There is no clinical evidence that this should be extended to general surgery that the consultants undertake.' | Lawyers are also probing another 17 cases, it has emerged .
Patients may have died or suffered complications after surgery .
Despite the ban, the doctors are still being allowed to carry out .
The surgeons all work for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust . |
86,106 | f44027c59bfc1379720b3ea8f4d502f7034e52a1 | Swiss ski jumper and former Olympic champion Simon Ammann has suffered a serious crash that left him unconscious while competing in the prestigious Four Hills Tour on Tuesday. Ammann, who was eighth after the first round, fell after landing from his 136.0-metre second effort. There was no immediate update on his condition but images showed the 33-year-old bloodied and unconscious while being treated by paramedics. VIDEO Scroll down: Olympic skiing legend unconscious after crash landing 136-metre jump . Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann has suffered a serious crash that left him unconscious . Swiss media outlets later reported that Amman had regained consciousness upon reaching a hospital in Salzburg but the extent of his injuries remains unclear. Amman was a double Olympic champion at both the 2002 and 2010 games, and also won gold medals at the World Championships in 2007 and 2010. Stefan Kraft became the seventh straight Austrian winner of the competition in Bischofshofen, Austria. Kraft finished the final event in third position to hold on to his lead after the first three stops. Fellow Austrian Michael Hayboeck won the final event with jumps of 137.5 and 136.5 meter for a total of 288.4 points. Japanese veteran Noriaki Kasai was second with 277.1 points, followed by Kraft with 271.3. Amman on the Four Hills Tour in Austria on Monday, the day before his crash . Ammann had completed his first jump and was in the process of his second when the crash occurred . Ammann landed his second jump but immediately appeared to lose his balance . The Swiss ski jumper failed to regain control while travelling at high speed . Ammann then crashed, landing face-first on the snow before skidding along the ground . The four-time Olympic gold medal-winner slides along the snow after his devastating crash . Paramedics rushed over to attend the motionless Ammann before calling for help . | Simon Ammann was competing in the Four Hills Tour in Austria .
He jumped 136 metres but lost balance and crashed upon landing .
The 33-year-old lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital .
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT . |
105,598 | 142ec356e044bb66e25e5b3adc3d4e6fb3492fab | (CNN) -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and now Syria and Iraq. The decade-plus duration of America's confrontation with al Qaedism offers lessons not only on how we battle extremist ideology but also how we should calibrate our expectations. The traditional goal in warfare is simple: Defeat the adversary by destroying its will and capability to pose a threat. Force the adversary to capitulate. With a nontraditional foe, it's not clear that we need to limit ourselves to traditional measures of victory. Containment could work. We know by now that in no cases have the adversary's radical ideology been defeated. The most striking successes, such as Indonesia's evisceration of the Jemaah Islamiya organization and African forces' push against Al-Shabaab in Somalia, have only limited the reach of al Qaedism but failed to fully stem the flow of recruits to al Qaeda affiliates or squelch the ideology that underpins its festering. We have too many reminders of the resilience of this particularly violent ideology to think that it can be eliminated. Despite counterterrorism successes, Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia still lies dormant and remains potentially dangerous, as recent Indonesian arrests show. In Somalia, Al-Shabaab has been pushed out of large swaths of territory and its leader killed, but it is nowhere near finished in East Africa. French successes in Mali were stunning but have not come close to defeating al Qaedism in the Sahel. Despite these lessons, commentators across the political spectrum speak today about the defeat of an even larger, more geographically diverse, and more brutal adversary, in Syria and Iraq, as if somehow the lessons of the durability of al Qaeda ideology has proven brittle in other, equally complex, battlefields. It hasn't. We need to manage not just our expectations. Our rhetoric, too, matters more than we think. When we declare that we will defeat ISIS, what do we mean? What is a sufficient condition to declare victory? Unless we define that condition, we risk involving ourselves in yet another unending conflict. We cannot aim to eliminate Salafi jihadism. Not in one year or two, and probably not in one generation or two. The events of the past years -- both our combat in Iraq and the instability ushered in by the Arab Spring -- have created new grievances and vast ungoverned (or ungovernable) spaces in a region that is better armed than any other place on Earth. There is a more modest way forward, though, and one that has proven successful without overreaching. How about rolling back ISIS gains, confining it in and preventing the flow of fighters both into the battle area and back, as one goal? Yes, and that has already begun. Simply showing to its local adversaries that ISIS isn't invincible, that it folds under pressure, is an early win. And it isn't just American airpower that can accomplish this. Shia in Baghdad's outskirts, Kurds in Syria, the Peshmerga in northern Iraq, have begun to push back and have had early successes. This will be a long, tough battle, but ISIS has made too many enemies and has too few friends to succeed in the long term. Truly degrading the ISIS menace will involve eliminating the minds who manage the operation. The leaders, including not just ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but also his so-called ministers, media advisers and field commanders, need to be killed or captured. Most of their supporters, including European and American recruits to Syria and Iraq, will die on the battlefield, but al Qaeda's ideological sympathizers typically also turn their attention to building cells that can attack Western targets, as we have witnessed in Indonesia, Yemen and the tribal areas of Pakistan. For that reason, selective, carefully targeted strikes in Syria will help decrease the risk here at home. Elimination of every ISIS leader and commander is too all encompassing a goal, and it's unnecessary. We can take a page out of the Waziristan book by using the lessons of the standoff campaign against al Qaeda's leadership remnants that has worked so successfully along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Were there American boots on the ground? No. Were the selective strikes effective? Absolutely. Pakistan's Waziristan region offers other important lessons. Gains against the entrenched al Qaeda network there didn't come overnight. Likewise, America's years of engagement against key targets in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen provide a blueprint. This new fight against ISIS similarly will take patience, careful intelligence work, persistence and time. Commitment to disrupting the group over time will eliminate the leaders who have the vision and capability to sponsor this kind of plotting. If we can find ways to keep those terror leaders on the run, that will shift their focus from plotting to survival. So, we should start the campaign with an achievable definition of victory and a reasonable expectation about what that will take. We want to degrade ISIS so its ability to attack us and our interests is minimized, and to aid allies -- particularly Iraqis and Middle Eastern governments who are willing to commit even limited forces. We have to ensure that this doesn't become America's war again. Along with our allies, we want to free the people who now come under the cruel ISIS boot. Defeat of ISIS may come. In the meantime, a good dose of degrade will be more than sufficient. | Andrew Liepman, Philip Mudd: Ideology-driven adversaries are hard to eliminate .
Liepman, Mudd: Our confrontation with al Qaeda offers strategies on fighting ISIS .
They say we need an achievable definition of victory, such as confining ISIS gains .
Liepman, Mudd: Fight against ISIS will take patience and careful intelligence work . |
153,311 | 5217a966cec0a3c6a17f2d25ac0a326b162f82e9 | (CNN) -- Believe it or not, more people in the world have a cellphone than access to a toilet. That's according to Water.org, a charity co-founded by actor Matt Damon. "I was just shocked by this because I couldn't even relate to it," says the Oscar winner. "As an American -- like, water? There's the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink -- you know -- there's water." "Every 20 seconds a little kid, a child dies because they lack access to clean water and sanitation. Every 20 seconds." Damon, father of four daughters, says, "Once you have kids it's impossible not to see their face in every child you see." What was truly horrifying for Damon and Water.org's co-founder, Gary White, was how preventable water-related deaths can be. "We've solved this in the West for 100 years," he says referring to the worldwide water and sanitation crisis. "You know, imagine if we cure cancer tomorrow and in 100 years, three-and-a-half million people a year are still dying of it. I mean it's just unconscionable." So, Damon decided to use his fame to help. "If cameras were going to follow us around, why not make something good out of that?" In 2006, Damon co-founded H2O Africa Foundation, which served to bring attention to clean water initiatives in Africa. Two years later, he met Gary White of WaterPartners at the Clinton Global Initiative. The two decided to combine efforts by merging charities and co-founded Water.org in 2009. "We complement each other and Matt certainly has come a long way in water, not much for me in acting," White jokes. The nonprofit provides affordable access to safe water and proper lavatory facilities through microfinance loans. The loan program gives people the financial means to access their local municipalities or fund their own projects. Without the loans, they are forced to turn to the water mafia, who, according to Damon, dramatically mark up the cost of water. The other option is to fund their own projects through loan sharks, but that money comes with high interest. In India, White and Damon came face to face with a person who exemplifies how successful Water.org's loan program is. "We met a woman who was paying 40 rupees every day for her family to go use the public toilet. They had to go pay a fee and they had to go purchase the water that they needed," White says. "She was able to get a WaterCredit loan, that allowed her to pay her connection fee, that allowed her to connect to the utility and have a faucet in her home and allowed her to build a toilet in her home and her loan payment was 40 rupees a month. Once she gets that paid off over two years, that's another 40 rupees in her pocket. She'll pay a small bill for her water bill each month, but she'll come out way ahead." Damon says he was moved by "the sense of dignity that these women have when you talk to them and they've paid their loans off and maybe taking out a second loan for a toilet, the sense of empowerment you know, the sense that their life has been altered in this way, that they are now in control of their destiny." This empowerment translates directly into social and economic growth for the community. According to White, 200 million hours are spent daily by women walking to collect water and 443 million school days are lost every year from children having to scout for water. "Once you get this foundational piece in -- safe water that's close to the home or a tap at somebody's house -- then the whole family can start to take off and become much more economically self-sufficient. They can grow more food, they can spend time in a working job and kids can be in school. We all know that that's the thing that's really going to liberate people from poverty is an education. Water allows all of that to start happening," White says. Damon witnessed that firsthand in Haiti where he met a 13-year-old girl while attending the celebration of a new water pump. The girl had previously spent around three hours a day collecting water. "I said, 'Three hours a day! What are you going to do now that you have all this time? Your homework?' " "And she looked at me and she goes, 'Shh! I don't need more time to do my homework. I'm the smartest in my class.'" Damon prodded her some more, asking, " 'But you have these extra three hours. What are you going to do?' And she looked me right in the eyes and she goes 'I'm going to play.' " "It was wonderful to know that this little girl was going to have time to play like every 13-year-old girl should have." "But you think about the hundreds of millions of kids for whom that's not an option -- and not only do they not have those three hours, they may not even be in school because they're scavenging for water. And so it's not just a life or death issue, it's a quality of life issue." | 780 million people lack access to clean water .
Matt Damon and Gary White co-founded Water.org in 2009 .
Charity helps people access clean water and sanitation facilities through a loan program .
171 children die from a water related disease every hour . |
187,203 | 7e71ce321919e693dfa88f371e79da1acf9b1469 | Admission: 'The government finances are in paralysis state at the present moment', Mr Biti admitted . Zimbabwe's finance minister has taken a hard look at the cash strapped country's bank accounts - and discovered it only has £138 and 34 pence left. Tendai Biti made the announcement at press conference yesterday declaring: 'Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 in government coffers.' Mr Biti went on to tell the shocked news reporters that they were individually likely to have healthier bank balances than the state's. 'The government finances are in paralysis state at the present moment', Mr Biti admitted. However, Mr Biti today contradicted his claims by saying that the poor state of the country's finances only lasted a day. Speaking to the BBC, he said the following day about $30m of revenue was paid into the government's accounts. Mr Biti claims he made the remarkable revelations to highlight that the government could not finance the constitutional referendum and election that are planned for sometime later this year. Speaking to the BBC's Focus on Africa . radio programme, he claimed his statement had been misreported. He said: . 'You journalists are mischievous and malicious - the point I was making . was that the Zimbabwean government doesn't have the funds to finance . the election, to finance the referendum,' he said. 'To dramatise the point, I simply made a passing reference . metaphorically that when we paid civil servants last week on Thursday we . were left with $217... but even the following day we had $30m in our . account.' The stunning confession about the country's poor financial state is the culmination of years of ruinous economic policy by Zimbabwe's despotic President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African country since independence from Britain in 1980. Dire: Three-quarters of the population live on less than £1 a day and over half of the work force is unemployed . A decade ago Mugabe, now aged 88, . launched his deeply controversial policy of expropriating white-owned . farmland and handing it to blacks. The . policy, which saw 4,000 white farmers forcibly kicked off their land, . was economically disastrous as in many cases the farms' new owners . lacked the skills or inclination to run the farms properly. It also demolished investor confidence in the country, paralysed production, and prompted international sanctions. As . a result, Zimbabwe - which was once the fertile 'bread basket' of . southern Africa and possesses fantastic mineral wealth - is now one of . the continent's poorest countries. Broke: The confession is the culmination of years of ruinous economic policy by Zimbabwe's despotic President Mugabe . Three-quarters of the population live on less than £1 a day and over half of the work force is unemployed. In 2008 hyperinflation in the country reached the astronomical figure of 230 million per cent - meaning that paper money became worthless almost as soon as it was printed. The former British colony now uses US dollars. Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Biti claimed that the state's dire lack of cash means it does not have enough money to organise the constitutional referendum. 'We will be approaching the international community to assist us in this regard', Mr Biti said. Following a disputed election in 2008, Zimbabwe is now ruled by a coalition of Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. However, the arrangement is marred by political infighting and is widely considered to be ineffective. Mugabe is aged 88 and is reported to have pancreatic cancer. He however insists that he is the only person who can rule the country effectively. Rather than acknowledge his own role in the country's economic collapse, Mugabe blames the West, which has imposed economic sanctions in protest at his increasingly autocratic rule. | Tendai Biti made the announcement at press conference declaring: 'Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 in government coffers'
However he today contradicted his claims by saying the following day $30m was paid into government accounts .
Result is culmination of years of ruinous economic policy by Zimbabwe's despotic President Robert Mugabe . |
104,458 | 12c51125dfe38b47376c79f5fac4f53fa30db9d4 | By . Travelmail Reporter . Travel operator Thomas Cook has reassured customers of its commitment to animal welfare after a dog was crushed to death at one it’s resorts in Cyprus. The firm said it was ‘extremely concerned’ by the tragic incident at the Anastasia Beach Hotel where staff had apparently tried to dispose of the stray poodle named Billy in a large recycling bin fitted with an electrically-operated crushing mechanism. The seven-month-old puppy was found . by holidaymakers lying at the bottom of the bin still alive, but having . suffered horrific injuries including a broken back and brain damage. Scroll down for video . Anger: British expats and tourists protest at the Anastasia hotel in Cyprus where stray puppy Billy was thrown in a crusher bin before he died . Appalled tourists called a local vet to the scene but the dog died within days. Expats . and tourists had called for a boycott of the hotel and thousands of . people have signed a petition calling for Cyprus to enforce animal . cruelty laws. Thomas . Cook said in a statement: ‘Once these allegations came to light, we . immediately liaised with the Tsokkos Hotel Group, which is offering its . full cooperation to the local authorities following the launch of a full . investigation. ‘We have been informed that the staff members involved were immediately dismissed following the incident. The . company said it had received enquiries from concerned customers, who . were subsequently told that it was an isolated incident. Antonis Alkiviades, who works at MedVets, . the surgery which cared for Billy, said: ‘When we went to the hotel, he . was already in a coma. We were shocked and it was even more of a shock . when we were told he was put into this bin.’ Mr . Alkiviades said Billy had a broken back and other broken bones and was . unable to breathe. Vets later realised he had brain damage. Billy . was visited by dozens of concerned locals and tourists. Briton Lynn . Gandy, 61, said: ‘He looked terrible. He was a poor, frail, little dog. To think somebody could throw a live animal into a crusher beggars . belief. It is savagery.’ Another woman said the local reaction to Billy’s death had been so fierce that she feared there would be riots. The seven-month-old puppy was found by holidaymakers lying at the bottom of the bin still alive, but having suffered horrific injuries, including a broken back and brain damage . On Friday, British tourists joined expats marching outside the Anastasia, which is part of the Tsokkos group, Cyprus’s largest hotel chain. They held banners with slogans reading ‘Punish people who abuse animals’ and ‘Support Billy’s Law and stop animal cruelty now’ while also chanting ‘Justice for Billy’. Ross Breakwell, from London, who was on holiday in Cyprus, said: ‘I never imagined a country within the European Union could be so lax when it comes to something as important as animal rights. ‘I’m shocked and disgusted by this incident. It will make me think twice before coming back to Cyprus and I definitely would never stay in a Tsokkos hotel. All tourists to Cyprus should boycott the company.’ Mr Alkiviades also called for tougher laws on the island. He said: ‘You have the RSPCA in the UK. We don’t. We need people to be able to reinforce laws and punish cruelty.’ Popular tourist destination: Cyprus attracts thousands of holidaymakers every year . Nicos Anastasiades, the president of Cyprus, condemned Billy’s death and described the incident as ‘a disgrace for society and our country’. Tsokkos Hotels said: ‘Hotel management received complaints from customers about the fact that a sick stray puppy wandered around. The hotel manager immediately gave instructions to two employees to take the puppy to a local shelter to obtain appropriate care. ‘Unfortunately, the employees did not follow the instructions and proceeded to an inhuman act, unacceptable and condemnable by Tsokkos Hotels. 'As soon as Tsokkos Hotels became aware of the incident, the puppy was transferred to a veterinary clinic to receive all necessary treatment.’ | Hotel staff apparently put 'Billy' the poodle in a rubbish crusher .
Stunned holidaymakers found the pooch alive but he later died from injuries .
Thousands have signed petition calling to enforce animal cruelty laws .
Expats and UK tourists have called for boycott of Anastasia Beach Hotel . |
73,787 | d13ad063beff541875612d2b1850a02ea5a50d46 | It wouldn’t have been the first time an office party has got out of hand. But when BBC bosses planned a fond farewell to their headquarters, they probably didn’t expect the behaviour of staff and guests to degenerate quite so dramatically. A gathering to mark the closure of BBC Television Centre reportedly spiralled out of control with revellers heard having sex in an office and seen making off with souvenirs from the building. Guests watch Sara Cox (centre right) DJ during the BBC Television Centre farewell party . This picture of Sara Cox was among a range of BBC stars who went to the party to say goodbye to TV Centre . One guest posted an update on Twitter during the drink-fuelled gathering after hearing an amorous encounter in the building – affectionately known as the ‘doughnut’ because of its curved exterior and hollow centre. Producer Helen Williamson said: ‘At the BBC’s “goodbye TVC party”… did a nostalgic walk of the donut & heard someone s******* in one of the offices. Sackable offence?’ Around 1,500 BBC employees were invited to the party last Thursday, held in three recording studios in the building at White City in West London. Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Sara Cox provided the music as staff posted pictures of themselves dancing and drinking. Radio One DJ Scott Mills, right, also took to the decks at the BBC bash . About 1,500 people were invited to the farewell party. The 'stage invasion' is pictured . The institution has been the BBC's home since 1960 but will close on Easter Sunday and be turned into flats . Although most of the interior had been . stripped of furniture and equipment, security staff were on hand. Large . notices were placed on the walls, warning employees not to take BBC . property. One read: ‘We’re . keen to keep TVC looking smart and presentable. It’s still a working . building, so please don’t take any souvenirs as thefts will be taken . seriously.’ However, presenter Vernon Kay – married to Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly – was reportedly stopped by security as he left the building with a dressing room sign. He is reported saying: ‘It was a sign from my first-ever TV dressing room so I couldn’t resist taking it.’ Another corporation star – comedian . Rhys Thomas – posted a picture of himself on Twitter holding a BBC . directions board with the message: ‘This is the bit of television centre . I stole last night.’ The BBC warned staff not to take souvenirs from Television Centre, affectionately known as The Doughnut . Despite warnings Vernon Kay, left, reportedly took the sign from his first ever television dressing room and presenter Dave Berry, right, said he was going to the party to 'pinch some stuff' Presenter Dave Berry added: ‘Off to ghost town BBC . television centre to work a stunning TV show project and also to pinch . some stuff.’ The day after . the farewell party, photographer Ray Burmiston said: ‘Feels like a . ghostown [sic]. Everything’s gone . If it’s not nailed down its been . nicked for a memento!’ In a second evening of celebrations on Friday, Madness performed live outside the building. Journalist Julia Raeside said: ‘Drunk watching Madness. Might smoke indoors. It’s that kind of night.’ BBC TV Centre has been the Corporation’s home since 1960. It has been sold for £200million and will close on Easter Sunday. It will be converted into a hotel, flats, a cinema and office space. BBC staff have relocated to central London. A BBC spokesman said: ‘As we leave Television Centre it’s essential that items remain in place to avoid any replacement costs and to keep the building presentable and functional after the BBC’s exit.’ | The goodbye party to Television Centre reportedly spiralled out of control .
Reports of staff having sex in the office and taking souvenirs home .
DJs Scott Mills and Sara Cox provided music for the 1,500 staff . |
283,031 | fa9efca72f8a6090634c1faf9f0dbb5c989a1e63 | Baghdad (CNN) -- Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shiite cleric who has been staunchly opposed to the American troop presence in his country since the occupation began last decade, warned against the prospects of a "challenge" with any U.S. forces that stay in Iraq. "Go forth from our holy land and go back to your families who are waiting for you impatiently, that you and we, as well, lead a peaceful life together," said al-Sadr on Tuesday. His Mehdi army militia was a major factor in the sectarian violence that erupted during the height of the war. Al-Sadr issued his statement as Iraq decides whether to request that some of the 47,000 or so troops in Iraq stay beyond a January 1, 2012, deadline agreed upon between the two countries. But Iraqi leaders have agreed that the government will begin talking with U.S. officials about leaving U.S. forces inside Iraq on a training mission. "All political leaders have agreed on the U.S training mission in Iraq except the Sadrists, who have some reservations," President Jalal Talabani told reporters. That's unacceptable to al-Sadr, who issued his remarks "on the basis of the logic of common humanity, in the name of a country in which you have made an incursion for years." "Enough of this occupation, terror and abuse. We are not in need of your help. We are able to combat and defeat terrorism, and achieve unity. We are not in need of your bases, your experience and etc." al-Sadr said. "Go forth," he said, "that we may not enter into a challenge with you or your trainers." Since 2003, al-Sadr has had the support of tens of thousands of Shiites, especially the young and impoverished in Baghdad's slums and the Shiite south. His Mehdi Army has been considered one of Iraq's most formidable private armies after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Al-Sadr suspended most of its activities in 2007 and 2008, which dramatically reduced violence in Iraq. In 2008, al-Sadr announced that most of the militia members would be transitioned into a socio-cultural organization to oppose secularism and Western thought. But Al-Sadr has ratcheted his anti-American rhetoric up in recent months, raising concerns about an increase in violence as Iraq weighs an extension to the U.S. presence. An increase in attacks in recent months against American troops has been blamed on Shiite militias, including the Promised Day Brigade. The U.S. military says the militia is using the bombings to try to take credit for driving forces out of the country. The U.S. military maintains that the Promised Day Brigade and other Shiite militias are backed by Iran, a charge Tehran has long denied. The cleric, who recently returned to Iraq from three years of self-imposed exile, has transformed himself from the leader of the Mehdi Army to a political player. His political bloc has now joined forces with a former rival, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The al-Sadr movement emerged as one of the kingmakers in Iraqi politics last year when it won 39 parliamentary seats. | Muqtada al-Sadr issues letter to American troops .
The big question is whether any U.S. troops will remain in Iraq by year's end .
Al-Sadr: "Go forth, that we may not enter into a challenge with you or your trainers" |
62,159 | b096c018a047f3fdb567dc7c4fa20ac516c4b775 | By . Kieran Corcoran . A Chinese takeaway which had mouse droppings on the floor and no toilet seat has been shut after an inspector said it was the worst he’d seen. Tiger King in Portsmouth, Hampshire, was so filthy it was branded a risk to public health and immediately closed. The horrified inspector, who went to the takeaway after a tip-off from a disgruntled customer, found a chicken defrosting in a bucket on the kitchen floor, food stores on low dirty shelves and mouse droppings coating the floor. Revolting: A hygiene inspector found this chicken defrosting in a bucket of water left on a dirty floor . Dirty: Staff, who had nowhere to wash their hands, had to use this toilet with no seat . Closed down: The Tiger King in Portsmouth was shut down immediately by the inspector . Staff were forced to use a toilet with no seat and were left with nowhere to wash their hands. Owner Daniel Fan has now been banned from running a food business for six months. Richard Lee, Portsmouth City Council’s environmental health manager, said it was one of the worst hygiene breaches he had seen in 20 years. He said: 'The problems we found at Tiger King were some of the worst we’ve ever encountered. 'The deterioration in the standards was considerable over a short period of time. 'The operator was putting the health of . his customers at considerable risk and, consequently, I’m pleased with . the decision of the court.' Grimy: The floor of the kitchen was filthy, and the inspector also noted that mouse droppings could be seen . Grim: The King Prawn was given the lowest possible hygiene rating - one out of five . After an inspection last week, the takeaway was given a one out of five hygiene rating. Fan was fined £5,000 and had to pay £1,253 pounds in costs at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to five offences relating to food hygiene. Magistrate Avril Hardie said: 'There were a number of offences and the number of, nature and extent of the offences makes us feel like the hygiene prohibition order is justified along with the fines.' A city council spokesman said: 'The premises will continue to be monitored and any further legal contraventions noted with will be dealt with in accordance with our enforcement policy.' | Tiger King in Portsmouth was given a surprise inspection last week .
Filthy conditions uncovered and the takeaway was immediately closed .
Owner Daniel Fan fined £5,000 and banned from running a food business .
Inspector said hygiene problems among 'worst he'd ever encountered' |
11,170 | 1fc7a25f81b5cdfa03fbca417f7829772de8d382 | By . Sam Webb for MailOnline . An Algerian group linked to Islamic State jihadists threatened to kill a French hostage within 24 hours unless Paris halts air strikes on the IS in Iraq, in a video posted Monday. Jund al-Khilifa (Soldiers of the Caliphate), which has pledged allegiance to IS, said in the video that it carried out Sunday's kidnapping of the Frenchman in a mountainous region of eastern Algeria where Al-Qaeda is active. The hostage, Herve Pierre Gourdel, 55, white-haired and bespectacled, is shown squatting on the ground flanked by two hooded men clutching Kalashnikov assault rifles, as he asks for French President Francois Hollande to intervene. Scroll down for video . Terror: French tourist, Herve Pierre Gourdel sitting between two armed jihadists at an undisclosed location. An Algerian militant group said it has kidnapped a Frenchman and threatened to execute him unless Paris halts air strikes on Islamic State jihadists in Iraq . 'It is up to Hollande, president of the criminal French state, to halt the attacks on the Islamic State within 24 hours of this statement, otherwise his national Herve Gourdel will have his throat slit,' one of his kidnappers says in the video. Gourdel says he is a native of Nice in southern France who works as a mountain guide, and that he only arrived in Algeria on Saturday. He was seized while hiking with Algerian friends. In the video, the kidnappers say they are responding to a call from IS, posted just hours earlier, for Muslims to kill citizens of countries taking part in the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists who have seized of large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Waiting: Journalists in Nice, southeastern France, in front the house called 'Villa Marie Joseph', where French hostage Herve Pierre Gourde reportedly lives . 'If you can kill a disbelieving American or European - especially the spiteful and filthy French - or an Australian, or a Canadian or any other disbeliever... including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him,' said IS spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani. 'Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military,' he said in the message, which was released in multiple languages. France mounted its first air strike to beat back the IS in Iraq on Friday, joining an aerial assault which the United States launched on August 8. 'I am in the hands of Jund al-Khilifa, an Algerian armed group,' 'This armed group is asking me to ask you (President Hollande) to not intervene in Iraq. 'They are holding me as a hostage and I ask you Mr President to do everything to get me out of this bad situation and I thank you.' The French foreign ministry confirmed a national had been kidnapped during a visit to the Tizi Ouzou region. Tizi Ouzou is in Kabylie, where Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, has carried out deadly attacks this year. 'Everything is being done to find our fellow countryman. Authorities are mobilised and no hypothesis is being discarded,' the ministry said. Earlier, France said it was not spooked by the IS call for Muslims to kill citizens of countries fighting the jihadists. 'France is not afraid,' Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said repeatedly during a televised statement. But, at the same time, the French foreign ministry urged nationals living in or travelling to some 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East to exercise 'utmost caution'. Since December 2005, almost 80 Algerians have been kidnapped in Kabylie, with the kidnappers demanding ransoms. Three of the hostages have been killed. On Monday, the Algerian army said it killed a 'terrorist chief' the previous night in Kabylie, using Algeria's term for armed Islamists. | Herve Pierre Gourdel, 55, kidnapped while hiking with Algerian friends .
The group who took him have called on Hollande to stop air strikes on IS .
France mounted its first air strike to beat back the IS in Iraq on Friday . |
244,618 | c895af418b0bcce5a1be9596b3862afe4ab37bb1 | Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- The mortality rate in Moscow, Russia, has "doubled recently" because of an extended streak of heat and smog, Andrei Seltsovsky, the head of the city health department, told Russian news agencies Monday. Seltsovsky said that the average daily mortality rate in Moscow is 360 to 380 cases, but "today the rate is around 700." Out of 1,500 slots in city morgues, 1,300 were occupied, he added. The death toll directly attributed to the country's recent spate of wildfires remained at 52, the Russian Health and Social Development Ministry said on its website Monday. Another 62 people across Russia were in hospitals with wildfire-related ailments, and in all, 741 people had sought wildfire-related medical assistance, it said. CNN iReport: See and share images of Russia wildfires . The ministry said 22 out of the country's 83 regions, mostly in central Russia, are affected by wildfires. And no relief is in sight, with temperatures forecast to remain high in central and northwestern Russia through August 20. The Russian meteorological service Roshydromet said on its website Monday that the level of air pollution will remain high in and around Moscow in the coming days. "The air will remain filled with products burning in forest and peat fires, and with toxic emission coming from motor vehicles and industrial enterprises," Roshydromet said. It asked Moscow's industrial businesses to start cutting emissions by 20 to 40 percent from 3 p.m. Monday until 3 p.m. Wednesday to help reduce air pollution. Alexander Frolov, who heads Roshydromet, appeared live on Russian state TV on Monday. He said high levels of pollutants in the Moscow air pose a serious danger to Muscovites' health. "The highest levels were registered on August 7 and 8, with the concentration of particulate dust exceeding the permitted level by 3.4 times. It is very harmful for the human body as it accumulates in it and is virtually not excreted," he said. Frolov said carbon monoxide and ozone levels were significantly higher than the permitted norm. "It can be said that we lived through probably the worst time with very high levels of harmful substances caused, firstly, by exhaust from motor vehicles and industries and, secondly, by forest fires," he said. The Moscow region and the majority of the European part of Russia remain in a zone of high fire risk, Frolov said. According to the Russian index of fire risk meteorological indicators, developed by Roshydromet, most of the European part of Russia is in the fifth, or emergency, risk class for wildfire potential. Forests in the southwest, south and southeast of the Moscow region are particularly fire-prone, primarily because of peat bogs, he said. "As many as 276 wildfires have been extinguished," Russia's emergency ministry told the state media RIA Novosti on Sunday. "Currently, 554 wildfires are raging on an area of over 190,000 hectares," or more than 730 square miles. The dire conditions also are wreaking havoc on agriculture in Russia, Frolov said. "Unfortunately, the forecast is for virtually no precipitation in August," he said. "Precipitation is crucial as we now need to think when to plant winter crops. The situation in many regions is such that so far there is no reason to start planting winter crops, despite the optimal planting time beginning in some regions." Roshydromet forecasts a 30 percent drop in Russia's harvests due to the drought, he said. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced a ban on grain exports last week that will start on August 15 and could last until December 31. At Monday's government meeting broadcast on state TV, Putin said the order was prompted by uncertainty over this year's farm production. A decision on the timeframe for the grain export ban will happen only after the results of the harvest are known, Putin said. Some regions won't be sowing winter grain at all this year, so a swift end to the export ban shouldn't be expected, he said. "Of course, this is a temporary measure, but we are in an extraordinary situation and we have to worry about our own citizens and our own farmers," Putin said. "The question is what the country will be left with in 2011. We don't know what the harvest will be and how much carry-over grain there'll be in 2011." The prime minister said Russia would need 78 million metric tons of grain to support its people this year, but because of the drought, the country might produce only 60 million to 65 million metric tons, forcing it to dip into its "state intervention fund." "One can say that neither we nor our ancestors observed or registered anything like it, in terms of heat, within a 1,000-year period since the foundation of our country," Frolov said Monday. "This phenomenon is absolutely unique. There is no record of such cases." CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report . | The mortality rate has doubled in the Russian capital, says Moscow's health chief .
Hundreds of people have become sick and more than 50 have died due to wildfires .
The Russian government is asking businesses to cut back on emissions .
The hot weather isn't expected to let up until after August 20 . |
95,500 | 06be1948aa4a7b2a03e5c1f7ad2a6ceec3f604e3 | By . Hayley Peterson . PUBLISHED: . 15:00 EST, 2 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:23 EST, 2 August 2013 . A Tennessee newspaper editor has been fired after writing a headline critical of President Obama. Drew Johnson's editorial, titled, 'Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough,' was published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press earlier this week when Obama visited the city. The timing of the column gave it a national audience it might not otherwise have had. As a result, it went viral online and Johnson, the editor of the Times Free Press editorial page, has since been let go. Drew Johnson says he was fired from his job as an editor for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for writing an anti-Obama headline on an editorial . The newspaper said it fired Johnson for violating a policy requiring that last-minute changes to headlines be approved by upper management. In a statement published to its website on Friday, the paper stated: 'On Monday night, Johnson changed the . approved headline on his Tuesday editorial from, “Keep your jobs plan to . yourself, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough . already” to “Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: Your . policies have harmed Chattanooga enough.” 'However, he waited . until his editor had left for the day before changing the headline,' the statement continued. 'That . is a violation of our clear editing practice, and our trust. He . admitted the following day that he failed to follow the standard set for . him.' Johnson claims that the editing policy was implemented after his piece was published earlier this week. He says the real reason he was fired was because of pressure on his bosses from Obama's supporters. '[The editor] said that she was disappointed in the headline, that she thought it was crass and she'd gotten a lot of complaints by Obama supporters,' he said in an interview with Fox News. 'Today I come into work and am told that I'm fired for violating that policy that wasn't put in place until the day after I wrote the piece.' The newspaper said it fired Johnson for 'placing a headline on an editorial outside of normal editing procedures' Johnson said he feels 'confident' that if the headline had referenced former President George W. Bush rather than Obama, that he would still have a job. He also pointed out that his headline was not changed online for several hours after the editorial was published to the paper's website. 'I just became the first person in the history of newspapers to be fired for writing a paper's most-read article,' he tweeted. The paper pushed back against Johnson's claims that his editors bowed to political pressure. 'Johnson’s firing was not about yielding . to political pressure,' the paper said in its statement published online, which was not attributed to a specific person. 'He was not fired for writing an editorial . criticizing President Barack Obama. The body of the editorial was . approved for publication; only the headline was changed.' In a clear dig at Johnson, the paper added: 'The only instance when the Times Free Press ever denied Johnson the freedom to present his views was last week when he referred to pornography as a “miracle product” and touted the benefits of pornography stating that if teenagers watched pornography it would result in lower rates of teenage pregnancy.' This statement was published to the Chattanooga Times Free Press website on Friday: . Contrary to statements made by former Free Press editor Drew Johnson and national media reports, Johnson was told on multiple prior occasions not to make material changes to editorials or headlines once they were approved by the editor responsible for the page. On Monday night, Johnson changed the approved headline on his Tuesday editorial from, “Keep your jobs plan to yourself, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough already” to “Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough.” However, he waited until his editor had left for the day before changing the headline. That is a violation of our clear editing practice, and our trust. He admitted the following day that he failed to follow the standard set for him. The language he chose was vulgar and not appropriate for this newspaper. Even Johnson himself admitted that the headline was “harsh and perhaps crass to a fault” in an editorial he wrote for this Sunday, which will not run. Johnson’s firing was not about yielding to political pressure. He was not fired for writing an editorial criticizing President Barack Obama. The body of the editorial was approved for publication; only the headline was changed. The newspaper has allowed Johnson to write his opinions freely and without censorship during the time he worked here – even when he wrote about very controversial topics that many readers complained about. In the past year we have printed at least 46 editorials critical of Obama on the Free Press page. In fact the only instance when the Times Free Press ever denied Johnson the freedom to present his views was last week when he referred to pornography as a “miracle product” and touted the benefits of pornography stating that if teenagers watched pornography it would result in lower rates of teenage pregnancy. The Times Free Press values having two editorial pages to express both conservative and liberal views. We encourage differing viewpoints and dissent, we believe having competing views makes community stronger. We expect those debates to be respectful. Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com . | The Chattanooga Times Free Press fired Drew Johnson, its editorial page editor, after he wrote a headline telling the president to 'take [his] jobs plan and shove it'
The paper says he was fired for violating policy by changing a headline without getting it approved .
Johnson claims he was fired due to political pressure on his bosses . |
198,131 | 8c738e407f3260add5243618e73bf67279e7bdaa | Las Vegas (CNN) -- Mirna Castaneda pays close attention to the instructor showing her the best way to make a bed. "This crest is very important" said the instructor in Spanish as Castaneda makes a double fold on the upper edge of the white bedsheets, then carefully tops it with a few pillows. It's not as if Castaneda doesn't know how to make a bed that a Las Vegas visitor can gleefully climb into after a day --- or night -- out on the town. She has already spent five years working at different hotels, but this training is required for her new job this time as a member of the Culinary Workers Union. "They offer really good benefits I didn't have before and the pay is also better," she said. Her training takes place at the union's Culinary Training Academy, where job seekers learn everything needed to work on the Strip, from loading a dishwasher to vacuuming floors and waiting tables to the finer details of gourmet cooking. It also provides the experience required by the hotels and casinos. Completion of the course at the academy is the equivalent of one year of experience on the job. Why Nevada's Latino vote could make the difference in the 2012 election . That makes all the difference in the world for people like Jazmin Rivera, 21, who is hoping to land a job as a busboy. She says she has had a hard time finding a job since her employment as a census worker ended last year. But for Castaneda and Rivera, their union membership could provide more than a steady job with benefits. They could be getting a political education, too. "We spend almost a full year before the election making sure all of our members are registered to vote," said Yvanna Cancela, the political director for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Cancela said the union also encourages and assists in navigating the citizenship process for members who qualify. That is a big deal for the Latino members of the union, who according to Cancela make up more than 35% of the Las Vegas membership. As it did in most states, the Hispanic population exploded in Nevada over the past decade. According to the census, 26% of the more than 2.7 million state residents have Latino heritage. Both parties rolling the dice in Nevada . With the strength in numbers comes political muscle. State politicians are locked in a battle to draw new congressional districts that best reflect Latino representation. Democrats favor spreading Hispanics into three districts, arguing that would give them more clout in more places. Republicans, led by Gov. Brian Sandoval, want a Hispanic majority district, saying the time has come for Latinos to have a better chance of sending one of their own to represent them in Washington. The process is now in the hands of a three-person panel appointed by a federal judge and charged with solving the stalemate. Latinos are already making their mark in politics. They are credited with saving the seat of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, in the midterm elections. They helped then-Sen. Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Nevada presidential primary. Cuban-born Griselda Marino is one of those who caucused for President Obama. "It was very interesting to participate, especially for someone like me who came from another country and had different views of the political process," she said. Marino joined the union 13 years ago, two years after she arrived in the United States. She said the union helped her register to vote as soon as she became a U.S. citizen. "It is a great responsibility we all have, especially those who came from other countries, because we have to make sure our voice is also heard," she said. Marino said she hopes her example inspires people like Castaneda, who is more focused on getting health insurance for her family than thinking about who is running for office. "I keep politics on the side," Castaneda said. Marino and the members of Local 226 will have a chance to flex their political muscle in January when Nevada holds one of the earlier caucuses in the presidential selection process. It could also be a preview of the role the Latino vote will have in November 2012. | Unions in the West play dual role for many Latinos: professional training and political activism .
They have helped members navigate the path to U.S. citizenship .
Republicans, Democrats are battling over who gets to represent the fastest growing U.S. group . |
247,001 | cba2df5e5f4058aee762d23257867347719da2e4 | By . Simon Jones for MailOnline . Fulham are signing Hellas Verona goalkeeper Nikolai Mihailov. The 26-year-old is the son of former Bulgaria goalkeeper Boris Mihailov who played for Reading. Fulham have held an interest in the Verona keeper since last year when his former club Liverpool were also linked with a return bid. Playing for keeps? Nikolay Mihaylov, playing here for Enschede, is wanted on loan by Fulham . Fulham have held talks with free agent Timo Hildebrand but hope to agree a loan for Mihailov with a view to a permanent £400,000 deal. Coach Felix Magath has put faith in a young squad but is under increasing pressure at Fulham after a poor start to the Championship season. Tim Sherwood and former Celtic boss Neil Lennon are understood to be under consideration should Fulham make another managerial change. It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There’s £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… . Cottage industry: Tim Sherwood is on Fulham's shortlist if they decide to relpace Felix Magath . | Fulham want to sign Nikolai Mihailov on loan with view to permanent deal .
Hellas Verona keeper has also been linked with a return to Liverpool .
Tim Sherwood and Neil Lennon are candidates if Cottagers decide to replace manager Felix Magath . |
109,061 | 189604d0db455e8853f3de7ee5099227cff97a13 | In the space of two weeks, two different courts have come to two different results in evaluating the legality of two similar voter identification laws. In Pennsylvania, a state trial judge upheld the newly enacted voter ID law under the state's constitution, while Thursday in Washington, a federal panel rejected Texas' similar ID law under the federal Voting Rights Act. Despite their differences, both courts were quite right to agree on a central proposition: We really don't know how large an impact these voter ID laws will have on elections. In the end, the question, both legal and moral, often boils down to who should have the burden of proof: Should states be forced to show their laws are justified because they prevent demonstrable fraud or should opponents be forced to show that the law prevents large numbers of people from voting? Voter ID cases often pit an invisible plaintiff against an imaginary problem. It is difficult to find voters who absolutely cannot vote because of an ID law, just as it is challenging to find instances of the type of fraud such laws intend to prevent. The plaintiffs are invisible because very few people have the means to bring the federal case to challenge such laws but don't have the ability to navigate the barriers at the Department of Motor Vehicles to get an actual ID. Also, although we do know about 10% of Americans might not have the ID necessary to vote, we don't know how many won't vote specifically because of this extra burden, how many will be motivated to get an ID or how many will resort to absentee ballots, which do not require ID. In the Pennsylvania case, the lawyers had the perfect plaintiff, Viviette Applewhite, a 93-year-old, wheelchair-bound African-American woman who had no driver's license and no birth certificate because she was born at home. For such people, getting the required documents can be burdensome and sometimes expensive. For Applewhite, unlike most of us, exercising her right to vote was worth the fight in court. (Did I mention she also marched with Martin Luther King Jr.?) It also turned out that once she lost her case, she was able and willing to get through the bureaucratic maze necessary to get her ID. The moral of the story: If you are one of those people who considers voting a right worth dying for, you'll most likely be able to do what is necessary to get to vote. Such is not the case, however, if you are one of the unfortunate few who can never get the right documents you need. Or if you're one of the great many nonvoters for whom any additional hindrance makes you think it's not worth it -- that the added costs of registering and voting exceed the intangible benefit of knowing you have participated in the democracy. Even after an election takes place, another reason makes plaintiffs difficult to find and the effect of voter ID laws uncertain: It's unclear whether the laws are actually enforced as intended. For any number of election regulations, there's a huge gap between the law on the books and the practices in the polling place. When the poll worker's neighbor shows up without an ID, the odds are that she might let him vote anyway -- that is, assuming he has been neighborly. Of course, that might not happen if she doesn't recognize him or she has trouble understanding his accent. Indeed, political scientists find that huge numbers of voters in states even without ID laws report being asked for photo ID on Election Day. And at least one election administrator in Pennsylvania has even pledged not to enforce the new law. Against the invisible plaintiffs in these cases is the imaginary problem of voter impersonation fraud -- the kind of fraud where someone goes to the polling place and votes using the name of someone else. Even though we have few documented cases and prosecutions, make no mistake about it: Voter impersonation does happen. It probably happens with the same frequency as voters collapsing in line while waiting to vote, or getting nauseous when they see the names on the ballot. And yes, if every election were to be a replay of the 2000 election, then any mishap -- fraudulent or otherwise -- could determine the outcome. As of yet, however, we have not required all polling places to be prepared with smelling salts. The reason voter impersonation fraud is so rare is that it is an incredibly stupid and inefficient way to rig an election. Shepherding hordes of fraudsters from one polling place to the next to vote in other people's names would take a lot of time and effort and expose them to trouble with the law with little potential payoff. Successful fraud is usually perpetrated at the wholesale, rather than retail, level. Absentee ballots, in particular, have proven to be the fraudster's method of choice. They are cast in private out of the view of suspecting eyes of poll workers or fellow voters. They are ripe for coercion and undue influence from whoever might be sitting next to the absentee voter -- think union or corporate bosses. And multiple ballots can be collected over the course of several weeks, saving the expense and rush of a one-day voter impersonation campaign. The greatest irony of the new crop of voter ID laws is that they do nothing to combat the more frequent problem of absentee ballot fraud. In fact, they might even make such fraud more likely because the number of absentee voters might increase, given that absentee voters do not need to have a photo ID in order to vote. Worse still, absentee votes are much more likely to be otherwise disqualified because of errors committed by either the voter or the vote counter. They present the perfect storm of fraud and mistakes that conjures up images of the cockeyed Florida vote counters in the 2000 election. I happen to be in the camp that believes a state should provide a compelling justification for new election laws even if they have an admittedly uncertain effect on voters' rights. But you do not need to be a fellow traveler or even to be preoccupied with voting rights to worry about the implications of these laws. Enforcement of these laws will be spotty. They will cause confusion in the polling place as relatively untrained, volunteer poll workers come up to speed with sometimes complicated new regulations. Some voters will choose not to vote, while others will cast provisional ballots -- so-called because the legality of the vote will be determined after Election Day if the voter can come up with ID in time for the ballot to be counted. This will all be done in the name of preventing voter fraud. Yet if these laws lead unwittingly to an increase in the number of voters casting absentee votes out of public view, then they will not even have addressed the fraud they intend to solve. Indeed, they might even make it worse. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter . | Voter ID laws recently have been upheld in Pennsylvania and rejected in Texas .
Nathaniel Persily: Nobody knows the impact of the laws or who will be affected and how .
It's hard to find plaintiffs, he says, and hard to find voters impersonating another person .
Persily: Upshot may be more fraud as voters without IDs turn to absentee ballots . |
282,814 | fa545a707a0251c7f41ea4f1194336b7bf34fab8 | (CNN) -- "New Moon," the latest film in "The Twilight Saga" is doing record business at the box office. In its opening weekend the film grossed $140.7 million -- more than any other film with an autumn release in history. The tales of teenage vampire love based on the best-selling books by Stephanie Meyer have wooed film-goers without having to resort to acres of flesh being on display. This distinct lack of on-screen sex runs contrary to the popular trend of portraying teenagers on screen as playing fast and loose with their virginity and affections. Love and the importance of relationships most definitely rule in "The Twilight Saga" and the formula is proving popular with audiences. Elizabeth Morowitz, Communications Professor at the University of Missouri and author of "Bitten By Twilight" thinks that this more sensitive approach is the key to the film's success. "A lot of people ask 'what's so appealing about the Twilight and why is it popular now?' and we think it's because of the relationships and the messages about love in Twilight. In a more conservative environment we've had this push for abstinence education, so we now have a media message that's more congruent with that. So perhaps some teens relate to it in that way," Morowitz told CNN's Katie Walmsley. The director of "New Moon" Chris Weitz says that sexual abstinence is central to the film's appeal. "It's not that they can't have sex, they choose not to and I think there's so much popular culture that's saying to young people: 'you'll be cool if you have sex' or 'it's important to be sexy' whereas this series really concentrates on matters of the heart and spirit and I think that's lovely," Weitz told CNN. A dashing male lead, in the shape of Robert Pattison doesn't hurt either when you're trying to attract a female teenage audience. But whatever the exact recipe for its undoubted success it looks like teenagers in the "Twilight" world don't like to bite off more than they can chew. | "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is breaking records at the box office .
Film contains plenty of sexual tension but no sex scenes .
Twilight Saga concentrates on matters of the heart and spirit says director Chris Weitz . |
164,393 | 6093942a9e290dfd593475c211466c50eaef6f96 | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The two men who claimed to have found the carcass of Bigfoot have surfaced to say: Hey, it was just a joke. Matt Whitton has been fired from his job as a police officer because of his role in the hoax. Not everyone is laughing. In an exclusive interview with CNN affiliate WSB, the two hoaxers -- car salesman Rick Dyer and now-fired police officer Matt Whitton -- said the whole situation began as a joke and then got out of hand. "It's just a big hoax, a big joke," Dyer said. "It's Bigfoot," Dyer explained. "Bigfoot doesn't exist." Whitton chimed in: "All this was a big joke. It got into something way bigger than it was supposed to be." Watch the two men explain their "joke" » . At a news conference in California last week, the two men had stood by their claims that they had discovered Bigfoot's corpse and had it on ice. Scientific analysis would prove it, they said. Not quite. Now the two Georgia men admit that the hairy, icy blob was an Internet-purchased Sasquatch costume stuffed with possum roadkill and slaughterhouse leftovers. Whitton and Dyer say that when they came up with the hoax, they had no idea it would become a media circus. "It got legs and ran. It's crazy now," Dyer told WSB. Co-hoaxer Whitton agrees: "It started off as some YouTube videos and a Web site. We're all about having fun." "Fun" isn't exactly how Clayton County Police Chief Jeff Turner sees it. He has kicked Whitton off the police force. "He lied on national TV," Turner says of Whitton, "so a defense attorney now could say, 'How do we know you're not lying now?' " Whitton and Dyer had announced that they had found the body of a 7-foot-7-inch, 500-pound half-ape, half-human creature while hiking in the north Georgia mountains in June. They also said they had spotted about three similar living creatures. Still unclear is how much money Whitton and Dyer got out of the hoax. Steve Kulls, who maintains the SquatchDetective Web site and hosts a similarly named Internet radio program, first interviewed Dyer on July 28 for the radio program. On August 12, Kulls said, Dyer and Whitton "requested an undisclosed sum of money as an advance, expected from the marketing and promotion." Two days later, after signing a receipt and counting the money, Dyer and Whitton showed the Searching for Bigfoot team the freezer containing what they claimed was the carcass: "Something appearing large, hairy and frozen in ice," Kulls wrote on the Web site. It was, as many had suspected, an ape-like costume stuffed with entrails. After the news conference last week, Dyer and Whitton disappeared from view. The truth came out over the weekend. In a Web posting this week, Kulls wrote that "action is being instigated against the perpetrators." The two hoaxers have hired attorney Steve Lister to represent them. "There have been some threats made to them for both civil and criminal prosecution," Lister said. The attorney says the Bigfoot incident "got out of hand." Dyer, asked whether he ever thought that the hoopla had become more than just a joke, implied that everyone should have known it was a hoax. "Well, we told 10 different stories," he said. "Everyone knew we were lying." | Two men surface to say Bigfoot hoax was just a joke .
Men say their idea of "having fun" turned into something bigger than expected .
Attorney for men says incident "got out of hand" |
170,575 | 68ce5ac00d0c266dd5dea96ec3ad64ccff0a6b00 | UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern about slow action to combat climate . change, . He told governments at UN talks in Lima yesterday there . was no 'time for tinkering' and urged a radical shift to greener . economies. Ban said there was still a chance of limiting global warming . to an internationally agreed ceiling of 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial times to limit more floods, . droughts and rising sea levels. Putting on the pressure: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern about slow action to combat climatechange,He told governments at UN talks in Lima yesterday there was no 'time for tinkering' and urged a radical shift to greener economies . 'But the window of opportunity is fast narrowing,' he told . delegates from about 190 nations, who are working . on a deal to limit rising world . greenhouse gas emissions. 'This is not a time for tinkering; it is a time for . transformation,' he said. Despite signs of progress, 'I am . deeply concerned that our collective action does not match our . common responsibilities.' 'We must act now,' he added. Ban welcomed signs of action, such as more businesses . favouring carbon markets, and a day of marches in September that . he said mobilised hundreds of thousands of people in the streets . 'from Manhattan to Mumbai to Melbourne'. 'Irreversible': A recent IPCC report found that global warming is already here, man-made and increasingly likely that the heating trend could be irreversible. Pictured are the likely impacts throughout the world . He also welcomed pledges by developed nations totalling . almost £6.4 billion ($10 billion) to a new Green Climate Fund, . The pledges are due to help . developing nations cut emissions and adapt to climate changes . that will put pressure on food and water supplies. He called on countries which have not yet pledged 'to . consider making an ambitious financial commitment in Lima.' Australia is the only major developed nation which has not . contributed to the fund, preferring to focus on domestic . initiatives. Ban urged developed nations to 'meet and exceed' a goal set . in 2009 of mobilising at least £64 billion ($100 billion) a year, in both . public and private finance, by 2020 to help developing nations. The Lima talks are trying to work out draft elements of a . deal for Paris next year, but face numerous fault lines about . what should be included. Average global temperatures for 2014 have been higher than average and may even break previous records . Heatwaves and prolonged spells of freezing weather have become more common over the past three decades, according to scientists. Researchers at the University of East Anglia found that extreme weather conditions have been occurring more frequently in the past 30 years compared to a 130 year average. It comes as meteorologists have said that 2014 is on track to the be warmest year on record. Figures published by the Met Office predicted that the global mean temperature for 2014 is 0.01°C warmer than 2010, currently the warmest on record at 14.50°C (58.12°F) This is despite much of the northern hemisphere being plunged into temperatures well below freezing in January as North America was hit by an Arctic polar vortex. According to the latest findings from the University of East Anglia's climatic research unit, temperatures in the northern hemisphere have been more volatile than in the southern hemisphere. Professor Scott Robeson, from Indiana University, who also took part in the study, said: 'Arguably, these cold extremes and warm extremes are the most important factors for human society.' He added that the study could help to explain the 'pause' in global warming since 1998 that was reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year. Many developing nations, for instance, want a target of . cutting world greenhouse gas emissions to a net zero by 2050. Opec nations, worried about loss of income from a shift to . renewable energy, favour much vaguer long-term goals. A recent IPCC report found that global warming is already here, man-made and increasingly likely that the heating trend could be irreversible. Global warming, it says, is impacting 'all continents and across the oceans,' and further pollution from heat-trapping gases will raise the likelihood of severe impacts for mankind. The report says if the world continues to spew greenhouse gases at its accelerating rate, it's likely that by mid-century temperatures will increase by about another 2°C (3.6°F) compared to temperatures from 1986 to 2005. And by the end of the century, that scenario will bring temperatures that are about 3.7°C (6.7°F) warmer. Ban Ki-moon (centre) welcomed signs of action, such a day of marches in September that he said mobilised hundreds of thousands of people in the streets'from Manhattan to Mumbai to Melbourne' | UN Secretary-General says there is still chance of limiting global warming .
'But window of opportunity is fast narrowing,' he told delegates in Lima .
UN is aiming to limit temperatures to 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels .
Ban welcomed pledges by developed nations totalling almost £6.4 billion ($10 billion) to a new Green Climate Fund to address the problem . |
256,997 | d8a1550f19cd38536b83cd776b9b5f18902675dc | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 11:19 EST, 31 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:01 EST, 1 February 2013 . Court case: Darius Ashard, 21, who played Snoozy the dwarf in panto was sentenced to 40 hours unpaid work for aggravated vehicle taking and handling stolen goods . An actor who played Snoozy the dwarf in a pantomime starring Priscilla Presley screamed 'I'm going to die' as he and his friends led police on a terrifying high-speed car chase, a court heard today. Darius Ashard, who was in a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs this Christmas, had been a terrified passenger in a Vauxhall Astra taken in a burglary. The 21-year-old was arrested in August last year after police found him holding a stolen laptop and an iPad taken from a home in Woodford Green, Essex. But since then he has 'rubbed shoulders' with Ms Presley, 67, who starred as the Wicked Queen at the New Wimbledon Theatre, and was given rave reviews. Prosecutor Nadeem Holland told Snaresbrook Crown Court the stolen Astra had hit a red light and then took the wrong exit on the busy North Circular road. The car then sped in . the direction of oncoming traffic, causing other drivers to swerve out of the . way, and forcing police to give up the chase in case someone was killed. But soon after the gang jumped out of the car they were caught with Ashard left holding the stolen goods. Daniel Jerome, defending Ashard, said: 'He spent two months working . at the Wimbledon Theatre in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven . Dwarfs, with Priscilla Presley as the leading lady. 'He has rubbed shoulders with all sorts of famous names and being . part of the cast has given him a window into other potential work in . that field. 'He was asked by his co-defendants if he could look after a bag containing stolen property. 'He realised there was something untoward but out of goodness to his friends, he said yes. 'As soon as the vehicle started being driven in an undesirable fashion, . he expressed his wish to leave but he didn't have a choice until it came . to a stop.' Ashard was handed a 12-month community order with 40 hours unpaid work. The stolen car was first spotted after a raid in St Anthony's Avenue, Woodford Green, Essex and weaved through traffic to avoid the police. It was driven by James Howsen, 22, who is already serving a . five-month sentence for attempting to escape the dock at a previous . hearing last year, when he admitted aggravated vehicle taking and . driving without insurance. Panto: Ashard spent Christmas alongside Priscilla Presley and Warwick Davis , which his defence team said convinced him he could forge a career as an actor . Big hit: The dwarves in the panto, led by Willow and Life's Too Short star Warwick Davies . He was handed a six-month prison sentence and ordered to pay a £200 . fine, as well as being disqualified from driving for a year and given six penalty . points. Passing sentence, Judge Joanna Korner QC said: 'The course of driving outlined by the prosecution was dangerous in the extreme. 'You could have caused the death and or serious injury of a number of other people and indeed, you could probably have killed yourselves. 'Both of you knew this car was stolen and you, Ashard, none the less got in the car and added to your offences by taking possession of goods which you admitted you knew perfectly well were stolen. 'In your case, Ashard, you have lost your good name and that may have an impact on your future. 'In your case, Howsen, it seems to be the continuation of conduct that has been going on for some years but I take the view there is some hope for you. 'This is your last chance.' Nathan Pearce, 21, who was also a passenger, will be sentenced at a later date for aggravated vehicle taking and two counts of burglary. Star: American rock legend Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla in December 1969, who spent her Christmas as Snow White in a Wimbledon panto . | Darius Ashard, 24, was caught holding a stolen iPad and laptop after a chase in a stolen Vauxhall Astra .
Over Christmas he starred in Panto at the New Wimbledon Theatre with Ms Presley as leading lady .
'He's rubbed shoulders with famous names and being .
part of the cast has given him a window into other potential work in .
that field,' his defence said .
Ashard was handed a 12-month community order with 40 hours unpaid work . |
238,053 | c01d2f2f96fb034963de764a8d836499bcb94a03 | The grandfather of Alecia Pennington — the 19-year-old girl who 'doesn't exist' — has told Daily Mail Online how he dramatically rescued her from the clutches of her fundamentalist Christian parents. It happened on a regular Wednesday visit for Jim Southworth to see his daughter's family, he said in an exclusive interview at his home in Georgetown, Texas. But since that day in September last year, Jim and his wife — also called Alecia — have had no contact with their daughter and her family. 'How could I not have done it?' Southworth asked. 'She is my granddaughter.' Scroll down for video . Alecia Pennington (above) claims that she was born at home and then never sent to school, taught instead by her mother . The 19-year-old is therefore unable to show proof of her identity, and cannot get a birth certificate . James Pennington (pictured left) responded to his 19-year-old daughter Alecia's claims that she has no proof that she is an American citizen by saying in a YouTube clip that he would help her obtain necessary documents. Her grandfather Jim Southworth said she was doing well in her new life . Alecia has gone public with her story this week, saying she can't get a job, board a plane, get a driver's license, vote or do any number of everyday tasks that the rest of America takes for granted, because there is no public record of her existence. She was born at home in Texas and her birth was never registered. She was home-schooled and has never required hospital treatment, her grandfather confirmed. After a week-long standoff with her parents, her father, accountant James Pennington, has now agreed to try to help her get proper documentation to prove that she is who she says she is, Alecia revealed on Friday on her Facebook page. Jim Southworth, 71, said his granddaughter had texted him before he and his wife went to visit his daughter Lisa Pennington, her husband and their nine children in Kerrville, Texas last year. 'She said she was coming home with us. I texted her back saying she had to speak to her mother about that,' he said. After the day-long visit on September 24, Southworth found Alecia — the fourth of the Penningtons' nine children — in his car with her belongings. 'I told her she had to get out,' he said. 'She was 18 at the time and an adult, but I didn't want to be accused of kidnapping. 'But she was adamant and said she wanted to leave with us. I said we should pray on it overnight, but she insisted she wouldn't get out. I told her she had to speak to her mother and my wife and I got out the car so they could talk it over.' But Lisa Pennington failed to persuade her daughter to stay, said Southworth, and she remained in the car. 'Eventually I told my son-in-law I had to take her, she is my grandchild and that is what she wanted. He said, 'Fine, but you are not welcome back here again.' 'Since that day I have not spoken to my daughter or to my other grandchildren.' However, he said Alecia has kept in contact with her siblings with regular phone calls. Southworth said Alecia is doing fine in her new life and is helping a local family as a nanny until she can get proper documentation so she can get a real job. Alecia's mother Lisa (left with Alecia and her three sisters) claims her daughter is misleading people . He said that even before the day she left he could sense friction between Alecia and her parents — whom he described as 'living off the grid.' Alecia's story has gripped the public's imagination since she revealed her plight on Facebook and YouTube, using the handle 'Help Me Prove It.' On YouTube the teenager faces the camera and says calmly: 'My name is Alecia Faith Pennington and I am a U.S. citizen by birth. 'However, I was born at home,' she continues. 'And my parents neglected to file a birth certificate or birth record of any kind. They also never got me a Social Security number. 'I was home-schooled my entire life so I have no school records. I have also never been to the hospital so I have no medical records. This leaves me with nothing to prove my identity or citizenship. 'I am now 19 years old and I am unable to get a driver's licence, get a job, go to college, get on a plane, get a bank account or vote.' She said she has contacted authorities who have no record of her birth and a judge in the county she was born had refused to issue a delayed birth certificate because she had insufficient proof of her identity. 'But that's all the proof I have,' said Alecia. 'I didn't pick this situation for myself, I just have to deal with the consequences and I don't know how to fix it — I don't know how to get out of this. 'I want to travel, I want to get an education, I want to just be a functioning American,' she adds in the 92-second video, which her grandfather said he did not know she was making. 'But I can't until I can prove citizenship. Her mother Lisa, 49, runs a blog called The Pennington Point. She has posted her own version of Alecia's leaving, but has often removed her stories within minutes. In one post, she said: 'On Wednesday, September 24th my life was changed forever. My 18 year old daughter left home. She gave us no warning, no signs that it was coming. She didn't try to talk to us about it or work with us. She, with the help of my parents, just left. And with her she took pieces of my heart that had been torn to shreds.' In another she said Alecia had been helped by 'a godless woman who has been giving her foolish counsel and encouraging her to deceive and get out.' She added: 'Believe me, James and I are all too aware that we are not innocent in this. We played a part in this problem. 'We made mistakes and we have apologized to her, genuinely repented and are asking the Holy Spirit to guide us through this. It feels impossible to think rationally so we have sought counsel from men who give us Scripture to build us up. Alecia is one of nine children (above with their father), and left her home last September, with the help of her grandparents on her mother's side . 'We are taking each step carefully and trying to hold on to the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. I don't want to paint myself as perfect here. I am as imperfect as I can imagine anyone being.' More recently she wrote how she and her family are 'pulling ourselves together' following Alecia's departure. 'We have been making an effort to find our new normal without her. It has been really hard and we all miss her terribly, but I have learned a lot about how to deal with grief. 'I definitely have days when I feel like I can hardly breathe and just cry for no reason. Like, hard crying. I know that's part of the process. Oh, those crazy stages of grief.' On Friday Alecia said on her Facebook page that her father had now said he would help her prove she is who she says she is. 'I have some wonderful news! My father has begun cooperating with us! He states he is willing to sign any documents, and give me any information he has concerning what I may need as proof.' She then asked her followers 'not to post demeaning comments about my parents. Even though I do not agree with them on many things, I would like their reputation to be protected as much as possible.' She also revealed that she has found an attorney who is willing to help her and set out the steps she has already taken to prove her identity. Among the documents she has managed to collect are a statement from a doctor who said he saw her when she was aged 9, a 2005 statement of Baptism from the Fredericksburg Christian Fellowship that does not give a date of birth, and a notarized document concerning the family's change of their last name from Sublett to Pennington from 2014. | Alecia Pennington, 19, claims that she was born at home and then never sent to school, taught instead by her mother .
Her parents did not get her a birth certificate or social security card, and now she cannot become a citizen .
Her grandfather, Jim Southworth, told Daily Mail Online how he and his wife visited his daughter's family knowing there had been 'friction'
Alecia got into their car and said she wanted to leave with them, he disclosed, adding: 'How could I not have done it? She is my granddaughter.'
Alecia's parents have posted their own version of events online saying they want to help their daughter and are devastated at losing touch with her . |
265,416 | e3c2d27ba4a6303c52af5964b3a8b621d860e1aa | By . John Hall . PUBLISHED: . 05:48 EST, 10 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:58 EST, 10 February 2014 . This is the hilarious moment a squirrel appeared to be sawing his friend in half - just like the famous magic trick. With the second squirrel tucked inside a small wooden box marked 'The Great Squirrelisimo', our hero laid his tiny hands on a saw that had been carefully placed on the lid, leaving the pair inadvertently recreating a scene familiar to magic lovers around the world. Max Ellis, 51, took the photograph in his garden in Teddington, London, after spending several days setting up the scene to entertain his 11-year-old son Gulliver. The Great Squirrelisimo: The pair of squirrels inadvertently recreate a scene familiar to magic lovers around the world. Mr Ellis said the squirrels spent only a few minutes exploring the box . Trick: Max Ellis took the photograph in his garden in Teddington, London, after spending several days setting up the scene to entertain his 11-year-old son Gulliver . Mr Ellis said he came up with idea for a squirrel magic show after watching professional magicians with Guliver on YouTube in December. He said: 'My son is very keen on magic so I thought it might be fun to see if I could get the squirrels to perform a classic trick.' 'It did take quite a while to set up as I wanted it to look realistic. I thought The Great Squirrelisimo was a nice stage name.' Mr Ellis said the squirrels spent only a few minutes exploring the box, making the task of getting the perfect photograph much more difficult than it looks. Talent: Mr Ellis said he came up with idea for a squirrel magic show after watching professional magicians with Guliver on YouTube in December . Patience: Mr Ellis spend several days waiting for the squirrels to arrive and explore his box . He also said the squirrels were continually jumping around and chasing each other, leaving them both in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time for only a fraction of a second. He said: 'It took even longer for them to get into the position I wanted as they are obviously wild animals - they needed a few takes.' 'In the end I was trying for two or three days but it was worth the wait...I got the shot I wanted for my son,' he added. After spending several days trying to . capture the perfect shot, finally doing so proved something of a relief for . Mr Ellis - not least because a heavy rainstorm hours later reduced the . box to small pieces. | Max Ellis, 51, spent several days setting up the scene in his London garden .
The keen photographer wanted to create a squirrel magic show for his son .
The squirrels explored the box for only a few moments and kept fidgeting .
But eventually Mr Ellis captured the photograph he'd spent days waiting for . |
131,496 | 360856bee4df8777a4d25354ef24238e3eb81859 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:15 EST, 11 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:15 EST, 11 June 2012 . The police officer who shot an unarmed teenager in his bathroom was expected to hand himself in to face manslaughter charges tomorrow. Ramarley Graham, 18, was shot dead on February 2 after the NYPD followed him to his home and kicked down the door. Officer Richard Haste, 30, who has been a policeman for four years, is expected to be indicted on first- and second-degree manslaughter. He faces up to 25 years in prison for the death of the teenage boy in the Wakefield area of the Bronx. Unarmed: Ramarley Graham, 18, was shot and killed at his Bronx home in February by an NYPD officer . Moments before the fatal shooting, an undercover narcotics unit said they spotted the teen adjusting his waistband and thought he had a gun. He was followed into his apartment where he had been hiding in the bathroom before Officer Haste allegedly shot the young man. Mr Graham had not been carrying a gun and no weapon was found at the scene. He was rushed to Montefiore Medical Center, where he later died. It prompted calls of overly aggressive policing and mass protests in the Bronx community. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office found that Haste not only didn't follow procedure, but broke the law by opening fire, according to the New York Post. Grief: Constance Malcolm, mother of Ramarley Graham, is comforted after her unarmed son was shot dead in his bathroom . Gunned down: Officer Richard Haste, 30, is expected to be indicted for the shooting of Mr Graham . Attorney for the Graham family told the paper 'we expect an indictment and are waiting for it'. At the time of her son's death his mother Constance Malcolm, 39, told the Daily News: 'They chased him into the house. Nobody deserves to be shot in their own home.' Mr Graham did have a small amount of marijuana in his possession after he was spotted buying it on the street. Once inside, he headed for the bathroom, apparently trying to flush marijuana he had away, with two officers behind him. The police initially claimed a struggle had followed in which the teen was shot in the upper left chest. Anger: The Bronx community against the actions of the police following the shooting an unarmed 18-year-old . However, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that he did not believe the officers had struggled with the suspect before he was shot. According to Mr Kelly’s account, as Mr Graham tried to flush drugs down the toilet, one of the officers yelled: 'Show me your hands! Show me your hands! Gun! Gun!' That officer then shot him with his service weapon, a 9mm Glock. 'We need to continue to gather facts at this juncture,' Mr Kelly said. 'We see an unarmed person being shot. That always concerns us.' | Ramarley Graham, 18, shot dead in his bathroom in February .
Officer Richard Haste facing up to 25 years in prison . |
199,057 | 8db1f465788feec580087850b58875a79c6fff93 | By . Lydia Warren . A teenager has died after falling from the window of a moving SUV following a night of drinking, friends have said. Lelys Leyva-Monreal, 17, was returning home to Arlington, Texas after clubbing in Dallas with four other people when she climbed over her boyfriend and began hanging out of the window, police said. Her friends desperately tried to pull her back inside the car, but she fell out and landed on the ground - before being hit by the vehicle at around 2.45am on Saturday, police said. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Lelys Leyva-Monreal, 17, (pictured with her parents) was killed after falling from an SUV on Saturday morning. Her friends told police that they tried to pull her back inside but she fell anyway . 'Based on initial interviews, it is believed that one of her friends tried unsuccessfully to pull her back inside,' police spokeswoman Tiara Richard said. 'But for an unknown reason she exited through the window while the car was still in motion.' Three of her friends jumped from the car and tried to save her, while the 18-year-old driver fled - although she was later tracked down by police. Levya-Monreal was rushed to Medical Center of Arlington but was pronounced dead shortly after. 'That was my little girl. She was going to do a lot of things and she was just 17,' the girl's crying mother, Levya, told WFAA. Her devastated parents said that they have not heard from the driver or their daughter's boyfriend since the accident, but have spoken to two of the other passengers. Loss: She was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead about an hour after she fell from the SUV . Tragic: Lelys, right, and her friends were drinking, her parents said, but police continue to investigate . The friends said all of them were drinking and doing drugs before the tragedy, MyFoxDFW reported. 'Although it is still early in the investigation, alcohol is being investigated as a possible factor in this incident,' police spokesperson Tiara Richard said in a statement. The 18-year-old driver has not been charged and is now cooperating with police. Authorities are also looking into the drug-use claims and who might have provided them. On Saturday night, friends, and family gathered for a candlelight vigil near to where the accident happened. Grief: Her mother said she wants more information about the moments that led to her daughter's death . Scene: The group were driving along this road in Arlington, Texas on Saturday when she fell from the car . Among the mourners was Levya-Monreal's mother, who said she wants to know more about the accident that claimed her daughter's life. 'There are a lot of versions of what happened that night. What I want to know is the truth,' she said. Many of the girl's friends said they learned of her death from social media. Grief counselors are on hand at Arlington High School to help classmates cope with her death. See below for video . | Lelys Levya-Monreal was returning home from a Dallas club with friends early on Saturday when she began hanging out of a window .
Friends 'tried to pull her back in, but she fell out and was hit by the SUV'
The friends told her parents that they were drinking and doing drugs . |
90,610 | 008d062689c2f78335dd604be665b1c03f8b008b | (CNN) -- Airlines canceled thousands of flights for a second day and began to regroup as a historic winter storm pushed through the upper Midwest and into the Northeast on Wednesday. O'Hare International Airport was expected to have limited or no flight operations as up to two feet of snow was forecast to fall on the Windy City, said Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation. More than 1,300 flights were canceled on Tuesday. At Chicago's Midway Airport, airlines canceled flight operations on Tuesday. The carriers expect to begin operating again on Wednesday afternoon, although most weren't likely to resume before evening, Pride said. Both Chicago airports remained open despite the grounding of flights. Hundreds of cots were made available to passengers stranded by the storm, according to Pride. Some concessions were to remain open to accommodate them. Airlines canceled more than 4,000 flights on Tuesday as the massive storm surged out of the southern Plains, spreading snow and ice from Texas into the Ohio Valley. "It's going to take days to clear out this storm," said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. "This is a monster." It was also slow going at other airports. Dallas-Fort Worth International reopened late Tuesday morning after shutting down for several hours because of ice, spokesman David Magana said. American Airlines canceled about 1,900 flights for Tuesday, 800 of those at Dallas-Forth Worth alone. The carrier is also scrubbing more than 1,000 flights for Wednesday. American Airlines is allowing travelers who are scheduled to fly on Monday through Thursday from more than 30 airports in the Midwest -- including those in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- to change their plans without penalty. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 900 flights on Tuesday, according to spokeswoman Marilee McInnis, who said hundreds of flights will likely be grounded for Wednesday. Passengers with reservations for travel through Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit and other cities are eligible to reschedule their flights. AirTran Airways scrubbed 185 flights for Tuesday and has canceled another 75 flights on Wednesday, spokesman Christopher White said. AirTran passengers traveling through two dozen cities in the region -- including Chicago, St. Louis and Boston -- can change their reservation without penalty. Delta Air Lines canceled 625 flights for Tuesday and was grounding at least 800 more for Wednesday. Ahead of the storm, Delta issued a winter weather advisory for the northern United States. Passengers traveling to airports in 20 states through Friday can reschedule their itineraries without a fee or get a refund if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed. Continental Airlines, which canceled 650 flights, will allow changes for travel to, through and from nearly three dozen airports, including the airline's hubs in Newark in New Jersey and Cleveland for travelers scheduled to fly through Thursday. Continental said operations at Newark airport would be suspended through noon Wednesday. US Airways has also relaxed its change-fee policies for passengers scheduled to fly through Thursday to or from 27 cities from Portland, Maine, to Akron, Ohio. Travelers on JetBlue flights to and from six cities and metropolitan areas in the Northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday will also be able to change their plans with no fees. United Airlines, which canceled 800 flights, has issued travel waivers for passengers traveling to, from or through 19 states in the Midwest and Northeast as well as five Canadian cities. Travelers will be able to alter their plans without fees or get a full refund if their flight is canceled. | Airlines cancel thousands of flights for Wednesday .
Air traffic comes to a halt in some places .
More than a thousand flights canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International . |
280,301 | f71c9b18dbae688b8d5b370136bfaf62ebc5484c | UFC superstar Jon Jones is undergoing treatment in a drug facility after testing positive for cocaine metabolites. The light-heavyweight champion, who defended his title against Daniel Cormier on Saturday, failed a drug test on December 4. He tested positive for benzoylecgonine in the out-of-competition test but the substance is not on the banned list. Jones past a similar test a week later. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jon Bones Jones taking drug test before Cromier fight . UFC star Jon Jones (left) has announced that he has entered a drug treatment facility . The UFC light-heavyweight champion defended his title against Daniel Comier at the MGM Grand on Saturday . Jones (C) yells out after defeating Comier at the main event during UFC 182 in Las Vegas . In a statement released to Yahoo, he said: 'With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility. 'I want to apologise to my fiancee, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. 'I also want to apologise to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. 'I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.' The 27-year-old has apologised to his family, the UFC and sponsors for his 'mistake' Cormier receives treatment during the light heavyweight title bout before being defeated by Jones . Jones (left) is considered to be the best mixed martial arts fighter in the world right now . Jones, 27, is considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world and has defended his belt eight times. He was previously arrested in May 2012, charged with driving under the influence and fined $1,000. The UFC said in a statement: 'We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones' decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue. 'While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. 'We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.' Defeated challenger Cormier (left) has wished Jones 'good luck' with his treatment . UFC president Dana White claims he is proud that Jones has sought out treatment . President Dana White added: 'I am proud of Jon Jones for making the decision to enter a drug treatment facility. 'I'm confident that he'll emerge from this program like the champion he truly is.' Jones was expected to face his toughest test to date against Cormier but after a tricky second round, dominated thereafter. And Cormier told MMAFighting.com: 'I am aware of Jon's test and if there is anything to say it is this: there are a lot of people you impact, so please let's get it together. Good luck on your rehab!' | UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones is being treated at a drug facility .
He tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine on December 4 .
Jones defended his title against Daniel Cormier in main event of UFC 182 . |
218,332 | a6a743862a6fde420bb4efa8277832472519f312 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After a losing presidential campaign, it became clear to Edward "Ted" Kennedy that his true calling was to help shape the country's political future from the U.S. Senate. The turning point came in 1980 when Kennedy unsuccessfully challenged President Carter in the Democratic primaries. But Kennedy's loss was not necessarily such a bad thing, a top political historian notes. "I think partly it related to that time when he, after 1980, he realized that he was not going to be president of the United States ... and that being a United States senator was a pretty important and powerful job in which he could do good," said Stephen Hess, author of "America's Political Dynasties." Kennedy, 77, had represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since his 1962 election when he was chosen to finish the unexpired Senate term of his brother, John F. Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960. The Massachusetts governor appointed Democrat Benjamin A. Smith to the seat following John Kennedy's presidential win. Political observers have said that Smith was a mere seat warmer until Ted Kennedy turned 30 -- the required age to become a U.S. senator. Watch how the youngest Kennedy brother carried on the family torch » . "It's quite remarkable for a person who got there in 1962 at age 30 with no greater qualification for the office than his brother was president of the United States and the voters of Massachusetts respected that name," Hess said. And after nearly 50 years, Hess said Kennedy -- the patriarch of the first family of U.S. Democratic politics -- has truly "made a substantial mark." Learn more about Kennedy's funeral arrangements » . Deemed by many as the "Lion of the Senate," Kennedy was considered one of the most effective legislators of the past few decades, especially in his ability to cross party lines to get legislation passed. In 2001, Kennedy helped President Bush craft and pass education legislation with the No Child Left Behind Act. While facing some criticism from his party, Kennedy pushed ahead on an issue close to his heart. "Kennedy realized how much more you could do when you engaged the opposition party and wanted to make the compromises or the agreements that could keep the peace on legislation," Hess said. Kennedy, Hess added, was good at coalition building because he was an engaging person who "owned the Senate." Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter for President Kennedy, said that Ted Kennedy's legacy in the Senate "is comparable and consistent with the legacy of his entire family for generations." That legacy, in addition to popularity among fellow senators, might be the reason why he had major roles in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act and the Kennedy-Hatch law of 1997. In 1994, Kennedy was instrumental in helping the Clinton administration with its plan to overhaul health care. The legislation, maligned by Republicans and conservatives, later failed. Fifteen years later, he continued his fight for comprehensive health care alongside the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. Kennedy, an early supporter of Obama's presidential campaign, seemingly handed the torch down to Obama before the "Super Tuesday" Democratic primaries by likening the senator from Illinois to his brother, the late president. But the man who spent much of his career helping others to get better health care, civil rights and education, now faced his own personal medical struggle -- the Kennedy patriarch had brain cancer. As that news broke in 2008, his colleagues on both sides of the aisle not only prayed for his recovery but also honored Kennedy's legacy. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, released a statement saying, "Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need. Now it's time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that while he "sparred a lot" with Kennedy, he knew "firsthand what a formidable fighter he is, and I know that he will do all he can to battle this disease." Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called Kennedy "a legendary lawmaker, and I have the highest respect for him. ... When we have worked together, he has been a skillful, fair and generous partner." iReport.com: Share tributes to Kennedy . McCain and Kennedy often worked together on legislation throughout the years -- most notably on overhauling the nation's immigration laws. Many observers said they believe legislation on the issue progressed as far as it did because Kennedy's name was on it. But it has not always been an easy political road for Kennedy. After a July 18, 1969, party for those who had worked on his late brother Robert's presidential campaign, Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. Although he managed to escape, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned. Kennedy did not report the incident immediately and later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. The incident not only created a firestorm of controversy about the clout of the Kennedy family but also raised questions about the senator's honesty and judgment. The accident is something that opponents would use in future campaigns. But through it all, Kennedy survived politically and went on to become one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history. | Edward "Ted" Kennedy had been U.S. senator from Massachusetts since 1962 .
Kennedy was considered one of the most effective legislators .
A hallmark was the senator's ability to work across party lines, colleagues say . |
60,775 | acafd6d0a2419ffaf2aee51cfa460c07de9118ab | (CNN) -- Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egypt's "poet of the people" whose biting political verses inspired rebellion and taunted successive regimes for decades, died Tuesday in Cairo at age 84. Negm's colloquial prose made poetry an act of defiance directly accessible to millions of poor and illiterate laborers often marginalized by the palace-based Cairo government. "Who are we and who are they? They are the princes and sultans and we are the poor convicts. Solve this riddle and use your brain: See which of us rules over the other? Which of us serves the other?" reads one of Negm's most popular poems. Born to an impoverished family of "fellahin," or peasants, Negm published countless love poems for his maiden, the nation of Egypt, and once said: "The love for a woman exists in the body. It is temporary and passes. But the love for a cause lives in your mind and in your blood forever." Negm shot to fame in the 1970s when he began a more than 30-year partnership with a blind oud player known as Sheikh Imam who sang his witty criticism to the music of the pear-shaped, stringed instrument. "A great renaissance will take place. And we will finally be worth something ... And we will never need Syria or Libya again. And an Arab Union will finally be formed with London and the Vatican. The poor will eat sweet potato. And walk around all cocky," Sheik Imam sings softly with a smirk as the chorus responds with the French refrain "wee wee." The sharp-tounged satirist never shied away from controversy, which earned him a total of 18 years in prison and made him a timeless icon of resistance whose words galvanized protesters from Egypt's 1977 bread riots to the 2011 revolution. "Prohibited from travel, prohibited from singing, prohibited from words, prohibited from longing...everyday your love brings more prohibition and every day I love you more than the day that passed," Negm wrote mockingly after the government of then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser imposed measures to limit his influence and reach. The leather-faced poet, famous for wearing the galbya, the long robes worn by Egypt's common man, often riddled verses with crude insults and funny anecdotes that endeared him to Egypt's coffee house audience but made him plenty of enemies among the ruling class. "Regarding the issue of beans and meat an alleged official source decreed ... eating Egyptian beans makes you strong as an ox ... and Dr. Mohsin added that meat is surely poison. It cause stomach pains and turns you into a thief," Negm wrote mocking the failure of the state to provide for its growing numbers of hungry and underprivileged citizens. Affectionately nicknamed Al Fagoumi, Negm won dozens of awards but choose to imitate his art with a humble life in a ramshackle Cairo apartment where he hosted literary circles and continued to feed Egypt's revolutionary fervor with recent works like the "Brave Man is Brave," which became a staple slogan in the iconic Tahrir Square. "Ahmed Fouad Negm is honoured for creating true poetry in vernacular Arabic that communicates deeply with people; for his independence, unwavering integrity, courage and rigorous commitment to the struggle for freedom and justice; for speaking truth to power, refusing to be silenced and inspiring more than three generations in the Arab-speaking world," said statement by The Prince Claus Fund, which named Negm as its Principal Laureate for 2013. A rebel to the end, Negm supported the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsy earlier this year. When asked what he would write about Egypt's new strongman, General Abdel Fatah El Sisi, Negm said: "This man Sisi is sharper than the devil himself. After all is he not a peasant?" | Peasant-born poet Ahmed Fouad Negm challenged Egyptian elites .
Negm's poetry inspired uprisings, earned him 18 years in prison .
Partnership with musician Sheikh Imam helped boost Negm's popularity . |
173,608 | 6caa01c5ee50a7420fea75733bf59b8d1ba35d75 | By . Alexandra Klausner . One Westland, Michigan woman's facebook post the day after Saint Patrick's could lead to her own post in a local jail. Colleen Cudney, 22, who was on probation for a DUI from 2012 thought she had police fooled the day after Saint Patrick's day when she was called in for a random breathalyzer test and passed even though she'd been drinking the night before. Cudney who isn't allowed to drink as part of her DUI probation was so proud of her so-called accomplishment that she posted it on facebook. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Colleen Cudney, 22, may serve 93 days in jail for violating her DUI probation by drinking . Colleen Cudney didn't think police would see this facebook post publicly admitting that she drank while under her probation . Local 4 reported that she wrote, 'Buzz killer for me, I had to breathalyze (sic) this morning and I drank yesterday but I passed thank god lol my dumba@@.' Cudney's facebook and the post has since been deleted following media coverage. A Westland Police Officer saw Cudney's post that morning and and notified the probation office who called her in for a urine test. Police say upon receiving the call she hung up the phone. A urine test will show if Cudney had anything to drink up to 80 hours before taking it. Cudney is due in court on April 1st for a probation hearing. She could be sentenced to 93 days in jail. Ironically enough, Cudney's probation was set to end soon. News 4 interviewed Michigan locals about their opinion on Cudney's behavior. 'I hope they throw the book at you young lady because it's sad that you did something like that because you could hurt someone or kill someone,' Oak Park resident Anita Brown said. The Mail Online tried contacting the Westland Police Department to see if facebook regulation was common practice but no one was available for comment. Anita Brown told reporters that she hopes Cudney will read the Bible and take responsibility for her dangerous actions 'that could have killed someone' | Colleen Cudney, 22, was on probation for a DUI from 1012 and was not allowed to drink but did and passed a breathalyzer anyway .
After a Westland, Michigan officer saw her facebook post the next day he called her in for a urine test that would show alcohol from the day before .
Cudney could be sentenced to 93 days in jail .
Ironically enough, Cudney's probation was set to end in a few weeks . |
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