Unnamed: 0
int64 0
287k
| id
stringlengths 40
40
| article
stringlengths 117
14.7k
| highlights
stringlengths 37
3.97k
|
|---|---|---|---|
250,984 | d0d10ba7ad5f3428eff53890c669324ebf1b6a03 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:40 EST, 10 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:41 EST, 10 August 2013 . Zimbabwe has signed a secret deal to supply Uranium to Iran for its controversial nuclear programme, according to a senior Government source in Harare. Negotiations between the two countries, which would see thousands of tonnes of the raw uranium shipped to Tehran for enrichment, have allegedly been going on for two years, the Times reports. Zimbabwe's Deputy Mining Minister Gift Chimanikire, said a 'memorandum of understanding' had been signed between the two countries both currently subject to stringent international sanctions. Concerns: Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, seen here shaking hands with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2006, is believed to have signed a secret deal to supply uranium to Tehran . The deal would see thousands of tonnes of raw uranium shipped to Tehran . for enrichment in a flagrant breech of international sanctions. Iranian president Hasan Rouhani has refused to consider halting the country's nuclear programme . Iran insists that its nuclear programme is solely for providing its domestic energy needs, however it is widely believed they are hoping to build a nuclear weapon. Mr Chimanikire described mining as 'Zimbabwe's ticket' and said only a small number of government officials were aware of the deal which would mean the African country receiving billions in desperately needed currency. Enrichment plant: Iran's Uranium Conversion Facility, just outside the city of Isfahan . He said a Chinese company had been . carrying out tests at a site in the far north of Zimbabwe.He told the . Times: 'I have seen a [memorandum of understanding] to export uranium to . the Iranians.' Zimbabwe is believed to have uranium reserves of around 45,000 tonnes. However much of it is mixed in with other minerals meaning it would take years to extract and at considerable expense. The Chinese are also believed to have approached Zimbabwe offering finance and construction projects in return for mining rights. Although Iran has its own uranium deposits they are not as pure as those found in other parts of the world. Experts believe the Islamic state has already stockpiled 182kg of enriched uranium, but would require around 250kg to build a nuclear bomb. Following his inauguration in June, Iran's new president Hasan Rouhani Iran's promised to follow a 'path of moderation' and bring more openness over the country's nuclear programme. But he stopped short of saying they would consider halting the uranium enrichment programme and accused the United States of seeking any excuse to confront the country over its nuclear ambitions. They insist the programme is peaceful and geared soley towards generating electricity and producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients. Mr Rouhani's predecessor Mahmoud . Ahmadinejad, met with President Mugabe in 2010, when the African leader . described the Iranian's nuclear ambitions as a 'just cause'. Before stepping down in June Mr Ahmadinejad, took a foreign trip to Niger, the world's fourth-largest uranium producer. Precious cargo: Iranian technicians huddle around a container of 'yellow cake' uranium in 2005 . British security officials said they were aware that Iran was negotiating with Zimbabwe. A foreign office spokesman said: 'Any reports of uranium being supplied to Iran are concerning.' Iran has six uranium enrichment plants and are also understood to have activated a heavy-water production plant to produce plutonium for a nuclear bomb. But satellite images showed clouds of steam emerging from the site, which is 150 miles south-west of the capital Tehran. | Negotiations between the countries have allegedly gone on for two years .
It would mean thousands of tonnes of raw material shipped to Tehran .
Senior minister said a 'memorandum of understanding' had been signed .
Foreign office spokesman described the report as 'concerning' |
246,708 | cb4a5e2212bbf4e082a1af79d8ece8ecccf20b1d | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 19:35 EST, 23 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:06 EST, 24 June 2013 . Awkward question: Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls confirmed that he is prepared to borrow more money for more public spending . Labour is prepared to borrow yet more money to pay for increased public spending on infrastructure projects, Ed Balls insisted yesterday. The Shadow Chancellor said it would be ‘economically very foolish’ to rule out increasing borrowing to fund roadbuilding and other projects. His intervention came after Labour leader Ed Miliband used a weekend speech to try to boost his party’s credibility on the economy, admitting it would not be able to reverse any of the Government’s spending cuts unless savings could be made elsewhere. Chancellor George Osborne will use Wednesday’s spending review to set out plans to invest an extra £15 billion in capital spending over the course of the next Parliament. Unusually, Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander will make a further statement to the Commons the following day setting out details of infrastructure spending, with dozens of road projects expected to get the go-ahead. Mr Balls confirmed yesterday that Labour would stick, for the first year of a government at least, to the coalition’s day-to-day spending plans. On ‘day to day spending, we’re saying we’ll have to make changes within their plans; we’re not going to be spending more,’ the shadow Chancellor said. But he went on: ‘On capital spending, we’re saying this year and next year, the Chancellor should be investing to get the economy growing. Head to head: Shadow chancellor Ed Balls, left, with Chancellor George Osborne argued today about how they would rescue the British economy, although Labour has been forced to adopt some of the coalition's plans . ‘I’m not going to say to you today two years ahead what our judgement will be. We’ll wait till nearer the time. But do I think there is a case, could be a case in two years’ time for still investing in roads and our infrastructure to get the economy moving and the deficit down? Yes. ‘The reason is because if the economy is still weak then, living standards are still falling, if youth unemployment is still high and if there’s still a case on our long-term infrastructure to get things moving with interest rates low, of course there’s a case for doing that. It would be economically very foolish to deny that.’ The Conservatives seized on Mr Balls’ remarks as evidence that Mr Miliband’s claim his party would show ‘discipline’ was meaningless. Sparring match: Mr Balls said on the Andrew Marr Show that if he became Chancellor he would consider borrowing more for major infrastructure building immediately . Economic Secretary to the Treasury Sajid Javid said: ‘Ed Miliband’s spending “discipline” has barely lasted five minutes as Ed Balls admits Labour would still spend more and borrow more. That’s the same old Labour approach that got us into this mess in the first place. ‘Hardworking people would pay the price with higher interest rates and higher bills.’ Mr Osborne insisted yesterday that while the economy now appeared to be ‘out of intensive care’, it could slide back into crisis if the Government abandons its austerity programme. The Chancellor told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that the budget deficit was still too high and he was committed to finding further savings in Whitehall spending worth £11.5 billion. ‘There certainly is a chance of a . relapse if we abandon our economic plan,’ he said, arguing that instead . of ‘learning the lessons of what went wrong on their watch’ Labour was . making it clear ‘they would still borrow more’. Accusations: Ed Balls maintained that if Mr Osborne had borrowed more money to spend on building 'we wouldn't have had such a flat-lining economy' ‘I think we are moving from rescue to recovery, and you can see that because the economy’s growing, unemployment is coming down, there’s a record number of people in work. ‘Now it’s still going to be of course a challenge because the economic problems that Britain built up over many years are considerable and you can see what’s happening elsewhere in the world, but I think we are out of intensive care and our job now is to secure the recovery. ‘I think if Britain suddenly said we don’t have the confidence to deal with our debts, we’re not prepared to confront our problems as a nation, then we would go back into intensive care. And that’s what this week is all about. It’s about making clear that we are going to secure that recovery. ‘We’re going to go on taking the difficult decisions, go on cutting back spending, go on prioritising spending on the things that help the economy and cutting the spending that doesn’t.’ | George Osborne will detail his Whitehall budget savings next week .
Mr Balls said he .
would stick to those spending plans for at least a year .
But Mr Balls also said he would borrow more for increased public spending . |
48,688 | 897a76e23319852c411aa70db2af41893704b256 | By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 06:17 EST, 5 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:39 EST, 5 July 2013 . The Night Stalker killer who terrorized California in the mid-1980s, idolized the actor who played a mass murderer who kidnaps and skins women. In his final interview, Ramirez spoke of his admiration for Ted Levine's performance as a psychopathic murderer who kidnaps and skins women in the 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs. Speaking from San Quentin Prison shortly before his death last month, the serial killer described his favourite scene from the classic scary movie. Scroll down for video . Horror: Serial killer Richard Ramirez, who died last month, was a big fan of the main antagonist in Silence of the Lambs . That guy on the show “Monk”, I really liked him in “Silence of the Lambs”,’ Richard Ramirez told the New York Post. ‘That scene where he says, “It rubs the lotion on its skin,” I really like [it]’ The scene refers to when Levine’s . character Buffalo Bill demands his kidnapped victim to moisturize in . order to make it easier for him to flay her. Actor Ted Levine reacted with repulsion when told of his late admirer. ‘F*** him. I hope he’s in hell. That’s all I have to say about Richard Ramirez,’ he told The New York Post. The newspaper exchanged several . letters with Ramirez in his last years on death row, revealing his . obsession with Asian women and reluctance to show remorse. Repulsed: Actor Ted Levine, pictured left in Silence of the Lambs and now, right, was less than impressed by Ramirez admiration and said he hopes the serial killer is 'in hell' Addict: According to the coroner's report, Ramirez had serious conditions that indicated chronic drug use that predated his imprisonment, including hepatitis C . In a letter written in 2012 the . serial killer writes of his life behind bars, saying he spends his days . watching television, and in particular sporting events featuring female . athletes. He writes that he likes beach . volleyball, girls gymnastics and wrestling, complaining that girls ‘used . to wear more revealing clothes. He also asks for the reporter to send a ‘soft core picture book of Asian girls in bikini[s] or/and clothing items.’ Ramirez had been on death row at San Quentin State Prison since he was convicted in 1989 of 13 murders in 1984 and 1985. He also was convicted of rape, sodomy, oral copulation, burglary and . attempted murder. Executions have been on hold for years, however, . because of ongoing legal challenges. Unrepentant: Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders in Southern California in 1984 and 1985, and sentenced to death but died on death row . Ramirez was a self-proclaimed Satanist whose trial produced gruesome details about his mutilation of his victims. He was nicknamed the Night Stalker by the media because residents were warned to lock their doors and windows as the killings peaked during the hot summer of 1985. The killer had been entering homes through unlocked windows and doors. He then killed his victims with a gun or knife, burglarized the homes and sexually assaulted his female victims. Richard Ramirez died June 7 at age 53 at a hospital where he had been taken for treatment of liver failure. Prison guards have told how the notorious murderer turned bright green from liver failure in the hours before he died. He died of complications from B-cell lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, according to the Marin County coroner's office. | Serial killer Richard Ramirez admitted idolising actor Ted Levine .
Levine played character Buffalo Bill in 1991 horror film Silence of the Lambs .
In the movie Buffalo Bill flays his female victims to make a 'woman suit'
'Night Stalker' Ramirez murdered and mutilated 13 people in the 80s .
Ramirez died in from B-cell lymphoma following liver failure in June . |
278,529 | f4cc64271372f54fd7e49a8c8d04cac6b0b194c6 | A renowned conductor, his musician wife and their children have been evicted from their home after a dispute with a builder led to financial ruin. Peter and Kathryn Bassano have been declared bankrupt and were forced this week to leave their six-bedroom house in the Chilterns where they had lived for 16 years. In an exclusive interview, Mr Bassano revealed that his wife – who played the viola on the Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings film soundtracks – had to face the bailiffs alone after he was rushed to hospital with high blood pressure caused by stress. Peter and Kathryn Bassano have lost their family home after a dispute with a builder led to financial ruin . ‘The bailiffs have changed the locks to stop us returning,’ he said. ‘We are homeless and relying on the kindness of friends.’ Their home was seized on the instructions of Northern Rock and a bridging loan company, which say the couple owe them £636,000. Mr Bassano disputes that figure. But documents seen by this newspaper show that the Bassanos’ total debts amount to more than £3 million, owed to mortgage companies, law firms and the local council. Mr Bassano, 68, said his troubles began when he had to borrow heavily after becoming embroiled in a legal battle with a local builder over the cost of an extension to the house in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. The couple lived in this six-bedroom home in the Chilterns for 16 years with their children. Northern Rock say the couple owe them £636,000 and their total debts are thought to amount to £3million . The former Royal College of Music . professor claims he is now unable to sell the property – once valued at . £3 million – because it has been blighted by the HS2 high-speed rail . link. In a further setback, Mrs Bassano, 56, has been unable to work as she was forced to sell her viola earlier this year, after losing a court battle over loan repayments on the 200-year-old instrument. Mr Bassano said: ‘The extension was intended to increase the value of the house but once we got involved in litigation, it was difficult to withdraw without incurring further costs. ‘I don’t blame anyone else for our . financial predicament. But we were hit by a perfect storm of the banking . crisis, my earnings dropping and a huge fall in the value of the . house.’ Kathryn Bassano played the viola on both the Harry Potter (pictured) and Lord Of The Rings film soundtracks . Their four children – aged between 12 and 22 – have been educated at Eton and Cheltenham Ladies’ College. But Mr Bassano denied the family led an extravagant lifestyle and said the school fees were funded by bursaries and scholarships. Their debts began to accumulate during the dispute over the extension in 2002, said Mr Bassano, who has been a guest conductor with leading orchestras. | Peter and Kathryn Bassano bankrupt following dispute with builder .
Couple had to borrow money for legal battle over cost of extension .
Forced to leave their six-bedroom home of 16 years in the Chilterns .
Property seized by Northern Rock who say couple owe them £636,000 .
Bassanos' total debts amounted to more than £3million . |
159,746 | 5a7f870edc498add376720ee0b50bbe2a982e2cd | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI for the first time has placed an animal rights activist on the bureau's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list. Daniel Andreas San Diego is 31 years old and a "strict vegan," the FBI says. The FBI announced Tuesday the addition of Daniel Andreas San Diego to the list, hoping a burst of international publicity associated with the move will help investigators find him after six years on the run. San Diego, 31, may appear to be out of place on a terrorist list with familiar names like al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Adam Yahiye Gadahn. The "strict vegan," according to the FBI, is charged with bombing two corporate offices in California in 2003. The blasts caused extensive property damage but no deaths. Vegans eat no meat or any other food containing animal products. Authorities allege San Diego bombed facilities in Emeryville and Pleasanton, California, because he believed the Chiron and Shaklee Corporations had ties to animal-testing labs. The sophisticated homemade bombs had ammonium nitrate brand explosives and relied on "kitchen timer style mechanical timer devices," according to an FBI affidavit. After both bombings, e-mails from a group called "The Revolutionary Cells-Liberation Brigade" claimed responsibility for the acts. Photographs of San Diego, who grew up in suburban San Francisco, California, show a well-groomed, bespectacled man. But the computer network specialist also sports several elaborate tattoos. According to an artist's rendering of the body art, San Diego has one in the center of his chest of a burning hillside and the words "It only takes a spark" in a typewriter-style font. An abdominal tattoo shows burning and collapsing buildings, while his back features a leafless tree rising from a road above buildings that are burning but still standing, the FBI says. Last year, agents pursued reports that San Diego was hiding in Costa Rica. They also received a report he was spotted in rural southern Virginia. | FBI is searching for animal rights activist Daniel Andreas San Diego .
Authorities allege San Diego bombed two facilities in California .
Computer network specialist sports several elaborate tattoos .
Reports have placed animal rights activist in Costa Rica, rural southern Virginia . |
130,262 | 3466149c71a568a422260545c7143a27a8992db1 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Sniffer dogs have long been a useful tool in the search for hidden drugs and explosives, but the future looks bleak for man's best friend as scientists seek to develop a new ultra-sensitive electronic nose device. New electronic nose could work just as well as the snouts on man's best friend, say researchers. The electronic nose will be able to identify tiny amounts of explosives in high-traffic, high-risk areas, like airports or shipping terminals, according to researchers. Yushan Yan, a chemical and environmental engineering professor at the University of California, Riverside, and his team are in charge of the project. They have just been awarded nearly $1 million in grants by the National Science Foundation to develop the nose, which they claim will work just as well, if not better, than sniffer dog snouts. "The sensor we are developing certainly has many possible applications," Yan told CNN. "There are many other scenarios you can imagine." These include using the hand-held device for military operations to detect hazardous materials or even land mines, he said. They could also be particularly useful in baggage x-ray machines or placed near passenger metal detectors in screening areas, quickly "breathing" in samples of air as people and luggage pass through. And unlike its animal counterpart, the device won't get tired, need bathroom breaks or require food and water, Yan argues. "[A dog] takes a lot of training and a person has to be with them all of the time. A dog doesn't work 7 days a week and maybe will get into a bad mood," he added. They say the device will be able to pick up a smell at extremely low concentrations ranging from parts per billion to parts per trillion and will be able to detect dozens of different odors. It will consist of an ultra-thin film made out of zeolite, a porous substance commonly used to refine petroleum. The special film will capture certain gas molecules, like those found in the explosive vapors of TNT. The molecules that are trapped on the membrane will interface with an ultra sensitive sensor array made of carbon nanotubes. Each sensor will generate a specific signal in the presence of different compounds. The signals will combine to form a unique pattern, or fingerprint, that will be identified by computer software as a specific scent -- just as a human nose can differentiate between the smell of an apple and an orange, the electronic one will recognize ammonia gas from that of benzene, said Yan. Over the past decade, "electronic sensing" or "e-sensing" technologies, that mimic human senses, have grown significantly, especially from a commercial perspective. They are used by companies to "smell" everything from beer and wine to spoiled food and medicine. The technology behind reproducing human sense will grow even further in coming years. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are currently creating a tiny electronic nose made out of a ceramic material that could also detect a range of gases, including hazardous ones like carbon monoxide. While scientists at Tufts University in Massachusetts are working on a smelling machine that uses strands of dried DNA to identity different scents. Coca-Cola has a smelling machine to analyze corn syrup, while scientists at Nestlé have designed one to sniff coffee aromas. Some cosmetic companies have even used them to smell flower fragrances for their perfumes. However, so far no one has developed an electronic snout that can quite compete with the complex and highly sensitive canine olfactory system. But former dog handler, Bill Heiser is not convinced. Heiser, from Florida, has a faithful black Labrador, Max, who worked in drug detection for years. For him nothing beats working with man's best friend. "You get attached," Heiser told CNN. The most rewarding is you get a dog that literally sometimes has no name," "The end result is he is happy go out and work because of his loyalty to you. Each dog has a different personality." | Electronic nose to detect trace amounts of explosive compounds .
Device to be used in high-risk areas, like airports and shipping terminals .
Sensory array will recognize specific gases, like those found in TNT .
E-nose will equal smelling capabilities of canine nose, say researchers . |
120,683 | 27f661457af2ab694d1e023bf4905f8ac750256f | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 13:24 EST, 15 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:32 EST, 15 May 2013 . A gang member who killed his former schoolfriend by mounting the pavement and driving at him in a stolen car has been jailed for 24 years today. The judge said Kyle Beckford had shown no remorse for the murder of 19-year-old Delaney Brown, who was part of a rival gang. Beckford, 22, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but a jury at Luton Crown Court found him guilty of murder. Kyle Beckford, left, has been jailed for 24 years for murdering former schoolfriend Delaney Brown, right . Beckford rammed a stolen BMW into Mr Brown, as he rode along the pavement and sent him hurtling into a brick gate post where the force broke his neck. He died within moments of being hit on September 5, last year. The pair had been friends while pupils at Denbigh High School in Luton but later became part of rival gangs. Mr Brown was a member of the Lewsey Farm Gang, sometimes known as The Trap Gang, while Beckford was a member of the Marsh Farm Gang. Judge Richard Foster told Beckford there was 'no excuse' for gang culture in Luton. He said: 'You showed a . complete lack of remorse. Any tears are for the position you now find . yourself in and not for the death of Delaney Brown.' The judge added: 'There can be no excuse for the men of this town to live in this gang culture.' The court heard Mr Brown had been cycling along the pavement in Vincent Road on a stolen bike when Beckford spotted him. Witnesses said Beckford was in the car with other people but refused to name any of them in court. Flowers and empty bottles of alcohol were left on the pavement where Mr Brown was hit from behind and died . Stuart Trimmer QC prosecuting said: 'He . deliberately rammed the bike with sufficient force to lock the two . together, deforming the rear wheel of the bike and propelling the body . of Delaney Brown forward with considerable force.' He added: 'This was a deliberate murder. The weapon . chosen was the car. The method of use of that weapon demonstrates the . deliberate nature of the murder.' Judge Foster said Mr Brown's gang had shown 'disrespect' weeks before his death at the funeral of Beckford's grandfather. He told Beckford: 'You were determined to give the Lewsey Farm Gang a lesson. You were anxious to exert your supremacy.' The . judge said he could not be sure Beckford had been 'hunting' for Delaney . Brown on the day he died as the prosecution suggested. 'But when you . saw him alone and on his bicycle, you took your opportunity. If it had . not been then, it would have been another time,' he said. He said Mr Brown had pedalled furiously in an attempt to get away, but Beckford had . driven after him and mounted the pavement as he got closer. 'Delaney Brown must have been petrified in those last few seconds of his life,' he said. Beckford was rammed a stolen BMW into the Mr Brown's bike and the crash broke the victim's neck . Judge Foster also paid tribute to witnesses who had given evidence at the trial, albeit anonymously. Both Mr Brown and Beckford had appeared in YouTube videos for their respective gangs and in the weeks leading up to Mr Brown's death there had been a number of 'violent incidents between these groups'. Mr Brown's home, where he lived with his grandmother Doreen Taylor, had been targeted by the Marsh Farm gang months earlier and the kitchen window had been smashed the front door damaged. On another the police were called after the two gangs clashed with machetes. Stuart Trimmer QC prosecuting told the court gang members and their parents had previously held a meeting to try and calm the situation. In the witness box Beckford denied 'hunting down' Delaney saying he had only wanted to scare him. He said suspected he had been involved in an 'ambush' of his cousin by a group of young men from Hockwell Ring some weeks before. He said: 'He was involved and he was telling me he wasn't. I didn't want to kill him or seriously harm him. He was my friend.' Beckford had earlier pleaded guilty during the trial to the manslaughter of his former school friend but the jury found him guilty of murder. | Kyle Beckford rammed the back of Delaney Brown's bike in Luton .
Brown's neck was broken after he hit a post on September 5, last year .
Judge Richard Foster said Beckford had shown no remorse for the death .
Beckford and Brown had been schoolfriends before joining rival gangs .
Judge Foster said there was 'no excuse' for gang culture in Luton . |
263,896 | e1c796c179bb005c545a85e559764450f869f494 | A Mississippi woman was sentenced to life in prison today for murder after injecting a woman with illegal silicone buttocks. Tracey Lynn Garner of Jackson was sentenced Tuesday in Hinds County Circuit Court. Garner was convicted Friday of depraved heart murder and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was sentenced to five years on the wire fraud charge. Garner was charged in the death of Karima Gordon who, prosecutors say, was lured to Jackson by Garner to perform the injections. Gordon, an Atlanta-area resident, died eight days after receiving the injections in 2012. Crime: Karima Gordon (right) died eight days after fake doctor Tracy Lynn Garner (left) gave her a silicone buttock injection . Tracey Lynn Garner has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a Georgia woman through illicit silicone buttocks injections . Prosecutors say Gordon and a friend were referred to Garner by Natasha Stewart, an adult entertainer also known as Pebbelz Da Model. Stewart was convicted of manslaughter in February and is serving a seven-year prison sentence. The prosecution said Stewart told Gordon that Garner was a nurse. During the trial, defense attorney John Colette suggested that Gordon wanted exactly what Garner had to offer. 'She wanted this underground, bargain basement butt enhancement,' Colette said. He . also stated that Gordon had other injections that could have caused her . death, and argued that the silicone found in Gordon's body didn't match . silicone seized from Garner's Jackson home. 'We don't know how much she'd gotten before she ever came to Mississippi,' Colette said. 'What silicone caused her death?' The defense rested Friday without calling a witness after the prosecution finished its case. Garner, who worked as a floral and interior designer alongside her makeshift cosmetic business, was described as a cross-dressing man and at first showed up to court registered as a man. She was at first identified as Morris Garner. Sentenced: Garner was immediately taken into custody after the verdict was read . | Tracy Lynn Garner was sentenced to the maximum penalty for the 2012 .
death of Karima Gordon .
She pretended to be a doctor and injected silicone in the woman's buttocks .
Gordon died eight days after the injections .
Authorities initially identified Garner as a man, Morris Garner . |
32,810 | 5d389e4b8d062c753efb25e89c66f73962476f0f | NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Staten Island Ferry lost power and hit a pier Wednesday at full speed, resulting in one serious injury and nine minor injuries, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The New York Fire Department estimates that 750 to 800 passengers were aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Coast Guard boats were on the scene, the St. George Terminal on the north shore of Staten Island. The Coast Guard spokesman compared the ferry's loss of power as it neared the pier to a car losing its brakes. The hard landing occurred at 7:10 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. The New York Fire Department estimated that 750 to 800 passengers were aboard. The impact did not send any passengers overboard, the spokesman said. Emergency responders were transferring the injured to Staten Island's Richmond University Medical Center. Representatives for the Staten Island Ferry did not respond to calls for comment. | Ferry loses power and hits a pier at full speed, Coast Guard says .
1 person injured seriously, 9 others hurt .
Accident happens at St. George Terminal on north shore of Staten Island .
Impact did not send any passengers overboard, spokesman says . |
205,922 | 96914af691ec0241e4d02a625849191a2a2d4b09 | Islamic State terrorists last night released a fourth propaganda video featuring British hostage John Cantlie, in which he blamed the UK government for beheadings by jihadis in Syria. In a video clip posted online, the abducted photojournalist told how the terror group ‘eagerly awaited’ a ground war with America and its allies. He also accuses western governments of spending millions of pounds on ‘Hollywood-style’ military action instead of paying ransoms to his captors. In the chilling 6min 53sec film, Mr Cantlie said he expected to be executed, adding ‘I await my turn.’ In a further development, in a long article apparently written by Mr Cantlie for IS’s Dabiq magazine, he insists he writes the scripts to the videos in which he appears. Scroll down for video . Captive: A still from the newly-released video of British Hostage John Cantlie. The photojournalist has been a captive of IS for two years . In last night’s professionally-produced video, the 43-year-old captive – wearing a Guantanamo Bay-style orange jumpsuit – said a battle against the fanatics where no one ‘gets their hands dirty’ was impossible. So far, a 40-nation coalition led by the US and including Britain as well as Arab nations have carried out air strikes while ruling out combat troops. Mr Cantlie, who appeared to be delivering the message under duress, added that the beheading videos were a ‘win-win’ for the militant group. However, it appears the film was shot before the murder of Alan Henning. Delivering scripted lines, Mr Cantlie said the decapitation of ‘three previous cellmates’ by Islamic State fanatics had shocked the public. But taxi driver Mr Henning was the fourth Western hostage to be executed, after US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines. Mr Cantlie, a photojournalist who has worked for newspapers including The Sunday Times, has featured in several propaganda videos released by the Islamic extremists in recent weeks . Hostage: An article allegedly written by British hostage John Cantlie, pictured in an online video has been published by Islamic State militants . It includes a photograph of Mr Cantlie, 43, appearing to wear the now-familiar orange outfit worn by other IS hostages, and it is not clear how much the hostage was acting under duress when, or even if, he wrote it. It is slickly put together, in a propaganda magazine designed to inflame the feelings of IS followers. Describing Mr Cantlie as 'nobody going nowhere', the article says he is sleeping on a matress on the floor of a 'clean and comfortable' room, which 'for a man in my position, it is enough'. It states: 'Four of my cellmates have already been executed by the Islamic State in the most visceral way possible after the British and American governments apparently made a joint decision not to discuss terms for our release with our captors. Familiar: The article includes a photograph of Mr Cantlie appearing to wear the now-familiar orange outfit worn by him in previous videos and by other IS hostages . Mr Cantlie said: ‘If these executions force public outcry or a policy change, that is a huge victory. And if they only goad our governments into dropping more bombs and spending millions more dollars, making our countries weaker in the process, that is a victory too.’ Magazine: The article appeared in propaganda magazine Dabiq . Mr Cantlie – kidnapped two years ago – said IS would ‘passionately and violently’ outlast any action ordered by Barack Obama: ‘Anyone hoping for a nice neat surgical operation without getting their hands dirty is in for a horrible surprise once it gets under way.’ He added: ‘One month ago Obama pressed the button on air strikes. Now we have to wonder how long his policy of no boots on the ground has left to live. As for IS, they eagerly await to see those boots.’ Mr Cantlie said on the video – introduced with the title Lend Me Your Ears – that it was conceivable foreign jihadis could return to their home countries to carry out attacks. He also says David Cameron chose not to enter negotiations with Islamic State that might have got the hostages out, and is now using the beheadings as an excuse to ‘beat the drums’ for military action against Muslims. He added: ‘I deeply resent it, Prime Minister. Thanks a lot.’ In the article published online in Dabiq magazine, Mr Cantlie calls on the Government to negotiate his release. A Foreign Office spokesman said it was analysing the article and video. Earlier this month Mr Cantlie's sick father issued a heartbreaking plea from a hospital bed for his son’s release. In a direct televised appeal to Islamic State, Paul Cantlie, 80, who has throat cancer, asked his jihadist captors to return him home safely to those who love him. He said his efforts to communicate with the militants had only been met with silence and he could only hope they had received them. Speaking about watching the original footage of his son, he said: ‘For the first time in almost two years, we saw John when he made a televised broadcast during which he told viewers that he was still a prisoner of the Islamic State and that maybe he will live and maybe he will die. ‘As a family we experienced great relief seeing and hearing John and knowing that he is alive. This was followed by the feeling of despair and helplessness.’ Addressing his son’s captors, he said: ‘To those holding John: please know that he is a good man, he sought only to help the Syrian people and I ask you from all that is sacred, to help us and allow him to return home safely to those he loves and those who love him.’ Smoke rises after a strike on the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds, as seen from the Turkish-Syrian border. IS are now poised to take the town, despite desperate fighting from Kurdish resistance . Flying high: The black flag of ISIS flies over the Kurdish Syrian Town of Kobane. Turkey has yet to intervene militarily, angering the Kurd community . Photographer: Mr Cantlie poses with a Free Syrian Army rebel in Aleppo, Syria, on November 11, 2012, the same month that he was captured . | Another video of John Cantlie has been released by his IS captors .
He says the terrorists are 'eagerly' awaiting a ground war with West .
Photojournalist also speaks of blaming David Cameron for his ordeal .
Lengthy piece allegedly written by Mr Cantlie included IS magazine Dabiq .
Story carries the headline 'The real story behind my videos'
Mr Cantlie was seized while he was working in northern Syria .
Says he has had to watch as fellow hostages go to their deaths .
Unclear if the article was penned by Mr Cantlie or written under duress .
A team from the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment have gone to Iraq to train Kurds in their fight against IS five years after the last British troops withdrew from the country. |
199,729 | 8e8d73f021e980a59c50a66a6884a34384524b26 | By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 23:06 EST, 7 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:45 EST, 8 April 2013 . A supplier which makes chicken dishes sold under Jamie Oliver's brand has been fined after people complained of 'nauseous' smells coming from one of its farms . A supplier which makes chicken dishes sold under Jamie Oliver's brand has been fined after people complained of 'nauseous' smells coming from one of its farms. People living near Heale Farm in Kirkby on Bain, Lincolnshire, told the Environment Agency the smell surrounding the site had left them feeling 'sick and depressed'. The BBC reports that Moy Park Ltd, the company which manages the site, has been charged with two breaches of environmental permit conditions. It comes after 94 complaints were lodged by nearby residents between July 2008 and September 2011, The Daily Telegraph reports. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay cost of £42,500 in a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates' Court. It said it had spent £400,000 over four years trying to combat the problem of the smell. Moy Park produces ready-to-cook chicken dishes for a variety of companies. They include Empire Chicken, Jubilee Chicken and American Style BBQ Chicken meals for Jamie Oliver's brand. It is reportedly the second time Moy Park has been fined for an environmental offence, after a similar case at Sibsey, Lincolnshire in 2011 . While Moy Park had been authorised to rear up to 156,200 broiler birds on a 37-day cycle, the permit also required the company to minimise its impact on the environment and local people, the court was told. People living near Heale Farm in Kirkby on Bain, Lincolnshire, told the . Environment Agency the smell surrounding the site had left them feeling . 'sick and depressed' (file picture) Magistrates heard that the company took steps in February 2011 to lower the number of birds on the farm and had made a slight improvement to the smell. A company spokesman told the paper they were 'disappointed' by the ruling which relates to historical events from 2009 and 2011. They added: 'We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and strive to be a good neighbour. 'We believe we have taken all appropriate measures to mitigate potential odours at Heale Farm.' | People living near Heale Farm, Lincolnshire complained 94 times .
They told Environment Agency smell left them feeling 'sick and depressed'
The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay cost of £42,500 .
It produces ready-to-cook chicken dishes for a variety of companies . |
176,510 | 7085ee7ec6fa9fea712d2eca2389bab22ab1e14d | (CNN)Kurdish fighters have taken the Syrian city of Kobani from ISIS' grip after 112 days of fighting with the Sunni extremist group, multiple sources said Monday. The announcement comes a day after an Iraqi official declared that Iraq's Diyala Province had been "liberated" from ISIS. Idriss Nassan, Kobani's deputy foreign minister, told CNN he expects an official announcement Tuesday "if things continue this way." "YPG is in control," Nassan said, using the acronym for the People's Protection Units. "They are making sure to clear the streets and the places from ISIS to declare it a free city." YPG spokesman Polat Can confirmed the news in a tweet: "Congratulations for liberation of Kobani to all of humanity, Kurdistan and people of Kobani." Nassan called for the quick implementation of a "humanitarian corridor" to help the myriad refugees in the city, whom, he said, "need everything." A Kobani official, who did not want to be named because it would interfere with Tuesday's official announcement, said the Kurds were going house to house in the newly liberated area to check for booby traps. Once the traps are removed or defused, the fighters will invite residents to return to their homes, the official said. According to London-based opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights -- which also confirmed Kobani was liberated -- since October 6, when ISIS first raised its banner on the city's outskirts, the fighting among ISIS, YPG and the rebel battalions backing YPG has killed 979 ISIS combatants, 324 YPG fighters and 12 rebels. Thirty-eight more ISIS militants died in attacks using booby-trapped vehicles or explosive belts, and the ISIS shelling of Kobani killed 12 civilians, SOHR said. "On the other hand, hundreds of (ISIS) militants died during U.S. and Arab allies' airstrikes on the city and its countryside. Meanwhile, large parts of the city have become uninhabitable due to U.S. and Arab allies air raids, detonation of booby-trapped vehicles and mutual shelling," the group said. Kobani apparently declared itself autonomous exactly one year before Monday's victory, SOHR said. A large-scale military operation to reclaim Iraq's Diyala Province from ISIS was successful, Iraqi transportation minister Hadi al-Amiri said Sunday. The operation started last week, and at least 58 people -- including two journalists -- were killed. Nearly 300 others were wounded. In a televised news conference Sunday, al-Ameri, who is also the head of the a powerful Shiite militia, said the province was "liberated" from ISIS. Al-Amiri said that Iraqi security forces are searching for ISIS militants who fled into orchards and farms in remote areas. Diyala Police commander Brig. Gen. Jamil Kamel al-Shamari also announced that Diyala is now under full control of Iraqi security forces. ISIS has been fighting for Kobani for months, hoping to add it to the territory it already controls in Syria and Iraq as part of what it calls its independent Islamic nation. Syria has been embroiled in a more than three-year civil war, with government troops battling ISIS and other rebels elsewhere, leaving Kobani's ethnic Kurds to defend the city. Kobani, aka Ayn al-Arab, is strategically important because of its location on the border with Turkey. Airstrikes by the United States and its allies, part of a larger U.S.-led coalition effort against ISIS in the region, intermittently take out ISIS targets in the area. The coalition started operations in September. CNN's Ralph Ellis, Dana Ford, Gul Tuysuz, Raja Razek and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | Kurds have taken control of strategic Syrian city of Kobani, sources say .
Official calls for humanitarian corridor for refugees, who "need everything"
The fighters have been battling ISIS since October for control of the city . |
123,433 | 2b8e8f9c0212d64f7bdda2f7e9085e2afbf97fe8 | (CNN) -- Add Martina McBride and 38 Special to the list of musical acts canceling SeaWorld shows because of issues raised in the documentary "Blackfish." "I've decided that given all the issues that have been aired recently, the time isn't right for me to play at Seaworld," the singer posted on her Facebook page over the weekend. "I have canceled my scheduled performance at the Bands, Blues & BBQ event in March 2014." The announcement makes her at least the seventh to drop out. The southern rock band 38 Special quickly followed with this Facebook posting: "Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary 'Blackfish,' 38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at Seaworld. We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future." REO Speedwagon announced its cancellation on Friday. A promoter could put together a whale of a concert series with the acts that have canceled SeaWorld shows in the past several weeks, including Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, Heart and Barenaked Ladies. The acts bailed on the Orlando theme park's concert series amid pressure from fans who started online petitions and took to social media. Only Justin Moore and Scotty McCreery remain from the original list of acts on the event calendar. Their representatives have not responded to CNN's repeated requests for comment. The fans became upset after watching the documentary "Blackfish," which first aired on CNN in October. The film tells the story of the killing in 2010 of a SeaWorld trainer by an orca. It raises questions about the safety and humaneness of keeping killer whales in captivity. SeaWorld confirmed the REO Speedwagon withdrawal Friday and referred CNN to its previous statements about the cancellations. "We expect that other artists will be targeted in this campaign," SeaWorld spokesman Nick Gollattscheck told CNN in consecutive statements Wednesday and Thursday, starting with Cheap Trick's cancellation. Joan Jett to SeaWorld: Stop rockin' the whales . The park's six-week concert schedule has disappeared from SeaWorld's website. It now simply promises "incredible concerts with top artists in classic rock and country music." SeaWorld is working to book replacement acts, Gollattscheck said. "We'll announce the full lineup of bands when all artists have been confirmed. We'll repost the schedule on our site then." 'Blackfish' sparks debate over taking kids to animal parks . The Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies was the first to cancel, reacting to a petition posted on Change.org. "This is a complicated issue, and we don't claim to understand all of it, but we don't feel comfortable proceeding with the gig at this time," the band said on its Facebook page. "I don't agree with the way they treat their animals," Willie Nelson said on December 6 when he canceled. "It wasn't that hard a deal for me." Sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson of Heart did not elaborate last week when they announced their decision to cancel at SeaWorld, although they acknowledged it was "due to the controversial documentary film." "We're disappointed a small group of misinformed individuals was able to deny fans what would have been great concerts at SeaWorld," Gollattscheck said. SeaWorld said it would like the musical artists to learn for themselves about SeaWorld. "The bands and artists have a standing invitation to visit any of our parks to see firsthand or to speak to any of our animal experts to learn for themselves how we care for animals and how little truth there is to the allegations made by animal extremist groups opposed to the zoological display of marine mammals," Gollattscheck said. SeaWorld says the documentary ignores the park's conservation efforts and research. Filmmaker: Why I made 'Blackfish' | NEW: 38 Special is the 8th act to announce a SeaWorld cancellation .
Martina McBride cites "all the issues that have been aired recently" in her announcement .
Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, others already canceled .
Online campaign asks acts to ditch SeaWorld after airing of "Blackfish" film . |
19,141 | 363439496e6bd068f580bbd703f9a079544688d5 | Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama hosted a dinner to salute soldiers recently back from Iraq -- marking his first major tribute to the veterans since officially withdrawing all troops from the nation. The White House said it invited more than 100 veterans and one guest each to the event Wednesday night, and a few veteran groups and Gold Star families. "In the history of this house, there has never been a night quite like this," Obama said. "This evening we welcome not the statesmen who decide great questions of war and peace, but citizens men and women from every corner of our country, from every rank of our military, every branch of our service, who answer the call, who go to war, who defend the peace." Touching upon veteran difficulties following the Vietnam War, Obama pledged to thank and honor the service of wartime veterans. "You succeeded in your mission," Obama said. "In your resilience, we see the essence of America because we do not give up. All of you taught us a lesson about the character of our country." At the end of his 10 minute speech, the president raised a glass of water and toasted his guests. "To the country we love, to the men and women who defend her, and to that faith -- that fundamental American faith -- that says no mission is too hard, no challenge is too great," Obama said. "Through tests and through trials, we don't simply endure, we are stronger than before, knowing that America's greatest days are still to come. And they are great because of you. Cheers." The dinner, which the White House called "A Nation's Gratitude: Honoring those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn," also included remarks from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. "Thank you for your duty, for your dedication, for your service to this great nation," Panetta said. "Tonight we are truly in the company of heroes." The president promised that these types of events would continue. "This is not the first time we've paid tribute to those who served courageously in Iraq," Obama said. "This will not be the last. The last U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq in December, ending nearly nine years of war that killed 4,500 Americans and left tens of thousands injured. | "In the history of this house, there has never been a night quite like this," Obama says .
He pledges to thank and honor the service of wartime veterans .
At the end of his speech, the president raises a glass of water and toasts his guests . |
283,325 | fb0389b2c6a56ae9900cd8305e84e24935f3aaa8 | Tyson Fury’s on-off grudge match with Dereck Chisora will be rescheduled for this autumn even though the giant Mancunian’s initial reaction to Saturday’s chaotic postponement was to wash his fists of the London rival he has defeated once already. Fury’s frustration with Chisora’s breaking of his left hand was understandable after David Haye’s twin-set of injury withdrawals had stalled his career for so long. But then Fury himself pulled out of Saturday’s rearranged clash with late replacement Alexander Ustinov when his uncle Hughie, his first trainer at the start of his career, fell suddenly and critically ill as an arterial blood-clot formed after a minor operation. Face off: Dereck Chisora (left) and Tyson Fury square up to one another ahead of their fight that was cancelled . And a contract is a contract, after all. Promoter Frank Warren is meeting with the fight family Fury this week to review potential dates. By then Chisora will have received specialist advice as to how soon he can resume sparring, hopefully with a view to fighting before the end of October. Warren says: ‘What has happened to Tyson’s uncle is terribly unfortunate but we have an agreement to get the fight back on as soon as he and Dereck are available. And it will still be the final eliminator for a world heavyweight title challenge to Wladimir Klitschko.’ Fury says some silly things at times and his belief that obscene tirades sell fights is mistaken but his devotion to the family ethos of the travelling community to which he belongs is genuine beyond question. Although he knew he would be an easy target for the twitter trolls if he pulled out of a fight after being so critical of Haye and Chisora for doing the same to him, Fury’s emotional concern for his uncle was paramount. Replacement: Tyson Fury (left) pulled out of his fight because he was 'really affected' by his uncle's illness . No laughing matter: Tyson Fury (left) pulled out of his fight Alexander Ustinov (right) due to his uncle's illness . No go: Tyson Fury (left) and Alexander Ustinov's fight is off after Fury's uncle was taken ill . Beneath the lurid public persona lives an engaging 25-year-old lad who is so likeable that his outbursts always come as a surprise to those who have spent time in his company away from the spotlight. In private, his fierce ambition to become world heavyweight champion is informed by an intelligent thought process which would confound those who despair of his penchant for play-acting as the wild man. That is part of the dilemma for the British Boxing Board of Control as they prepare to rebuke him for the most vulgar and offensive of his recent outbursts, for which he has apologised. Nor would it be prudent to press ahead with a disciplinary hearing while his uncle remains in a coma in hospital. Fury has expressed resentment at being summoned to explain himself and threatens to switch his fights from Britain to Ireland, from where this Catholic family originally hails. Behind the scenes: Snap from Tyson Fury during a training session at his gym in Bolton . Persona: Fury is a different man away from the camera then the portrayal of him in public . But after only one bout in 15 months – an inconsequential one at that – and with another delay now upon him, Fury does have to be careful how he and his other uncle, Peter who is now his trainer, manage his career at this point. Fury’s core following comes from in and around Manchester and the big TV pay-nights are to be had in this country. Also, England is a stronger base from which to launch both a world title challenge and an assault on the US boxing market. Fury is racing Hatfield’s Billy Joe Saunders for the honour of becoming the first boxer of gypsy stock to win a world championship. Saunders won the European middleweight belt on the Fury-deprived bill in Manchester by stopping Italy’s Emanuele Blandamura and hopes to meet Chris Eubank Jnr in a world title eliminator next.The sooner Fury can get Chisora back in the ring, the better. Australian legend Jeff Fenech believes his protegee Lucas Browne can become his country’s first world heavyweight champion. Fenech, a three-division world title holder in his own right, bases that prediction on his first-hand experience of the comparative punching power between Browne and world champion heavyweight phenomenon Mike Tyson. Strong man: Lucas Browne is a powerful puncher, according to his trainer Jeff Fencher . Now Browne’s trainer, Fenech also worked . the pads and the corner for Iron Mike during some of his days as the . most feared fighter on the planet. Fenech says: ‘Holding the pads for Lucas hurts me more than Tyson did. Two of the present world heavyweight belt holders will be vulnerable to Lucas, who is really heavy-handed. It will be tremendous for Aussie boxing if he can make heavyweight history.’ The British boxing public will have a chance to evaluate that claim on Friday night under Ricky Hatton’s promotional banner. Browne is one of three Australians in the stable of the Manchester Hitman, who fancies the chances of his man from Down Under against either Tyson Fury or Dereck Chisora. Hard hitting: Browne's punching power is comparable to that of a young Mike Tyson . Browne is taking on Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko in Wolverhampton for minor WBC and WBA belts.Victory would lift him higher up the queue to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne or WBA ‘regular’ title holder Rusian Chagaev, both of whom Fenech is convinced he could beat. Browne is the chief supporting attraction on the Wolverhampton undercard for Frankie Gavin’s European welterweight title fight with the tough Leonard Bungu. Gavin-Bungu and Browne-Rudenko will be televised live Friday night on BoxNation . Some are calling him the Baby-Faced Assassin and he does bear quite a resemblance to Terry Spinks, our late 1956 Olympic gold medallist and former British featherweight champion. Others are talking of him as the middleweight Mike Tyson and 27 knock-outs in an undefeated 30-fight record strengthen that comparison. Gennady Golovkin is blazing a trail of destruction through his classic division, as his latest victim willingly testifies. Right hook: Gennady Golovkin punches Daniel Geale during the WBA/IBO middleweight championship . Winner: Golovkin celebrates after knocking Geale out at Madison Square Garden . Smiles: And he celebrates with his belts after the bout on Saturday night . Daniel Geale, himself a recent world champion, was blown away inside three rounds of their title fight in New York’s Madison Square Garden this Saturday night and promptly said: ‘I’ve never seen, let alone been hit by, a harder puncher in my life. The first time he lands on you comes as a shock.’ Thus Geale tacitly confirmed all the scary stories emanating from gyms in America of how Golovkin, despite using gloves like pillows, is flattening sparring partners almost twice his size and wearing head-guards. One report claims that in order to get some kind of sparring, the man from Kazakhstan often has to promise not to punch his opponents in the head. So he drops them with disembowelling body-shots, like the one which took out Anglo-Irish challenger Matthew Macklin around this time last year. Golovkin, at 32, is coming to prominence late. First there was a 350-fight world-title-winning amateur career in which he lost only five times. Then the pros kept ducking him. Like Mike (and Terry): Golovkin has been compared with boxing legends Mike Tyson (left) and Terry Spinks . Challenger: He could be set for a fight with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico . But now the big money is getting behind him and the US television moguls are pressing Miguel Cotto to meet Golovkin in a battle to unify their various world 160 lb titles. The huge Puerto Rican support for Cotto in New York and the frenzy growing around Golovkin would make for a mega-night in the mecca of the Garden. The middleweight Iron Mike? Golovkin has not only the punch but the chin to suggest he may well be. A split-second before he was knocked out Geale connected with his best punch of those three rounds, a peach of a right cross flush to the Kazakh jaw. Golovkin, without so much as a flinch, instantly delivered his concussive left-right combination. Then he grinned, as all the ring’s Baby-Faced Assassins have tended to do down the decades as they help their fallen prey to their feet. Golovkin smiles a lot. Rather like an innocent kid. Not unlike how we remember Terry Spinks. But then he has a lot to smile about. Like it being six years and 17 fights since he was taken the distance. | Tyson Fury bout with Dereck Chisora set to be rescheduled for the autumn .
Last Saturday's fight was called off after Chisora withdrew through injury .
Fury then pulled out of replacement fight with Alexander Ustinov .
Gennady Golovkin is making waves in middleweight division .
He has been compared with legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Terry Spinks . |
249,035 | ce43bc172d3bcb05361fefbe44a1373204c1b66f | (CNN) -- If the confirmation process for Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee for attorney general, gets significantly delayed, the reason will be pure politics. Some Senate Republicans, anticipating the day in January when they will have majority control of the chamber, are calling for a moratorium on new appointments until the new Senate is seated. It's likely to be the first in a series of skirmishes between Obama and the leadership on Capitol Hill. Within hours of Lynch's nomination, the right-wing Breitbart website ran an erroneous story slamming Lynch for supposedly representing ex-President Bill Clinton during the long-ago inquiry into the Whitewater land deal -- but later had to post a correction for failing to recognize that Clinton's defender was, in fact, a different person named Loretta Lynch. The haste with which conservatives began attacking Lynch suggests she will be in for a tough slog during the nomination process. But while the politics may slow her confirmation, there's no question that the tough-as-nails prosecutor is ready for the top job at the Justice Department. Any rival candidates the Republicans might put forward will have a hard time demonstrating prowess equal or superior to Lynch's in the crucial areas of prosecuting lawbreakers involved in organized crime, corporate theft, political corruption and threats to national security. Lynch served two stints as the U.S. attorney in charge of New York's Eastern District, which includes most of New York City (Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) as well as suburban Long Island. The office is often overshadowed by the neighboring Southern District, which covers Manhattan and brings high-profile Wall Street prosecutions. While her flashier colleague in the Southern District, Preet Bharara, gives speeches, holds frequent press conferences and has several press officers, Lynch rarely holds forth in public and reportedly spent months without a press aide after the sole staffer in charge of public outreach retired. But Lynch did much to put the Eastern District on the map. She mounted successful prosecutions that broke the back of MS-13, a murderous gang that preys on immigrant communities; convicted the underboss of the Colombo crime family; and even revived an old Mafia case by arresting five aging suspects from the all-but-forgotten Lufthansa heist of 1978, immortalized in the movie "Goodfellas." Wall Street physically falls outside Lynch's jurisdiction, but she mounted major cases against global financial giants engaged in wrongdoing. In 2012, she won a record $1.9 billion in fines and penalties from HSBC, a British bank, for a wide range of violations, including laundering more than $800 million for Mexican drug gangs and illegally doing business with customers in Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Lynch's office also participated in the pursuit of Citigroup for its actions that contributed to the mortgage crash of 2008 -- an investigation that led to a $7 billion settlement. And Lynch has taken on public corruption cases involving members of New York's power elite. She convicted Pedro Espada Jr., the former majority leader of the New York state Senate, on corruption charges, calling him "a thief in a suit" the day he was hauled off to serve a five-year prison sentence. She is currently prosecuting state Sen. John Sampson, and earlier this year indicted U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm on 20 counts including fraud, embezzlement and perjury. But Lynch's best-known attack on public corruption came more than a decade ago, when she was part of the team that prosecuted cops who attacked and brutally sodomized a suspect, Abner Louima, in the back room of a Brooklyn precinct house. The prosecution ended in a guilty plea by the main perpetrator, Officer Justin Volpe, who is serving a 30-year sentence. In addition to rounding up shady pols, violent cops and Wall Street cheats, Lynch took on the all-important issue of national security in the harrowing case of Najibullah Zazi, a terrorist who drove explosives from Colorado to New York City with the intent of setting them off in the subways. Zazi almost pulled off the horrific attack -- he was stopped on the George Washington Bridge, minutes from Manhattan -- but ended up pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. (He hasn't been sentenced yet, but faces up to two life sentences for his crimes.) All in all, an impressive body of work -- one that Lynch compiled with a professional modesty that is rare in New York's tough, competitive legal and political circles. She will now find herself caricatured and criticized by power brokers in Washington who are determined to hamstring the president. One likely avenue of attack is Lynch's time in the private sector: Between 2001 and 2009, she worked as a corporate attorney specializing in compliance work for big banks and briefly served on the board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. "She swims in the same pool as the moneyed elite, and her actions don't pressure them too deeply," writes David Dayen in Salon, echoing the oft-heard complaint that even multibillion-dollar settlements of the kind Lynch negotiated rarely result in any specific person going to prison. "It's just not that likely Lynch would have the will to crack down on malfeasance in the executive suites, which could implicate her colleagues and friends," writes Dayen. "It's not corruption, more like mindshare." That sort of criticism unites left-of-center Occupy Wall Street activists and conservatives who -- determined to find fault with anything Obama does -- accuse the White House of crony capitalism and aim special venom at ex-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (whose rise to his pre-Treasury job of president of the New York Federal Reserve was aided by Lynch; as a board member, she cast a vote to give Geithner the post). So Obama's nominee is in for a wave of criticism that might drag confirmation proceedings into 2015. We shall see if Lynch -- who has locked up enough terrorists, gangsters and political crooks to fill a few subway cars -- has the grit and gumption to master political combat inside the Beltway the way she has mastered legal battle in the courtroom. | Errol Louis: AG nominee Loretta Lynch faces political hurdles on way to confirmation .
Conservatives attack her to hurt Obama, he says; some on the left say she's cozy with Wall St.
He says she's successfully prosecuted organized crime, corporate and political corruption .
Louis: She put would-be terrorist in jail; confirmation process will be new test of her grit . |
224,344 | ae7e6596acc151e4a7120e384b1ad11b97119aec | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 13:54 EST, 13 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:01 EST, 13 February 2013 . This image shows a mysterious dark cloud in distant space, which scientists from the European Space Organisation have decided looks just like a gecko. Taken by the Wide Field Imager at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile it shows the bright star cluster NGC 6520 and its neighbour, the dark cloud Barnard 86. The cosmic pair is set against millions of glowing stars from the brightest part of the Milky Way — a region so dense with stars that barely any dark sky is seen across the picture. The Gecko nebula: Astronomers at the European Space Organisation released this image of dark could Barnard 86 today. They have decided that it looks like a gecko . This part of the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) is one of the richest star fields in the whole sky — the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud. The huge number of stars that light up this region dramatically emphasise the blackness of dark clouds like Barnard 86, which appears at the centre of this new picture, which was released today. This object - a small, isolated dark nebula known as a Bok globule - was described as 'a drop of ink on the luminous sky' by its discoverer Edward Emerson Barnard. Bok globules were first observed in the Forties by astronomer Bart Bok. They are very cold, dark clouds of gas and dust that often have new stars forming at their centres. These globules are rich in dust that scatters and absorbs background light, so they are almost opaque to visible light. In a paper published in 1947, Bok and E.F. Reilly hypothesised that these clouds were 'similar to insect's cocoons' that were undergoing gravitational collapse to form new stars. More recently near infrared observations confirmed that stars were being born inside them. They remain a subject of intense research. An exceptional visual observer and . keen astro-photographer, Barnard discovered and photographed numerous . comets, dark nebulae, one of Jupiter’s moons, and was the first to use . long-exposure photography to explore dark nebulae. Through a small telescope Barnard 86 looks like a dearth of stars, or a window onto a patch of distant, clearer sky. However, this object is actually in the foreground of the star field — a cold, dark, dense cloud made up of small dust grains that block starlight and make the region appear opaque. It is thought to have formed from the remnants of a molecular cloud that collapsed to form the nearby star cluster NGC 6520, seen just to the left of Barnard 86 in this image. NGC 6520 is an open star cluster that contains many hot stars that glow bright blue-white, a tell-tale sign of their youth. Open clusters usually contain a few thousand stars that all formed at the same time, giving them all the same age. Such clusters usually only live comparatively short lives, on the order of several hundred million years, before drifting apart. Judge for yourself: What a real gecko looks like . The incredible number of stars in this area of the sky muddles observations of this cluster, making it difficult to learn much about it. NGC 6520’s age is thought to be around 150 million years, and both this star cluster and its dusty neighbour are thought to lie at a distance of around 6000 light-years from our Sun. The stars that appear to be within Barnard 86 in the image above are in fact in front of it, lying between us and the dark cloud. Although it is not certain whether this is still happening within Barnard 86, many dark nebulae are known to have new stars forming in their centres — as seen in the famous Horsehead Nebula, the striking object Lupus 3 and to a lesser extent in another of Barnard’s discoveries, the Pipe Nebula. However, the light from the youngest stars is blocked by the surrounding dusty regions, and they can only be seen in infrared or longer-wavelength light. As we gear up for the one day of the year dedicated to lovers, it seems that even the Universe has a romantic side. Planetary . nebula Sh2-174 gives the appearance of a red rose but is actually the . remains of a dying star some 1,000 light years away. Astronomers from the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory released the image on the eve of Valentine's Day. Our love is in the stars: The rose-like planetary nebula Sh2-174 . A planetary nebula is created when a low-mass star blows off its outer layers at the end of its life. The core of the star remains and becomes an immensely dense white dwarf. Usually the white dwarf is found right at the heart of the nebula, but in the case of Sh2-174 it is shifted to one side. In the image, it is the blue star near the right hand edge of the nebula, where the gas turns from red to blue. The image was taken using the Mayall four-metre telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Observations were made through four different colour filters. | Image was taken by ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile and released today .
It shows the Barnard 86, a small, isolated nebula known as a Bok globule .
U.S. astronomers publish picture of red rose nebula for Valentine's Day . |
15,230 | 2b4ddb9a5f30fb3ea436775c3af18cc1daf9b909 | (CNN) -- A Spanish court on Wednesday dismissed an allegation that one of the world's richest men, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, raped a young woman on a yacht on the island of Ibiza in 2008. In its ruling, the Spanish court in Palma de Mallorca found there wasn't sufficient evidence to press charges. The prince has long maintained that he was innocent, that he hasn't been in Ibiza in more than a decade and that others have tried to impersonate him. The prince's legal team released a statement Wednesday saying the ruling vindicates the prince, but said the legal matter has nevertheless resulted in "a grave injustice" to him. "These reports confirm what we have said all along, which is that the allegations against HRH Prince Alwaleed were not only false and outrageous but also impossible as His Royal Highness was not in Spain at the time but was in France with his wife, children, grandchildren and in the presence of dozens of witnesses, as the documentation shows," the legal team's statement said. "This has been a grave injustice to His Royal Highness. For this, he has asked our Firm to study how to proceed in order to protect other innocent people from facing similar attacks and to make sure that those who have deliberately lied about HRH are held responsible for their actions," the statement said. In September, a Spanish court reopened the investigation into the rape allegation. The woman filed her complaint in Ibiza in August 2008, but a local judge shelved it in 2010, citing a lack of evidence that a crime had been committed, according to court documents. The woman appealed to the next highest court, the Balearic Island Provisional Court, which ruled the lower court in Ibiza should reopen the investigation. According to court documents obtained by CNN, the victim argued in her appeal that the real reason the lower court tossed out the case was that the alleged perpetrator was a powerful member of the Saudi royal family. In September, the Saudi prince, a billionaire and the biggest foreign investor in companies such a News Corp., said in a statement that he was just learning of the accusation. "These allegations are completely and utterly false," said the statement from his investment firm, Kingdom Holding Company. "The alleged encounter simply never happened." According to September's statement, the prince doesn't vacation in Spanish waters. But Max Turiel, one of the lawyers for the alleged victim, said last year there was evidence his team had wanted the court to examine further. According to the court documents, the woman believed her drink had been drugged. She sent a text message to a friend stating as much. She awoke on a yacht to find she was being sexually assaulted by a man she identified as Alwaleed, according to court documents. Turiel said "there were remains of semen" that should be examined against the prince's DNA, as well as "remains of a tranquilizer that produced the symptoms she had." The evidence came from tests carried out 30 hours after the alleged rape, the attorney said, so the alcohol was gone from her body, but not the drug or the DNA. In September, Turiel said the alleged victim's mother could answer questions from CNN, but only through e-mail. He provided responses to questions that he said were from the mother. CNN could not independently confirm the message was from the victim's mother. "She wanted to reopen the case due to the huge injustice and a feeling of a helplessness; powerful people should not take undue advantage of it and have others subjected to them," the message said. The message described the "man or men" who allegedly abused the young woman as powerful individuals who threatened her onboard the yacht. Asked if her daughter was afraid to appeal the case, the mother said, "Part of the fear has a lot of dignity and that can't be bought nor scared off with threats." The young woman, a dual Spanish and German citizen, was 23 in September, the e-mail said. In December, a Spanish court heard new testimony from the woman. The prince and his lawyers were not present at the hearing. The woman, who has worked as a fashion model, entered the courthouse in Ibiza wearing a black hat and dark sunglasses to conceal her face from reporters outside, Turiel said. Her mother accompanied her. The two-hour, closed-door hearing included the woman, another one of her lawyers, the prosecutor and the magistrate in charge of the investigation. In a December statement, the prince's lawyer in Madrid said the prince was with his family in France in August 2008 on a visit that was well-documented by his passport, cell phone records and hotel receipts, as well as photographs, video and eyewitness accounts. But in her testimony in December, the woman maintained her accusation against the prince, said Turiel, despite what he termed tough questioning by the prosecutor seeking details of the alleged rape. | A woman of dual Spanish-German citizenship accuses Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of rape .
After a lengthy process, a Spanish court dismisses the case for lack of evidence .
The ruling confirms the prince's long-standing account of innocence, his legal team says .
But the prince endures "a grave injustice" from the "false and baseless" charge, the team says . |
286,311 | fefcde14475058e901b9343b53493e599e75e69e | (CNN) -- Greece may have given us the word democracy and many of the principles of civil society. But now it is "the sick man of Europe," and the people of other European democracies are asking whether it's worth saving with billions more dollars of their money. Put crudely, their argument is this: So what if Greece slides ignominiously out of the eurozone? Goodbye Greece... In continental terms, Greece is peripheral. It doesn't sit on reservoirs of oil, and it relies on agriculture and tourism as money-earners. It accounts for just 5% of the European Union's economic output. With the Cold War long over, its strategic position on the edge of the Balkans is not as important as it was. Second, critics question whether Greece has the will or capacity to stay within the eurozone. In last Sunday's elections, the main Greek parties -- those that had promised to swallow the medicine doled out by the European Union and International Monetary Fund -- were trounced at the polls. Thursday, a third political leader was invited to try to form a government. Greek commentators predict no stable coalition is likely -- and new elections probable, just as a further $15 billion of austerity measures are due. Two weeks ago, the governor of Greece's Central Bank, George Provopoulos, warned that unless the country stayed the course, there could be "a disorderly regression, taking the country back several decades and eventually driving it out of the euro area and the European Union." A majority of Greek -- some 70% -- tell pollsters they want the country to remain in the eurozone. But a substantial minority have just voted for parties that oppose what they see as austerity imposed by Berlin. They believe the medicine is actually making the situation worse. This year, the Central Bank forecasts the economy will shrink by 5%, after a 7% contraction last year. That means fewer jobs, less tax revenue and more difficulty meeting debt obligations. Third, is the endless bailout smart economics? Or does it just perpetuate the crisis, as new debt replaces old? A confidential analysis by the IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission in February projected that Greek debt would still amount to 129% of GDP in 2020 and could be as high as 160%. The analysis, obtained by Reuters in February, estimated Greece would need some $175 billion in financing over the next two years. Some argue that so long as Greece uses the euro as its currency, it will never become competitive. Research by investment bank Goldman Sachs concluded Greece needed a real depreciation in its exchange rate of a whopping 30% to restore competitiveness. Compare its situation to that of Iceland, which after a financial meltdown in 2008 thanks to its over-stretched banking sector, went cold turkey with a 40% devaluation of its currency and let bank creditors whistle in the wind. Now it's started growing again, albeit modestly. U.S. economist Kenneth Rogoff has argued that Athens should be granted a sabbatical from the eurozone while remaining in the European Union, allowing it reintroduce the drachma at a deep discount to the euro and making its tourism industry wildly popular. Hans-Werner Sim, head of German think tank Ifo, agrees. The money being showered on Greece to keep it in the eurozone would be better spent lubricating its departure, he says. "The drachma will immediately depreciate, and the situation will stabilize very quickly. After a short thunderstorm, the sun will shine again," he told German magazine der Spiegel. Fourth, beyond the discouraging arithmetic, some argue that the Greek state is too dysfunctional to cope with its massive obligations. Greece has a tax system that barely works, recalcitrant labor unions and extensive graft. The latest corruption league table from Transparency International ranks Greece as 80th - along with El Salvador. "For decades the political elite, mired in corruption and rent-seeking, has followed the path of wasteful spending and patronage," wrote Kostas Bakoyannis, the mayor of Karpenisi, in the Wall Street Journal last month. Greece hasn't privatized a single, state-owned industry despite repeated promises to do so. Its social fabric is fraying and it has a growing problem with political violence. Add to that, now, an unstable political order. And finally, if Greece is unable to get its house in order and uncertainty persists, the dreaded contagion effect will rear its head again. It's a truism that markets hate uncertainty, and for the last year Greece has delivered it in weekly installments. The never-ending melodrama could worsen the psychological climate for other "olive-belt" members of the eurozone. Negotiations on restructuring Greek sovereign debt have already left international investors wary of buying other south European debt. According to the Financial Times last month, investors have withdrawn $130 billion from Europe's sovereign bond markets over the past two years. On the other hand... The opposing argument is that a "disorderly default" or even a managed exit by Greece would have far-reaching consequences for Europe -- none of them good -- and misreads the Greek mood. Pierpaolo Barbieri, Ernest May Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, has written extensively about Europe's financial crisis. "Greek voters have turned against the old duopoly of PASOK and New Democracy," he says, referring to the dominant parties of the past 30 years. "They are tired of crisis. That doesn't mean they are against being part of the eurozone. They realize their savings would be wiped out if a devalued drachma took the place of the euro and that Greek banks would collapse. So it's important to separate the weakness of the existing political parties from the issue of the bailouts and the eurozone." Second, there is no playbook for leaving the single currency, no rules governing expulsion. It was just never envisaged. A new Greek government, by persistently defaulting on debt repayments, might effectively vote itself out of the eurozone, but the process would be messy. Greek companies that take advantage of the single market would be badly affected. "Any announcement of Greece's departure would wreck havoc in the markets. If Greeks elected someone who wanted to pursue this path, it would be impossible to get back in at a later date," Barbieri told CNN. In addition, he says, there is no guarantee that excising Greece from the eurozone will relieve pressure on other members. It might simply refocus anxiety on the next most vulnerable state. "If Greece were to fall out, what would that say to Portugal, Italy, Spain and Ireland? There would be a danger to the whole European construction, including the single market. The Germans often say "If the euro fails then Europe fails" -- and project Europe has been at the core of German foreign policy for half a century." Italy, Spain and Portugal are in the middle of painful restructuring; just this week the Spanish government announced it would have to step in to rescue the country's third largest bank. The worst-case scenario: that the whole concept of an "ever-closer union" toward which Europe has been striving will unwind, one state at a time. "Europe will have difficulty forming a federation, if its first action is to jettison countries that are unable to make ends meet," wrote commentator Barbara Spinelli in the Italian newspaper la Repubblica. Let them eat carrots . Is there a way to muddle through? Maybe. But it will require a tilt from "austerity" toward "growth" to persuade the Greeks that their suffering will not be endless. The basic choice may remain bailout or bankruptcy, but the bailout can be sweetened, as a spokesman for EU Economics Commissioner Olli Rehn hinted Tuesday. "We can do lots to assist Greece, and we are doing so. Our member states, our taxpayers in other European member states of the euro area, are providing this solidarity," he said. Concrete action must follow, says Barbieri. "Europe needs to show the Greeks that they have reason to hope by staying the course, that it won't just be pain and more pain. There have to be measures to help growth, such as European investment projects in infrastructure and help for small and medium businesses starved for funding, which can be achieved through the European Investment Bank. The ECB should continue to help Greek banks, so as to start lending again." Next year, Angela Merkel will be seeking a third term as German chancellor. If she gets one, analysts say, she may have greater freedom to tilt toward growth. "It would be a positive development if Francois Hollande [the newly elected French President] could hasten this development and create 'rewards' for reforming countries, so as to remind European electorates the monetary union is not a 'suicide pact,' says Barbieri. It may be that even with a rancorous political atmosphere, mass unemployment and street protests, Greece is actually making progress. If (yes, it's a large if) the next round of public spending cuts goes through Greece get close to achieving what's called a primary balance, its revenue will pay for its spending. According to the Central Bank, the economy may finally stop shrinking in 2013. But 2013 seems a long way off, and these are the first tentative steps toward convalescence. Anyone who has seen the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" will recall what happened to the man who insisted he wasn't dead yet. | Greece doesn't sit on oil reservoirs; it relies on agriculture, tourism as money-earners .
Critics question whether Greece has the will or capacity to stay within the eurozone .
Some argue that so long as Greece uses the euro, it will never become competitive . |
130,627 | 34f1031312e2da04e96869c6eca2ec0401a2a7ce | PUBLISHED: . 11:34 EST, 26 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:15 EST, 26 December 2013 . At Christmas, a little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to giving presents. But great-grandmother Doreen Gover went the extra mile this year - by knitting 28 matching festive jumpers for three generations of her family, including her dog. Mrs Doreen, 78, spent up to eight hours a day and used 250 miles of wool making the red sweaters for her four children, nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Festive: The Gover family wearing their specially-knitted Christmas jumpers . She made the jumpers for three generations of her family - and even knitted one for her springer spaniel called Cookie. She told The Daily Mirror: 'It was just for fun. It was something fun for me to do to pass the time, and it put a big smile on everybody's face. 'I love my family, and I really enjoyed doing something that has made them so happy. The girls got snowmen and the boys got reindeer, but some of the girls wanted reindeer.' At first she knitted a 'couple of jumpers' but then began receiving requests. Hard at work: Doreen Gover, 78, knits one of the 28 jumpers she made for members of her family . Son-in-law James Spoors, 48, told the paper: 'It's a lot of time and effort. She's doing really well. You'd just hear the clicking of her needles when she was doing them. Mrs Gover took up knitting when her husband Roy died 14 years ago. She said she is already planning on what to create for next Christmas, but regretted starting with jumpers as she is 'not sure what I can knit for everyone now.' | Doreen Gover, 78, spent eight hours a day knitting the jumpers .
She used 250 miles of wool to create the festive-themed sweaters .
The retired shop-worker took up the hobby when her husband died . |
204,803 | 952742f3e4e2149cf2e31a80c67497a03f0374fc | By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 09:03 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:37 EST, 11 July 2013 . As a flash flood raged down a Colorado highway and swept dozens of cars away, one driver caught on tape his wild ride down a river of mud. John Schroyer was among those stranded by the relentless, black water after the devastating Black Forest fires left water with nowhere else to go but down a mountain road after a storm Wednesday. At least 25 drivers were left stranded in on highway 24 in Manitou Springs, but only Schroyer caught his terrifying experience on video. Scroll down for video... Roller coaster: John Schroyer was caught in a raging river of black mud, which he in turn caught on video . Cars littered a four-mile stretch road and traffic was brought to a halt after an everyday storm near a scar left by wildfires turned into something totally out of the ordinary. ‘I was driving up 24, and it wasn't raining that hard, and then all of a sudden, cars just started stopping in front of me,’ Schroyer told the Colorado Springs Gazette, where he happens to be the video editor. What would have been a dream moment for some journalists became a nightmare as Schroyer quickly became his own subject. ‘I looked down for a minute, and when I glanced back up, a giant black wave of mud slammed into my car,’ he said. More problems: Highway 24 in Manitou Springs, Colorado was totally washed out when floods in part caused by a the nearby Black Forest forest fires crashed down the mountainous road . 'Oh my god!': Schroyer was overtaken by the waters, which came down the road all at once, washing out the highway for three hours . Doing his job: Schroyer, a video editor for the Colorado Springs Gazette, dutifully kept taping as he was washed further down the mountain . The dutiful Schroyer continued taking footage as a drive in his Subaru became a flume ride. Whisked from side to side without coming to a halt, Schroyer’s car smashed into the side of the mountain and into light poles repeatedly. Muddy waters splashed onto his windshield as he tried to keep steering through the onslaught before finally coming to a halt in the middle of the waters. Like toys: As many as 25 cars littered the side of Highway 24 Wednesday, though no one was injured . Thankful: Amazingly, no one was injured, though the storm continued into the night . Unexpected: Mud covers the ramp leading from Manitou Springs, Colorado after the flash flood and mudslide Wednesday . ‘The flood waters kept going and going, and I was stuck in my car for probably half an hour,’ he said. Eventually, Schroyer was able to climb atop his car, as bystanders and fellow stranded drivers stood by helplessly, and then leap to solid ground. Despite the unbelievable footage, no injuries were reported following the flood, though Highway 24 was completely shut down for three hours. Helpless: Bystanders watched helplessly as other cars were tossed down the road . Waist deep: A man digs his van out after Wednesday's flood. Muddy waters as high as 2.5 feet swept dozens of drivers down Highway 24 . Getting out: Firefighters help parents and children cross floodwaters by laying down a makeshift bridge . Stuck: Cars were tossed down a four-mile stretch Wednesday. On Thursday, teams with snow plows began digging out cars that remained stuck . An area church became a shelter for those left stranded on the side of the road as thunderstorm warnings continued into the evening. According to the National Weather Service, the flooding was the result of both the recent devastating Black Forest fire and last year’s Waldo Canyon fire. Homes in the area, after so many were lost to the fires that contributed to the flood, were nonetheless all spared any damage, authorities said. ‘I think the lesson learned here is that this was a demonstration of the speed and the power in which that water can move,’ El Paso County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said. ‘Be very aware of the weather forecast and weather in the area,’ he said, ‘and be mindful of the dangers that we're going to continue to face from the threat of flash flooding up in that area.’ Safety: A bulldozer moves away mud after feet of mud crashed down the mountain in Manitou Springs, Colorado. At least one church became a makeshift shelter as stranded drivers waited out the storm . Scarred: Several cars were washed down the mountain road after waters near the Black Forest burn scar were left with nowhere to go . | Devastating Black Forest fire left water with nowhere else to go .
Dozens of cars were caught in flash flood waters over two feet high . |
130,728 | 3513420d63de4d754b9daaf984a9e1db63284211 | (CNN) -- Three crew members were killed and one was injured Wednesday when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crashed in waters near James Island in LaPush, Washington, officials said. The surviving crew member is hospitalized in Seattle with non-life threatening injuries, said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gary Blore. The helicopter, a MH-60 Jayhawk, was flying to Sitka, Alaska, after departing the Coast Guard Air Station in Astoria, Oregon. "The Coast Guard lost communication with the helicopter around 9:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. ET)," said Blore. "Rescue crews were launched shortly after that." The survivor was pulled from the water by a good samaritan and transferred to a medical facility, said the Coast Guard. The recovery phase for those killed is continuing, said Blore. "The helicopter is in the water, inverted," he said. "There are power lines down at the beach." The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a flight restriction in the area near the crash to allow response crews to search without distractions, said the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the accident, said Blore. With his voice cracking at times, Blore told reporters at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon that accidents such as this are deeply personal to members of the Coast Guard. "We all have flown helicopters, we have flown the same machine. This hits close to home," he said. CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report. | Helicopter crashed near James Island off La Push, Washington .
One survivor hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries .
Helicopter is in water, power lines it hit are down at beach . |
120,438 | 27a40996925d551fbdcc78e3822844d46258285a | By . Sarah Griffiths . It might sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but Toyota's next concept car promises to read a driver's emotions. The Japanese car maker will unveil the FV2 at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, but has revealed that the car is designed to 'forge stronger physical and emotional connections with the driver'. The single-occupancy model has technology onboard, which Toyota claims allows the driver and FV2 to develop a relationship of trust and understanding, similar to that between a rider and a horse. A futuristic chariot? Toyota will unveil its FV2 at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, but has revealed that the car is designed to 'forge stronger physical and emotional connections with the driver' The vehicle uses voice and image recognition to determine the driver's mood and can check driving history to suggest destinations. An augmented reality display will be shown on the inside of the windscreen, which appears to flip up, and excitingly for people who are indecisive when picking the colour of their next car, the body colour and exterior display of the FV2 can be changed at will. Drivers of the concept car will operate it by standing up and shifting their body intuitively to move the vehicle forwards and backwards as well as left and right, as the car does not have a steering wheel. Toyota said it also uses intelligent transport system technology to . connect with other vehicles nearby and highway infrastructure to . capture safety information, such as giving advance warning of . vehicles in blind spots or at junctions. The company said the car has been designed to capture the spirit of its 'fun-to-drive philosophy'. A vision of the future: An augmented reality display will be shown on the windscreen of the concept car and the body colour and exterior display of the FV2 can be changed at will . An illustration of what the futuristic model might look like when it is folded up. The FV2 uses voice and image recognition to determine the driver's mood and can check driving history to suggest destinations . Toyota has launched an app for iOS and Android devices that offers a sneak peak of the whimsical model that lets users try driving the FV2 and participate in a 'realtime championship'. It has a function called 'illumination' that shows emotions and messages on the car's body and when gamers complete stages in the app, they collect new illuminations to make their FV2 grow. Toyota has launched an app for iOS (pictured) and Android devices that offers a sneak peak of the whimsical model that lets users try driving the model and participate in a 'realtime championship' | Toyota will unveil its single occupancy FV2 concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, which is driven by intuitive body movements .
The vehicle uses voice and image .
recognition to determine the driver's mood and can check driving history .
to suggest destinations .
A driver can change the colour of the car's body at will as well as its exterior display and augmented reality windscreen . |
232,146 | b89cbde0511dda6641c38cfaaa780c24cd1806ff | By . Wills Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 03:54 EST, 12 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:56 EST, 14 January 2014 . Whitehall officials are believed to have scrapped technology used in meetings amid fears they are being used by the Chinese government to eavesdrop. The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Crown Prosecution Service are all said to have stopped using equipment because of concerns they are being intercepted by the Communist state. It is believed products manufactured by telecoms company, Huwaei, could be among the devices which pose a threat because of possible 'vulnerabilities'. Allegations: The telecom giants are believed to be one of the companies whose products have vulnerbailities which could be exploited by the Chinese government . A Parliamentary security committee warned last year that the Chinese government might be able to ‘intercept covertly or disrupt traffic passing through Huawei-supplied networks’. According to The Sunday Mirror, there are fears the equipment can be accessed remotely by the Chinese state and used to record top-level meetings and potentially extract highly-sensitive information. The company is not said to be directly involved in the bugging of technology and have denied having close links with the Chinese state. They have also refuted claims that they have been involved in any government contracts. The Ministry of Justice is thought to have bought video-conferencing equipment in 2011 to set up conference calls with various meetings around the country. All smiles: George Osborne shares a laugh with Huawei CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei last October in Beijing . Huwa technology has already been banned from contracts in the US and Australia over the perceived vulnerabilities in their system. The former head of the Minister of Defence’s cyber security unit, Major General Jonathon Shaw claimed ministers were ‘compromising’ on security and ‘dealing with the devil’ in opening up to the firm. George Osborne welcomed a £125million investment by the company last year. During a trade visit, the Chancellor was seen laughing and joking with the founder Ren Zhengfei. At the time, Mr Osborne said: ‘There are some Western governments that have blocked Huawei from making investments. Not Britain. Quite the opposite.’ | Ministry of Justice believed to have dumped equipment over concerns .
Briefing thought to have been sent round Whitehall highlighting fears .
Commons committee warned equipment by could pose risks .
Products from telecom's company Huawei said to have 'vulnerabilities'
Firm have denied any links with the Chinese state . |
1,558 | 04790610a149632a50733353650982a67aa18518 | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani scientist who admitted leaking nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya and then recanted his confession, has been released from house arrest after it was declared illegal by the Islamabad High Court, his attorney told CNN Friday. Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan meets the media outside his residence Friday. "What the court declared is that he is a free citizen which means effectively... the basic human rights are available to him like any other citizen," said attorney Syed Ali Zafar. The Pakistani government was slow to acknowledge the high court's ruling. A spokesman said the Interior Ministry hasn't received the official court ruling, but will comply with whatever decision was made. Government attorneys said they expected an official announcement to be made by Saturday. But evidence of the end of Khan's house arrest seemed clear outside his home in an upscale part of Islamabad. Where a government security detail previously stood guard with machine guns, cars were parked and reporters roamed the area scratching for details. Khan made a brief appearance, saying he was outside because of the court's ruling, but gave few other details. In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she is "very much concerned" about Khan's release. Separately, acting deputy State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said: "This man remains a serious proliferation risk.," he said. "The proliferation support that Khan and his associates provided to Iran and North Korea has had a harmful impact ... on international security and will for years to come." Khan is widely regarded as a hero in Pakistan for his part in helping the country to develop nuclear weapons. In 2004, Khan was placed under house arrest following his admission on Pakistan television that he had been involved in a clandestine international network selling nuclear weapons technology from Pakistan to a host of nations including Iran and North Korea. Pakistan has so far refused to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. access to Khan to quiz him on the extent of the nuclear secrets he sold. "Even if they had asked me I wouldn't have answered," he said last year. In May 2008, Khan denied his involvement with the spread of nuclear arms outside Pakistan. He explained in an interview with ABC News that the Pakistani government and then-President Pervez Musharraf forced him to be a "scapegoat" for the "national interest." He also denies ever traveling to Iran or Libya and said that North Korea's nuclear program was well advanced before his visit. | NEW: U.S. concerned at Abdul Qadeer Khan's release from house arrest .
Pakistani nuclear scientist Khan was placed under house arrest in 2004 .
Admitted selling nuclear weapons technology to Iran, N. Korea, Libya, then recanted .
Khan is regarded as a hero in Pakistan for helping develop nuclear weapons . |
124,474 | 2ce7d2f9f1943f2f6136b5a10a8af5ce51937e38 | (CNN) -- The morning the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, a BP executive and a Transocean official argued over how to proceed with the drilling, rig survivors told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an exclusive interview. The survivors' account paints perhaps the most detailed picture yet of what happened on the deepwater rig -- and the possible causes of the April 20 explosion. The BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN. BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' " "That's what the big argument was about," added Daniel Barron III. Shortly after the exchange, chief driller Dewey Revette expressed concern and opposition too, the workers said, and on the drilling floor, they chatted among themselves. "I don't ever remember doing this," they said, according to Barron. "I think that's why Dewey was so reluctant to try to do it," Barron said, "because he didn't feel it was the right way to have things done." Revette was among the 11 workers killed when the rig exploded that night. In the CNN interviews, the workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They said BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety. The rig survivors also said it was always understood that you could get fired if you raised safety concerns that might delay drilling. Some co-workers had been fired for speaking out, they said. It can cost up to $1 million a day to operate a deepwater rig, according to industry experts. Safety was "almost used as a crutch by the company," Barron said. He said he was once scolded for standing on a bucket on the rig, yet the next day, Transocean ordered a crane to continue operating amid high winds, against its own policies. "It's like they used it against us -- the safety policies -- you know, to their advantage. "I don't think there was ever a plan set in place, because no one ever thought this was gonna ever happen," he added. BP spokesman Robert Wine would not comment on specific allegations, saying the company has to "wait for the investigations to be completed. We can't prejudge them." "BP's priority is always safety," he said. Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, said its top priority is safety. "There is no scenario or circumstance under which it will be compromised," the company said in a written statement. "So critical is safety at Transocean that every crew member has stop-work authority, a real-time method by which all work is halted should any employee suspect an unsafe situation or operation." In Washington on Tuesday, Rep. Nick Rahall, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, sought more answers. In a letter to Steven Newman, CEO of Transocean, Rahall said records from the rig indicate 18 people at work on the second shift with "zero engineers, electricians, mechanics or subsea supervisors" on duty the night of the explosion. Rahall added that payroll records show 20 crewmen, including seven of the 11 men who died, had worked a 24-hour shift six days before the explosion. Rig workers typically work 12-hour days. "Although these reports do not provide a complete picture of who exactly was working during the time of the explosion and in the days leading up to it, when combined with the ongoing BP internal investigation that suggests that inattentiveness may have been a contributing factor in the disaster, I have serious questions about whether enough people were working on the night of April 20 to adequately handle the complex operations that were being performed, or if crew fatigue caused by extended shifts may have played a role," wrote Rahall, D-West Virginia, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Rahall called on the company to give his committee more detailed logs and a further explanation of its staffing -- a request Transocean said it would meet. But Transocean said no worker put in a 24-hour day, and the documents Rahall cited didn't tell the whole picture. Daily drilling reports track operations and "certain personnel," it said, "but does not use them to catalog complete crew shifts or the actual hours worked by each crewmember." "At the time of the accident, the Deepwater Horizon and its crew had compiled seven consecutive years of operations without a single lost-time safety incident," the company said in a written statement. "The vessel was properly and professionally manned; there was no shortage of technical expertise, nor did any crewmember work a 24-hour shift." CNN was given access to individual time sheets that appear to back up Transocean's claim that no employees worked 24-hour shifts on April 14, six days before the explosion that eventually sank the rig. Other documents reviewed by CNN seem to indicate that additional salaried workers may have been on the job that don't show up on time sheets, possibly refuting the committee's claim the rig was shortstaffed on April 20. The rig workers have filed a negligence suit against BP, Transocean, oil field services contractor Halliburton and other companies involved with the deepwater rig. "I've seen gross negligence, and this conduct is criminal," said Steve Gordon, the lawyer representing the men. "There's a crime scene sitting 5,000 feet below the water." Brown, the rig's mechanic, had traveled with the rig from South Korea, where it was made nearly a decade ago. He had seen the mechanical crew get downsized over the years. Yet as the rig aged, the engines began having more problems. "It became overwhelming," he said. "We couldn't keep up with the flow of it. ... We constantly over the years kept telling them, 'Hey, we need more help back here.' "They pretty much just said, 'Well, we'll look into it.' " About nine months ago, Brown said, he got an additional first engineer, yet the crew was still overloaded with work. Even more alarming, the rig survivors said, was the amount of resistance the well was giving them. "We had problems with it from the day we got on," Matthew Jacobs said. Nearly every day, Jacobs said, "we had problems with that well." Barron said it was like an eerie cloud hung over the well being dug 5,000 feet into the sea. "There was always like an ominous feeling," he said. "This well did not want to be drilled. ... It just seemed like we were messing with Mother Nature." At times, the drill got stuck. Many times, it "kicked," meaning gas was shooting back through the mud at an alarming rate. "I've seen a lot of gas coming up from muds on different wells, and the highest I've ever seen in my 11 years was 1,500 units. And this well gave us 3,000," Brown said. "I've never been on a well with that high of gas coming out of the mud. That was kind of letting me know this well was something to be reckoned with." It all came to a head at 9:56 p.m., when the first of three explosions rocked Deepwater Horizon, 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, with 126 people aboard. Tiles fell from the ceiling, walls collapsed, and people ran for their lives. It reminded Matt Jacobs of the movie "Titanic." "It looked like you was looking at the face of death," he said. "You could hear it, see it, smell it." He scrambled to the lifeboat deck. Jacobs had been trained to fight fires aboard the rig. But when he looked at the flames shooting 150 feet into the air, he knew there was nothing they could do. "There is no way we can put that fire out," he thought. Jacobs hopped in a lifeboat. He screamed for co-workers to jump aboard. A second explosion rocked the rig. The lifeboat, still suspended in the air, went into a free fall of about 3 feet. "Here I am on a lifeboat that's supposed to help me get off this rig," Jacobs thought. "And I'm gonna wind up dying." He bowed his head and prayed. Now, 50 days later, the survivors are telling their stories. It's become part of their everyday lives. They can't shake what happened that day, even when they close their eyes at night. "It's like being in a neverending nightmare," Brown said. "You dream about it. You see it in your sleep. Then, we wake up in the morning, and we realize it's not a dream. It's real. ... It doesn't end for us." CNN's Aaron Cooper contributed to this report. This piece is part of a CNN Special Investigations Unit project. | Rig survivors say BP, Transocean official argued over shortcut on day of blast .
BP official won argument: "This is how it's gonna be," he said, according to witness .
BP says it won't comment on specifics .
BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite safety concerns, workers say . |
47,771 | 86cf893f30d0697dd81c777e5acd8760332fe6fd | An 18-year-old Temple University student has died after plummeting from an eight-floor dorm room while taking pictures with her cell phone. Pre-pharmacy student Rebecca Kim from Edison, New Jersey, was visiting friends at the Art Institute of Philadelphia in Center City on Thursday evening when she is believed to have slipped and fell. Authorities say the first year, who graduated from Wissahickon High in Ambler, Pennsylvania, in August, may have been sitting on a two-foot wide ledge in the moments leading up to the deadly fall. As she plummeted towards the sidewalk, the teen hit a 44-year-old pedestrian walking below at the time, breaking her back and knocking out her teeth. Victim: Temple University freshman Rebecca Kim, 18, is believed to have been visiting friends when she fell from the ledge of a building in Center City, Philadelphia . Tragedy: Authorities say the pre-pharmacy student may have been sitting on a ledge taking pictures on her cell phone when she slipped and plummeted from the eight-floor dorm . Response: Police are pictured at the scene after the girl fell and hit a 44-year-old pedestrian . 'She may have even been sitting on the ledge, it's about a two foot wide ledge possibly taking some pictures,' Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small told CBS Philadelphia. The teen was pronounced dead upon her arrival at Jefferson University Hospital. The other victim was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition Thursday night. 'The 44-year-old female, she was conscious, she was talking, she was very upset and she was complaining of pain,' Small said. The pedestrian suffered a fractured vertebrae and had some teeth knocked out, but was expected to recover. Authorities say the teenager was visiting friends at the Art Institute dorm prior to the tragedy. Police said they would obtain a warrant to search the dorm room of the two men the teen was visiting. Neither foul play nor suicide were suspected, though officials said the investigation was ongoing. Temple University president Neil D. Theobold said: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of Rebecca Kim, a first-year student in the College of Science and Technology. 'Ms. Kim died Thursday evening in a fall from a Center City building. Ms. Kim started at Temple last August, was a resident of Johnson Hall and was enrolled in the pre-pharmacy program. She was 18 years old. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.' He added that counseling would be available to all students on campus. Active: Lyn Fields, the principle of Wissahickon High in Ambler, Pennsylvania, said Miss Kim was a 'great kid' who was very involved in school activities . Treatment: One of the victims was rushed to a local hospital following the fall. The pedestrian was listed in a stable condition but the 18-year-old passed away a short time later . Injuries: The unnamed pedestrian (pictured wearing a neck brace) suffered a fractured vertebrae and had some teeth knocked out. Authorities said she is expected to recover . Expected to recover: Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small said the pedestrian was conscious and talking as she was taken to hospital . Emergency services; A stretcher carrying one of the victims is loaded into the back of an ambulance in Center City, Philadelphia . After hearing news of her death, a number of Miss Kim's friends paid tribute to her on social media. Chris Vila wrote on Twitter: 'A girl from my social studies class and student at temple passed away. Send prayers to her family RIP Rebecca Kim.' James Hong added on social media: 'Prayers are going out tonight. Rest in peace Rebecca Kim, you will be missed.' Lyn Fields, the principle of Miss Kim's previous school, Wissahickon High in Ambler, Pennsylvania, told Philly Voice she remembered her as an active student especially interested in science. She said: 'The senior that we knew was very involved and just a great kid. Super student.' 'She just kind of loved life. This staff is very upset.' Scene: Police cordoned off the area surrounding the Art Institute of Philadelphia dorm room where the pre-pharmacy student fell . Devastated: A classmate posted her condolences to the victim on Twitter after hearing news of her death . Tributes: Another student at Temple University also took to social media to send his condolences to Miss Kim's family . Cordon: Following the fall in Center City, the student was taken to Jefferson University Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Thursday evening . Likely accident: Police believe she may have been sitting on the ledge taking photos when she slipped . The girl had been visiting friends at the Art Institute of Philadelphia when the tragedy struck. She hit a 44-year-old pedestrian, who is expected to recover . Statement: On Thursday evening, a spokesman for Temple University confirmed that the student was in her first year . | Authorities believe the 18-year-old was on a ledge taking photos .
She has been named as pre-pharmacy student Rebecca Kim .
The student hit a 44-year-old pedestrian and both were rushed to hospital .
Pedestrian had a broken back and teeth knocked out, but was stable .
The pre-pharmacy student later died at Jefferson University Hospital . |
283,318 | fb00d221664b57975b877a9d6865fbed7677e5fd | By . Emma Glanfield . Princess Diana told how she 'could not help but be deeply moved' after visiting landmine victims in Bosnia in her last official letter . Princess Diana told how she ‘could not help but be deeply moved’ after visiting landmine victims in Bosnia in her last official letter written before her tragic death. The hand-signed note, on Kensington Palace-headed paper, was dated August 11, 1997 and was sent to humanitarian campaigner Dilys Cheetham. In it, the Princess of Wales thanked Ms Cheetham for delivering aid to refugee camps in the Mostar region of Bosnia. The Princess had herself just returned from a three-day visit to Bosnia as part of her crusade against landmines. In the heartfelt letter, she wrote: ‘There was not enough time for me to visit the Mostar area while I was in Bosnia but I was able to visit a number of anti-personnel landmine victims and their families. ‘I could not help but be deeply moved by the experience.’ She added the trip ‘hardened my resolve to ensure the world does not forget that those who have been so needlessly maimed by these terrible weapons will need care and support for many years to come’. The moving letter was sent just weeks before her tragic death in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. It is now expected to fetch up to £3,000 when it is auctioned off in Birmingham next week. Ms Cheetham, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, died in 2006. Before her death she sold the letter to celebrity photographer Jason Fraser in a charity auction to raise money for landmine victims. The hand-signed note, on Kensington Palace-headed paper, was dated August 11, 1997 and sent to humanitarian campaigner Dilys Cheetham . In the heartfelt letter, Princess Diana wrote: 'There was not enough time for me to visit the Mostar area while I was in Bosnia but I was able to visit a number of anti-personnel landmine victims and their families' The Princess had just returned from a three-day visit to Bosnia as part of her crusade against landmines when she sent the moving and heartfelt letter . The moving letter is the last official note to be written by Princess Diana before her tragic death in a car crash in Paris in 1997 . It was sold for a second time to a private collector in 2007 - on the tenth anniversary of Diana’s death. The letter is now set to go under the hammer again and will be sold off by Jewellery Quarter-based Fellows Auctioneers on Monday. Mark Huddleston, head of antiques & fine art at Fellows, said: ‘The letter is moving not only because of its heartfelt message but also because it would have been the last ever written by her. ‘It is an incredibly important historical document. Diana was much loved, not just in Britain but around the world.’ In February 2012, two handwritten letters from Diana to her stepmother Countess Spencer were withdrawn from an auction after her family objected. The letter is expected to fetch up to £3,000 when it is auctioned off in Birmingham next week . In February 2012, two handwritten letters from Diana to her stepmother Countess Spencer were withdrawn from an auction after her family objected . | The hand-signed letter was written on Kensington Palace-headed paper .
It was sent to humanitarian campaigner Dilys Cheetham on August 11, 1997 .
Moving letter followed Princess Diana's visit to landmine victims in Bosnia .
She sent it just weeks before her tragic death in a car crash in Paris in 1997 . |
203,849 | 93eec5789970805e4f96b7762a8e6a51a0c2e3e0 | By . Rob Cooper . UPDATED: . 09:39 EST, 27 December 2011 . An international karate champion who sent a 13-year-old girl nearly 5,000 texts in eight months and told her he wanted to leave his wife for her faces jail after being convicted of child abuse. Liam O’Grady, a world and European gold medallist who has taught hundreds of children at after-school clubs, collapsed in the dock as he was found guilty by a jury after a seven-day trial. The court heard that the 30-year-old father of two was addicted to sending sex messages and told the girl their relationship was ‘only illegal if the law knew’. Guilty: Karate champion Liam O'Grady, pictured here with his wife Lisa, was remanded in custody after a court heard he bombarded the 13-year-old with almost 5,000 sexual texts . He sent her 4,759 messages over the course of their eight-month sexual relationship. He had to be removed from court and . was too distraught to return to the dock to hear the Recorder of York, . Judge Stephen Ashurst, remand him in custody after his conviction on . Friday. The jury heard that he sexually abused the girl in his house, his car and men’s toilets. The girl and her friends had to give evidence in the trial after . O’Grady, of York, denied four charges of sexual activity with a child . and one of meeting a child after sexually grooming her. He was acquitted . of one of the sexual activity charges and convicted of all other . charges. He spent Christmas in jail after the judge at York Crown Court . refused him bail. Broke down: O'Grady collapsed in the dock at York Crown Court as he was found guilty . O’Grady’s wife Lisa, who gave evidence in his defence, cried as the verdicts were read out. O’Grady told the court during the trial that months after meeting his . wife in 2001, he began sending sexually flirtatious texts to women. He . said the texts were a ‘distraction from the realities of life’, and . added: ‘It’s just flirting with these ladies and making them want more . than I do. 'I told the women that I was in love with them and I would . leave my wife for them.’ Christine Egerton, prosecuting, read out texts O’Grady had sent to the 13-year-old girl. One, about his plans to spend a Sunday with her, included: ‘Well, maybe a . couple of hours in bed’. Another message said: ‘It’s only illegal if . the law knows’, followed by ‘Or your mum’. About his wife, he texted: ‘She is jealous of you, you’re thinner, fitter and more beautiful than her.’ A schoolgirl told the jury that she and other pupils were so concerned . about their friend’s rumoured affair with O’Grady, they told a member of . staff. ‘We told her she shouldn’t, she should just leave it,’ the girl . said. ‘One day, we just went to our teacher.’ Detective Inspector Shaun Page said: ‘I hope the verdict makes O’Grady . face up to the fact that what he has done is sick and completely . unacceptable. He held a position of trust which he completely abused.’ The Karate Union of Great Britain, which has suspended O’Grady, said it . would consider his situation after he is sentenced next month. | Liam O'Grady held in a prison cell over Christmas after judge remands him in custody .
He told victim their relationship was 'only illegal if the law knew' |
172,587 | 6b5b043dd64266aabef4912cddbf98ba80060d17 | Benfica have completed the signing of of Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar on a two-year deal from QPR. The 34-year-old signed for the London club in 2012 but made just 24 appearances before a loan move to Toronto. Robert Green has usurped him as the club's No 1, and Benfica have pounced to snap up the keeper who had an up-and-down World Cup this summer. VIDEO Scroll down for 'Sportsmail meets David Luiz and Julio Cesar - the boys from Brazil' Number one: Julio Cesar faces Champions League football after signing for Portuguese title winners Benfica . New club: Julio Cesar has joined Benfica from QPR on a two-year deal . Competition: Rob Green usurped Cesar as the club's No 1 soon after his arrival . Cesar was seen as a major coup for the club when he was signed from Inter Milan. He signed a four-year deal at the club, who were focused on preserving their Premier League status and more. But Cesar was in and out of the team, in competition with Green, and the club were eventually relegated under Harry Redknapp. Hero: Julio Cesar made a crucial save as Brazil beat Chile in the Second Round of the World Cup . The experienced stopper impressed on loan in the MLS before excelling in the World Cup at first, saving the crucial penalty that saw Brazil through against Chile in the Second Round. However, a 7-1 mauling at the hands of Germany somewhat put a dampner on his tournament. He will now hope to kick on with the Portuguese champions. | EXCLUSIVE: Cesar signs two-year deal at Portuguese champions Benfica .
Brazilian out of favour at QPR after two years .
Impressed at World Cup and on loan in the MLS with Toronto . |
70,861 | c8e98fbd485d2f68621b180da1af764a46009411 | A jury in North Carolina handed down the death penalty Thursday to Jonathan Douglas Richardson, 25, who they convicted of murdering his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter. During the trial, it was revealed that Richardson tortured little Teghan Skiba for 10 days while his girlfriend of six months was on a trip - physically and sexually abusing the girl as well as strangling her with a power chord. Richardson brought the girl to Johnston Medical Center in July 2010, telling doctors she fell off her bed. But medics found signs of much more serious trauma, as her body was covered in bruises and bite marks. Death row: 25-year-old Jonathan Richardson (right) looks hopeless as he's sentenced to death for murdering his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter . Victim: 4-year-old Teghan Skiba died in July 2010 after suffering days of torture at the hands of her mother's boyfriend of six months . Richardson was convicted last week of first-degree murder, felony child abuse, kidnapping and sexual offense. Skiba's mother Helen Reyes (right) is also facing charges of negligent child abuse causing serious bodily harm. She testified in Richardson's case last month . Teghan died a few days later after being transferred to the University of North Carolina medical center. Richardson was found guilty of first-degree murder, felony child abuse, kidnapping and sexual offense last week. Lawyers made their final arguments earlier in the day Thursday as the prosecution pushed for the death penalty and the defense tried to convince the jury to chose life in prison. Johnson County District Attorney Susan Doyle used details of Teghan's final days to justify the view that Richardson should be killed. Richardson was given responsibility for the little girl while her mother, Helen Roxanne Reyes, was out-of-state on Army Reserves Training. But instead, Richard savagely beat the girl so much she lost over 70 per cent of her blood from numerous wounds. Four-year-old Teghan died in hospital of blunt force trauma after being tortured for ten days, prosecutors said . 'The defendant bit Teghan all over her body, over 60 times, and she began to slip away,' Doyle said. Prosecutor Greg Butler called Richardson a 'sadist' and a 'killer'. 'He's cold-hearted , and he's totally without remorse,' Butler said. According to wral.com, Dr Jonathan Privette, assistant . chief medical examiner in Greenville, said he observed injuries to . Teghan's neck that were consistent with markings of a power cord. The . doctor told the court: 'When she came to us, the brain has been damaged . so severely that, and swelling was so much the brain matter was . starting to come out.' DNA . from Teghan's blood was found on a wooden rod. The state expert . testified that more than 30 items had evidence of the little girl's . blood including underwear, pants, a sleeping bag and a pillow case. A . dentist told the court that bite marks on the child's body matched . Richardson's teeth. Some were so severe that the flesh was torn off, the . dentist said. But . Richardson's defense team argued that life in prison would be even more . punishment, saying his crimes would make him a target for other inmates. 'There will never come a time when he can let his guard down,' attorney Mike Kinkosum said. The little girl was in the care of her mother's boyfriend when she died in July 2010 of horrific injuries . Helen Reyes took the stand last month. She is charged with felony negligent child abuse causing serious bodily harm in connection with her daughter's death, according to ABC. She is free on bond and is yet to stand trial. She told the court: 'I am here for Teghan, for my daughter ... to get justice for her, because that man murdered my baby.' Jurors at the court in Smithfield appeared visibly upset when shown autopsy photos. The images were so graphic they caused the child's paternal grandfather to walk out of the court and her grandmother broke down in sobs. Richardson's lawyer said his client was abused as a child and has mental health problems. The attorney described the four-year-old's death as an 'unbelievable tragedy' which the accused did not mean to happen. According to wral.com, Police Deputy Matt DeSilva wept last week as he told the court that Teghan's injuries were 'the most horrifying thing I've ever seen done to a human being - especially a child'. On the witness stand on Tuesday, Helen Reyes' sister Maira said her family didn't approve of Richardson so her sister moved out with Teghan. Authorities said the little girl was living with her mom and her boyfriend in a makeshift structure with no running water and no bathroom behind Richardson's grandparents' home. Teghan pictured getting her birthday cake in 2009. She died the following year following brutal torture . Four-year-old Teghan's battered body was covered in bite marks when she died, some so severe that the flesh had been torn from her body . | Jonathan Douglas Richardson, 25, was convicted last week of murdering 2-year-old Teghan Skiba in July 2010 .
Richardson was babysitting the girl for her mother, his girlfriend of six months, who was out of town on Army Reserves training .
Skiba was admitted to the hospital on July 16, 2010 and Richardson initially said she fell off her bed .
But doctors found signs of more serious trauma like bruises, whip marks, bite marks and lesions .
Doctor said: 'The swelling .
was so much the brain matter was starting to come out'
Skiba died a few days later after being transferred to UNC medical center .
Mother Helen Reyes is also facing charges for negligent child abuse . |
20,194 | 3952300f7d0928b35c2e60334c48b783536512be | NHS bosses have been accused of ‘rationing’ the amount of sex men with impotence problems can have. They have told doctors to prescribe no more than one pill of ‘generic’ Viagra a week to each patient they see. The managers sent the note even though unbranded versions of Viagra, called sildenafil, are now cheap. A four-pill pack costs the NHS just £1.45, or 36p a tablet. Scroll down for video . 'Rationing': Some NHS bosses have told doctors to prescribe no more than one pill of ‘generic’ Viagra a week to each patient they see (file picture of model) The price of the anti-impotence pills has plummeted 93 per cent in the past year, since Viagra-maker Pfizer lost its patent. As a result, the Department of Health recently scrapped rules on prescribing sildenafil, so the vast majority of men with erectile dysfunction problems can get it on the NHS. But that decision – revealed in The Mail on Sunday last week – appears to have worried some local health managers fighting to balance their books. Cheap: Tablets of sildenafil, an unbranded version of Viagra used by the NHS, cost just 36p each . In a missive to GPs in the West Midlands, managers at NHS Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) demanded GPs limit their prescribing of sildenafil. They wrote: ‘In light of the pressure on NHS budgets, patients who are eligible for NHS treatment should be prescribed the lowest effective dose, with a maximum frequency of ONE tablet per week (ie FOUR per MONTH).’ But Dr Martin Duerden, a North Wales GP who advises the Royal College of General Practitioners on prescribing issues, asked: ‘Can we ration sex in this way? Prescriptions for sildenafil have no restrictions and each person should be assessed as individuals – some will need more, some less.’ GPs are free to prescribe what they like, based on what they think best for the patient, so such notes can only be advisory. However, CCGs can make life difficult for doctors they believe are costing them too much. NHS West Essex CCG has also warned doctors to look out for patients who might sell the pills for a profit. ‘Consider these drugs have a street value and quantities should be agreed after a discussion with the patient assessing realistic needs,’ they said. A spokesman for NHS West Essex CCG stressed it was not capping how much sildenafil doctors could prescribe, saying it was up to GPs. NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG did not comment. | Drop in cost of 'generic' Viagra recently led to the Department of Health making tablets available to patients on the NHS .
Unbranded version that they use - 'sildenafil' - costs just 36p per pill .
Despite this - some health managers are still worried about what they're spending on the drug and want to limit the amounts prescribed .
One GP, Dr Martin Duerden, has criticised the idea of 'rationing sex' |
80,107 | e30bb00ed188c6296c0ac28d1cde180beaf85d50 | North Korea's plans for a new nuclear test, like most things that happen inside the reclusive state, are shrouded in mystery. But that's not stopping analysts and officials from making some informed guesses about what's going on. Why is North Korea planning to conduct a nuclear test? The North says the "higher level" test is part of its military deterrent in its confrontation with the United States, which it describes as "the sworn enemy of the Korean people." Its declaration that it would carry out the test came just two days after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of imposing broader sanctions on the regime in response to Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch in December that was widely viewed as a test of ballistic missile technology. The pattern of events is similar to the lead-up to the previous nuclear tests North Korea carried out in 2006 and 2009. Kim Jong Un appears likely to shrug off pressure from most of the international community, including North Korea's main ally, China, and go ahead with a third test. "Neither the prospect of stronger sanctions, nor the growing discontent of Russia and China with his behavior, appears to deter North Korea's young leader," George Lopez, professor of peace studies at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, wrote in an opinion article this week for CNN. Under the North's power-driven ideology of songun, or "military first," the punishment meted out last month by the U.N. Security Council requires a strong response, according to Daniel Pinkston, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group covering Northeast Asia. North Korea "sees international law, international institutions, collective security, arms control and any other cooperative arrangement as undesirable and as schemes to undermine their national security," Pinkston said in a recent blog post. A new test will also give North Korea a chance to underscore advances in its nuclear program, potentially moving it closer to a nuclear weapon that it can mount on a long-range missile. "To make its nuclear arsenal more menacing and provide the deterrent power Pyongyang's vitriolic pronouncements are aimed to achieve, North Korea must demonstrate that it can deliver the weapons on missiles at a distance," Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor who has visited North Korean nuclear facilities, wrote in an article for Foreign Policy this week. When is it likely to happen? Given that North Korea is one of the most isolated, secretive regimes on the planet, one that views much of the rest of the world with suspicion, getting a clear idea of what exactly it plans to do when is often far from straightforward. Its announcement last month that it would go ahead with a nuclear test didn't provide a time-frame, so analysts and government officials around the globe are interpreting satellite images of the test zone and parsing the language in state media reports for clues. Most of them agree that North Korea is technically ready and could carry out a test at any time. The question is when the top leaders in Pyongyang will give the political green light to go ahead with a move that is likely to further sour relations with the country's Asian neighbors and the United States. "I think by their political calculations, this is where they're going to have, so to say, the most bang for the buck and make it most effective for what they want to try to accomplish," said Philip Yun, executive director of the Ploughshares Fund, a U.S.-based foundation that seeks to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Yun said this week that North Korea's recent statements suggest a test is "imminent." North Korea on Google Maps: Monuments, nuclear complex, gulags . How will other countries know if it has happened? The test is expected to take place underground at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear facility, and the first indications that a test has taken place are likely to show up on earthquake-monitoring equipment. The area around Punggye-ri has little or no history of earthquakes or natural seismic hazards, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps. But the previous test, in 2009, registered as a seismic event with a magnitude between 4 and 5. Besides earthquake-monitoring organizations like the USGS, the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna, has a network of seismic, sonar and radiation instruments designed to pick up nuclear tests. It also has sensors that can detect gases that may leak into the atmosphere from the explosion. But determining the sophistication of the nuclear device, and what kind of material -- plutonium or uranium -- was used, will be considerably more difficult, experts say. At some point, North Korea is likely to announce that the explosion has taken place. "Pyongyang will almost certainly claim that the test was successful and will tout its sophistication. It will be difficult to distinguish truth from propaganda, but experience shows there is often a nugget of truth in North Korea's claims," Stanford's Hecker says. South Koreans cast wary eyes to the North . What stage will North Korea's nuclear weapons program be at following a new test? With hard facts about the test so scarce, analysts are busy theorizing what exactly North Korea means when it says the test will be of a "higher level." There is a widespread expectation that it will involve the use of highly enriched uranium, whereas the country's two previous tests are understood to have involved plutonium-based devices. "A successful uranium test indicates that Pyongyang has advanced centrifuge technologies and related support systems," Notre Dame's Lopez said. "It means that North Korea, if left unchecked, can both produce and export such material." In an article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists last year, Hecker and another analyst, Frank Pabian, speculated that North Korea could test two devices at the same time, one using plutonium and the other uranium. "Two detonations will yield much more technical information than one, and they will be no more damaging politically than if North Korea conducted a single test," they wrote. Some observers have even suggested that Pyongyang could make an early attempt at testing a thermonuclear device, which uses nuclear fusion to create a more powerful explosion. But others say they don't believe the North has that ability within its grasp yet. In any case, the test is expected to take North Korea closer to having a nuclear weapon it can direct at its enemies. But actually achieving that goal still remains a longer-term effort, according to Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund. "I still think we're years away from North Korea having a capability to deliver a nuclear warhead on a missile even to a country as close as Japan or South Korea," Cirincione said recently. "And they're even further away from having a long-range missile that could hit the United States." What are the consequences likely to be? The region is already braced for the test to take place, and countries like the United States, South Korea and Japan are already preparing their response. John Kerry, the new U.S. Secretary of State, spoke to his counterparts in Tokyo and Seoul by phone on Sunday, and all of three of them agreed that the North must understand "that it will face significant consequences from the international community if it continues its provocative behavior," according to a summary of the calls from the U.S. State Department . A push for fresh condemnation and sanctions from the U.N. Security Council is likely, but whether or not the new measures have much bite depends on China. In the event of a new nuclear test, Beijing is likely "reduce its assistance to North Korea," the the state-run Chinese newspaper Global Times said in an editorial last month. But it added that "if the U.S., Japan and South Korea promote extreme U.N. sanctions on North Korea, China will resolutely stop them and force them to amend these draft resolutions." Fundamentally, analysts say, a new test won't upend the geopolitical situation in Northeast Asia. But it will seriously harm the chances of any meaningful dialog between Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington in the near future. "It will signal that the new regime, like its predecessors, has chosen bombs over electricity" for its impoverished population, Hecker wrote. Another test also increases concerns about where North Korea's nuclear material will end up in the long term, either because it decides to sell it or in the event of a collapse of the regime, according to Yun of the Ploughshares Fund. "That's something that we really have to be concerned about," he said. | North Korea has vowed to carry out a "higher level" test .
Experts and officials say it could take place at any time .
Opinions vary on exactly what kind of test it may carry out .
Another nuclear test is likely to further strain relations in East Asia . |
237,568 | bf76ec2e8a801eebf1d5b99babf25ff5c931b3b3 | By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 12:06 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 16:11 EST, 7 March 2014 . A restaurant boss was today found guilty of throwing a champagne glass at The Voice reject Sam Buttery after he belted out a Cole Porter show tune in the street. The 22-year-old former talent show finalist ‘drew attention to himself’ when he gave a rendition of It’s De-Lovely as he strolled past Nima Safaei’s Italian eatery in Soho, central London, a court heard. Mr Buttery - who was part of Tom Jones’s team in series one of the BBC TV competition - reacted angrily when 33-year-old Safaei told him to ‘go to the gym’, Southwark Crown Court was told. Scroll down for video . Court case: Sam Buttery (left) 'drew attention to himself' when he gave a rendition of It’s De-Lovely as he strolled past Nima Safaei’s Italian eatery in Soho, a court heard. Safaei is (right) with friend Mehrak Davoudi . The singer, who went on to star in West End Boy George musical, Taboo, retorted: ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ He then threw the contents of a glass of champagne in Safaei's face. Safaei got hold of the glass and launched the glass back at Mr Buttery’s head, causing a 1.6in wound to his head and a cut to his ear, the court heard. Mr Buttery was taken to hospital and received plastic surgery after the incident last June 4. It happened outside Forty Dean Street - a restaurant once owned by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli. Safaei had insisted he did not throw the champagne flute and said that he simply pushed the glass he was holding back 'with force'. But the Iranian born restaurateur, who lives in Bayswater, west London, was convicted of unlawful wounding by a majority of 11-to-one, after eight-and-a-half hours of deliberation. Bailing Safaei ahead of sentence on February 21, Judge Martin Beddoe told him: ‘The real issue is whether there might be circumstances where I could suspend the sentence and direct you to do various things to make reparations. I’m undecided about that.’ Mr Buttery had briefly performed the Cole Porter trick in court as he described his version of events to jurors. Location: It happened outside Forty Dean Street - a restaurant once owned by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli . Wearing a dark red shirt and his trademark funky black glasses, the TV star was handed a tissue by court staff after becoming emotional while giving evidence. Attacked: Sam Buttery (pictured on The Voice with presenter Holly Willoughby) was mistaken for a girl in the blind auditions of the talent contest . Mr Buttery was with his flamboyant friend Daniel Lismore - who has been dubbed ‘London’s most outrageous dresser’- at the time. Wearing a black hat and cape over a smart black suit, with his long brown hair tied in a low-ponytail, Mr Lismore claimed Safaei shouted at his friend: ‘Go to the gym.’ Safaei then said ‘something about being fat’ to his friend, he said. Moments later a champagne glass ‘whistled’ past his head, Mr Lismore said. ‘Obviously I was shocked at what I had just seen, and my friend was gushing with blood. ‘I saw him (Safaei) throw it, I saw the glass leave his hand, but I turned at that point. I ducked, as I didn’t know if it was going to hit me or not.’ The actor, DJ and stylist insisted Mr Buttery’s behaviour was not the result of him being drunk. ‘Sam played Leigh Bowery in Taboo which is an amazing musical and he didn’t need a drink to do that. I know what he is like when he is drunk and he didn’t appear to be drunk. ‘I think Sam has had enough of people commenting on his image and he said he didn’t understand what makes someone say that. ‘We are both quite successful in our careers and we don’t have time to mess around.’ Mr Lismore said he tried to stop his friend from confronting Safaei. ‘I don’t like negativity of any kind, especially hatred, which I believe it was for no reason.’ 'I think Sam has had enough of people commenting on his image and he said he didn’t understand what makes someone say that' Daniel Lismore, friend of Sam Buttery . But he added: ‘I think he (Mr Buttery) was welcome to ask ‘why have you just attacked me in the street?’, we want to know why someone is prosecuting us in society. ‘ . Mr Buttery once claimed in a magazine interview that he punched Voice judge Will.i.am for nicknaming him ‘Butters’ - meaning ‘butt ugly’. The singer was also mistaken for a girl in the blind auditions of the talent contest. Neither the TV star or Mr Lismore were present in court for the verdict. Safaei denied but was convicted of unlawful wounding. | Talent show finalist 'drew attention to himself' in Soho, court hears .
Sang It's De-Lovely while strolling past Nima Safaei's Italian eatery .
Buttery, 22, reacted angrily when Safaei told him to 'go to the gym'
Singer and West End star then retorted: 'Don't you know who I am?' |
27,645 | 4e5a9cbe75836cdea876a9e5bdb2c6cf104a9d1e | A man stabbed to death last week on a Las Vegas Strip pedestrian walkway has been identified today as a homeless ex-convict from Pennsylvania dubbed the 'pantyhose prankster.' Rip Alan Swartz, 46, made thousands of random calls to banks, restaurants and other numbers he found in telephone books before he provided his real name to a Virginia woman and was arrested in 2011, said Detective Sgt. Thomas Kauffman, of the Upper Allen Township Police Department in Pennsylvania. 'He would stay up all night and make phone calls,' Kauffman recalled Tuesday. Murdered: A man stabbed to death last week on a Las Vegas Strip pedestrian walkway was identified on Tuesday as Rip Alan Swartz nicknamed the 'pantyhose prankster' 'He said the same thing on every call, mainly focused on pantyhose. By the time it got around to that, most women would hang up.' Swartz's name became public as his alleged assailant, Calvin Boyden III, 22, of Las Vegas, made an initial court appearance on felony murder and robbery charges in the 12:40 a.m. Nov. 25 slaying on a foot bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard near the multi-hotel CityCenter complex. Boyden appeared in shackles and said nothing while Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Janiece Marshall assigned a deputy public defender, Norm Reed, to the case and set a Dec. 15 preliminary hearing. Boyden was being held without bail at the Clark County jail. Reed said Boyden plans to plead not guilty. Reed said he wanted to review the police investigation and view security video before talking about the case. A motive for the slaying wasn't immediately clear, but police said Boyden and Swartz were involved in a confrontation on the walkway before the stabbing, and that Boyden left the walkway before he was arrested. Swartz was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Jail records show that Boyden also was held on felony domestic battery with a weapon and burglary charges stemming from what Reed said was a separate incident. It took several days to locate Swartz's next-of-kin, coroner's officials in Las Vegas said Monday. Records showed Swartz, originally from Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania, was convicted in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, of felony telephone harassment and served from October to December 2011 in state prison, said Sue McNaughton, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Swartz told a judge in October 2011 that he was ashamed to have made thousands of obscene calls during a five-year period, and he said he hoped to complete a treatment program and put the calls behind him. Suspect: Calvin Boyden III, 22, made an initial court appearance on Tuesday on felony murder and robbery charges in the stabbing death of Rip Alan Swartz, 46, on a Las Vegas Strip bridge . | A man stabbed to death last week on a Las Vegas Strip was identified as Rip Alan Swartz, 46, nicknamed the 'pantyhose prankster'
'He would stay up all night and make phone calls,' Detective Sgt. Thomas Kauffman said on Tuesday .
Swartz's name became public as his alleged assailant, Calvin Boyden III, 22, of Las Vegas, made an initial court appearance on felony murder and robbery charges . |
204,752 | 9514afd5d7c31d368a6ecf8f9e367f1e9c42c296 | (CNN) -- Toy manufacturer LEGO, famous for its small plastic stackable bricks, is not allowed to register one of them as its trademark, the European Court of Justice has ruled. The Danish company was granted a trademark for a three-dimensional image of a red eight-stud brick in 1999, for use throughout the European Union. Canadian toy manufacturer Mega Brands, which makes similar plastic bricks, argued that LEGO violated trademark legislation, and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled in favor of Mega Brands on Tuesday. "This was the court of final instance, and we have no option but to note the court's ruling," said Peter Kjaer, the head of LEGO's Intellectual Property Section. The ruling cannot be appealed. The issue was whether the famous LEGO brick served a technical function. European law says companies can trademark graphic images like words, designs, the shape of their goods and packaging -- but trademarking a product's shape, if that shape is "necessary to obtain a technical result," is not allowed, the court said. LEGO argued that did not apply to its brick, because "bricks with virtually the same function can have other appearances," Kjaer said. In making its decision, the court referred to an earlier case involving the electronics makers Philips and Remington over the shape of an electric razor. "Patents can protect technical solutions, such as the means to interconnect toy bricks, but patent protection is limited in time and LEGO's patents for the basic brick have long expired," Mega Brands said in a statement after the ruling. "Put simply, a trademark registration cannot be used to confer a potentially everlasting monopoly on a useful product configuration." Kjaer said the decision will confuse LEGO customers. "It is naturally a matter of concern to us that use of the brick by others can dilute the trademark," he said. "But the worst aspect is that consumers will be misled. Analyses show that 40-60 percent of shoppers believe they are buying a LEGO product when in fact they are purchasing a different product. Shoppers can see there is a different name on the box, but they believe it is a product line or company owned by us." | LEGO may not trademark its iconic plastic brick .
Canadian toy maker Mega Brands said it violated trademark laws . |
171,537 | 6a07b51c7846401dc9772542caaad3828a8b9b5f | Arsenal trio Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker have all been named by Germany in a strong World Cup squad that will send shivers down their rivals' spines. Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle will also be heading to Brazil this summer after getting the nod from boss Joachim Low. Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has also been included, despite not playing since November due to injury. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Ozil and Podolski reveal Germany's World Cup kit, and more . He's got the boot... but not by Germany: Mesut Ozil, pictured promoting a charity event, is going to the World Cup . In the squad: Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski was also handed a spot by boss Joachim Low . Got the nod: Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle can also look forward to a summer in South America . Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund) and Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) Defenders: Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund). Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Andre Hahn (Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Max Meyer (Schalke), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim). Low has injected a strong dose of youth into his provisional 30-man squad, calling up talented Schalke teenagers Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer on Thursday. Along with 19-year-old Goretzka and 18-year-old Meyer, who had a spectacular debut season in the Bundesliga, coach Low also drafted in Borussia Dortmund's Erik Durm, little-known Shkodran Mustafi of Sampdoria (formerly of Everton) and Matthias Ginter of Freiburg. Low did a similar thing before the 2010 edition in South Africa when he announced Germany's youngest World Cup squad in 76 years and they went on to finish third in the tournament. He has also included Real Madrid midfielder Khedira, now ready to return after tearing cruciate knee ligaments last year, but dropped forward Mario Gomez, who missed most of the season at Fiorentina with injury. Low has also called up Hoffenheim forward Kevin Volland along with veteran striker Miroslav Klose. Germany have been drawn in Group G for next month's World Cup in Brazil along with Ghana, Portugal and United States. A lack of form and fitness for some of his star players this season has not gone unnoticed by coach Joachim Low and he admitted on Wednesday that the problems were causing him a 'headache'. 'At the moment we have only seven or eight players who are in top form, Low told Stern magazine. 'The whole situation is causing some headache. 'Klose, (Sami) Khedira, (Mario) Gomez, (Ilkay) Guendogan, Schweinsteiger, they are all players who are pillars in our team but they lack match rhythm.' | Germany name a strong provisional World Cup squad .
Premier League stars included are Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Andre Schurrle .
Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira awarded spot by boss Joachim Low .
Low also gives nod to several young players, including former Everton defender Shkodran Mustafi, who was released by David Moyes . |
183,510 | 79b6f21379c2e722ea4c7e1f250de415ff2707cc | (CNN) -- Three young brothers from Michigan remain missing despite the efforts of police and volunteer searchers working since the boys' disappearance during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Residents in the small city of Morenci, Michigan, held a candlelight vigil Sunday night for Tanner Skelton, 5, Alexander William Skelton, 7, and Andrew Skelton, 9, who were last seen at their father's home on Thanksgiving. The father, John Skelton, was arrested last Tuesday upon his release from a mental health facility where he was being treated after a suicide attempt, according to Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks. Skelton -- charged with parental kidnapping -- is fighting his extradition from Ohio, authorities said last week. A hearing is set for December 14. Although investigators have found "a number of items," they have not determined the children's whereabouts, Weeks has said. Local authorities and federal investigators have been assisting with the search. Weeks has said authorities are skeptical of the information Skelton has provided. Skelton said he left the three boys with a woman, whom he identified as Joann Taylor, the morning before he tried to take his own life -- in part to ensure that they did not witness his suicide attempt. Skelton said Taylor was supposed to take the boys to their home in Morenci, a southern Michigan town of about 2,400 people about 40 miles west-northwest of Toledo, Ohio, on November 26, Weeks said. But the boys never arrived. Earlier, authorities determined that Skelton had no "established relationship" with the person he named as Taylor, and they aren't certain she even exists. Authorities have been asking for the public's help, hoping someone saw Skelton's blue 2000 Dodge Caravan that was believed to be carrying the boys along a 25-mile stretch of road between Morenci and Holiday City, Ohio. The last time someone other than a family member saw the boys was at 5 p.m. on November 25, according to Weeks. Police say Tanner is 3 feet, 6 inches tall, has strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes and weighs about 40 pounds. Alexander is 3 feet, 9 inches tall, has brown hair and eyes, weighs about 45 pounds and has scars on his hairline and chin. The oldest brother, Andrew, is 4 feet, 1 inches tall, has brown hair and eyes and weighs roughly 57 pounds. | Tanner Skelton, 5, Alexander William Skelton, 7, and Andrew Skelton, 9, remain missing .
Their father, John Skelton, is charged with parental kidnapping .
He is fighting extradition from Ohio .
Residents held a candlelight vigil for the missing boys . |
131,470 | 35fefffce1c75fb1f50ab5cdb60efc4fbb6a1cca | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 08:58 EST, 23 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:57 EST, 23 February 2014 . Nearly a month's rain could fall in parts of Britain by tomorrow as experts warn this winter's storm weather is shrinking the UK's coastline 10 times faster than normal. Forecasters say the wet and windy conditions will continue in the north-west tonight with gusts of wind reaching 70mph in parts of the UK. Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said: 'There will be an awful lot of rain but the places that will see the most will be on the tops of hills in Cumbria and in largely unpopulated areas. A section of staircase leading to the beach at Birling Gap in East Sussex is removed after being damaged by a storm which caused three years of erosion in one month . Heavy seas lead to flooding and storm damage on Penzance promanard in Cornwall . 'The average rainfall for Cumbria in February is usually around 100 to 105mm and we forecasting that by tomorrow morning 80mm may have fallen in these areas. 'However in most places it's likely to be more like 20 to 30mm. In the south there will be not an awful lot of rainful, it will be mostly dry and mild. 'Going forward into the week the weather will continue to be unsettled, it will be blustery, windy and a mixture of sun and showers for most of the UK, but temperatures will remain mild.' 'Parts of north Wales, such as Snowdonia, may also see heavy rain like this and coastal areas will continue to see high winds of 60 to 70mph. Three severe Met Office rain warnings remain in place and the Environment is continuing to warn about flooding in 48 areas. Meanwhile, experts have said Britain's coastline will shrink 10 times faster this year following the storms - eroding by metres rather than centimetres. Hundreds of miles of English and Welsh coast are expected to recede by up to a staggering three metres this year, putting the homes and livelihoods of thousands under threat. A couple had to leave their holiday home in East Sussex due to the storms. Recent storms brought the cliff edge too close, one metre . Large waves smash against the harbour wall at Porthcawl, south Wales . Storm damage: Cliff erosion and landslide at Hoburne Naish Holiday Park in Dorset . Research by Plymouth University has found the expected rate of erosion of 20cm to 30cm per year is likely to jump to between two metres to three metres after huge waves have battered coastal towns this winter. As cliffs have crumbled under the weight of relentless rainfall, the depth of sand on beaches has risen dramatically and is two metres higher than usual in places, according to a study. A team from the university has used state-of-the-art equipment, including seisometers and thermal cameras, to record changes to Cornwall's coastline over the past three years in what is thought to be one of the most far reaching studies ever undertaken. The latest results worryingly reveal the level of erosion is up to 10 times worse after Britain's wettest winter on record. Professor Gerd Masselink, who is studying the erosion in Cornwall, said: 'On average this coastline near Porthleven retreats by 20 to 30cm per year. 'But this year's continuous gale force winds and giant storms have taken their toll and we're looking at losing between two and three metres.' Hundreds of miles of England and Wales' coast is made up of similar sandy beaches and cliffs. Meanwhile, EA chairman Lord Smith was accused yesterday of ignoring local advice about flooding on the Thames. Cllr Colin Rayner, who represents flooded Wraysbury in Berkshire, said he warned the agency the river needed dredging as far back as 2009, but was ignored. The flooding has been so bad it is even threatening this year's Oxford-Cambridge boat race with Oxford's team fearing it is falling behind in training. James Cracknell, the British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist, who lives close to the Thames at Chiswick, says conditions are 'hardly ideal' with the tidal stretch of the river flowing so quickly from Richmond down. 'I suspect it is Oxford who are making more of a fuss about it as they have things a lot worse than Cambridge has at Ely' he said. 'If the Oxford team has to train indoors on rowing machines because they can't go out on the river, it isn't a great feeling knowing that Cambridge are out on the water, but they must not think about the opposition. With outdoor events, these things happen.' Organisers say the historic race will only go ahead if the Thames is judged to be safe - not just for the crews but for thousands of spectators who line the banks to cheer them on. Oxford University's crew members have now been unable to get out on the river for training sessions between Osney and Iffley Locks for more than 60 days because of the floods. | Forecasters say the wet and windy conditions will continue .
Britain's coastal areas will see gusts of wind reaching 70mph .
Experts say storms eroding coastline by metres rather than centimetres . |
172,065 | 6ab5dd02e9fe6f376df33d744a988aaf89fbb6ef | (CNN) -- The Czech Republic has apologized for a controversial art installation it commissioned to mark its six-month presidency of the European Union. David Cerny attends the 'Entropa' exhibit with Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra. The work, "Entropa," frames various representations of each member state as components of a giant multimedia model kit. With Bulgaria depicted as a Turkish toilet and Romania as a vampire theme-park, the work by Czech artist David Cerny has provoked an angry response from some member states. Betina Joteva, spokesperson for Bulgaria's permanent representation to the EU, said in comments reported by EUObserver.com: "It [the work] is preposterous, a disgrace. It is a humiliation for the Bulgarian nation and an offence to [our] national dignity." Look at images of European nations » . At the official unveiling of the work at the EU headquarters in Brussels Thursday, Alexandr Vondra, Czech Deputy Prime Minister for EU affairs, said: "Entropa is a provocation of a kind. I understand that some could feel offended and I would like to apologize to them. This does not just concern Bulgaria but any other member state. "I would also like to apologize to all those whom I have unintentionally misled, among other media representatives and my colleagues from the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic in Brussels. If Entropa was supposed to make fun of someone, that would be us, me in the first place." Bulgaria is not the only nation to suffer an unflattering depiction. What do you think about images? Germany is criss-crossed by a series of autobahns in what some critics say is a close approximation of a swastika; Spain is a giant construction site in a dig at its building boom; and Luxembourg is a gold covered nugget sporting a "For Sale" sign. The Netherlands is depicted as a submerged land with only minarets peeking through the waves in an apparent reference to its religious tensions. Poland recreates the WWII flag-raising at Iwo Jima, only with the U.S. Marines and the Stars and Stripes replaced with Catholic clergy brandishing the multi-colored gay pride flag. The UK is absent from the work -- possibly because of its on-off relationship with the rest of the continent. In a further embarrassment, the Czech government said in a statement on its presidency Web site Tuesday that the original brief was for the work to be created by 27 artists representing all EU Member States -- and that it was "unpleasantly surprised" to learn that this was not the case. When we received the proposal for a joint project of 27 artists, we created the conditions for its realization," Vondra said Thursday in quotes carried on the presidency Web site. "The project which was then delivered by David Cerny included the names of 26 other artists, each of them being the creator of his or her own country. "Part of the deal was that any other costs relating to production of the project would be covered by the artist himself or private funds he would find. Only after the Entropa had been installed here we learnt, much to our surprise and dismay, that the participation of 27 artists was in fact a piece of misinformation. "It was an unpleasant shock for us although the conceptual artist DC later apologize to the government and informed us that we did not use the Czech tax payers' money appropriated for this project. "It was an unpleasant shock for us," Vondra said Thursday, in speech carried. although the conceptual artist DC later apologize to the government and informed us that we did not use the Czech tax payers' money appropriated for this project. Cerny is no stranger to controversy. In 1991 he was arrested after painting pink a Soviet tank that served as a Prague war memorial. His Web site shows other examples of his work, including previous kit-style installations entitled "Jesus Christ" and "Dead Raped Woman"; and a life-size bronze fountain that depicts two men standing opposite each other, urinating. Cerny, and his main collaborators Kristof Kintera and Tomas Pospiszyl apologized to Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and other government ministers Tuesday, according to a statement on the artist's Web site, for " not having informed them about what is true and for having misled them." The statement adds that Cerny and his colleagues initially wanted to use 27 European artists for "Entropa", but fell short due to lack of time and money. Instead, they say, they decided to create fictional artists, some of whom have even been given their own Web sites. | Czech Republic assumed six-month presidency of European Union this month .
Czech artist, govt. apologized for artwork that sparked diplomatic protests .
"Entropa" was officially unveiled at EU HQ in Brussels Thursday .
Bulgarian EU representative: A humiliation for the Bulgarian nation . |
94,069 | 04eed9361919f0dddeeefc838e3e1391a0bca271 | Questions emerged today over the reasons behind the departure of ITV weathergirl Sian Lloyd from the channel after 24 years. Ms Lloyd, who at 56 was Britain's longest-serving female forecaster, has not presented the ITV weather since February. Despite having done the job for the broadcaster since 1990, the year after the ITV National Weather Service was created, she left quietly and without any announcement. Scroll down for video . Why did she go? Sian Lloyd, 56, quietly left her job of 24 years presenting the weather for ITV in February . That same month, she wrote an online blog about ITV's weather service commenting on 'this age of blatant lookism' in the world of television. Viewers have taken to online forums to ask what has happened to the popular presenter. One wrote:'Any ideas where Sian Lloyd has vanished to? 'She hasn't been on ITV for around six months now but is still very active on her weathergirl website. 'Perhaps long term sabbatical? Or has she left ITV altogether? Another questioned whether ageism was an issue, with one writing on a popular television forum: 'Surely this is not an ageism issue? 'I would have thought senior and experienced presenters would be just what a broadcaster would want, not kids fresh out of school.' In February, the month Ms Lloyd left her weather job at ITV, the Welsh star wrote a blog for Huffington Post that now reads like a swansong for her career at ITV. Paying tribute to veteran presenters Martyn Davies and Alex Hill, she wrote: 'They taught me so much...' Ms Lloyd had a well-publicised engagement with Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik, right, which ended in 2006 . 'In this age of blatant lookism, they were totally themselves. 'They had no interest in polishing their egos, only in focusing on delivering the most accurate forecast possible... 'ITV will never see their likes again. 'As a compatriot of mine once sang: Those were the days my friends...'' In an article written a couple of years previously, Lloyd referred to herself as a 'survivor' in a world where ageism was 'prevalent', and insisted she would work 'til I drop'. She wrote: 'There is no doubt that ageism is prevalent in TV, way more so than in society at large. 'As for me, I intend fighting fire with fire and working till I drop. I shall be happy when they start calling Michael Fish a Weather Boy, and when they dare put a female with as big a belly as Bill Giles on the National Weather.' Her heyday: Ms Lloyd, pictured presenting the weather in 1999, became a popular and experienced presenter . Today, a spokesman for ITV was quick to deny that Ms Lloyd's departure from ITV had anything to do with her age. He said: 'As both ITV and Sian have stated, she has moved on to pursue new opportunities. 'To claim that her departure has anything to do with her age is complete nonsense.' Ms Lloyd's agent Seamus Lyte told MailOnline that Ms Lloyd, who was engaged to Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik before marrying motor-racing entrepreneur, Jonathan Ashman in 2007, had 'moved on'. He said: 'Sian has been busy filming for a number of shows on ITV, BBC and S4C and doing a number of corporate and charity related events so that has been keeping her very busy. 'S4C and BBC Scotland are also working with Sian.' Ms Lloyd has been happily married to motor-racing entrepreneur Jonathan Ashman, pictured, since 2007 . He added: 'Sian has been a long-standing Met Office presenter, and is now moving on from presenting the weather on ITV, after more than 20 years to pursue these opportunities.' But Mr Lyte did not respond to questions over whose decision it was for the veteran weathergirl to leave ITV, or whether her age had been a contributing factor. Ms Lloyd also runs her tvweathergirl.com website and does corporate work. | An ITV weathergirl since 1990, she's UK's longest-serving female forecaster .
But in February this year she quietly left the ITV National Weather Service .
There was no announcement, but she wrote about 'blatant lookism' in TV .
One viewer wrote on a TV forum saying'Surely this is not an ageism issue?'
But ITV spokesman said that saying age was an issue 'is complete nonsense'
Ms Lloyd's agent Seamus Lyte said she had 'moved on to new opportunities'
But didn't respond to question of whose decision it was or if age was issue . |
143,675 | 45cc1a5eb275496309e8d296f0b8ea316bbd6189 | By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 02:59 EST, 10 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:15 EST, 10 April 2012 . Frantic 911 calls made seconds after a Navy fighter jet crashed into a retirement community reveal the frantic reactions of those who had just witnessed the plane fall out of the sky. The two-seater F-18 jet crashed into the Mayfield . Mews apartment complex, about a mile from the Atlantic Ocean and . Virginia Beach, on Friday, after suffering a 'catastrophic . mechanical malfunction' during a training flight. The plane plunged into an apartment . building, destroying at least three buildings and damaging more than 65 of the housing units - but incredibly no-one was killed. As nearby residents rushed to the burning wreckage to try and help, others made calls to the emergency services to ask for rapid response. One caller pleads for assistance: 'Oh my God - all those old . people. Oh my God, you need to hurry up and get help here. There's a . terrible fire - oh my God, something's exploding... The whole thing is . on fire.' Scroll down for videos of the fire and the 911 phonecalls . Flames: Callers flooded 911 following the sudden impact of the jet into the apartment complex in Virginia Beach . Inferno: Though the pilots expelled most of the fuel before crashing, the fuselage caught ablaze as people called for help . 'Hello, yes we've just had a jet . explode on Birdneck' says one caller, leading the incredulous operator . to double-check what he has heard. 'A what explode?', he asks. 'Do you know if anybody is injured?' 'I have no idea, the place is on fire, I don't know - get everyone up here,' she pleads. One caller says she keeps calling and . calling, but no-one has arrived yet - except the pilot, who is sitting . on her porch. She says: 'There's no-one here, there's the pilot waiting on my patio.' 'The pilot is on your patio?', the operator replies, with a quick double-take. 'Yes and no-one's here and I keep calling and calling and there's no-one answering.' The pilots ejected from the plane and are credited with . saving lives by dumping their fuel seconds before impact. Concerns: There are no known fatalities from the dramatic crash, but three elderly residents who lived in the apartment block are unaccounted for . Wrecked: An aerial view of the apartments shows the roofs of several buildings completely destroyed . As the plane still burns, the 911 operators deal with more and more calls for assistance. As one caller complains how long it . takes to get through, the 911 operator responds: 'Ma'am, we've got 47 . calls in the queue to be answered.' Another caller witnessed the plane as it struggled to keep control. He told the operator: 'A Navy plane just went down on 24th . Street. 'I saw the pilot bail out, he did bail out - but it hit the . apartment complex. The apartment building is on fire. The apartment . building is completely destroyed.' Five civilians, as well as the two . pilots, who were a student and an instructor, were taken to hospital to . be treated, but their injuries were not serious and all but one, a . pilot, had been released by Friday evening. Three elderly people were unaccounted for in the hours after the crash, but everyone had been accounted for by Saturday morning. Fire department spokesman Tim Riley said three . buildings were destroyed, and two more had significant damage. Dr. Thomas Thames of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital told WAVY-TV that six . people were brought to the hospital, including the two pilots. Two . people were treated for smoke inhalation, one fainted at the scene and . the other person was a police officer hurt at the scene, he said. The Navy said that . the jet was an F/A-18D assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 106 based at . Naval Air Station Ocean. It crashed shortly after . takeoff at a site near the base at about 12:05 p.m. Take off: The F18 is seen taking off from Naval Air Station Oceana in its ill-fated flight . Bruce Nedelka, the Virginia Beach EMS . division chief, said that it seemed like the pilots were dumping the . jet’s fuel prior to the crash. That action likely prevented a . massive fireball upon impact, he said. ‘He mitigated what could have . been an absolute massive, massive fireball. With all of that jet fuel . dumped, it was much less than what it could have been.’ George . Pilkington also witnessed the disaster, and told CNN the timeline of . events, . describing a few large explosions after the initial crash. He said: ‘It . was emptying out fuel and the tail end was down. They (the crew members) must have ejected before they came down.’ Mr Pilkington also said the engine sounded like it was ‘straining and stressing’. One witness said that when the . pilot came down he was still strapped to his ejector seat and had to be . pulled out of the wreckage - when he immediately said sorry for the . crash. Retired Virginia . Beach rescuer Pat Kavanaugh said: ‘He apologised very much for . hitting our complex and I told him: "Don’t worry about it, everything’s . going to be fine". ‘I . checked him over, did a body survey, he was in shock, still strapped to . his seat so we picked him up, dragged him to the other side of the . parking lot away from the fire.' Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesperson Cmdr. Phil Rosi told the website that both aviators safely ejected from the plane. Video: 911 calls to dispatchers . | Navy jet crashed into Virginia Beach complex around noon on Friday .
Two pilots - a student and an instructor - ejected from aircraft before impact .
911 calls show chaos .
Amazingly, no fatalities despite destruction of complex . |
213,285 | a034a84dd11d7b15827c4b9d27f6c75dc09904ea | Hull are making an improved bid for Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes by offering £10million for the Scotland international. Blackburn rejected Hull's opening offer of £8m plus add ons as they value the striker at £14m. Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer confirmed Hull's interest in the 24-year-old, who signed a new contract in July. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Steve Bruce's reaction after opening day win against QPR . Striker: Hull City have made a bid for Blackburn and Scotland forward Jordan Rhodes . Bowyer is working with a squad of 22 players with three of them goalkeepers and will struggle without a player who has scored 53 goals in 99 games. Hull need a striker and one of their other targets Lorient's Vincent Aboubakar is poised to join Porto who are in talks to sell Jackson Martinez to AC Milan. Blackburn's owners are considering bids for the 24-year-old Scotland international, who signed a new long-term contract at Ewood Park in July. Rovers paid Huddersfield a club-record fee of £8m for Rhodes in 2012 and he has since scored 53 goals in 99 games. Bowyer said: 'There has been an enquiry which has been taken to the board and the owners. That's as much as I know.' Steve Bruce is in need of another striker after selling Shane Long to Southampton and has been rebuffed by Manchester United's Danny Welbeck while also considering Watford's Troy Deeney, Vincent Aboubakar of Lorient and Steven Fletcher at Sunderland. Rhodes has scored 52 goals in 90 games for Blackburn since joining from Huddersfield for £8million. Bruce was dealt a blow on Wednesday after his £7million summer signing Robert Snodgrass was sidelined for six months after dislocating his knee cap. In addition, Alex Bruce is ruled out with a back injury and, following the sale of Shane Long to Southampton last week, Bruce is fully aware of the need to act before the transfer window slams shut. VIDEO Tigers dealt cruel Snodgrass blow . Transfer: Rhodes signed for Blackburn in 2012 after three very successful seasons with Huddersfield . Blow: New Hull signing Robert Snodgrass is out of action for up to six months with a dislocated knee . It’s not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There’s £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . | Hull City bid for Jordan Rhodes .
Move confirmed by Blackburn boss Gary Bowyer .
Steve Bruce dealt blow as Robert Snodgrass ruled out for six months .
Bruce has failed with an attempt to sign Danny Welbeck . |
210,178 | 9c31b1307bd9b20f5c887a5fd95068d20ca12fd4 | Real Madrid are on the verge of agreeing the most lucrative stadium deal of all time as the European champions prepare to sell the naming rights of their stadium. According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Real will bring in around €500milliion (£390million) over the next 20 years by renaming the Bernabeu. The deal with International Petroleum Investment Company, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi royal family, has been in negotiations for several months, and is close to being signed. The Bernabeu is set to be renamed after a blockbuster sponsorship deal from Abu Dhabi . Madrid are worried about the fans' reaction but the deal would net the club a huge amount of money . Opened: 1944 as New Chamartin . Capacity: 85,000 . Showpiece matches: World Cup final 1982 . European Cup finals 1957, 1969, 1980, 2010 . European Championship final 1964 . Named after former Real Madrid chairman Santiago Bernabeu . It would pave the way for Real to expand their stadium, which club president Florentino Perez wants to begin as soon as possible. The deal could be announced at the club's General Assembly which is currently underway. However, Perez is worried about the reaction of fans to any possible renaming, with the move thought to be unpopular among the Spanish club's supporters. Stadium naming is commonplace in England, with Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Manchester City's the Etihad Stadium prime examples. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is keen to do the deal which has been being prepared for months . The Bernabeu could soon have a new name as Real Madrid are set to bring in a huge fee . | Stadium naming rights deal would bring in €500m over 20 years .
Money would allow club to expand Santiago Bernabeu .
Deal could be announced at club's General Assembly . |
96,372 | 07fd513c2bc69a84afee74823cf9db53f9e1f11c | President Barack Obama on Wednesday cut short prison time for eight drug convicts and issued pardons to twelve other federal offenders in a move designed to draw attention to his objections to mandatory-minimum drug sentencing. It's unclear whether the White House will issue a broader set of clemency proclamations in Obama last two years in office, but the news came while the nation's attention was focused on a handful of more controversial prisoner releases: the three Cuban spies traded to the Castro regime in exchange for an aging American aid worker who sat behind bars for five years. That move came on the front end of a day-long White House focus on 'normalizing' diplomatic and trade relations between Washington and Havana. The 20 other recipients of presidential clemency went comparatively unnoticed. Obama's commutations were the first issued under new guidelines his administration announced earlier this year designed to cut costs by reducing the nation's bulging prison population. A pardon forgives a crime without erasing the conviction, typically after the sentence has been served. A commutation leaves the conviction in place but ends the punishment earlier than a court has prescribed. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? (100 times the prison sentence!) Americans sentenced in the 1980s and 1990s for possession or distribution of crack cocaine (left) often received sentences far out of proportion with those caught using or selling the 'powder' form of the same drug (right) There are 98,082 federal prisoners serving time in facilities like this one in Butner, North Carolina, for drug offenses, according to the Bureau of Prisons. That's 48.7 per cent of all convicts in the federal system . The White House said the eight shortened sentences were in cases where the prisoners would have received a substantially lower sentence if they were punished today, and would have already served their time. Obama has said he wants to show leniency toward nonviolent drug offenders sentenced to double-digit federal prison terms. For example, Barbara Scrivner was sentenced to 30 years in 1995 when she was 27 years old for a minor role in her husband's methamphetamine ring. Obama ordered her sentence to expire June 12; others will expire April 15. Administration officials told the Associated Press that they expect Obama to grant more clemency petitions. The White House says 6,561 people already have applied in the past year, compared to 2,370 the year before. 'I think there is an awareness out there that this president is interested in granting clemency on these kinds of matters,' White House counsel Neil Eggleston told the AP. The clemency policy changes aren't limited to drug offenders, who comprise about half of the roughly 216,000 federal prisoners, but the criteria make it clear they are the main target. To be eligible, inmates must have already been behind bars for at least 10 years, have a nonviolent history, have no other major criminal convictions, have a good behavior record in prison, and be serving a sentence that, if imposed today, would be substantially shorter than what they were given at the time. The old sentencing guidelines subjected tens of thousands of African-Americans in particular to long prison terms for crack cocaine convictions, while saddling those caught with powder cocaine with far more lenient sentences. Those convicts tended to be white. The guidelines were enacted in 1986 when crack cocaine use was rampant and considered a particularly dangerous and violence-related drug. Under that law, a person convicted of possessing five grams of crack cocaine got the same mandatory prison term as someone with 500 grams of powder cocaine. UNNOTICED: Obama's clemency proclamations were buried in the day's other prison-related news – the release of three Cuban spies in exchange for an ailing foreign aid worker imprisoned in Cuba since 2009 . The president signed the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010 to cut penalties for crack cocaine offenses in order to reduce the disparity. But the act addressed only new cases, not old ones. In his first term, Obama commuted just one drug sentence and pardoned 39 people, leading prisoner advocates to accuse him of being too stingy with his power. Obama aides said it was because he wasn't receiving more positive recommendations from the Office of the Pardon Attorney, so he directed the Justice Department to improve its clemency recommendation process and recruit more applications from among current prisoners. The Bureau of Prisons has been notifying inmates of the new criteria, and the Justice Department has asked bar associations around the country to help prepare their petitions. Deputy Attorney General James Cole, who in April announced the clemency policy changes, said in a statement that Wednesday's sentence commutations reflect a 'commitment to bring fairness to our criminal justice system.' 'While all eight were properly held accountable for their criminal actions, their punishments did not fit their crimes, and sentencing laws and policies have since been updated to ensure more fairness for low-level offenders,' he said. The White House noted Obama now has commuted 18 sentences, compared to 11 under President George W. Bush and three in the first six years of the Clinton presidency. Clinton eventually commuted 61, most of them in a controversial action on his last day in office. President Barack Obama on has commuted the sentences of the following eight people convicted of drug crimes: . The president ordered the commuted sentences to expire on April 15, except for Johnson and Scrivner on June 12. Obama granted full pardons to twelve other convicts: . | President picked low-level drug offenders whose sentences would have been shorter if they were punished today .
New clemency guidelines originally brought few requests out of the woodwork so the DOJ ordered officials to encourage people to apply .
News was little-reported because it came as the White House announced the release of three Cuban spies as part of a prisoner swap with Castro . |
123,381 | 2b7d222cc97e9bc5659f2b36defa2c779f24d969 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Sen. David Vitter returned from a week-long absence from Congress Tuesday, a day after he made a public apology for "a serious sin" as investigators probe an alleged prostitution ring that operated in the nation's capital. Vitter vanished from public view last week after his phone number turned up among those kept by a reputed "D.C. Madam" in records that have become part of her upcoming criminal trial. The Louisiana conservative apologized privately to his fellow Republican senators at their weekly policy lunch Tuesday, senators who attended the lunch said. One described Vitter's his apology as "humble" and "short and to the point." The senator said Vitter was met with a great deal of "empathy" by the senators in the room. Watch Vitter apologize for his "past failings" » . Tuesday morning, Vitter did not visit his Senate office, where the media had camped out in anticipation of his return. He also was not seen at a residential address near the Supreme Court building. He eventually emerged at a scheduled Senate hearing taking place near his office building. He arrived nearly 30 minutes late for the start of the panel, which heard testimony regarding commercial airline service to outlying parts of the United States. At first, only CNN and a local camera crew had learned of his whereabouts. But as word spread among media outlets, Senate officials had to urge order among the gaggle of newspaper writers, photographers and other television crews that began making noisy entrances to record Vitter's return. The senator left the hearing early and tried to ignore shouted questions and camera lights in the hallway. He then turned and stopped. Vitter referred to comments he made Monday evening near New Orleans, Louisiana, then said, "I look forward today to be back at work, really focused on a lot of important issues for the people of Louisiana. I'll leave it at that." Last week, Vitter acknowledged in a statement that his number had turned up in the telephone records of accused "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Vitter, 46, said those calls were made prior to his election to the Senate in 2004, and he and his wife had already dealt with what he termed a "serious sin" privately, through marriage counseling and confession to a Roman Catholic priest. On Monday, Vitter and his wife Wendy spoke to reporters in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, where he lives. "I know this has hurt the relationship of trust I've enjoyed with so many of you and that I have a lot of work to do to rebuild that trust," the senator said. Palfrey is facing money laundering and racketeering charges stemming from her alleged prostitution operation. She had denied the charges, saying her business was a legitimate, legal escort service. At first she tried to sell the phone records to raise money for her defense. After a judge imposed restrictions on the records, Palfrey distributed the records without charge, hoping media outlets would help track down clients who her lawyer believes may help in her defense. Vitter is the first lawmaker entangled in the case, although State Department official Randall Tobias resigned in May after confirming he patronized Palfrey's business. Larry Flynt's Hustler magazine claimed credit for exposing Vitter's connection to Palfrey, saying he came clean only after a journalist working as a paid consultant for the magazine discovered the senator's number in her phone records. E-mail to a friend . | NEW: Sen. David Vitter resumes work on Capitol Hill .
NEW: Linked to "D.C. Madam," he tries to keep low profile .
NEW: Conservative apologizes to fellow Republicans at lunch .
NEW: Journalists seeking Vitter cause disruption in Senate committee meeting . |
50,722 | 8f80189cdbe44da40b76b354befddd73e090e93f | By . Associated Press . When openly gay police chief Crystal Moore was fired by a mayor who condemned her lifestyle as 'questionable,' she feared her two decade career in law enforcement in this town was over. Then, this conservative, small town rebelled. The people of Latta, who voted overwhelmingly for a state amendment banning gay marriage eight years ago, turned against the mayor, stripped him of his powers and the town council rehired Moore. They said her dedication to the town mattered more than her sexual orientation. Scroll down for video . Chief: Crystal Moore stands beside her police SUV on Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Latta . Residents remembered Moore's civic spirit from as far back as 1989, when Hurricane Hugo tore through Latta. She was a high school student working part time as a police dispatcher, and helped cut downed tree limbs to clean up the debris. This February, when an ice storm crippled the town and left it without power for days, Moore piled her officers in her SUV and checked on as many people as she could. 'That's Crystal. All she does is help people. I don't get why he fired her. Maybe it's the ignorant people who talk the loudest. She was the same great Crystal yesterday as she is today, and she'll be the same person tomorrow,' said lifelong Latta resident Dottie Walters. Mayor Earl Bullard vehemently denied that he fired Moore because she was gay. Instead, he said she was dismissed for 'sheer insubordination' during the three months he was her boss. Moore said she hadn't received a single reprimand during her career until Bullard presented her with seven the day she was fired in April. Word of her termination spread fast in this tobacco hub of about 1,400 people, just off Interstate 95. About two dozen people gathered at her office in support on the day she was let go. The support for Moore grew when Town Councilman Jarett Taylor started secretly recording his conversations with the mayor, which is legal in South Carolina. Taylor said he learned not to trust the mayor because he would tell him something, and later deny he ever said it. Discussion: Latta Police Chief Crystal Moore talks with friends at a fundraiser for a youth softball team on Thursday. Residents of Latta rallied around Moore after the mayor fired her and mentioned he didn't like she was gay, even voting to strip the mayor of his power so Moore could get her job back . In a conversation released to reporters after Moore was fired, the mayor said: 'I'd much rather have somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children, because that ain't the damn way it's supposed to be.' Bullard, who has avoided reporters for much of the past three months, told The Associated Press that was him on the tape. He offered no apologies. 'I don't like the homosexual ways portrayed in front of children,' Bullard told AP by telephone Thursday. 'You can't explain to a 5-year-old why another child has two mommies or two daddies.' Since the story made headlines, Bullard said he had received a stack of hate mail that was 'probably an inch-and-a-half thick.' Within days of Moore's termination, the town council passed a vote of confidence in her. They also set up an election that would strip the mayor of his power and give them more authority, including the ability to hire the police chief. Moore, who played softball at Latta High School, walked up and down the streets for days before the vote, explaining her side of the story and calling for change. Last month, 69 percent of 475 voters approved of taking the mayor's power away. Now essentially a figurehead, it's not clear what he is going to do next. He ran unopposed in 2013 and still has three years left on his term. Reinstated: When Moore returned to work June 30, people honked their car horns and gave her thumbs up as she drove around in her police SUV . When Moore returned to work June 30, people honked their car horns and gave her thumbs up as she drove around in her police SUV, according to television reports. When an AP reporter rode around with her recently, nearly everyone waved as she drove by. 'Crystal is a good chief and she loves this town,' said Taylor, the councilman. 'It made me proud of my town to see everybody come out for her the way they did.' Latta is a blink-and-you-miss-it town that started as a train depot and grew into a tobacco hub. Many people pass it on their way to Myrtle Beach, which is about 50 miles away. The only rainbow in town is on the Carolina Kidz daycare center. Moore's firing turned her into an unlikely activist. Before, she would bring her partner to civic festivals, but avoided gay pride events because she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Now she travels about once a week to talk to gay groups and encourage laws to stop discrimination against homosexuals. South Carolina does not have a statewide ban on firing people because of their sexual orientation. 'I think things are going to change, like they did in the civil rights movement,' Moore said. State unemployment officials sided with Moore, voting she was fired without cause and eligible for back pay and benefits for the two months she didn't have a job. The fight left Moore with nearly $20,000 in legal bills. About $8,000 has been pledged from people through a Facebook site, but that still leaves a lot of debt for someone who makes less than $40,000 a year running a 10-officer department. So the town is arranging a yet-to-be determined fundraiser, Moore said. 'It's just remarkable,' she said. 'I can't ever thank this place enough.' | The people of Latta, South Carolina rehired fire police chief Crystal Moore after she was fired by Mayor Earl Bullard .
Moore said she hadn't received a single .
reprimand during her career until Bullard presented her with seven the .
day she was fired in April .
Bullard vehemently denied that he fired Moore because she was gay and said she was dismissed for 'sheer insubordination' during .
the three months he was her boss .
The mayor was recorded by a town councilman saying 'I'd much rather have .
somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had .
somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children'
Within .
days of Moore's termination, the town council passed a vote of .
confidence in her. They also set up an election that would strip the .
mayor of his power and give them more authority, including the ability .
to hire the police chief . |
112,974 | 1dcbcaf144850fd14eafd46490a6f1667c92b678 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:09 EST, 9 December 2013 . A 97-year-old World War II veteran in Oklahoma faces a murder charge after authorities say he fatally shot his 30-year-old great granddaughter last week at the home the two shared. When asked why he shot the woman, Russell Eugene Dawes told police that he 'got tired of her carrying on and I shot her,' according to an arrest report filed in Payne County District Court in central Oklahoma. According to authorities, Dawes called a friend who owned a funeral home on Thursday morning and asked if he would pick up the body of his granddaughter, Sonja James, who had moved into his house to take care of him. 'Killer': Russell Eugene Dawes told police he shot his great granddaughter because he was 'tired of her carrying on' Rodger Floyd, the owner and director of the Davis Funeral Home in Cushing, told police he rushed to Dawes' home, where he confessed to him that he'd shot his granddaughter and asked him to remove the body from his house. 'I went up to him, I told him, anything I could do to help him, I'd be . more than happy to help him. He thanked me and he told me to take good . care of his granddaughter,' Floyd, who has known Dawes for nearly 30 years and has helped him make other funeral arrangements, told WPTV. Floyd immediately called police to report an unattended death. Victim: 30-year-old Sonja James leaves behind an 8-year-old son after authorities say her great grandfather shot her . According to police records, responding sheriff's deputies found James' body on a bed with a wound in her chin area. James leaves behind an 8-year-old son. Dawes has no criminal record and is described by his attorney as a 'very nice gentleman.' He's been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail. Sonja James' (right) body was found in a bed in the home she shared with her great grandfather . | Sonja James moved in with her great grandfather to help take care of him .
James, 30, leaves behind an 8-year-old son .
97-year-old Russell Eugene Dawes is a World War II veteran . |
209,622 | 9b74d4d756c8fb825e548754725ce118e2f4904a | By . Rebecca Camber, Nick Fagge and Nazia Parveen . PUBLISHED: . 05:40 EST, 26 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:08 EST, 26 March 2012 . Still shaken: Leanne Zaloumis was remanded in custody today after breaking in to Simon Cowell's house on Saturday night . Armed police were sent to the home of Simon Cowell after a woman allegedly battered her way in wielding a broken brick. Leanne Zaloumis, 29, is accused of breaking into the pop mogul’s £9million mansion by smashing his bathroom window with a rock after scrambling on to a flat roof. Cowell, 52, was left terrified after coming face to face with the woman who was said to be standing on the roof outside his shattered bathroom window holding a rock above her head, with her hands covered in blood. The X Factor creator fled to his bedroom and his staff called Scotland Yard who immediately sent a squad of armed officers to his home. After searching the grounds and gardens, firearms officers found an intruder hiding on a shelf seven feet up in a walk-in wardrobe with blood-smeared walls adjoining Cowell’s bedroom. Yesterday Cowell was not present to see the accused woman, wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt, appear in court for the first time since the alleged break-in on Saturday night. A charge of aggravated burglary with intent was read to her. Paul Mitchell, prosecuting, said she ‘entered, as a trespasser, a dwelling with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm upon a person therein and at the time of committing the said burglary had with you a weapon of offence, namely a broken house brick’. West London Magistrates’ Court heard how Cowell was watching TV in his bedroom at 10.30pm when he heard a ‘loud bang’ in his bathroom on the first floor of his lavish home in West London, which used to be the French ambassador’s residence. On entering the bathroom to investigate, he was confronted by a figure standing on a flat roof outside the window screaming as she held a rock aloft, Mr Mitchell said. He told the court: ‘On Saturday 24th March around half past ten in the evening, Simon Cowell, a relatively high-profile celebrity, was watching TV in his bedroom. 'He then hears what he describes as a loud bang that he says comes from his bathroom which is located next to his bedroom.' ‘He goes to investigate and sees a figure outside his first-floor bathroom window. He could see that the window was already damaged and there was broken glass on the floor and around the window frame.’ Tuning in: Cowell was watching himself on The Jonathan Ross Show when the break-in occurred . Cowell has said that outside the window he could see a woman who was shouting and holding a rock above her head. He said he tried to speak to her but she continued to shout at him and then started to hit the window again with the rock. Panicked, Cowell ran for help and a member of staff called police while others searched the garden and grounds. Within minutes, firearms officers had arrived. With weapons drawn they searched his home, eventually finding a woman hiding on the shelf in the wardrobe where blood had been smeared on the walls during the ‘disturbing and frenzied’ break-in. A woman was arrested at the scene and taken to a West London police station. Nothing was found on her apart from a few possessions including a coat and a handbag which did not belong to Cowell. He told a friend: ‘It was scary . . . she was smashing her way into my bathroom with a rock and wouldn’t stop. Then she hid in the house.’ Homebody: Cowell pictured outside his London home in 2010 . 'Freaked out': The TV judge, pictured in one of his Bentleys, suffered a previous security lapse in 2008 when his £140,000 luxury car was found to have been bugged with a magnetic tracking device . Cowell has 24-hour security at the property, which includes a team of guards based there. Bodyguards also join him at the studios during filming for his TV shows including Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor. Yesterday experts were examining how to make the mansion more secure. Staff were cleaning the house to remove any traces of glass and blood left in the bathroom and wardrobe, which were said to have been caused by lacerations to the intruder’s hands. Zaloumis spoke yesterday only to confirm her name and her address in Catford, South-East London. District Judge James Henderson remanded her in custody to appear again at Isleworth Crown Court on June 12. | Leanne Zaloumis, 29, remanded in custody by magistrates .
She is charged with trespassing on music mogul's property . |
253,184 | d3b77e4b0dc5172b859e923d6e8f3cf2bd8d3f58 | The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a rare night out on their Royal tour Saturday when they attended a rugby union match in Sydney. It was the first time the royal couple had been out in the evening away from official duties during their whirlwind tour of Australia and New Zealand. William, 31, sipped on a beer as he sat next to Kate to watch the match between the New South Wales Waratahs and South Africa's Northern Bulls. Scroll down for video . Royal night out: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a rugby union match in Sydney on Saturday . Time to relax: After a busy day of official duties in Queensland, the Duke and Duchess kicked back to enjoy the game . The Duchess, 31, dressed in a casual grey sweater, Beulah London cashmere scarf and jeans, and laughed and chatted to a woman sitting next to her in the corporate box at Allianz Stadium. William wore his glasses in order to watch the match closely, and dressed in a bright blue sweater, checked shirt and jeans. Sir David Manning, one of his closest aides, also attended the stadium The Waratahs won, beating the Bulls 19-12. The last time the couple were seen out in the evening on the royal tour was in New Zealand to attend a lavish State Reception thrown by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae at his official residence, Government House. Kate paid tribute to her Kiwi royal tour hosts as she dazzled in an evening dress embroidered with silver ferns. Talking tactics: William and Kate chatted as they watched the match between the New South Wales Waratahs and South Africa's Northern Bulls . Thirsty Will? The Duke sipped on a beer as he sat with the Duchess in a corporate box at Allianz Stadium . Earlier in the day the royal couple visited RAAF base Amberley, near Brisbane, where they climbed inside the cockpit of a Super Hornet fighter jet. The Duke and Duchess were presented with a framed photograph of a jet in flight before posing for a photograph with 1 Squadron. William climbed into the front pilot's position in the aircraft before switching to the back seat, which is used to control the jet's weapons systems. The Duchess then saw her chance and stepped elegantly into the front seat despite wearing four-inch heels and a tight-fitting knee length white LK Bennett dress with blue flowers. The pair sat for a while asking questions before moving on to a simulator where they took an imaginary flight over Queensland and the Gold Coast in a simulated super hornet flight. Rare treat: It was a rare non-official outing for the couple, who have been on a whirlwind tour of Australia and New Zealand . Casual attire: The Duchess wore a casual grey sweater, printed silk scarf and jeans while the Duke opted for a bright blue sweater, checked shirt and jeans . Chief of Air Force Air Marshall Geoff Brown and Commanding Officer of Number 1 Squadron, Stephen Chappell talked the young royals through the jet's operation. Air Marshall Brown revealed the pair were preferring Australia's weather to the conditions turned on by New Zealand - where it was cold and rained for most of the 10-day visit. 'They talked about the weather and that it was a lot better than when they were in New Zealand,' Air Marshall Brown said. Commanding Officer Chappell said Kate was fascinated by the 'dials and gadgets' on the Super Hornet. He remarked there was some 'biplay between the two as to who was sitting in what seat'. Busy schedule: The last time the couple were seen out together at night was for an official State Reception in New Zealand . Where's George? The little prince was nowhere to be seen, having stayed in Sydney for the day while the couple flew to Brisbane . The royals signed the official visitors book and posed for a photo with members of the number one squadron, before being taken to a Super Hornet flight simulator. Prince George was absent, staying behind in Sydney with his nanny. Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by Australian Defence Force chief David Hurley and wife Linda on the tarmac. Kate turned to the high street for the day in a £245 ($440 AUD) Lasa Poppy Print dress by luxury British designer L.K. Bennett, with her hair half swept from her face. She has hardly put a foot wrong in the fashion department during the whole tour - and today was no exception for the Duchess of Cambridge . Eagle eye: William donned a pair of glasses in order to closely watch the round 10 Super Rugby game . Super Rugby: The Waratahs won the game, beating the Bulls 19-12 . The stylish Queen-to-be was also spotted carrying a gorgeous clutch by Australian brand Oroton in the same royal blue of the flowers on the dress. The couple flew in from their base in Sydney in an Air Force jet for the day leaving their son, Prince George, at Admiralty House with his nanny. Her husband wore a black suit with a maroon and navy striped tie. The RAAF band played verses from Advance Australia Fair and God Save the Queen as the duke inspected the waiting Royal Guard. William is no stranger to the military having served more than seven years in the British army and air force. Last September he finished a three-year tour of duty as a search and rescue helicopter pilot and has made sure to connect with service men and women during the Australian and New Zealand tour. In control: The Duchess of Cambridge sits in the cockpit of an F/A-18F Super Hornet during a visit to RAAF base Amberley in Brisbane . What a thrill!The Duchess of Cambridge climbs into the cockpit of an F/A-18F Super Hornet on day four of their tour down under . Cockpit Kate: The Duchess is given a crash course in fighter planes while sitting in the driver's seat of a F/A-18F Super Hornet at RAAF base Amberley, Brisbane . The prince chatted to Guard members during his inspection, pausing while four F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jets flew over in formation to mark the event. General Hurley and his wife shared banter with the duchess on the edge of the tarmac while the duke finished his inspection. The royal couple then met Queensland's Governor Penelope Wensley, Premier Campbell Newman and his wife Lisa, Defence Minister David Johnston, Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale and other VIPs, who were standing on a red carpet on the edge of the tarmac. They couple were then whisked out of the hot Queensland sun to inspect one of the Super Hornet jets and meet members of the RAAF's No 1 Squadron. The visit was, said a royal aide, a chance to for the couple - particularly William - to foster and ongoing relationship with the armed forces in Australia. Summery dress: The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at the Royal Australian Airforce Base at Amberley, Brisbane (left) and leaves Sydney with husband Wills (right) | The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a rugby match at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday night .
The Royal couple watched the game between the New South Wales Waratahs and South Africa's Northern Bulls .
Earlier in the day Kate and William visited the RAAF base in Amberley, near Brisbane in Queensland .
William, 31, watched the game closely and sipped on a beer while Kate, 31, chatted to a woman sitting next to her . |
226,684 | b1867f23718fa20e199cdadd96a8f5dfe9731dc2 | A police officer has been placed on administrative leave after writing on Facebook that the Ferguson, Missouri cop who shot dead an unarmed black teenager last month 'did society a favor'. Jason Lentz, a 17-year veteran of the Elgin Police Department in Illinois, is under investigation after colleagues discovered he had written multiple racially-charged Facebook posts. Details of his posts have now been released to the Courier-News following a Freedom of Information request. His suspension - the fourth in his career - comes after Ferguson cop Darren Wilson gunned down 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, sparking clashes between police officers and protesters. In one online post on his personal Facebook page on August 17, Lentz posted a photo of Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson - who is black - with a black man and making an 'OK' hand sign. Suspended: Elgin cop Jason Lentz, left, has been suspended after colleagues came across messages he'd posted on Facebook - including saying cop Darren Wilson 'did society a favor' for killing Michael Brown, right . 'He is also in the Chicago Tribune hugging protesters. Just awesome… appears to be the enemy within,' Lentz wrote. The post about Brown was made on August 15 above a video he shared entitled: 'Police Released surveillance footage allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing cigars befor[e].' He wrote: 'Hmmm … Innocent victim my ass. Did society a favor.' The Courier-News reported that after the post was seen by supervisors, Lentz was told to remove it - but he did not and simply shortened the message to read: 'Hmmm...' In total, 11 Facebook posts made over the past year were included in his file. In one post, he called this highway patrol captain - who is pictured making an 'OK' sign - 'the enemy within' Controversial: In a post from last November, he also agreed that if school children have Martin Luther King Day off from school, they should also be allowed to miss Veterans Day . Another included a photo of a letter a parent had written to a school, explaining that their child would not attend school on Veterans Day until students attend school on Martin Luther King Day. Lentz wrote: 'Hell Yeah!!! I think next year I'll keep the kids home.' He was placed on leave after another officer brought the posts to command staff's attention. Officials have said that the posts could violate the Police Department's social media guidelines. The officer has previously served suspensions in 2001, 2012 and June, the Courier News reported. Among these, in 2012, he was summoned to court to appear as a witness in a case about the rape of a 74-year-old woman in 2010. But he failed to turn up, telling a supervisor and assistant states attorney that he was not able to attend because he was flying out for vacation. Gunned down: Unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, left, was shot dead by Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson, right, last month, sparking protests . Earlier this year, he was also accused of sending an email on the city system that included profanity. The investigation is expected to take a few weeks. Depending on the conclusion, he could return to work or face termination. Other police officers have found themselves in hot water for their comments following the Ferguson incident. Glendale Officer Matthew Pappert lost his job after he commented on his Facebook saying the protesters should be 'put down like rabid dogs'. In another comment, he said: 'Where is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them?' Pappert later apologized, saying he was 'deeply remorseful' for the comments. | Jason Lentz, a 17-year veteran of the Elgin PD in Illinois, posted 11 racially-charged or offensive messages on Facebook this year .
Above a video showing Ferguson victim Michael Brown, 18, allegedly stealing cigars he wrote: 'Innocent victim my a***. Did society a favor'
He called a black highway patrol captain 'the enemy within' and agreed his kids should stay at home for Veterans Day if they're off for MLK day .
He has been suspended multiple times before, including for failing to turn up to testify as a witness in a rape trial because he was going on vacation . |
29,509 | 53e358f6ae692a39592f4cda8f97169da9d6bf70 | Caroline Criado-Perez became the target of rape threats after leading a campaign to put Jane Austen on the £10 note . A man has been arrested in connection with a barrage of hostile tweets a feminist campaigner received after persuading the Bank of England to put Jane Austen on a new bank note. Caroline Criado-Perez received rape and death threats from Twitter users over the course of more than a day after she successfully campaigned for a woman's picture to be put on the note. Scotland Yard said a 21-year-old was arrested today in Manchester on suspicion of harassment offences after officers in Camden, London, received a complaint of malicious communications on Thursday. A campaign in her support, calling on Twitter to introduce a button to allow speedy reporting of abuse, has already been signed by 12,500 people and she has received support from MPs and celebrities. Writer Caitlin Moran tweeted: 'For those who say, "why complain - just block?' on a big troll day, it can be 50 violent/rape messages an hour. Exhausting and upsetting.' There are also attempts being made to organise a boycott of the free social media network on August 4. Ms Criado-Perez said: 'It's sadly not unusual to get this kind of abuse but I've never seen it get as intense or aggressive as this. 'It's infuriating that the price you pay for standing up for women is 24 hours of rape threats. We are showing that by standing together we can make a real difference. 'We made the Bank of England change its mind, we can do the same with Twitter.' Ms Criado-Perez, a freelance journalist, organised a campaign which included a petition signed by more than 35,500 people after the Bank of England decided to replace Elizabeth Fry with Winston Churchill on new £5 notes. Standing together: People have taken to Twitter to express their support to Caroline Criado-Perez . The move would have meant there were no women apart from the Queen on sterling bank notes. Her campaign was a success, with an announcement by the Bank last week that the author Jane Austen will feature on the new £10 when it is introduced in 2017. Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, is supporting Ms Criado Perez. 'What Caroline has had to deal with in the past day is not only disgusting, but criminal, she said. 'A quick look at Twitter this morning shows that women are not prepared to stand by and take this kind of abuse. 'Twitter needs to get its house in order, and fast.' The campaigner tweeted this afternoon that she was planning to make a police statement. Tony Wang, the general manager of Twitter UK, said that the company takes online abuse seriously. He tweeted: 'We encourage users to report an account for violation of the Twitter rules by using one of our report forms. 'Also, we're testing ways to simplify reporting, e.g. within a Tweet by using the 'Report Tweet' button in our iPhone app and on mobile web. MP Mary Macleod, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, MP Stella Creasy and Caroline Criado-Perez, pose after the announcement that Jane Austen will appear on the new £10 note . 'We will suspend accounts that, once reported to us, are found to be in breach of our rules.' A Twitter spokeswoman added: 'The ability to report individual tweets for abuse is currently available on Twitter for iPhone and we plan to bring this functionality to other platforms, including Android and the web. 'We don't comment on individual accounts. 'However, we have rules which people agree to abide by when they sign up to Twitter. 'We will suspend accounts that, once reported to us, are found to be in breach of our rules. 'We . encourage users to report an account for violation of the Twitter rules . by using one of our report forms: https://support.twitter.com/forms.' General manager of Twitter UK Tony Wang said that the company takes online abuse seriously . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Caroline Criado-Perez was sent tweets including threats to rape and kill her .
Feminist campaigned for a woman's picture to be put on a new bank note .
A petition supporting her has already been signed by 12,500 people .
It is calling on Twitter to introduce a button to report abuse .
Campaigner has tweeted she was planning to make a police statement .
Police arrest 21-year-old man in Manchester in connection with abuse . |
268,994 | e875da0f7968a022fc09b38d6a1c51d52667ccc4 | The number of vulnerable older people getting help to live in their own homes has dropped by a third over the past five years, according to a charity’s analysis yesterday. The number of people getting help with getting up, getting dressed, washing, and with meals or shopping has fallen to just 371,000, down by more than 170,000 since 2010, Age UK said. It blamed a squeeze on state-funded social care at a time when numbers of older people who need help are rising. The number of vulnerable older people getting help to live in their own homes has dropped by a third over the past five years, according to a charity’s analysis yesterday (stock image) The charity said there are now 900,000 over-65s who need care of some kind at their home but who do not get it. The report follows years of increasing concern over the way local councils have been withdrawing home help from all elderly people except those with the most limiting disabilities and illnesses, leaving hundreds of thousands without help. Middle class elderly people have been particularly badly affected, because those with savings or property worth over a means test threshold, usually £23,250, are left not only without state help but without advice on how to buy their own. People who do get care at home are often subject to 15-minute rules which often give visiting care workers too little time to do their job, or talk to the person they are helping. A series of inquiries into the way state help is delivered to vulnerable older people have found that billions more taxpayers’ money should be spent. In 2006 Sir Derek Wanless said spending should be trebled to £30 billion a year, and a review for the King’s Fund by economist Kate Barker last year found similar sums were necessary. Age UK’s Charity Director Caroline Abrahams said: ‘This devastating scorecard speaks for itself and it lays bare the fact that our state-funded social care system is in calamitous, quite rapid decline. There are now 900,000 over-65s who need care of some kind at their home but who do not get it (stock image) 'The more preventive services like meals on wheels and day care are being especially hard hit, leaving the system increasingly the preserve of older people in the most acute need, storing up big problems for the future.’ The charity said that just under a third of the older people who have difficulties carrying out everyday activities get no help from outside carers. Among them, it counted half of those who struggle to wash or get in the bath – 500,000 people; a third of those who find it hard to get out of bed – 190,000 people; and two in five of those who have difficulty getting dressed – 590,000 people. It also said there was no outside help for two thirds of those who find it hard to eat – 160,000 people; four fifths of those who need help taking medication – 200,000 people; and one in three of those who have difficulty using the toilet – 120,000 people. The charity said the number of people receiving personal home care has dropped to 370,630 from 542,965 between the 2010/11 financial year, which marked the coming to power of David Cameron’s Coalition, and the 2013/14 year, a fall of 31.7 per cent. Those receiving meals on wheels dropped even more sharply, by 63 per cent, from 81,460 to 29,560. According to the report, in 2005 more than 15 per cent of people over 65 received social care of some kind, but that dropped to 12 per cent by 2010. It is currently nine per cent. Miss Abrahams said: ‘Hundreds of thousands of older people who need social care are being left high and dry. The lucky ones have sufficient funds to buy in some support, or can rely on the goodwill of family, neighbours and friends. But there are many who are being left to struggle on entirely alone. ‘Many hospitals are finding it hard to discharge older people and commentators are asking why this challenge seems to be growing, year on year. A big part of the explanation is revealed by this scorecard: the marked decline in central Government funding for social care and the resultant reduction in support for older people to live independently at home – this at the same time as their numbers are rising. ‘Policymakers owe it to the public, older people especially, to confront the crisis in social care and its consequences.' The Department of Health blamed councils for failing to provide enough support for the vulnerable elderly. A spokesman said: ‘We have given an extra £1.1 billion to councils to help protect social care services this year on top of additional funding in recent years but ultimately they are responsible for deciding how to spend their budgets. ‘We know we need to work differently to respond to our growing ageing population - our Care Act and £5.3 billion Better Care Fund, the biggest ever national programme to join up health and social care, will focus resources on helping people to live independently, which will save money and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.’ Officials suggested there was ‘significant scope’ for councils to make savings by reducing £2 billion a year of uncollected council tax , £2 billion lost from Housing Benefit and other fraud, and £19 billion held in reserves. | The number of people getting help has dropped by 170,000 since 2010 .
Those receiving meals on wheels plummeted by 63 per cent .
Age UK says the social care system is in 'calamitous, quite rapid decline' |
150,213 | 4e37acc255b300a2f800f39e77187736b9a9cbdc | Dozens of sick children on a Georgia-based hospital's cardiac ward were today left 'overwhelmed' after receiving a staggering 70,000 hand-crafted Valentine's Day cards from strangers. The youngsters, who suffer from potentially deadly congenital heart disease, were gifted the colorful and creative cards after a local radio station joined forces with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. In a city-wide appeal, 104.7 The Fish and the pediatric hospital asked local schools and organizations to create and send Valentine’s Day cards to the young patients in a bid to brighten up their day. And the response was incredible - tens of thousands of strangers joined in the efforts to make the children smile and feel loved on February 14. They ended up producing 70,000 cards in total. Joyful: Sick children (including this boy, pictured) at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta were today left 'overwhelmed' after receiving a staggering 70,000 hand-crafted Valentine's Day cards from strangers . Adorable: The youngsters (including this toddler), who suffer from potentially deadly congenital heart disease, were gifted the colorful and creative cards after a local radio station joined forces with the hospital . beaming: In a city-wide appeal, 104.7 The Fish and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta asked local schools and organizations to make and send Valentine’s Day cards to the young patients in a bid to brighten up their day . Special gift: The response was incredible - tens of thousands of strangers joined in the efforts to make the children smile and feel loved on February 14. Above, a therapy dog delivers a valentine to a bed-bound girl . 'What we received truly blew us away,' hospital spokesperson Caroline Gallentine said, explaining that most of the 'brave' and 'compassionate' youngsters are forced to manage 'lifelong cardiac conditions'. 'This exceeded our wildest expectations. But we are so excited by the number, because it means that 70,000 people were thinking about our incredible heart kids, and they deserve recognition.' Speaking to The Huffington Post, Ms Gallentine said the hospital and 104.7 Fish had launched the appeal because the children often have to spend long periods of time in the cardiac ward. 'The kids who are in the hospital today had to miss their Valentine’s Day parties at school, so we thought it would be meaningful to bring the valentines to them,' she said. Delighted: 'What we received truly blew us away,' hospital spokesperson Caroline Gallentine said, explaining that most of the 'brave' and 'compassionate' youngsters are forced to manage 'lifelong cardiac conditions' Personal messages: Many of the 70,000 creations include messages of support for the children in the 27-bed ward, such as 'You are loved. You are brave. You're MY inspiration.' Another reads: 'YOU ARE MY LIFE' Massive collection: This photo shows the 70,000 Valentine's Day cards that the youngsters received today . Expressing thanks: In a Facebook post on Valentine's Day, the hospital expressed thanks to everyone who participated in the card-making efforts, writing: 'It only takes one valentine to make someone feel special' However, she said the hospital had expected to receive only 'a couple thousand valentines'. When the youngsters woke up and spotted the enormous pile of cards, she said they were 'overwhelmed'. Many of the 70,000 creations include messages of support for the children in the 27-bed ward, such as 'You are loved. You are brave. You're MY inspiration.' Another reads: 'YOU ARE MY LIFE.' Meanwhile, others encourage the young patients to 'stay strong' and 'be brave'. The cards were created by strangers young and old, including students at Level Creek Elementary School in Suwanee and Dunwoody Springs Elementary School, and Rally Foundation workers. Father and child: The cards were created by strangers young and old, including students at Level Creek Elementary School in Suwanee and Dunwoody Springs Elementary School, and Rally Foundation workers . Hand-crafted: Even surgeons at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta took part in the efforts to create Valentine's Day cards for sick children. Above, some of the 70,000 cards are pictured piled in boxes at the hospital . Hospital: Ms Gallentine said the hospital (pictured) had expected to receive only 'a couple thousand valentines'. When the youngsters woke up and spotted the pile of cards, she said they were 'overwhelmed' And even surgeons at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta took part. In a tweet, hospital employee Abby Hooper wrote: 'Yep. Our doctors are pretty awesome! They can tie great knots AND make cards!'. In a Facebook post on Valentine's Day, the hospital expressed thanks to everyone who participated in the card-making efforts, writing: 'It only takes one valentine to make someone feel special.' It added: 'Thanks to more than 70,000 encouraging notes and poems, our patients got to feel REALLY special today. To everyone who lent their time and talents to make it possible: Thank you!'' | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia, teamed up with 104.7 The Fish .
Asked schools and organizations in area to create Valentine's Day cards .
Cards would be sent to hospital's young cardiac patients on February 14 .
Response was incredible - sick children received a massive 70,000 cards .
Many of hand-crafted gifts told patients: 'stay strong' and 'you're loved' |
53,855 | 98b7fc2f0b8380bf60997daa2f77f9cf5bca9ff7 | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Six people were killed in Pakistan on Saturday when Muslim demonstrators set fire to houses in a Christian enclave and fighting broke out, local police said. Pakistani human rights activists in Lahore protest on Saturday the anti-Christian violence in Gojra village. Police said Muslims were enraged over an alleged desecration of pages in the Quran at a Christian wedding last Saturday, and held a rally to protest. The Quran is the Muslim sacred text. The Muslims went to the Christian community in Gojra City, 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Lahore, and burned 40 to 50 houses. Muslims and Christians exchanged gunfire. Police said efforts to settle the concerns with dialogue so far have failed. On Thursday, 15 Christian houses in the region were also torched. Pakistan is predominantly Muslim but has a small Christian community. Meanwhile, police in Islamabad reported Friday that an al Qaeda member thought to be involved in several attacks was arrested. Bin Yamin, a senior police official in Islamabad, identified the suspect as Rao Shakir Ali. Police believe he was involved in strikes on targets such as the Danish Embassy, a rally of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chauhdary, police, and a hotel. The suspect is a resident of Sargodha, which is 165 kilometers (about 100 miles) northwest of Lahore and has a house in Rawalpindi that has been used to facilitate insurgent acts, police said. Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report. | Fighting broke out as Muslims torched 40 to 50 houses in Christian enclave .
Muslims enraged over an alleged desecration of Quran at a Christian wedding .
Muslims burned 15 Christian homes on Thursday .
Pakistan predominantly Muslim, but has a small Christian community . |
221,114 | aa3b5385c13d92dfbbe11a33c5b29a3d28747b91 | Two men who fell in love are getting married but will be walking down the aisle as brides after both underwent a full sex change operation to become women. Parma Bertoli, 59, and partner Stephanie Nickles, 43, started a relationship back in 2004 when they were still men. Stephanie underwent a full sex change in 2006 after having the procedure funded by the NHS while Parma went under the knife to become a woman in 2008. Scroll down for video... Wedding plans: Parma Bertoli, pictured left, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour, with partner Stephanie Nickles, met when they were both men and hope to tie the knot next month . They couple, who live in Warndon, Worcester, had their birth certificates changed to reflect their new female identities. Next month the couple are preparing to don white dresses for their wedding. However, the couple have been forced to bring the big day forward after Parma was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour last October and was given less than 12 months to live. Parma, a former meat hygiene inspector, said: 'Steph and I got together when we were both men in 2004 and lived together as men. 'Steph was in pre-op so was living as a woman and I made the change soon after. 'Today we are still in love as women. Happy couple: Stephanie, pictured right, said tying the knot would 'make our lives whole' The 43-year-old said she was forced to give up her modelling career to care for Parma . 'To us, gender is not an issue in our relationship. We are just two people who met and tried to help each other along. 'I know I have a very limited amount of time left but it would mean the world to both of us to get married - it would be absolutely brilliant.' The couple got engaged while looking for jewellery in 2009 when Parma suddenly got down on one knee. Stephanie, who has two grown-up children from a previous marriage with whom she has no contact, added: 'We were out browsing commitment rings in a jewellers and when I turned round from a display cabinet I saw Parma down on one knee. 'She just said to me "will you marry me?" and of course I said yes. We bought our engagement rings there and then. The staff in the shop clapped, it was a wonderful moment.' But their life together was struck with tragedy when Parma started suffering severe headaches at the beginning of last year. Doctors diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme - an aggressive malignant brain tumour - but despite undergoing surgery she was told it was untreatable. Parma, left, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme - an aggressive malignant brain tumour - in October last year and was given 12 months to live. The couple have now brought their wedding plans forward . Stephanie said it was a wonderful moment when Parma went down on one knee to propose while shopping . Last October medics at the Gloucestershire Oncology Centre broke the devastating news that she had between 12 and 18 months to live. Stephanie, who gave up her modelling career to care for Parma, said it was a 'struggle every day, not knowing if she is going to wake up'. She added: 'To get married would be such a huge thing for us and would make our lives whole in a way. 'We want to get married because we love each other and we are not sure if Parma will be here next year. 'Be we have not got the funds and we don't even have the money to buy rings.' They couple, who are hoping to get hitched at Worcester registry office next month, are now appealing for help and donations to make their dream wedding come true. Parma added: 'My fiancée has always wanted a special occasion and we are really having to bring it forward because my situation is quite bad. 'I am very lucky to have got this far through the support of my partner.' Parma, who has never been married and has no children, was born Paul Sandford while Stephanie was born John Hart. Appeal:Stephanie, right, has asked for donations from the public to make their 'dream wedding come true' Stephanie said: 'I had previously been married and we had two children. It was a very different life and I have no ties to them now. 'My family would probably want me six-feet under. I started living as a woman because it just felt right. 'I was going through the pre-op procedure when I met Parma but was still a man physically. Parma was also a man but was not pre-op. 'We met via a friend and hit it off immediately. We both loved military history, Parma loves old wartime motorbikes and I love anything to do with the military.' Despite dating for several months in 2004 they couple split up but got back together two years later after they became women. Stephanie added: 'We split up after a third party got involved and went our separate ways. 'I didn't even see Parma again for a couple of years until we bumped into each by chance. 'Strangely, I had gone through the sex change operation and was in London for counselling when I saw Parma waiting in the clinic. 'Our eyes met and I just said to her "what on earth are you doing here?" It turned out she was in pre-op and living as a full-time woman. 'It's strange to say it but we technically got together as men but found love as women. 'She took me for a coffee in London and we talked until midnight. We realised then that it was love and we moved in with each other very soon after that. 'We have been inseparable ever since. We know our time together now is short because of Parma's health but we want our wedding to be very special.' | Parma Bertoli and Stephanie Nickles met before they had operation in 2004 .
Bringing wedding forward after Parma, 59, diagnosed with brain tumour .
She was given 12 months to live by doctors in October 2014 .
Are appealing for donations to make their big day dreams a reality .
Had dated and split up as men - and found each other again as women . |
138,119 | 3ea179f803e06bb6cae0c126818f3c7ab237427b | By . Associated Press . The Salvadoran man who says he spent more than a year drifting across the Pacific Ocean before making landfall in the Marshall Islands is too weak to travel and will remain in the island nation for a while, an official said Saturday. Diego Dalton, an official with El Salvador's embassy in Tokyo, said Jose Salvador Alvarenga's health was 'very frail' and that he would not return home until he was able to make the journey. Alvarenga, 37, washed ashore late last month. He was taken last week to the Marshall Islands' capital, Majuro, where he has been resting at a hotel. Scroll down for video . Weak: Jose Salvador Alvarenga sits on a couch in Majuro in the Marshall Islands last Monday, after he was rescued from being washed ashore on the tiny atoll of Ebon in the Pacific Ocean . New look: Looking clean shaven Alvarenga spoke briefly in a low voice at a press conference last week, thanking the government and his friends for their help . Unwell: The fisherman needed help walking and spoke in a low voice during a brief appearance. He is being treated for dehydration and doctors are concerned he may catch infections as a result of his first human contact in over a year . Boat: The skiff that Alvarenga claims he was marooned on for 13 months . Dalton arrived in Majuro late Friday and met with Alvarenga and local officials. 'At this moment, there are no travel plans or definite itinerary,' Dalton told reporters Saturday. "His return will depend of when his health allows the long journey back.' Dalton did not comment further on Alvarenga's condition. Alvarenga's spritely appearance Monday while greeting hundreds of well-wishers in Majuro had many questioning his story. He earlier told officials he left Mexico in late 2012 with another fisherman, who later died, for a day of shark fishing when a storm threw them off course and they began drifting. Father: A family picture of castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga holding his daughter Fatima . Unanswered questions: Maria Rios Cueto, holds up a photo of her nephew, Ezequiel Cordoba Rios. Cordoba was the Mexican fisherman who died during a reported 13-month sea odyssey with Jose Salvador Alvarenga . But Alvarenga looked much weaker Thursday during a brief public appearance at the hotel, and had to be assisted into the room by two people while others stood by ready to help. Officials said then that Alvarenga needed to be taken back to the hospital for more medical checks and that it would likely be three or four days before he was fit enough to travel back to El Salvador. Looking out: Diego Dalton, an official with El Salvadors embassy in Tokyo, gives a statement in Majuro on Jose Salvador Alvarenga . | Jose Salvador Alvarenga was helped by two people as he greeted news media .
Survivor declined to take questions during appearance .
Alvarenga's health is in decline and doctors are concerned about his kidneys . |
220,565 | a9813e15e869e8a27c296ce22565036ef34d5e04 | By . James Slack . An Islamist fanatic will be freed from anti-terror controls within days despite being ‘determined’ to carry out a Mumbai-style attack in Britain. The extremist attended a terror training camp in Cumbria with four of the five attempted suicide bombers involved in the London attacks of July 21, 2005. He repeatedly tried to buy guns in what was suspected as a plot to carry out a mass-casualty attack in the UK, and has also travelled to Syria for ‘training’. The plotter, known only as ‘CD’, was put under a Terrorism Prevention Investigation Measure (T-PIM) – including a tag and strict curfew – to protect the public in January 2012. Security services believe the unnamed Islamic fanatic will revive his plans to carry out an attack in the UK similar to the one in the Chatrapathi Sivaji railway station in Mumbai in 2012 . The Security Service say that without the T-PIM there is ‘a real risk CD will seek to revive his plans to undertake attacks in the UK’. He has a number of associates in London ‘in connection with the attempted purchase of firearms’ and officials say that he would be able to quickly buy weapons. But the order will be lifted on Sunday under rules introduced to protect the ‘human rights’ of terror suspects. This is despite a judge ruling that the man has been trained in terrorism and that his ‘views and determination are unchanged’. CD is one of six fanatics who are due to be released from their T-PIMS by the end of this month. They also include a would-be suicide bomber involved in the liquid bomb plot to murder thousands by blowing up seven transatlantic planes. Experts estimate the total bill for MI5 and the police to keep tabs on the six suspects once their T-PIM restrictions are lifted could reach £20million a year. The cases will be raised in the Commons today by Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper. She has attacked her Tory counterpart, Theresa May, for axing Labour’s control order regime and replacing it with the weaker T-PIMS. Miss Cooper said: ‘Her decision to weaken terror controls means suspects described by the courts as highly dangerous only a year ago will now face no restrictions.’ Home Office officials insist that, to comply with Labour’s Human Rights Act, there was no option but to weaken the rules. Under the old control order regime, there was no fixed time limit on how long a suspect could be monitored. But the orders were repeatedly challenged in the courts under the Human Rights Act, with terror suspects claiming their right to liberty, a fair trial and a family life had been infringed. These cases led to the introduction of T-PIMS, which have a two-year time limit. Believing that a terror suspect remains determined to carry out an attack in the UK is not sufficient for an order to be renewed after two years. There must be new evidence. Labour, which has obtained new court papers relating to the threat posed by CD and his fellow fanatics, said the T-PIMS regime had left ministers with their hands tied. The court papers on CD, who is guaranteed lifelong anonymity to protect his rights, show he was identified by the Security Service as a leading figure in a network of Islamist extremists based in London. In 2004, he attended meetings organised by the jailed fanatic Mohammed Hamid and has attended at least one of Hamid’s terrorist training camps in Cumbria. In 2006, he had extremist training in Syria before returning to London in 2009, where he was ‘involved in planning a terrorist attack on the UK, probably involving firearms’. When his T-PIM was renewed a year ago, the judge said: ‘There remains a network. His views and determination are unchanged.’ In November 2008, Islamic terrorists killed 164 people in 12 co-ordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India’s biggest city. Last night, Security Minister James Brokenshire said: ‘The police and Security Service have been working for some time to put tailored plans in place to manage the risk posed by these individuals once their T-PIM restrictions are removed.’ | Unnamed plotter was put under a Terrorism Prevention Investigation Measure which includes a tag and strict curfew for the public's protection .
Order will be lifted under new rules to protect terror suspects' human rights .
Security Services say there's 'a real risk' he will seek to revive his plans to .
undertake attacks in the UK once the order is revoked . |
69,641 | c56d3923764328f6767dec2e5617f562cc88e791 | Laylah Petersen: Laylah Petersen, 5, was shot and killed Thursday when two shooters opened fire on her home shooting her in the head . A five-year-old girl was fatally shot while sitting on her grandfather's lap when two people approached her Milwaukee home and opened fire, according to police, who sought help Friday in finding the shooters. Laylah Petersen was shot in the head when one of a dozen bullets that hit the home came through a wall about 6 p.m. Thursday. Laylah, who was sitting on a couch with her grandfather, died at a hospital. Investigators said there was no clear motive for the shooting and they needed the public's help to find those responsible for the shooting on the city's northwest side. Police said officers had no previous calls to the home, and they don't believe anyone living at the home was specifically targeted. 'We believe that this bullet read, 'To whom it may concern.' And that concerns all of us, and that should concern everybody in our community,' Capt. Aaron Raap said during a news conference Friday. 'If you saw something, say something. If you hear something, say something.' Raap said initial descriptions of the shootings as being 'targeted' referred to the fact that all 12 bullets fired hit the house. Officers found a dozen casings at the scene, and were looking into whether more than one handgun was used. They also were interviewing witnesses and seeking any possible surveillance video. Father: Laylah's father, Robert Petersen, said he was trying to better himself so he could give his children, who were being raised by their grandparents at the time, the life they deserved . Aunt: Amanda Legler, Laylah's aunt, spoke through tears in front of the Milwaukee home and demanded justice for her slain niece . Rapp said in a conference on Friday that investigators are 'vigorously following up on leads' but officials are 'befuddled' as to the motive behind the crime, according to Fox6Now. Police Chief Edward Flynn said two young children were being raised by their grandparents in the house, where people left flowers, toys and other items in a makeshift memorial for the little girl Friday. 'This is a stable, loving, working family in a stable working-class neighborhood where everybody is trying to do the right thing,' Flynn said. Wild Child: Legler said that Laylah was a 'wild child,' 'full of life, and the 'happiest child you'll ever meet' Vigil: A Facebook page indicates that a candlelight vigil will be held for the child Sunday . In an interview with Fox, Laylah's father, Robert Petersen, said his daughter was his 'whole life' and described her as 'the sweetest little girl, so smart and so beautiful.' 'I've never felt this pain in my life,' Petersen said. 'All I've been trying to do is better myself so one day I can take [my children] and give them the life that they deserve.' The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. 'There is no reason conceivable that I can think of that would explain this wanton, violent act,' Flynn told reporters Thursday night. 'We are going to find (the shooters). We are going to arrest them. And they are going to jail.' Shots: Twelve shots burst through the home Thursday at 6pm and one of the bullets pierced a wall then struck the five-year-old in the head . Reward: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case of the shooting that took place in the child's Milwaukee home (above) Laylah's aunt Amanda Legler, spoke in front of the home saying that Laylah was a 'wild child' and 'full of life.' 'Just last week we went trick-or-treating and she told me Ti-Ti Manna, I love you more than science,' Lelger told the Journal Sentinel. 'That was just Laylah, she was so bizarre and so cute. She was just the happiest child you'll ever meet.' A Facebook page indicates that a candlelight vigil will be held for the girl on Sunday. Laylah is the third child under age 13 whose death was considered a homicide this year in Milwaukee, Lt. Mark Stanmeyer said. But the city has seen fewer homicides this year than last, 76 compared to 93 at the same time in 2013. At this point last year, four children under 13 had been killed. Memorial: Two young children were being raised by their grandparents in the house, where people left flowers, toys and other items in a makeshift memorial for the little girl Friday . | Laylah Petersen was shot in the head Thursday when two people approached her home and opened fire .
There is no clear motive for the shooting and police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case .
Investigators are 'befuddled' as to the motive behind the crime and are 'vigorously' following up on leads . |
207,922 | 9933190a18a1556960439aeb38c74a8bf30dafe8 | New York (CNN) -- When the New York Jets face the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday for what may be the final football game played at Giants Stadium, fans in attendance won't be able to drown their sorrows or toast a victory. The Jets have banned the sale of alcohol on Sunday at the stadium they've called home for 26 years. "With the late start of Sunday's game, coupled with this being the final regular season and final game at the stadium, we feel it is prudent not to serve alcohol," said Bruce Speight, a spokesman for the team. The Jets approach the decision of whether to serve alcohol on a game-by-game basis, Speight said. Fresh off a victory over the formerly undefeated Indianapolis Colts, the Jets are on the verge of their first play-off berth in three years -- and fans are riled up and ready to go. And Jets fans are known for rowdy behavior -- for example, a half-time "tradition" of women baring their breasts for men who loudly urge them to do so. In lieu of alcohol, the Jets said, they'll pass out green and white "rowdy towels" to the first 70,000 fans arriving at the stadium. But the ban has raised the ire of a New Jersey vodka distillery. Majorska Vodka, which calls itself "one of the largest liquor companies in the Garden State," is calling for a 24-hour boycott of Johnson & Johnson products because, according to company spokesman Jeff Scott, Jets owner Woody Johnson is the "heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune." Scott said Majorska plans to stop paying for three of their executive's seats at the Meadowlands and that the company is set to lose more than $100,000 in revenue from tailgate parties this weekend. The New York Jets officially declined to comment, but team spokesman Speight said that "negative fan reaction has been minimal at best" and pointed out that vodka is not sold anywhere in the stadium and the ban does not apply to tailgating. But Martin Silver, Majorska's president and CEO, said fans are shocked and outraged that the Jets are treating their supporters "like children." Silver, a life-long Jets backer with a Joe Namath jersey hanging in his office, is directing his frustration at the team's ownership because he feels they are "controlling the game completely." He said his company is distributing anti-Johnson & Johnson petitions Friday to 350 sports bars across New Jersey. "We're taking this on, right to the top, to Johnson," said Silver. Woody Johnson is the grandson of Johnson & Johnson founder Robert Wood Johnson, but is not currently connected to the company. William C. Weldon is the company's chairman and CEO. None of the Johnson family serves on the company's management team or board of directors. Johnson & Johnson spokesman Bill Price said that "officially we have no comment given that the Johnson family has had no managerial role with the company for decades." Giants Stadium, part of the Meadowlands Sports complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has been home to both the Jets and the New York Giants, who played their first game there on October 10, 1976. Early on during their tenancy at Giants Stadium, the Jets refered to the 82,000-seat arena simply as "the Meadowlands" although in recent years Jets tickets have used the facility's official name. The stadium, which has hosted popes, concerts and major league soccer as well as football, is to be demolished after this season. Both New York teams will move into a new stadium just a short distance away next season. That stadium will get its name from a corporate sponsor, yet to be named. CNN's Kristen Hamill contributed to this report. | Spokesman: Game's late start, fact that it's regular season's last game factored into decision .
Decision does not affect tailgaters, negative fan reaction "minimal," spokesman says .
CEO of New Jersey vodka distillery says company will stop paying for executive seats .
Martin Silver says company set to lose more than $100,000 from tailgate parties this weekend . |
162,604 | 5e3c532e5f984406a6da8b0b200c327b0b0d3292 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 11:37 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:43 EST, 31 July 2013 . Sickening: Three-year-old Olivia Pollard at Sheffield Children's Hospital. She nearly lost sight in one eye because of the collision . Police have released CCTV images in a bid to catch off-road bikers who ran down and then left a three-year-old girl for dead in a horrifying hit-and-run. Little Olivia Pollard was struck and flung into the air as she crossed the road with her mother Jessica four weeks ago. Three off-road motorbikes were travelling on a road in East Herringthorpe, South Yorkshire, when one or more of the bikes is thought to have collided with Olivia, before driving off. The toddler suffered serious head and eye injuries, and came close to losing the sight in one eye. She was airlifted to nearby Sheffield Children's Hospital following the shocking collision. Thankfully, she has now been released from hospital and is recovering at home. South Yorkshire Police are still appealing for information to help them catch the culprits - and today released CCTV images of three off-road motorbikes and four people in the hope members of the public will recognise them. Inspector Geoff Young said: 'The response from the public has been excellent. We have received a number of leads and have spoken to several people as part of the investigation. 'Through the amount of CCTV we have now been able to recover and collate, we definitely know that there was more than one group of off-road motorbikes in the area at the same time as the collision and we are keen to identify the owners of the bikes and the riders. 'Olivia is expected to make a full recovery, however she is only a little girl and she has been through a horrendous ordeal. I would still urge the public to please come forward should they have any information they believe may assist the investigation.' CCTV images of three off-road motorbikes and their four riders have been released by officers . Speaking shortly after the accident, which happened on the afternoon of July 3, her devastated mother Jessica, 20, said: 'To think that people could do that to her and then drive off while she lies bleeding in the road makes me sick. 'We'd just got off the bus and were crossing the road when, out of nowhere, three motorbikes came darting round the corner. 'I tried to grab Olivia and screamed her name but she had just frozen from the fear of them coming towards her. 'She was right next to me but it all happened so quickly so I didn't have time to grab her. She almost went under the wheel of one of the bikes but the speed they'd hit her at meant that she bounced off and was flung a few feet down the road. She landed head first. South Yorkshire Police have today released CCTV images of the riders they want to speak to . 'I ran up to her and as I held her, a lad on one of the other motorcycles looked right into my eyes. 'I begged him to stay and help me and he just drove off with the other two. They could see that Olivia was seriously hurt because she was covered in blood and still they did nothing to try and help. 'I was a complete mess. All I could see was blood and Olivia was screaming asking me to help her and not leave her. 'It's disgusting that a three-year-old has been put through that. 'I feel so angry when I think of those lads. I'm begging anyone who might know who did it to contact the police. Justice needs to be done.' Police would urge anyone who believes they may know the identity of the riders or the owners of the bikes, or who may have seen the bikes in the area at the time, to please contact the police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting incident number 634 of 3/7/13. | Olivia Pollard suffered horrific head injuries in sickening hit-and-run .
One of the motorbike riders 'looked into mother's eyes' before riding away .
Mother Jessica said: 'Justice must be done'
Police have released images of the riders they would like to speak to . |
136,693 | 3cd590d9c4d4115321f1f4ed398c3e2a4044f42e | By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 20:21 EST, 23 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:21 EST, 23 February 2014 . Angela Merkel will this week give the green light to David Cameron’s attempt to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels. On a visit to the UK, the German chancellor will say that she wants to see a new treaty to redraw the rules of the EU – opening the door for the Prime Minister to thrash out a different deal with Brussels. Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday confirmed that Mrs Merkel is also expected to back two key planks of Mr Cameron’s renegotiation effort, demanding tighter controls over the rights of migrants to claim benefits and greater controls by national parliaments. Links: The German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet the Prime Minsiter during a state visit this week . ‘There are people in many of the Nordic countries who share these ideas,’ he said. ‘In Germany there is a strong overlap of ideas. ‘Germany also has strict benefit rules. We don’t support people moving from one country to another because of the incentives of different benefit systems, and I think with Germany we have a lot of common ground on that.’ Regulations imposed by the Lisbon Treaty will end up costing British business nearly £100billion, a report claims today. Eurosceptic pressure group Business for Britain says that rules introduced in December 2009 have already cost £12.2billion. It claims the final cost to UK business of laws that can be directly attributed to the Lisbon Treaty will amount to £96.5billion. The report, which uses government impact assessments before the regulations were introduced to calculate potential costs, finds that a law that requires car manufacturers to comply with new EU standards for emissions has cost UK businesses up to £7.4billion. Rules requiring firms to cut their greenhouse gas emissions have cost £3billion. But pro-European campaign Business for New Europe criticised the report, saying the ‘costs’ are not proven. Senior sources say Mr Cameron will treat Mrs Merkel ‘like the Queen’ when she arrives on Thursday for what is a state visit in all but name. The German leader will meet the Queen for tea at Buckingham Palace and is due to give a speech to both Houses of Parliament – an honour almost never accorded to a non-head of state. A minister told the Mail that the Government expects Mrs Merkel to say that she wants to see treaty change in the EU – which will allow Mr Cameron to seek a new relationship ahead of an in-out referendum in 2017 on whether Britain should remain in the EU. ‘We know she wants to be helpful,’ the minister said. ‘She believes there needs to be a new treaty and that’s the chance we need to put these issues on the table.’ A No 10 source added: ‘She wants Britain in. She doesn’t want to be stuck in an embrace of economic death with [French president] Francois Hollande.’ Mr Hague told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: ‘This is a different sort of visit from the French visit [by Mr Hollande] at the end of January. Germany is our most important partner on seeking reform in the EU.’ The diplomatic offensive is also designed to stitch up a deal to ensure the next president of the European Commission, who will replace Jose Manuel Barroso later this year, is someone who is prepared to see Britain get powers back. Progression: A minister told said the Government expects Mrs Merkel to say that she wants to see treaty change in the EU ¿ which will allow Mr Cameron to seek a new relationship . | William Hague said Mrs Merkel will back Mr Cameron's renegotiation effort .
Foreign Secretary said people in Nordic region share similar ideas .
Senior sources say Mr Cameron will treat Mrs Merkel 'like the Queen' when she arrives on Thursday for a state visit . |
271,676 | ebe7b8f84e83aba997fe32333524deb6694faeec | They're the street girls from Afghanistan who are taking up skateboarding to save their lives. Hundreds of young girls in the war-torn country have signed up with charity Skateistan to get off the streets and back into school. The chaos and destruction of 30 years of war in Afghanistan have created a country where children have few role models - and instead see dangerous fanatical figures and murderous war lords as the leaders of society. But the charity are now working to create a new generation of leaders in the country, and recently opened their first outdoor skatepark in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Scroll down for video . Here come the girls: at Skateistan's new facility in Mazar-e-Sharif, more than 40 per cent of their pupils are girls. Founder Ollie said: 'We want the girls to see one another as role models instead of the war lords who would drive around town with a car load of men who are waving guns around' Inspiration: Skateistan 'use skateboarding as a tool for empowering youth, to create new opportunities and the potential for change'. They are giving new hope to a new generation of children in Afghanistan . Opportunity: The charity want to inspire the children on to greater things. 'Skateistan is about creating opportunities for the kids so that they can see that it is possible for them to have a chance to do what they want for their lives', said Ollie . Skateboard star: Halifa, 16, is one of Afghanistan's best skaters. She said: 'When I came to Skateistan, my life changed so much, because when I was working on the street, people would harass me' Hanifa, 16, was selling tea on the streets and in the parks of ravaged Kabul when she first visited one the charity's skateparks in 2010. Now she is one Afghanistan’s most talented skaters and has become an inspiring teacher and role model for other young girls and has even joined Skateistan’s staff in the city as an instructor. The teenager said: 'When I came to Skateistan, my life changed so much, because when I was working on the street, people would harass me. 'Now I feel good because I'm at Skateistan and I'm teaching the students. When the students call me teacher, it makes me very happy. I think by becoming a good skater, I'll create a better future for myself.' Hanifa has enrolled in the charity's Back To School programme, and is hoping to return to public school with her friends. Challenging: the charity's new outdoor facility in Mazar-e-Sharif features an outdoor classroom and skatepark obstacles for students to tackle . The charity was set up by Ollie Percovich, who believes that the 800 children he is working with across the country are determined to build a better future for themselves, . Ollie, from Melbourne in Australia, said: ‘We want the girls to see one another as role models instead of the war lords who would drive around town with a car load of men who are waving guns around. ‘It’s important that they have role models, and we want their role models to be other Afghan kids who are healthy and happy. The girls can see that they now have opportunities and options in their lives that may have not been there before. ‘Skateistan is about creating opportunities for the kids so that they can see that it is possible for them to have a chance to do what they want for their lives.’ Children in Afghanistan have lived amongst conflict for more than 30 years and the country was named by charity Unicef as the worst place in the world to be born. But Skateistan staff are contributing to a new sense of hope in the country, and Ollie said: ‘We want to help create a new generation of leaders in Afghanistan that can tackle the problems that they face in society. ‘People might come to Afghanistan and say ‘Your political system is corrupt’ or ‘Your education system is not good enough’, but rather than tell them how to fix it, we want the kids to understand that what they consider to be important issues are the things that they can help change. ‘There are issues with drugs, such as opium and heroin abuse. Other things such as self-immolation, forced marriages and policemen taking bribes can be a problem. ‘We want to create a situation where they can stand up and tackle these problems in society as young Afghan people who want to make their country a better place.’ The charity started in 2007 with just three skateboards and a motorbike to transport them around ravaged Kabul but investment meant they were soon able to open their own skate park for budding boarders. The new outdoor facility in Mazar-e-Sharif has been designed to feature pathways with skatepark obstacles, an outdoor classroom, trees for shade, grass areas for outdoor sports, gardens and a greenhouse. Founder: Ollie first visited Afghanistan in 2006 and established Skateistan the following year. He said: 'We want to help create a new generation of leaders in Afghanistan that can tackle the problems that they face in society' Ollie, 40, said: 'This is the first outdoor skate facility in the country, so it represents a big step forward for us. It was really exciting for us to be able to work on the design which has been made to look like a traditional Afghan garden. 'This is a unique space in Afghanistan, where opportunities to safely skateboard outside are rare – especially for female students. We have about 550 students in Mazar-e-Sharif and just under half of those – around 47 per cent – are girls. ‘We have the capability to host a lot more than that, so we are currently in the process of building up our number of teachers and hopefully getting more buses to help transport the students to the facility.’ The challenges faced by Ollie and his team remain difficult, and in 2012 they were heartbroken when one of their teachers and three students were brutally murdered during a suicide attack on international military base in Kabul. Recent estimates claim that there have been more than 21,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan due to war in the last 11 years alone. Ollie and his dedicated team work daily to get kids off the streets and back into the education system through their learning programmes and projects. ‘We have three different groups that they join, depending on their age and circumstances: Skate And Create, Back To School and Youth Leadership’, he said. Wheel-y great: The outdoor space in Mazar-e-Sharif has been designed to feature pathways with skatepark obstacles, an outdoor classroom, trees for shade, grass areas for outdoor sports, gardens and a greenhouse. No obstacle: the young girls love tackling the ramps on the skatepark, and are also learning how to overcome Afghanistan's wider society problems in the classroom as well . New hope: skateboarding is giving a new lease of life to the street kids in the country, which has a population of approximately 31 million people . ‘Skate And Create is a session where they are encouraged to use their creative ability alongside practising their skateboarding. ‘Back To School is a very important one as that is where we take the street kids who have dropped out of the education system and put them on an accelerated course to get back into school. ‘And Youth Leadership is for the slightly older students where we give them opportunities to become more responsible leaders amongst their peer groups, as well as get involved in creative elements such as photography and blogging and so on. ‘The courses are designed very much as a springboard so that the students can use take the opportunity to improve themselves and enjoy skateboarding sessions as well.’ For more information on Skateistan, visit: http://www.skateistan.org/ . Bright future: Skateistan offers hope to the young girls in the war-torn country, where there are estimated to have been more than 21,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan due to war in the last 11 years alone . Colourful: Skateistan are open six days per week and offers single gender classes to keep boys and girls separate while they skate . All smiles: Women can't ride bicycles in Afghanistan, but skateboarding is novel enough to be open to women and has attracted them in droves to the school and skateparks where classes are free . Success: One of the world's poorest and most conservative countries seems a strange place to set up a skateboarding school, but the founders say it has proved a remarkably successful way to reach out to marginalized children, particularly girls . | Skateistan tackling social problems by offering skateboarding and school lessons to street kids .
Charity want to create new role models for children - instead of them admiring fanatical war lords .
They are helping more than 800 children pursue their dreams in the devastated country .
New outdoor skatepark is the first in the war-torn country that has seen more than 21,000 killed in last 11 years . |
65,426 | b9d01a271bbdc6472f418158226aef355047c63f | By . Freya Noble . and Aap . Northern Territory politician Larisa Lee has avoided jail after pleading guilty to assaulting her niece for having an affair with her partner. Lee, 31, faced the Katherine Magistrates Court on Tuesday, having told reporters as she arrived that she felt 'It will all come to an end, finally... it will be a good outcome'. She pleaded guilty to common assault and disorderly conduct charges. Scroll down for video . Palmer United Part member for the Northern Territory Larisa Lee has been found guilty of common assault after she attacked her niece . The court heard that on April 24, the Palmer United Party MLA found out her niece Sherese Dooley, 18, was having an affair with her partner, Benjamin Ulamari, after finding photos on his phone. She tracked her niece to the Katherine Centrelink and called her outside to discuss the affair, before assaulting her. 'Instead of talking through the issues, you responded in a different way,' Magistrate Elisabeth Armitage said. 'You got out of the car when you saw her, you went up to her, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across a concrete driveway. 'You didn't stop there, but then proceeded to punch her a number of times to the head with a closed fist. You swore at her and threatened her.' Ms Dooley escaped the assault with a cut to her knee and many people witnessed the incident. Lee's lawyer Ron Hope said her 'emotions boiled over' and that she had been 'totally humiliated' by the events leading up to the assault, known of by all in the small Katherine community. The MP faced the Katherine Magistrate's Court on Tuesday and was fined $300 and given a good behaviour bond of $1000 . But Lee was not seeking special treatment due to her role in public life, he said. Ms Armitage said Ms Dooley was also humiliated by the attack, and had filed a domestic violence order against Lee. 'Jealousy is not an extenuating circumstance,' she said, but noted Lee was unlikely to ever commit such an offence again, had no prior criminal history and had contributed significantly to the community. Lee was convicted of common assault and received a $1000 good behaviour bond, with no jail time to be served. She received no conviction for the charge of disorderly conduct, but received a $300 fine along with $300 to be paid as a victims' levy. Lee will retain her seat of Arnhem, which she won in 2012, she told reporters outside court. 'As individuals we all go through experiences that we have to overcome, it's either going to make us or break us. This situation actually made me,' she said. Lee will retain her seat of Arnhem as a member of Clive Palmer's party despite the incident . 'I'm a person, at the end of the day. Betrayal is something nobody wants to face; nobody wants to go home and find their niece in bed with their partner. 'I'm going to move forward from this and I look forward to my job, I look forward to representing my electorate and doing the best I can.' She apologised to the public for her actions, saying domestic violence was never acceptable. 'People need to control their emotions better; I shouldn't have done what I've done. I'm very sorry to the public and the people of Katherine for that matter, and it will never happen again.' The controversial politician made headlines in March and April when she and fellow Aboriginal backbenchers Alison Anderson and Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu resigned from the Country Liberals government amid claims of racism and broken promises to the bush. Clive Palmer announced the three had joined his party just days after Ms Lee's arrest. | Larisa Lee pleaded guilty to assaulting her 18-year-old niece .
Lee assaulted Sherese Dooley after she found her in bed with her partner .
The Palmer United MP for Arnhem, Northern Territory, confronted and assaulted Dooley outside Centrelink .
She avoided jail time, fined $300 and her bail is set at $1000 . |
104,474 | 12ce0c2fbd99fb3f6cafd00a5a26592d93fe975f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . and Associated Press Reporter . Found: Escaped prisoner Michal David Elliot was captured last night after a chase . A convicted murderer who escaped a maximum security prison by peeling two fences with his hands before kidnapping a woman at knife point and hijacking her Jeep has been captured. Michael David Elliot, 40, was serving life for four killings committed when he escaped from the Ionia Correctional Facility in Michigan on Sunday night. Authorities found Elliot in Indiana last night following a major manhunt. Officials were stunned by the killer's brazen escape, as he had a record of good behavior during his 20 years in custody. He wore a white civilian kitchen uniform to evade security and blend in with snow at the western Michigan facility, prisons spokesman Russ Marlan said. Prison fences were equipped with motion sensors to alert guards. The fences also carry electric current to shock anyone that touches them. 'It appears that did not happen. ... He was not zapped with electricity, and he was not picked up by the motion sensors,' Marlan said. Once outside the prison, Elliot, abducted a woman and stole her Jeep. She escaped late Sunday when he stopped for gas in Middlebury, Indiana, some 100 miles to the south. The woman told police that Elliot was . armed with a box cutter and a hammer and had said he wanted to get as . far from the Michigan prison as possible. The woman's red Jeep was found abandoned nearby in Shipshewana yesterday. Scroll down for video . On the run: Michael David Elliot was identified in surveillance footage at a gas station in Middlebury, Indiana . Convicted: Michael David Elliot was serving life behind bars for . murder in four 1993 deaths in Michigan when he escaped . Elliot attempted to buy water and medicine at the gas station, and then paid for $10 worth of gas almost entirely with change, WoodTV reported. The . woman, who is in her 50s, locked herself in the gas station bathroom . and refused to come out, so Elliot took her vehicle and drove off . without her. It is understood she was not injured during the ordeal. Authorities put Ionia on lockdown as they searched for the fugitive. 'We had dog teams. We had a helicopter from the state police,' said Michigan Corrections Department Director Dan Heyns. 'The response was good, but he'd left the area by the time we were mobilized totally 100 percent. It didn't take him long to get down to Indiana.' Looking for clues: The abandoned Jeep was found six miles away from this gas station after the female owner of the car locked herself in the restroom . Lock down: Elliot allegedly only bought $10-worth of gas, and paid in mostly change . Elliot was serving life in prison without parole for fatally shooting four people and burning down their Gladwin County house on August 8, 1993 when he was 20 years old, according to court records. Elliot and his accomplices were trying to steal money from a drug dealer, police said. Vickie Currie, her boyfriend Michael Tuffnell, his brother Bruce . Squires Tuffnell Jr. and Kathy Lane were killed. He was arrested a few days later and had a gun that tied him to the slayings. One of Elliot's co-defendants testified against him, saying he laughed about shooting the victims in the head. Elliot was convicted of first-degree murder in 1994. Making inroads: Elliot had crossed state lines in his escape from Michigan to Indiana . | Michael David Elliot, 40, was serving life for four murders in Michigan in 1993 .
He escaped Ionia Correctional Facility through a hole in the fence on Sunday night .
He was captured in Indiana yesterday following a chase .
Elliot took a woman hostage and drove to Elkhart, Indiana .
Detectives were hunting a red 2004 Jeep Liberty .
Ionia was in lockdown while police searched for Elliot . |
225,076 | af76f1743e55cb864cde579e612124bf0001aa3c | (CNN) -- The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has taken a new twist as football's world governing body FIFA lodged a criminal complaint with the Swiss judiciary Tuesday. The complaint relates to the "international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland, which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities." The FIFA statement added: "The subject of the criminal complaint is the possible misconduct of individual persons in connection with the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup." FIFA lodged the complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland in Berne on the recommendation of German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert -- FIFA's independent ethics adjudicator. "I lodged the criminal complaint upon the recommendation of Judge Eckert," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "I cannot, however, comment on any possible criminal offenses. I am not a lawyer. "I also was not the addressee of the investigatory report, which I have never seen. However, given Judge Eckert's recommendation, it was my duty -- as the President of FIFA -- to lodge the complaint." Eckert's recommendation was based on the evidence compiled by Michael Garcia -- chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee -- who has been examining the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. However Blatter insisted there was no change to Eckert's statement "that the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups is concluded." Eckert, who is set to meet with Garcia on Thursday to discuss the report, says he came across "indications that pointed to suspected unlawful activity in connection with Switzerland." He told FIFA's website: "In the circumstances, I saw it as my duty to bring this to the FIFA President's attention and to recommend to him that the Swiss criminal prosecution authorities be informed." Eckert has been heavily criticized since publishing his 42-page summary into Garcia's 18-month investigation last Friday. The German told reporters last week that he had been surprised by the strength of bad feeling surrounding his summary. "I would like to point out that not once did my statement involve a so-called "whitewashing" of the award process with regard to the various allegations and assumptions made, contrary to what has been claimed in some quarters," he said. "My statement was based on the Garcia report -- I can only work with the material contained in it, and in my view, there was insufficient clear evidence of illegal or irregular conduct that would call into question the integrity of the award process as a whole. "However, in certain places, the report does indicate that further clarification is needed of certain circumstances. Much of this clarification work can be carried out by the FIFA Ethics Committee itself, while the remainder is the responsibility of the relevant national investigatory authorities." With Garcia and Eckert set to discuss their differences over the summary on Thursday, Kevin Carpenter, who specializes in sports law for Kevin Hill Dickinson LLP, raised questions over the timing of the announcement. "It's interesting that Garcia said his report had been misrepresented, yet Eckert decides to take evidence to the Swiss judiciary now," he told CNN. "Why lodge the criminal complaint given they are meeting later this week?" Carpenter also believes that Garcia, who has appealed to FIFA's appeal committee over the findings in Eckert's summary, could take his complaints further. "Michael Garcia has referred the matter to the appeals committee, but if his complaint is rejected he could then go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is extremely thorough and can look at all the evidence. "CAS' decision and reasoning would be made public. Names would have to be redacted but it would be a way for the bulk of his report -- the sections he believes to be most important coming into the public domain." | FIFA launches criminal complaint .
Football's world governing body lodges complaint in Switzerland .
Swiss Attorney General to examine matter .
Investigation against "individual persons" |
77,174 | daca5f6d77e04660c2370bea459824b299cb7ea5 | (CNN) -- In some ways, it's not surprising that Russians were happy to vote Vladimir Putin back into the presidency in 2012. After all, the economy grew by an average of 7% from Putin's emergence in 1999 as a national politician, through his first two terms as president until May 2008, while real incomes more than doubled. Pensions were paid, and Putin had been able to brag in his last annual address to the Federal Assembly that "not only has Russia now made a full turnaround after years of industrial decline, it has become one of the world's ten biggest economies." It may have been Putin's bellicose rhetoric and shirtless photo opportunities that grabbed headlines overseas, but the fact is, his popularity was fundamentally based on the perception of growing prosperity for Russian citizens. The problem for Putin now is that the remarkably felicitous combination of economic factors that fueled his popularity for so long seems to be crumbling around him. Tumbling oil prices have been one factor. Oil production increased 50% from 1999 to 2004, providing a real boon to the country's coffers as the oil price soared to a peak of over $140 a barrel in July 2008 (compared with about half that today). But even while macroeconomic indicators remained robust, there was a consensus among analysts that the previous drivers of Russian economic growth were exhausted, and that the government needed to return to a reform agenda to improve the investment environment, reduce red tape, and curb corruption, among other measures. Unfortunately, since returning to the presidency, Putin and his administration have disregarded this advice. For those of us who studied the Soviet experience in the early 1980s, a period when economic growth was near zero despite a massive windfall of petro-dollars, it started to feel like deja vu all over again. Indeed, by early 2014, even before the annexation of Crimea, there were clear signs of further economic deterioration as the ruble fell by 10% and first quarter capital outflows ballooned to a record rate of $50 billion. But over the summer and into the fall, the imposition of serious Western sanctions over Russian aggression in Ukraine and a more than 30% drop in the oil price have combined to suggest that a perfect storm is finally brewing that may make Putin's first near-decade in power look like a distant and fond memory. Just as earlier Russian leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin ended up unpopular mainly as a result of economic deprivation, a prolonged economic downturn in Russia would deeply erode the current wave of popularity that Putin is riding after the euphoria of annexing Crimea. The danger to his presidency was underscored as he delivered an aggressive and defiant State of the Union address this past week warning about unnamed enemies (although the U.S. and Europe were the implied targets) seeking to weaken Russia. The rhetoric seemed flat, especially so when juxtaposed with the wave of bad economic news and the fact that he chose not to seriously discuss the challenges the country is facing. How bad have things gotten? In the past week, the Finance Ministry downgraded expectations of 1.2% growth in 2015 to a contraction of 0.8%. Meanwhile, the ruble has lost more than 50% of its value since the beginning of the year, despite the Russian Central Bank spending more than $70 billion to defend it. In fact, by the middle of last month, Russian reserves were $103 billion less than at the beginning of the year. Worse, the Finance Ministry's estimates could actually look optimistic a year from now, as they are based on an $80 per barrel oil price. Given the recent growth in production, including U.S. shale oil, the oil price could easily fall further and remain low. Since revenues from oil and gas exports make up about half of the Russian federal budget, Moscow's capacity to meet existing social welfare obligations -- let alone plans for expanded defense spending -- will be curtailed. (And this does not even account for the increased costs to Moscow related to the annexation of Crimea and its activities in Eastern Ukraine, where a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe is developing as winter sets in.) There are already ominous signs of potential social unrest. Protesters marched in 40 cities across Russia last month over planned reductions in health care spending in 2015 of up to 20%. On December 2, Putin announced a freeze on government salaries that, in the context of an inflation rate of more than 8%, will see many facing a significant drop in their salaries. Almost a decade ago, I wrote that Putin was very lucky to emerge at a time of such positive economic conditions, many of which lay beyond his control. The situation today, however, is not so much that luck has turned against him, but that he has failed to address structural weaknesses in the Russian economy even as he conducts a not-so-covert war against his neighbor. When Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, most Russians and outside observers seemed resigned to at least another 12 years of his leadership, through 2024. But as things stand, not only do recent events call his re-election in 2018 into question, but if economic decline continues, the Duma elections scheduled for 2016 could shake the system. Any student of Russian history knows that Russia's path is frequently disrupted by nonlinear events, and today it appears increasingly possible that another could happen even in the next few years. If it does, Putin will end up lying on the dust heap of history. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. | Andrew Kuchins: Growing economy was behind Putin's popularity .
Kuchins: Plunging oil prices hitting state coffers .
There are already ominous signs of potential social unrest, he says . |
44,426 | 7d497c1e3bb761dee1924d75e786b5ee2379d55f | (CNN) -- Finally! The royal baby bump has arrived, and the world can finally see evidence of the progeny of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who we still like to think of as Kate Middleton. The world has been on watch since the couple announced their impending arrival last December. Well known for her fashion sense, the young duchess is now applying that to her pregnancy and stepping out in outfits that both flatter and show off the wee one. People magazine was so impressed with one of her recent outfits that it ran a story headlined "Kate's baby blue maternity dress - how to get the look." Likewise the Huffington Post put her on its best dressed list this week proving that stylishness doesn't have to stop for nine months. Cheers Kate! | William and Catherine announced their impending arrival in December .
The duchess is applying her fashion sense to her maternity clothes .
The Huffington Post put her on its best dressed list . |
140,068 | 411843c56a74a6dbb9bbb27e59caa21a4ecc63dc | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 08:28 EST, 11 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:06 EST, 11 December 2013 . A skydiver has miraculously survived after falling to the ground from 9,000ft when he and a friend's parachutes became entangled. American Victor Bryie and Briton Shaun . Phillips, both 27, were trying a dangerous formation jump when they got . into trouble over Florida. The pair had jumped at 14,000ft over Lake Wales airport near Tampa, where they tried a complicated manoeuvre involving holding each other's canopy. Miracle: American Victor Bryie and Briton Shaun Phillips, both 27, had jumped above Lake Wales Municipal Airport in Florida, pictured, before getting into trouble, with Mr Bryie spiralling to the ground from 9,000ft . Called Canopy Relative Work, it allows experienced skydivers to link up with up to 100 others in mid-air. But when Mr Bryie opened his parachute at 9,000ft Mr Phillips' foot got tangled in the lines and sent both of them spiralling downwards. At 3,000ft Mr Phillips broke free and opened up his parachute, but Mr Byrie's was not fully open and he continued falling at speed. Risky: The friends were apparently trying Canopy Relative Work, which allows many skydivers to join together by holding each other's parachutes (file picture) Remarkably, despite suffering a head injury and two broken bones, Mr Byrie survived and is in a Florida hospital in a serious but stable condition. He was found close to Highway 60 and was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Mr Phillips landed safely around 25 metres away from his friend. | Victor Bryie and Shaun .
Phillips got .
into trouble over Florida on Sunday .
Pair became tangled at 9,000ft and Mr Phillips broke free at 3,000ft .
But Mr Bryie could not fully open his parachute and spiralled to ground .
Incredibly he survived and is in a stable condition in a nearby hospital . |
87,924 | f97bde5cdfc08633da9b6efdf3c1bc25a20e048c | By . Rachel Rickard Straus . PUBLISHED: . 12:06 EST, 9 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:27 EST, 9 November 2012 . Peter and Marian Sycamore, who watched their £50,000 retirement dream wash down the River Nene before smashing into a lock . A devastated couple had to flee for their lives after their 60ft houseboat was washed down a river weir – because they forgot to sign up for flood warnings. Peter and Marian Sycamore were returning cruising down the river during a relaxing break on the £50,000 river barge when conditions suddenly got dangerous. They were sailing along the River Nene in Northamptonshire when heavy rain and rising water levels began to pull the 14-tonne boat under the surface. The couple leapt off the sinking boat with their two dogs just in time, before watching in horror as strong currents caused their retirement-dream boat to smash into Ditchford Lock. The . boat is being refloated today - more than a week after it sank - so . that it can be moved and the river reopened. However boating experts . already believe the vessel will never be river-going again. The couple said they had received no . flood warnings or messages not to travel, despite torrential rain making . the stretch of river unsafe for boats. Crash: Pumping operations are being used to recover the sunken narrowboat, which was submerged for over a week . They thought they been added to the Environment Agency's emergency warning system - but failed to realise boat owners must sign up for every river they travel on. Mrs Sycamore, 58, said: ‘I feel so lucky to be alive. It came to the point when it was almost tilted completely over before I got off. Accident: The narrowboat sank at Ditchford Lock in Northamptonshire after conditions got difficult . Pumping out water: The narrowboat is refloated and safely moored so that the river can be reopened . ‘We would never do something that would be reckless. I did not receive any emails from the EA Floodline alert telling us not to travel. ‘The flags at the lock were green and were not changed to red until after our boat sank. We are really, really upset. We had spent a lot of money doing it up to make it homely.’ The couple had remortgaged their home in Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, to pay for the boat. Stuck: The 60ft vessel hit the sluice gate on the River Nene when water levels rose . They bought it five years ago for £25,000 and ploughed another £15,000 into repainting it, fitting a fire, solar panels and decorating it. Luckily, the couple say they have £40,000 of insurance cover and believe they will qualify for a payout because the Environment Agency classify the damage as an accident. Mr Sycamore said: ‘Rivers are so unpredictable. The water gushed in to the engine and cut out theelectricity. Luckily the boat is insured. Lucky escape: The narrowboat became wedged against a river sluice gate - fortunately its owners managed to escape before it started to sink . ‘But the only positive thing is that my wife and I are alive. She was on the back of the boat and could have been thrown in to the water and in to the sluice. ‘One of our dogs jumped off and I went back on to the boat to rescue the other one. The Environment Agency said today that river users have to sign up for weather alerts for every waterway they travel on. A spokesman said: ‘Signing up for advice on one river does not give up updates for every Anglian waterway. ‘People should make sure they are signed up for the specific river they are using. ‘A message was sent to every person signed up for River Nene strong stream advice service at 9.30am on Thursday, November 1. ‘The advice not to use the River Nene on Floodline was also in place from Thursday morning. ‘The flag poles along the River Nene are managed by unpaid volunteers. ‘Warning signs are in place at various locations along the river, and they are deployed by Environment Agency operatives who work their way along the waterway when strong stream advice is issued.’ | Houseboat is being refloated today so that it can be moved and the river reopened .
Peter and Marian Sycamore were sailing along the River Nene in Northamptonshire when conditions became difficult .
The couple had remortgaged their home to buy their retirement dream-boat .
Boating experts believe the vessel will never be river-going again . |
229,067 | b49c459a125c4ac3b25939ce38f252a097c1d20f | J Edgar Hoover refused permission for Bond producers to even mention his agency by name after he was passed a memo on Goldfinger . Nowadays James Bond is a household name that everyone, from designer brands to luxury car makers, wants to be associated with. But back in 1964 - just two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis - the FBI reacted with horror after learning of plans to feature the Bureau in upcoming Bond flick Goldfinger. J Edgar Hoover refused filmakers permission to even mention his agency by name after being passed a memo explaining that Bond was a British spy who had 'beautiful women presenting themselves to him in scanty attire'. Newly released FBI files show that the movie was brought to the attention of the Bureau after producer Harry Saltzman requested the use of military aircraft during filming. The request prompted the FBI, which was still on high alert after years of Cold War tensions, to run background checks on Saltzman, author Ian Fleming, and screenplay writer Richard Maibaum. While the reports seem to have got some information spot on - referring to Fleming's novels as being filled with 'sex and bizarre situations' - in other places the intelligence was sadly lacking. For example, the character of Felix Leiter is described as 'a fictional FBI agent', while any true Bond fan will know he in fact works for the CIA. The reports, which were revealed by the Guardian, also wrongly name actor Jack Lord as the man playing Leiter, when in fact he was replaced by Cec Linder in Goldfinger. And, in a spectacular rewrite of the ending, the report claims that Goldfinger's attempted robbery of Fort Knox is solved by the FBI themselves, when in fact James Bond foils the dastardly plot. The FBI were clearly not impressed with what they found, writing that Fleming's book was 'not the type where we would want any mention of the FBI or a portrayal of FBI agents, no matter how favorable they might look in the movie. 'Fleming's stories generally center around sex and bizarre situations and, certainly, are not the type with which we want to be associated.' After reading the reports, Hoover responded that agents speaking to Saltzman should 'forcibly bring to his attention' a law 'which prohibits the use of the words "Federal Bureau of Investigation" or any of its written initials without my written permission.' The documents also contain wrong information about previous Bond films, including From Russia With Love which is repeatedly referred to as 'For Russian With Love', and is said to contain 'sex and excessive nudity.' The memos also reveal that 1964 was not the first time Ian Fleming's books had been brought to the attention of intelligence agents, after the author mentioned the FBI on several occasions. Scroll down for video . The FBI ran checks on Bond, saying the novels involved 'beautiful women presenting themselves to him in scanty attire'. But they also got the ending of the film wrong, claiming the FBI foils Goldfinger's plot . The memo reads: 'All of these references have been favourable in the past. His stories are generally filled with beautiful women presenting themselves to him in scanty attire. 'It was reported in Life magazine in August 1962 that President Kennedy was one of his most avid readers.' But despite the favourable references and presidential endorsement, Hoover ordered his agents to contact Saltzman and 'vigorously protest any mention of FBI or portrayal of its agents in his proposed movie.' Behind-the-scenes details about the production are also unearthed in the secret files, including the fact that film company United Artists paid $300,000 fro the script, and planned to spend $3million making it. | Producer Harry Saltzman sent FBI request to use military planes in film .
Letter prompted agency to run checks on everything to do with Bond .
'Sex and bizarre situations' in novels meant FBI did not want to be involved .
Reports also claimed Goldfinger's plot foiled by FBI, rather than Bond . |
172,423 | 6b2320c5e7e98811b859794f1d3537f3fb790088 | By . Olivia Williams . PUBLISHED: . 05:59 EST, 13 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:17 EST, 13 June 2013 . The author of a cry for help tucked into a box of Halloween decorations from China has come forward to tell the story behind his desperate letter. The letter about horrendous working conditions at a Chinese labour camp was found by Julie Keith, a mother of two in Portland, Oregon, stuffed between the styrofoam headstones of the Totally Ghoul decoration box sold at Kmart. The unsigned note began: 'Sir: If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization' Plea for help: The letter, pictured, came in a box of Halloween decorations purchased at Kmart . Inside Masanjia: - One of the 're-education' lessons, which takes up the rest of inmates time when they are not working producing goods for virtually no pay . 'Thousands people here who are under the persicution [sic] of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.' There was some doubt as to the letter's authenticity when it was uncovered in October, but now a former inmate at the Masanjia camp in Shenyang, has come forward as the author. Mr Zhang, a 47-year-old from Beijing who can only be identified by his surname for safety, said he secretly wrote 20 letters over two years at the camp. Barred from having pens and paper, Mr Zhang said he stole a set from a desk while cleaning a prison office one day. He stashed his notes inside products with English packaging, hoping they would make it to someone who could come to the workers' rescue. 'Over time I just gave up hope and forgot about them,' Mr Zhang said in an interview with the New York Times. Mr Zhang wrote that labourers are forced to work for 15 hours a day without time off on the weekends and holidays. Hidden: The letter was folded into eighths and hidden amongst the the Styrofoam headstones in the Totally Ghoul product, pictured . Investigation: Despite the letter, Kmart said in a statement that none of the company's forced labour rules had been broken . In broken English he continued: 'Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. [sic] Nearly no payment.' His plea said workers at the labour camp make only 10 yuan per month - the equivalent to $1.61. Labour camps house petty . criminals, religious offenders and government critics, who can receive four-year sentences without trial. China's re-education through labour system of punishment allows for detention without trial. Other workers from the Masanjia Labor Camp and various camps from around the country have been joined Mr Zhang in revealing the conditions there. 'Sometimes the guards would drag me around by my hair or apply electric batons to my skin for so long, the smell of burning flesh would fill the room,' Chen Shenchun, 55, told the New York Times. She was given a two-year sentence for pursuing unpaid wages she was owed from her job at a state-owned factory. Many of the inmates, like Ms Shenchun, are sent there for lodging persistent complaints against the government. 'I still can’t forget the pleas and howling. That place is a living hell,' said Liu Hua, 51, who was imprisoned at Masanjia on three separate occasions. It is believed Mr Zhang was imprisoned as a follower of the Falun Gong religious movement, which the Chinese government banned in 1999. Roughly half of Masanjia’s population is made up of Falun Gong practitioners or other religious groups. Masanjia labor camp is located in the industrialised capital of the Liaoning Province in northeast China. Sir:If . you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to . the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under . the persicution [sic] of the Chinese Communist Party Government will . thank and remember you forever.This product produced by Unit 8, Department 2, Mashanjla Labour Camp, Shen Young, Liaoning, China.People . who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday (or) Sunday . break and any holidays, otherwise they will suffer torturement [sic], . beat and rude remark, nearly no payment (10 Yuan/one month).People . who work here suffer punishment 1-3 years averagelly [sic], but without . court sentence. Many of them are Falun Gong practitioners who are . totally innocent people. Only because they have different believe [sic] . to the CCPG, they often suffer more punishment than others. Other prisoners agreed that the worst abuse was directed at Falun Gong members who refused to renounce their faith. Alongside the production work there are hours of 're-education classes' involving endless repetition of camp rules or singing of patriotic songs while standing in the sun. People like Mr Zhang who speak out about the cruelty of the camps can often find themselves severely punished. Journalist and former New York Times photographer Du Bin, who released a documentary on the Masanjia camp featuring interviews with former inmates has been detained by security officials since May 31, according to his sister. Most of the products are made for use in China, but inmates say they also made coat linings labelled 'Made In Italy' and Christmas wreaths for South Korea, among other items for export. Amnesty International believes there are more than 300 of these camps. Julie Keith said that when she first opened the box with her daughters and found the note, she was sceptical. It was only when she looked the labour camp up online that she began to worry about the its author. The camp drew press attention again in April when Beijing-based Lens Magazine published accounts by former detainees, in which they described being shocked with electric batons, starved, and beaten. The magazine quoted the diary of Masanjia inmate Wang Guilan as saying the camp accepted pregnant women and disabled individuals, forcing them to work for up to 14 hours a day, or risk being beaten. In an interview with Radio Free Asia's Mandarin Service in January, Ms Guilan said that guards at the Masanjia women's camp chained detainees up and tortured them in hideous ways, including sexually. A Kmart spokesman, said in a statement that an internal investigation uncovered no violations of company rules that bar the use of forced labour. The Chinese Communist Party announced this year that it would end the practice by the end of 2013, but said there has been no further public detail. | American woman found plea for help in Halloween decorations she bought .
Letter came from Chinese labour camp worker who has now come forward .
He wrote workers were suffering 'torturement, beat and rude remark'
Inmates at the labour camp work seven days a week, for 15 hours a day . |
53,723 | 985fb532f624295011f7669b009bbb0e6a977539 | I hope Ashley Cole enjoys his time in Italy, he’s the best player England has had for many years, and the most misunderstood footballer this country has ever produced. We should be proud of this guy, but instead too many judge him on peripheral nonsense rather than his talent and success. Judge him on his football, not his marriage, a training-ground prank gone wrong, or a broken promise at Arsenal. Let’s start with the story that turned Arsenal fans, and many others, against him: Cole swerving his car when he found out he was being offered £55k a week. If you took a dislike to him because of this, turn the situation on yourself. Happy man: Ashley Cole takes a selfie with the Roma shirt after being presented to the media . Italian job: Cole has landed in Rome ahead of his move to Serie A side Roma . New start: The former England defender was a free agent after leaving Chelsea . Imagine you’re earning £25k a year. All your colleagues doing the same job are on at least three times more, some picking up quadruple your wage. You’re on such a relatively low wage because this is your first job. You ask for an increase, you’re told you’ll get a rise of £10k a year. You don’t settle for that. So you ask for more, to bring you closer, but still behind, some of your colleagues. You’re promised the new salary you ask for - £60k a year. You accept, despite colleagues saying you’re worth far more, and despite other companies offering more. But when the offer is put on paper, it’s actually £55k a year. How would you feel? Replace the word ‘year’ with ‘week’ and you have Cole’s reasons for being angry with Arsenal Football Club. Breaking through: Cole made his Arsenal debut in the late 1990s and played more than 150 times for the club . Dream come true: Cole was pictured with the First Division trophy as a youngster and then played for Arsenal . Part of the team: Cole played alongside the likes of Robert Pires and Kolo Toure . It wasn’t the amount of money that made him nearly crash his car, it was what he perceived as a broken promise from employers he trusted. You would all feel annoyed if your employer broke a promise to you, so it’s hypocritical to judge Cole on this. He’s been judged on the break-up of his marriage to Cheryl. Maybe he did wrong, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had regrets but in the heat of a relationship, who knows what is said and done behind closed doors? Do you have all the details of their break-up? Do you know the whole truth? In the middle of a failing relationship people can say and do some awful things that they quickly regret. You’re very lucky if you’ve not been in that place. In the public eye: Cole's marriage to Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy was popular with newspapers . Failed romance: Cole and Cheryl started dating in 2004 and were married in 2006 but divorced in 2010 . Cole shot a work experience kid at the training-ground. Who can defend that? He was an idiot. But he isn’t a gangster. People over-reacted to a bit of stupidity. Here’s what Cole should be judged on: he has won literally everything in the game at a club level. He was an England international at 21, and won more than 100 caps. He was brilliant for his country, one of the very few of his generation who can hold his head up high and say he was excellent at international level. Starting out: Cole made his England debut back in 2001, against Albania in a World Cup qualifier . Class apart: Cole is the best player England have produced since Bobby Moore . Landmark: Cole made it to 100 caps, captained the team and eventually ended his career on 107 . And who wasn’t impressed with Cole when after captaining England last summer, he described it as a ‘dream come true.’ He went on to say: ‘I’ve lived a little boy’s dream today.’ That’s the kind of commitment and emotion I want to see from players. Cole’s got the quality and ability to back it up. Unfortunately too many fans preferred to overlook the footballing talents of Cole, instead they chose to misinterpret and blow out of proportion stories away from the pitch. Lesser characters would have been ruined by such criticism. Cole continued to be brilliant. Strength of character, passion for playing, quality and consistency are all his hallmarks. Blue day: Jose Mourinho signed Cole for Chelsea in 2006 . The trophy years: Cole won nine trophies in his time at Chelsea, including the Champions League . Time to say goodbye: Cole applauds the Chelsea fans after his final game away at Cardiff . But he also had the ability to compete with and be better than the very best the world could throw at him – look at the battles he won against Cristiano Ronaldo. How many England players in the past can genuinely make that boast? He may not be a goalscorer or a fantasy-player, he may not be in an eye-catching, headline-making position on the field, but for consistency, quality, and being as good for his country as he was for his club, Cole is the best England have produced since Bobby Moore. Do you remember him having a bad game for his country? Me neither. Arsenal can feel proud they produced him, Chelsea can feel proud they continued that development and success, and English football should be proud of Ashley Cole. | Arsenal broke promises over new deal for Cole in 2006 .
Cole has represented England 107 times and never let his country down .
Cole should be remembered as one of the best England players since Bobby Moore . |
93,010 | 03a97b946605b4b23a950a04a8b035771312f90d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 11:54 AM on 8th July 2011 . Heroin overdoses are tragic, and unfortunately they aren't restricted to human beings. Police in Boulder, Colorado believe a young man's cat may have been killed by inhaling the powerful drug, after a neighbour allegedly blew heroin smoke in its face. As Fox31 Denver reports, Boulder police arrested Danielle Blankenship, 21, on Tuesday morning on charges of cruelty to animals stemming from the mysterious death of a cat named Muffin. Scroll down for video . Charged: Danielle Blankenship, 21, of Boulder, Colorado is accused of blowing heroin smoke in a cat's face. The animal died shortly after the alleged incident . Ms Blankenship is also charged with third degree assault and domestic violence. Police say they arrested the young woman after responding to a domestic violence call in the 1100 block of 30th Street Tuesday morning. They say Ms Blankenship's boyfriend had called them to report that she hit him in the face. Officers say the woman admitted punching her boyfriend because he wouldn't let her use his phone to . call for a ride. At that point, the alleged incident took a bizarre turn, after a female officer reportedly noticed the cat lying on the steps of the apartment building. Officer Gregory Perry wrote in a statement: 'The . cat appeared to be unresponsive, and the cat did not move when the . officer touched it. Bizarre: Muffin, the cat who died, had lived at the same apartment building in Boulder as Ms Blankenship . Ms Blankenship could face felony charges if a necropsy shows the cat was indeed poisoned by heroin . 'It . could not seem to get up'. Fox31 identified the cat as an animal named Muffin, and which reportedly belonged to a neighbour man, 24, who asked not to be named because he didn't want to be associated with an event that allegedly involved drugs. According to police, Ms Blankenship’s boyfriend told them she had been smoking heroin and blew it in the cat’s face. Ms Blankenship denies smoking heroin and denies that she blew smoke in Muffin's face. When police asked Ms Blankenship if the lethargic cat had been struck, she reportedly told them she would never hurt a cat. The police called animal control, who took the pet to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Owner: A 24-year-old man who lives at the complex was reportedly Muffin's owner. He asked not to be named . Boulder's finest: Colorado police noticed that Muffin wasn't doing well, and started asking questions . Boulder Police Spokeswoman Kim Kobel told Fox31: 'The vet clinic called the Poison . Control Center to try to find out if there were some specific things . they could do to revive the cat. 'They gave it some IVs, and the cat . rallied at one point. 'They . thought it was going to make it, but then it crashed soon after that and . it died about 6:30 last night. 'Our . animal control officers have seen poisoning before. They have responded . to cases where animals get into household cleaners, bleaches, and . things like that. 'This is an unusual case, if it actually is indeed a . drug poisoning like this, a heroin poisoning', Ms Kobel said. A necropsy is scheduled to be performed on the cat, to try to determine if it was killed from heroin. If that turns out to be the case, Ms Blankenship could face felony charges. She is currently being held in the Boulder County Jail on $1,500 bond. Watch video here . | Danielle Blankenship, 21, of Boulder is charged .
She denies blowing drug smoke at cat named Muffin .
Drug tests on cat are pending . |
112,249 | 1ccb9bd269d8b0bf9a29eeba6863c517bdbdd198 | Thousands of British people with second homes in France are facing tax rises of 20 per cent as the country’s Socialist government targets wealthy foreigners. President Francois Hollande’s floundering administration wants to use the extra money to raise an extra £117m towards its EU budget deficit. Mr Hollande’s employment minister, Francois Rebsamen, said some 170,000 homes in Paris alone were owned by ‘rich foreigners’ who could afford to pay more tax. French President, Francois Hollande wants to use the new tax to fill a major hole in the nation's finances . But Mr Rebsamen questioned the fairness of the new charge, saying: ‘I am mostly against it. When we say that we won't increase taxes, we shouldn't increase taxes.’ Other opponents said it was another example of a desperate left-wing government which views property owners as ‘lambs to the slaughter’. The so-called ‘Weekend Tax’ would primarily be aimed at those who buy apartments in major cities and then leave them empty for most of the year. It will mean an extra 20 per cent on the ‘tax d’habitation’ (habitation tax), paid by anyone with property in France. The increase will apply to homes which are not primary residences and which have not been rented out in around 30 major urban areas – a status which applies to properties owned by thousands of rich British people. Paris is notorious for its empty apartment blocks, with flats only used occasionally at weekends and during holidays. The tax d’habitation on a two bedroom flat in central Paris is currently around £550 a year – a figure which will rise to £660. French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, pictured, pledged that no new taxes would be introduced in 2015 . It is hoped that the rise in charges will put more of the apartments on the rental market, and add to the coffers of local authorities. But Jean Perrin, president of the National Union of Property Owners, said the Socialists had reduced property owners to ‘lambs to the slaughter’. Mr Perrin said: ‘It’s a new craze of this government to tax property. It’s a mistake because it will increase the cost of real estate and punish owners who have worked hard to have a second home. Mr Perrin added: ‘Saying this is about freeing up housing is a fundamental error.’ Mr Hollande’s party came to power as an avowed enemy of the rich, proposing a top rate of income tax of 75 per cent, but it has since softened its approach. Finance Minister Michel Sapin said last month that no new taxes would be introduced in 2015 – a claim which has not been greeted with much confidence. There are some 200,000 UK holiday homeowners in France. Most are in Provence, the Dordogne, Normandy and Brittany, but flats in cities such as Paris, Bordeaux and Marseille are also extremely popular – both as an investment and as a weekend and holiday retreat. According to a report in the respected financial newspaper, Les Echos, the new property tax bill will be presented to Parliament in the coming months. | Francios Hollande needs the extra cash to boost his floundering economy .
He is considering a 20 per cent tax hike on all second homes in France .
The tax, which will hit thousands of Britons, could rake in £117 million .
However Hollande's finance minister has ruled out new taxes during 2015 . |
281,308 | f863f320e29c61d3ae2c0bbc198682c8e88f01a1 | By . Chris Parsons . Last updated at 9:17 AM on 14th February 2012 . Survivor: Albert Freeborn, pictured arriving at today's inquest, parachuted to safety after the RAF plane collided with his glider . A glider pilot today told how he parachuted to safety after colliding mid-air with an RAF aircraft in a crash which killed a teenage air cadet and his instructor. Nicholas Rice, 15, and RAF reservist Flight Lieutenant Mike Blee, 62, died when their two-seater Tutor plane collided with the glider piloted by Albert Freeborn near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The duo's plane plummeted towards the earth and crashed in a field after the June 2009 collision, but Mr Freeborn today told how he scrambled from his stricken glider and parachuted to safety. Mr Freeborn, 29, told an inquest he . flew from Sherborne, Dorset over Oxfordshire when he heard a propeller . sound which indicated a plane was 'very close to him'. He . said: 'It has to be quite close, if you hear the sound of an engine . propeller. It’s very audible, and alarming as well, because you know it . has to be very close. 'I . looked left and down, saw the Tutor very, very close beneath me, then . about a second later, to my disbelief, it began to rotate, and rose up . towards me. 'At the time of the impact, my head was knocked through into the canopy, which shattered. 'The glider pitched nose-down, looking . at the ground. I decided I should abandon the glider, and with my left . hand opened the canopy, by which time the glider was inverted, it was . upside down. 'My weight was supported by the straps at this point. Mr Freeborn, who holds a private pilot's licence said there had been 'very good' flying conditions on the day of the collision. He added:'With my right hand I released the straps, I was helped to some extent by gravity, and when I was out of the glider, pulled the ring, and the parachute started to deploy. Tragic: Cadet Nicholas Rice, 15, left, and RAF Lieutenant Mike Blee, 62, right, both died when their plane went down in Oxfordshire . 'I was aware of the trainer and the glider beneath me, the glider was like a sycamore leaf falling to the ground, then the trainer came into view, not very far away from me, it looked like the engine was still on full power, and there was a trail of smoke. 'The glider landed beneath me and I saw the Tutor impact into a field of crop.' Mr Freeborn, from Porchester, Hampshire, landed with just a few cuts and bruises in a field half a mile away form the wreckage. The inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court into the deaths of Mr Rice and Mr Blee heard, however, that he has suffered some post-traumatic stress since the crash. The crash saw a Royal Airforce Grob Tutor 115E hurl towards the ground after the collision with another plane . Wreckage: The smashed remains of Mr Freeborn's glider lie in the field near Abingdon, Oxfordshire after the crash in June 2009 . Investigators survey the scene of the light aircraft wreckage, far right, ploughed into a field of long grass . | Cadet Nicholas Rice and Lieutenant Mike Blee died in crash in 2009 .
Pilot Albert Freeborn managed to parachute to safety after their plane collided with his glider . |
221,093 | aa3558695ed1e45bdcfd3eeeb695ee1e00c9972b | Her YouTube video started out innocently enough. The Canadian teen, her face obscured from the camera, held a stack of cards each filled with messages in black marker. "I've decided to tell you about my never ending story," the card in Amanda Todd's hands read. At this point the viewer may have no idea that they are about to be led on the most agonizing journey, one that pushed the premier of British Columbia to issue a stern warning against bullying, a journey that has birthed a Facebook page with thousands of people commenting and many offering condolences. In the soundless, black and white video, the teen showed one card after another. Each card painfully sinking the viewer deeper into the anguish too many teens have experienced. "In 7th grade I would go with friends on webcam," the card in the teen's hand read. Are depressed kids bully magnets? The next few cards reveal that the teen began to get attention on the Internet from people that she did not know. People who told her she was beautiful, stunning, perfect. "They wanted me to flash. So I did one year later," the cards said. The teen then got a message on Facebook from a stranger who said she needed to show more of herself or he would publish the topless pictures he had taken of her. "He knew my address, school, relatives, friends, family, names ..." Video: Teen bullied during anti-bullying interview . On Christmas break, the police came to her home to tell her that photos of her were sent to "everyone." She pushed the next card very close to the camera. "I then got really sick anxiety major depression and panic disorder. I then moved and got into alcohol and drugs." She says she struggled with anxiety, rarely went out for a year. And then the same man appeared again with a Facebook page that displayed her topless as his profile picture. "Cried every night, lost all my friends and respect people had for me ... again ..." She was teased and felt as if she could never erase that photo. She started cutting, a form of self-injuring act that psychologists say is an impulse-control behavior that sometimes accompanies a variety of mental illnesses. At school, she ate lunch alone until she moved to another new school. "Everything was better even though I sat still alone," the next card read. "After a month later I started talking to an old guy friend." LZ Granderson: Being bullied is hell, but life gets better . She thought the guy liked her even though she knew he had a girlfriend. One day he asked her to come over because his girlfriend was on vacation. "So I did ... huge mistake ... I thought he liked me," she held the cards in one shaky hand now, using the other to brush under her eye as if wiping away a tear. A week later the guy's girlfriend showed up at her school with a posse of 15 others. A crowd gathered. The girlfriend berated her screaming that nobody liked her. "A guy than (sic) yelled just punch her already ..." She was punched. Thrown on the ground. "I felt like a joke in this world I thought nobody deserves this," the next card reads. "Teachers ran over but I just went and layed in a ditch and my dad found me." When she got home she drank bleach. "It killed me inside and I thought I actually was going to die." In a wired world, children unable to escape cyberbullying . She was rushed to a hospital to flush the chemical out of her. She put the next card almost flush with camera so that the viewer can no longer see her and only sees "After I got home all I saw on Facebook- She deserved it and did you wash the mud out of your hair? I hope she is dead." She moved in with her mother in another city, to another school. But her past followed her. "6 months has gone by ... people are pasting pics of bleach, clorex (sic) and ditches ... Everyday I think why am I still here," Her struggles with anxiety and cutting had gotten worse and even despite counseling and antidepressants she still was rushed to hospital again after an overdose. The last cards say simply: "I have nobody. I need someone. My name is Amanda Todd." The video has garnered the attention of many including the premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark. "No one deserves to be bullied. No one earns it. No one asks for it. It is not a rite of passage. Bullying has to stop. Every child has to feel safe at school," Clark said in a You Tube video posted Thursday. One day earlier, Amanda Todd's body was found in her home, police in the Vancouver-area city of Coquitlam said. She took her own life. Amanda was 15. Stop bullying: Speak Up . | The video she shot before her death has attracted the attention of many .
A Facebook page has been set up with thousands commenting .
The premier of British Columbia issued a stern warning against bullying . |
273,339 | ee14fe463b79c755d3646b043119d700c9adf957 | An adorable four-year-old boy who lost both legs in a car accident has become an internet sensation after a video appeared online showing him dancing to a popular Chinese song. The little boy, called Xiaofeng, had both of his legs amputated two years ago and was filmed last week in his hospital bed joyfully bouncing around to hit song Little Apple. Balancing himself on just his arms, Xiaofeng looks ecstatic as the nurses sing along to the catchy tune in the background. Scroll down for video . An adorable four-year-old boy who lost both legs in a car accident has become an internet sensation after a video appeared online showing him dancing to a popular Chinese song . The little boy, called Xiaofeng, had both of his legs amputated two years ago and was filmed last week in his hospital bed joyfully bouncing around to hit song Little Apple . The toddler, from Hubei in Eastern China, flips himself over onto his back, waves his arms in the air and wiggles his bum in time to the music. Xiaofeng manages to use the stumps of his legs to shimmy up and down the bed, laughing as the nurses clap and encourage the cute boy to continue. His energetic dance routine lasts for over a minute-and-a-half before the cute boy gives up and lands on his face on the bed, clearly out of breath. Balancing himself on just his arms, Xiaofeng looks ecstatic as the nurses sing along to the catchy tune in the background . The toddler, from Hubei in Eastern China, flips himself over onto his back, waves his arms in the air and wiggles his bum in time to the music . Xiaofeng manages to use the stumps of his legs to shimmy up and down the bed, laughing as the nurses clap and encourage the cute boy to continue . Little Apple or Xiao Ping Guo is a catchy song which has blown up in China since it was released in May. The song, composed to a 1980s disco beat has been reworked by the Chopsticks Brothers and has taken over the Chinese music scene. Speaking to Sina.com, Xiaofeng's mother claims his love of dancing was always strong and his accident, in which he was run over by a car, didn't quench it. 'Xiao Feng has always had a strong sense of rhythm and would dance to music,' his mother Zhang Xiyu said. His energetic dance routine lasts for over a minute-and-a-half before the cute boy gives up and lands on his face on the bed, clearly out of breath . Little Apple or Xiao Ping Guo is a catchy song which has blown up in China since it was released in May. The song, composed to a 1980s disco beat has been reworked by the Chopsticks Brothers and has taken over the Chinese music scene . Xiaofeng has made a good recovery from the catastrophic accident and a donation drive has raised $103,301 (500,000 yuan) since Wednesday. It is believed the money came from just over 10,000 donors from around China . 'Even though he doesn't have legs now, he still loves to prance around and create his own dance moves.' Xiaofeng has made a good recovery from the catastrophic accident and a donation drive has raised $103,301 (500,000 yuan) since Wednesday. It is believed the money came from just over 10,000 donors from around China. The funds will reportedly go to Xiaofeng's impoverished family, who owe 150,000 yuan ($30,990) as a result of Xiaofeng's medical bills. On Wednesday, the little dance star's ultimate wish to fly came true after a Chinese airline made Xiaofeng a 'little pilot' for the day, letting him take the reigns and take a tour of the plane and cockpit with his parents at Tianhe airport in Wuhan, Hubei province. The funds will reportedly go to Xiaofeng's impoverished family, who owe 150,000 yuan ($30,990) as a result of Xiaofeng's medical bills . On Wednesday, the little dance star's ultimate wish to fly came true after a Chinese airline made Xiaofeng a 'little pilot' for the day, letting him take the reigns and take a tour of the plane and cockpit with his parents at Tianhe airport in Wuhan, Hubei province . | A video of a four-year-old boy dancing to a Chinese song has gone viral .
Xiaofeng was involved in a crash two years ago and lost both his legs .
He balances himself on his arms in hospital to dance to Little Apple .
A donation drive has raised over $103,000 in the last four days .
The money will go to his family to pay for his medical bills . |
274,569 | efaa58f2982a8c6a0d4f8d5a58cc889775a7711f | (CNN) -- A 2,000-pound European satellite burned up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere early Monday, controllers reported. Re-entry was made close to 1 a.m. Monday (7 p.m. ET), the European Space Agency said. "As expected, the satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere and no damage to property has been reported," the space agency said. The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer -- a European Space Agency satellite known shorthand as GOCE -- crossed over Siberia, the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean and Antarctica upon its re-entry. The 5-meter (16-foot) satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in the Earth's gravity in 3-D, provide ocean circulation patterns and make other measurements. Powered by solar panels and not-your-average lithium-ion battery, it lasted more than three times its expected lifespan before running out of juice on October 21. In March 2011, the ESA added another role -- as the "first seismometer in orbit" -- when GOCE detected sound waves from the massive earthquake that struck Japan. | NEW: Satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere .
The GOCE satellite's orbit has been decaying since it ran out of fuel in late October .
The satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in Earth's gravity . |
78,280 | ddefd50e4ba7a9d267b2a424d773eb3cf6474c5d | By . Associated Press Reporter and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:57 EST, 4 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:24 EST, 4 November 2013 . The number of Americans who believe that JFK’s assassination was the result of a government conspiracy has dropped over the past ten years reveals a new poll. According to an Associated Press-GfK poll, conducted in April, 59 percent of Americans think multiple people were involved in a conspiracy to kill the president, while 24 percent think Oswald acted alone, and 16 percent are unsure. While a clear majority still suspect there was a conspiracy behind the tragic death of President John F. Kennedy, the number is down from the 75 percent who felt there was a conspiracy in a 2003 Gallup poll. The number of people who believe that the shooting of JFK was due to a conspiracy has dropped 16 percent in the past ten years . As the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death approaches, the number of Americans who believe Oswald acted alone is at its highest since the period three years after the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination, when 36 percent said one man was responsible. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Warren Commission on Nov. 29, 1963, to investigate both Kennedy's assassination and the killing of Oswald days later. The commission concluded that Oswald was the lone gunman. Those who were adults in 1963 were almost as likely as younger Americans to say that Kennedy's killing was a conspiracy involving multiple people - 55 percent, compared to 61 percent. The poll was conducted April 11-15, 2013 and involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,004 adults nationwide. There has been a 16 per cent drop over the past ten years in the number of people who believe in conspiracy theories surrounding JFK's assassination . The number of Americans who believe Oswald acted alone is at its highest since the period three years after the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination . Five decades after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot and long after official inquiries ended, thousands of pages of investigative documents remain withheld from public view. The contents of these files are partially known - and intriguing - and conspiracy buffs are not the only ones seeking to open them for a closer look. Some serious researchers believe the off-limits files could shed valuable new light on nagging mysteries of the assassination - including what U.S. intelligence agencies knew about accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald before Nov. 22, 1963. It turns out that several hundred of the still-classified pages concern a deceased CIA agent, George Joannides, whose activities just before the assassination and, fascinatingly, during a government investigation years later, have tantalized researchers for years. ‘This is not about conspiracy, this is about transparency,’ said Jefferson Morley, a former Washington Post reporter and author embroiled in a decade-long lawsuit against the CIA, seeking release of the closed documents. ‘I think the CIA should obey the law. I don't think most people think that's a crazy idea.’ The poll found that those who were adults in 1963 were almost as likely as younger Americans to say that Kennedy's killing was a conspiracy involving multiple people - 55 percent, compared to 61 percent . An undated passport photo of Central Intelligence Agency Agent George Joannides: Several hundred of the still-classified pages concern the now deceased agent . Morley's effort has been joined by . others, including G. Robert Blakey, chief counsel for a House . investigation into the JFK assassination in the 1970s. But so far, the . Joannides files and thousands more pages primarily from the CIA remain . off-limits at a National Archives center in College Park, Md. Others say the continued sealing of 50-year-old documents raises needless questions in the public's mind and encourages conspiracy theories. ‘There is no question that in various ways the CIA obfuscated, but it may be they were covering up operations that were justifiable, benign CIA operations that had absolutely nothing to do with the Kennedy assassination,’ said Anthony Summers, a British author who has written extensively about the JFK case. ‘But after 50 years, there is no reason that I can think of why such operations should still be concealed,’ Summers said. ‘By withholding Joannides material, the agency continues to encourage the public to believe they're covering up something more sinister.’ President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy ride in the backseat of an open limousine on Main Street at Ervay Street in Dallas as the presidential motorcade approaches Dealey Plaza. Texas on Nov. 22 1963 . | The number of people who believe that the shooting of JFK was due to a conspiracy has dropped 16 percent in the past ten years .
Conspiracy does however remains the most popular theory with 59 percent .
The number of Americans who think Oswald acted alone has also increased as a consequence and is at its highest since 1966 .
Five decades after the fatal shooting, .
thousands of pages of investigative documents remain withheld from .
public view . |
212,040 | 9e9bd919ad42885b8b02e0aa5ee533e5d15ef1a6 | By . Sarah Harris . The Education Secretary said that 'more and more children have the potential' to benefit from selective education across the country . Grammar schools have a ‘moral purpose’ to open their doors to the country’s poorest pupils, according to Michael Gove. The Education Secretary said that ‘more and more children have the potential’ to benefit from selective education across the country. He has backed grammar schools that are controversially overhauling their admissions to admit more bright disadvantaged pupils. This is despite warnings that middle-class pupils face being ‘discriminated’ against and squeezed out as a result. Ministers are urging grammar schools to admit tens of thousands more deprived pupils over the next decade in a bid to make them less socially exclusive. They want grammar schools’ admissions policies to take into account the Coalition’s flagship pupil premium policy – extra cash given to schools for youngsters eligible for free school meals (FSM). At present, some grammar schools admit successful students by ranked order- all candidates are ranked by their 11-plus score. In other areas, pupils who pass the test are then ranked by admission criteria, which can include the distance they live from the school. Growing numbers of over-subscribed grammars are now giving preference to FSM pupils who pass the 11-plus test, just as children in care are currently given priority. Thirty selective schools have already agreed to give preference to bright children who are eligible for FSM and another 58 are seriously considering the move. Speaking at a reception for the Grammar School Heads Association (GSHA) in London on Wednesday night, Mr Gove referred to a recent meal he shared with Ofsted’s former chief inspector of schools, Sir Chris Woodhead, and Sir Geoffrey Hill, the poet. Both had experienced a ‘great grammar school education’. He said: ‘I was incredibly moved by the thought that these two men had benefited from the sort of education that you keep alive and which I know more and more children have the potential to benefit from. ‘And one of the things that I am also deeply encouraged by is the fact that grammar schools are playing a leadership role in the whole education system. ‘You are playing the leadership role in making sure that more children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the chance to enjoy an academic education by making use of the fact that you can now favour children who are eligible for the pupil premium in your admissions criteria. Ministers want grammar schools' admissions policies to take into account the Coalition's flagship pupil premium policy - extra cash given to schools for youngsters eligible for free school meals. File picture . ‘And the great thing about that is that it’s a freedom that we have given you rather than a requirement that we’ve imposed. And what’s great is that schools are showing that they have an appropriate sense of moral purpose about extending the reach of those schools.’ Graham Brady, Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West, made the case ‘very early on in the lifetime of this Parliament, that we should do everything possible to ensure that grammar schools were true to their original mission of educating children from the very poorest backgrounds to give them the chance to achieve everything of which they are capable’, he added. His comments came as David Laws, the Liberal Democrat Schools Minister, yesterday told the GSHA annual conference in London that all grammar schools should overhaul their admissions policies. The government’s aim is for each grammar school to admit the same proportion of poor children as seen in their local catchment area. Mr Laws said: ‘This would mean an additional 3,500 free school meal pupils in selective schools every year, or an additional 35,000 pupils over ten years. ‘There are likely to be many barriers in the way of this ambition and it is not something we can achieve overnight. ‘The problems range from parents not applying; pupils not revealing their full potential in the tests; local primary schools not considering your school as an option.’ Mr Laws also called on all 163 grammar schools to adopt ‘tutor-proof’ 11-plus tests to stop middle-class parents who pay for coaching giving their children an unfair advantage . | Ministers are urging grammar schools to .
admit tens of thousands more deprived pupils over the next decade .
They want admissions policies to take into account Coalition’s pupil premium policy: extra cash given to schools .
for youngsters eligible for free school meals (FSM)
30 selective schools have already .
agreed to give preference to bright children eligible for FSM .
and another 58 are seriously considering the move . |
204,513 | 94c3f7b1422fda6026979e8934be34e24b9df080 | It could have all been very different for Captain Munnerlyn. Born three months premature and weighing little more than three pounds, he spent the first three months of his life in an incubator. When he arrived home in the Happy Hill area of Mobile, Alabama, he was housed in a shoebox. At the age of four, his aunt protected him and took a bullet as a drive-by shooting raged outside their car. Two years later his father was murdered by one of his cousins following a row in a bar. Captain Munnerlyn (right) says the VIkings will learn from a chastening defeat in Green Bay . Munnerlyn in action against Green Bay . In 1995, two of his brothers were charged with murder. Gregory, then 15, avoided prison. But Timothy, four years his senior, remains in jail. He watched Munnerlyn’s last game from his cell. Sadly for both parties, the Minnesota Vikings were humbled 42-10 in Green Bay. ‘It was a bad game. He’s seen me play a couple of times, man. But it wasn’t my best game. It wasn’t our best game as a team. But hopefully he’ll get a chance to come home and see me play in real life,’ says Munnerlyn. Asked to consider his formative years, the diminutive cornerback reflected: ‘Football definitely was an escape for me. In order to play sports I had to get my grades. I had to stay out of trouble. And my mom was getting calls from the teacher about me being out and being disobedient. ‘So it was kind of like an escape for me to make me behave myself and it made me do the right thing and stay on the right path because I had a goal. And the goal was to be in the NFL. ‘Sometimes I think “man I can’t believe that I made it”. And I have to pinch myself. Man, am I really here. Is this still a dream?’ Munnerlyn was picked in the seventh round of the 2009 draft by the Panthers, but left Carolina in March in free agency, signing a three-year $14.25m deal with the Vikings. He admits to proving people wrong for some time. ‘Oh yeah. I used to always have to do that being a 5ft 9in guy. Saying I could never make the NFL. Don’t have the speed. Don’t have the ability. I just try to come back and work hard each and every day. That’s all I try to do is try to prove people wrong. People was wrong about me. They was wrong about Captain Munnerlyn. I can go out there. I can play in the NFL. I can be a starter. And I can be a difference-maker.’ While he says he is struggling to recapture his best form, he is not afraid to continue to put in the hard yards as the Vikings look to get their season back on track against the Detroit Lions. ‘We watch the game back and we learn from it. We definitely don’t dwell on it. Bad days can happen. We didn’t come out there. We move on. Watch tape, learn from it and move on to Detroit.’ ‘I’m trying to take one game at a time and pick up my play. Play better football - I’m trying to pick up my game and get the defense back on the right track,’ says the 26-year-old. Head coach Mike Zimmer threatened to ‘hurt some feelings’ following the capitulation across the border and while Munnerlyn does not divulge specifics, he does say: ‘He was mad. He was mad,’ ‘We came out and we got embarrassed, man. This week he’s been on us even harder. Trying to get us back to basic football. Trying to get us to execute. And go out there and play fast and play tough. ‘He’s got a lot of respect in the locker room, so we’re just trying to go out an play hard for him.’ With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush both set to miss the game, Munnerlyn knows the Lions remain a threat, despite Detroit losing 15 of their last 16 games in Minnesota. ‘They bring speed. They are physical. Those guys are great. They are special athletes. Guys like Golden Tate. He’s a good switch up guy for them. They have a very explosive offense and they like making big plays. That’s something we’ve been struggling with on our defense, giving up the big plays. We’ve just got to go out there and we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to have the right mind frame that we’re going to beat guys.’ And with Munnerlyn's lifelong habit of upsetting the odds, it would foolish to back against him. | Munnerlyn was born three months premature and has upset the odds all his life .
The 5ft 9in cornerback admits he is struggling to find his best form but is not afraid of the hard yards .
The Vikings defense is ranked 15th overall: 19th against the run and 11th against the pass .
After a woeful 42-10 defeat in Green Bay the Vikings face NFC North rivals Detroit needing a win to keep their season on track . |
153,451 | 524904094dac0dea17fa605052c07ff9898d95ec | (CNN) -- In November 2009, Norwegian freelance journalist Paul Refsdal is riding in a pick-up truck on a dusty track of Afghan road. The Taliban have kidnapped him. If the truck turns right, he knows he's being sold to another militant group. A left turn means his kidnappers have decided to let him go. His journey started when Refsdal, who wanted to document the daily lives of the Taliban, accepted the invitation of a Taliban commander to film him and his fighters. Refsdal later accompanied another Taliban commander, Omar, to his hideout on a second embed. As part of CNN's "Taliban" documentary, Refsdal talked with CNN's Anderson Cooper about going from invited guest to kidnap victim -- a harrowing experience that began the way it later ended, with Refsdal in a truck. Here is an edited excerpt: . REFSDAL: We rent a pickup truck and we drive into this valley that doesn't really have a road. I'm told it is not possible to drive anymore. We will have to walk for several hours up the hillside to one village, and we have to sneak a little bit. Omar is very particular about I should cover my face. I assume this is because they don't want informers to see that there's a foreigner coming. And we sleep in a house, and everything seems OK. Then, the next day we are asked to go to another house, just 100 meters down the hillside. We have to wait there, because they're going to have a meeting. After a couple hours, one of the fighters comes and says he's from al Qaeda. And he says that he has information that I was spying for the coalition, so both my translator and I will be executed tonight. And he goes on, saying that we're going to be killed with a knife. ... He explains how much he hates foreigners and he wants to eat the flesh of foreigners. In the first moment, you are shocked. But then, I kind of go on autopilot. I know what to say. I have some pre-prepared arguments. You know, describing why I cannot be a spy. Why I'm not responsible for what my government does. And then he starts talking about money. And I am so happy. I mean, I don't smile, but I am so relieved. COOPER: Once he starts talking about money, you're happy? REFSDAL: Yes. Because then I know this is just business; that all of the talk about eating flesh and beheading is just nonsense. ... He says he wants $500,000. And I say that's not possible. I want to bring the sum down. To make them understand there's not going to be a lot of dollars. So, I talk with my translator and we come up with a counteroffer of $20,000. COOPER: Why $20,000? REFSDAL: Because that's possible. I mean, $20,000 I could get quite easily. ANDERSON: You're negotiating? REFSDAL: Yes. ANDERSON: For your life? REFSDAL: Yeah. But, you know, that's Afghanistan. You never pay the asking price, so to say. So, we're making a counteroffer of $20,000. And they come back with other options, other alternatives for granting my freedom: a prisoner exchange, or ransom, or I convert to Islam. But, if none of these three, then it's beheading. So, I send the kidnappers the message that yes, in that situation, I could convert to Islam. I convert to Islam on the second day of the kidnapping. I keep my word. But Omar, he doesn't keep his. I am not released. And the day after, we are back to the $20,000 and how can we get the money here. Because the kidnappers are amateurs, they give me the phone to call around to get the money. I mean, this is Afghanistan and things there are quite absurd sometimes. I'm negotiating with the kidnappers, and I'm making my own ransom phone calls. I call al Jazeera, and I call the Norwegian embassy. With Al Jazeera, I speak in English, a language the kidnappers do not understand. Talking with my embassy, I speak in Norwegian, and you know, I can start giving information, where I'm kept, how many people are in the house, et cetera, et cetera, under the pretext of arranging for the money. So, we're waiting. And then, suddenly, there's a new development. The man from al Qaeda speaks with my translator. And my translator explains that Omar has an offer from another group. The other group wants to buy me for $50,000, and that's bad news. COOPER: That's really bad news, because groups do trade hostages. ... Do you start to get really scared? REFSDAL: Yes. I understand things are starting to get out of control. If this other group pays Omar $50,000 for me, what ransom do you think they will demand? I mean, it will be at least $250,000, probably half a million or even more. This is not a good position. Between the fifth and the sixth day-- Omar is receiving phone calls, as far as I know, from his spiritual leader in Pakistan, from the Taliban spokesman, and also apparently from the commander of the Pakistani Taliban. And all of them are saying that he should release his hostage. So, Omar is under pressure from the Taliban to release me. COOPER: Why? REFSDAL: For the main leadership, let's say, of the Taliban, it is embarrassing for them that a hostage converting to Islam is still being held. On the sixth day, the fighter from Al-Qaeda comes and he says, "Today, you're gonna be released." Of course, we don't believe him, because he's been lying all during the whole situation. Later, two other fighters arrive. And one of them is carrying my video camera. They want to make an interview. They ask me, "Have you been beaten by the Taliban, by the fighters?" And I say no. "Are you gonna inform the Americans about our positions?" And I say, "Of course not." And that's it. Then we are told we are leaving. So we walk south out of the valley for five hours. The night comes and we reach a dirt road. There is a pick up truck there with three men I'd never seen before. And we are just left with these three men. So we don't really know, are we sold or are we free? We get in the pickup truck and we start going down a dirt track. When we get down to a paved road, if we turn to the right, we will be heading to the Korengal Valley, which means Omar has sold us to another group. But, if we turn left, we will be heading for the town, and we are free. So, that's kind of nerve-wracking going down there. And then, we take the left. COOPER: And so, you knew you were going to be free? REFSDAL: Yeah. ANDERSON: That must have been the greatest left turn of your life. REFSDAL: Yeah. Yeah. | Freelance journalist Paul Refsdal embedded with the Taliban last year .
His aim was to capture what everyday life was like for members of the Taliban .
One trip takes a harrowing turn when he is accused of spying and is held captive . |
229,747 | b586f7799afc8af97e585234d1fa411ed8b0f5ee | Ruth Palmer,25, had her identity stolen by a con artist . A married 25-year-old has spoken of her horror after her life was stolen by a mystery woman in a bid to attract unsuspecting men. Ruth Palmer found that nearly 1,000 of her images and real details about her life had been used to set up a host of Twitter and Instagram accounts. The 25-year-old discovered the 'catfish' - an Internet scammer who fabricates online identities and entire social circles to trick people into romantic relationships - had been using her details for three years. Using the fake name Leah Palmer she duped two men into believing they were in a relationship with the brunette. The imposter even set up fake accounts for her mother and friends to make the social media profiles appear more realistic. When Mrs Palmer complained to the social networks, they shut down the accounts. But just days later, more false profiles were set up. Mrs Palmer, who is married and from Brighton, East Sussex, now fears the perpetrator has become 'obsessed' with her life. 'It is horrible and I just can't understand what must be going through this person's head to do this,' she said. 'It has been horrific for me, my family, friends and husband. 'I am now fearful of whoever this is as they are seemingly not able to stop this and nothing seems to deter them. Scroll down for video . 'I feel violated and completely invaded and would very much like this to be broadcast to as many people as possible as this could be happening for many, many others. 'Circa 900 images and videos of my own personal experiences had been taken from my own social media accounts, some from five years back.' 'Now this maybe sounds fairly average given the social media society we live in today, however the imposter had gone even deeper than what I had originally thought when I looked into it further. The mystery scammer, who goes by the name Leah Palmer, has stolen pictures and personal details from Ms Palmer . Ms Palmer from Brighton, East Sussex, now fears that the scammer is 'obsessed' with her personal life . 'I found the person held a two-and-a-half-year online relationship with someone whom they spoke to every night on the phone, text messaged and exchanged emails with. 'It was a massive web of deceit.' When Mrs Palmer found the false profiles, she immediately contacted the victims, which includes a golfer and a DJ, to warn them of the scam. She also called a mobile number that the imposter had been giving out to her victims. But she claims a woman who answered simply hung up the phone and the number is now out of use. Mrs Palmer added: 'The victims were horrified when I told them the person they'd been speaking to wasn't who they said they were. The social media accounts reappear days after they are shut down by sites . 'I have spoken to around five or six different men who have been involved with her but unfortunately since they are all in the public eye, they want to remain anonymous. 'I also found the imposter had been making online friendships with other girls pretending to be interested in their lives. 'Disturbingly they also created a fake social media account of my friend using my friend's real name and started having conversations between both the imposter and the 'friend' account. 'My mum, who is a psychologist, says the catfish must be really troubled in the head.' But it is the catfish's knowledge of her personal details that Miss Palmer finds most troubling. She said: 'They told people that 'Leah' lived in Brighton and had moved to Dubai recently and that she had two brothers and a cat called Misty, whilst using all the genuine lives of my social group of friends as her own. 'All of which are true accounts of my own life. ''Leah' also said my genuine friends were her friends and gave accounts of where she had been with them and spoke about events she had been to with them.' Mrs Palmer complained to Sussex Police but her case was referred to Action Fraud - the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime.. The service is run by the City of London Police, who work alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. But Action Fraud said there has been no criminality. Merryn Hockaday, of Action Fraud, said: 'Ruth Palmer's case has been 'no crimed' by the Crime Registrar and the report will now be classed as an information report. Ms Palmer said that the con woman has so far duped a golfer and a DJ using her images and personal information . 'Information reports are not investigated by the police, but they are kept on record and used for intelligence purposes. 'This means the case will be kept on record to help inform intelligence. 'It may be, that in the future, a similar report comes in and criminal activity has taken place, the reports could be linked somehow, by suspect, location etc and it could help to inform the intelligence for that investigation.' Mrs Palmer added: 'I just want people to be aware of what can happen online. You never know what's going on - and what a profound affect something like this can have on your life. 'It's crazy. I genuinely don't feel like it has actually happened but sadly it really has and the situation keeps unravelling where more and more people have been duped by this imposter for either online friendships or online relationships. 'It's scary the length to which the imposter has gone.' | Scammer stole Ruth Palmer's identity to trick strangers into relationships .
Personal details and 1,000 of her images taken by mystery con artist .
Woman was running fake Twitter and Instagram accounts for 3 years .
Profiles shut down after complaint, but new ones would reappear days later .
Miss Palmer, 25, fears the perpetrator is 'obsessed' with her life . |
92,576 | 0310d2794c90776db5625b524b2f53c309ea30fc | ISIS has threatened to flood Europe with half a million migrants from Libya in a 'psychological' attack against the West, it was claimed today. Transcripts of telephone intercepts published in Italy claim to provide evidence that ISIS is threatening to send 500,000 migrants simultaneously out to sea in hundreds of boats in a 'psychological weapon' against Europe if there is military intervention against them in Libya. Many would be at risk of drowning with rescue services unable to cope. But authorities fear that if numbers on this scale arrived, European cities could witness riots. Separately, the militants hope to cement their control of Libya then cross the Mediterranean disguised as refugees, according to letters seen by Quilliam the anti-terror group, reported by the Telegraph. Breaking point: The officials at Lampedusa airport (pictured) are struggling to process the 1,200 newly arrived migrants in a reception centre built for a third of that number - and now Islamic State has threatened to send 500,000 to Europe's shores . Escape: Today, the spread of violence and extremism in Libya has forced thousands to flee to Italy (ferry port of Lampedusa pictured) where officials are struggling to deal with the sudden influx . Prophecy: Muammar Gaddafi predicts the Mediterranean would become a 'sea of chaos' four years before Islamic State beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya - prompting a swift and brutal response from the country who launched airstrikes on their locations . Violent coup: Muammar Gaddafi was deposed as Libya's leader in August 2011 and killed in October, when forces loyal to the government that overthrew him found him hiding in a drainage pipe in Sirte . Dangerous: Egypt's brutal airstrikes on the Libyan village of Derna - in retaliation for the mass murder of 21 of its countrymen - forced many to abandon their homes . Anxious: The Egyptians who fled their adopted home in Libya face a nervous wait before passing through the border village Sallum . Searching for safety: With militancy and violence spreading through Libya, many Egyptians living there are now returning to their home country (pictured on the border village Sallum) Italian Minister for the Interior Angelino Alfano said on Monday that Libya was the 'absolute priority' and insisted there was 'not a minute to lose' for the international community. He said: 'If the militias of the Caliphate advance faster than the decisions of the international community how can we put out the fire in Libya and stem the migration flows? We are at risk of an exodus without precedent.' More than 170,000 migrants arrived in Italy by boat last year. Since last Friday almost 4,000 have been rescued. The spread of militancy across Libya was predicted by the country's deceased leader Muammar Gaddafi, who warned the Mediterranean would become 'a sea of chaos'. ISIS had not yet made frightening inroads into Libya when he made this chilling prophecy during his last interview in March 2011. But the Arab Spring uprising that year sparked a civil war in Libya and opposition forces - backed by NATO - deposed Gaddafi in violent coup just five months after his ominous prediction. In October 2011, forces loyal to the country's transitional government found the ousted leader hiding in a culvert in Sirte and killed him. Four years later, Islamic State kidnapped 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Sirte - Gaddafi's birthplace - before releasing gruesome footage of their beheading on the shores of the Mediterranean, just 220 miles south of Italy. In it the terrorists warned that they 'will conquer Rome'. Fleeing terror: Over 170,000 migrants arrived in Italy by boat last year and since last Friday alone almost 4,000 have been rescued . Forced to leave: Migrants wait to board a plane at Lampedusa airport in Italy, bound for a detention center elsewhere in the country . Safe: The mainly African migrants were among some 3,800 would-be immigrants to Europe rescued in the Mediterranean since Friday, according to figures compiled by the International Organisation for Migration . Bloody realisation: Four years after Gaddafi's chilling prophecy that the Mediterranean would become 'a sea of chaos' ISIS murdered 21 Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya . Total control: ISIS' have spread their brutal regime throughout Gaddafi's former home, with recent footage showing a fleet of brand new cars carrying its notorious black flag driving freely through Benghazi . In response, Italian security chiefs have approved plans to put 4,800 soldiers on the country's streets to help prevent terrorist attacks. The statement from the Interior Ministry said they would guard 'sensitive sites' until at least June and reports claim 500 will be deployed in Rome - where soldiers are already guarding diplomatic residences, synagogues and Jewish schools. The troops are also expected to be deployed at tourist venues such as archaeological sites and monuments. A treaty between Gaddafi and the Italian premier provided for joint boat patrols which curtailed the departure of migrant boats from Libya. But, as the Libyan despot predicted back in 2011, if the Gaddafis were brought down, Islamists would exploit the power vacuum. Still holding court in a Bedoin tent while holed up in the fortified citadel of Bab Al Azizya, Gaddafi warned: 'If, instead of a stable government that guarantees security, these militias linked to Bin Laden take control, the Africans will move en mass towards Europe.' He added: 'The Mediterranean will become a sea of chaos.' Insecurity: Four years later Lybian soldiers gather in the same square after an Islamist-led militia seized the capital . Military intervention: As Libyan soldiers protected the capital Tripoli (pictured on February 9), the elected parliament was forced to relocate in the eastern city of Tobruk . That very sea ran red with blood when Islamic State brutally executed 21 Egyptian Christians on its shores. The accompanying video, released on Sunday, showed the men dressed in orange jumpsuits and shackled - kneeling in the sand before the militants slit their throats and watched them bleed to death. Egypt retaliated furiously by launching coordinated airstrikes on ISIS targets in Libya. The European powers were putting their own security at risk by helping the rebels, Gaddafi pointed out. He told Il Giornale, the Italian newspaper owned by his former friend Silvio Berlusconi he was saddened by the attitude of his friend. They no longer spoke. 'I am shocked at the attitude of my European friends. They have endangered and damaged a series of great security treaties in their own interest.' Without his harsh, but effective, regime, the entire North African Mahgreb 'would become another Gaza,' he claimed. Power: The ominous show of discipline and wealth shows how the country has been overrun by extremism as efforts to suppress ISIS focus on Iraq and Syria . Chilling: Even young children salute the procession of cars as they pass undeterred through the streets of Benghazi . Support: The parade of Toyota Land Cruisers is welcomed by the locals in Benghazi. The video was posted by terrorist group Ansar Al-Sharia - who pledged allegiance to Islamic State last October . Overrun: The majority of Libya's coastal cities have surrendered control to Islamic State and other rebel extremist groups created to oppose the NATO-led invasion which removed Gaddafi from power . The telephone transcripts, seen by Il Messaggero newspaper claimed to provide evidence 'that IS will use the migrants as a "psychological weapon" against countries that say they want to intervene in Libya, in particular, against Italy.' 'As soon as our country mentioned armed intervention on Libya the jihadists suggested they let drift, bound for Italy, hundreds of boats full of migrants. The figure discussed is five hundred thousand, most of the 700,000 that are on the coast waiting to board,' the newspaper reported. Following the dire threat Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi immediately backtracked from his government's previous rhetoric saying that 'it was not the time for military intervention'. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said this morning that Italy does not want to embark on 'adventures, never mind Crusades' in Libya. But former President Giorgio Napolitano said that the 'biggest error' in the post-Gaddafi's period was the European Unions 'lack of involvement' in the country. Meanwhile following direct threats on Rome, the commander of Vatican City's 110-man Swiss Guard said his forces are ready to defend Pope Francis if ISIS attempt a strike . Executed: On Sunday, ISIS released a video showing the brutal mass murder of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya . Horror: Blood is seen in the Mediterranean Sea four years after Muammar Gaddafi predicted it would become a 'sea of chaos' Colonel Christoph Graf said 'Following the terrorists' threats, we're asking the guards to be more attentive and observe peoples' movements closely. If something happens we're ready, as are the men of the Gendarmerie.' | Italian press today published claims that ISIS has threatened to release the huge wave of migrants to cause chaos in Europe if they are attacked .
And letters from jihadists show plans to hide terrorists among refugees .
In 2011, Muammar Gaddafi ominously predicted war would come to Libya .
He was deposed in a violent coup and killed in October of the same year .
Islamic State executed 21 Egyptian Christians on Libyan beach this week .
Crisis in Libya has led to surge in number of migrants heading for Europe . |
171,477 | 69f2eaeddce765fa3cbdecb8ace5d643925a408b | You know the moment all too well — and dread it. Just as you’re getting a modicum of comfort on a flight, the seat in front suddenly pushes back, depriving you of valuable inches of legroom. All you can do is to glower in a silent rage at the head of the other passenger, who has decided that by reclining his seat, his comfort is more important than ours. However, some passengers have decided to get even rather than mad, by investing £13 in a gizmo called a Knee Defender, which its manufacturer claims is as ‘devious as it is ingenious’. Scroll down for video . The Knee defender, pictured, consists of two small plastic clips which prevent the seat in front reclining . The Knee Defender consists of two small pieces of plastic which clip the arms of your fold-down table, and prevent the passenger in front from pushing his seat back. The device is adjustable — the closer the plastic clips are placed to the back of the seat, the less the seat will be able to move. It was invented by one Ira Goldman from Washington who, at 6ft 4in, was fed up with being ‘bashed in the knees over and over again’ when flying. To keep tempers from fraying, the gadget comes with a ‘courtesy card’, which you hand to the passenger in front explaining why you are using the clips, and how many inches you are willing to allow him to recline. The card instructs him to address any complaints to the airline in a bid to convince them to ‘provide enough space between rows so that people can recline without banging into other passengers’. Unsurprisingly, the Knee Defender has become the cause of a few inflight rows. Just this week, a United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver had to be diverted because of a barnstorming contretemps between two passengers. During the flight, a woman in the middle of Row 11 tried to recline, but found she couldn’t. When it emerged that the man in the seat behind had attached a Knee Defender, she summoned a cabin attendant who asked the man to remove it. The gadget clips over the arm of the seat tray, circled, and physically prevents the seat in front from reclining . He refused, and stated that if the woman reclined, then he would no longer be able to work on his laptop. After that, the situation escalated. The woman then threw a glass of water in the man’s face, and an all-out fight nearly ensued. Fearing for the safety of the aircraft, the captain diverted to Chicago, where the two passengers were hoofed off. Reclining has long been one of the most contentious issues regarding inflight etiquette. Surveys have found that 60 per cent of cabin crew have witnessed arguments sparked by the lowering of a seat-back — and nine out of ten passengers think reclining seats should be banned on shorter flights. On the business networking site LinkedIn there has been a campaign to make airlines remove reclinable seats on short-haul journeys, so that passengers can get on with their work on laptops and make the most of the small amount of space they do have. One businessman even writes to say that he always offers the person in front of him $20 not to recline, and thereby guarantees that his space won’t be invaded. Earlier this summer, Luton-based Monarch airlines, which flies to holiday destinations around Europe and the Mediterranean — its longest flight is to Egypt, five hours away — bowed to popular demand. It said it was scrapping reclining seats throughout its entire fleet. Six of its Airbuses now have seats which cannot be reclined, and another 11 are due to be ‘upgraded’ by the end of the summer. Other budget airlines have ditched reclining seats in recent years, but this is unlikely to happen on long-haul flights because passengers accept that most of us need them to rest or sleep during a ten-hour stretch. The device is not currently outlawed by airline authorities but its use is controversial as it causes rows . It is those who recline on short hops who are considered the real pariahs of the air, which is where the Knee Defender comes in. Although the device is not outlawed by aviation authorities, many airlines are now banning it — not least because it causes so many arguments. But there are many other ways of getting the room you want on an aeroplane. Obviously, for those of us with deep wallets, flying in anything above economy class is the best way to stretch out, but that can cost many hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. However, there are plenty of seats in economy that do offer almost as much space as business class. The key is learning how to find them. The place where legroom aficionados look are websites such as seatguru.com and seatexpert.com, which show diagrams of all the cabins of the planes operated by the world’s major airlines. On seatguru seats are graded with colours — green for desirable, grey for standard, yellow for beware and red for poor. So, if you are flying in Europe on a British Airways Airbus A319, you will see that the best seats in Euro Traveller (the airline’s euphemism for economy) are in Row 9, because they all offer more legroom owing to their position at the bulkhead — the wall or partition that separates different seat classes in the aircraft. Flying on a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 from Gatwick or Manchester? Seatexpert advises you to sit in 61A or K, 62A or K, 63A or K, as these seats are wider and you get more storage space. Most of the seats in Rows 64 and 65 are graded as ‘beware’ — their proximity to the lavatories means that you will be bumped into throughout the night as you try to nod off on your way to Tampa. These websites are also great places to find which airlines offer the most space. Some of the results are surprising. Did you know that the Airbus A330s operated by Russia’s Aeroflot airline — long the recipient of digs for its supposedly utilitarian design — have seats in long-haul economy which, at 20.6in, are just over 3in wider than those on the almost fabled Cathay Pacific? The best way to get hold of the good seats is to check in online as soon as you can — which is normally 24 hours before departure. However, many airlines are wise to this trick, and now charge passengers a premium for bagging the best seats early. If you do manage to secure good seats, then you should enjoy them while you can. Last month, manufacturer Airbus filed a patent for a new kind of economy seat altogether — akin to a bicycle saddle, which certainly wouldn’t recline but would allow airlines to cram even more passengers into their planes. | The £13 gadget is described by its maker as 'devious as it is ingenious'
The Knee Defender was invented by 6'4 inch Ira Goldman in Washington .
A United Airlines flight had to divert this week because of a mid-air row .
A man and a woman started shouting over the use of the plastic gadget . |
286,761 | ff8a9f3e412d1d689302e631ab788585f5c6c49a | A maths teacher at a £15,000 school is facing jail after being caught with an underage girl hidden under a blanket in the back of his car. Dr John Wunderle, who taught at Bancroft's School in Essex, was already on bail for alleged sexual offences with the same girl when witnesses discovered her hiding in the backseat of his car in August. The 35-year-old admitted performing a sex act on the 15-year-old and grooming her as she approached her 16th birthday at Snaresbrook Crown Court today amid other sexual offences. Dr John Wunderle was a teacher at Bancroft's School in Essex before being caught with the girl hidden in the back of his car . The court heard how Wunderle, who lives with his mother in Waltham Abbey, had also coerced the girl into performing a sex act on him. Prosecution barrister Chris Stimpson said: 'He is 35 years old and a person of good character. 'The Crown will seek time to draft a sexual offences prevention order and a restraining order.' Wunderle pleaded guilty to five charges . Judge Neil Saunders adjourned the hearing for sentencing on November 14. Former pupils at the school in Essex include Alan Davies and tennis player Samantha Smith. The teacher appeared via video link at Snaresbrooke Crown Court (pictured) to plead guilty to all charges . | Dr John Wunderle taught at the £15,000-a-year- Bancroft's School in Essex .
The maths teacher was seen with 15-year-old hiding under blanket in his car .
He was already on bail for sexual offences at the time of the incident .
The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to five charges at Snaresbrooke Crown Court . |
260,940 | ddf3f6cb699ab5186d2543c46cedc2a651242c9c | By . David Williams . and Nick Fagge In Gyor, Hungary . Straddling a powerful motorbike in his leathers, this is the first picture of the ex-Hungarian policeman named as a suspect in the brutal murder of a former British model and friend of John Lennon at the remote animal sanctuary she ran. The family of Eva Rhodes gave the name of officer Zoltan Peter Horvath to her London inquest – claiming he had threatened to have her ‘eliminated’ – and told how he had once attacked the animal lover before beating her daughter so badly she feared she would die. But on Sunday the shaven-headed 47-year-old former officer dismissed the dead Briton’s family and their allegations, declaring : ‘Eva’s sister is just a mean b****, so is her daughter.’ Suspect: Hungarian ex-policeman Zoltan Peter . Horvath, pictured, denies murdering Eva Rhodes at the remote animal . sanctuary she ran in Gyor, north-west Hungary, despite claims from her . family . In chilling evidence to Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, members of Rhodes’s family alleged they believed Horvath was linked to both the death of the 65-year-old and an extensive cover-up of the killing at the sanctuary in Gyor, north-west Hungary, where her body was dismembered and set ablaze in September 2008. Speaking for the first time yesterday, there was only contempt from Horvath for Mrs Rhodes and her family, mocking them by suggesting the sanctuary – partly funded by donations from the UK and money given by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono – had been used to run drugs and guns hidden inside dogs. ‘Of course I didn’t kill her,’ he said dismissively. ‘I was representing the law. I cannot be linked to her death. Celebrity: Animal lover Eva Rhodes, left, was . murdered in Hungary in 2008, and found fame in the 1960s as a model and . socialite. An inquest into her death held in London recorded a verdict of unlawful killing . ‘The only reason this case hasn’t died off yet is because she was English.’ He pointed out that Csaba Augusztinyi, 33, who worked at the sanctuary, had confessed and been sentenced to 13 years behind bars for the killing. Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, Dr Wilcox had said that while she was satisfied Augusztinyi was ‘at least partly responsible’, inconsistencies in evidence supported the belief that ‘others might have been involved’. This belief is strongly held by Rhodes’s sister Judith Majlath – a Nobel peace prize winner ¬– and daughter Sophia Barta. Eva Rhodes pictured in Tuscany (left). The . 65-year-old disappeared in September 2008 from her home in Gyor, near . Budapest in Hungary. Caretaker Csaba Augusztinyi admitted killing the . former model and socialite . Inquest: Eva Rhodes' daughter Sophia Barta (left) and Eva's sister Judith Majlath (right) at Westminster Coroner's Court during the inquest . The family has called on Scotland Yard to be allowed to investigate the death after the inquest heard of a disturbing conflict in the evidence of investigators opening the way for Horvath to be potentially questioned by British officers. Horvath insisted: ‘I’m also sure that when the authorities want to hear my side of the story I will be properly notified. But until then I cannot take these accusations seriously.’ The inquest was told that Horvath had never been questioned about the killing and had even taken part in the police investigation. But he stressed: ‘I have been questioned about this Eva Rhodes case so many times and I have had enough of it. I just want to leave it behind me.’ He accused Mrs Rhodes of using her animal sanctuary as a cover to ‘smuggle drugs and guns’ into Hungary from Austria. Friendship: Eva Rhodes became friends John Lennon and Yoko Ono, whose cash eventually helped pay for her animal sanctuary . Beauty: Ms Rhodes was a successful model and actress before moving to Hungary to look after animals . He claimed: ‘I filed reports about Eva’s suspicious activities but my superiors did not let me investigate properly. ‘She was collecting large dogs from the west to rehabilitate them after they were neutered, she claimed, but there was no rehabilitation. ‘Instead she burned the dogs at dawn. ‘How mysterious, they always ended up dying. I was never allowed to investigate. ‘What was she hiding inside the dogs – drugs, guns?’ He said Mrs Rhodes had refused to let him search her car. The cats and dogs sanctuary was funded partly by donations from animal lovers in England and a gift from Yoko Ono . Horrific crime: Ms Rhodes was murdered at her animal sanctuary in September 2008 near Gyor, 65-miles from Budapest. Her body was dismembered and burnt . ‘I stopped Eva in the middle of the night on a back road. She had been driving without her headlights on. She was clearly drunk. There were empty champagne bottles in the car and some big dogs with her. ‘I wanted to see the dogs, whether they were alive, but instead of opening the car, she just drove off. I had to jump out of the way so I wasn’t run over. Again, I was not allowed to investigate. ‘I’m sure there is a whole lot more to this story than what has been made public. But I do not want to get involved with the case ever again.’ Horvath left the police when investigations into the death were on-going – the family claim he was ‘pensioned off’ – and he went to live in Bony, a dust-blown country village off the main truck road to Vienna, near the town of Gyor. Star: Eva Rhodes being chased by the press in London at the height of her fame in the 1960s . Following the break-up of his marriage, he moved to neighbouring Slovakia where he set up home with his girlfriend in one of the many Hungarian-speaking villages on the north side of the river Danube. The pair worked together in a hotel. While he was happy to taunt those closest to Mrs Rhodes, he said nothing about his attack on the grandmother and Ms Barta – or the court ruling against him and legal wrangling that was on-going at the time of the murder in connection with the assaults. Ms Barta, from Chelsea, west London, told the inquest how the policeman had been responsible for a ‘Rambo’ style attack on her and her mother at the sanctuary in 2002. Crime: Caretaker Csaba Augusztinyi admitted killing Mrs Rhodes and setting . fire to her body, but her daughter Judith Majlath believes that the Hungarian . authorities covered up the investigation to protect a local officer . A dispute over a rescue dog had grown, she said, so that at one point the officer had attacked her mother in the courtyard and then turned on Ms Barta when she tried to photograph the assault. She said her head was ‘smashed’ against the wall and Horvath then hit her repeatedly with his baton. 'I crumpled into a heap and he began raining blows on me with his baton - an American baton designed to break bones,’ she said. 'I turned my head and looked at his face and his eyes were that of somebody taking great pleasure in what he was doing. ‘I thought I was going to die.’ Eventually, Mrs Rhodes calmed him, she recalled, but not before he had ‘crushed like a pancake’ a grey kitten with his foot that had been beside her head.’ The remains of Eva Rhodes was found in woods near her home (pictured) It was this incident and his subsequent ‘humiliation’ in court, the family believes, that lead to an on-going feud which ended in death. Last night a furious Ms Majlath hit back at Horvath calling his comments ‘cruel and outrageous.’ ‘It shows the quality of this man that he would say such things about the dead, about a woman who was murdered, butchered and burned on his patch, the very patch he was meant to police. ‘Like others in authority in Hungary, he has questions to answer – he had damned himself, what more does he need to do to the memory of a dead woman, whose only crime was to love animals and be prepared to stand-up to him? ‘With the evidence of the inquest and now these words, surely Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in London last week given a speech on European Traditional Values, can’t continue to refuse Scotland Yard and Foreign Secretary William Hague’s call for all documents relating to the case to be handed over to Britain.’ She added: ‘Scotland Yard must be called in. The longer they delay, the more people will ask what Hungary is hiding.’ Mrs Rhodes, attracted the attention and friendship of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 1960s when the famous couple were looking to cast an actress in a film project. | Eva Rhodes found dead in 2008 at the animal sanctuary she ran .
Caretaker Csaba Augusztinyi, 33, confessed and was jailed for 13 years .
Family believe others were involved in the brutal killing in Gyor, Hungary .
Inquest in London hears her daughter believes police had a hand in death .
Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox returns a verdict of unlawful killing .
But Dr Wilcox said there is evidence 'others might have been involved'
Family name ex-policeman Zoltan Peter Horvath as the new prime suspect .
Pressure mounts for Scotland Yard to be allowed to investigate the death . |
28,374 | 5081c4de2438a03ae2b1a7d994e7a56e4f8f6c8e | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 06:59 EST, 17 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:18 EST, 18 September 2013 . As 10-foot-high waves crashed onto Blackpool's shores this morning, the first frost of the season began creeping into Britain - but there is sun and heat around the corner. A chill has fallen over the Midlands, Wales and the North of England as temperatures drop to single figures. With some parts of Wales as low as 1.6C, the UK is well below the 16.8C average for this time of year. It follows a weekend of gale-force winds and sporadic showers that seemed to eclipse summer in one fell swoop. Last gust of wind: Blackpool's North Shore is battered by gales and rain that sent waves crashing four metres in the air and onto the shore. This weather is easing off . Whopper swans have started arriving at a wildlife reserve in East Anglia a week earlier than usual, forecasting Britain will have a freezing winter. Two of the swans arrived at the Ouse Washes in Welney, Cambridgeshire, on Friday, but are normally seen at the end of September. Tonight sees the first frost of the season . Blackpool has been blasted with wind soaring in from the West and this morning waves jumped three-four metres in the air as they clapped onto the shore. But tomorrow will see a change as the sunrise brings temperatures inching into the high teens. In the south east, people will enjoy temperatures as high as 24C. The ever-changing weather is welcomed by the owners of a Welsh tea room, famous for its coat of blazing red ivy. Virginia Creeper leaves burst into life when the intermittent rain and sun comes in September, covering Tu Hwnt I'r Bont tea room in Conwy, Wales. It attracts attention from all over the globe - earning the medieval building its nickname 'the red house'. The early autumn has been welcomed in small a part of North Wales where a small Welsh tearoom is awash with vivid red hues as a Virginia Creeper cloaks the Tu Hwant l'r Bont tearoom . The tea room owner, Tim Maddox, observes the wonderful array of autumn colours pouring over the unique cottage. The small stone building built in 1480 on the banks of the River Conwy is steeped in history and was originally used as a courthouse in the 15th century . The Red House: The tea room in Wales attracts visitors from all over for a glimpse at its multi-coloured coat. It is an autumn highlight and spends the rest of the year as bare stone . Paradise: Tim Maddox says his building is a paradise on the north coast of Wales. Tu Hwant I'r Bont is Welsh for 'beyond the bridge' as the building was built before the Inigo Jones Bridge . The charming cottage, which has operated as a tea room since the 1930s, lies in an idyllic setting alongside an historic Inigo Jones bridge. Tim Maddox, 47, who runs the tea room with his wife Ayla, said: 'We have run the tea rooms for 11 years and it is a fantastic little corner of the world here. 'The whole area is alive and bursting with colour, the setting is really special. 'We get lots of people coming to see the red leaves, it is unbelievable how bright they are. The colours are just superb. 'The leaves start to change colour around August bank holiday and by the end of September the cottage is completely red. Ideal conditions: The Met Office says this is typical sporadic weather for September but the extreme low last weekend and heat this week bode well for crops and shrubs . Delighted gardeners the Derbyshire Peak district also celebrated the spring of Virginia Creeper after a weekend of rain and the imminent spell of sun. All this year's new growth is pruned to protect the church's stonework and to stop it disappearing altogether . Blooming: Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh is clothed in Gorse in bloom as the rain eases of, allowing it to flourish in the mildly warmer temperatures . Rain easing off: The final showers of the day in Manchester are coming to a close, left, and London is dry and bright today compared to the storms yesterday, right . 'When people see the leaves they can't believe this place and they have to come and have a look. 'We have had people travelling to London who have taken a detour here, it has become something of a famous sight.' With a spell of sun around the corner, the VIrginia Creeper will have a window of time to flourish. North Scotland, however, will remain stormy until the Atlantic wave of wind and rain moves on towards the end of the week. The nights ahead are set to be a dramatic improvement on the harsh conditions of last Saturday and Sunday. Oakhampton in Devon dropped to 3C, Hurn in Dorset hit 2.2C, and Bala in Wales barely made it above 1C on Sunday. Today, the average temperature is 11C, and there is a frosty evening ahead, averaging at 6C in the south east, and even lower in the north. Winds have already started scaling over the Bristol Channel and the Midlands, and look set to persist through the night. The next few days will be warmer but rain is typically sporadic for this time of year. Tomorrow it is clear with high temperatures, Thursday is rainy but warm . But by morning it will shift, making way for sun and blue skies on Wednesday. The evenings to come will also be warm and clear throughout the UK. Thursday will get drier throughout the day, according to the Met Office, and any drizzles of rain in Northern Ireland, Wales and England will die out early on - but heavy showers could linger in Scotland. Met Office forecaster Lindsay Myers today told MailOnline: 'At the moment temperatures are considerably lower than average. 'It is clearing up the weather from last weekend. 'But the next few days are certainly dry, warm, and clear in most places. 'This change in conditions often happens at this time of year. It gets very cold then very warm, then it changes again.' | North of England will see first frost of the season before weather picks up on Thursday .
South East faces a warm week with temperatures of 24C but it is windy in Midlands, Wales and North today .
Scotland will remain rainy according to Met Office forecast for the next few days . |
65,306 | b972262473c329acb4107bbe54c379b969f59cdc | By . David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor . Two members of Congress got into a shouting match Thursday over whether the error-plagued Obamacare Americans give up their privacy rights when they apply for health insurance through the federal government. Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey unleashed a round of verbal Kung-Fu during a House hearing after Reps. Joe Barton of Texas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee accused software contractors of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPPA, by collecting Americans' personal information from Healthcare.gov. And one company official testified to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that 2,000 employees have access to the information Americans give the Obamacare website when they apply for insurance. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . 'I will not yield to this monkey court or whatever this thing is!' yelled New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone during an exchange about data privacy on the Obamacare website . Texas Rep. Joe Barton insisted that the data-gathering at Healthcare.gov doesn't comply with health privacy laws . But 'HIPPA only applies when there's health information being provided,' Pallone insisted. 'That's not in play here today. No health information is required in the application process. And why is that? Because pre-existing conditions don't matter.' 'So once again here we have my Republican colleagues trying to scare everybody.' 'Will the gentleman yield?' Rep. Barton interrupted. 'No, I will not yield to this monkey court or whatever this thing is!' Pallone yelled. 'This is not a monkey court,' Barton countered. 'Do whatever you want!' Pallone added. 'I am not yielding.' Pallone acknowledged that Obamacare applicants are 'asked about your address, your date of birth,' but insisted that no one is asked to share 'health information.' And according to the Department of Health and Human Services, sharing even those kinds of data can violate HIPPA if it's within the context of a medical insurance transaction. Witnesses in Thursday's hearing included (L-R) Senior VP of CGI Federal Cheryl Campbell, group executive vice president for Optum/QSSI Andrew Slavitt, corporate counsel for Equifax Workforce Solutions Lynn Spellecy, and program director for Serco John Lau . Rep. Marsha Blackburn dug into privacy issues, forcing one corporate official to concede that 2,000 of his employees have access to private consumer data . HIPPA, passed in 1996, forbids doctors, hospitals, health care clearinghouses and health insurers – and their 'business associates' – from disclosing 'individually identifiable health information' related to anyone's medical records. California Rep. Anna Eshoo mocked the companies behind the crash-prone Obamacare website for blaming an unexpected traffic volume for their problems: 'Amazon and eBay don't crash the week before Christmas. And ProFlowers doesn't crash on Valentine's Day' Information covered under the law, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 'includes many common identifiers (e.g., name, address, birth date, Social Security Number).' John Lau, a program director at Serco – a company that helps the federal government determine if Obamacare applicants meet eligibility requirements – testified that '2,000 people' in his company have access to their applications, and that the information was retained for 30 days. 'You know,' countered Rep. Blackburn, 'under HIPPA regs, no one's supposed to have access to that database.' Equifax Workforce Solutions attorney Lynn Spellecy, whose company has been contracted to verify the income levels of Obamacare applicants who claim subsidies to pay for their insurance, described the kind of information that is changing hands. 'We are provided only with limited information: Social Security numbers, names and date of birth, which we use to match against our system,' she said. Barton first raised the privacy issue with a visual aid showing part of the Healthcare.gov 'source code,' the computer language that generates the Web page consumers see. 'You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system,' the text reads. 'At any time, and for any lawful Government purpose, the government may monitor, intercept, and search and seize any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system. Any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system may be disclosed or used for any lawful Government purpose.' Serco program director John Lau (R) testified that 2,000 of his company's employees have access to consumers' information collected by the Obamacare website . Democrats on the panel claimed that since the text was buried in a part of the website's code that consumers can't see, it was meaningless. But Cheryl Campbell, senior vice president of CGI Federal, the main contractor for Healthcare.gov, testified that 'yes,' she was aware it was part of the website, and that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, made the decision to keep it hidden. Senior vice president of CGI Federal Cheryl Campbell came under fire as the chief developer behind Healthcare.gov . 'You were aware,' Barton continued. 'Okay, do you think that's HIPPA compliant? How can that be? You know it's not HIPPA compliant! Admit it – you're under oath!' 'That is CMS's decision to make,' Campbell shot back, 'what is public or not.' Campbell also accused CMS of botching the Obamacare website's pre-launch testing, saying that the government agency was solely responsible for testing Healthcare.gov once all the various contractors delivered their individual pieces of the project . 'CMS did the end-to-end testing,' she said, while acknowledging that the final result has produced unacceptable results. Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo wasn't impressed. 'This is the 21st Century. It's 2013.' Eshoo lectured Campbell. 'There are thousands of websites that handle concurrent volumes far larger than what Healthcare.gov was faced with.' Eshoo represents California's Silicon Valley region. 'You keep speaking about unexpected volumes, Ms. Campbell, and that really sticks in my craw. ... I think that's really kind of a lame excuse. Amazon and eBay don't crash the week before Christmas. And ProFlowers doesn't crash on Valentine's Day.' | Verbal sparring erupted over whether Obamacare website vendors violated medical privacy laws by collecting personal information from applicants .
One Democrat on the panel insisted that since no medical histories were required to apply, there was no violation of the 'HIPPA' law .
The HHS Department's own website declares that every American's 'name, address, birth date, Social Security Number' must be protected .
A company chief testified that 2,000 of his employees have access to such information submitted with Obamacare insurance applications .
Hidden text in the 'source code' of the Obamacare website says users are waiving their privacy rights, and that their personal data 'may be disclosed or used for any lawful Government purpose' |
11,833 | 218d34c40d08f4e090d6e7aba7cda3196516a5ca | By . Alex Greig . A Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) worker has been arrested on child neglect and drug charges after deputies found her six children living in 'deplorable' conditions. Investigators received a tip that DCF investigator Kysa Donawa, 41, and her husband Randy Donawa, 38 were growing marijuana at the family home in Kissimmee and obtained a search warrant for the property. When they got there, they found not only marijuana plants, but counterfeit money and a handgun. In addition, deputies say, the bins were overflowing with trash and there were roaches, flies and spiders infesting the house. Arrested: Kysa and Randy Donawa are facing six charges of child neglect and drug charges . Infested: Deputies say there were flies, spiders and roaches in the children's bedrooms . Unsafe: Chemicals and medications were found open and within reach of the children . According to Click Orlando, there are six children aged six, eight, nine, 12, 15 and 17 living at the house. Both husband and wife are now facing charges of production of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and six counts of child neglect. Deputies said the toilets in the house didn't flush and that the smell of urine made it difficult to breath. Cleaning chemicals were out and open and pill bottles were within reach of the couple's six-year-old. There were 26 marijuana plants growing in the backyard. Squalor: The couple's Kissimmee property looks tidy from the outside, but deputies say the inside is filthy and not safe for children . Filthy: Deputies said the toilets in the home did not flush and that the smell of urine was overpowering . On Monday, a judge determined that the children would stay with their grandmothers, and that the Donawas may have supervised visits. Kysa Donawa had worked for DCF for about a month as a child protective investigator, reports the Orlando Sentinel. She was dismissed following her arrest. 'The actions of this former employee do not reflect the dedicated employees that represent this agency professionally and positively every day,' DCF said in a statement released to the media. Kysa Donawa told the Sentinel that she knew nothing about the marijuana plants or the harvested pot found in her home. | DCF investigator Kysa Donawa, 41, was arrested on child neglect charges along with her husband Randy Donawa .
They also face drug charges after police found marijuana and marijuana plants on their property .
Their six children were living in squalor, say deputies .
Deputies found overflowing trash cans, toilets that didn't flush, roaches and spiders and an overpowering smell of urine .
The six children have been placed with their grandmother .
Kysa Donawa was dismissed from her position at the DCF . |
199,239 | 8dec56df28e7891ac6d3027881144730d7532ee8 | By . Bianca London . With the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's time in Sydney well behind us, it's time to muse on Kate's impeccable Royal Tour wardrobe and celebrate her evolving style from girl-next-door to a very modern - and stylish - princess. Now one of the most famous women in the world, the last three years have been a time of huge change for the former Kate Middleton - so could it all be down to one lady? Introducing Natasha Archer. Natasha - or Tash as she is fondly known within the royal circle - has been helping Kate remodel her style. Who's that girl? Natasha Archer - or 'Tash' as she is fondly known within the royal circle - is described as a Kensington Palace PA but has reportedly been helping revamp the Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe . Natasha, also described as a 'Kensington Palace PA', was part of Kate’s close entourage on tour and, according to Grazia, has been helping Kate, 32, look more 'regal' as per the Queen's request. Natasha first caught the world's attention last July when she was one of the only people - aside from the Royal family - seen entering the Lindo Wing after the birth of Prince George. The PA, who studied Hispanic Studies at King's College London, was seen carrying a dress bag and baby car seat, leading the world to question whether she hand-picked the now iconic blue and white polkadot dress that Kate stepped out in. She was also spotted landing in Wellington, New Zealand with Kate’s hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, as the royal family embarked on the first leg of their tour last fortnight. Part of the crew: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a rugby union match in Sydney on Saturday and Natasha was by Kate's side . Close confidante: The source revealed that Natasha and Kate get on very well and the PA has reportedly always supported and advised Kate . Natasha has reportedly been helping Kate with her outfit choices since last summer. A source told the fashion magazine: 'Natasha’s main role is as a PA, but over the last few months she has assisted Kate as a style adviser. 'Natasha and Kate get on very well. She has always supported and advised Kate - and the Duchess loves Natasha’s style, so it seemed like an obvious appointment. Natasha has been helping Kate pick outfits for the tour.’ The source also added that Natasha orders lots of clothes - particularly from Topshop and Asos - online for Kate. Royal entourage: Natasha, second from front, was seen carrying clothes as she arrived at Wellington Airport on April 7 at the start of the Royal Tour . First spot: Natasha was seen last July entering Lindo Wing after the birth of Prince George with Kate's hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, right . And it seems that with Natasha's . advice, Kate, who has worn outfits by the likes of Emilia Wickstead, . Erdem, Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Roksanda Illincic throughout the tour of Australia and New Zealand, has . dressed to impress. Australia's top fashion designers have . heaped huge praise on the Duchess of Cambridge's royal tour wardrobe - despite her snubbing all but one of them. Classic . designer Carla Zampatti - who has met the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince . Edward, Prince Charles and Diana - applauded Kate's 'wonderful taste' and the fact she was a 'hard working royal', as she attended a reception . for the Royal couple at Parliament House, Canberra. Ms Zampatti even went so far as to label the 32-year-old 'the best promotion of the fashion industry' she can think of. Royal dresser: Natasha apparently helped select Kate's Royal Tour outfits - like this elegant white Lela Rose cocktail dress she wore on her last night in Sydney . Dazzling Duchess: The Duchess has worn dresses by the likes of Jenny Packham, left, and more high street options such as this L.K. Bennett dress, right . And it isn't just the designers praising Kate's style - it seems the general public love it, too. The 'Kate Effect' was in full force . after the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a Diane Von Furstenberg . wrap dress for the second day of the royal couple's visit to Australia. Kate . wore a £292 new season blue and white patterned wrap dress from the . high-end designer to visit the Blue Mountains town of Winnmalee, just . outside of Sydney. The 31-year-old is . known for making fashion fly off the shelves as fans aim to emulate her . style, but the blue and white wrap dress sold out at a particularly . surprising speed of just eight minutes, according to fashion website Go Fug Yourself. Celebrity stylist, Jade Elliott, says she has it spot on: 'Kate's graduated from princess finishing school - no more . student chic, she's a "royal" - its official!' His wife may be better known as a . style icon but it seems that Prince William spent his time in New Zealand and Australia trailblazing a new trend - . and he probably isn't even aware. While . all eyes were on the Duchess of Cambridge's dazzling dresses, her . husband William was quietly championing the hottest new hipster . trend: normcore. Plain . tees, comfortable shoes, understated anoraks and dad jeans are . apparently no longer simply tolerated by the fashion community, they are . applauded. Bland, it appears, is the new black and just blending in with the crowd a la Prince William is totally en vogue. Prince of style: William has been adhering to the 'normcore' trend of scruffy trainers and chinos during his time in New Zealand - but is it just a coincidence? A hybrid of the words 'normal' and 'hardcore', The Telegraph's Ellie Pither outlines the normcore rules. She . writes: 'The normcore uniform is as follows: Teva sandals (those . foam-soled sandals with Navajo patterned velcro straps); Patagonia . waterproof jackets; New Balance trainers; white athletic socks; boxy . stonewash mum-cut jeans; Uniqlo roll-necks; beige Gap chinos.' And . it seems that William, 31, has got the look spot on - save for his . Onitsuka trainers, which could be replaced by some on-trend all-black . New Balance or Air Max - and voila: Prince normcore. Catwalk worthy: Karl Lagerfeld sent Cara Delevingne (left) and Kendall Jenner down his Chanel runway in an understated look . Trendsetters: Cara Delevingne (left) and Rihanna . are firm fans of the normcore trend - a style Cara has been championing . since she hit headlines . Normcore seems to have emerged as an . offshoot of fashion's love affair with all things Nineties. Marc . Jacobs . and Prada both created high fashion versions of Teva hiking sandals for . spring 2014, Topshop is selling 'mum' jeans and even Chanel . sent models, including Cara Delevingne and Kendall Jenner, who both . embrace the trend in their downtime, down a supermarket aisle clad in . sweatpants and sneakers. The result is that brand-less . stonewash denim, nondescript zip-up tops and bulky white trainers have . suddenly become cool, and lining shelves at stores from Acne and APC to . Madewell and ASOS. Even President Barack Obama is being hailed as a style icon for the normcore set. Normcore originals: Jerry Seinfeld's Nineties attire defines the emerging new trend for all things bland . On the catwalk: A model looking normcore at . DKNY's spring/summer 2014 show last September (left) and Topshop's 'Mom' jeans in baby blue . Best foot forward: High-fashion interpretations . of Teva hiking sandals were seen at the spring 2014 shows in September, . including Marc Jacobs (left) and Prada (right) Fashion . writer and blogger Simon Glazin isn't, however, convinced that William . is on trend and his New Zealand wardrobe is just a coincidence. He said: '"Normcore", "American tourist", call it what you will, but really it's nothing new. 'This . is the "trend" (I use inverted commas because quite frankly I can't . bring myself to call it something fashion noteworthy) that A-listers . like Ashton Kutcher have been trying to make cool for a long time. 'By all means men, wear chinos with . trainers and an Oxford shirt, it can be a "cool" look, but I think in . William's case it's more accidental style than anything else' 'Do we actually think William wakes up . in the morning, splashes some royal water over his face, looks into his . wardrobe and says to himself: "How can I age myself by 40 years today?" 'No. It's more tradition with him than anything else. As next in line to the . throne, and with his dad as his style icon, he needs to remain . "vanilla". 'Harry . pushes things a bit further by a) wearing no clothes at all, and b) actually looking good most of the time in what he does chose to put on. 'By . all means men, wear chinos with trainers and an Oxford shirt, it can be . a "cool" look, but I think in William's case it's more accidental style . than anything else. 'And one hopes at least one half of this royal couple is actually BUYING new clothes rather than recycling them from years ago.' Dressing like a dad: Steve Carell is typical 'normcore' as Cal Weaver in the 2011 rom com Crazy, Stupid Love, in which he co-stars with Julianne Moore . President normcore: Barack Obama pictured sporting his 'dad jeans' on a family bike ride in Massachusetts . MOTO Raw Hem Mom Jeans, £40.00, Topshop, ASOS Parka with Patch Pockets and Coated Finish, £50.00 . Superdry Slim Heel Pop Joggers, £44.99, Vintage Renewal Leather Baseball Cap in White, £30.00, Urban Outfitters . New Balance 574 Trainers, £65.00, Asos, HYDRATE Two Part Pool Sliders, £22.00, Asos . Nike Air Max Breathe trainers, £100, Available May 1 from Nike.com . | Natasha Archer has reportedly been helping Kate revamp her style .
Known as a Kensington Palace PA but acts as style adviser .
Kate has been embracing a more regal and grown-up style on tour . |
147,880 | 4b39f2dc3beffeff41f3a4e9a8e875e959780e13 | Not many people can claim to have shattered a major American record aged just 13 years, 10 months and 27 days. But chess prodigy Samuel Sevian can now do just that. The teenager has been crowned America's youngest-ever Grandmaster, easily besting the country's previous record holder by more than a year. At a tournament in St Louis last weekend, he won all four of his games to push his World Chess Federation rating past 2,500 points - enough to secure Grandmaster status. Chess prodigy Samuel Sevian pushed his World Chess Federation rating past 2,500 points at a tournament in St Louis to achieve the elite status of Grandmaster, aged just 13 years and 10 months . 'I feel really good and somewhat relieved. This was one of my best tournament performances,' the teen told AFP, noting that he had beaten three Grandmasters during the event in only 20-25 moves. His father Armen - a scientist born and raised in Armenia who later emigrated to the United States - is bursting with pride. 'He really outplayed his opponents in three games. But the fourth, it was really back and forth, it wasn't clear,' he said. 'It was like a blitz, it came down to the last seconds. Both players were shaking.' The previous record for the youngest US Grandmaster was held by Ray Robson, who achieved the title two weeks before he turned 15. American legend Bobby Fischer also once held the record. At an August tournament, Samuel had put the record within reach, getting to within 14 points of the 2,500 needed for the elite Grandmaster title. At age nine, Samuel became the youngest-ever American chess master receiving a rating of 2,201 . The young chess wizard is well accustomed to setting US records, having become the youngest American Expert (another ranking) shortly before his 10th birthday. At 12 years and 10 months, he became the country's youngest International Master. Samuel's next target is to get to 2,600 points, which would secure him invitations to the most prestigious tournaments. His ultimate dream is to become world champion; the question is when he will be ready to tackle the challenge. 'It's way out in the future and I don't want to busy my head with it now. First, I would need to improve my game,' he said. 'After my big win in St Louis, my confidence level is high. This definitely helps.' The chess star's father said he is the sixth-youngest Grandmaster in the world. The youngest person to win the status is Russia's Sergey Karjakin, who became a Grandmaster when he was just 12 years and seven months old. Samuel, who lives in the Boston area, said he was overcome with emotion when he realized he was about to achieve elite status in the chess world. 'The pressure was enormous when I played my fourth game, which I needed to win to go over the 2,500 mark,' he said. 'I'm suddenly a Grandmaster and felt overwhelmed.' In the coming weeks, Samuel will spend three days in New York at the Garry Kasparov Foundation. The chess legend is one of Samuel's regular trainers and will be present for the three-day visit. The foundation hailed his achievement, saying he is 'the world's first Grandmaster born in this millennium.' After celebrating his 14th birthday on December 26, Samuel will participate in another tournament in the Netherlands. Samuel's target is to get to 2,600 points, which would secure him invites to the most prestigious tournaments . 'We want to go more to Europe. There's stronger competition over there,' said Armen Sevian, himself a former high-level player. Samuel started his chess career in Orlando in August 2006 and he learned to play the game aged five earning a modest rating of 315 from his first tournament. By the time his family moved to California in 2007, when he was seven years old, his rating had risen to 1614, higher than most adults. He earned a spot on both the 2009 and 2010 All-America Chess Teams and in 2009, at the age of eight, Sevian defeated his first National Master in tournament play. In January 2010 with a FIDE rating of 2119, he became the highest rated chess player in the world for his age and also qualified for the 2010 World Youth Chess Championship. Former world champion Gary Kasparov achieved the highest ever chess rating at 2851. Bobby Fischer is the highest rated US player in history at 2785. | Samuel Sevian pushed his World Chess Federation rating past 2,500 points .
Previous record for the youngest US Grandmaster was held by Ray Robson .
He took the title just before he turned 15 - over a year older than Samuel .
Samuel said that he was 'overwhelmed' when he achieved the elite status .
Now his family want to go to Europe more - to find stronger competition . |
8,856 | 18f5b01167cd7189057deeb5f4719726b14f88b7 | By . Andy Dolan . PUBLISHED: . 07:21 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:58 EST, 12 November 2013 . On trial: Anxiang Du, 54, murdered a family of four with 'ruthless efficiency', a court heard . A businessman massacred a family of four in their home in revenge at losing a seven-year legal dispute, a court heard yesterday. With ‘ruthless efficiency’, Anxiang Du repeatedly stabbed university lecturer Jifeng ‘Jeff’ Ding, 46, and his wife Helen, 47, in their kitchen, before moving upstairs where daughters Nancy, 18, and Alice, 12, were cowering in a bedroom. The Dings had been former business partners with Chinese compatriot Du and his wife, but their relationship had soured, triggering a decade of legal action. Du had travelled to the £350,000 property like ‘a man on a mission’, armed with a kitchen knife and out for revenge on a couple who had left him with court costs totalling £88,000, the jury heard. The bloodbath unfolded on the day of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in April 2011. The family were stabbed a total of 51 times. A 999 call was made from Alice’s mobile phone that afternoon. Prosecutor William Harbage QC warned the jury they would have to listen to the ‘distressing’ 20-second call, in which ‘more than one female scream could be heard’. The court heard the catalyst for the horror was an injunction which had been served on Du, 54, the night before, preventing him from disposing of his assets. Mr Harbage said Du knew he ‘faced ruin’. He added: ‘He resorted to violence, to murder in order to avenge himself of the people who had caused him such grief. He did so not just by killing them – Mr and Mrs Ding – but also by murdering their wholly innocent daughters. ‘Mr Du made a plan and carried it out with ruthless efficiency.’ Deaths: Du, 55, is accused of killing Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer Jifeng 'Jeff' Ding (left), his wife, Ge 'Helen' Chui (centre), and their two daughters, Xing 'Nancy' 18 (right), and Alice, 12 (left) Mr Harbage said Du and his wife Can . Chen, both herbal medicine practitioners, had run a string of successful . shops with the Dings until the relationship soured in 2001. Du and his wife were dismissed from the business and in 2004 started legal proceedings against the ‘hard-working, decent’ Dings. Seven years of civil litigation . followed. Mr Harbage said that ‘although Du won the first battle, he . lost the last’, and was left with the five-figure costs sum to pay. Mr . Ding, who lectured in polymer science at Manchester Metropolitan . University, was stabbed 23 times, while his wife, a translator, was . knifed 13 times. Couple: Mr Ding (left) was a lecturer in polymer science at Manchester Metropolitan University while his wife (right) was a businesswoman and translator . Their daughters – both talented violinists who toured . Europe with the Northamptonshire Youth Orchestra – were stabbed a total . of 15 times. Alice was found on the bed and Nancy was in a ‘prayer . position’ on the bedroom floor. All . four had been stabbed through the heart and lungs at the property in . Wootton, Northampton. The jury heard Du’s fingerprints and other . forensic evidence littered the bloody scene. Following . the massacre, Du washed the knife and left it in the Dings’ sink before . escaping in their car. The Dings’ bodies were discovered two days . later. Du’s getaway car was found abandoned in London in May. He . travelled by coach – under his own name and passport – to Paris, from . there travelling to Spain where he took a boat to Morocco. Sisters: Xing 'Nancy' (left), 18, and Alice (right), 12, were both killed in the attack in April 2011, the court heard . He was arrested there in July 2012 and extradited back to the UK earlier this year. The . jury at Northampton Crown Court were told that Du, from Coventry, . denies murder but does not deny that he carried out the attack. He is . expected to claim that he should be found guilty of manslaughter on the . basis of either diminished responsibility or loss of control. But . Mr Harbage said the premeditated, ‘grotesque killings’ were the . ‘clearest case of murder, with the obvious motive of revenge’. He . told jurors: ‘This was a considered act of revenge executed in an . unbelievably calm and cold-blooded manner. 'He (Du) planned to kill, he . intended to kill, he did kill – four times. This is murder, nothing . less.’ The case continues. Hearing: Du is pictured (left) today at Nottingham Crown Court during his trial over four counts of murder . Scene: Du travelled in April 2011 to the family's house in Northampton (pictured) from his home in Coventry, via Birmingham, armed with a kitchen knife, the court heard . Home: Du killed the parents at their Northampton house before going upstairs to find their two daughters, Nancy and Alice, cowering in a bedroom, the court heard. He allegedly stabbed them to death as well . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Anxiang Du 'killed Jifeng Ding, Ge Chui and their children Xing and Alice'
Du 'armed himself with a kitchen knife and stabbed family to death in 2011'
He 'found couple's daughters cowering in bedroom before stabbing them' |
249,968 | cf816e64330deff6aec9cb15cdcad48a0d594213 | (CNN) -- New ships, expanded technology and pop culture phenomena are some of the factors making 2014 an alluring year for a vacation at sea. January through March is known as "wave season" -- when cruise lines roll out perks and promotions to entice travelers. But don't fret if you're not ready to plunk down your credit card. Experts are predicting more year-round savings at sea. The traditional wave season booking window can be a great time to snag a deal such as 2-for-1 fares, on-board credits and suite upgrades, according to online cruise guide Cruise Critic, but it doesn't always reflect rock-bottom pricing. Cruise Critic Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Spencer Brown says that she's expecting this year to bring "especially competitive pricing" in the Caribbean, because of an influx of ships plying those waters. And if Alaska is on your cruising bucket list, she says now is a great time to book and take advantage of discounts for travel in April or May. Blood Falls and other natural oddities . "The first tip for saving money is not to primarily focus on saving money," Spencer Brown says. Good value comes from not only getting the right price but also in finding the right trip for your vacation needs and preferences. To that end, Christine Duffy, president of Cruise Lines International Association, says online research is fine, but ultimately working with a trained agent will get you the best prices because cruises are "much more complicated than booking a flight from point A to point B." Agents familiar with all the options can help with cabin selection, shore excursions and even packaging airfare to get the lowest price. Follow your preferred cruise line on social media to keep up with flash sales and seasonal specials. Once you're on board, amazing add-ons can boost your experience, but they usually come with a hefty price tag. Check to see if your cruise line offers any advance-purchase deals for dining, alcohol or spa treatments. And "keep an eye out for specials advertised in the daily program," Spencer Brown advises, as those can be big money savers. 12 months, 12 amazing adventures . Stick to a set budget for a la carte purchases for a vacation free of financial surprise and use the on-screen feature on your cabin TV to track your daily spending. "Be sure to resolve any concerns before the final day," Spencer Brown says. Cruising in 2014 is a far cry from the lazy stereotypes of bygone years; today's cruiser can plan on zip lining and skydiving between meals shared with "The Cat in the Hat" or a favorite musician. Pop culture has invaded the oceans. Here are five things cruise lines are doing to lure new and repeat cruisers: . Creating exotic and intimate experiences . Cruise ships are getting a warm welcome in Asia, where Cruise Lines International Association says 3.7 million passengers per year are expected by 2017. From the wilderness of the Russian Far East to ports in Myanmar and Malaysia, there's an emphasis on taking passengers to places far off the beaten path. Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan are also beckoning cruise ships. What's more, exotic destinations can also equal top cruising value, according to Spencer Brown. "Destinations like Japan, Norway and Australia offer exceptional value for money, as exploring them by land tends to be extremely expensive, but traveling by cruise ship costs much less and is often more convenient," she says. The Cruise Critic editor also flags the Panama Canal as a hot spot; it turns 100 this year, with a new visitors' center ready to welcome cruise passengers. The rivers of the world are also commanding more attention, with tailored itineraries and smaller, luxury vessels attracting globetrotters. River cruising is the fastest-growing segment of the cruise industry, says Duffy, with eight of the 17 new ships due out in 2014 destined for river journeys. Offering shorter -- and longer -- voyages . To attract first-timers wary of an entire week at sea, cruise lines are offering more weekend-length cruises. At the same time, lines have realized that sometimes, the typical shore excursion doesn't allow enough time to revel in all that a port has to offer, so itineraries have changed. For example, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean spend more than a day in Bermuda, Carnival ships stop overnight in Nassau, Bahamas, and a Seabourn sails with a three-day stopover in St. Petersburg, Russia. Improving connectivity . Connectivity is at an all-time high on the high seas, with bow-to-stern Wi-Fi and less expensive communication services than in years past. Cruise lines have spent millions revamping their wireless infrastructures, increasing bandwidth for faster connection speeds and even offering perks such as 500 minutes of free Wi-Fi that's given to concierge-level cruisers aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises. These are especially appealing to the social media-loving millennial crowd, who can't wait to share their vacation experiences via Twitter and Instagram. Harnessing the power of pop culture . The "wow" factor of cruising is still strong, with ships constantly trying to outdo each other, not only with bigger and better berths but also with unique activities and elite celebrity associations. This year marks the debut of "Seuss at Sea," a family program on Carnival Cruise Lines, featuring Dr. Seuss-themed fun including "Green Eggs and Ham" breakfasts, costume parades and character events. Adults will have no problem finding their pop culture fix afloat, thanks to programs such as "Dancing With the Stars at Sea" competitions on Holland America, which will lead to a complimentary seven-day "champions cruise" for 15 finalists and their guests in December. For the less competitive, every Holland America cruise offers free dance classes based on routines from the hit TV show. Rolling out new ships . Every year brings new vessels designed to convince landlubbers of the advantages of a journey at sea. While this year brings fewer "mega ships" than in the past, innovation remains in the forefront on ships of all sizes. Here is a handful of this year's newcomers: . • Quantum of the Seas: This Royal Caribbean ship gets the "wow factor" award, with a skydiving simulator, bumper cars, an aerial viewing pod and inside cabins with "virtual balconies" thanks to giant LCD screens showing an ocean view. • Norwegian Getaway: The Broadway musical "Legally Blonde" will be on board as well as the line's signature special-effects magic show. Miami pop artist David "Lebo" Le Batard was commissioned for the ship's impressive hull art, which features a whimsical mermaid. • Costa Diadema: Diadema is Italian for tiara, and this ship will be the largest and most modern built for Costa Cruises. Set to launch in late 2014, it will hold more than 3,700 passengers and feature public areas that resemble a beachfront resort. • Avalon Waterways' Illumination: This is one of three Avalon Suite Ships coming out in 2014; each features two decks of panorama suites with wall-to-wall windows, complimentary Wi-Fi and alfresco dining options. • Viking Cruises Longships: Fourteen of these will launch from Avignon, France. Each will hold fewer than 200 passengers and offer five cabin sizes, including massive 445-square-foot Explorer Suites with balconies off the bedrooms and living rooms. • Regal Princess: An adults-only pool, a glass-enclosed "SeaWalk" extending 128 feet over the water and balconies for all outside cabins are among the highlights on this 3,560-passenger vessel. • Pearl Mist: All 108 staterooms have private balconies on this new luxury ship being built for Pearl Seas Cruises. What's more, a dozen of the cabins were built for solo travelers. 11 places to go in 2014 . | Expert expects "especially competitive" cruise prices in the Caribbean this year .
Follow cruise lines on social media for flash sales and seasonal specials .
New ships, itineraries and pop culture tie-ins are spicing up the options in 2014 . |
186,167 | 7d1c42d8b974316eb050498908e82cddf2abcb1f | By . Matt Chorley . and Richard Spillett . People who want to see Tony Blair jailed for the Iraq War have their ‘heart in the right place’, Boris Johnson said today. But the London Mayor warned it would be ‘very difficult’ to convict the former Prime Minister because he is ‘a very eel-like customer’. The senior Tory spoke out as it emerged the bill for the long-delayed report on the 2003 conflict is on course to hit £10million. Tony Blair, pictured answering questions in 2010, has been accused of trying to delay publication of the Chilcot Inquiry . There is growing pressure for the . Chilcot Inquiry to publish its report, almost five years since it was . announced by the last Labour government. David Cameron wants it to be released as soon as possible, with Mr Blair denying he is responsible for the hold-up. Today . Mr Johnson said that he had come to view the entire case for the move . to topple Saddam Hussein as ‘nonsense’ and had sympathy for those who . want Mr Blair to face the law. Taking . calls on LBC 97.3, he said: ‘I’d like to see the report published. There will be plenty of arguments you can make about bringing all kinds . of people to justice. London Mayor Boris Johnson said it would be difficult to convict Mr Blair for war crimes . ‘I . happen to think that in the case of Tony Blair, it will be quite . difficult to secure a conviction. He is a very eel like customer. [Laughter]. I think it would be very unlikely that you’d get him.’ He . later added: ‘I mean, you can have some very nice eels. I don’t want to . be rude to the former Prime Minister, you can have some; I felt guilty . as soon as I said that. ‘He . can be, you know, he’s a very, very adept and agile lawyer and I think . that … our caller who thought that he was going to be imprisoned for . what he did in Iraq, his heart is in the right place.’ Mr . Johnson added: ‘I just think there will undoubtedly be people who . continue to try to bring Tony Blair to justice in one way or another. I . think it unlikely that they will succeed in that respect.’ Sir . John Chilcot’s investigation into the 2003 conflict last took evidence . from a witness three years ago but the report has yet to be published. It . was claimed today that a row over the publication of conversations . between former Prime Minister Tony Blair and ex US president George W . Bush is behind the delay. The Daily Mirror reported that the row over publication of the pair's letters and meetings could mean the cost to the . taxpayer rises to around £10million. Whitehall sources say the process of declassifying . documents, including Mr Blair’s correspondence with the then President, remains stalled. It . is thought that no one involved has so far received a letter from the . inquiry as part of the so-called ‘Maxwellisation’ process – the legal . requirement to notify individuals who are criticised in a . government-commissioned report. Whitehall sources . have also suggested that with an election due in May 2015, it will be . deemed too politically difficult to publish it until after voters have . gone to the polls. One of the main bones of contention over the report into the conflict (pictured) is private notes between Blair and the then US President George W. Bush . One . source has said: ‘It’s certainly not going to be ready before the end of . the year and it would be a highly political act to publish in the months . before an election. The can is going to be kicked further down the . road.’ Labour . strategists are said to be alarmed at the prospect of voters being . reminded of the Iraq war in the months before the election, since the . conflict was blamed for driving many of its voters to the Liberal . Democrats in 2005 and 2010. The delays and the spiraling bill has added to the anger felt by families of soldiers killed in the conflict, it claims. Rose . Gentle, from the Military Families Support Group told the Daily Mirror that . members of her organisation feel Mr Blair is 'laughing at them'. It is said the delays to the report by Sir John Chilcot (right) have been caused by a row over letters between George W. Bush (left) and Tony Blair . Current Prime Minister David Cameron waded into the row this week when he called for the report to be made public as quickly as possible . A . No 10 aide said: ‘The PM believes there is no excuse for any . further lengthy delay in publishing Chilcot. It would be unreasonable to . postpone it beyond the next election.’ A Cabinet Office spokesperson said last night: 'The Chilcot Inquiry has had full unfettered access to all government papers. 'The . Cabinet Office has been in a constructive dialogue with the Inquiry . team over recent months, with a clear view to meeting their . declassification requests. 'This . has involved several thousand documents, subject only to ensuring that . national security and foreign policy objectives are not compromised as . provided for in the protocol agreed at the outset of the Inquiry. That . process should be concluded shortly.' | London Mayor says he now views the case for 2003 conflict as 'nonsense'
Delays to publication of Chilcot Inquiry said to be over ex-leaders' letters .
It is claimed the bill for the investigation could now top eight figures .
Report may not be published until after next election due to political issues .
Familes of soldiers killed in the war say they feel they are being 'laughed at' |
244,575 | c884c6e0ce5301fa09944fe2ca35a106eefbc5d1 | The judge who heads the secretive Court of Protection called yesterday for its hearings to be thrown open to the Press. Mr Justice Charles told peers that open scrutiny of the controversial court’s hearings would improve the behaviour of everyone taking part, including judges. He brushed aside arguments that the Court of Protection – which makes decisions about the medical treatment, care and property of those who cannot decide for themselves – has a first duty to protect the privacy of families and individuals who come before it. The Court of Protection is part of the High Court and analyses issues relating to sick and vulnerable people . ‘The impact of proceedings having more sunlight let in, more transparency, outweighs the difficulties that in some cases some people may have in having their privacy invaded,’ the judge said. He also told peers the court’s routine secrecy may break human rights laws, that judges have been reluctant even to let the public know the outcome of the court’s cases, and that some judges and legal figures remain firmly opposed to letting outsiders know what goes on in its hearings. The call for open reporting of cases follows months of growing controversy. Set up six years ago under Labour’s Mental Capacity Act, the court can order people to be confined to care homes or decide whether desperately sick patients should die or be treated. One doctor told the court that the woman's physical and mental problems should lessen, and be easier to treat, once the baby was born . In April, the Daily Mail revealed that a Court of Protection judge had sent Wanda Maddocks, 50, to jail in secret. Miss Maddocks was sentenced to five months for defying the court by trying to free her father from a care home where she thought his life was in danger. Sir James Munby, head of the family courts, has repeatedly called for more openness. Mr Justice Charles yesterday threw his weight behind Sir James at the Lords inquiry into the Mental Capacity Act’s workings. Greater openness would ‘improve the performance of all involved in the court process’, he told peers. ‘I don’t exclude judges from that.’ | Mr Justice Charles told peers that scrutiny of court would be beneficial .
Said it would improve the behaviour of everyone involved, including judges .
Controversial Court of Protection makes decisions about care, treatment and property of those who cannot decide for themselves . |
138,270 | 3ed17ef489543e148476e768ef7d4fc99fcf949d | PUBLISHED: . 04:09 EST, 19 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:53 EST, 19 June 2012 . Renewed attempts to help the jailed Pakistani doctor who led the U.S. to Osama bin Laden must be made, a Californian congressman has said. Rep Dana Rohrabacher has made Dr Shakil Afridi's case a personal cause, but fears the issue has fallen off the political radar. He said without U.S. intervention the man credited with helping track down Bin Laden would be left to 'suffer in a dungeon'. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (right) says the U.S. must not abandon the Pakistani doctor Dr Shakil Afridi (left) who helped track down Osama bin Laden by running a fake vaccination programme . Rohrabacher said: 'If we let that person just . hang on a limb and forget him, now that he's put himself in danger for . us -- well shame on us. 'I . am very concerned that the United States will shame itself by letting Dr . Afridi sit there and suffer in a dungeon, and be tortured. 'It doesn't appear that other people are taking this case seriously. I don't see any movement.' Dr Afridi helped the CIA by running a fake vaccination programme that allowed him to collect the DNA of Bin Laden’s children from the family compound in Abbottabad. Sample analysis confirmed the terror leader was probably there and triggered the deadly mission by US Navy SEALS last May. The successful mission sparked a rift between the US and Pakistani leaders who were embarrassed that Bin Laden had been living in a major military hub close to the capital. Justice: Osama bin Laden, (pictured in 1998) mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and the world's most wanted man, was killed in a US operation in north-western Pakistan which was successfully launched with help from information gathered by Dr Shakil Afridi . Strike: The compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Osama bin Laden, the leader of terrorist network Al-Qaeda was killed by US military forces, in May last year . Angry Pakistani officials felt the . covert operation was a violation of its sovereignty and implied the US . was unable to trust its key partner in the war on terror. Shortly after the raid which killed Bin Laden, Dr Afridi was arrested for conspiring against the state of Pakistan and last month jailed for 33 years. Rohrabacher told FoxNews.com that he was 'frantically' trying to keep a focus on the doctors fate, claiming officials were neglecting the case which reflects badly on the U.S. Concern: Secretary of state Hillary Clinton said she regretted Dr Afridi's conviction and the severity of his sentence . Afridi's brother Jamil told Fox News . last month that Shakil Afridi had suffered torture while in custody . ahead of his sentencing and previously appealed for U.S. Embassy help to . fight his legal case. The U.S. has insisted there is no basis to imprison Afridi on treason charges and secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in May that she regretted 'both the fact that he was convicted and the severity of his sentence'. Following Rohrabacher's latest comments that State Department said it was still focused on the case. Spokesman Mark Toner told FoxNews.com: 'We continue to urge Pakistan to consider his appeal in a manner that is expeditious, transparent and consistent with due process. 'We consider his treatment and his sentencing to be among the range of important issues we are in the midst of discussing with the Pakistani (government).' In May, outraged at Drv Afridi's conviction, U.S. Senate panels voted overwhelmingly to cut aid to Islamabad by $33million - one million for every year of the physician's 33-year sentence for high treason. | Dr Shakil Afridi jailed on high treason charge for 33 years .
He collected DNA from Bin Laden’s children to help U.S. track down the world's most wanted man .
Californian congressman fears the Dr Afridi's case has fallen off the political radar . |
236,366 | bdf06d9cc73a6cead58d1cbb179f7f6c1ef1b2a1 | Former Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough has emerged as a shock contender for the vacant post at Motherwell. Former Fir Park boss Terry Butcher is the frontrunner on a shortlist featuring caretaker Kenny Black, ex-Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels and Dutch pair Rob Maaskant and Mitchell van der Gaag who once played with the club. Former Fir Park boss Terry Butcher is the frontrunner for Motherwell job . But Baraclough has been invited for interview, too, after leading Sligo to their first league title for 35 years, taking the Irish side into the Champions League and lifting the FAI and Setanta Cups prior to his sacking in June. The 44-year-old Englishman, who is also in the running for the vacant post at Mansfield Town, is currently scouting for Huddersfield Town while he awaits a return to management. Motherwell have received 58 applications from potential replacements for Stuart McCall, who quit Fir Park last month, and are pressing ahead with appointing a manager despite lingering uncertainty over the club’s ownership. Managerless Motherwell suffered a 1-0 defeat against Celtic on Saturday . Fans group the Well Society have been trying to raise enough money to buy former chairman John Boyle’s 70 per cent shareholding and hope to push the deal through with the help of retired businessman Les Hutchison. Lanarkshire-born Hutchison, now based in Barbados, was once on the books of Albion Rovers as a goalkeeper but made his money in electrical engineering. The Well Society ran into problems when their attempts to buy Boyle’s shareholding stalled at £500,000. However, general manager Alan Burrows believes that an agreement is now close which will allowing the club to appoint a new manager. He said: ‘I think we are in the final stages and are confident of a good outcome.’ An Argentine consortium has also been waiting in the wings, forging plans to appoint former Peru international and Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano as manager should the Well Society fail to reach their target. | Englishman Ian Baraclough invited for interview by Motherwell .
Former Fir Park boss Terry Butcher is the frontrunner for the job . |
200,704 | 8fcc96e4741a6df092c04bbaa0a36a6c0c710e19 | By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 10:18 EST, 15 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:36 EST, 15 November 2012 . If you are excited about Christmas, look away now. Serial object destroyer Alan Sailer, from California, has turned his twisted attention to exploding much-loved toys. The high-speed photography fanatic has selected children's favourites and destroyed them with firecrackers. Serial object destroyer Alan Sailer has turned his twisted attention to exploding much-loved toys with explosive results . Mr Potato Head gets a baking and Pikachu, from much loved series Pokemon, looks a little worse for wear . Poor old Mickey Mouse blows his top after Mr Sailer turns his attention to him . Tweety Pie clings on to a flowerpot for dear life as he is destroyed with firecrackers . And thanks to his . photographic expertise, the 57-year-old has managed to capture the . moment the poor playthings were blown apart. Unfortunate toys and characters include a Mickey Mouse mug blowing its top, Tweety Pie losing his head, a troll head cracking up and a Rubik's Cube exploding into pieces. Mr Sailer, from Camarillo, California, explains: 'The poor defenseless toys are common so I pick them up from garage sales. I try my best to keep the costs under a dollar per shot. 'I will admit that it is fun to mess with toy archetypes. I have to smile when an icon of sweet innocence like My Little Pony crumbles to pieces in rather horrifying way.' To blow up the objects Alan uses a firecracker modified so that it can be fired using an electrical signal. Mr Sailer said he smiles when toys such as dolls (left) and My Little Pony (right) are destroyed in a 'horrifying way' It is not just toys like Dora the Explorer (left) that fall foul of Mr Sailer's wrath. A Christmas ornament gets the explosion treatment too . Serial object destroyer Alan Sailer has turned his twisted attention to exploding much-loved toys . He then has to synchronise the opening of the camera shutter with the explosion. It does not need to be really accurate, but it does need to be better than lighting a fuse. 'The camera is unimportant, it's not a special camera. I use a Nikon D90 for most of my shots. I have also used an old Nikon F3 film camera, a Canon G6, Rebel XT etc. 'The camera must have a manual focus and manual settings is all. 'The flash is the key, that and the detector/trigger. 'I use a home built flash based on a model built in the 1950s by Harold Edgerton. 'The flash is really fast about 1 millionth of a second and it stops the action. 'The detector/trigger is also critical. 'It detects that the debris from the explosion has arrived and fires the flash at just the right moment.' And it is not just toys which appear to test Mr Sailer's patience. The eccentric photographer has in the past turned his lens, and his gun, to a range of different foods, shooting items such as Brussel Sprouts and Camembert cheese at close range and catching the fall out on camera. The artist's studio looks like something from a horror film . Even the Polaroid camera was not safe from his explosion obsession . A Toy Story with a very different ending for this doll (left) and this children's DVD which features scenes of toys in a similar state . | Favourites such as Mr Potato Head, My Little Pony, and Mickey Mouse all blasted with explosives .
Alan Sailer, 57, admits: 'I have to smile when an icon of sweet innocence like My Little Pony crumbles to pieces in rather horrifying way' |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.