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20,524 | 3a3ee0b52f6d2f48d13467e59cfd49f342105979 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:26 EST, 4 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:27 EST, 4 December 2012 . A mother who suffered a stroke - leaving her paralysed and unable to talk - was cured within two hours after undergoing pioneering treatment. Jacqueline Keeley was rushed to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for an operation, in which the blood clot which caused the stroke was scooped out by a tube containing a tiny mesh basket. The tube was fed through her groin and into her brain with X-ray guidance. Jacqueline Keeley . The 65-year-old said the 'amazing' procedure - which immediately restored her speech and movement - had . made her life worth living again. 'I . thought I would be unable to speak or move for the rest of my life but I . was back to normal again just a few hours after the attack,' Jacqueline . said. 'It was amazing.' Jacqueline suffered a stroke at her home in Kings Norton, Birmingham, in February. She was initially given Alteplase, a drug which contains a protein that breaks down blood clots. But, when that didn’t work, the medics mentioned the thrombectomy option. 'I was awake on the operating table when they performed the procedure,' she said. 'I couldn’t feel a thing and couldn’t speak. When the basket got near the brain I heard an explosion, it almost felt like fireworks in my head. Jacqueline Keeley (right) with daughter Michelle Hart, who did a charity skydive to raise money for the Stroke Association . 'I couldn’t tell them what I thought because I had no voice. Then seconds later it happened again. I must have winced and when the doctors asked if I was OK, I actually spoke and said ‘yes’. I couldn’t believe it. 'Then I said: ‘Oh I can talk’. It was because, at that split second, they caught the blood clot which was causing the blockage.' Jacqueline’s grateful daughter, Michelle Hart, who works for West Midlands Police, later raised £2,000 for the Stroke Association by doing a skydive. The QE is among only a handful of centres in the UK to perform the procedure. It was first performed there in April last year and so far been used on five patients. Stroke consultant Dr Don Sims said the new procedure could make a huge difference to some stroke patients. 'It is very new so research will continue to see how many people will be able to benefit from this in the future,' he said. | Jacqueline had a stroke that left her paralysed and unable to talk .
She was cured after surgeons removed the blood clot using a tube containing a tiny mesh basket .
'It almost felt like fireworks in my head,' the mother said .
She is now fully recovered . |
25,172 | 474a0fbd0b21ac37e6eeed66ad35ef20a7af2a65 | Two 160 million year old fossils found in China are from the earliest known tree-dwelling and subterranean mammals ever discovered. With claws for climbing and teeth adapted for a tree sap diet, Agilodocodon scansorius is the earliest-known tree-dwelling mammaliaform (long-extinct relatives of modern mammals). The other fossil, Docofossor brachydactylus, is the earliest-known subterranean mammaliaform, possessing multiple adaptations similar to African golden moles such as shovel-like paws. Scroll down for video . With claws for climbing and teeth adapted for a tree sap diet, Agilodocodon scansorius is the earliest-known tree-dwelling mammaliaform (long-extinct relatives of modern mammals). The other fossil, Docofossor brachydactylus, is the earliest-known subterranean mammaliaform, possessing multiple adaptations similar to African golden moles such as shovel-like paws. The earliest mammals are thought to have appeared roughly 200 million years ago, arriving on the scene during the Mesozoi cEra with dinosaurs ruling the land and flying pterosaurs keeping an eye out for a quick snack. The earliest-known bird did notappear until about 150 million years ago. Where they were found . Agilodocodon scansorius, an omnivore that lived about 165 . million years ago, possessed paws with curved claws for . climbing, limb dimensions characteristic of other tree-dwelling . mammals and flexible elbow, wrist and ankle joints good for . scrambling up trees with agility. Its spade-like front teeth, similar to some New World . monkeys today, allowed it to chew into bark and eat tree gum or . sap. Docofossor, a mole-like insect-eater that lived about 160 . million years ago, boasted shovel-like paws for digging, teeth . similar to later burrowing mammals that forage underground and . sprawling limbs ideal for underground movement. University of Chicago paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo called . Docofossor a "dead ringer" for today's African golden mole. Traits in Docofossor's fingers are so similar to that mole . that the researchers suspect the same genes may be responsible . even though the two creatures belong to different branches of . the mammalian family tree and are separated by 160 million . years. The earliest mammals are thought to have appeared roughly . 200 million years ago, arriving on the scene during the Mesozoic . Era with dinosaurs ruling the land and flying pterosaurs keeping . an eye out for a quick snack. The earliest-known bird did not . appear until about 150 million years ago. "Before the 2000s, it was generally thought Mesozoic mammals . could not diversify much in the dinosaur-dominated ecosystem," Luo said. The fossil of of Docofossor brachydactylus as preserved in split rock slabs with dense and carbonized furs around its skeleton . Docofossor, a mole-like insect-eater that lived about 160million years ago, boasted shovel-like paws for digging, teethsimilar to later burrowing mammals that forage underground andsprawling limbs ideal for underground movement. But Luo said this notion has been undercut by discoveries in . recent years of fossils of many Mesozoic mammals with numerous . specializations including swimming, tree-living and digging. "Simply put, our distant mammalian relatives explored . ecological niches that were just as varied and interesting as . many modern mammal groups," Luo said. Agilodocodon and Docofossor both belonged to a long-extinct . early mammalian order called docodonts. Castorocauda, another . docodont living at about the same time in the Jurassic Period . whose fossil was unearthed in China in 2006, had beaver-like . traits tailored for an aquatic lifestyle. The fossil of Agilodocodon scansorius, an omnivore that lived about 165million years ago . Agilodocodon scansorius, an omnivore that lived about 165million years ago, possessed paws with curved claws forclimbing, limb dimensions characteristic of other tree-dwellingmammals and flexible elbow, wrist and ankle joints good forscrambling up trees with agility. The research was published in the journal Science. Stem mammaliaforms (also known as “stem mammals”) are long-extinct relatives The newly discovered fossils show stem mammaliaforms had very diverse feeding and locomotor functions, and a much wider ecological divergence as a whole, despite the dominance of dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era. | Fossils found in China reveal two shrew-sized creatures .
Represent the oldest-known tree-climbing and burrowing mammals .
Lived during the Mesozoic Era with dinosaurs ruling the land and flying pterosaurs in control of the skies . |
205,711 | 96516058bcbd13434558dba98d5fc9d2e03e82bb | Editor's note: In Subject Matters, we reveal the struggles faced by educators who teach subjects like science, math, English and history, and the solutions they've found. In the last Subject Matters story, teachers discussed their concerns about science education. It's the best of times and the worst of times for English teachers as they find themselves more accountable than ever for the academic success of their students, while balancing new technologies that change time-honored practices of reading and writing. Here are some of the modern challenges that language arts teachers face in their classrooms. Tests are top priority . The federal No Child Left Behind law, passed in 2001, requires states to set standards and assess students' skills as they reach certain grades. Since then, the U.S. Department of Education reports that English language arts and math are tested more than any other subject area. That means English teachers feel extra pressure to have their students perform well on tests, even as they set aside other education goals. Jeff MacCulloch, who teaches at Middle School 256 in New York City, said the pressure to achieve on tests has increased so much in the past 10 years that it influences how he shapes his lessons. Rather than spend an entire class period on in-depth study of one book, he now spends a portion of each class on skill development for test taking. "We want the student to be able to switch on and off the right strategy for the right prompt. It can be effective for taking a test," MacCulloch said. "But as far as the learning environment goes, it's like training a musician to announce the chords he or she is playing." Not every English teacher has found success with that model, though. In Detroit's suburbs, Hillside Middle School teacher Alissa Lowman has a different approach. "We've moved away from specifically teaching to the test, because if you teach the curriculum, you should be hitting what the test is asking the student," she said. Natalie Schlittenhardt, an eighth-grade teacher in Pima, Arizona, said results on the statewide tests are really a report card on whether students had a good day on the day they took the test. Everything she does, she said, comes down to three days of testing for which her school receives a grade. Robby Davis, a teacher at Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia, said it's problematic to judge schools by students' ability to meet minimal testing requirements. Under the No Child Left Behind law, underperforming schools are put on notice to improve or face reorganization. "I don't have a problem with teaching to the test, if the test is a good measure of what it said it's going to measure," Davis said. Don't forget to write -- and read, too . Because time spent reading at home varies from student to student, kids come into language arts classrooms with varying skills. That means teachers have to make accommodations for the best readers, the weak readers and, in some cases, those who are just learning to speak English. Davis, who teaches students in the 11th grade, said educators shouldn't limit reading requirements to books that students can relate to. Academic reading is done for a different purpose than leisurely reading, he said. "I'm unapologetic about what I ask them to read," he said. Lowman, from Michigan, teaches two novels per year in her middle school classroom, and she maintains a separate reading list to help students choose additional books. "All students are reading different books at different times," she said. Through mini-lessons, she brings those books into the classroom discussion. For example, when they are studying active verbs, students will have to find examples in their individual books. "It's harder, time-wise, but in the end they are learning more, reading and writing more," Lowman said. Christina Gardner, of Millennium High School in New York City, has her students do writing workshops where they edit, provide feedback and revise the papers of their fellow students. Students learning English need more time to give feedback, and generally need to attend after-school writing sessions in order to catch up. "It's not necessarily the case that English as a Second Language students are not as good at doing this," Gardner said. "In fact, they sometimes work even harder in order to compensate for a deficiency." But as teachers assign more writing, they set themselves up to spend more time grading papers and have less time to teach. Gardner recently took her students to see the musical "The Scottsboro Boys" and assigned students to write a review of the show, a monologue for one of the characters and a reflection on the process. With a class size of more than 50 students, that generated about 150 papers for Gardner to grade. Technology for good, and for bad . When Beverly Fanelli went to elementary school, encyclopedias were her main research tool. Now, students in her fifth-grade class in Macomb, Michigan, use the Internet for research. "It's just so wide open as to what's available to them," she said. Then, there's the whole video game component. When children read, Fanelli said, they take the words on the page and create pictures in their minds. But video games provide visuals with the story, so students don't use their imagination. Just as everyday use of computers has increased, language arts learning has become more intertwined with technology. Students naturally turn to computers for research and writing in ways they wouldn't have a decade ago. Davis, from Georgia, said technology can be a distraction. While research has been redefined by the Internet, his emphasis continues to be on teaching his students to take that information and synthesize it with their own ideas. "Many of us thought the digital revolution was going to expand students' worlds because, theoretically, it could give them access to the globe," said Carol Jago, past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Instead, she said, social networking sites like Facebook have contracted students' worlds. "They're just telling people just like them that they had their nails done or that they drank a cappuccino," she said. In Clancy, Montana, Sandee Badger said she prefers to have her fifth-graders hand-write their assignments first. At that age, students are weak typists, and their creative flow is easily broken if they are hunting and pecking for letters on the keyboard, she said. While older students tend to have access to computers in classrooms or computer labs, often there aren't enough computers for each student, so they have to share. Gardner has access to a cart that contains 16 computers, but even if they all worked, there wouldn't be enough of them for classes of more than 30 kids. The shortage of computers makes it difficult for students to research and write during class, Gardner said. "It's hard to maintain a model of writing workshop and maintain the level of expectation for the student," she said. | Many English teachers say testing drives how and what they teach .
In higher grade levels, students' reading levels vary dramatically .
Technology can help with research, but using it too much can hurt students, teachers say .
Computers can be more of a distraction if there aren't enough available . |
153,958 | 52f8a2368aaff05783563f452ea7460a9553f211 | (CNN) -- A former government contract employee was indicted on charges of stealing restricted nuclear energy-related materials and putting the United States at risk, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Sources say the classified materials were taken from the East Tennessee Technology Park. Roy Lynn Oakley, 67, of Roane County, Tennessee, appeared in federal court in Knoxville on Thursday. Oakley was briefly detained for questioning in the case in January, when authorities first learned of the alleged plot to divulge the materials, government sources told CNN. He voluntarily surrendered Thursday at an FBI field office in Knoxville, the sources said. Oakley is a former employee of Bechtel Jacobs, the Department of Energy's prime environmental management contractor at the East Tennessee Technology Park, prosecutors said. The indictment states that Oakley, "having possession of, access to and having been entrusted with sections of 'barriers' and associated hardware used for uranium enrichment through the process of gaseous diffusion ... having reason to believe that such data would be utilized to injure the United States and secure an advantage to a foreign nation, did communicate, transmit and disclose such data to another person." The transfer took place January 26, the indictment alleges. Oakley is also charged with converting the material and "restricted data" to his own use. He began doing so on about October 17, 2006, and continued through January, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the materials involved have been examined by scientists and posed no threat to people who may have come into contact with them. Oakley's attorney, Herb Moncier, said outside court Thursday that Oakley's job was to break rods "into little pieces" and throw them away. Moncier said Oakley had a security clearance, but Moncier did not believe it was a high-level clearance. The government alleges that in January, Oakley attempted to sell the "pieces of scrap" to someone he thought was a French agent -- but in reality was an undercover FBI agent, Moncier said. He said he questions whether those broken pieces would be considered an "appliance" under the law. "Mr. Oakley has cooperated fully for the last six months," said Moncier, who added that he had traveled to Washington for work on the case. Each count carries a possible sentence upon conviction of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. "While none of the stolen equipment was ever transmitted to a foreign government or terrorist organization, the facts of this case demonstrate the importance of safeguarding our nuclear technology and pursuing aggressive prosecution against those who attempt to breach the safeguards and put that technology in the wrong hands," Kenneth Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said in the Justice Department statement. One government source said the materials involved are not the "crown jewels," but they should not have been taken from the facility. A "barrier" is used to filter uranium during the enrichment process, according to nuclear energy officials, but a significant number of barriers are needed to do that job. Sources told CNN that federal authorities have been following Oakley and investigating the case for at least six months, after he allegedly tried to sell the classified material. Oakley, described as a low-level employee, apparently did not make contact with any foreign government and is not a foreign agent of any kind, an official familiar with the case said. A government official with with knowledge of the case said that when authorities learned of Oakley's alleged intentions six months ago, the FBI and Department of Energy launched a joint investigation. The FBI then developed a sting operation, government officials familiar with the case said, and authorities intervened before there could be any involvement of a foreign country. East Tennessee Technology Park is an area of the DOE's Oak Ridge reservation "where we are currently decontaminating and decommissioning buildings that were last used in 1985," Gerald Boyd, manager of the DOE's Oak Ridge site office, said Thursday. "When they were in use, now over 20 years ago, some of the buildings at ETTP housed facilities used for the enrichment of uranium." Boyd said the technology park and the reservation "are protected by multiple layers of security systems and detection programs, both visible and unseen, meant to identify rogue employees attempting to abuse their access and position." In this case, a review of security procedures showed that the system worked and "successfully identified the individual in question," he said. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Terry Frieden and Kelli Arena contributed to this report. | NEW: Indictment: Man tried to pass nuclear filters to foreign agent .
NEW: Roy Lynn Oakley appears in court in Tennessee after surrendering .
NEW: Facility's role is to break down decommissioned equipment .
NEW: Lawyer: Oakley's job was to break machine parts into pieces, pitch them . |
124,485 | 2ceb375b537d56fd2d0acdde96411f4adcb4514f | This futuristic 'eco' treehouse is being booked up fast by romantic couples looking to get back to nature and discover their inner Tarzan and Jane. The cutting edge retreat, which offers a romantic bolthole amongst the treetops, is proving a run away success for farmers George and Julie Nicolson. The treehouse was designed as a cosy hideaway for two, nestling in its very own bluebell wood and surrounded by native broadleaved trees and the odd red squirrel. Scroll down for video . Perched atop 11 legs made of larch wood, the treehouse sits in woodland at a cattle farm in Brochloch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland . The built-in double bed also has a skylight so guests can gaze at the stars as they drift off to sleep surrounded by the rolling countryside . There are suitable touches around the treehouse that it's the perfect spot for couple, not least the intimacy of the dining table . More than fifty tiny windows replicate dappled sunlight to enhance the treetop environment, and despite being completely 'off grid' it still provides a gas hob, small fridge, composting toilet and walls insulated with wool to keep it warm. The built-in double bed also has a skylight so guests can gaze at the stars as they drift off to sleep surrounded by the rolling countryside and abundant wildlife. And despite the emphasis being on getting back to nature the treehouse has the luxuries of a full-size bath and a log burner. Perched atop eleven legs made of larch wood, the treehouse sits in woodland at Julie and George's 190-acre sheep and cattle farm in Brochloch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Although it was only made available to rent at the start of January, bookings are pouring in from couples looking to escape to the country for adventure and romance. A two-night stay costs £300 and can be booked through Bristol-based get-away specialists Canopy and Stars. While the bathroom might be a tight squeeze, the close feel of the whole place means you can enjoy peace and quiet with your partner . The morning views are something to be treasured - whether it's a crisp winter's morning or a beautiful and sunny summer's day . Julie said: 'We wanted to diversify at the farm to boost our lowly income from the sheep and cattle so about three years ago we asked Sam Booth, an architect, to design us a little off-grid bothy that we could rent out. 'As soon as we launched it it just took off so last year we challenged Sam to design another to sit in our bluebell wood, and he came up with the idea of a treehouse. 'It's far enough away from the bothy that it feels totally secluded. It's an ideal place for a romantic getaway, not to mention a digital detox. 'The treehouse is completely off grid but that doesn't mean you can't live comfortably - it's got luxuries like a wood burner, a double bed and even a bath. 'We only started taking bookings at the start of the year and already the treehouse is proving very popular.' The new 'Eco' treehouse is being booked up fast by romantic couples looking to get back to nature and discover their inner Tarzan and Jane . More than fifty tiny windows replicate dappled sunlight to enhance the treetop environment . The Treehouse was designed as a cosy romantic hideaway for 2 people nestling in its very own Bluebell wood and surrounded by native broadleaved trees and the odd red squirrel . Architect Sam added: 'We had previously designed another eco home for Julie and George so when they came to us asking for something a bit different we took up the challenge. 'The land they wanted it built on was in woodland so we thought why not build a treehouse. 'We drew a few scribbles of how we thought it should look - and the finished treehouse is remarkably close to those rough drawings. 'It's a celebration of nature. It's so much more than just a place to stay - it's an experience.' | Perched a top 11 legs made of larch wood, the treehouse sits in woodland in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland .
The treehouse was designed as a cosy hideaway for two, nestling in its very own bluebell wood .
A two-night stay will cost you £300, and offers a real escape to surround yourself with rolling countryside . |
63,792 | b5208726c5545b12acebad906a672e805652e0ec | By . Sam Greenhill . PUBLISHED: . 18:26 EST, 2 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:45 EST, 3 May 2012 . Paula Stevenson, seen here with a picture of her baby girl Hayley, describe her daughter's treatment at Birmingham Children's Hospital as 'brutal' A coroner has questioned if a baby girl who died in hospital was under the care of ‘work experience’ nurses. He made the remark yesterday after hearing that one-year-old Hayley Fullerton had been looked after by clinical support workers who had made errors on her medical notes. This included ‘incorrect’ entries and one afternoon that saw an eight-hour gap in observation notes on Hayley’s condition. The little girl died of a massive heart attack at Birmingham Children’s Hospital after medical staff ignored her family’s desperate pleas to help her. At one stage, her despairing mother even offered a £100 ‘bribe’ to a nurse to pay more attention to Hayley. Yesterday, coroner Aidan Cotter heard that, in the days before she died, Hayley was put under the care of clinical support workers. These are NHS workers who are paid less than qualified nurses and recruited for their ‘commitment and enthusiasm’ rather than any academic qualifications. The coroner said: ‘This was more “work experience”, somewhat?’ Senior nurse Jackie Clinton, manager of the ward Hayley was on, denied this, replying: ‘No, not work experience. They go through a period of six to eight months’ training, including observation, monitoring and how to read notes.’ But Mrs Clinton conceded that the clinical support workers looking after Hayley had made ‘incorrect’ entries on her medical notes. Hayley Fullerton was born with a hole in her heart, and had to undergo surgery aged 10-months-old to correct it . It was during the recovery from the surgery when complications arose, ultimately leading to her tragic death . She also accepted that, on one day, they had failed to update the notes all afternoon, leaving an eight-hour gap in observations of Hayley’s condition. Hourly observations were supposed to be done to help doctors correctly assess Hayley, the inquest heard. Mrs Clinton, who agreed nurses had ignored the hospital’s policy of hourly check-ups, said there were not enough nurses to go round. She added that Hayley was being monitored by machines which sounded an alarm if there was any problem – but agreed that these alarms were often ignored. Paula Stevenson told an inquest her one-year-old daughter was overlooked and neglected at the hospital . She said: ‘At that time, we had a high . number of patients who needed high dependency care. Nurses often have . three patients. They can’t put down children and go to the alarm every . time.’ Adam Weitzman, representing Hayley’s . family, put it to Mrs Clinton that Hayley was put under the care of . clinical support workers because nurses regarded her condition as less . serious than other children on the ward. Hayley was born with a blockage which . stopped blood reaching her lungs. She was operated on shortly after her . birth in Northern Ireland, and sent for further surgery in Birmingham in . October 2009. Hayley Fullerton with her grandparents, Edward . and Sylvia Stevenson, both helped keep a bedside vigil for the four . weeks Hayley spent in hospital before her death . The operation was a success but . complications arose when staff inserted a tube into Hayley incorrectly, . causing her lung to collapse. Her parents and grandparents kept a . vigil by her bedside but failed to convince staff to take the baby off . the ward and put her into intensive care. She died on November 11, 2009, . after both her lungs collapsed and she went into cardiac arrest. Her mother Paula Stevenson, 40, who . now lives in Australia, has told the inquest: ‘All along, the family had . expressed their concerns about Hayley’s breathing and had even asked if . there was a problem with her lungs, yet nothing was done.’ Hayley’s family have accused the hospital of ‘abominable’ failings in her care, which they described as ‘brutal’. The inquest at Birmingham Coroner’s Court continues. | Remark made after hearing that .
one-year-old Hayley's clinical support .
workers had made errors on her medical notes .
An eight-hour gap in observations of her condition, although hourly observations were supposed to be done .
Hayley was being monitored by machines .
which sounded an alarm if there was any problem, but senior nurse agreed they were often ignored . |
232,997 | b9a7d0b6073488f904d4f875915600dcff390494 | (CNN) -- The French National Assembly has just done a huge favor to those elements in the Muslim world that thrive on anti-Westernism. By voting to ban the veil in public places -- a move that brings a draft bill closer to becoming law -- it has transformed a minor social irritant for a section of the French public into a major political issue. In doing so, it is feeding worldwide Muslim resentment against the West almost on par with the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the invasion of Iraq. This act is seen throughout the Muslim world as a deliberate provocation and may bring about equally provocative responses. It is also seen as a clear signal that most French and indeed most Europeans believe that some Islamic social mores, even if practiced only by a very small fringe element of Muslim women, as in this case, are incompatible with European "values." It also makes European advocacy of human rights, especially women's rights, ring hollow by making it clear that in this instance it is used in the service of racism. In short, it bears out the "clash of civilizations" thesis propagated by the likes of Islamic scholar Bernard Lewis and political scientist Samuel Huntington on the one hand and Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri on the other. The symbolic value of the banning of the veil in France and related attempts to do so in Belgium, Spain, Italy and elsewhere in Europe goes far beyond the immediate impact of such legislation on the lives of a very tiny minority of Muslim women in Europe who choose to cover their faces in public. It comes at a time of increased European antagonism toward Muslim immigrants in their midst, as demonstrated by the increase in popularity of right wing anti-immigrant parties in countries such as the Netherlands and Austria. It also comes in the context of increasing resistance, especially by Germany and France, to Turkey's membership in the European Union. Turkey is predominantly Muslim. Before the French ban proposal, nothing signified Europe's fear of "Islamic contamination" more than the obstacles put in the way of Turkey's progress to EU membership, especially when contrasted with the incorporation into the EU of former Soviet satellites with questionable democratic traditions and fragile economies. For most politically conscious Muslims, the ban on the veil and the snail's pace on Turkey's bid for EU membership, have merged into one mammoth display of European bigotry. It is now clear that many, if not most, European elites, especially the leadership in France and Germany, are engaged -- despite their secular protestations -- in protecting "Christendom" from both the enemy without (Turkey) and the enemy within (the Muslim immigrants). Everything else, including talk about the rights of Muslim women, is just rhetoric that nobody in the Muslim world takes seriously. I would like to add to this discussion a post-script in the words of the well-known legal philosopher Martha Nussbaum. According to Nussbaum, a prominent argument in favor of banning the veil or the burqa is that it "symbolizes the objectification of women (that they are being seen as mere objects)." The "glaring flaw in the argument is that society is suffused with symbols of male supremacy that treat women as objects. Sex magazines, nude photos, tight jeans -- all these products, arguably, treat women as objects, as do so many aspects of our media culture. And what about the 'degrading prison' of plastic surgery?... Isn't much of this done in order to conform to a male norm of female beauty that casts women as sex objects? Proponents of the burqa-ban do not propose to ban all these objectifying practices." The obvious answer to Nussbaum's rhetorical question is that none of these latter practices that she lists are remotely connected with Islam. The target of the veil ban is not female objectification and male domination; it is a product of an irrational but visceral fear of Islam and Muslims in Europe: The Muslims are coming, therefore ban the veil and prevent Turkey from entering the EU. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mohammed Ayoob. | Mohammed Ayoob says French plan to ban veils is gift to those that push anti-Westernism .
It makes European human rights advocacy hollow by using it in this case for racism, he says .
Ban is sign that Europe trying to protect "Christendom" from Muslims .
Ayoob: Veil-ban is not about women as objects, but about irrational fear of Islam in Europe . |
189,890 | 81dfa6193422dadbb4b400d5eae271bd5bb28a61 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 12:26 EST, 7 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:36 EST, 7 March 2013 . Crushed to death: Shocked workers found Adrian Roberts trapped inside the machinery he had been cleaning . A labourer who worked in a slaughterhouse was crushed to death inside an industrial meat process machine he was cleaning, an inquest has heard. Adrian Roberts was killed instantly after a heavy hydraulic arm came down on top of him. A coroner heard the 49-year-old may have broken Health and Safety rules by turning on the rotating machine, which separates the hind legs from cattle carcasses, to make it easier to wash. Shocked co-workers found Mr Roberts trapped inside the machinery. He was discovered standing on a raised platform, with his torso bent inside the heavy-duty equipment. The hydraulic arm of the machine had come down on top of him after he had leaned inside to scrub it down. The labourer had worked at F Drury and Sons’ abattoir near Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, for one year before his death on August 18 2011. His colleagues told an inquest in Salisbury that the machinery should have been turned off prior to cleaning and all electrical power cut to the machinery by two separate isolation switches at the slaughterhouse. But Martin Ball, the firm's loading bay supervisor, told the inquest: 'He was slumped over the cage of the rise and fall platform. 'I shouted "what’s up Ades?" I got no reply and that’s when I went up to see what his problem was.' His voice cracking with emotion, Mr Ball continued: 'I saw Ady trapped between the puller and the rise and fall platform. 'His hands were blue. I knew he was dead. 'I ran to the manager’s office to alert them and get them to call an ambulance.' Mr Ball told the inquest it was common for the power supply to be turned back on to wash down machinery after a day’s slaughter - which is against safety guidelines. 'I know it goes on,' he said. 'It gets switched on, on the cleaning side of it afterwards on most days. 'It’s known by me, I don’t know if it’s known by other employees.' Killed instantly: The labourer had worked at F Drury and Sons' abattoir near Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire . Mr Ball claimed he didn’t know the machinery was supposed to be turned off while it was being cleaned. 'I didn’t know not to. It’s not my area of cleaning so I didn’t know what procedure they go through.' Mr Ball also revealed Mr Roberts had reacted angrily when he was being teased by colleagues earlier on the day of his death. 'He had been taking a lot of banter during the day,' he said. 'Some of the blokes don’t know when to stop. 'There was a ping behind me. It was a knife hitting a metal post. 'Ady had thrown it down in a temper or something. He just left the building.' Labourer Scott Sturgess, who trained Mr Roberts to clean the machinery, said it was policy to turn all the machines off while cleaning down the abattoir. 'I specifically did say no machines should be turned on, there should be no reason to power on any of the machines and he never questioned me about it,' said Mr Sturgess as he gave evidence to the inquest jury. However, the coroner heard how some cleaners did routinely power up the equipment to wash it as it was turning because it was easier and quicker. Polish worker Adam Bielenuki said he received training on the job from 'a friend' to turn the machines back on for cleaning. 'When I switched it on, I could wash the machinery a lot better,' he explained. 'You don’t need to switch it on but I switched it on because it was more comfortable for me and that was how my friend showed me to do it.' The inquest heard that managers at the abattoir had changed safety procedures after the death, including locking access to the isolation switches which cut power to the heavy machinery. A pathologist concluded that Mr Roberts, from Toothill, Swindon, died from asphyxiation due to chest compression. The inquest continues. | Adrian Roberts was killed instantly at the abattoir in Wiltshire .
The machine was used to separate hind legs from cattle carcasses .
Mr Roberts was found with his torso bent inside the heavy-duty equipment . |
110,731 | 1abdc7e3469998d26e286aa18a14bc3626fdf243 | Dismissal: Hannah Whiteman, 24, (with her husband Danny) was awarded £18,000 after a tribunal . A young mother has been awarded more than £18,000 after she was sacked by a bakery when she became pregnant. Hannah Whiteman said her boss told her: ‘This is not the type of job you are able to do while pregnant.’ The 24-year-old claimed she was subjected to ‘fabricated’ complaints about the hygiene of a sandwich van she drove. Her employer was also accused of cutting her hours and overlooking her for a promotion after she had time off due to morning sickness. Mrs Whiteman, who lives with husband Danny in Norwich, was dismissed on March 28 and gave birth to daughter Colette on November 4. She has now been awarded £18,417 after an employment tribunal in Norwich ruled she was unfairly dismissed because of her pregnancy. Speaking afterwards, she said: ‘I worked Monday to Friday and at times even came back to do a double shift … but they shunned me at the first opportunity. They started to treat me differently from the time I told them I was pregnant.’ She added that the ruling showed employers ‘they should do whatever they can to support [pregnant staff]’. Mrs Whiteman began working for The Mix Artisan Bakery in Norwich in April last year. As well as helping in the shop on Saturdays, she drove a sandwich van which traded under the name Fresh2U Ltd. She discovered she was pregnant in January this year. Carl Hitchborn, 36, took over running the business from his parents soon afterwards and within days made changes to the items sold from the van. Mrs Whiteman told the tribunal that shortly afterwards she was given a verbal warning when a customer complained about hygiene standards in her van – an accusation she denies. Hannah Whiteman was dismissed from The Mix Artisan Bakery in Norwich (pictured) in March this year . She believes the incident was ‘fabricated’ because Mr Hitchborn suspected she was pregnant. In February – after bursting into tears when a glass oven door shattered as she was cleaning it – she was called into her boss’s office. Payout: Boss Carl Hitchborn was accused of cutting her hours and overlooking her for promotion . Mrs Whiteman said in a witness statement: ‘I put [my reaction] down to pregnancy hormones.’ She said she ‘blurted out’ that she was expecting and was told ‘this was not the type of job’ for pregnant women. The mother said a manager later told her they ‘didn’t know what they were going to do’ with her. Her hours were cut ‘without any negotiation beforehand’ and she was accused of damaging the key of a van, she added. She was dismissed without notice on March 28, accused of having a month-old sandwich in her van. At the hearing, Mr Hitchborn said in a statement the ‘sole reason’ for dismissal was ‘unacceptable hygiene standards’. But the panel found in Mrs Whiteman’s favour. | Hannah Whiteman, 24, has been awarded more than £18,000 after tribunal .
She was dismissed from The Mix Artisan Bakery in Norwich in March 2014 .
Mrs Whiteman claims boss said it's not a job she can do while pregnant .
Claimed she was subjected to 'fabricated' complaints about van hygiene .
She also accused her employer, Carl Hitchborn, of cutting her hours . |
127,875 | 314db2b4c477c93c214c4a1d8f6c65b8f3690df1 | An X-ray shows a bullet lodged in a baby's head. The image would be chilling enough without knowing the child was still in its mother's womb when it became the target of snipers hiding in the shadows in northern Syria. The mother survived. Her baby didn't. And it's not the only one. Volunteer doctor David Nott, a British surgeon who's worked in several Syrian hospitals with the charity Syria Relief, says snipers are playing a "targeting game," and heavily pregnant women are on the hit list. "Most of the children removed were seven, eight, nine months gestation, which meant it was fairly obvious to anybody that these women were pregnant." Young children are also being targeted, Nott said. Polio cases suspected in Syria . Photos provided to CNN by Syria Relief show a young girl with painted nails lying in a hospital bed with head wounds. She appears no more than five years old. Another, around the same age, lies under a green sheet with a gaping wound to her forehead. Nott said 90% of surgeries he performed on any given day were for sniper wounds. On some days, the wounds were suspiciously similar. "After a while we noticed that there were certain trends going on," Nott said. "We had some days, say, 10 or 15 gunshot wounds of which eight or nine of them were targeted in one particular area. So for example, one day, we received say 15, 16 gunshot wounds and of that eight to nine were targeted in the left groin only. "Then the following day they were targeted in the right groin only. So it seemed to me like there was some of thing going on -- a game going on -- between the snipers." Knott said other local doctors he worked with told him they'd heard snipers were receiving little presents -- like packets of cigarettes -- for people they'd shot during the day. UK Foreign Secretary Hague: No role for Bashar al-Assad in future Syria . Desperate dash for supplies . In video obtained by CNN from Aleppo, men, women and children try to outrun snipers' bullets as they cross from the regime-controlled enclave of the city to rebel-held areas. They risk their lives because food and provisions are on the rebel side. But their homes and families are on the regime side. Desperate, they make a dash for supplies. Not everyone makes it through. It is a scene reminiscent of another conflict: Bosnia. Its capital, Sarajevo, was literally under siege from snipers of the Bosnian Serb Army for more than four years. But during that war in the early 1990s, the United Nations operated humanitarian corridors to ensure that, despite the fighting, aid still got through. Nott also volunteered in Bosnia and described his relief back then at seeing extra supplies trucked in. "It was wonderful to see the lorries coming in with UNHCR written on them. And when you saw one of them, you knew that that they were filled with food, provisions and medical aid for the besieged town." He says Syria desperately needs the same. "Now is the time to develop a humanitarian corridor to allow health and aid workers to go in, and not feel threatened on the way in and not feel threatened on the way out," he said. "I felt very scared going in and coming out and this isn't right." In northern Syria, rebels use satire as a weapon . | Syrian snipers playing a "targeting game," according to one volunteer doctor .
David Nott said heavily pregnant women, children are being targeted .
On some days, the type of wounds are suspiciously similar, he said .
Syria needs a safe corridor for aid and medical suppliers, Nott said . |
257,697 | d97bec29418718bbd6bff2e8a7962a8e29bee8ef | The terror in the voice of a New Jersey man who escaped a fatal bear attack is palpable is a newly released 911 call record just moments after the animal had fatally wounded his friend. Rutgers University senior Darsh Patel was hiking through the Apshawa Preserve with friends this Sunday when they were attacked. At least one male member of the hiking party - not identified by authorities - was able to get away and call for help. Scroll down for video . Attacks: Northern New Jersey locals captured this black bear looking for food in their garbage in September. Just a day after the footage was shot, a black bear mauled a 22-year-old student to death in the woods nearby . Patel, 22, was later found mauled to death. In the 911 call, the friend can be heard to explain the situation, ABC News reports. 'We were hiking and we saw a bear and we all started running and it started chasing us,' he says. He adds that two other friends were also 'really close' to the animal. 'I'm scared out of my mind for them,' he says. 'I want to go back but I'm hurt and I don't know what to do.' The dispatcher asks: 'You're hurt, you said?' 'Not badly,' he replies. 'I just scraped my leg. It's nothing major, but I'm more worried about them. Can anybody get here anytime really soon please?' Locals in northern New Jersey believe they filmed a black bear hunting for food hours before a 22-year-old hiker was mauled to death in nearby woods at the weekend. Two men splitting wood on Saturday captured a video of a bear going through garbage just a few feet from where they were working, before scampering off into the woods, according to CNN. On Sunday, Patel, who was majoring in information technology and informatics, was found dead in Apshawa Preserve - about 45 miles northwest of New York City - with a 300-pound bear guarding his body. Officials say the attack was the first fatal bear-human encounter on record in New Jersey. The bear was about 30 yards from the body and circling, Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese said, and wouldn't leave even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones. The male bear was killed with two rifle blasts and is being examined at a state lab for more clues as to why it may have pursued the group of five hikers. Kelcey Burguess, principal biologist and leader of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife's black bear project, said the bear could have been predisposed to attack but more likely was looking for food. State and local officials stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests. 'This is a rare occurrence,' West Milford police Chief Timothy Storbeck said, noting that his department receives six to 12 calls per week regarding bears, usually involving them breaking into trash cans. Locals: Residents in northern New Jersey often spot bears in and around their yards. There are as many 2,400 bruins in the area's dense forests, but until now had never been a fatal human-bear attack . Preserve: This photo from NJUrbanForest.com shows the Apshawa Preserve, a 526-acre park with hiking trails . Wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of the acorns and berries that bears eat. The hikers had granola bars and water with them, Storbeck said. Officials don't believe the hikers provoked the bear but they may have showed their inexperience when they decided to run. The safest way to handle a bear encounter is to move slowly and not look the bear in the eye, DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese said. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife guidelines direct law enforcement to euthanize 'Category I' bears, which are deemed an 'immediate threat to human safety.' NJ Advance Media reports that the New Jersey State Medical Examiner, the Fish and Wildlife Division of the state Department of Environmental Protection and the West Milford Police Department are looking into the circumstances of Patel's death. Idyllic: The wooded preserve provides hiking trails and a peaceful setting for visitors to the northern New Jersey site . 'Bear sightings are not unusual by any stretch in New Jersey,' said Bob Considine, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection. 'They have been seen in all 21 counties, although they’re obviously most common in the northwest part of the state.' Black bears rarely pose a threat to humans and often retreat when confronted. In 2006, a tabby cat scared a black bear up a tree in West Milford. The bear only climbed down and left after the cat's owner had called it back into the house. | Darsh Patel, 22, was hiking with friends in the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford on Sunday when a bear started following them .
The group fled in different directions and when the four other hikers could not find Patel, they called police .
Patel's body was found two hours later .
The 300-pound bear was circling the body and could not be scared away .
It was shot dead in accordance with Division of Fish and Wildlife guidelines . |
71,377 | ca4cbc378a27c8f1093aac982e7351e004224450 | Seattle, Washington (CNN) -- First, Justin Stoner blew the whistle on his platoon. Now, the Army apparently wants to silence him. In photos obtained by CNN, Stoner sports bruises and abrasions on his back, chest and near his neck -- the marks of a beating inflicted by fellow soldiers as payback for reporting their rampant hashish use, the Army said. At the time, those close to the investigation tell CNN, Stoner just wanted the smoking in his tent and around him to stop. So he went outside his group and reported the drug use to his superiors. But that move, and the subsequent beating he endured for being viewed as a snitch, triggered a wide-ranging criminal investigation that has left some soldiers accused of killing innocent Afghan civilians and others accused of posing in gruesome photos with the dead or keeping body parts as war trophies. Now the Army is doing everything it can to limit the publicity its own explosive account created. Stoner, a private first class now back in the United States, had agreed to speak with CNN about the torment he went through at the hands of fellow soldiers earlier this year. But just three hours before the interview was to take place in Seattle, CNN received this e-mail from his military attorney, Capt. Ernesto Gapasin, Jr., abruptly pulling the plug on the scheduled interview: . "About two hours ago, prosecutors and I met re [regarding] the disposition of the case against PFC Stoner,'' the attorney wrote. "Based on this meeting, PFC Stoner will be given full immunity in this case and not be prosecuted for any allegations made against him, contingent also however, on staying away from the media." The Army disputes that account, however, saying Stoner has not been given immunity. "Discussing PFC Stoner's direct involvement in these hearings is inappropriate and could affect the outcome of these cases," Lt. Col. David P. Doherty, a spokesman for the Army's I Corps, told CNN in a statement issued Thursday. "It is imperative that we follow the judicial process in order to provide the accused a fair and impartial trial, while at the same time serve justice," Doherty said. "PFC Stoner is currently not charged in these matters, nor has he been granted immunity by the convening authority for his cooperation in these ongoing investigations." What is clear is the Army is scrambling to contain the news of an apparently out-of-control platoon. The portrait of rogue soldiers at a forward operating base in Afghanistan has been painted by the Army itself in chilling charge sheets leveled at 12 members of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord outside Tacoma, Washington. Five of the dozen are charged with pre-meditated murder in what investigators call the "staged" killings of three civilian Afghans. Those soldiers and the others face various other charges as well from unlawful use of illicit drugs, possession of a human skull, fingers and leg bones to the assault on Stoner. Two directives have been sent to military and civilian attorneys representing the Stryker dozen. They involve grisly photos allegedly showing dead bodies and body parts, and soldiers posing as if they had killed a deer on a hunt. One of the orders commanded military defense attorneys to return all "documents inadvertently provided by the government" on September 9. The marked exhibits, lawyers told CNN, correspond to the photos. A number of lawyers have told CNN the photos are worse than those that depicted humiliating poses of Iraqi prisoners at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. Those photos sparked outrage and riots in parts of the world. Another directive apparently was meant for civilian attorneys and not only pointedly ordered the return of photos but further said defense and prosecution teams could only view them at Lewis-McChord. Lawyer Dan Conway, who represents Pfc. Andrew Holmes, told CNN the order makes it difficult to represent their client, because it prohibits them from forensic testing and they are housed in many cases thousands of miles from where the lawyers are based. Other attorneys have similarly complained to CNN that the Army is tying their hands in defending their clients to avoid more embarrassment. Holmes is charged with premeditated murder in a January killing. Conway said his client is innocent of the charges and was denied representation for 20 days, despite repeatedly asking for an attorney while still in Afghanistan. Both orders were signed by Col. Barry H. Higgins, the brigade's commander. The second directive reads, in part: "Further I order that all such images may not be distributed to any persons outside of personnel assigned to CID. 'Human Casualties' are defined as dead, wounded or injured human beings to include separated body parts, organs, and biological materials, resulting from either combat or non-combat activities.'' Even without those photos surfacing, much has already leaked out about the case, spurred in no small part by the Army's release and description of grisly details in the charging documents. And the headlines around the world about the rogue unit have created a backlash in a part of the world where the Army desperately hopes to win over hearts and minds. The beating of Stoner and the murders of Afghans apparently just for sport and then staged to look like combat casualties- have been highlighted by some of the accused soldiers' whose own words captured on interrogation tapes obtained by CNN. Tapes describe killings for sport . In one of those videotaped sessions, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock -- who has been charged in all three of the killings -- recounts how he and several other soldiers deliberately ambushed Stoner on May 5. "So yeah, we walked into the room and locked the door behind us and a couple guys started talking to him, laying on him," Morlock told investigators. Asked by investigator what he meant, Morlock replied, "Why would you rat out your guys, stuff like that." He said Stoner initially denied he went to superiors, then admitted it as he was being confronted by their squad leader, Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs. "I think someone had grabbed him at that point and maybe punched him in the chest or something," Morlock said on the tape. "He then made a comment like you guys can sit here and punch me all day long if you want and once he said that, Gibbs was like OK, grabbed him off his cot and threw him on the ground in his room and that's when a few guys got some licks in." Morlock's attorney, Michael Waddington, said his client was on prescription drugs from the Army, high on hashish and suffering combat-related injuries when the crimes were committed. The Army has recommended Morlock be court-martialed. Gibbs' attorney said he is not ready to comment on the case. But Gibbs has been charged with the most crimes, and is depicted in the interrogation tapes made by some of the accused and in witness statements as the ringleader who reveled in his kills and dropped three human fingers in front of Stoner after the beating. Other soldiers told investigators that Gibbs liked to collect fingers, teeth and leg bones as souvenirs. Gibbs is also suspected of being a skinhead who kept track of his "kills" with skull tattoos on his leg. Reports show Army sgt. tracked kills with tattoos . CNN has obtained investigators' photos of the tattoos clearly showing skulls and cross bones. One soldier, not charged, said Gibbs "associates with skinheads online. "It's scary because they are worse than most gang members I've met," the soldier told investigators. The photos are included in over 1,000 pages of evidence compiled by the Army and turned over to attorneys. They include witnesses' statements and depict a platoon where Gibbs ruled -- and anyone who didn't follow his rules believed they could end up like Stoner. "I take that man very seriously," Spc. Adam Winfield told investigators in his videotaped confession. "He likes to kill things. He is pretty much evil incarnate. I mean I have never met a man who can go from one minute joking around then mindless killings. I mean he likes to kill things." Winfield is charged with premeditated murder in a May killing of an Afghan civilian whose death was made to look like a hostile enemy battlefield death. His lawyer, Eric Montalvo, said his client is not guilty of premeditated murder despite what his client told investigators on the videotaped interrogation. The Army is now investigating claims by Winfield's father, Christopher Winfield, that it ignored his attempts to warn them about Gibbs. Warning may have been ignored . The elder Winfield told CNN that his son alerted him after the first killing, and he said two more men died needlessly after that because the Army would not listen to his warnings. In addition, the Army reportedly is re-examining Gibbs' role in the 2004 shooting of two adults and a child in Iraq, near the city of Kirkuk. The shooting involved a car which purportedly was swerving towards a uniformed patrol. Spc. Michael Wagnon is the fifth member of the Stryker platoon charged with premeditated murder. His attorney, Colby Vokey, said his client is innocent. The Army, meanwhile, seems to have decided to let the charging documents be its official comment. "I don't want to do anything that could in any way jeopardize the prosecution or their ability of the defendants in this case to get a fair trial, " Geoff Morell, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters October 5. -- CNN's Todd Schwarzschild, Courtney Yager and Scott Zamost contributed to this report . Watch The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4pm to 6pm ET and Saturdays at 6pm ET. For the latest from The Situation Room click here. | Army says Pfc. Justin Stoner was beaten by fellow soldiers for reporting their drug use .
Stoner's report led to a wide-ranging investigation into the killings of Afghan civilians .
12 soldiers have been charged, some with pre-meditated murder and possessing body parts .
For more on this story, watch CNN's Situation Room tonight at 5 p.m. ET . |
3,690 | 0aab65c2a4592af55fb60518c455f40971a5d9b0 | Dr Carl Djerassi, the chemist who developed the birth control pill, died aged 91 on Friday . Girls today take it for granted. A rite of passage into adulthood, a hygienic routine, almost a human right. For the great majority, the modern low-dose oral contraceptive arouses little wonder, creates no health anxieties and raises no eyebrows (unless the taker is scandalously far below the age of consent). The Catholic Church still forbids it and some stay faithful to that rule, but as one Irish friend observed ironically: 'It's astonishing how often the Good Lord sends us Catholic families just two babies.' The Pill, in short, is no longer a marvel. Few women who take the Pill, until reports of his death last Friday at the age of 91, would have known that this can largely be credited to one man, the chemist Carl Djerassi. He arrived in the U.S. as a penniless refugee from Nazi-occupied Vienna, and was himself a virgin when he married at 19. In later years, after his invention, he reflected that — without meaning to — he had sparked a social, as well as a scientific, revolution: not to mention a financial splash as his pharmaceutical company broke records on Wall Street. This major breakthrough in human development, as so often happens, was an accident. In 1951, he was working on an arthritis drug when he discovered a way to make synthetic progestogen — mimicking the female sex hormone known as 'nature's contraceptive' and so preventing ovulation. No egg released, no pregnancy. The first pills were tough stuff, and takers had side-effects: nausea, weight gain and in some cases there was raised blood pressure (I knew one woman who nearly died). Gradually, synthetic oestrogen was added and refinements produced the low-dose combined pills of today. It was in 1960 that Britain got the Pill: it was hailed as a breakthrough, not for general sexual liberation but for domestic and family harmony. Pregnancies now could be spaced out and planned for. The Pill sparked a social, as well as a scientific, revolution and it was hailed as a breakthrough for domestic and family harmony . The old latex contraceptive barriers could be discarded with relief, though a few women mistrusted chemicals and stayed with the good old diaphragm. Initially, the Pill was used only by married women. It wasn't until 1964 that clinics and doctors agreed to prescribe it for single women and young girls. And even a few years later, when I got my first prescription, the family planning clinic was an ordeal. Although some of my 1968 college intake boasted that their mums had 'put them' on the Pill, outside that Chelsea bubble, the truth is that the Swinging Sixties didn't really get going until well into the Seventies. So in a small-town clinic you were still questioned closely about the seriousness of your relationship (it was assumed you had just one) and offered embarrassing advice by a stern nurse. I had one memorably excruciating moment: I disgraced myself in the clinic by clumsily dropping the instructional plastic model of the reproductive system and having to crawl under a table to find a lost fallopian tube. T he next day, after taking my first Pill, I went in to work at the local radio station and my first job was to interview a family planning nurse. The same nurse. We avoided one another's eyes. Djerassi came to understand that he was partly responsible for a sexual revolution: in his book This Man's Pill, he said that the invention made him more interested in how science affects society. Though, he said: 'The explosion was much faster than anyone expected.' The first pills were tough stuff, and takers had side-effects: nausea, weight gain and in some cases there was raised blood pressure . Interestingly, he was fiercely opposed by feminists including Germaine Greer. He recalled some 'unusually bitter exchanges' with her and accepted that some women thought he was to be distrusted as a patriarchal male scientist who was poisoning women with chemicals so men could have their way with them. As for the idea of a male Pill, he memorably said: 'Scientifically, we solved that a number of years ago. But . . . would you, as a woman, put your entire reproductive risk in the trust that he has remembered his Pill?' Good point. And it is the social, psychological consequences we have to reflect on now. Whenever science puts a new tool into the hands of humans — whether it's dynamite, gunpowder, the internet or the Pill — there will be both good and bad ways we use it. The huge benefits of protection from unexpected, unwanted pregnancy are obvious, not only for the young and single. We have lost the stigma of illegitimacy — and good riddance, I am just old enough to remember the era of shame — but even now a missed period can produce heart-shaking horror. A career, a life-plan, a relationship melt before your eyes: the idea of termination is instinctively abhorrent to many, but there is real misery in feeling your body being hijacked, taken over by an uncontrollable alien process you weren't braced for. Before the Pill, remember, that often happened — even to the most instinctively 'moral' girls. We all make mistakes. (Incidentally, Djerassi himself ruefully admitted of his second marriage: 'I, the person who synthesised the first Pill, married another woman because I got her pregnant.' He later had a vasectomy.) But it also became clear that men would take it for granted that women were using the Pill. By the mid-Seventies, the assumption was growing that if a woman wasn't 'fixed up', there was something weird about her. Previously, the risk of pregnancy had at least made it easier for an unwilling girl, even a girl in love, to say 'no' to full sex. It offered a breather, a chance to slow down courtship: 'Is this a lasting treasure, or just a moment's pleasure?' The pressure to 'do it' anyway grew as the Pill became a norm. he was working on an arthritis drug when he discovered a way to make synthetic progestogen, pictured is Dr Djerassi in 1940 . I remember being indignantly told it was 'selfish' not to give in to a particular lad, as if women's bodies were a natural resource it was mean to hoard. That's human nature. It is daft to overstate the 'damage to moral fabric' argument. Djerassi himself admitted that the sexual revolution — the separation of sex-for-babies and sex-for-fun — began before his discovery, and would probably have rolled on anyway, though more slowly. But there is no point denying he speeded it up. A nd that alongside the joy and ease and intimacy and happiness of liberated sex, there has been anxiety and unease and a nasty notion — now at least challenged by young feminists — that women's bodies are a commodity for men's convenience, and that sex, that most marvellous of connections, need not involve any intimacy or trust or faith on either side. The Pill has had one other effect, which no one thought about much at the time, but which now ticks like a time-bomb in the heart of every bright professional woman. The phrase 'family planning' and the rarity of surprise-babies nowadays has deceived too many of us into taking it literally. Djerassi predicted a future when his own invention would become redundant, with men and women doing away with the need for contraception altogether by being sterilised — withdrawing their frozen eggs and sperm from a 'bank' when they were ready to have a child via IVF. Already it is easy to assume that we can put off babies until our 40s, or even 50s, and trust science to give nature a hand. But it doesn't always work. The fact is, the ferocious, uncontrollable, youthful fertility which once bred panic does fade, over long years of contraception. And sometimes, it gets too late to have a baby. But these issues aside, may Carl Djerassi rest in peace. On balance, he gave a great thing to womankind and fearless happiness to millions of honest lovers. As with all inventions, it's up to us to use it wisely. | Dr Carl Djerassi, who developed birth control pill, died aged 91 on Friday .
Chemist's creation sparked a social, as well as a scientific, revolution .
His pharmaceutical company also broke records on Wall Street .
But the pressure to 'do it' anyway grew as the Pill became a norm . |
37,697 | 6abe5a4454d2599b1745fad61a2ebd71fffc6567 | The Ebola news keeps pouring in. Two nurses who treated the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States are in isolation. A nursing assistant in Spain who contracted the disease has been declared free of the virus. Health officials have cleared many of the people who came in contact with Texas patient Thomas Eric Duncan after monitoring their temperatures for 21 days. As these facts and more are revealed, here's what you need to know about the deadly virus and what's being done to stop its spread: . What are the symptoms of Ebola? Symptoms include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, internal bleeding and stomach pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the average time it takes for symptoms to appear after infection is eight to 10 days. With all these cases in the U.S., should I be worried? Ebola is difficult to catch. You would only be at risk if you came into close contact with the blood, saliva, sweat, feces, semen, vomit or soiled clothing of an Ebola patient, or if you had traveled to the impacted areas in West Africa and came into contact with someone who had Ebola. For example, as of midnight Sunday, 43 of the 48 people who had contact with Duncan while he was symptomatic were cleared by health officials; they no longer have to endure twice-daily temperature checks after reaching the 21-day incubation mark. Officials said the others on the list will be cleared shortly if no symptoms appear. Why 21 days? The CDC says it can take up to 21 days for symptoms of Ebola to appear, so someone can be infected with the virus and not yet know that he or she is sick. Health officials monitor potential patients for that long before declaring them safe. A blood test can only be positive for Ebola once symptoms appear. There is some controversy over this number. Charles Haas, who published a study last week on the topic, looked at past outbreaks and found there was a 12% chance of people becoming symptomatic after the official 21-day period. "I think (the incubation period) probably should be longer," Haas told CNN. "There needs to be more of a dialogue between the scientific and medical community and the policymakers on deciding what that appropriate level should be." So what is the 42-day period I keep hearing about? The World Health Organization declares countries free of Ebola transmission after 42 days. When a country believes it has an outbreak under control, it must show there are no new cases during that 42-day period. Basically, WHO doubles the 21-day incubation period of the virus to ensure no new infections are happening. Have any countries in West Africa stopped the Ebola virus? Yes. WHO has declared both Senegal, which had one case, and Nigeria, 19 confirmed cases and one probable, free of Ebola virus transmission. Unfortunately, the number of cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is still growing. The current outbreak is considered the largest in world history -- with more than 9,100 cases and 4,500 deaths due to Ebola. Are U.S. airports screening for Ebola patients? Out of an abundance of caution, five of America's biggest and busiest airports are going to do special screenings -- including taking the temperature of anyone who has come from an Ebola-affected country -- to keep the disease from spreading further in the United States. The CDC is going to monitor travelers for any sign of illness and will ask a series of questions about their exposure to Ebola patients. Travelers with symptoms will be isolated and those who are symptom-free will get information about how to watch for possible signs of the virus. Authorities at the UK's Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as Eurostar railway terminals, also will begin screening passengers arriving from Ebola-affected Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. How did this outbreak start? It probably started with a 2-year old patient in a village in Guinea. The toddler died December 6, 2013, according to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Scientists don't know how the toddler got it, but the virus can spread from animals to humans through infected bodily fluids. It has been spread through infected chimps, gorillas, monkeys, fruit bats, porcupines and forest antelope, according to WHO. Is that why Spanish officials euthanized an Ebola patient's dog? Health officials in Madrid were concerned that the dog, Excalibur, might carry the virus because its owner -- a nurse's aide who treated an Ebola patient in Spain -- was diagnosed with the disease. Despite a "Save Excalibur" petition campaign, which was signed by about 400,000 people, the dog was put to sleep. Yet in Dallas, Nina Pham's Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bentley, was simply put in quarantine, so there are alternatives to euthanization. Should I worry about my own dog? Studies on a dog-to-human transmission of the virus are not conclusive. In the 2001-2002 outbreak in Gabon, scientists found signs of the virus in 25% of the dogs living near the outbreak. The animals were not symptomatic, nor did they die during the time the scientists were studying them. "The only conclusion that may be safely drawn from this study is that the animals encountered Ebola virus (and their immune systems responded)," Margaret H. Gilbert, a clinical veterinarian and assistant professor of medicine at Tulane National Primate Research Center, wrote in an email to CNN. "Whether or not dogs shed Ebola once their immune systems encounter it remains to be seen." "Asymptomatically infected dogs could be a potential source of human Ebola outbreaks," scientists who studied the 2001 outbreak wrote. The CDC is working with the American Veterinary Medical Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop guidance for the U.S. pet population, but the CDC says the likelihood that U.S. pets will pass Ebola on to Americans is slim. What if I have a cat? The Ebola virus has been found in other animals, but to date there have been no documented infections in cats. Is there a cure? Not yet, but scientists are scrambling to find one. A drug called ZMapp was given to two Americans who contracted the disease in Liberia and were brought to Emory University in Atlanta for treatment in August. They recovered fully, and the medication seemed to play a role in that recovery, but there are no more doses of that drug. The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency has provided funding to Mapp Biopharmaceutical so it can conduct more early-stage clinical trials on the drug right now. A drug called TKM-Ebola was used on another American patient who was treated in Nebraska, Dr. Richard Sacra. That drug, manufactured by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, showed some promise, and the Food and Drug Administration gave it a fast-track designation to speed up the testing process. The biopharmaceutical company Chimerix got approval for the emergency use of its drug, Brincidofovir, for Duncan in Texas. He did not get the experimental medicine immediately. The National Institutes of Health also started human testing on a vaccine in September, and another vaccine developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada -- licensed to Iowa-based NewLink Genetics -- is about to start clinical trials. Complete Ebola coverage . How many more people will get sick? The CDC predicts as many as 550,000 to 1.4 million people could be infected with Ebola by January. That calculation was based on figures from September, before the United States sent additional help to West Africa. The CDC estimates that if 70% of the people with Ebola are cared for properly, the epidemic could decrease and eventually end. | Two nurses who treated Thomas Eric Duncan are in isolation .
A nursing assistant in Spain has been declared free of the virus .
Health officials have cleared some of Duncan's contacts . |
106,536 | 1566be8f04724d0b745077288972ddc8a7d37d98 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A father and son have been found living in the jungle of Vietnam four decades after they went missing during the country's war with the U.S. Ho Van Thanh and his son Ho Van Lang apparently fled their home village 40 years ago after a bomb killed three members of their family. They were discovered by locals looking for firewood in deep forest in the Tay Tra district of Quang Ngai province. Found: Ho Van Lang, 41, has been living in the jungle of Vietnam since he was two years old . Family: Ho Van Lang, left, and Ho Van Thanh, right, moved to the jungle when their relatives were killed by a mine . Yesterday authorities confirmed that the men were Thanh, 82, and 41-year-old Lang. The older man once lived a normal life with his family in the hamlet of Tra Kem around the time of the Vietnam War. But one day his wife and two of his sons were killed by a mine explosion, putting him in a state of shock. He took his two-year-old son and fled into the jungle, thereafter never having any contact with anyone else. Weak: Ho Van Thanh is pictured being stretchered through the jungle after they were discovered . Recovery: Rescuers transport the two men back to civilisation, with the 82-year-old father in a hammock . Check-up: A doctor monitors Thanh, who has seen no one except his son for the past four decades . The pair survived by foraging fruit and cassava from the forest and planting corn. They wore loincloths made out of tree bark, and lived in a timber hut raised five metres above the ground. When the foragers saw the two 'jungle men' from a distance acting abnormally, they alerted local authorities. Wild: Ho Van Thanh and his son Ho Van Lang lived in a jungle tree house, pictured left and right . Possessions: Bystanders inspect the clothes made from bark which the two men wore in the forest . Speechless: Lang, right, does not appear to know more than a few words of any language . Officials set up a team to track them down, and found them yesterday after a five-hour search. The father could speak a little of the minority Cor language, but the son knew only a few words. The pair are now undergoing medical check-ups as a first step to being reintegrated into mainstream society. It began in 1955 and would continue until the fall of Saigon two decades later. The Vietnam War was a bloody Cold War-era conflict that claimed . millions of lives and left countless soldiers and natives traumatised by . what they had endured. America's involvement in . the region was triggered by one belief: that Communism was threatening . to expand across the whole of South-East Asia. U.S. infantrymen from the 1st Cavalry Division jump from a 'Huey' during the Vietnam War . 1955: In October, South . Vietnam declared itself the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), with newly . elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president. He would be executed in a coup eight . years later. 1960: An opposing faction, The National Liberation Front (NLF) - also called the Viet Cong - was established there. The . NLF, along with and Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in North . Vietnam - under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh - wanted to impose a . communist system over the whole nation. A U.S. soldier takes a Viet Cong suspect with him as he dashes to a waiting helicopter outside a village near Tam Ky . The United States, in an attempt to . prevent the spread of communism, trained the Army of the Republic of . Vietnam (ARVN) and provided military advisers to help fight Ho's . guerillas. 1964: In August, a U.S. warship was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. This . led Congress to pass the South-East Asia Resolution which allowed . President Lyndon Johnson to conduct military operations in the region . without a declaration of war. 1965: On March 2, U.S. aircraft started bombing targets in Vietnam and the first troops arrived. 1968: The North . Vietnamese and Viet Cong launch the Tet Offensive, . attacking about 100 South Vietnamese cities and towns. On March 16, U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai, later known as the Mai Lai Massacre. By December, America's troops in Vietnam reached 540,000. 1969: In July, President Nixon ordered the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam. 1970: In April, Nixon announced that U.S. troops would attack enemy . locations in Cambodia. This news sparked nationwide protests, especially . on college campuses. Agent Orange: War crimes are said to have been committed by both sides and one of . the most controversial aspects of the U.S. military effort was the widespread use of Agent Orange - which still damages crops . and is said to cause disease in Vietnam today. America dumped millions of gallons of Agent Orange - which has been linked to cancer, birth defects and other disabilities - and other herbicides on South Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 . In July 1969, President Nixon ordered the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam . America's military dumped 20million gallons of the dioxin - which has . been linked to cancer, birth defects and other disabilities - and other . herbicides on about a quarter of South Vietnam between 1962 and . 1971, decimating about five million acres of forest. 1972: After years of fighting and agonising negotiations, Nixon ordered the Christmas bombings. That offensive paved the way for Nixon's Secretary of State Henry . Kissinger to negotiate the January 1973 peace accords that called for a . cease-fire and the release of prisoners, some of whom had been in . captivity for nearly six years. 1973: U.S. troops are withdrawn. 1974: After a brief period of peace, North Vietnam recommenced hostilities. 1975: North . Vietnamese captured Saigon on April 30, forcing South Vietnam’s . surrender and reuniting the country with a one-party communist . government. Aftermath: The Hanoi government estimate that in 20 years of fighting, 4million civilians were killed across North and South Vietnam and a . further 1.1million communist fighters died. Police escort a demonstrator in Chicago during an anti-war protest in 1968 . U.S. estimates claim that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese . soldiers were killed and more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers died or were . missing in action when the final troops pulled out. The war itself gathered heavy opposition in the States and soldiers . have since recalled being told by superiors to remove their uniforms . before landing back home to avoid being accosted by campaigners. Vietnam finally normalised relations with the U.S. in 1995. A U.S. tank among the ruins of Saigon in 1968 after the Tet Offensive . | Ho Van Thanh, 82, and Ho Van Lang, 41, disappeared during Vietnam War .
They have been found four decades later by villagers foraging for firewood . |
10,395 | 1d93ab13f929d1274e550149d2fa6135e87faa2f | By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 07:11 EST, 27 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:37 EST, 27 August 2013 . Many people blame large cafe chains for the death of individual coffee houses and making local neighborhoods more anonymous where people dash in for their caffeine kick without socialising. However, three anthropologists have challenged this popular conception by claiming three Starbucks cafes in Boston, Massachusetts provide better community spirit than independent rivals. A study from the West Virginia University found Starbucks provided a more welcoming environment based on its decor, amenities like Wi-Fi and friendly baristas. Bigger is better? Three anthropologists have challenged the popular conception that chain coffee houses are anonymous and do not add value to a local community. They claim that three Starbucks cafes in Boston, Massachusetts, provided better community spirit than independent rivals . The anthropologists looked at six coffee houses in Boston - three of which were independent - to explore how effectively Starbucks can provide a community-focused environment associated with traditional coffee shops where the staff know everybody's name, The Boston Globe reported. They conducted their observations in the six coffee houses in line with sociologist Ray Oldenburg's description of ideal urban, social spaces. To do this, they took into account: the arrangement of seating, activities taking place in the space, amenities on offer like Wi-Fi and power points, the atmosphere (measured by decor, music and volume of people talking) and how welcoming the staff were. The trio were shocked to discover that based on this criteria, Starbucks outperformed its independent rivals to provide the most welcoming atmosphere overall. Researchers said the baristas in Starbucks were friendlier to new customers than those working in independent cafes (one of which is pictured) as well as providing better amenities such as free and unlimited internet access. The exterior and interior of Pavement, which shows people working, are pictured . Among the finds were that the 'Central . Square' branch of the coffee chain in the city centre had the most vibrant sense of . community as the majority of the baristas knew their customers by name . and could anticipate their orders. The anthropologists also noted that Starbucks staff were more friendly to new customers than those working at the independent cafes they visited. The study said: 'The Starbucks baristas would help customers by explaining the many . options available and even offering suggestions. In contrast, the . baristas at the independently-owned coffee houses were more aloof and . would just wait or sometimes stare at a customer, offering minimal . assistance.' The 'Central Square' branch of Starbucks (pictured) had the most vibrant sense of community as the majority of the baristas knew their customers by name and could anticipate their orders, according to the study . The third place is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg argues third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place. He said the 'first place' is the home, 'second place' is at work and third places are 'anchors' of community life that encourage social interaction. Third spaces should be free or inexpensive, probably contain food or drink, are highly accessible and involve regular customers, he said. They should also be welcoming, comfortable and should contain old friends as well as the potential to meet new ones. While the chain scored points for its . friendliness, it also outperformed the independent coffee houses . visited by providing free Wi-Fi access, whereas two of the independent . shops charged for internet access or set a cap on their customers 'daily . use. The researchers said the study demonstrates the approach used by corporate coffee chains of being welcoming to everyone - even if it is in danger as being seen as bland - which contrasts with independent shops' approaches that tend to highlight their quirks to create distinctive identities. Ray Oldenburg developed the concept of 'third places' as environments that offer a sense of community, but since coming up with the idea in 1989 the traditional coffee shop has changed. 'Due to the rise of portable electronic devices and telecommuting, an increasing . number of people now use coffee houses less for socialising and more as . a hub for reading, working, and productivity,' the study said. It found that people use public coffee shops as a 'private zone' to work, and while corporate coffee houses are often criticised for their lack of character, they 'better meet customers' new third place needs by providing a wider variety of amenities and free services that are in high demand'. The researchers conducted their observations in the six coffee houses in line with sociologists Ray Oldenburg's description of ideal urban, social spaces. They found that people increasingly use public coffee shops as a 'private zone' to work. The interior of Davis Square Starbucks is pictured . | Researchers examined six coffee shops in Boston, taking into account sociologist Ray Oldenburg's description of ideal urban, social spaces .
Three anthropologists have claimed Starbucks provided a more welcoming environment based on its decor, amenities like Wi-Fi and friendly baristas .
The study found people are increasingly using public .
coffee shops as a 'private zone' to work, and corporate coffee .
houses cater to their needs . |
77,269 | db17270b0a2563a7d92551f0b9612a85e211dab4 | By . Francesca Chambers . New Jersey Governor Chris Christie admitted today that he's avoiding questions about certain national issues because he's worried about giving 'ill-informed' answers that will bite him in the rear if he runs for president in 2016. Christie told CNBC's John Harwood that he won't 'pretend' to have an opinion on issues he hasn't studied such as the Export-Import Bank just because it's a hot topic and people want to know what he thinks. But 'if and when there's a time that comes that I . need to be telling people in this country what my view is on those . issues, I will,' he promised. 'If I run for president, you can be sure that I'll have an opinion,' Christie said in comments first reported by Business Insider. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said today he's purposefully withholding his opinion on salient national issues because he's 'ill-informed' 'But until that time I think it's quite frankly immature . to be expressing a lot of those opinions just because I'm sitting up . here in front of this room and you asked,' Christie said, taking a shot across the bow at his contemporaries. 'You can ask whatever you like, I don't have to answer,' he said, taking on a defensive tone. Harwood expressed disbelief that Christie's been 'ducking' questions about federal issues because he's ignorant, but Christie told him with a straight face that was truly the case. 'Believe me, you can't imagine how ill-informed I am,' Christie said, prompting laughter from the audience. 'If I don't think my answer is going to be smart and will stand the . test of time, you can be damned sure that I'm not going to answer, he said, 'because you'll have this tape and you'll use it.' Christie made the last remark with a grin, indicating that he was half-joking. While . the line was made partly in jest, the Republican Governor hit on a . serious point: comments he makes now on federal issues open him up to . future attacks by his opponents should he seek higher office. Changing . his position on major political issues before or after he announces his . intentions to run for president could be politically damaging, too. Christie told CNBC's John Harwood in an-onstage interview at the Delivering Alpha Conference in New York that he'll share his opinion on the issues if he decides to run for president, but he hasn't made a decision yet . During the interview Christie wouldn't commit to running for president, but the two-term governor confirmed that he's still considering it, despite political woes stemming from a government employee's decision to purposefully cause a traffic jam on a busy bridge last year. 'I've been pretty clear, you know, I . certainly am going to consider it, but whether I do it or not is . something that I honestly don't know yet,' he claimed after Harwood asked him about his intentions at the beginning of the interview. The father of four noted that his children, ages 11 through 20, are 'relatively' young, and that's something that continues to weigh on his mind. Christie said he honestly wasn't in a hurry to make any decisions about his political future and cautioned the audience against politicians who are, ribbing his potential opponents once again. 'The fact is that you should beware of people in . my opinion are overanxious to make that decision before they need to. 'That would seem to indicate to me . ambition over wisdom,' he said, 'and I don't think that's what you want in the . person sitting in the Oval Office.' | New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is considered a likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate .
Today Christie said he honestly hasn't made up his mind about his intentions and is in no hurry to do so .
He admitted,however, that he is considering a run and that's why he isn't doling out his opinion on serious national issues he knows little about .
'If I run for president, you can be sure that I'll have an opinion,' Christie promised . |
234,271 | bb450f0f0dd1166483ccac107ada38ea26706736 | (CNN)Enjoy it while you can, but remember it won't last forever. That was President Barack Obama's message to American consumers on Tuesday as he discussed near six year-low gas prices in an interview with The Detroit News ahead of a visit to Michigan on Wednesday to tout the recovery of the auto industry and the growth of American manufacturing. "I would strongly advise American consumers to continue to think about how you save money at the pump because it is good for the environment, it's good for family pocketbooks and if you go back to old habits and suddenly gas is back at $3.50, you are going to not be real happy," Obama said. The nationwide average is sitting just below $2.20 a gallon and many gas stations around the country are advertising gas prices below $2 a gallon. But instead of returning to "old habits," Obama advised Americans to save their money, "or better yet" use the savings to buy a new car, for example. He said Americans should "not believe that" gas prices won't rise again, explaining that demand for oil in booming countries like China and India will continue to rise, kicking costs back up. Oil prices have dropped more than 50% in recent months, falling below $50 a barrel for the first time since 2009 on Monday. Many members of Congress are counting on gas prices to remain low, however, as they hope to use the low prices as an opportunity to increase the gas tax for the first time in more than two decades. As he touts the results of his bailout of the auto industry on Wednesday, Obama will also promote fuel efficiency at the Ford plant he is set to visit, which produces alternative fuel vehicles and small cars, The News reported. Obama gave the newspaper a preview of his speech Wednesday, in which he is expected to tout the resurgence of the auto industry and the boom of American manufacturing -- two key points of his plan for economic recovery, and elements he hopes will become a part of his legacy as president. "The auto industry has led a resurgence of manufacturing in America," Obama said. "The quality of the cars has gotten so much better that we are competitive — not just in SUVs — but up and down the line. The branding of American cars is back to where it should be. Michigan's unemployment rate has fallen faster than the overall employment rate." | President Barack Obama advised Americans to be wise about their gas savings .
In an interview with the Detroit News, he reminded Americans that gas prices will eventually rise again .
Obama will travel to Michigan on Wednesday to tout the resurgence of the auto industry . |
148,270 | 4bb5657c537eb9f8d00876985b91c578ab1ec3d8 | One in five people who bought their council home in one of Britain’s wealthiest areas was receiving housing benefit when they applied, it has emerged. The revelation centres on the London borough of Westminster, and comes after a Government watchdog warned fraudulent purchases under the Right to Buy scheme have increased 400 per cent in two years. One fear is that hard-up tenants are being ‘gifted’ cash by private firms to buy their homes at a cut-price rate. Scroll down for video . The revelation centres on the London borough of Westminster, and comes after a Government watchdog warned fraudulent purchases under the Right to Buy scheme have increased 400 per cent in two years . After buying a property, the company can then sell them on to private landlords for a profit, who will let them at market value. In Westminster, 22 per cent of Right to Buy sales were to people in receipt of housing benefit when they applied, dropping to 11 per cent upon completion. It begs the question of how council tenants who qualify for housing benefit could suddenly afford to buy properties outright in one of the most expensive parts of the country. Anyone who has more than £16,000 in savings is not eligible for housing benefit. A report also found that 31 per cent of former council homes are now owned by private landlords and can be let for more than £800 a week in the capital’s second-most expensive borough. Councillors have warned of a ‘property bonanza’ – and said many tenants claim the money was a gift from overseas, making it near impossible to trace. Last summer, it emerged that a property company had leafleted 60,000 council house tenants offering six-figure rewards for working with them to buy and then sell their homes. Councillor Lindsey Hall, anti-fraud tsar for Tory-run Westminster, believes Right to Buy should stay . Nicholas Carlino, a director of London Investment Property Group, told an undercover Sunday Times reporter that he was making so much money snapping up homes that had been undervalued by the council and selling them on that he would ‘never have to work again’. The scheme was entirely legal. Councillor Lindsey Hall, anti-fraud tsar for Tory-run Westminster, told BBC London’s Inside Out programme: ‘I passionately believe Right to Buy needs to stay, but it needs to be very tightly managed and not fuelling a property bonanza for individuals swanning around estates in grand Mercedes and BMWs.’ Labour-run Islington council said Right to Buy sales had risen from only a handful to more than 300 since tenants’ discounts were increased two years ago. In some cases, discounts now amount to more than £100,000. Councillor James Murray told the programme: ‘It’s hard – we build them and then lose them via Right to Buy which then becomes buy to let.’ Right to Buy was first launched by Margaret Thatcher in 1980 to help council tenants get on the property ladder. In March 2012, the Government announced it would ‘reinvigorate’ the policy, raising the cap on discounts and ensuring that new council homes were built. But an Audit Commission report last year found Right to Buy fraud had increased by more than 400 per cent since the reforms. Westminster said it now refers all Right to Buy applications from tenants on housing benefit to be checked for fraud. Inside Out London will air tonight at 7.30pm on BBC1. | 1 in 5 who bought council house in Britain's wealthiest areas on benefits .
Some fear hard up tenants are ‘gifted’ cash by private firms to buy homes .
After getting property, company sells on to private landlords for a profit .
Report found 31% of former council homes owned by private landlords . |
69,173 | c4284a71251ca739a9e805db285162eac3ded158 | A legal battle has been sparked by plans to auction off the one of Oskar Schindler's original lists for £2million. An original version of the document, which saved some 1,200 European Jews from the Nazi gas chambers, has gone up for sale on the website of a U.S. memorabilia dealer. But Erika Rosenberg, an heiress of the Schindlers, says the historic document should be in a museum and is trying to block its sale. Historic: This image, taken from the dealer's website, shows a page from the list up for sale . Outrage: Erika Rosenberg, an heir of the Schindlers, says the list should be on display in a museum . Quoted in the Daily Mirror, she said: 'Oskar and Emilie died poor and they desired that these documents be displayed in museums. 'It is very sad to to see this list be commercialised for millions of dollars. 'This legal fight is not for money but for social justice.' Schindler's List, the inspiration for the 1993 film of the same name, was produced by German industrialists Oskar and Emilie Schindler. They gave jobs in their weapons factories to some 1,200 Jewish workers to save them from Nazi concentration camps. The website of Gary Zimet, the dealer who has arranged the sale, says the 'exceedingly rare' original copy of the list is 'the only one ever to be on the market'. The website claims that the list's 'ironclad' provenance stems from its links to the family of Yitzhak Stern, Schindler's Jewish accountant and co-conspirator. It is one of only four versions of the list known, it is claimed, with two housed in Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem, Israel, and the only other in the U.S. Holocaust Museum. 'This version of the list (there are seven all told) is the penultimate, being 14 pages in length and listing 801 names, dated April 18, 1945,' the website says. 'A more poignant and historic World War 2 relic cannot be imagined. This is the opportunity of a lifetime to acquire an item of truly incredible magnitude.' Heroes: Oskar and Emilie Schindler died poor in Argentina after leaving their lives in Germany behind when the war ended . According to the Daily Mirror, a previous auction for the list was suspended in 2010 after a lawsuit was taken out by Ms Rosenberg, 60. The daughter of Germans who fled to Argentina in 1940, Ms Rosenberg met Emilie Schindler in Buenos Aires in 1990. When Mrs Schindler died childless in 2001, she chose Ms Rosenberg as one of five heiresses. Ms Rosenberg had sought to block the sale of the list on copyright grounds. She lost the legal battle, but now she and her lawyers are investigating the possibility of appealing to an international court. | U.S. memorabilia trader puts document in online sale .
'Poignant relic' is 14 pages long listing 801 names . |
22,950 | 411fb71ad1d405ee0fc2f0efba85cedde3bd5bb2 | Ahead of the midweek Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Arsenal's home clash with Leicester... Arsenal vs Leicester City (Emirates Stadium) Team news . Arsenal . Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is expected to return from a hamstring problem for Tuesday night's Barclays Premier League clash against Leicester. Midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) is still out. Alexis Sanchez is ready to return for Arsenal following a hamstring injury. The forward is pictured here celebrating a goal against Stoke City last month . England international Jack Wilshere is scheduled to resume training following ankle surgery. Mikel Arterta (ankle), Abou Diaby (calf) and Mathieu Debuchy (shoulder) all also continue their rehabilitation. Provisional squad: Ospina, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott, Giroud, Szczesny, Welbeck, Monreal, Chambers, Rosicky, Flamini, Akpom, Gabriel, Ramsey. Leicester . Robert Huth is in the Leicester squad for their trip to Arsenal and could make his Foxes debut at the Emirates. The defender, on loan from Stoke, has completed a two-game suspension after being banned by the Football Association for breaching its social media regulations. Robert Huth trains with Leicester City ahead of what could be his debut when the Foxes visit Arsenal . Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (broken foot) remains an absentee and Chris Wood is still struggling with an ankle injury for the rock-bottom Foxes. Provisional squad: Schwarzer, Hamer, Simpson, De Laet, Moore, Huth, Konchesky, Upson, Morgan, Wasilewski, Schlupp, Cambiasso, James, King, Drinkwater, Mahrez, Albrighton, Vardy, Ulloa, Kramaric, Nugent. Kick-off: Tuesday, 7.45pm . Odds (subject to change): . Arsenal 2/7 . Draw 9/2 . Leicester City 8/1 . Referee: Mike Jones . Managers: Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Nigel Pearson (Leicester) Head-to-head league record: Arsenal wins 54, draws 36, Leicester City wins 27 . Key match stats (supplied by Opta) The Gunners have won the last seven home Premier League matches against the Foxes in a run of 21 home matches in all competitions unbeaten (W15 D6 L0). Leicester City have won none of their last 18 matches in all competitions against Arsenal (W0 D8 L10). The last time Arsenal played Leicester at home was the 38th and final game of their unbeaten 2003-04 Premier League campaign. There have been four players sent off in the last six Premier League matches between Leicester and Arsenal. The last time Arsenal played Leicester City at home was the final day of the 2003-04 season when the Gunners won 2-1 to end the campaign unbeaten - here Patrick Vieira scores past Foxes keeper Ian Walker . Leonardo Ulloa has scored in both of his appearances against Arsenal, once in the FA Cup for Brighton and once in the Premier League for Leicester. Arsenal have lost just one of their last 29 Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium (W20 D8 L1), conceding just 18 times in that run. Alexis Sanchez has scored eight goals in his last eight Premier League starts at the Emirates. Nigel Pearson has won just four of his 24 Premier League games in charge of Leicester. Mesut Ozil has scored the three consecutive appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, the first time he’s done this. Leicester City have won none of their last 17 Premier League matches against London clubs (W0 D5 L12). | Alexis Sanchez to return from injury for Arsenal's clash with Leicester City .
But Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains out for the Gunners .
Jack Wilshere ready to return to training following ankle surgery .
Nigel Pearson could select Robert Huth for his Leicester debut .
But Kasper Schmeichel and Chris Wood still ruled out for Foxes . |
55,846 | 9e4c81a1da869ecf8ad7acb709a5f4ac76d5babc | LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- A 6-year-old boy abducted Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been found safe, the Las Vegas police department announced early Sunday. "Cole (Puffinburger) has been found, he is safe and in our custody," Capt. Vince Cannito told reporters in an early morning news conference. Cannito said that while detectives were canvassing Las Vegas neighborhoods Saturday night with flyers about the boy's abduction, they got a report that a young boy who matched Cole's description was seen walking alone on a sidewalk on the city's east side. "Detectives rushed there, found the boy and confirmed it was Cole," Cannito said. "It's just a blessing that this child has been found and he's in extremely good condition," the captain added. Cole's father, Robert Puffinburger, said the emotion he felt after being informed that his son was safe was "indescribable." Watch Cole's tearful father speak about hearing the news » . "I'm just glad he's safe," Puffinburger said at the news conference, his voice breaking. "I can't wait to see him!" Cole was snatched Wednesday in what police are calling a drug-related kidnapping. Three armed men tied up his mother and her fiance and ransacked the home, taking the boy when no money was found, police said. A nationwide Amber Alert was canceled because police believed it had "run its course," Cannito said Saturday. Police say Cole's grandfather, Clemons F. Tinnemeyer, 51, had been involved in "significant drug dealing" and may have taken millions of dollars from drug dealers. Authorities say the kidnapping may have been in retaliation for the theft. Tinnemeyer was arrested Friday in Riverside, California, where he was being held as a material witness. He has been interviewed, along with an unidentified second person, in connection with the case. Cannito asked for the public's help in finding Jesus Gastelum, a third person of interest. In his Sunday news conference, Cannito said the part of the investigation involving Cole's abduction is now concluded. "The remainder of the investigation now shifts, the focus now goes on to the drug dealing and potential extortion," he said. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. | Cole Puffinburger, 6, was found safe late Saturday in Las Vegas, police say .
Puffinburger was abducted from his home Wednesday by three armed men .
Police arrested boy's grandfather, Clemons F. Tinnemeyer, on Friday .
Police believe kidnapping may have been retaliation by drug dealers . |
259,898 | dc83217f76d7b87bca59709c75279d445994811a | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 10:32 EST, 2 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:34 EST, 2 March 2013 . It's the ultimate box set for the ageing rocker. For £2,000 a pop, former record producer Phil Wainman, 66, who once toured with The Who, is selling scale models of one of the band's classic gigs. The Who in a Box is a painstaking re-creation of London's Marquee club stage in 1964, featuring Pete Townshend's guitar, his Marshall amplifiers and the double-bass-drum kit used by Moon. Phil Wainman, 66, who once toured with The Who, created this unique The Who box . Mr Wainman reproduced The Who model from his own memories backed up by photographs . Mr Wainman, who created chart-topping hits for the Bay City Rollers and the Boomtown Rats, was friends with The Who's drummer Keith Moon and shared his kit when he played with . reggae star Jimmy Cliff. He has hand-made 10 versions of the one metre wide and 36cm high The Who model, priced at £1,950 each. One sold for £7,000 to benefit the Teenage . Cancer Trust. Mr Wainman has also created a model of the Beatles' early stage set-up at the world famous The Cavern club in Liverpool and Queen's 1975 Christmas concert at the Hammersmith Odeon will follow. Future artists in line for the model treatment could include Nirvana's iconic set for their MTV Unplugged show and the Sex Pistols' infamous 1976 gig at London's 100 Club. Phil Wainman made a prototype Beatles box for his own interest and was amazed by the reaction he received from friends and family . Classic band: The Who at the Marquee Club, London in 1967 . Drummer Keith Moon of The Who performs onstage in circa 1967 . Johnny Rotten and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club, London in 1976 . Model performance: The Beatles at the Cavern club in Liverpool, where they had their first ever gig . 'They are aimed at rockers my age with disposable income,' Mr Wainman told The Independent. 'People who have got the complete collection, the vinyl, the CD, the downloads. 'But they haven't been able to recreate the venue where these classic artists were discovered and played the shows which made them what they were.' Mr Wainman reproduced The Who model from his own memories backed up by photographs. 'I once had a ‘drum-off' with Keith in Jim Marshall's London music store,' he recalled. 'It was very noisy and people gathered in the street to watch.' | Record producer Phil Wainman, 66, is selling scale models of classic gig .
He has also created model of the Beatles' stage set-up at The Cavern . |
94,703 | 05b09aff9869799ea5572cc8139a4cb53ee37da7 | Disgraced ex-Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner's sexting partner Sydney Leathers has hit the beach wearing a stars and strips bikini . It comes just days after the former congressman marked a disastrous conclusion of his mayoral campaign. But Miss Leathers, who gatecrashed his concession party on Tuesday night, appeared not to have a care in the world as she walked along the Miami beachfront with a smile on her face. Disgraced ex-Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner's sexting partner Sydney Leathers has hit the beach wearing a stars and strips bikini . It comes just days after the former congressman marked a disastrous conclusion of his mayoral campaign. But Miss Leathers, who gatecrashed his concession party on Tuesday night, appeared not to have a care in the world . The 23-year-old seems to be relishing the 'fame' which she has been afforded since she revealed that Mr Weiner had continued exchanging X-rated messages with her, long after his . resignation from the U.S. Congress. She has starred in her own porn film, and is said to be releasing a single called 'Weinerizer' - a play on Britney Spears' Womaniser - which she has been desperately trying to promote. She has been held to blame for Mr Weiner's disastrous defeat in the Democratic primaries, finishing his run with only 5 per cent. Mr Weiner - or 'Carlos Danger' as he is now well known thanks to the alias he used in the online encounters - was once the front runner for the race but his campaign imploded when it emerged he had continued his sexting habit even after he had reconciled with his wife. Just hours after suffering a crushing defeat in the Democratic primaries, Anthony Weiner emerged from his apartment with a grin on his face and looking relaxed . Casual: Dressed in a white checkered button-down shirt and dark jeans, Mr Weiner appeared relaxed and in good spirits outside his home . Sporting a casual white checkered button-down shirt and dark jeans, Mr Weiner grinned and appeared animated while being photographed outside his home following his defeat. On Wednesday, there was also a sighting of Mr Weiner's better half, Huma Abedin, who chose to skip his concession party the night before in favor of a Hamptons getaway – and in the process avoided running into her husband’s sexting partner. The mayoral candidate's wife emerged from the couple's tony apartment building this morning dressed to impress in a mint-green dress with a Louis Vuitton bag on her shoulder, and attempted to hail a cab, the New York Daily News reported. Miss Abedin largely disappeared from the public eye following revelations that her husband had continue exchanging X-rated messages with Sydney Leathers long after his resignation from the U.S. Congress. She's back: Huma Abedin, pictured here on August 27, emerged from the couple's apartment building this morning in a mint-green dress with a Louis Vuitton bag on her shoulder . Weiner concluded his race by showing the middle finger to the reporters who covered his scandal-ridden campaign. His wife Huma Abedin was not looking on as he gave his concession, and he didn't even thank his long-plagued wife in his remarks. Abedin was said to be hundreds of miles away in the Hamptons on Tuesday night but spotted coming out of the couple's Manhattan apartment Wednesday morning. Rather than bowing out gracefully, Weiner decided to throw one final insult at the voters by flipping his middle finger at the crowd as he drove off as captured by NY1 photographers. Instead of having his wife at the midtown bar where he and his supporters gathered Tuesday night, a different woman was attracting attention: Sydney Leathers, the woman with whom he had a sexting relationship, crashed his party. 'Sadly we did not win this time, but I . could not be more proud of the campaign that we ran,' Weiner said to . the crowd inside Connolly's Irish Pub just before 11 p.m., accepting his . defeat with just 5 percent of the vote. 'I . could not be more proud of you.' He went on: 'We had the best ideas. Sadly, I was an imperfect messenger.' Leathers was seen wandering around the pub- clearly as an uninvited guest- giving statements to reporters . and showing off her widely publicized plastic surgeries including a breast augmentation and a nose job. Her presence delayed the evening's festivities as it took Weiner half an hour to avoid a confrontation and run through a nearby fast food restaurant. After stepping down from Congress in 2011 following his first sexting scandal, Weiner was . hoping that his campaign for mayor would be his chance to reenter public . office and clear his name. The July revelations that he continued having inappropriate online relationships with women, including Leathers. Weiner makes his concession speech, saying 'We had the best ideas. Sadly, I was an imperfect messenger' Democratic mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner greets voters after making his concession speech . Different kind of support: Sydney Leathers was using the primary attention to promote her new song . New Yorkers also voted against . another scandal-plagued politician on Tuesday as former New York . Governor Eliot Spitzer lost his race for city comptroller. Even . though he and Weiner were dealt the similar losses, Spitzer had a much . more successful campaign as he came within 4 points of Scott Stringer, . the former Manhattan Borough President who has worked in state politics . for the past two decades. Stringer had a . 52-percent-to-48-per cent lead over Spitzer in unofficial . returns, with 92 percent of precincts reporting. 'I am proud to have run a campaign . over the past nine weeks that many thought was incapable to mount,' Spitzer said in his concession speech. 'We did it in a way that made me . proud to revisit the issues we fought for when I was attorney general . and governor, to lay out an agenda of what we believed was right for . this great city.' Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer delivers his concession speech at his election night party . Spitzer - who like Weiner, is married - was forced to resign five years ago after he admitted to hiring prostitutes . 'I say to the public, I am proud to have served,' he added. Spitzer - who like Weiner, is married - was forced to resign five years ago after he admitted to hiring prostitutes. His wife Silda Spitzer was not at the Tuesday night event and never made any campaign appearances during his nine-week bid for comptroller. 'All along we knew it was going to be a close race,' Spitzer campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith told MailOnline at his party Tuesday night. 'Yes people know Eliot and he has name recognition but Scott Stringer has the entire political establishment behind him- every union, every business.' Striking a clear contrast to his failed colleagues, Bill de Blasio danced and blew simultaneous kisses to the crowd with his wife and two children at their victory party in Gowanus, Brooklyn. De Blasio won 40.2 per cent of the Democratic vote, and while there is a chance of a run off between him and the second place candidate, Bill Thompson, that seems unlikely. 'You made this campaign a cause, and I say thank you for elevating it to that level,' the former public advocate said to his supporters. | Sydney Leathers smiled for cameras as she sauntered along the beach .
It comes just days after the former congressman marked a disastrous conclusion of his mayoral campaign .
Bill de Blasio beat Weiner and the other Democrats, making him the next Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City's . |
151,916 | 5053f561c725f63abfa651ad655e5cd5b7ab677d | By . Bianca London . From Lady Gaga's meat dress to necklaces made from pheasant's skulls, some designers use all sorts of weird and wonderful materials in the name of fashion. But the latest design is really quite hair-raising. One company has unveiled the world's first fur coat made from 100 per cent male chest hair. Hairy! The world's first fur coat made from 100 per cent male chest hair has been made as a protest against the widespread 'manning-down' of British men . The coat was commissioned by milk drink for men, Wing Co., as a protest against the widespread 'manning-down' of British men, typified by clean-shaven chests and emasculating fashion. The coat, which features over one million strands of male chest hair, took a team of fashion designers over 200 hours to create and carries a hefty price tag of £2,499. Intricate: The coat features over one million strands of male chest hair, took a team of fashion designers over 200 hours to create and carries a price tag of £2,499 . Whilst this may be the first garment to be designed using chest hair, human hair has been a popular and wacky choice of material for years. A Croatian company, Artidjana, once designed an entire dress with 165ft of blonde human hair. And Thelma Madine's Nico dressmakers, which has featured on Channel Four's Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, created a wedding dress made from human hair, which took over 300 hours to make and weighed 15 stone. For women too: The design is a rebellion against clean-shaven chests and emasculating fashion . Roadkill couture: Swan princess: Artist Jess Eaton's new roadkill couture collection includes bridal wear . Dramatic: You wouldn't miss this bride coming down the aisle in a head dress made from bird feathers . Bizarre: It might seem like the androgynous fashion trend taken too far, but a Chinese company's new 'hairy leg' hosiery hopes to help women ward off unwanted male attention . | Commissioned by 'Wing Co.' drink as protest against 'manning-down' of British men .
Made from over one million strands of male chest .
hair .
Took team of fashion designers over 200 hours to create .
Costs £2,499 to buy . |
33,013 | 5dc641db16564f512d421088f94e15a1a5890958 | By . James Rush . A Chinese man who is unable to use his arms has become something of a celebrity by threading needles with his feet. Zhaojie Ping, 56, is also able to write, comb his hair and put on his glasses by just using his feet. Zhaojie lost the use of his arms and became visually impaired as a child after suffering from several severe health problems including congenital rickets. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Zhaojie Ping, 56, has become something of a celebrity for being able to thread needles with his feet . Zhaojie lost the use of his arms and became visually impaired as a child after suffering from several severe health problems including congenital rickets . Zhaojie, 56, is even able to light cigarettes with his feet . He is able to brush his hair by clutching the comb inbetween his toes . The agile 56-year-old is also able to put his glasses on by lifting them up to this face with his feet . He learned to use his left foot to write Chinese characters while at school in Luoyang City, Henan Province, in central China. The characters were so well drawn they were submitted regularly to local competitions where he won prizes for his skill. His feet have now become his hands in many other areas of his life, including washing, shaving, cooking and even eating - he uses chopsticks held between his toes. He learned to use his left foot to write Chinese characters while at school in Luoyang City, Henan Province, in central China . His feet have now become his hands in many other areas of his life, including washing, shaving, cooking and even eating . Zhaojie Ping, 56, is also able to write, comb his hair and put on his glasses by just using his feet . 'Life can be fair or unfair. It closed a door for me, but also opened a window,' Zhaojie said . He said: 'I feel blessed to be able to live a full life and now I am happy to lecture others on why it is important to live life to the full with what you have got, not with what you wish you had. Zhaojie said: 'Life can be fair or unfair. It closed a door for me, but also opened a window. 'Although losing two hands, I still have two feet. The difference is I perhaps need a bit more effort than normal people.' | Zhaojie Ping is able to write, comb his hair and put on glasses with feet .
He lost use of his arms after suffering health problems as a child .
'Life can be fair or unfair. It closed a door for me, but also opened a window', he said . |
209,903 | 9bd492decc3ae4b0e32cc27bfd0e8b4c23e2447a | Seven internet service providers have launched legal action against GCHQ after accusing it of illegally accessing 'potentially millions of people’s private communications'. Britain’s intelligence centre has been accused of carrying out 'targeted operations against internet service providers to conduct mass and intrusive surveillance.' The complaint has been filed at a London . court by ISPs Riseup and May First/People Link of the US, GreenNet of . Britain, Greenhost of the Netherlands, Mango of Zimbabwe, Jinbonet of . South Korea and the Chaos Computer Club of Germany, plus campaigners . Privacy International. The Government Communications HQ (GCHQ) has been accused of carrying out 'targeted operations against internet service providers to conduct mass and intrusive surveillance' The revelation comes after leaks by fugitive NSA worker Edward Snowden showed GCHQ was a key player in covert US surveillance operations globally. It also comes after German magazine Der Speigel ran a series of reports in which they claimed to detail GCHQ’s 'illicit activities'. They include allegedly targeting a Belgian telecommunications company, Belgacom. The report claims staff computers were infected with malware in a 'quantum insert' attack to secure access to customers. The legal complaint says this was 'not an isolated attack' and alleges violations of Britain’s Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights. The revelation comes after leaks by fugitive NSA worker Edward Snowden showed GCHQ was a key player in covert US surveillance operations globally . 'These widespread attacks on providers and collectives undermine the trust we all place on the internet and greatly endangers the world’s most powerful tool for democracy and free expression,' said Eric King, Privacy International’s deputy director. Britain’s Foreign Office did not immediately comment. GCHQ, which stands for Government Communications Headquarters, employs around 5,500 people and is housed in a giant doughnut-shaped building in the sleepy town of Cheltenham, southwest England. Snowden’s leaks claimed that the NSA had been secretly funding GCHQ to the tune of £100 million ($160 million, 120 million euros) over the last three years. | Accused of carrying out 'targeted operations on internet service providers'
Eavesdropping centre faces legal action from seven internet providers .
It comes after leaks by fugitive NSA worker .
Edward Snowden showed GCHQ was a key player in covert US surveillance .
operations globally . |
83,965 | ee2d2fc7dbf4f85c7312566feac551bed2807bc6 | By . Richard Shears . PUBLISHED: . 01:30 EST, 28 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:56 EST, 29 May 2013 . Killed: Madaline Cole, 25, was killed in Malaysia yesterday . A young British woman who died from severe injuries after being struck by a boat's propellers while on holiday in Malaysia had just qualified as a diving instructor. Madaline Cole, 25, from Hereford, had been snorkelling with an Australian friend when she was hit by the boat off Pulau Perhentian Island, in the South China Sea. Police said she had received severe injuries to her body, legs and buttocks. She died before reaching hospital. Madaline, known as 'Maddy', was the daughter of Bob Cole, 59, a former Royal Engineer who served in the SAS. Friends of the family, who live in Bodenham, near Hereford, said Mr Cole, who now runs security firm Minimal Risk, was 'devastated.' One said: 'Bob doted on Maddy and is understandably devastated by her death. 'She knew the risks of diving but was always very professional in her preparations and highly skilled in what she did. 'She had just qualified as an instructor and was looking forward to a wonderful career exploring the world's seas.' On February 3 this year Maddy expressed her delight on Facebook when she qualified as a scuba instructor. She said: 'After the most stressful 3 days ever- FINALLY we are Open Water Scuba Instructors!! 'Big thanks to our Instructor Chong! Well done everyone for your achievement and thank you all so so much for all your amazing support!' On her diving blog, Maddy, who was pictured swimming with sharks, was described as having an 'insane amount of love for animals.' Tragic: Madaline Cole (centre) from Hereford who died after reportedly being hit by a boat while snorkelling off Pulau Perhentian Island, in the South China Sea . Miss Cole (left and right, pictured with boyfriend Ross Makulec) was swimming with Simon Rogers, 22, from Australia, who was also injured in the accident, but his wounds were not said to be life-threatening . Writing on The Seychelles Whale Sharks blog, a friend said: 'Maddy Cole - Where do we start? 'This outdoorsy girl has done it all; kayaking, rock climbing, scuba diving, mountain biking, hiking and more. 'Another person to traipse through . the GVI Seychelles dive master halls with a marine background and an . insane amount of love for animals. 'Maddy returned to Seychelles to join the MCSS team in its entire whale shark splendor.' Paul Austin, manager of the England's Gate pub in Bodenham, where she worked as a barmaid, said: 'Maddy was a wonderful, bubbly person. 'She was the nicest person you could hope to meet. Trip: Her boyfriend Ross Makulec updated his Facebook picture with an image of Maddy hugging and kissing him under water just hours after her death . 'She worked here behind the bar for . about six months and was extremely popular with the locals. She left . here to pursue a career in diving. 'She wanted to be a professional diver. It's heart-breaking to hear of her death.' Miss Cole was swimming with Simon . Rogers, 22, from Australia, who was also injured in the accident, but . his wounds were not said to be life-threatening. Miss Cole and Mr Rogers were with a diving group enjoying an early morning adventure in the crystal clear waters surrounding the island. Police . in Kuala Lumpur said investigations were continuing but it is believed . the pair were struck by the boat's propellers as they surfaced. A question has arisen over whether the group should have been diving in the area. 'From . our initial findings, the incident happened in an area which is . off-limits to swimmers,' said police Superintendent Jamshah Mustafa. Holiday: Miss Cole arrived in Malaysia on April 4, said the news agency, and had been staying at the Senja Bay Resort, while Mr Rogers had booked in at the Shari-La Resort . Accident: Madeline was hit by the boat off Pulau Perhentian Island, in the South China Sea . Police . Chief Superintendt Kamaruddin Mohammed Zakaria told Malaysia's Bernama . news agency that the incident happened as boat operator Mohammed Azwan . Mohamad, 23, was passing through the area to bring tourists to the . popular island resort. 'The two victims and two other friends were diving outside the safe zone and were not wearing safety jackets,' he said. 'They were accidentally hit by Mohammed Azwan.' A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are aware of the death of a British national in Malaysia on May 27. 'We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time.' Miss Cole arrived . in Malaysia on April 4 and had been staying at . the Senja Bay Resort, while Mr Rogers had booked in at the Shari-La . Resort. The . Perhentians, lying 10 miles off the north eastern coast of West Malaysia . and some 40 miles south of the Thai border, are made up of two main . islands - Penhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil. Miss Cole was . staying on Perhentian Besar, which, like its sister island, is . surrounded by turquoise waters and coral reefs rich with exotic fish. It is not the first time that a young British female tourist has died in a boating accident while snorkeling in Malaysia. In July 2004, Joanna Stillwell, 23, who was on a family holiday, was killed when she was struck by a dive boat while swimming with her 18-year-old brother Nicholas, who was not injured. That fatality occurred near the island of Redang, off the east coast of Malaysia. According to police at the time, Miss Stillwell had ventured out of a designated snorkelling area and into a channel used by boats. A spokesman from the Foreign Office said: 'We are aware of the death of a British national in Malaysia on May 27. We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time.' | Madaline Cole, 25, was hit off Pulau Perhentian Island, South China Sea .
Had just qualified as a diving instructor and wanted to 'explore the sea'
She was snorkeling with a friend when she suffered fatal injuries .
The popular tourist died before she could reach hospital . |
145,811 | 488a11a42996c29362f5f08014db42ff996a7e81 | Military Cross winner Brian Wood said British troops had been dragged through 'five years of hell' by the Al-Sweady inquiry . Soldiers and their families yesterday said they had been left ‘disturbed’ and ‘angry’ after enduring a five-year inquiry into false claims that British troops murdered, tortured and mutilated Iraqis. Former troops said their reputations had been tarnished and their relatives had suffered years of anguish due to the allegations, which the £31million investigation eventually exposed as ‘calculated lies’. Last night the mother of one of the soldiers who gave evidence to the taxpayer-funded inquiry said the way her son had been accused of wrongdoing was ‘disgraceful’. She said Scott Hoolin, now 31, heroically fought off the enemy – only to have his name dragged through the mud. Ann Hoolin, 50, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, told the Daily Mail: ‘I think the inquiry disturbed him and this coming back again now has just upset and disturbed him again. ‘To be accused of wrongdoing in the aftermath of what happened is disgraceful.’ She said her son was just 21 when he engaged in a ferocious firefight named The Battle of Danny Boy in 2004. The convoy he was travelling with came under fire from militants armed with grenades and AK-47s. ‘It was a worrying time for the family as he was so young and fighting over there,’ she said. ‘Now this has opened it all up again for both Scott and the family. ‘As a family we are angry about that and we are angry because when he went to give evidence to the inquiry he told us when he returned home that the whole thing was a waste of time.’ Soldiers were accused of war crimes on the gravest scale by insurgents who told ‘deliberate and calculated lies’ in order to damage the reputation of the Armed Forces. The lawyers representing nine Iraqi claimants were branded ‘shameful’ after their case was comprehensively rejected by a war crimes inquiry on Wednesday. Former corporal Brian Wood won a Military Cross for his bravery during the bloody firefight. Echoing comments made by Mrs Hoolin, he said: ‘We have been dragged through five years of hell. That in my view is a betrayal of our service. We did what we had to do as soldiers and we did the right thing.’ The 34-year-old, of the 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, was conducting a vehicle checkpoint in 2004 when he heard a soldier had been hit by a grenade and another shot in the arm and rushed to their aid. Detained Iraqis being guarded by a British soldier that was shown at the the Al-Sweady Inquiry. The long-running inquiry found that British troops mistreated nine Iraqi detainees following a fierce battle a decade ago, but false allegations of murder and torture were the product of 'deliberate lies' The Al-Sweady public Inquiry released shocking images which formed part of its investigation into the ferocious firefight, dubbed the Battle of Danny Boy, at a checkpoint near Basra in 2004 when a number of insurgents were killed . But on the way there in armoured Warrior vehicles, his unit was ambushed by insurgents from three positions. The troops had to charge across open ground and they fought for five hours in one of the most intense battles since the Falklands. In the firefight, 28 insurgents were killed and nine militants were taken to the Camp Abu Naji military base where they were questioned. But their heroic efforts were tarnished when the detainees claimed they were subjected to torture and witnessed executions and mutilation. The Al-Sweady probe into the shocking allegations found they were ‘wholly and entirely without merit’. It exonerated British troops, saying the Iraqi men they were accused of torturing were not innocent farmers but insurgents killed or captured in the firefight. British troops had responded to the ‘deadly ambush with exemplary courage, resolution and professionalism’, according to Sir Thayne Forbes, who was conducting the inquiry. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon demanded Leigh Day and legal aid-funded Public Interest Lawyers, the two law firms that represented the discredited Iraqis, make an ‘unequivocal apology’. But Phil Shiner’s PIL has refused to admit any wrongdoing. As it stands, PIL will receive around £3million for its work on the inquiry. Both firms are being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for alleged misconduct. Do you know the soldiers or their families forced to live under a cloud of suspicion and allegations for more than a decade? Please contact 0203 6151091 . Lawyer Phil Shiner has repeatedly been condemned for taking on legal aid clients to sue British institutions despite having flimsy cases. His firm, Public Interest Lawyers, has received around £3million in public money for the Al-Sweady Inquiry alone and has been involved in dozens of other such claims. It is still representing another 1,500 Iraqis who say they are the victims of British abuse. Birmingham-based Mr Shiner has also persuaded prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to probe Britain over claims of war crimes by troops. The 57-year-old set up PIL in 1999, shortly before the Human Rights Act came in. In 2004 Mr Shiner – who has links with the barristers' chambers of Tony Blair's wife Cherie Booth QC – was named 'Human Rights Lawyer of the Year'. But as recently as May, two High Court judges attacked his controversial firm for using thousands of pounds of taxpayer-funded legal aid to bring another worthless case to court. Lord Justice Moses and Mr Justice Collins called for powers to strip the practice of the legal aid fees it will be paid for trying to win compensation for a murderer complaining about not being allowed to vote while in jail. They said the claim made on behalf of Somali-born Dutch inmate Samson Teshome was 'absurd'. PIL had argued that as an EU citizen, convicted killer Teshome – who served 14 years for the murder of a fellow asylum seeker – should have been allowed to vote in local and EU parliamentary elections in 2012. Mr Shiner drew criticisim for persisting with the legal fight even after a Supreme Court judgment had removed any possibility of success. However, prosecutors in the Hague have launched a 'preliminary examination' into claims UK forces tortured and mistreated Iraqi prisoners between 2003 and 2008. It is the first time the ICC, which usually prosecutes blood-soaked dictators, has investigated Britain. Mr Shiner made more than 400 allegations of beating, sexual assault, mock executions and electric shocks of Iraqi captives. He has been criticised for sending representatives to Iraq to talk to people who claim to have been abused by British troops. | Soldiers and families left 'disturbed and 'angry' after Al-Sweady inquiry .
One mother of a British soldier said her son's treatment was 'disgraceful'
Military Cross winner Brian Wood said the Princess of Wales regiment had been dragged through 'five years of hell' by the Al-Sweady inquiry .
The five-year probe into alleged Iraq war crimes cost taxpayers £31million .
But yesterday British troops were cleared of the charges .
Cpl Wood said: 'We have been dragged through five years of hell. That in my view is a betrayal of our service. We did what we had to do as soldiers'
Do you know the soldiers or their families forced to live under a cloud of suspicion and allegations for more than a decade? contact 0203 6151091 . |
251,838 | d1f42481d53c404ab7fcf08eae93945503e0a08a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:00 EST, 12 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:51 EST, 13 June 2013 . A rock fan has been jailed for blasting out Pink Floyd hits in the middle of the night. Paul Foster, 51, was locked up for 28 days after breaching an injunction preventing him from playing loud music for the fifth time. Neighbours said Foster, of Chesterton, Staffordshire, would often play songs from albums such as The Dark Side Of The Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here. Stoke-on-Trent County Court heard how . one family even moved out of the area because they couldn’t put up with . the loud music - which also included late night love ballads. Paul Foster, 51, has been jailed for blasting out tunes from Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' and 'The Wall' On Tuesday Foster, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was jailed for breaching an injunction from playing loud music for the fifth time. Speaking after the hearing, Caroline Baggaley, Head of Aspire - the housing association that managed the property where Foster lived, said: 'We are pleased with the sentencing, as we do not tolerate antisocial behaviour - in particular noise nuisance. 'The vast majority of our customers have a quiet enjoyment of their homes and neighbourhoods and Aspire wants to ensure that everyone maintains this standard of conduct.' Brother, brother: Foster also enjoyed tunes by soul supremo Marvin Gaye, as well as Barry White . One neighbour, who did not wish to be . named, said after the case: 'Its been a nightmare. I like Pink Floyd as . much as the next man but not when it’s being played ten times a day . until 4am. 'He also seemed to like his late night . love ballads - I’ve lost track of the times I’ve heard Barry White and . Marvin Gaye coming from the house. 'But it was mainly Pink Floyd, and I think whenever I hear their songs again I’ll be climbing the walls. 'We just hope this teaches him a lessons and we can get a good night's sleep from now on.' Another neighbour, added: 'It’s been going on for years. He has probably lived here for about 20 years. 'The people who used to live next door to him moved out because they couldn’t stand the noise any more. It can go on all night. 'Most of the time he keeps himself to himself.' Foster was first hauled before the courts in September last year but then breached an ‘undertaking to his future conduct’ agreement on October 4 and December 1 last year. He was sentenced to 21 days in jail suspended for one year on January 17 and also served with an injunction banning him from causing nuisance noise. He breached the injunction on February 22 and was jailed for 63 days on March 20 when he admitted further breaches. Foster then breached the injunction again on May 30 despite spending time at at HMP Dovegate prison, in Staffordshire. | Paul Foster, 51, of Stoke-on-Trent, breached injunction for fifth time .
He has now been jailed for 28 days for blaring out iconic band's hits . |
78,953 | dfc8d3487e575a9aa684a6631ac87fad424163f0 | His dorky haircut, sweater-vest, puffy smile, squint and braces made him an unexpected online phenomenon - but the real-life 'Bad Luck Brian' is actually a church builder named Kyle. While his image is re-purposed constantly online by anyone wanting to illustrate the depths of incompetence or sheer misfortune, Kyle Craven, 25, quietly works away for the family construction business in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. His high school photo, taken when he was 16, is the visual accompaniment to jokes such as 'Wears bullet-proof vest... gets shot in the face', 'Has a pet rock... it runs away' and 'Hires life coach... benched'. Behind the meme: Kyle Craven, left in his normal life, found a joke yearbook photo (right) turned into a vision of incompetence and misfortune after it found its way online . It has also personally earned its star $20,000 in royalties from big-money ad campaigns in the United States and across the world, the Washington Post reported. The snap shot to fame after a friend uploaded it to the Reddit forum in 2012 and is struck a chord with the other users, and he joined the ranks of others whose images became inexplicably famous and repeated millions of times. Craven explained that he was a class clown and made the photo ridiculous on purpose - he bought the sweater from a thrift store, rubbed his cheeks red before posing then pulled a stupid face. Indeed, the picture was so obviously silly that the school principal wouldn't let it in the final cut of the yearbook. But Craven and a school pal, Ian Davies, took a digital copy of the picture that would eventually secure his fame - though it would take six years for Davies to eventually share it with the world. Lucrative: Exposing himself to mockery worldwide has brought in as much as $20,000 for Craven . 'Famous': Craven, seen here wearing a t-shirt of himself, has found himself less in demand of late - but still gets the occasional call . It made its way to t-shirts, stuffed animals and novelty items sold bu the likes of Wal-Mart and Hot Topic, while companies like Volkswagen, and others as far away as Chile and Poland paid up to use his pictures in their ad campaigns. The deals, which he negotiated himself, made him an estimated $20,000, and Craven tried to capitalize on his internet kudos even further by filming videos about his character. He even traveled to Los Angeles for a 'date' with another meme character - Laina Morris, or Overly Attached Girlfriend. While the two didn't fall in love, the resulting video was watched more than 2million times. But, he told the Post, his fame and profitability had an expiry date. While he first video was viewed 350,000 times, interest waned fast. His latest effort, from December old, has attracted an audience of fewer than 10,000, and his monthly Youtube earnings now rarely breach $100. Now that the internet has turned its attention elsewhere, Craven is left with his job as a project manager for church construction. He recently adopted a dog. He considers the picture 'something to show my grandkids one day' - and in the meantime does everything he can to give Brian one last outing whenever another fan comes calling. | Kyle Craven, 25, posed for purposefully ridiculous yearbook photo aged 16 .
Image was uploaded to Reddit in 2012 - and immediately shot to fame .
Is reposted with jokes and incompetence or downright bad luck .
Morphed into character called 'Bad Luck Brian', still popular today .
Licensing his image for ad campaigns has made Craven $20,000 .
But his latest efforts at perpetuating fame have not been met with acclaim .
Now focuses on working in family's building firm in Cuyahoaga Falls, Ohio . |
179,462 | 745ff597bf495cbb7b1fde41b5bfa5b90daa4d6e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:03 EST, 6 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:52 EST, 6 March 2014 . This starling bit off a little more than he could chew when he tried to scare a woodpecker from a bird feeder. The starling puffed out his chest and flapped his wings in an attempt to scare his rival away. But the woodpecker merely looked over before launching its own attack. Bird attack: This starling got a little more than he bargained for when he tried to take on a woodpecker on a bird feeder . Battle of the birds: The starling tried to scare the other bird away by puffing out his chest and flapping his wings, but the woodpecker merely looked over and launched his own attack . The confrontation came after the cold American winter had driven the Red-bellied Woodpecker to a garden feeder normally used by other birds. Photographer Dr Peter Allinson was on hand to witness the attack in his garden in Kingsville, Maryland. Dr Allinson, 64, said: 'It was the battle of the Red-bellied woodpecker and the European Starling, taken in my backyard. 'I have a backyard feeder set up and this year was a particularly cold and snowy one. Attack: Photographer Dr Peter Allinson was on hand to witness the incident in his garden in Kingsville, Maryland . Rivals: The confrontation came after the cold American winter had driven the Red-bellied Woodpecker to a garden feeder normally used by other birds . 'Lots of birds use the feeder on a daily basis. For the past month we have had lots of European starlings trying to monopolise the feeder. 'Earlier this week the red-bellied woodpecker was eating some suet when a starling tried to scare him away to get at the food. 'The woodpecker took one look and responded by attacking the other bird. 'While I did not see any blood and the starling survived, it was quite a show. 'I think you can say he certainly got his point across.' | Starling puffed out chest and flapped wings to scare woodpecker away .
But the woodpecker merely looked over and launched its own attack .
Photographer Dr Peter Allinson witnessed incident in his garden . |
97,221 | 091b71a70fe5ef40bf916a8a159409cb96222dbe | (CNN) -- Thailand's people are justifiably proud of their country, which, sandwiched as it is between historically powerful neighbors, has managed skillfully to play off its rivals and retain its independence. Known as the "land of smiles" to tourists but the "land of freedom" to those born in the country once known as Siam, its astute line of Chakri dynasty monarchs in the 18th and 19th century managed to juggle competing French and British colonial interests in the region. Thailand, as a result, is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power. In the 20th century, Thailand's independence has brought with it challenges that are still being resolved despite its rise to the forefront of the region's emerging economies. According to the World Bank, it is now second-largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. The 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been the head of state of Thailand for more than six decades. During the country's often-turbulent political history, he has acted as a force for continuity and tradition even when the country has lurched between political crises and military coups. From 1946, when he acceded to the throne, to the present, Bhumibol has reigned through more than 20 prime ministers, 17 military coups and 17 constitutions and steered the country through the destabilizing effects of the nearby Vietnam War during the 1960s and '70s. Over the years, the king has intervened periodically in political crises, using his influence to try to defuse situations that threatened to destabilize the country. For much of the first few decades of Bhumibol's reign, the running of the country was dominated by the Thai military and a bureaucratic elite, according to the U.S. State Department. Governments replaced one another through "a long series of mostly bloodless coups," it said. The painful and slow transition towards a more democratic government began in the 1970s. That process is still continuing today. Coups and continuation . From 1992 until this year Thailand is generally considered to have functioned as a democracy, according to the U.S. State Department. However, the current government is one run by the military and two military takeovers have occurred in the country since 2006. The first, a coup in September 2006, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and installed an unelected government for more than a year. Since then, pro-Thaksin forces -- whose "red shirt" supporters are largely drawn from the rural north of the country but also enjoy support from urban intellectuals -- have periodically engaged in large-scale protests. "Yellow shirt" opposition supporters have also taken to the streets in high numbers. There have been clashes, the most violent with security forces — the worst of which was a crackdown by security forces on red shirts in 2010 that left dozens dead. A series of anti-government protests and sporadic violent clashes on the streets of the capital Bangkok began in November 2013. In May this year, after months of civil unrest, Yingluck Shinawatra --Thaksin's sister -- was removed as prime minister after a Constitutional Court ruled that she had illegally transferred a government official. Later that month the Thai army enacted a coup and declared martial law. The general who led the coup, General Prayuth Chan-ocha is the current prime minister of an interim government. He was the sole candidate for the post and was selected by the country's National Legislative Assembly. Members of the assembly were chosen by Prayuth; more than half are also in the military. Economic growth . At the core of Thailand's current political fault line is the country's changing economic dynamic. Of the many changes that Thailand has undergone since Bhumibol came to the throne, the growth in the nation's economy is considered to be the most spectacular. Largely agrarian when he came to power, Thailand has since become an industrial and services sector giant in the region. It remains one of the world's top rice producers, is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations and is a regional manufacturing hub for the auto industry and for hi-tech electronics. However, with the largely rural and once-impoverished northeast of the country now at the center of a boom, its growing middle class in the rural region have been calling for greater political representation. Economic growth in the northeast Isaan region hit 40% between 2007 and 2011, compared with 23% for the rest of Thailand over that period and just 17% for greater Bangkok, according to government figures. Isaan, which once exported people to Bangkok and the rest of the world as cheap migrant labor, is seeing its workers return. While the World Bank predicts that Thailand is on track to meet most of its Millennium Development Goals -- including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and improving maternal health -- income inequality and a lack of equal opportunities persist, especially between Bangkok and the rest of the country. With an official unemployment figure of less than 1% of the population, Thailand could be seen as a model for other Southeast Asian countries. Yet the plight of the country's estimated two to three million migrant workers -- most of whom are from neighboring Myanmar and fill many low-paid, manual labor jobs -- has gained international attention. Most migrate willingly, but in June this year the U.S. downgraded Thailand to tier 3, the lowest level, in its annual Trafficking in Persons report. The downgrade means that Thailand has not met minimum standards in combating illegal migration and human trafficking and not made significant efforts to do so. In a letter to CNN, the Thai government said, "Thailand has been actively combating human trafficking and the issue remains a top priority for the current administration." Acknowledging the downgrade, they added, "Thailand will continue to do our utmost to combat human trafficking and illegal migration." Another ongoing challenge for the country is the Muslim separatist movement in the south of the country. Over 90% of Thailand's population is classified as Buddhist, yet in the southern regions of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla there is a Muslim majority -- Thailand government statistics put Thai Buddhists at just 6% of the region's population. Muslims there have complained this Buddhist minority dominates the region, and many Muslim hardliners view the education system as a tool of Thai colonialism. As such separatist groups have operated in the region for over 10 years, according to NGO Deep South Watch, that monitors the conflict. These politically motivated groups often target security officials and Thai government operations. According to the U.S. State Department, in March 2014, at least 50 violent incidents killed more than 30 people in these provinces; Deep South Watch put the cumulative deaths from related conflicts at around 5,500. The Thai government has stated in a letter to CNN that "the problems in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand have no direct linkage to religions ... [and] no direct linkage to any separatist movements." | Known as "land of smiles" to visitors, "land of freedom" to many Thais .
The only country in the region not to have been colonized by European powers .
Second largest economy in Southeast Asia .
King Bhumibol Adulyadej has reigned since 1946 . |
159,421 | 5a14732bbd763330d3012ed789ad3a46f921cae9 | It has covered over 25 miles (40 km) on Mars, setting a new off-Earth driving record. Now, however, Nasa operators have found the Opportunity rover's memory is beginning to fail. They plan to wipe it completely in a bid to fix the bugs and restore the rover to its sprightly best. Opportunity on Earth before its launch in 2003. The rover's memory is now failing, causing operators to begin planning to totally reset it. Flash memory retains data even when power is off. It is the type used for storing photos and songs on smart phones or digital cameras, among many other uses. Individual cells within a flash memory sector can wear out from repeated use. Reformatting clears the memory while identifying bad cells and flagging them to be avoided. An increasing frequency of computer resets has prompted the rover team to make plans to reformat the rover's flash memory. The resets, including a dozen this month, interfere with the rover's planned science activities, even though recovery from each incident is completed within a day or two. 'Worn-out cells in the flash memory are the leading suspect in causing these resets,' said John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, project manager for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project. 'The flash reformatting is a low-risk process, as critical sequences and flight software are stored elsewhere in other non-volatile memory on the rover.' Flash memory retains data even when power is off. It is the type used for storing photos and songs on smart phones or digital cameras, among many other uses. Individual cells within a flash memory sector can wear out from repeated use. Reformatting clears the memory while identifying bad cells and flagging them to be avoided. Nasa's other rovers have had similar problems. The project landed twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity on Mars in early 2004 to begin missions planned to last only three months. One of Opportuniy's first pics from Mars: On Friday, 30 January 2004, Nasa released this image of the rover with its lander petal extended in preparation for the rover to egress from the lander. The project landed twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity on Mars in early 2004 to begin missions planned to last only three months. Spirit worked for six years, and Opportunity is still active. Findings about ancient wet environments on Mars have come from both rovers.The project reformatted the flash memory on Spirit five years ago to stop a series of amnesia events Spirit had been experiencing. The reformatting planned for early next month will be the first for Opportunity. Even after the rover has been active for more than a decade and is currently about 125 million miles (about 200 million kilometers) from JPL, the rover team can still perform this type of upkeep. Earlier this month is captured the record for longest distance traveled on an extraterrestrial world . Since May 1973 the record for the longest distance traveled on an extraterrestrial world has been held by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 moon rover, which covered 24 miles (39 kilometres). But that record stands no more as Nasa’s Opportunity rover is now reported to have covered over 25 miles (40 km) on Mars, setting a new off-Earth driving record. And in more than ten years on the surface the rover is still going strong, despite initially being planned only to travel 0.62 miles (one kilometre). 'Opportunity has driven farther than any other wheeled vehicle on another world,' said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas, of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Nasa's Opportunity rover, illustration shown, has now traveled over 25 miles (40 kilometres) on Mars. The distance, which has taken 10 years, is a new record for off-Earth driving. The previous record was held by the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 2 moon rover, which covered 24 miles (39 kilometres) on the lunar surface . On average the red planet is 141.6 million miles (227.9 million kilometres) from the sun. With a diameter of 4,222 miles it’s around half the size of Earth. It’s absolutely freezing there, with an average temperature of -65°C (-85°F). Gravity is much less powerful - slightly less than 40 per cent of ours. The atmosphere is desperately thin - one per cent of Earth’s pressure - and not very nice for us humans because 95 per cent of it is carbon dioxide. It boasts the solar system’s biggest mountain - Olympus Mons, a dead volcano. The planet's red colouring comes from the iron oxide that coats its surface. Mars also has huge amounts of ice at its polar caps. If they melted, it would cover the whole planet in water 36 feet (11 metres) deep, according to Nasa. 'This is so remarkable considering Opportunity was intended to drive about one kilometer [0.62 miles] and was never designed for distance. 'But what is really important is not how many miles the rover has racked up, but how much exploration and discovery we have accomplished over that distance.' A drive of 157 feet (48 metres) on 27 July put Opportunity's total odometry at 25.01 miles (40.25 kilometers). This month's driving brought the rover southward along the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover had driven more than 20 miles (32 km) before arriving at Endeavour Crater in 2011, where it has examined outcrops on the crater’s rim containing clay and sulfate-bearing minerals. The sites are yielding evidence of ancient environments with less acidic water than those examined at Opportunity’s landing site. If the rover can continue to operate the distance of a marathon - 26.2 miles (about 42.2 km) - it will approach the next major investigation site mission scientists have dubbed 'Marathon Valley'. Observations from spacecraft orbiting Mars suggest several clay minerals are exposed close together at this valley site, surrounded by steep slopes where the relationships among different layers may be evident. Nasa's . Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, working on Mars since January 2004, . passed 25 miles of total driving on 27 July 2014. The gold line on this . map shows Opportunity's route from the landing site inside Eagle Crater . (upper left) to its location after the 27 July drive . This chart provides a comparison of the distances driven by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of Mars and Earth's moon. Of the vehicles shown, Nasa's Mars rovers Opportunity and Curiosity are still active and the totals listed are distances driven as of 28 July 2014 . The Russian Lunokhod 2 rover, model shown, landed on Earth's moon on 15 January 1973, where it drove about 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) in less than five months, according to calculations recently made using images from Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) cameras that revealed its tracks . 'The Lunokhod missions still stand as two signature accomplishments of what I think of as the first golden age of planetary exploration, the 1960s and '70s,' said Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and principal investigator for Nasa's twin Mars rovers, Opportunity and Spirit. 'We’re in a second golden age now, and what we’ve tried to do on Mars with Spirit and Opportunity has been very much inspired by the accomplishments of the Lunokhod team on the moon so many years ago. 'It has been a real honor to follow in their historical wheel tracks.' As Opportunity neared the mileage record earlier this year, the rover team chose the name Lunokhod 2 for a crater about 20 feet (6 metres) in diameter on the outer slope of Endeavour's rim on Mars. The Mars Exploration Rover Project is one element of Nasa's ongoing and future Mars missions preparing for a human mission to the planet in the 2030s. | Nasa planning to reformat rover's memory .
Computers reset themselves a dozen times last month .
Nasa's Opportunity rover has now traveled over 25 miles (40 km) on Mars .
Opportunity landed on Mars on 25 January 2004 and is still going strong .
It was initially intended to last just a few months and travel 0.62 miles (1 km) |
221,422 | aaa06f143611eac9c903a59b17337bc02224f9cb | (CNN) -- The entire population of Taloga, Oklahoma, was evacuated Thursday because of a raging fire that has burned tens of thousands of acres, officials said Friday. Wildfire threatens a house in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Friday. All of the residents, about 400, left the Dewey County town, but have been allowed back in, said Bill Challis with the fire department in Clinton, Oklahoma, south of Taloga. Clinton is among dozens of fire departments helping battle the blaze. Wildfires have been burning in northwest and central Oklahoma since Thursday, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. A large wildfire also came within inches of homes north of Edmond late Friday morning and was still burning during the noon hour, CNN affiliate KOCO reported. Oklahoma Department of Public Safey officials also report that one to two city blocks of Weleetka, in Okfuskee County, were on fire, according to KOCO. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the state's request for federal assistance for fighting the wildfire in Dewey County, where Taloga is located. The original call about the Taloga fire came in Thursday at about 12:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET), Challis said. Officials don't know how the fire started. Brett Russell, also with the Clinton Fire Department, said about 60,000 acres have burned. There are no reports of anyone injured. As of about 11 a.m. Friday (12 p.m. ET), the Taloga fire was about 50 to 60 percent contained. About 80 fire departments helping battle the blaze, Russell told CNN. An Oklahoma Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was helping with aerial fire suppression, according to the state. | All residents of Taloga, Oklahoma, were evacuated because of fire .
Entire population of about 400 people allowed back in .
Wildfires have been burning in northwest and central Oklahoma since Thursday .
Wildfire also burning near towns of Edmond, Waleeka . |
31,508 | 599fb28f6db2ff9869027dcd44d2644eed6eac89 | By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 04:02 EST, 4 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:34 EST, 4 March 2013 . A man locked in his eighth-floor apartment by his wife tried to escape by climbing from the window using bed sheets tied together. The Estonian man, 35, is lucky to be alive after he was seen climbing down the makeshift rope and had successfully climbed down one storey when the bed sheets gave way in Lasnamäe, in the Tallinn district, Estonia. He told police that his wife had locked him in the apartment but that he wanted to go meet his friends and so had decided to escape. Great escape attempt: An eyewitness captured the dramatic moments as a man attempted to escape from his eighth-floor apartment using bed sheets tied together. He managed to climb one floor down before his makeshift rope gave way . Eyewitness Yekaterina Horoshko caught the dramatic escape attempt on camera as he fell about 70 feet. She told Postimees: ‘He began descending from the eighth story. He succeeded climbing one storey down, but the sheet didn’t withstand the weight at the seventh storey.’ The man fell into bushes at the bottom of the apartment block but was able to walk to the ambulance when it arrived. Police spokesman Ilmar Kahro said: ‘The . man said his wife locked him in. Wanting to go meet his friends, he . decided to escape from the apartment with a rope made from bed sheets.’ Locked up: The man told police that his wife had locked him in the apartment and that he wanted to see his friends and so decided to scale the side of the building . In another escape attempt caught on camera, teenager Jacob Gutierrez hung on to a chair-lift for six minutes before falling 45 feet onto the rocky, snow-capped mountains below after he lost his footing. He was left with liver damage, a broken skull and collapsed lung in the fall on February 2 as he fooled around trying to throw a snowball at friends on another chair. The terrifying moment has been watched by more than 1.6million people on YouTube. | The Estonian man is lucky to be alive after he fell seven storeys into bushes .
He managed to climb down one floor before the bed sheets gave way .
The 35-year-old told police he was locked in but wanted to meet his friends . |
225,474 | aff65d4c6a35bf65bcfa7b3c53d18b5ad99f9bf3 | By . Eddie Wrenn . This is the moment Jupiter was struck by a mighty meteorite yesterday - and our only record of it is this image, captured by a lone webcam chugging away in the early hours of the morning. As the people of Earth carried out their lives unawares, it seems our gas giant neighbour took a forceful blow to the side at about 11.35am GMT yesterday. Amateur astronomer George Hall, from Dallas, captured the flash on video at 5:35am CET - but he only went to check his footage after hearing online that another astronomer, watching the planet with his own eyes, saw the huge explosion bloom out of Jupiter in the blink of an eye. What a moment: Jupiter was struck by an asteroid yesterday, as confirmed by this image and a separate eye-witness . Now astronomers are waiting for the planet to swing back round - to see if Jupiter has been scarred by the impact. If it has, a black smudge is likely to appear on the 'clouds' of the planet, a distinctive mark to go alongside the Red Spot - Jupiter's giant storm. Jupiter has been known as the 'cosmic vacuum cleaner' of the solar system. The planet's mass and large orbit sweeps up the scattered meteors . that are relics from the early days of our solar system formation, with the planet . either 'taking the bullet' itself, or deflecting orbits away from the . inner planets. Many astronomers believe life would not have got . started on Earth with Jupiter's influence - and before our solar system . settled down, Earth was frequently bombarded with giant impacts. Jupiter has taken many a hit from the rocks that maraude their way through the solar system - remnants from the early days of the solar system when rocks would co-coalesce to form our planets. Asteroid impacts were reported in 2009 and 2010 - and in 1994, the string of comets known as Shoemaker-Levy ploughed into the planet, offering us an eerie glimpse of what happens in during such colossal impacts. George Hall, who blogs about his images, who went back through the footage recorded by his telescope overnight to find the impact, said: It's kind of a scary proposition to see how often Jupiter gets hit.' His image was captured by a 12-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and a Point Grey Flea3 video camera attached to capture imagery for a composite picture of Jupiter. He said: 'Jupiter happens to be ideally positioned at about 6 o'clock in the morning - it's right overhead.' The flare lasted just two seconds - and Halls' equipment happened to capture the shot at exactly the right moment for the above image. 1994: Marks from the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on the clouds of Jupiter, about two hours after impact . Shoemaker-Levy: The pieces of the comet all hit at roughly the same spot but at different times, and the planet rotated beneath it, the impact sites are spread along like a string of pearls . In many ways it is pure chance the flash was captured. Astronomer Dan Petersen saw the impact live and reported it on the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers' Jupiter forum. Hall visited the forum, saw the report, and decided to check his footage. He said: 'I decided to just observe on this particular morning. 'Had I been . imaging I probably would have missed it while playing with webcam . settings and focusing.' He told NBC: 'I never would have looked' if he hadn't heard the buzz on the forums, but luckily he checked his records for the same time reported by Petersen - 6:35am CT, 7:35 am ET, or 11:35 GMT - and found the image, appearing in just one frame. Later today as Jupiter's spin turns the right part of the planet's face back to Earth, astronomers will hunt out any visible signs of the impact. However, as Hall told, he will probably be in bed at the time. 'I'm almost 70 years old, he said. 'And it takes a lot out of me to get up at 4:30 or 5.' Hopefully, there will be a smear. If not, there would have been no record of the cosmic impact - other than in the eyeballs of an amateur astronomer, and a blurry still captured on a webcam. | Jupiter was hit during the day yesterday - but it apparently went unobserved from Earth .
...except for one astronomer, Dan Petersen, who saw the flash with his own eyes .
When Petersen reported the sighting on a web forum, amateur astronomer George Hall checked his overnight footage . |
261,789 | df0c36c968e152b9cc5c92612c7c6ab3d199642f | By . Ruth Sunderland, Associate City Editor . London is now ‘a country of its own’ with property prices in a different league to the rest of the nation after home values in the capital rose by nearly 30 per cent last year. Property prices surged by 29.5 per cent to an average of £473,500 in the 12 months to the end of March, according to estate agency chain Haart. It means that a typical house or flat in the capital has risen by nearly £108,000 in just one year, compared with an average London salary of £36,000. A typical house or flat in the capital has risen by nearly £108,000 in just one year, compared with an average London salary of £36,000 (File picture) West London, including upmarket areas such as Notting Hill and Kensington, is the biggest hotspot, with prices surging by nearly 63 per cent annually and by nearly 6 per cent alone in February. Prices in the capital are rising at a much higher rate than in the provinces due to an influx of wealthy overseas buyers, who see prime London property as a safe haven for their money. The number of new buyers in London was up by a third and the number of first time purchasers rose by just under 44 per cent annually, despite the financial difficulties for many young people of getting a foot on the ladder. ‘London is now a country of its own in property market terms,’ said Paul Smith, the chief executive of Haart. ‘Foreign investment continues to flood in – people know there is no more lucrative place in the world to invest your money and see outstanding returns.’ ‘Growth is spreading like glue across the country, too,’ he added. Kensington & Chelsea in west London is a hotspot for expensive houses - this one sold for £17m (File picture) Home values nationwide rose by 7.4 per cent to £195,511, but by 9.8 per cent for first time buyers to £159,749, according the Haart figures, drawn from reports from more than 100 agencies across the country. The heady increases are being driven by an imbalance of supply and demand. The number of new properties for sale went up by just 1.8 per cent over the year, but that was heavily outstripped by a 24.5 per cent increase in the number of new buyers. ‘Open house weekends are now commonplace,‘ said Smith. ‘We hold around 240 every weekend.’ The latest housing market statistics from Haart, the UK’s largest independent network of estate agents, come hard on the heels of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week showing house price inflation of 17.7 per cent in London and 9.7 per cent across England as a whole. In parts of the country, however, growth is still much slower. The ONS found Scotland clocked up an increase of just 2.4 per cent, Northern Ireland registered 2.8 per cent and there was a rise of just 2.9 per cent in the Northeast. Government measures to assist first-time buyers, such as the Help to Buy scheme, which offers subsidies on property purchases up to £600,000, have been blamed for creating the risk of a new housing bubble. In parts of the country, however, growth is still much slower. Scotland saw an increase of just 2.4 per cent, Northern Ireland 2.8 per cent and just 2.9 per cent in the North East (File picture) Dr Howard Archer, the chief European and UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said that talk of a bubble in London is ‘already fully justified’ and added that concerns are being stoked about a general bubble across the country as price rises become more widespread. The International Monetary Fund earlier this month urged the Bank of England to be vigilant over rapidly rising house prices. Jose Vinals, the fund’s head of financial stability, said that the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee needs to make a judgment ‘at some stage’ to intervene to cool down the housing market. | Average property in the capital now costs £473,500 .
West London is biggest hotspot with prices .
surging by nearly 63% annually .
Prices rose just 2.4% in Scotland, 2.8% in N Ireland and 2.9% in Northeast . |
235,086 | bc4fdd2926678dd4073ad722be23bf0bf456665d | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 06:32 EST, 27 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:33 EST, 27 February 2013 . Most of us assume that sex is the last thing on the minds of sleep-deprived new mothers. But new research suggests that nearly half wait just six weeks after giving birth to rekindle the romance. Australian researchers found that 41 per cent tried sex within six weeks of giving birth. By 12 weeks, this had risen to 78 per cent and 94 pent by the six-month mark. Nearly half of first-time mothers wait just six weeks after giving birth to have sex again . Older mothers and those who had undergone Caesarean sections took longer to get their sex lives back on track. Those who had sex within six weeks of birth were less likely to have undergone surgery or a forceps delivery or suffered an injury such as a cut or a tear during birth. Forty five per cent of women who had a Caesarean section, and 32 per cent of women who had a forceps-assisted birth resumed sex within six week, compared with 60 per cent who had a normal vaginal delivery. However, the paper also states that only . about 10 per cent of women having a first baby will achieve a vaginal . birth without intervention, tear or cut. The proportion of women having sex . within six weeks of childbirth is also lower among older mothers; 40 per cent of 30 to 34-year-olds resumed sex . within six weeks, compared to 63 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds. The research, which was carried out . by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, in Victoria, Australia, . also found that sexual activity was resumed earlier than vaginal sex – . 53 per cent of new mothers resumed some sexual activity within six weeks . of giving birth. Those who had sex within six weeks of birth were less likely to have undergone surgery or a forceps delivery . The study was published in the leading journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The NHS does not give a recommended . waiting time after birth – it suggests that new parents take their time . and wait until they feel comfortable resuming penetrative sex. Lead study author, Associate . Professor Stephanie Brown, said: ‘The most important . finding from the study is the wide time interval over which couples . resume sex after childbirth. ‘Most couples do not resume sex until after 6 to 8 weeks postpartum, and many delay much longer than this. ‘This . is useful information for couples to know before their baby is born, . and may help reduce feelings of anxiety and guilt about not resuming . sexual activity sooner.’ John Thorp, BJOG Deputy Editor in Chief said: ‘It is very common for women and their partners to want information about when sexual activity may be safely and comfortably resumed, and what to expect in relation to the impact of childbirth on their relationship. ‘Having reliable information to guide clinical practice can dispel common myths about what is normal during the postnatal period as well as enabling clinicians to tailor information to a woman’s individual circumstances. ‘This study provides important new evidence to guide information given to women and their partners about what to expect after childbirth. However, it is important to remember that these decisions are down to the individual couple and when it feels right for them.' However, the National Childbirth Trust recommends that new mothers do not have sex until their post-birth bleeding stops because they otherwise risk infection. | 41 per cent of women try sex within six weeks of birth .
By 12 weeks, this had risen to 78 per cent and 94 per cent after six months, claim Australian researchers .
Older mothers and those who have Caesareans take longer to resume sexual relations . |
137,618 | 3dfa17d347f8f6a92ab3a3a68807834c2fae5f82 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 06:00 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:06 EST, 10 December 2013 . lululemon founder Chip Wilson has stepped down . Weeks after suggesting that women's fat thighs were to blame for his line of yoga pants becoming too sheer, the boss of lululemon has announced his resignation. Chip Wilson, lululemon's founder and the Chairman of its Board of Directors, has informed his company that he will step down. The athletic company boss sparked outrage over his comments about women's bodies in November when he blamed their bodies for his yoga pants not working well. Now he has stepped down - although his company say his resignation is unrelated to his former remarks. In a company statement a spokesman said: 'Chip Wilson, lululemon's founder and the Chairman of its Board of Directors, informed the Board of Directors that he is resigning from the position of non-executive Chairman. 'Mr. Wilson will step down from the role effective prior to the company's annual meeting in June 2014. 'Mr. Wilson will retain a seat on the Board of Directors.' They also announced that he would be replaced by . Lululemon claims the search for a new CEO was 'unrelated' to Wilson's resignation, the Huffington Post reported. Scroll down for video . Weeks after suggesting that women's fat thighs were to blame for his line of yoga pants becoming too sheer, the boss of Lululemon has announced his resignation . He said in a Bloomberg interview about Lululemon's faulty yoga pants: 'Frankly, some women's bodies just don't actually work.' Mr Wilson, along with his co-founder and wife Shannon Wilson, made the remarks as their company released its Full-On Luon pants, a style which claims to have 'major support and coverage'. When speaking about how some customers' complained about the pants' fabric pilling, Mr Wilson continued: 'It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time and how they much they use it.' In his apology video, Mr Wilson looks earnestly at the camera, seemingly emotional as he expresses his regret. 'I'm sad. I'm really sad. I'm sad for the repercussions of my actions,' he says. Following his interview, women's legs got Lululemon in trouble again after a Maryland store posted a poem in its window rhyming 'apple pies' with 'rubbing thighs' He then takes a deep breath as he appeals to loyal customers to have faith in the company. 'For all of you that have made Lululemon what it is today, I ask you to stay in a conversation that is above the fray,' he says. 'I ask you to prove that the culture that you have built cannot be chipped away. Thank you.' Following his apology, women's legs got Lululemon in trouble again after a Maryland store posted a poem in its window rhyming 'apple pies' with 'rubbing thighs' in December. The controversial display in the yoga-wear brand's Bethesda store comes just weeks after the company's founder suggested his customers' ample thighs were responsible for their pants being see-through. The poem, which reads: 'Cups of Chai/Apple Pies/Rubbing thighs?' was spotted by an outraged onlooker at a store in Bethesda, who then tweeted it, prompting Lululemon to apologize and take it down. 'We're deeply sorry, the display is being taken down. We celebrate that thighs rub together - ours do too,' the company wrote online. | The company say Chip Wilson's remarks were unrelated to his resignation . |
239,995 | c2b2579708fbd236c0964b5b9132e0c274bb1fcb | By . Matt Blake . The Australian radio DJ who asked prime minister Julia Gillard live on air if her live-in partner is gay simply because he is a hairdresser has been sacked. Howard Sattler sparked outrage yesterday during the drive-time interview on 6PR when he ambushed Miss Gillard into discussing the sexuality of Tim Mathieson, with whom she has been in a relationship since 2006. Furious bosses at the station in Perth, Western Australia, immediately hauled Sattler before them for a hairdryer treatment of his own before terminating his contract with immediate effect. The incident again thrusts Australian radio into the global spotlight, a week after a DJ behind last year's prank call on the Duchess of Cambridge's hospital that lead to a nurse's suicide not only kept his job but won a top award for his stunt as well. Scroll down for video. Questions: Miss Gillard Was taken aback when she was asked in a radio interview whether her partner Tim Mathieson was gay because he was a hairdresser . It has been an awkward week for Australia's first female prime minister, who expressed 'deep shock' on Wednesday after . it . emerged a dinner menu drawn up by the opposition Liberal Party . included a dish called 'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail', . described as 'small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box' 6PR general manager Martin Boylen apologised 'unreservedly' for Saddler's offensive line of questioning today, telling listeners: 'In the wake of yesterday’s interview, Radio 6PR suspended Mr Sattler from broadcasting pending a review of the matter today. 'The station has now decided to terminate Mr Sattler’s engagement effective immediately.' The light-hearted interview appeared to be going well before it nosedived when Sattler demanded to know Mr Mathieson's true sexual preference, citing 'rumours' on the internet as his source. 'That's absurd,' Miss Gillard responded sharply. But the interviewer was not going to drop the subject, after earlier asking the Labour leader about the sexist menu. Australian DJs Mel Greig (right) and Michael Christian (left) were responsible for hoax calls to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge . Nurse Jacintha Saldanha (left) was found hanged . three days after the hoax call. Mr Christian (right) has now been named . 'next top jock' at his radio station and said he was 'at the top of my . game' 'But you hear it,' said Mr Sattler, quoting what people were saying: 'He must be gay, he's a hairdresser. Miss Gillard made it clear that she was not going to be drawn in to the rumours Mr Sattler said were being bandied about. 'I mean, Howard, I don't know if every silly thing that gets said is going to be repeated to me now,' she said. Howard Sattler's dismissal will raise eyebrows among some after one of the DJs behind the prank call on the Duchess of Cambridge's hospital . that lead to the suicide of one of its nurses not only kept his job but even won an award for the stunt. Michael Christian, who paired with Mel Greig during the hoax on Australia's 2Day FM, has been named the 'next top jock' of the station and now describes himself as being 'at the top of my game.' His comments come despite the fact that the nurse who took his initial call Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was later found hanged. Along with the award he won a trip to Los Angeles. In a statement after receiving the gong, Christian said: 'From the start, I felt like I had something to prove to myself... Regardless of all that's happened in the past few months, I'm still at the top of my game. 'So it felt good to see my name at the top of the final leader board!' Christian . and Greig called King Edward VII hospital where the Duchess of . Cambridge was being treated last December pretending to be the Queen and . Prince Charles. Mrs . Saldanha failed to see their poor impersonations and transferred them . through to another nurse who revealed some details about her condition. She was found dead three days later. 'To all the hairdressers out there, including the men who are listening, I don't think in life one can actually look at a whole profession full of different human beings and say "Gee, we know something about every one of those human beings."' Mr Sattler reminded the Prime Minister that he had been promised a candid interview with her, asking: 'You can confirm that he's not (gay)?' 'Oh Howard, don't be ridiculous, of course he is not,' said the British-born Prime Minister. 'But you're in a heterosexual relationship?' he pressed. 'That's all I'm asking.' She replied: 'Howard, let me just bring you back to earth - you and I have just talked about me and Tim living at the lodge. We live there together as a couple, you know that.' And today Miss Gillard refused to answer reporters' questions on the affair, saying: 'I'm aware that a number of you want to ask questions in relation to yesterday's interview. 'I'm not intending to make any comments on that interview.'' However, she added she was concerned such questioning could have a negative effect on women and girls who enter public life. 'I don't want to see a message like that sent to young girls,' Ms Gillard said. 'I want young girls and women to be able to feel like they can be included in public life and not have to face questioning like the questioning I faced yesterday.' Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that many women in public office faced a 'significant demeaning attitude, sexist questions, invasive questioning'. 'It's got to stop because we want women in public office, we want women to step up and be part of a decision-making of this country... [but] women and young women are put off by what they see.' The astonishing interview had begun with Mr Sattler telling Miss Gillard that she had been the butt of rumours and snide jokes many times, to which she she said that was probably right. When he asked if he could test a few out and she asked in what way, he said: 'Tim's gay.' After telling the radio host that the suggestion was ridiculous she said: 'Yes, on the internet, you know, there are lots of, you know, what I've referred to in the past as nutjobs and I'm happy to use the expression again - people who peddle and circulate vile and offensive things.' Bloggers later pointed out that the questions had put Miss Gillard off guard - she told Mr Sattler that the general election was on September 12 when it is actually being held on September 14. Mr Mathieson is divorced with four adult children, three born during his marriage and one who he fathered in his late teens. Stunt: In a vulgar incident earlier this week it emerged that a dinner menu drawn up by the opposition Liberal Party included a dish called 'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail', described as 'small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box' Furious: Former Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (right), who was also . targeted in the menu, described the stunt as a 'snide, dirty and sexist . trick' He began dating Miss Gillard in 2006 and has been her partner ever since. It has not been an easy week for Miss Gillard. In a vulgar incident earlier this week . it . emerged that a dinner menu drawn up by the opposition Liberal Party . included a dish called 'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail', . described as 'small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box'. Details of the menu at . a fundraising event in Brisbane were revealed after Miss Gillard's . warning that if her Labour Party lost the general election in September, . the incoming Liberals would be 'dominated by men in blue ties' and . women would be given only minor roles. | Howard Sattler asked if Tim Mathieson is gay because he is a hairdresser .
He made the gaffe during a live interview on radio station 6PR in Perth .
Comes a week after DJ behind Duchess of Cambridge prank won top award .
Gillard today: 'I want girls to feel included and not face such questions' |
284,240 | fc42604e9a16da471df2c17ec44a090e5086a317 | As new information continues to pour in about Wednesday's tragic shooting in Canada, gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau's reasons for killing a solider and opening fire on Parliament still remain very much unclear. A 2011 court statement from Zehaf-Bibeau could shed some light on the attacker's past - and perhaps his motivations - as it was revealed today he had recently applied for a passport and planned to travel to Syria after undergoing a 'radicalization process'. Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo at a national war memorial in the capital Ottawa on Wednesday before racing through the parliament building where he was shot dead near where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was meeting with lawmakers. It has emerged that, three years ago, he begged prosecutors to put him in jail to help him beat his drug addiction. Scroll down for video . Troubled man: Michael Zehaf-Bibeau (above in a high school yearbook photo) fought an addiction to drugs over the past decade, one he thought he could overcome with jail time . No proof: While may said Zehaf-Bibeau had terrorist ties following his shooting spree in Ottawa Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird currently says there is 'no evidence' of this . Zehaf-Bibeau walked into a Royal Mounted Canadian Police station on December 15, 2011, and asked to be put in jail for an armed robbery he committed ten years prior. 'I went to see the RCMP, I told them, 'just put me in so I could do my time for what I confessed,'' said Zehaf-Bibeau, in audio tapes obtained by CBC. 'They couldn't. So, I warned them, 'if you can't keep me in, I'm going to do something right now just to be put in.' So I went to do another robbery just so I could come to jail.' That robbery happened just hours later, when he went into a McDonald's with nothing but a sharpened stick and demanded all the money in the cash register. Police who arrested him on the scene said he seemed 'happy.' He then told the judge at his hearing, which happened after the incident at McDonald's but was for a likely parole violation stemming from a different robbery charge that occurred in Quebec and for which he had already served two years, 'I'm a crack addict and at the same time I'm a religious person, so I want to sacrifice freedom and good things for a year maybe, so when I come out, I'll appreciate the things of life more and be clean.' He added, 'The reason I am here is because I wanted to come in. The police said they couldn't keep me, so I went to do a crime to come to jail. So if you release me what's going to happen again? Probably the same loop and I'm going to be right back here again.' Vancouver home: Zehaf-Bibeau was staying at The Beacon (above), a homeless shelter, while living in Vancouver . Ottawa home: He was last staying at the Ottawa Mission (above), a shelter in Ottawa . Oddly enough, the prosecutor said Zehaf-Bibeau had already served his time and should not be allowed to go to prison, but the judge agreed to put him away, initially just over the holidays, and he stayed there, it appears, until his hearing in February 2012 involving the incident at McDonald's. At the time, Zehaf-Bibeau thanked the judge, and said, 'Perfect.' In the McDonald's case however, they could only charge Zehaf-Bibeau with uttering threats and, having already served 66 days in prison since December, he received just one additional day. The judge said to him, 'Good luck sir.' It comes as police revealed he had recently applied for a passport, planning to travel to Syria after undergoing a 'radicalization process.' Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, was a Canadian who may also have held Libyan citizenship, said Bob Paulson, commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He said the suspect had no apparent links to another Canadian who killed a soldier in Quebec earlier in the week. 'We need to investigate and understand his radicalization process. He is an interesting individual in that he had a very well-developed criminality,' Paulson said. 'There is no one path or one formula to radicalization.' He had recently applied for a passport and had arrived in Ottawa on Oct. 2 to try to speed that process, but checks by the RCMP did not turn up any evidence of national security-related criminality despite criminal records indicating infractions related to drugs, violence and other criminal activities, Paulson said. In mourning: The Canadian flag flew at half-mast today in memory of Wednesday's tragedy . Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has said there is 'no evidence' linking Zehaf-Bibeau to a wider group, or network, of jihadists. What there is plenty of evidence of however, after multiple interviews with people who knew the 32-year-old shooter, is his struggle with drugs, and his desperate desire to kick his addictions. Abdel Kareem Abubakir, who became close with Muslim convert Zehaf-Bibeau as a result of their shared faith when they both lived at the same shelter, the Ottawa Mission, told the Globe and Mail, 'For two weeks he was communicative, but then when he collapsed into drugs, he became isolated.' He added, 'His intention was to get passport and get home. He had to stay away from drugs.' Zehaf-Bibeau, as it has been reported, was unable to get his passport to travel to the Middle East. Another man, who wished to remain anonymous and lived with Zehaf-Bibeau at The Beacon, a shelter in Vancouver, British Columbia, said that he met him in 2012 as he was in detox 'fighting off an addiction to crack cocaine and heroin.' He said Zehaf-Bibeau relied on 'constant prayer' to fight off addictions. Sneaking off: It was also revealed he was asked to leave his mosque, Masjid al Salaam (above), for sleeping there without permission, not extremist views . It has also been revealed that the young man was not asked to leave his mosque, Masjid al Salaam, in Barnaby, British Columbia, because he had any extremist views, but rather because he had begun sleeping there without permission. 'At some point, when he got in trouble with the law, and he didn't have a place to go to, he started sleeping at the mosque without any authorization,' said Aasim Rashid, a member of the British Columbia Muslim Association. 'When the mosque administration found out it, they asked him to leave immediately and asked him never to do that again.' The young man apparently stole the keys despite these instructions, and soon the locks were changed and he was told to never return. Rashid said there were no signs of 'radicalized behavior,' and had there been, members of the mosque would have noticed immediately as they 'don't tolerate that kind of extremist mindset.' What this reasoning does not explain however, if true, is why the young man would choose to commit such a horrific act if all he desired was to be put in jail. | Canadian gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau asked the RCMP to put him in jail in 2011 for an armed robbery he claimed to have committed 10 years prior .
When they refused he said if they did not, he was going to do something 'just to get put in,' and hours later tried to rob a McDonald's .
He then appeared in court a few days later, for a hearing on a previous robbery in Quebec, and begged the judge to put him away so he could 'overcome his crack addiction'
The prosecutor in the case said he should not go away, but he managed to spend 66 days in prison after pleading with the judge .
This comes as Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird says there is currently 'no evidence' of any terrorist ties in the shooting .
It is also now being reported he was asked to leave his mosque for sleeping there without permission, not for having extreme views .
Police reveal he had applied for passport and planned to go to Syria . |
71,563 | cad250f137167336769f51beb87cff6dfcd2358e | Miss Lebanon has today claimed that her rival Miss Israel had been chasing her for days before finally ambushing her in a Miss Universe selfie that sparked outrage in her own country. The photograph which emerged earlier this week sent shockwaves through the home country of Lebanese beauty Saly Greige because the two countries are still officially at war. The selfie, taken in Miami at the Miss Universe pageant, led to Saly being accused of being unpatriotic - but now she is hitting back. Scroll down for video . Controversial: The group selfie was taken by Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, left, forcing Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, second from left, to publicly apologise . Plot: Saly's agent now claims it was part of a wider conspriacy to embarrass her dating back to November . Her agent claims that Saly had to 'run away' on a number of occasions because she was persistently chased by Israeli Doron Matalon - who was 'desperate' to capture the image. Richard Pharaon claims it was part of a wider plot to embarrass the Lebanese beauty dating back to November in London, when a different Miss World representative for Israel also tried to hunt down a selfie with Miss Lebanon. He said: 'It was 100 per cent deliberate. I can confirm that it was organised and planned since November 2014. 'Miss Israel was trying from the beginning to reach Saly and to have a selfie with her during the 20 days they stayed there. 'They were both sitting together once at the Marriott Hotel and Miss Israel came and asked Saly to have a selfie with her. 'Saly refused, of course, since she's perfectly aware of the conflict with Israel, and the whole situation in Lebanon.' Mr Pharaon claims that Miss Greige, 25, was often forced to run away from Matalon, 21, due to her constant requests for a photograph together. 'Sad': Miss Israel Doron Matalon said in response: 'Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game' Threat: Saly faced calls for her to be stripped of her title after the selfie caused outrage in Lebanon . Pharaon added: 'After trying many times to take a selfie with Miss Lebanon, Miss Israel finally succeeded - without Miss Lebanon's approval, of course. 'Saly was running away from her all the time since she was being chased by her. She stands for her country no matter what.' Saly has claimed that she was having a selfie with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia when Miss Israel forced her way into the photograph and took the picture - catching them unawares. Pharaon said: 'Miss Israel saw them, and she immediately joined them and took a selfie with them without leaving Miss Lebanon time to react, and she immediately posted the picture on her Instagram account.' Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war but the last significant conflict between the countries was in 2006. Saly reportedly received 3,000 aggressive and negative messages on Facebook, some of which accused her of being racist and criticised her for involving herself in politics. Mr Pharaon said: 'Some people in Lebanon just want to invest in that story to ruin Miss Lebanon's reputation. They accused her of being non-patriotic, not caring and not loving her country. 'Most of the Lebanese people support Saly. They know that she would never intend to pose for a photo with Miss Israel.' A PR representative for Doron refused to comment. Complaint: Saly's agent has filed a complaint to pageant organisers but doesn't expect action to be taken . Saly is from Al- Koura village in the north of Lebanon and has a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. The 5'7' brunette speaks Arabic, English and French. The Miss Universe website describes the 25-year-old as 'enthusiastic' and 'spontaneous'. Her online bio reads: 'Despite the unstable situation in Lebanon, she is overwhelmed with the continuous hunger of Lebanese citizens for survival, resistance and most importantly success.' Saly's team has made an official complaint to Miss Universe's management board, . Mr Pharaon said: 'Unfortunately, we are sure that it will lead nowhere, since it's a political matter, and we think that they will not interfere in such conflicts.' Her agent also makes it clear there has been no interaction between the two contestants since the selfie was taken. He said: 'They're not friends, they're not roommates, they don't like each other and there's no interaction between them. 'Saly always refused to talk to Miss Israel or be close to her, but Miss Israel was always trying to get hold of her on different occasions and all the time.' But Miss Lebanon and her agent are refusing to let the negative backlash of the unfortunate photograph affect her campaign for the Miss Universe title and reject suggestions that she should withdraw from the competition. Mr Pharaon said: 'Should someone pull out of the competition, it would be Miss Israel. 'Saly is now only focusing on the final prime. Her main purpose is to win. She's working hard and focusing only on the competition, Lebanon and herself. Focus: Her agent told MailOnline: 'Should someone pull out of the competition, it would be Miss Israel... Her main purpose is to win. She's working hard and focusing only on the competition, Lebanon and herself' 'We consider what happened part of a big propaganda, Israel is the enemy, Saly is patriotic, and there's no doubt about that.' On Sunday Miss Israel responded to Saly Greige's claims of being photobombed by saying that the Lebanese beauty's reaction to the photo made her 'sad'. On her Facebook page, Doron wrote: 'It doesn't surprise me, but it still makes me sad. 'Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game, only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighbouring country.' | Saly Greige faced outrage in her country when the selfie was posted .
The two countries are still officially at war even though there has been no significant conflict between them since 2006 .
Her agent now claims that Miss Israel had been constantly 'chasing' her Lebanese rival - and that it was part of a wider plot dating since November .
He has lodged an official complaint with pageant organisers but expects they will not want to become embroiled in politics .
Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, claims the whole episode is 'sad', telling Miss Lebanon: 'Too bad you can't put the hostility out of the game' |
189,868 | 81da1e70d2c112207492e7bf5f1358dccf37e01b | When most people are feeling charitable they might sponsor a child or throw a fundraising event - but Scott Loxley chose to walk 5,000km around Australia in a Storm Trooper outfit. The 47-year-old left his hometown of Melbourne on November 2 last year to raise funds for the Monash Children's Hospital and hopes to see his wife and three children by July next year - or earlier if his weary blistered feet can get him there any sooner. The former soldier spends weeks at a time not speaking to anyone other than himself and the animals that cross his long endless dusty path - with fresh roadkill now a regular part of his daily diet. Scroll down for video . Scott Loxley is walking 5,000km around Australia in a Storm Trooper outfit for charity . He carries a swag, water, a first aid kit, a t-shirt and pair of shorts in the trolley he pushes . Scott lives off roadkill including snakes, lizards, goat and kangaroo for weeks at a time . His target is to raise $100,00 funds for Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne . The simple rule of thumb that Scott abides by when deciding if the animal is safe to eat is 'if it's bloated I don't touch it - if it's still bleeding I eat it.' The tasty wildlife includes cooking lizards until crispy and putting them in ziplock bags to snack on during the trek and tying live snakes to his trolley until they are suitably fried by the sun. Scott, who says it all comes down to survival, has also feasted on a cow, goat and many a Kangaroo by cooking the meat on a wire grill. 'I can only carry so much food - it's not like there's always a servo up the road,' he said. 'I need the protein to keep going.' Scott has been travelling for just over 12 months now and hopes to make it back to Melbourne in July next year . The 47-year-old goes days and weeks without showering or talking to anybody . With only himself and the animals to talk to - Scott is quickly getting sick of his own compnay . He is currently in Coolalinga located 26 km southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory . He was taught survival skills in the army but never used them to such an extreme until now. 'You pick up things along the way - it comes naturally because if you don't eat - you are going to die.' But don't feel too sorry for the lone adventurer - when Daily Mail Australia caught up with Scott he was chowing down on a Macca's Quarter Pounder meal in Coolalinga - 26 km southeast of Darwin. 'Anything that you don't cook yourself tastes awesome,' he said. A year into his crazy adventure - Scott can now tick off the following places on his mammoth list: Tasmania, the Nullarbor Plain - from the east to the west coast - and then up to Broome and across the Northern Territory border to Catherine and Darwin. He doesn't advise anyone to take on this challenge on their own: 'solo is not the way to go - it's way too hard' Scott is only resting his exhausted body about five hours a day as he walks though the night as much as possible and then sleeps until the sun becomes unbearable . Literally living in his own stench - Scott can go days or weeks without showering or brushing his teeth because he needs to conserve all of the water that he is carrying in his trolley for drinking. 'I feel absolutely terrible when I put on my black skins in the morning I can't stand the smell but I can't afford to use the water for washing my clothes,' he said. Scott is only resting his exhausted body about five hours a day as he walks though the night as much as possible and then sleeps until the sun becomes unbearable. He rolls his swag out under any form of shelter that he stumbles across including BBQ areas, outside toilet blocks and under trees. Made out of ABS plastic, the suit is a bit worse for wear and is being held together with fibre glass and tape - but at the least the clanging of the armour scares off the snakes. 'It's ridiculous - I have no range of movement,' he said. 'It's really uncomfortable and rubs causing welts and blisters.' 'I'm surprise it has lasted this long.' Only being unwell once briefly when coming into Adelaide, it's not his physical state that has been the most testing but the constant mental challenge . Scott's Storm Trooper helmet makes a friend that is not suitable for dinner . Made out of ABS plastic, the suit is a bit worse for wear and is being held together with fibre glass and tape . Scott has gone through 20 pairs of shoes. His current pair have been the most endurable lasting 3,000 km after he made a sole from a blown-out tyre on the side of the road. Only being unwell once briefly when coming into Adelaide, it's not his physical state that has been the most testing but the constant mental challenge. 'I'm constantly arguing with myself - I start questioning it and thinking no one cares and that I'm yesterday's news,' he said. 'When I haven't seen anybody for a long time I think it's a case of out of sight - out of mind.' 'Then I see someone and they say something encouraging and I'm on top of the world again - and that cycle keeps going,' he said. 'I've been winning and losing throughout the whole battle.' Scott is eternally grateful for the support of his family - especially his understanding wife, Sally. 'She knows me - I've been talking about doing it for a long time - so she said to get it out of the way,' he said. 'I owe her big time after this - I'll make it all better again.' Scott has gone through 20 pairs of shoes. His current pair have been the most endurable lasting 3,000 km after he made a sole from a blown-out tyre on the side of the road . He said the people he meets along the way keeps up his spirits . Scott would never advise anyone to take on this epic challenge without support. 'Solo is not the way to go - it's way too hard,' he said. 'Do it with a couple of people or a group for the mental stimulation and to encourage each other.' He's very quickly getting bored of his own company. 'I'm sick of hearing my own voice - you have to constantly keep motivating yourself because you spend 10 hours a day looking at a white line,' he said. 'I talk to the animals that coming running to the fence.' But the courageous Star Wars character won't give up until he makes it home with raising his target of $100,000 for the Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne. 'If I don't reach the target I will deem it a massive epic fail,' he said. Help Scott reach his target by donating on his fundraising page. The courageous Star Wars character won't give up until he makes it home with raising his target of $100,000 for the Monash Children's Hospital . | Scott Loxley is walking 5,000km around Australia in a Storm Trooper outfit .
He left Melbourne on November 2, 2013 and hopes to be home in July 2015 .
His target is to raise $100,00 funds for Monash Children's Hospital .
Scott lives off roadkill including snakes, lizards, goat and kangaroo .
47-year-old doesn't advise anyone to take on this challenge on their own .
He doesn't advise anyone to take on this challenge on their own . |
167,844 | 65183c5e8853f56c792a124df84e274b3cb08f46 | Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that Wayne Rooney might be his best striker but insists the Old Trafford captain has to continue playing where it suits the team. Van Gaal's decision to play Rooney in midfield for the majority of this season has come under scrutiny with United accused of playing dull football despite a run of just one defeat in 18 matches. England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed Rooney – who is closing on the all-time goalscoring records for Manchester United and England - will operate as a striker at international level, saying: 'He's a goalscorer, isn't he?' Wayne Rooney has looked out of place playing in midfield under Louis van Gaal this season . Rooney's heat map against Burnley shows that he spent the majority of the game behind the halfway line . The Dutch manager insists he has been forced to accommodate Rooney to best suit the team . The United boss, whose side travel to League One Preston North End on Monday night for a potentially awkward FA Cup fifth round tie, has tried to explain his policy on Rooney. He said he understood Hodgson's position regarding England but argued he had a different set of issues at United, with Robin van Persie, Radomel Falcao, Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson also available up front. 'Maybe, he (Rooney) is the best striker but I have to look at where a player can make the biggest contribution, and compare that to other players also. 'The composition of the team is more important than the individual player. I am sorry but that's the way it is. Rooney probably gives more contribution to Mr Hodgson playing in a striker's position, and I'd also put him there if I was coach of England. 'He has to compare Wayne Rooney with the strikers he can put in the line-up, and that is a consideration I have to make at United and my consideration is a different one. I have to choose between Falcao, van Persie and all the other strikers I have.' Van Gaal's admission that Rooney is not playing in midfield through a lack of ability as a centre-forward does raise doubts about how he views some of United's big-money signings in central areas. England manager Roy Hodgson (centre) has criticised Van Gaal's use of his leading striker . Van Gaal also has to find a place for forwards Radamel Falcao and Robin van Perise in his team . Struggling Falcao will be judged on more than just goals alone, insists Van Gaal . Juan Mata (£38million), Ander Herrera (£28million) and Marouane Fellaini (£27million) are considered inferior midfield players to Rooney and the United boss clearly doesn't see Angel di Maria (£60million) or Ashley Young (£18million) as the answer in central midfield. Fellaini's size and physical strength may get him a start at Deepdale having played an important part in seeing off another lower league team, Cambridge United, in the last round. Though youngster James Wilson is pushing for a start, there may be another chance given to Colombian striker Falcao whose four goals this season have been a poor return given the hype when he signed on deadline day in the summer. With Robin van Persie due to be rested for a minor ailment, van Gaal defended Falcao's contribution. United have to decide by April whether to turn his loan move from Monaco into a permanent £43million deal. 'I shall not only judge on the goals. It is a bigger view than that,' said van Gaal. 'There are more aspects for a striker, an assist is an aspect and being available on the pitch for your fellow players is also an aspect. 'You have seen the header back for Chris Smalling (for United's opening goal against Burnley on Wednesday night) was from Falcao.' Despite United being in a top-four position having finished seventh last season under David Moyes, van Gaal has faced plenty of criticism in the past week with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce saying the team played long-ball football last weekend, and ex-United great Paul Scholes saying the players looked miserable. Rooney has been preferred to using players like Juan Mata (left) and Marouane Fellaini in midfield . Rooney celebrates scoring after scoring his last goal against Newcastle at Old Trafford on Boxing Day . Goalkeeper David de Gea has been United's best performing player by far this season . The Dutch manager, who is used to working in high-pressure arenas like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, is coming out fighting, and not even United's best player this season goalkeeper David de Gea is exempt. Asked if the Spaniard had won a lot of points for United this season, van Gaal snapped back: 'I think he doesn't save many points because he is my goalkeeper and his obligation is to hold balls. And you are thinking that is an exception for other goalkeepers and it is not like that, I am sorry for that.' United have not won the FA Cup since 2004 and the competition represents their only chance of winning their first trophy of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Van Gaal is expected to name a strong line-up – with Rooney again in midfield – though he is missing Phil Jones (calf) and Michael Carrick (ankle) with Daley Blind (head) doubtful. | Wayne Rooney has found himself playing in midfield under Louis van Gaal .
England boss Roy Hodgson has criticised the Dutchman's decision .
Van Gaal must also fit in the likes of Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie .
Manchester United face Preston North End in FA Cup on Monday . |
101,466 | 0ec8096cb3a960a439a7f6875dc7ea309fa4a38e | (CNN)At his first fundraiser for his new leadership political action committee, Jeb Bush told donors and former George W. Bush administration officials that he's seriously considering a run for president but has yet to make a final decision. According to two sources who attended the private event in Greenwich, Connecticut, Bush emphasized that he's aiming to spread his message to nontraditional GOP voters and ticked through his positions on immigration, education and foreign policy. Both sources asked not to be named to speak more freely about the event. Noting he had recently stepped down from his board memberships, Bush humorously said he was "unemployed" for the first time in his adult life, drawing laughs from the audience. The attendees, both Bush supporters, described the former governor as relaxed, comfortable and personable. Iowa chairman sets Valentine's date for Jeb Bush . He didn't mention Hillary Clinton by name, but Bush alluded to the former secretary of state and potential Democratic presidential frontrunner while offering criticism of the Obama administration's foreign policy. Hearst Connecticut Media Group first reported the criticism about Clinton, as well as other details from the fundraiser. "He made reference to the fact that one of the candidates who looks like they're going to run has a four-year track record of being part of that failed foreign policy," one source told CNN. Jeb Bush launches leadership PAC . More broadly, Bush said that President Barack Obama has weakened the United States on the international stage due to inconsistent policies and a lack of willingness to back up promises with action, the attendees said. "He was very critical of the point of view that disengagement could make America safer," one source said, adding that Bush spoke of "the importance of American leadership." He argued that the threat of terrorism is not just a concern at home but abroad, citing Wednesday's shootings in Paris as an example. Jeb Bush calls for 'respect' in gay marriage debate . During a question-and-answer session, Bush was asked about concerns that he'd be compared to his father and brother. Both sources confirmed Bush said he should be judged based on his own record as governor and that he's his own person. The website for his leadership PAC, Right to Rise, says that Bush won't "cede an inch of territory" on any demographic group or voters, suggesting that he's seeking to bring his message to a diverse set of people. Both sources said that at the fundraiser Bush focused on how he's not only multilingual but also multi-cultural. He mentioned his wife, Columba, who's from Mexico, and how one of his daughters-in-law is of Iraqi descent, referring to Sandra Algudady, a native Canadian of Iraqi descent who married his son, Jeb Bush, Jr. Jeb Bush's long campaign begins? On immigration, Bush argued that diversity is a strength and that immigrants have had a vital role in building the country through businesses and hard work. "He said their overall enthusiasm is great and we need to work on celebrating people who come to America rather than having it be a discussion focused around negative elements," a source said. "He talked about it quite a bit, not at all reluctantly." He touted his record as governor -- especially on jobs and education -- and his business experience, saying he's someone who's not only cashed paychecks, but issued paychecks. Both commented on the "excited" and "warm" reception that Bush received at the crowded event. "He did an excellent job, and he received a very warm welcome on a very cold night," said David Walker, who also attended the fundraiser and served as U.S. comptroller general under both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. | Jeb Bush held his first fundraiser for his new leadership PAC as he considers a presidential bid .
Sources at the event said Bush talked about foreign policy, immigration and his potential campaign . |
144,696 | 47227e62515578883f2a46453178d4c4fe3fe1a9 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 12:51 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:04 EST, 15 November 2013 . A cache of weapons including a 950,000 volt stun gun was discovered in the car of a taxi driver who said he was on his way to kill the Prime Minister, a court has heard. Police also found hammers, kitchen knives, a machete, an unsheathed Samurai sword and masking tape in Irfaq Naz's Vauxhall Astra, when he was stopped after going the wrong way down a north London street. Officers later searched the . 34-year-old's home in Middlesbrough and found the Downing Street . postcode and the names of other prominent political figures. Discovery: Police found a cache of weapons including a 950,000 volt stun gun inside Irfaq Naz's Vauxhall Astra. The 34-year-old, shown leaving Teeside Crown Court inside this van, told officers he was on his way to kill the Prime Minister . The taxi driver was detained under . the Mental Health Act, and last month admitted possessing a prohibited . weapon, three counts of possessing an offensive weapon, seven counts of . having a bladed article and dangerous driving. Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, imposed a hospital order with a restriction order meaning Naz can only be released with the permission of the Home Secretary. Teesside Crown Court heard how he drove from Middlesbrough to London in the early hours of July 16 and by 4am had reached Kentish Town. He drove his blue Vauxhall Astra the wrong way down Camden High Street, a one-way street, for three-quarters of a mile, causing oncoming traffic to take evasive action. Police were called and tried to stop his car, but he carried on until he got caught in a jam at the junction with Euston Road. Concerned he might attempt to drive on, officers smashed their way into his car and detained him. 'It was then that the defendant stated that he was on his way to kill the Prime Minister, David Cameron,' Nick Dry, prosecuting, said. 'He was found to have a knuckleduster in his shirt pocket and an 18 inch hunting knife in the waistband of his trousers.' Police were concerned about his behaviour and found he had previously spent a month at Roseberry Park Hospital, Middlesbrough, as a mental health patient. Mr Dry added: 'A search of his vehicle revealed other weapons. 'In the driver’s door panel were three eight-inch kitchen knives. 'Between the driver’s seat and door was a samurai sword, its sheath found nearby in the passenger foot well. 'From the rear seat officers recovered a claw hammer, a lump hammer and an axe which were in a plastic bag that also contained masking tape. Detained: The court was told that Naz would reside at Roseberry Park Hospital in Middlesbrough. He was also disqualified from driving for three years and a judge ordered that the weapons be destroyed . 'In the boot they found a machete and a stun gun, shaped as a knuckleduster. 'That device, a Blast Knuckles 950,000 volt stun gun, was found to be in working order and a prohibited weapon.' Naz, of Finsbury Street, Middlesbrough, also had four mobile phones and £1,200 in cash in the car. Dr Pratish Thakkar, a consultant psychiatrist, diagnosed paranoid schnizophrenia and said he posed a significant risk to others having acted on his delusions. Naz, whose brother was in the public gallery, sat in the dock flanked by four mental health workers. He will reside at Roseberry Park Hospital, a mental health centre in Middlesbrough, where he has previously been treated. Peter Wishlade, defending, said: 'It is a tragedy, to put it bluntly, that this has happened to this family. 'Mr Naz, when he is taking his medication, is perfectly calm, rational, articulate and easy to talk to, but unfortunately when not, he is inclined to delusions and regrettably he has endeavoured to carry them out.' The judge felt his delusions, which included a desire to kill a world leader, posed a serious risk to the public. The court was told that Naz also believed the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Ray Mallon, and others in the community, were going to kill him. The judge disqualified him from driving for three years and ordered the weapons be destroyed. Outside court, Steven Orange, the district crown prosecutor for CPS Durham Tees, said: 'In the weeks before this incident Naz failed to take his medication which as a result has led to him having delusions. 'At the time of this incident he was therefore suffering from a major mental illness and his behaviour was undoubtedly influenced by the delusions he was having. 'His disorder will need psychological treatment in order to ensure compliance with medication and reduce the risk of him acting upon his delusions in the future.' Mr Orange added: 'It should be recognised that the sentence in this case is more about securing appropriate treatment for a man with significant mental health issues than punishment.' | Police found cache of weapons inside Irfaq Naz's Vauxhall Astra .
Officers stopped the 34-year-old as he drove the wrong way down a road .
Downing Street postode found in his Middlesbrough home .
Naz banned from driving and will reside at mental health hospital . |
217,044 | a502af1f54f3c840ec80eb73cf007f34ffac704b | Despite the non-draconian premise of the guide, the plan promises to 'transform your physique' If you have tried cutting carbs, banishing sugar or spending hours on the treadmill in the quest for the perfect figure, you will be pleased to hear that a new food and fitness guide says shedding the pounds needn't be such hard work. The Four-Week Fitness and Food Effect, a collaboration between qualified medical doctor and nutritionist Dr Michelle Storfer and fitnessontoast.com exercise blogger Faya Nilsson, takes the faddiness out of the equation and instead recommends eating carbs, feeling full, drinking caffeine, enjoying hot chocolates and not over-exercising. Despite the non-draconian premise of the guide, the plan promises to 'transform your physique' in just four weeks, helping you to lose weight, lower your body fat percentage, tone up and feel infused with energy. And all this without a gym membership or hours on the treadmill. 'Countless hours of fruitless training can often often drain you of the very energy you're looking to capture,' explains Faya, who has 30,000 followers on her FitnessOnToast Instagram account. Instagram account. Instead Faya recommends body weight training, which uses your own body weight for strength exercises. 'Body-weight training is fantastic for strengthening and sculpting the body,' she says and all you need to start is an exercise resistance band, which retails from £2. The 28-day programme also includes 'brutally focused cardio' as well as stretch days and rest days. In any one week, the plan recommends three 30-minute body-weight training days, two rest days, one stretch day and one 'hit' day of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise. A 'hit' involves sprinting for one minute followed by a minute rest for 20-30 minutes. The body-weight circuit consists of five different exercise to be done for one minute each with a two-minute rest at the end, repeated six times. As well as creating a toned physique, Faya explains, 'an increase in muscle mass will speed up the metabolism even whilst at rest'. 'The thermogenic effect [increased body heat] that happens after a solid workout will compound this metabolic boost,' she adds. Nutritionist Dr Michelle Storfer believes in eating carbs at every meal: 'The elimination of entire food groups, calorie counting and complicated instructions result in eating becoming a chore rather than a pleasure' The programme also includes a daily meal plan of breakfast, lunch and supper as well as two daily snacks, but Dr Storfer (founder of thefoodeffect.co.uk) has a holistic food philosophy. She believes in enjoying food and making sure you're never too hungry are essential elements of a healthy eating plan. 'The focus of a diet should not only focus on what to exclude, but more importantly what to include,' she says. 'The elimination of entire food groups, calorie counting and complicated instructions result in eating becoming a chore rather than a pleasure. The end result is inevitable, "When can I come off the diet and eat all the things I miss?"' She also believes we should eat slowly to enjoy the experience. 'Focus on the food you're eating and don't just wolf it down,' she says. Dr Storfer says drinking coffee and even enjoying a mug of hot chocolate are good for you . 'Don't eat dinner in front of the TV or lunch in front of the computer. Take time out to enjoy your meal and actually pay attention to what you're eating.' Taking down the pace also helps to prevent over-eating. 'Eating slowly will also ensure your brain registers you've eaten enough food ...before it's too late!' she says. Carbs at every meal, drinking coffee and even enjoying a mug of hot chocolate arealso on teh meal-plan agenda. 'Don't shun carbs but instead stick to wholegrain, unrefined carbs such as oats, whole-grain bread, brown rice, sweet potato and quinoa,' she advises. Dr Michelle Storfer, founder of thefoodeffect.co.uk (left) and fitnessontoast.com exercise blogger Faya Nilsson (right) who wrote the guide . 'Slow release carbs will give you the get-up-and-go you need to stay active and keep your metabolism burning strong and steady. 'Whilst excess caffeine is obviously no good, caffeine from good quality coffee is packed full of antioxidants and has been shown to have tremendous health benefits,' says Michelle. 'It has also been shown to boost performance when exercising if drunk before a work-out.' Dark chocolate (with fruit) or a hot chocolate make a regular appearance as an evening snack in the meal plan. 'Stretching, sleeping well and keeping hydrated are also all essential,' she adds. So what are you waiting for? The perfect body is only four weeks away. DAY 1: The body-weight circuit consists of five different exercise to be done for one minute each with a two-minute rest at the end, repeated six times . Day 1: The meal plan for the first day. Toast for breakie and chocolate before bed! | Four-Week Fitness and Food Effect is the anti-fad diet regime .
Collaboration between qualified medical doctor and nutritionist Dr Michelle Storfer and fitnessontoast.com exercise blogger Faya Nilsson .
The plan promises to help you lose weight, lower your body fat percentage, tone up and feel infused with energy . |
281,089 | f8212d0d58499fd4067681ce4a4f46c001b8dc5b | By . Sarah Harris . PUBLISHED: . 10:39 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:51 EST, 13 December 2013 . One of the Government’s first flagship free schools was axed yesterday after inspectors condemned its poor teaching standards. The Discovery New School in Crawley, West Sussex, was among the first free schools to open under the Coalition in 2011. However, it will now be the first to be closed down after the Department for Education decided to terminate its funding, and parents of the 65 pupils will be forced to find places elsewhere from April. Free schools are state-funded but free of local authority control, and can be set up by parents, groups of teachers and charitable trusts. Some 174 have opened, including 93 this year alone. Closure: The Discovery New School on Crawley, West Sussex is to shut after inspectors found none of the teachers provided good quality lessons . Flagship: The school was one of the first of 24 to open in 2011 . Discovery New School – which has received millions of pounds of state funding – was declared failing and placed in special measures by Ofsted in May. It was re-inspected in November when it was warned that not enough progress was being made. Yesterday, Schools Minister Lord Nash wrote to Discovery’s chairman of governors, Chris Cook, warning him that the Department for Education was terminating its funding agreement. In his letter to Mr Cook, Lord Nash said he had expressed ‘grave concerns’ about the primary school’s education standards. He added: ‘None of the school’s teachers were delivering good lessons and all were still consistently inadequate or required improvement.’ The letter said it was also unclear whether the trust running the school, which was supposed to be part of the Montessori movement, had identified what was needed to make improvements. It said: ‘The staff are currently unable to deliver teaching and learning even at the most basic level, with the consequence for the pupils of continued inadequate teaching for an unacceptable length of time.’ Blow: The closure of the Discovery Free School is a significant setback for Education Secretary Michael Gove's flagship reforms . The closure is hugely damaging for Education Secretary Michael Gove’s free schools programme and comes after a damning Ofsted report into the country’s first Muslim free school, Al-Madinah in Derby. A DfE spokesman said: ‘Since [Discovery New School] was placed in special measures in May we have monitored progress closely. The trust has not provided evidence they are making the changes required. Lord Nash has today notified the trust that the department will terminate its funding agreement at the end of the spring term. Plans for the first new grammar school in 50 years were thrown out yesterday. Tory councillors in Kent hoped to use newly relaxed Coalition rules on school expansions to create an ‘annexe’ to an existing grammar in Sevenoaks that could take up to 1,300 pupils. But the Department for Education dismissed the plan, saying it was the ‘establishment of a new selective school’ rather than an expansion, which is not allowed by law. Campaigners reacted angrily, claiming that the law needs to be changed to give parents choice over their children’s education. ‘We are now working with West Sussex County Council to ensure the children have suitable alternatives in place and their transition is as smooth as possible.’ Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: ‘When a school closes it is the children who suffer and their education that is affected. There will be many worried parents in the run-up to Christmas concerned about what this means for their child’s education. ‘The blame for the closure of this school lies squarely with Michael Gove and his free school programme, which has failed to ensure schools opened under the policy can provide a decent standard of education.’ Philip Bujak, chief executive of the Montessori St Nicholas Charity, said: ‘We advised the DfE to allow us to oversee the implementation of the Montessori element and curriculum. ‘That advice was ignored and the result is the waste of a large amount of money, the name of Montessori tarnished and a large number of parents very badly let down.’ | Discovery New School in West Sussex to close by April next year .
Ministers pull the plug on funding after 'grave concerns' about standards .
School was among the first of 24 free schools to open in 2011 .
It was placed in special measures by Ofsted in April but did not improve . |
40,634 | 72ab45fe871e037ad61ba56ddcb8daeb51fc64db | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:34 EST, 13 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:40 EST, 13 January 2014 . Google founder Sergey Brin's alleged mistress has written a detailed account of her battle with depression. Amanda Rosenberg, a 27-year-old Google marketing manager, was named in August as the alleged 'other woman' who split Brin and his now-ex-wife Anne Wojcijki. Now Rosenberg has published a journal-style post on her Tumblr account where she details her ongoing treatment for depression. Glasses promotion: Rosenberg with boss Brin and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in New York . 'It became increasingly difficult for . me to make decisions. I had no empathy for anyone, and I started to . crave solitude,' the British-born Google employee wrote. 'The . worst part was that it became harder to face people, even those I . loved. It felt much better to be holed up on my sofa for unhealthy . periods of time, which was odd as only a few years ago I was a . high-functioning humanoid. 'Darkness . surged through my veins and permeated my eyeballs. All the feelings I’d . hoarded over the years were now rushing through me in one go and all I . wanted was a one-way ticket back to numbsville.' Ms . Rosenberg writes that she has been undergoing treatment for the illness . for the past six weeks but says that it has been a problem that she . didn't recognize she had for more than two decades. 'Now, . as I’m going through treatment, I’m seeing and feeling the repressions . of Christmas pasts, scooping out all the trauma which lead me to this . point,' she wrote. 'The . positive in all of this is that I’m not doing it alone.... Reaching out . for help is the single best and bravest decision I have ever made.' Smiling through it: Amanda Rosenberg posted links to her Tumblr post about her depression onto her widely-followed Twitter account and mentioned depression in this photo . A good looking girl... 'who knows she is': Miss Rosenberg, shown left wearing the Google Glass device and right in a picture from her Google+ profile, previously dated Ewan Butler, . 28, a trainee teacher living from Darlington . She . published the post on her Tumblr, Individual Contributor, on January 7 . and shared the link via Twitter to her more than 2,300 followers that . same day. Ms Rosenberg's . relationship with Brin, the 40-year-old billionaire, became public in . August when it was announced that he and Ms Wojcicki were living . separately. It is not known . how long Miss Rosenberg, who was educated at the $48,000-a-year . Marlborough College, the same school as the Middletons, has been dating . Brin. An unnamed source told the New York Post Brin and his wife were 'still together when Amanda entered the picture'. It is possible the relationship violated Google's company code. An . online version of the code states: 'Romantic relationships between . co-workers can, depending on the work roles and respective positions of . the co-workers involved, create an actual or apparent conflict of . interest'. Power couple: If Brin and Wojcicki, his wife of six years, divorce, Californian law suggests their . massive fortune would have to be halved - although they reportedly . signed a strict pre-nuptial agreement . Marriage on the rocks: A Google spokesman confirmed that Brin – one of the . world’s richest men – has for several months . been living apart from Wojcicki, the mother . of his two children . Brin is not the . first Google executive Miss Rosenberg has been linked to since she . transferred to the San Francisco offices last year. She was linked to Hugo Barra, who resigned this week to take a job with Android phone maker Xiaomi in China. His . departure comes after 'a recent thorny personal situation related to . the end of a romantic relationship he had with another Googler,' the New . York Post reported. 'Relationships . between senior executives and more-junior employees raise myriad . concerns,' James McRitchie, publisher of Corporate Governance, said. An . employee of Google since she graduated with a communications degree . from Leeds University, she initially worked for the internet giant in . London before last year moving to San Francisco to work at its Silicon . Valley nerve centre. She . soon won a role promoting Google Glass, widely criticised as the glasses . which enable users to film and broadcast over the internet everything . they see non-stop, worrying privacy campaigners. Employee: . Miss Rosenberg pictured in a YouTube marketing video for Google Glass. She won her role promoting the controversial spectacles after coming up . with the voice command ‘Ok, Glass’ to . activate them . Connected but no longer together: Brin and his estranged wife are bound together by business dealings - he is an investor in her DNA company 23andMe - and the children they share. Miss . Rosenberg wrote an online blog soon after she arrived – describing . herself as a ‘misanthropic Brit struggling to come to terms with . Californian optimism’. She . wrote: ‘I’d been living a beautifully choreographed life in London for . pretty much my entire life; family, friends, job, life. Then one day I . realised the beauty had faded. ‘So I applied for a transfer with my company to a different country. Yes! The romance of a transfer! ‘Luckily for me this all worked out like I dreamed it would...NOT. Of course it didn’t work out like that! ‘I remember having conversations with people about moving countries, and no one talks about how it felt to be alone.' | Amanda Rosenberg, 27, identified as allegedly having an affair with the then-married Google co-founder .
Now she has penned a personal essay about her depression .
Brin is one of the world's richest men with a $24bn fortune .
He and wife Anne Wojcicki, both 40, married in 2007 and have two children .
Miss Rosenberg went to the same $48,000-a-year school as the Middletons .
She is marketing manager for Google's Glass computerised spectacles . |
159,705 | 5a6f599eada88a31b7663ffe584e44b0b02e0f0a | They went public with their romance last year and have seen their relationship go from strength-to-strength after moving in with each other a few months ago. And Dustin Lance Black was every inch the supportive partner as he spurred boyfriend Tom Daley on to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Saturday night. After cheering on the diving champion from his seat at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, the Oscar-winning screenwriter looked proud as punch as the 20-year-old sportsman bagged an impressive score of 516.55 to clinch the top spot. Scroll down for video . Champion! Tom Daley was cheered on by his doting boyfriend Dustin Lance Black as he won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland on Saturday night . Doting: After cheering on the diving champion from his seat at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, the Oscar-winning screenwriter looked proud as punch as the 20-year-old sportsman bagged an impressive score of 516.55 to clinch the top spot . Proving just how close he is to Tom's family, Dustin sat alongside the gold medal winner's mother Debbie as the pair waved a flag of St George emblazoned with his surname. Tom spoke about his sexuality for the first time in December 2013 by making a brave decision to post a video on YouTube, where he discussed his preferences. He said: 'It was a terrifying decision to make, I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be like, I didn’t know how it was going to go but I felt I needed to say something. The best supporters: Proving just how close he is to Tom's family, Dustin sat alongside the gold medal winner's mother Debbie as the pair waved a flag of St George emblazoned with his surname . Plenty to smile about: Dustin couldn't keep the smile off his face as he saw his partner receive his medal . Round of applause: Dustin and Tom revealed they were a couple late last year and have seen their romance go from strength to strength since then . 'I wanted to say something in my own words and from the heart, I didn’t know what else to do.' Offering advice for his young fans, he added: 'Tell one person. Tell your story, how you feel. 'I’ve had people send some lovely Twitter messages with people telling me they’ve since come out to their parents, that they’ve had some hope, it shouldn’t matter who I’m dating in this day and age. Be who you want to be.' Support: The diver was also supported by his mother Debbie, pictured above holding up a flag reading 'Daley' The talented sportsman later opened up on his relationship with Dustin, 39, admitting it was 'love at first sight'. Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show in December, he said: 'I’d never felt like anything like it before. We were at a party and I hadn’t even spoken to him all night. I didn’t knOw what to do or if he was gay at first. 'I’d never felt the feeling of love, it happened so quickly, I was completely overwhelmed by it to the point I can’t get him out of my head all the time. I’ve never had it before where I love someone and they love me just as much.' Another gold: British diving star Tom Daley has won the Commonwealth Games men's 10-metre platform final . On the podium: The 20-year-old, from Plymouth, triumphed over other international competitors with 516.55 . Saturday night saw Tom successfully defend his Commonwealth title after scooping two gold medals in Delhi four years ago. This time around, Daley gave a spectacular performance, securing his win in his fifth of six dives with a superb back 3.5 somersault at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. Daley's . margin of victory was a whopping 82.85 as Malaysia's Ooi Tze Liang . finished second on 433.70, while Canada's Vincent Riendeau was third with . 429.25. Celebration: Daley's margin of victory was a whopping 82.85 as Malaysia's Ooi Tze Liang finished second on 433.70, while Canada's Vincent Riendeau was third with 429.25. Above, the three finallists pose on the podium . Incredible: This time around, Daley gave a spectacular performance, securing his win in his fifth dive with a superb back 3.5 somersault. Above, Daley is pictured flipping through the air on his second dive . Diving to victory: Daley spins in the air during the 10m platform final on day 10 of the Commonwealth Games . Determined: Tom Daley's win took England's overall tally from 10 events to 10 medals, four of them gold . Australia's Matthew . Mitcham, the 2008 Olympic champion and silver medallist . behind Daley four years ago, finished fourth with 420.00. Daley's win took England's tally from 10 events to 10 medals, four of them gold. The diver said he was . thrilled with his performance, saying: 'It's . always tough to go into a competition when you're ahead because when . you're ahead you've got to make sure you keep your standard up. If you . slip, someone's going to catch you. 'I . just had to keep imagining that someone was right on my heels to make . me step it up. I don't want to go out there and just do average diving. I . want to do perfect diving.' Nervous? Daley, pictured waiting his turn to dive, rose to the occasion to clinch another gold on the world stage . Warm embrace: Daley is pictured celebrating with his coach Jane Figueiredo after winning the gold medal . He also . emphatically dismissed rumours that he might retire following his win, . saying he planned to pursue gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Daley a London 2012 bronze medallist, said of his Olympic aim: 'Of course. I don't quite know where that rumour came from. 'I . came back from (the World Cup event in) Shanghai and all of a sudden I . saw that I was retiring after the Commonwealths. I was like - "news to . me".' Now, Daley has set his sights on taking on the world's best. Worried: Black, 40, looked nervous as he watched his partner perform at the Royal Commonwealth Pool . Getting involved: Black is pictured chatting to a Commonwealth official by the side of the pool in Glasgow (left) before giving a high-five to Daley's mother Debbie after her talented son successfully completes a dive (right) 'There's . every possibility that I can mix it with the Chinese now,' he said. 'I . wouldn't mind if I never beat the Chinese until 2016. You've only got to . do it once and you've got to do it when it counts. 'Hopefully they'll be able to see that I'm coming to get them.' Hannah Starling earlier claimed bronze in the women's three-metres springboard. On the podium: Daley is pictured biting his gold medal after winning the men's 10m platform final in Edinburgh . 1. Tom Daley (Eng) 516.55 points . 2. Ooi Tze Liang (Mas) 433.70 . 3. Vincent Riendeau (Can) 429.25 . 4. Matthew Mitcham (Aus) 420.00 . 5. Maxim Bouchard (Can) 399.20 . 6. James Denny (Eng) 397.65 . 7. Domonic Bedggood (Aus) 397.55 . 8. Fengyang Li (Nzl) 379.95 . 9. Matthew . Dixon (Eng) 366.15 . 10. Chew Yiwei (Mas) 358.55 . 11. Siddharth Pardeshi . (Ind) 258.30 . | The 20-year-old beat international competitors with a score of 516.55 .
It is his third Commonwealth gold after he won two in Delhi four years ago . |
196,838 | 8abda17e80d860ebaf2c048c123ce43a615ed9f2 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 12:26 EST, 18 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:37 EST, 21 October 2013 . Leighton Meester shot to fame as the queen of the Upper East Side, Blair Waldorf, in cult hit Gossip Girl. Her on-screen best friend Serena - played by Blake Lively - has gone on to land some huge fashion and beauty campaigns and now Leighton looks set to give her a run for her money. The 27-year-old actress has been unveiled as the new face of skincare brand Biotherm. Fresh new face: Leighton Meester, who found fame as Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, has been unveiled as the new ambassadress for skincare brand, Biotherm . And keen to show her looks aren't thanks to caking on cosmetics, the actress has opted for a more natural look in the campaign imagery. Speaking about her new role, Leighton said it was 'empowering' to pose without hiding behind make-up. She added that she 'feels very lucky to be part of the brand', perhaps alluding to the fact Blake has stolen much of the Gossip Girl spotlight. Empowering: The actress said she enjoyed going for a more natural look left, over her usual vampy make-up . Patrick Kullenberg from Biotherm said Leighton was 'an obvious choice' to represent them because of her 'natural talent, energy and beauty'. While Leighton may be unknown to people who aren't fans of Gossip Girl, that could all change in 2014 as she's set to star in a number of forthcoming films. She will star in The Judge opposite Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall, Life Partners opposite Adam Brody and Like Sunday, Like Rain alongside Debra Messing. When she's not working, Leighton says she likes to tap into her other creative side: music. She first crossed into the musical . realm as a singer/songwriter in 2009 with an electro pop sound that has . since evolved toward folk. Last . year she toured the U.S. as lead singer for acoustic folk group, Check . in the Dark, and has used her vocal talents in a number of her on-screen . performances. Big break: Leighton Meester shot to fame as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl and has since gone on to land some major movie roles . Best friends: Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf in the hit show Gossip Girl . | Shot to fame on Gossip Girl alongside best friend Blake Lively .
Announced as new face of Biotherm .
Sports less make-up in campaign images . |
117,195 | 23540703898a805391aeb5c93660ccad6faba241 | By . Carol Driver . The future King could be visiting the former home of The King of rock and roll this weekend – as Prince William and a newly single Prince Harry are expected to jet into Memphis for a close friend’s wedding. The royal brothers are reportedly flying to the US to attend London nightclub owner Guy Pelly’s nuptials on Saturday to American-born Elizabeth Wilson - the granddaughter of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson. After a successful three-week trip to New Zealand and Australia, it’s believed Kate and Prince George will be staying in the UK. Double trouble: William and Harry are expected to jet off together to Memphis this weekend . Wedding venue: The Memphis Hunt and Polo club where Guy Pelly is to marry Elizabeth Wilson on Saturday . Close friends: The royal brothers are expected to attend the wedding of Guy Perry and Elizabeth Wilson . And Cressida Bonas, who was expected to attend, will no longer be joining the brothers after her split from Prince Harry was revealed yesterday. Taking place on Saturday, the high-society wedding ceremony is being held at the private Memphis Hunt and Polo Club in Tennessee - in 200 acres of landscaped countryside – which is close to the bride’s family home. However, the three-day celebrations – of which William and Harry are said to be attending two – are expected to start on Friday night, with a visit to the former home of Elvis Presley, Graceland. The iconic property, which has been a tourist attraction for 32 years, has helped transform the city into a top destination for music fans, with more than 18 million visitors through its doors. Home sweet home: Elvis poses outside Graceland in 1957 . Pillar of the community: Graceland is located a 20-minute drive from downtown Memphis, in Whitehaven . Flying visit: Prince William and Harry are expected to have a tour of Graceland in Memphis this weekend . The King has left the room: The house has been preserved, keeping everything the same as when the singer was alive . Legend: Elvis belts out one of his hits during a performance in 1972 . The royals will have the chance to have a tour of Graceland, wandering the Jungle Room, with its green shaggy carpets, the Trophy Building which houses all The King’s awards, as well as the luxury living room – all decorated with furnishings from the eras Elvis lived in the property. They will wander the nine-bedroom colonial revival-style mansion, where the All Shook Up star lived with his family for 20 years – buying it for his parents for $100,000 in 1952. Elvis died on August 16, 1977, and by the early 1980s, Graceland had become a burden on his estate, but his wife Priscilla Presley secured an investment, promising to keep the singer’s legacy alive. William, Harry and the Pelly wedding party are also expected to head to Beale Street in downtown Memphis to dine and have drinks. The road, which had been known for the blues since the early 1900s, is now a bustling tourist attraction, featuring music-themed bars, shops and restaurants. The princes have reportedly been told to keep a low profile during the trip. Nightclub entrepreneur Guy Pelly is reportedly considered a ‘bad influence’ on Prince Harry, and even arranged the Duke of Cambridge’s stag do. Other royals who will attend the wedding include Princess Beatrice and Eugenie. Although Prince William and Harry are only staying in Memphis for two days, there's a host of bars, restaurants and attractions they could visit. Tourist attraction: Sun Studio in Memphis where Elvis Presley recorded some of his music . Wild design: The ceiling of the Jungle Room in Graceland is covered in green carpet . Note worthy: Sun Studio calls itself the 'birthplace of rock and roll' Successful trip: The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George won't be heading to Memphis after the family's three-week tour Down Under . Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said the city was gearing up for the Royal affect. 'We are working on the presumption that the Royals will be here in Memphis this weekend,' he added. 'We are taking all precautions to be prepared.' A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said it did not comment on private engagements. Rock and roll tour: A statue of Elvis on Beale Street, where the royal brothers are expected to head drinks . MailOnline Travel has put together its pick of top choices for holidaymakers thinking of following in the princes' footsteps and heading to Memphis... As the royal brothers head to Memphis this weekend, MailOnline Travel and Virgin Holidays look at the tourist attractions they should be visiting... Shop like The KingIf you know your Prada from your Gucci, your Armani from your Versace, chances are you’re a style guru, so before you head out on the town, shop in style, just like Elvis did, at the Lansky Bros. Here you’ll find the best in high-end menswear (and maybe even the perfect wedding suite) plus see styles that were designed for Elvis himself. Place your bets: Head over to Horseshoe Tunica in Memphis to play in the casino . Eat like a prince...Fancy winning a free meal to soak up the night ahead? Then stop by the Kooky Canuck for big burgers, beers and some of the best hearty food around. And for those feeling brave, take on the ‘Kookamonga Challenge’. If you can chow-down the 7.5 pound, 12,387-calorie strong ‘Kookamonga Burger’ in under 60 minutes (with no help!), the meal‘s free, as is a place on the wall of fame. Dine on the best ribs...If a burger doesn’t cover it, double up and head for Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous which many argue offers the best charcoal ribs in town (since 1948). Fans include Memphis’ second son Justin Timberlake, rocker Mick Jagger and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush. A right royal drinking session...Swap the traditional American sports bar for The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in downtown Memphis to sample the likes of Chocolate Truffle, Dark Side of the Moon and Hummingbird Water - they’re just a few of the 200 beers available on tap. Royal tour: Visit the Sun Studio in Memphis where Elvis recorded . Put on those blue suede shoes...For the best after-hours fun, try The Silly Goose Lounge, where accepting shots from staff and singing along to power ballads are official bar rules. Or try the Lamplighter Lounge, a dive bar with Fifties-style booths, then hit the dancefloor at Paula & Raiford’s Disco on Second Street. Bets please...Feeling the urge to throw some dice and try to win a round or two? For the best casino in town, try Horseshoe Tunica. Breakfast like a king...Indulge with an All-American breakfast. Stop by retro diner The Arcade for breakfast and if you can brave getting there early enough, you might even be lucky enough to bag Elvis’ favourite booth at the back. For a taste sensation, try the southern favourite, sweet potato pancakes. It's all about the blues...It's all about the music in Memphis, so head for Beale Street and visit BB King’s Blues Club, all while keeping an eye out for the urban acrobatic sensation, the Beale Street Flippers, who can often be found standing on one hand wowing the crowds with their moves. For the ultimate slice of music heaven, stop by the legendary Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock n’ Roll, where Elvis and Johnny Cash both recorded. | Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George are expected to stay in London .
Brothers will be attending wedding of Guy Pelly and Elizabeth Wilson - the granddaughter of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson .
Ceremony will take place at Memphis Hunt and Polo Club in Tennessee .
Wedding party will also head to iconic Beale Street for drinks . |
884 | 028672ffcd36907dbb0b75b87e188c71c6bc7429 | Brighton’s home win against Birmingham City was overshadowed when two fans were arrested for racist chanting and throwing a smoke bomb. Chief Inspector Simon Nelson revealed on Twitter that two arrests had been made during the game – one suspected Brighton fan and one suspected Birmingham fan. The racist chanting was suspected to be a Seagulls fan and the person in question was arrested during the game at the Amex Stadium. Chief Inspector Simon Nelson revealed on Twitter that two arrests had been made during the game . Brighton and Hove Albion's David Stockdale grabs the ball under pressure from Andrew Shinnie . While the smoke bomb was allegedly thrown by an away fan, who was also arrested, during Birmingham’s defeat to Chris Hughton’s side. The news comes just days after a minority of Chelsea fans came under fire for racist chanting in Paris. A group of men appeared to stop a black man from entering the train ahead of their Champions League clash with PSG on Tuesday. Birmingham City's Clayton Donaldson in action against Brighton and Hove Albion's Rohan Ince . Brighton Inigo Calderon scores his first against Birmingham City's keeper Darren Randolph . Shinnie is brought down by Brighton defender Bruno Saltor leading to a penalty during Saturday's game . | Chief Inspector Simon Nelson revealed that two arrests had been made .
Fan in home end was arrested during the match for racist chanting .
Police said an away fan was also arrested for throwing a smoke bomb .
The Seagulls won the game 4-3, their first win in six matches . |
29,133 | 52becfe7b0846e56c51aa8ee8b8f15d4d749bb03 | By . Lillian Radulova for Daily Mail Australia . Australian free-to-air television viewers could soon be subject to an extra seven minutes of advertising every hour under proposals from some of the biggest television networks. Networks can only show a maximum of 13 minutes of 'non-program matter' between 6pm and midnight, according to the code of practice set out by Free TV Australia. These rules are relaxed under certain conditions such as during elections, with promotions for the program itself also not falling under the category of 'non-program matter'. Leading national free-to-air television networks Seven and Nine are arguing for advertisement regulations to be relaxed to allow a maximum of 20 minutes of adds within each hour of programming . However Network Seven along with the Nine Network are now calling for the limit to be increased to 20 minutes of advertisements within every hour. 'The proposal being discussed at FreeTV is to make advertising time limits for the main channel consistent with what is already the case on multi-channels. These don't seem to have caused any major problems or viewer complaints for the past four years, a spokesperson for Seven told Daily Mail Australia. 'This is really just about allowing more flexibility in scheduling advertising and not running two sets of traffic systems across the various channels. We would not envisage any significant uplift in overall advertising minutes out of the changes.' Free TV Australia recently appeared to agree on the lack of flexibility free networks faced in terms of advertising in a recent submission to the Contemporary Community Safeguards inquiry. Network ten is the only major network that has opposed the advertisement increase, however recent data released by Ebiquity found that all three stations are already exploiting their advertisement limits . 'While broadcasters recognise that there are community expectations that an appropriate balance between program matter and advertising is maintained, the existing requirements are overly complicated,' the submission stated. The submission also clarified that advertising was essential for free-to-air television, to ensure the service remains a free and competitive service. Network Ten is the only major network that has opposed the advertisement increase, with a spokesperson telling Daily Mail Australia: 'Such a move would disenfranchise the audience and damage the viewing experience'. However data released by Ebiquity to Mumbrella earlier this year, found that all three stations are already exploiting their advertisement regulations by running up to 29 minutes of ads during their prime time airing. The biggest culprits were revealed to be programs such as The Voice, House Rules and Masterchef. Chanel Seven currently receives more than 40 per cent of all advertising revenue nationally, while the Nine Network receives just over 38 per cent. Channel 10's ratings have fallen below the two leading stations, with its advertising revenue making up the final 20 per cent. Daily Mail Australia have approached the Seven, Nine and Ten networks for a comment. | The code of practice only allows for 13 minutes of 'non-program matter' each hour .
Seven and Nine are arguing for the maximum to be relaxed to 20 minutes .
Channel 10 has so far opposed the regulation change . |
103,248 | 111f0bcccb8ab927da027730dc7d5c8656ef9d60 | Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo believes Paul Pogba's development would be best served if he stayed in Turin, where he could have a team built around him. And the ageless Italian says Pogba could even win the Ballon d'Or if he stays in Turin. Aged 21, Pogba has no shortage of suitors, and the France international is only going to get better. The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United have all expressed an interest in signing the Frenchman, undeterred by Juventus's £80 million asking price. Paul Pogba is regarded as one of world football's best young talents and is wanted by a host of elite clubs . However, Juventus team-mate Andrea Pirlo (right) insists Pogba should resist any offers to leave Serie A . Pirlo says that Pogba is the 'future of Juventus' and could win the Ballon d'Or if he remains in Turin . 'That prize (the Ballon d'Or) will always go to a player who scores, one who makes the difference,' Pirlo told ABC Italia. 'Kaka (2007) did that in his day, the way that Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi are doing it now. 'Pogba could be the future of Juventus. He has it all: physique, technique and an eye for the goal. He is perfect. He can mark an era.' Pirlo has compared Pogba's influence on the Juve team to that of 2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kaka's at Milan . Pogba has scored seven goals and made three assists in 26 games for Juventus so far this season . Pogba joined Juventus from Manchester United in 2012 on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract at Old Trafford. After failing to replace Paul Scholes, both Louis van Gaal and former boss David Moyes have both lamented United's lack of a 'complete' midfielder. And if United were to re-sign Pogba for £80m after letting him leave for nothing, it would open up the club to ridicule. But given the player's growing talent, a deal could be on the cards. Pogba is in a position to pick whichever club he likes, but leaving a Juventus side that is dominating Serie A and is committed to making him their star man would be no easy task. Pogba left Manchester United in 2012 after failing to agree a new contract with the club . Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to sign a 'complete' midfielder . | Paul Pogba is one of the most sought after talents in world football .
The midfielder has been in superb form for Juventus this season .
Andrea Pirlo says Pogba can achieve any ambitions he has in Turin .
Pogba signed for Juventus from Manchester United in 2012 .
The Old Lady have placed an £80 million asking price on his head . |
140,256 | 415b01be970069cf2433f977989a5b1a5b7b9b8c | Roy Keane was at the centre of a storm following an alleged row with a fan at the team hotel in Dublin. Reports that Keane was involved in a bust-up with a fan outside the bar area in the team hotel in Portmarnock spread like wildfire. But the FAI insisted the reports were ‘inaccurate’ and they stood by their man, revealing that Keane himself had notified the Gardai of the incident. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Martin O'Neill: Roy Keane has my full support . Roy Keane (left) and Daryl Murphy are pictured in training ahead of the Republic's game in Scotland on Friday . Ireland boss Martin O'Neill (left) and his assistant Keane cast an eye over their charges in Dublin . The Ireland squad are staying at the luxury four star hotel before flying to Scotland on Thursday . The luxury Links hotel features a golf course as well as a range of top quality features . The FAI were adamant the Corkman had their ‘full support’ and that of manager, Martin O’Neill, also. According to well-placed sources in the Ireland camp, the incident was blown out of proportion. Contrary to social media rumours, no players were involved. In a statement released late on Wednesday night, the FAI said: ‘Following inaccurate media reports which refer to an incident involving a member of the public this evening at the Republic of Ireland team hotel, we wish to clarify that Roy Keane called the Gardai following the incident. Keane poses with his latest autobiography 'The Second Half - he released his first book back in 2002 . Keane is currently assistant manager of Aston Villa as well as his role with the national side . Keane, pictured putting in a horror challenge on former Alf-Inge Haaland, was known as United's tough man . Keane's assault on Haaland ended the Norwegian's career. ‘I wanted to hurt him,' Keane says in his book . ‘The manager, Martin O’Neill, and the FAI are fully aware of the circumstances surrounding this event, and the Assistant Manager has their full support.’ Even so, the incident has completely overshadowed the final preparations for Ireland’s massive Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow on Friday. Patrick Vieira and Keane square up in the Highbury tunnel ahead of United's 4-2 win . Keane is spoken to by referee Graham Poll ahead of Manchester United's fiery clash with Arsenal in 2005 . Sir Alex Ferguson took Keane to Old Trafford in 1993, but the pair were to fall out, leading to Keane's departure . Keane, through writer Roddy Doyle, recalls a fight in which he heatbutted team-mate Peter Schmeichel (left) Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | It was alleged that Keane rowed with a fan outside the bar area at Ireland's hotel in Portmarnock .
According to sources, the incident was blown out of all proportion .
The FAI were adamant Keane had their 'full support' and of manager, Martin O'Neill . |
256,235 | d7abde3f48893d4216954439ed5a4b33de25bdcc | Over 800 long lost love letters documenting a remarkable long-distance post-war love story have been discovered by a husband and wife hidden in a dusty corner of their attic. Lewis Caven, 25, and his wife Kerrie, 27, moved into the semi-detached house - which had previously stood empty for 18 years - back in 2010. Spanning five decades the tender letters tell a story of a couple's long distance love as they navigate the difficulties of being apart in a time where letters took weeks to cross the globe. Kerrie discovered the chest with her husband years after they had moved into the semi-detached house . The old trunk was found hidden in the roofspace last month when the couple started to clear out the attic in preparation for building an extension . The trunk contains over 800 hand written letters, telegrams, cards and notes between Henry and Moira . The majority of the hand written notes are addressed to Henry Oliver Forbes who lived at the house before Lewis and Kerrie . It is believed the couple eventually married and then lived at the house until Henry died around 20 years ago . Builder Lewis and Kerrie were stunned when they found an old trunk hidden in the roof space last month when they started to clear out the attic in preparation for building an extension. 'Darling, Here we go again! 'Thinking of you more often as usual. Let me know how things are going with you? 'In case you get to the old good USA be sure to look me up. I had changed my address.' The pair discovered around 800 love letters inside the chest, as well as postcards, Christmas cards and even drawings. The majority of the hand written notes are addressed to Henry Oliver Forbes who lived at the house before Lewis and Kerrie. They are penned by Moira Read, who lived in Newport, South Wales, with some of them sent from as far away as Boston and Los Angeles in America - as well as Germany. The letters are dated from 1948 up until 1979 but there was also a set of Jewish prayer robes in the truck and an old canvas military sack with the name Henry Forbes printed on it. Lewis and Kerrie believe the lovestruck couple eventually married and then lived at the house until Henry died around 20 years ago. Some of the letters are sent from as far away as Boston and Los Angeles in America - as well as Germany . In the moving love letters, Moira tells Henry she has missed him and often asks why he hasn't written for a few days . The couple are desperate to find any relatives of the couple to pass on the priceless romantic letters . Neighbours have told them his wife Moira went downhill after his death and put herself into care - leaving the house empty for 18 years before it was sold to pay care home fees. Full-time mother Kerrie said she was desperate to find any relatives of the couple to pass on the priceless romantic letters. 'I've missed you an awful lot this week, darling and I wish I had you more to myself.' She added: 'The house had been empty for 18 years when we bought it and it was just as it was left when she walked out the door. 'Her dressing gown was still on the bed and the dry cleaning was still in the bedroom. All their drawers were still full and there was food in the pantry. 'I think their grandchildren were involved in selling the house but they couldn't have been interested because the estate agent asked us if we wanted to clear the house out. 'We declined because it was too big a job and I think they just got some house clearing firm in. 'Lewis and his dad were up in the attic clearing it out for the extension when they found the trunk. 'My dearest Henry, . 'This is a line so that you won't have to wait till Tues for a reply to your last letters. 'Yes darling, I didn't have your Thursday letter till yesterday morning and I had your little Friday note by the same post.' 'They brought it down to have a look and there was about 700 or 800 letters. 'We have had a flick through them and handpicked a few to read. 'Once they got married they obviously put them together because you have got both sides of the story. 'From as far as we can tell he was living here and she appeared to be living in Newport. 'All the envelopes are dated but we haven't got time to sit down and read all 800 letters in order. 'Long before the days of mobile phone text messages and emails this is how people expressed their love and you have to say it is much more romantic.' 'My darling Henry, 'm afraid I had only a minute or two to scribble a few lines last night' one letter begins . The semi-detached house lay empty for 18 years after Henry died and Moira went into a care home . Lewis, who lives with Kerrie and the couple's three children, added: 'We were starting to extend the house, so my dad and I went to clear out the attic. 'I'd been up there plenty of times before and never seen the trunk. 'My darling Henry, . 'I thought I'd drop a line now to ask you when I can expect you darling. 'I believe you'll be coming Saturday morning as I have the day off, I'd like to meet you - if you let me know the time your train is leaving Birmingham. 'I packed a few presents last night - but had several interruptions - so that I still have some cards to do. 'I'll be hoping to hear tomorrow, darling. Look after yourself. 'All my love and lots of kisses, Moira' 'The trunk was hidden right down in the eaves, wrapped in blankets.. It was as if no one wanted it to be found. 'I couldn't believe it when I looked inside and saw it was filled with letters, post cards and drawings. 'The dates on the letters go from 1948 up to 1979. I'm not too sure how far they go back, I didn't want to disturb them. 'Along with the trunk was a set of Jewish prayer robes. 'There was also an old canvas military sack with the name Henry Forbes printed on it.' In the moving love letters, Moira tells Henry she has missed him and often asks why he hasn't written for a few days. She also talks about meeting her lover for what appears to be the first time in a letter dated December 18, 1951. 'My dearest Henry, . 'After I wrote to you last night, darling, I went home to find a parcel from you waiting for me. 'After I took off the first layer, I found the Xmas packing so I didn't want to open it any further. 'At first, you see, I thought you'd insisted on sending on some rations or something but when I saw the pretty paper, I decided you'd sent it on to save packing it. 'Today I was hoping for a letter but lunch-time I received another parcel! I was sure this was rations, but again I found fancy paper and I was afraid to open it. 'Darling, did you remember that I told you I always keep parcels till Xmas day? I wondered if that was the reason. 'However I began to wonder if I was doing right - so Mom peeped inside them both to see if there was a letter, but she couldn't find one. So you see I'm none the wiser! 'Thanks for your card, darling, it was a lovely one and a nice thought. How are you Henry? 'Cherio, my darling and all my love, Moira xxx' Moira writes: 'This won't be a very long letter either but in case I won't have much time later, I thought I'd drop a line now to ask you when I can expect you darling. 'I believe you'll be coming Saturday morning as I have the day off, I'd like to meet you - if you let me know the time your train is leaving Birmingham.' The Cavens believe Moira was last known to be living at a nursing home in Coventry and are hoping her family come forward to claim the long-lost letters. Lewis said: 'I just want to return the letters to Henry's family. 'I know that if they belonged to my grandfather I would want them. Kerrie added: 'We don't know where to start looking for their family. 'We hope somebody sees it because we wouldn't just throw them out. 'If the family didn't want them then we could give them to an art gallery or museum so they can go on display - they really are a fascinating insight into quite a remarkable love story.' | Chest was discovered in attic of house by couple 3 years are moving in .
Contains over 800 letters, cards an telegrams from 1948 up until 1979 .
Written by Henry Oliver Forbes who was former owner of the house .
Many penned to him by Moira Read, sent from as far as Germany and US .
It is believed the pair eventually married and lived in the house together .
Current owners desperate to find family of the couple to return the letters . |
78,730 | df121306554bb3d77e6418d58e99036efcf67188 | Andre Schurrle looks set for the Stamford Bridge exit doors after the German midfielder was left out of Jose Mourino's squad to face Bradford City on Saturday. Mourinho insisted the German would feature in the FA Cup fourth round clash with the League One promotion hopefuls, but the winger is nowhere to be seen. Andre Schurrle is rumoured to be closing in on a move to Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg this January . Schurrle has been heavily linked with a move away from west London in recent weeks with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg keen to snap him up. Reports suggest Chelsea are hoping to receive £27m for the player they signed from Leverkusen in 2013 for £18m, but are in no rush to deal in the transfer window. The Portuguese manager said: 'The principle is that we would like him to stay. 'The question is not to be allowed or not allowed. The question is not to have a good offer. 'The question is to have a phenomenal offer and a player to be super keen to accept a new challenge in his career because we don't want to sell our players.' Jose Mourinho had previously stated that Schurrle would start the game against Bradford City . Wolfsburg are ready to lure the midfielder back to the division in which he started his career with the promise of regular first team football. He has reportedly given fellow senior players the impression that he is ready to leave the club and his sale could free up funds for reported target Juan Cuadrado. The sale of Schurrle could free up welcomed transfer funds for Fiorentina target Juan Cuadrado . | Andre Schurrle has been linked with a move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg .
Jose Mourinho had originally said the German would feature in the game .
Chelsea reportedly want £27m for the former Leverkusen winger .
Sale of Schurrle would free up funds for Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado . |
215,540 | a3025701d8c141e53ea66a06b23c4ca192c1cb43 | The parents of a US journalist who was kidnapped in Syria while reporting on the conflict there have pleaded to the government to bring him home. Austin Tice was last heard from directly on August 13, 2012, near Damascus, while travelling to Lebanon. The former Marine was in the region reporting for McClatchy News, the Washington Post, CBS and others when he was taken. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and no demands have been made. Scroll down for video . Austin Tice was last heard from directly on August 13, 2012, near Damascus, while travelling to Lebanon . His parents, who live in Houston, have been wrestling with how to deal with the situation. Many governments feel that a low media profile about captives keeps them safer, but Austin’s mother and father, Marc and Debra, feel that more publicity might encourage the US government to increase its efforts over the case. Marc told CBS: ‘We believe that by increasing awareness of Austin's situation that we can bring more public pressure, so to speak, a greater awareness, and that's the kind of thing that governments tend to respond to.’ Debra added: ‘The Syrian government has assured us that they will do all they can to find Austin. And the American government has also assured us they will do all they can to find Austin and bring him safely home. ‘Because of the diplomatic and political situations between those two countries, we can't be sure that they're communicating with each other even though they share this common objective.’ Footage of a man who appeared to be Austin surfaced in September 2012. In a crudely shot video, a group of armed men lead a blindfolded American up a rocky hillside, where he makes statements in broken Arabic before becoming too distressed to carry on. The former Marine was in the region reporting for McClatchy News, the Washington Post, CBS and others when he was taken . The identity of the man hasn’t been confirmed, but friends of Austin believe it is him. In a statement released on a website about Austin’s plight, Debra and Marc described the agony they’re going through. They said: ‘Austin is the oldest of our seven children. The Tice kids are very close, and Austin’s absence is agonizing. ‘We steadfastly work and pray for Austin’s safe return. We are sustained by our faith and by the kind thoughts and prayers that are being offered for Austin and our family. We are humbled, amazed and deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support and assistance we have received from every corner of the globe; affirmation of all the lives that have been touched by our extraordinary son.’ | Austin Tice was last heard from in August 2012, near Damascus .
The former Marine was in Syria reporting for CBS and Washington Post .
His parents don't want him forgotten and want more publicity about him .
They hope their appeal will push the US government to try and find him . |
171,775 | 6a52382e19d9bb2797a6a783a2b8df57d4dab278 | Anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu was burgled while he was paying tribute to Nelson Mandela at yesterday's memorial service. The thieves apparently targeted his home in the suburbs of Cape Town in the knowledge that he was more than 800 miles away at the ceremony in Johannesburg. It is the second time in four months that the former Archbishop of Cape Town has been the victim of burglars. Scroll down for video . Victim: Desmond Tutu's home was broken in to while he was speaking at Nelson Mandela's memorial . Burgled: The home in a Cape Town suburb was ransacked for the second time in four months . 'I can confirm that there was a burglary last night,' his aide Roger Friedman said today. 'We are not able to tell exactly what was stolen, the archbishop and his wife were not at home. The house was not pillaged.' Police said in a statement that the crime took place at some point between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday. 'At this stage we cannot give further details, as the investigation into the matter is still ongoing,' a spokesman said. 'No arrests have been made as yet.' Ceremony: The bishop with Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN, at Mandela's memorial . Intimate: Mr Tutu kisses Mandela's widow Graca Machel during the memorial service . Officers refused to confirm whether . or not anything had been taken from the home of Mr Tutu, who won the . Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. In the previous break-in, on August 7, thieves broke in to the house while the bishop and his wife Leah were sleeping, and took a number of small possessions. Burglaries are fairly common in South Africa, where they are known as 'home invasions', due to the country's extreme inequality and relatively weak government. Mr Tutu, 82, gave the closing prayers at yesterday's ceremony to the former president in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium. He urged South Africans to follow Mandela's example, saying: 'I want to show the world we can come out here and celebrate the life of an icon.' Allies: Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela were closely associated in the fight against apartheid . The memorial also featured a well-received speech by U.S. President Barack Obama, and tributes from other world leaders who heralded Mandela as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century. However, the news that Mr Tutu was burgled at the same time is just the latest in a string of minor embarrassments connected to yesterday's service. Mr Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron came under fire for taking a 'selfie' photograph with Denmark's Helle Thorning-Schmidt, while South African president Jacob Zuma was repeatedly booed at the ceremony, held in a stadium where a third of the seats were left empty thanks to foul weather. And today it was claimed that a sign language interpreter who stood next to the podium throughout the service was in fact a fraud, waving his hands around without making any sense for deaf people. | Thieves broke in to the former Archbishop's home in Cape Town yesterday .
He was in Johannesburg speaking at the memorial for Nelson Mandela .
It is the second time in four months that Tutu has been burgled . |
141,649 | 432d7d23e7a7c9ec4c91c6b1c3811908af77e442 | Home ownership in Britain is set to fall below France for the first time after the boom in buy-to-let lending in the last decade. More and more Britons have been pushed into the rental sector, allowing our continental neighbours to catch up, according to latest figures. The fall in UK home ownership was worsened by the 2008 financial crisis and has undone much of the work by Margaret Thatcher towards her dream of a property-owning democracy. New research has found that the level of home ownership in Britain has dropped by five percent in a decade . Home ownership figures were last this low in Britain back in 1988 with much new stock bought by landlords . The figures from the EU’s official statistics bureau Eurostat show that home ownership in Britain was 64.6 per cent in 2013 compared to 70 per cent in 2005. The latest rate is only marginally above France’s 64.3 per cent while the EU average is 70 per cent. Romania tops the table with 95.6 per cent of homes being owner-occupied. On current trajectories, Britain will have fallen behind France in 2014 for the first time since Eurostat started compiling the figures in 1995. Home ownership was last this low in 1988, said separate data from the Department for Communities and Local Government. The vast majority of new housing since 2000 has been bought by landlords, it added. Some 2.5million homes built from 2000-2012 went to the private rented sector with only 400,000 bought by occupiers. The dramatic changes in the housing market have also been attributed to tougher mortgage standards making it harder for owner-occupiers to borrow. Many buy-to-let borrowers qualify for interest-only loans and can offset interest against tax. Of the 2.6million additional homes in the private rented sector since 1996, 1.4million have been financed by buy-to-let loans, said the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association. It has forecast that in two decades, if trends continue, most Britons will be renting for the first time since the early 1970s. Tory MP Mark Garnier, who is a member of the Treasury select committee, said: ‘If people have given up on the aspiration of owning their own property, that is a big deal. Prices have got outside of people’s reach.’ Kate Barker, a former Bank of England rate-setter, said landlords tend to have larger deposits or other properties from which to draw funds. ‘If you come from a family that hasn’t got a history of home ownership, it’s getting harder to get on the ladder,’ she warned. | EU figures show home ownership levels are at their lowest since 1988 .
Home ownership figures have fallen by five per cent over the past decade .
Eurostat said only 64.6 per cent of Britons are in their own home .
The EU average is 70 per cent and France is 0.3 per cent behind the UK .
Landlords in Britain have purchased 2.5 million new homes since 2000 .
Home owners have only bought 400,000 new built houses since 2000 . |
221,142 | aa4436ff695e85ed533fa72934ebede67e2d705a | Workers who lose weight will be rewarded with cash or shopping vouchers, under radical new NHS-backed plans to tackle the obesity crisis . Overweight people will be paid to lose weight, under radical new Government plans unveiled today to tackle the escalating obesity crisis . Under the NHS-backed scheme, those who shed the pounds will be rewarded with cash or shopping vouchers. Incentives could be higher or lower depending on the amount of weight a participant loses, although the amounts are still unclear. However only those with a job will qualify - and employers will also be urged to offer incentives to staff who shed pounds. Firms would receive tax breaks from the Government and would also some funding to set up slimming or exercise classes. The move is part of a wider effort to ease the strain placed on the NHS by fat patients. More than two thirds of UK adults are clinically overweight or obese and the NHS spends £5 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses. Under the new plans, NHS staff will also be urged to 'set a national example'. Access to unhealthy foods on NHS premises will be cut and staff will have their health and wellbeing 'measured'. Around 700,000 of the NHS's 1.3 million staff are either overweight or obese . NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said earlier this year that staff must 'get our own act together' before lecturing the public on cutting down on calories. He said too many hospitals serve 'chips and burgers' to both patients and staff - and the latter face being banned from eating junk food in hospital canteens to force them to set an example to patients. Mr Stevens said workplace schemes to encourage weight loss have been largely ignored - despite success abroad. He personally managed to lose nearly 3st thanks to a weight-loss incentive scheme at his previous job, the U.S. insurance firm United Healthcare. Mr Stevens said the tax-payer funded NHS has led to a 'blind spot' about the healthcare of employees. He explained: 'Employers in many countries have developed voluntary schemes for their employees whereby, for example, you actually get cash back based on participation in Weight Watchers, or other type schemes.' Asked what sorts of rewards could be offered, he said: 'It could be shopping vouchers, it could be cash, it could be prizes.' It is understood the NHS plans to 'challenge' firms to bring in such schemes rather than offer them money. NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens personally managed to lose nearly 3st thanks due to an incentive scheme at his at his previous job an a U.S. insurance firm. Dr Sally Norton (right), a weight loss surgeon, said such schemes could reduce the number of sick days taken by 50 per cent . Mr Stevens added that obesity is 'getting worse in some respects' and described the issue among children as a significant future health threat. He said: 'When your son or daughter starts primary school one in 10 children are obese. Stress at work and no time to eat nutritious meals are to blame for so many medical staff to eating badly, a survey claims. Six out of 10 nurses are too stressed to eat healthily, according to a poll by Nursing Standard magazine. Almost 3,500 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants from around the country took part in the research. Sixty per cent of respondents said workplace stress had a negative effect on their diet, while 79 per cent reported that a lack of breaks made it difficult to eat a healthy meal at work. Fifty six per cent said poor staffing levels had a knock-on effect on their diet. Of those polled, 73 per cent of respondents said they are heavier than they would like to be. Seventy six per cent said they feel they should be eating more healthily, while 65 per cent are trying to lose weight. A staggering 74 per cent of those who work night shifts say vending machine snacks are often the only meal option available, while only 33 per cent rated the overall quality of food on offer in their workplace as good or excellent. 'By the time they reach Year 6 that's doubled to one in five, so something is going wrong with the way in which we are keeping our children healthy and setting them up for a good start in life.' The NHS must also make a concerted effort to address the root causes of ill health - such as poor diets, alcohol consumption and smoking, a landmark report published today said, . Called the Five Year Forward View, and published by the NHS, it said: 'Put bluntly, as the nation's waistline keeps piling on the pounds, we're piling on billions of pounds in future taxes just to pay for preventable illnesses. It added: 'The future health of millions of children, the sustainability of the NHS, and the economic prosperity of Britain all now depend on a radical upgrade in prevention and public health.' Discussing the report, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted people needed to take responsibility for their own health. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said: 'The report is not saying the Government should give people cash. 'If we are going to have a sustainable health service going forward we all have to take responsibility. 'One shocking statistic is the number of children who go into primary school obese is 10 per cent and the number of primary school children who leave obese is 20 per cent. We have got to stop this.' Dr Sally Norton, a weight loss surgeon, told MailOnline that while employers might shudder at introducing such schemes, they could reduce the number of sick days taken by 50 per cent. She said: 'Employers should take note of the boom in workplace wellness programmes in the U.S. 'There, companies have seen the benefit of caring for their staff. 'UK employers lose over £20 billion a year due to absenteeism, but the costs of presenteeism - reduced productivity at work due to ill-health or poor fitness - may be three times higher. She added that being overweight or obese increases the number of sickness days taken by 50 per cent - equating to approximately £14 billion a year in lost revenue. More than two thirds of UK adults are clinically overweight or obese and the NHS spends £5 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses. The weight loss incentive scheme was announced as part of a wider shake-up of the healthcare system in England in the next parliament proposed by NHS bosses. Other measures include tax cuts for volunteers and 'breaking down the boundaries' between GPs and hospitals. The report also includes plans to recruit an army of volunteers to help feed elderly dementia patients in hospital or care for them at home. These members of the public would then get 10 per cent off their annual council tax bill – as much as £200 depending on where they live. It does not yet specify how much voluntary work would need to be done to be entitled to this benefit or the exact tasks entailed. 'If we don’t challenge the causes of illness then the NHS is at risk of becoming bankrupt. 'While many people argue 'surely it is down to the individual to take responsibility for their own weight and wellbeing' - maybe in an ideal world. 'But this is the real world and we need to face facts.' The weight loss incentive scheme was announced as part of a wider shake-up of the healthcare system in England in the next parliament proposed by NHS bosses. Other measures include tax cuts for volunteers and 'breaking down the boundaries' between GPs and hospitals. The report also includes plans to recruit an army of volunteers to help feed elderly dementia patients in hospital or care for them at home. These members of the public would then get 10 per cent off their annual council tax bill – as much as £200 depending on where they live. It does not yet specify how much voluntary work would need to be done to be entitled to this benefit or the exact tasks entailed . | The amounts are still unclear, but may depend on extent of weight loss .
Employers will also be urged to offer incentives to staff who shed pounds .
NHS spends £5 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses .
NHS chief exec said UK must follow US's work-based weight loss schemes .
Supporters say the move could slash number of sick days taken by 50% . |
272,517 | ecfd22d89176aee31db1459cdc64bcd465a5cf5d | A hug or two a day may be more effective than an apple for keeping doctors at arm’s length. Regular embraces can lower the risk of heart disease, combat stress and fatigue, boost the immune system, fight infections and ease depression, according to a new study. Just ten seconds of hugging can lower blood pressure and after this time elapses, levels of feel-good hormones such as oxytocin increase, while the amounts of stress chemicals, including cortisol, drop. Healthy hugs: A ten-second hug a day can lower the risk of infections and heart disease . ‘The positive emotional experience of hugging gives rise to biochemical and physiological reactions,’ says psychologist Dr Jan Astrom, who led the study report published in the journal Comprehensive Psychology. A second study found that after ten seconds of hugging, levels of various hormones in men and women aged 20 to 49 changed. Oxytocin is secreted by the body during childbirth and in breastfeeding, where it stimulates release of milk. Until recently, its effects were thought to be confined to just that. Love's embrace: Hugging releases health-benefiting hormones . But research is increasingly showing that it seems to have many more effects, from improving social skills to combating stress and encouraging trust. The skin contains a network of tiny, egg-shaped pressure centres called Pacinian corpuscles that can sense touch and which are in contact with the brain through the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve winds its way through the body and is connected to a number of organs, including the heart. It is also connected to oxytocin receptors. One theory is that stimulation of the vagus triggers an increase in oxytocin, which in turn leads to the cascade of health benefits. | Hugging releases stress-reducing hormone oxytocin .
Ten seconds of hugging a day can lower your blood pressure . |
4,019 | 0b929c999b10ce510d4aa2b1488d83fb93b803c2 | Concerns: Antonia Attuh, is believed to have been among the 153 people killed on board a plane that crashed in Nigeria last Sunday . One of the victims of the Nigerian plane disaster had fled the country and settled in Britain as a refugee after the 1972 war in Biafra, it has emerged. Computer expert Antonia Attuh, 46, died when a Dana Air Flight 9J-992 crashed on Sunday night on its approach to Lagos airport after a flight from the capital Abuja. Her devastated sister Jill, has called for an international inquiry into what caused both engines to fail on the 22 year-old Macdonald Douglas MD-83 aircraft. Her sister Jill told yesterday how brilliant mathematician Antonia spoke not a word of English when she arrived in Britain as a four-year-old. After settling in Liverpool with her parents, from an early age Antonia excelled in her studies and won a scholarship to Notre Dame RC Girls’ Grammar School. She achieved excellent A-level results and went on to win twin degrees in economics and finance before obtaining a doctorate in computer science. Antonia then embarked on a career in local government and was the first black woman to become a senior management executive with Westminster City Council. Two years ago, Antonia took a job with a the Central Bank of Nigerian and decided that her three children should accompany her in order to expose them to her homeland’s life and culture. Antonia’s husband technology expert Robert Attuh, remained at the family home in Radlett, Hertforshire, while she often travelled back and forth to the UK with Chamaka, 12, Chikes, eight, Amarachi, aged six. Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Up All Night programme yesterday, Ms Chime said another sister had flown to Nigeria to help other family members find Antonia's body, which they believe is in a hospital mortuary. All 153 passengers died when the Dana . Air flight crashed in a neighbourhood about five miles north of Murtala . Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Marriage: Antonia Attuh pictured on her wedding day, with her mother, Fidelia Chime (far left), husband Dr Robert Attuh (M) and father, Edwin Chime . Harrowing: A woman waits to identify the body of a relative who was on board the jet which crashed near Lagos on Sunday . U.S. family: Stuffed animals, flowers, candles and cards left by neighbors and friends of the Anyene family from West Hartford, Conn., who were killed in the crash . The . plane was coming from the Nigerian capital Abuja when it crashed into a . printing works and residential buildings in the busy Iju-Ishaga suburb. An unknown number of people on the ground were also killed. The . Foreign Office was unable to confirm whether Ms Attuh was aboard, but a . spokeswoman said: 'It is believed that there was a dual British-Nigerian . national on board the flight. 'The Foreign Office has been in contact with a member of her family and offered consular assistance.' Ms Chime said her sister had travelled to Nigeria frequently in recent years, and was going to Lagos to attend a course. She . said: 'My sister was a wonderful person, quite an exceptional person. She was a statistician - maths was the thing she loved doing and loved . most.' Ms Chime said she was at her parents' house on Sunday when they first heard about the crash. She said: 'My sister was travelling to Lagos and that was as far as I knew. I wasn't certain of what airline she had gone on. 'We were immediately concerned because . we had spoken to my sister in the morning and she was telling us she . was going to Lagos that afternoon. 'When I heard about the crash I had to try and find out what airline she had taken.' Clear-up: Lagos residents stand behind a barricade to watch the removal of plane debris, three days after it crashed in the city's Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood . A . cousin who was due to collect Ms Attuh from the airport told Ms Chime . her sister was aboard the doomed Dana Air flight, which was also . confirmed by Ms Attuh's husband, who had seen her off. Ms Chime also said the airline also told her that her sister's name was on the final passenger list. Her family, including another sister, are now trying to find Ms Attuh's body. Ms . Chime said: 'I also have my cousin who yesterday had gone through . 30-odd bodies trying to locate her, and today he has gone through a . further 40. 'But as of yet, we still have no confirmation of a corpse.It is very difficult and distressing.' Wreckage: Remains of the DANA Air plane which crashed while approaching Lagos airport in Nigeria, killing all 153 passengers . Disaster: A further 10 people were killed when the plane crashed into print works and residential buildings in the busy Iju-Ishaga suburb . Ms Chime called for an inquiry into the cause of the crash. She said: 'Only then can the lessons of . this tragedy be learned. My sister would not have rested until she had . gotten to the bottom of what happened and why it happened.' The Nigerian government yesterday suspended the licence of Dana Air airline as a matter of safety and grounded all of its flights while it investigates the accident. The Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83's crew radioed the tower at the airport in Lagos shortly before the crash to say they had engine trouble, but the exact cause remains unclear. | Computer expert Antonia Attuh settled in Liverpool after 1972 war in Biafra .
Was first black woman to become senior management executive with Westminster City Council .
Her sister has flown out to locate her body, believed to be in a mortuary .
Dana Air flight crashed near Lagos on Sunday killing all 153 people on board . |
99,305 | 0be589b16e28bb76f4ab2dab79ba235e8b8f4cf2 | (CNN) -- Every morning at 7:30, Hiroshi Ashitomi trudges up sand-dusted steps, pries open a metal folding chair and joins a handful of his fellow retirees under a plastic tent, facing seaward. They are staging a protest. Their sit-ins are in opposition to a perceived threat that many of his neighbors also fear: the planned expansion of a U.S. military base on Okinawa's east-facing Henoko Bay. Last week, however, the routines of both Ashitomi and the U.S. military were upset. And even though the reason for that disruption -- a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami -- demonstrated the advantage of having U.S. bases, Ashitomi and others say they will not alter their efforts to get the U.S. military off the island. In the wake of the earthquake, the U.S. military is sending humanitarian aid and technical assistance to the hardest-hit areas of Japan. Many of these efforts are being launched from bases on Okinawa Island, where the United States maintains a permanent military presence under a treaty the two countries signed after World War II. Staging areas in Okinawa allowed U.S. assistance to reach the affected areas faster than aid from many other countries. Perhaps more than at any time in recent memory, the U.S. military has made a compelling case for its presence on Okinawa. But to Ashitomi, who said he views U.S. troops as de facto occupiers, the benefits are outweighed. He is not alone. Susumu Inamine, mayor of the city of Nago on Okinawa, pointed out Saturday that he was elected on a platform of "no new construction of U.S. facilities" on the island. He also recited a litany of statistics that many in Okinawa have committed to memory: Seventy-five percent of all U.S. bases in Japan are on Okinawa, an island that makes up less than 1% of Japan's territory, and 20% of the land on the island is taken by U.S. bases. Inamine said his constituents feel that the Japanese central government requires a disproportionate "burden" of Okinawans, relative to residents of other parts of Japan. He wants some of the U.S. presence on his island to be relocated to another Japanese island. Still, not everyone in Okinawa is against the influence of the United States, which provides economic and strategic benefits. In statistics from the Marines at Kadena Air Base, U.S. forces spend an annual $1.9 billion in the local economy, constituting as much as 10% of Okinawa's Gross Prefectural Product. And according to Article 9 of Japan's Constitution, "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained," meaning that the U.S. military presence represents Japan's strongest line of defense in the event of an attack. But Ashitomi said he would not be deterred. "Once the tsunami warnings are lifted, I will be back every day until Mr. Obama cancels the current plans for the base expansion," he said. Asked why he, a Japanese citizen, pinned his hopes on the U.S. president, he said, "The Japanese government will listen to whatever the U.S. government tells them. The government of Japan doesn't have its own policy. It's a pitiful government." | U.S. aid efforts are being launched from bases on Okinawa Island .
Many Okinawans oppose the U.S. presence there .
The bases provide economic and strategic benefits .
A mayor says his constituents feel a disproportionate burden . |
141,410 | 42d9f13890e21706b197acf54abfee89260be843 | A British aid worker kidnapped in north east Afghanistan last month has been freed after a dramatic SAS rescue mission authorised by Prime Minister David Cameron. Helen Johnston, 27, a nutritionist from Stoke Newington in London, Kenyan national Moragwe Oirere and two Afghan civilians were rescued during an early morning raid by members of the elite special forces unit. All four hostages work for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based near Lausanne, Switzerland and were kidnapped on May 22 in Badakhshan province. Rescued: Helen Johnston, 27, was freed during an early morning SAS rescue in Afghanistan . Badakhstan: The hostages were held in a mountainous region close to the border with Tajikistan . Heroic: The SAS were helicoptered to the cave where the hostages were being held and stormed it, killing the kidnappers and releasing all four captives alive . The dramatic raid took place at 1am in Shahr-e-Bozorgd district, in a large forested area near the Tajikistan border called Koh-e-Laran. According to the Daily Telegraph, SAS soldiers, working with the ISAF's Joint Special Forces Group, were transported by helicopter to the cave where the hostages were being held. They then stormed the cave and freed the hostages. Mr Cameron confirmed all four . hostages were rescued safely, no British troops were injured and five . Taliban and hostage-takers were killed. A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed: 'They are all now safe. Helen and Moragwa are receiving support from British Embassy staff in Kabul. 'The two Afghan aid workers are returning to their families in Badakhshan.' It was recently revealed the SAS would stay on in Afghanistan after British troops withdraw in 2014 . Dead of night: Troops stormed the cave at 1am, in a bid to surprise the hostage takers while they were asleep . The Prime Minister spoke to Ms Johnston shortly after she arrived at the British Embassy in Kabul following the successful rescue attempt. During their brief conversation she thanked Mr Cameron for efforts of all those involved in bringing her to safety. The Prime Minister was told the operation had been a success at around 2am. He then stayed up to speak to military commanders on the ground and thank them for what they had done. This morning he also spoke to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Commander and Deputy Commander of ISAF in Afghanistan to thank them for their efforts. The Special Air Service (SAS) is an elite special forces and counter terrorism unit of the British Army. Based in Hereford, England, 'The Regiment' is widely regarded the best of its kind, the SAS has become the model for a number of special forces across the world. It was constituted in 1950 and has been involved in every major conflict that Britain has taken part in since. The SAS were first deployed in Afghanistan in 2001 . and have carried out covert work uncovering Taliban bomb factories and . identifying the location of key enemy figures for air and ground . attacks. Their weapon of choice is the Canadian-made C7 rifle, which replaced the M16, and is ideal for close quarters combat. Last month it was revealed the SAS . will stay in Afghanistan after British troops withdraw in 2014, to . conduct counter-terrorism operations against the remnants of Al Qaeda. Speaking . after learning of her rescue, Miss Johnson's parents Philip and . Patricia said: 'We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful . news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed. 'We . are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who . worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their . love, prayers and support over the last twelve days. 'We greatly appreciate the restraint . shown by the media since her abduction, and ask that they continue to . respect our privacy at this special time.' The . Prime Minister gave the go ahead for the rescue mission to take place, . and said today such decisions were 'extraordinarily difficult' and . 'never rushed into'. But he said he decided the risks to the workers' lives were getting greater. He revealed he had spoken Ms Johnston's parents and brother, and the aid worker herself, adding: It's just a huge joy that they are finally going to be re-united and they are all healthy and all well.' Mr Cameron also paid tribute to British troops involved in the rescue. Revealing the mission involved a 'long route march" without being discovered, he said: . 'It was an extraordinarily brave, breath-taking even, operation that our . troops had to carry out.' 'I pay tribute to their skill and dedication.' 'Above . all, on this weekend of all weekends, we should say a enormous thank . you to the incredibly brave forces that took part in this operation. 'We . will never be able to publish their names but the whole country should . know we have an extraordinary group of people who work for us who do . amazingly brave things.' Relieved: David Cameron gave the go-ahead for this morning's rescue of Helen Johnson, who had been working for a Swiss-based aid organisation . He added that the rescue should serve as a warning to terrorists across the world who take British citizens hostage. 'They should know if they take British citizens as hostage we do not pay ransoms, we do not trade prisoners,' he said. 'They can expect a swift and brutal end.' The aid workers were abducted by a group of armed men during a visit to relief project sites in Badakhshan, Medair said. A British hostage was killed in Nigeria in March when an attempted rescue involving UK special forces ended in tragedy. Chris McManus, working in the country as a building firm contractor, was killed alongside an Italian colleague as Nigerian troops and British Special Boat Service commandos launched a failed mission in west Africa. The UK national had been held by terrorists associated with Islamist extremist group Boko Haram since May last year after being kidnapped from his apartment by gunmen. Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised when it emerged that Italian authorities were not notified about the covert operation until it was under way. Aid worker Linda Norgrove died during a mission to rescue her from hostage takers in Afghanistan in October 2010. Ms Norgrove, 36, was killed by a grenade thrown by a US soldier during the operation, although Wiltshire coroner David Ridley did not blame him or his comrades for the tragic mistake. Three Afghans captured with her were released unharmed a few days later. Since the kidnapping, the charity kept a lid on publicity which it felt could jeopardise efforts to secure a release. Spokesman Aurilien Demaurex said the aid workers would now be reunited with their families. 'We are really, really happy,' he said. 'Medair . is relieved that our colleagues are safe. We are immensely grateful to . all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return. 'The staff members are on their way . to be reunited with their families. We ask the media to respect the need . for the privacy of our employees and their families. 'Medair . would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support during . this very difficult period. We are also very grateful for the . overwhelming messages of support from local Afghan communities.' According . to its website, the organisation has worked in Afghanistan since 1996, . providing relief to vulnerable and isolated communities. Despite . recent events, a spokesman said the charity was committed to continuing . its work 'which relies on us working safely within local communities, . wherever they may be.' Before she was posted to Badakhshan, Miss Johnson studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before her posting to Badakhshan. She was interviewed by the Evening Standard last November about her work in the region. Describing life in the region as 'gruelling' and physically tough, she said: 'It can be frustrating and hard, but there is no doubt that there is a . fundamental need for us to be here. Too many children are suffering for . us not to be.' General John R Allen, commander of the International . Security Assistance Force, said the rescue mission showed the coalition's . commitment to defeating the Taliban. 'First, I would like to thank the Afghan Ministry of . the Interior and Minister Mohammadi for their tremendous support throughout . this crisis,' he said. 'Second, this morning's mission, conducted by coalition . forces, exemplifies our collective and unwavering commitment to defeat the . Taliban. 'I'm extremely grateful to the Afghan authorities and . proud of the ISAF forces that planned, rehearsed, and successfully conducted . this operation. 'Thanks to them, Ms Helen Johnston, Ms Moragwe Oirere, . and their two co-workers will soon be rejoining their families and loved . ones.' | David Cameron authorised dramatic early morning cave rescue .
Troops took part in 'long march' to cave where hostages were held, without being spotted .
SAS officers then arrived by helicopter stormed the cave in the dead of night .
All four hostages rescued safe, no troops injured and a five Taliban and hostage-takers killed .
Parents of aid worker Helen Johnston, 27, are 'delighted and hugely relieved'
Johnston 'thanked' Mr Cameron over the phone after her rescue . |
206,913 | 97e9608139faeb36819c136ea41f1cbc9bc05e0d | By . Harriet Cooke . PUBLISHED: . 06:21 EST, 16 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:28 EST, 17 December 2012 . Famed for their grumpy, solitary lifestyles, socialising has never been known as a priority for rhinos. But new footage shot in Africa has revealed how the black variety of the animal enjoy regular night-time liaisons involving kisses, cuddles and a level of social interaction previously unknown in the species. Thanks to the latest high definition night vision cameras, scientists are now able to observe the animals in the dark for the first time, and have observed a boisterous personality trait that rarely appears during the daytime. Affection: Two black rhinos were caught on camera greeting and sharing an intimate moment in the darkness of the desert . Partying?: The gatherings revealed a level of social interaction previously unseen in black rhinos, who are normally grumpy in the daytime . In footage captured for Sir David Attenborough’s latest BBC wildlife series, Africa, 50 animals were revealed to be gathering in groups of up to 16 each night. Paul Brehem, who was the scientific . adviser for the film crew, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'For us to see this happening at night . is extraordinary. It seems to be happening every night and we could see . different individuals coming and going each night. 'This hasn’t really been . documented or seen before. We thought the extent of their social . interaction was individual males wandering around and searching out . females to mate with.' Ready for action: A black rhino arrives early at a secret watering hole, to join a midnight gathering of sometimes 15 or so other rhinos . The documentary revealed romance was not dead to the breed, with the animals coming together to rub noses, play together and communicate using a range of sounds including high pitched squeaks for calves, and loud bellows by the older . adults. In a sophisticated attempt to win the attention of a female, a young male picked up a pair of antelope horns with his own horns and . gave them to her. But the solicitation ends badly when the female snubs his advances by pretending to go to sleep. Mr Brehem added: 'What is so touching is that there . is a whole side to them that we were not aware of and had not been able . to record before.' Previously the crews could only use the light of the moon to observe the rhinos at night, but the cover of darkness meant the goings-on of their social engagements stayed secret. There are two types of African rhinoceros – black and white, the latter being more common and more sociable during the day. The shot had to be delayed for a year while a camera that could work with almost no light was being developed. It enabled the crew to observe that the eyes of the rhinos were wide open. The exact location of filming will not be revealed due to the threat of poachers. On tape: A black rhino at a secret location in the Kalahari, where new technology was used to observe the creatures at night . The sequence is part of a landmark new series profiling Africa as never before caught on film. Other scenes show eagles catching giant bats on the wing, lizards stalking their prey on the backs of lions, antelope-hunting monkeys and a nail-biting giraffe fight. Breath-taking: The documentary shows fog lingering over the mountainous dunes, supplying the desert with precious moisture . Left: Featured on the programme was an aerial view of Namib desert dunes - showing the vaporous fog which provides just enough moisture to allow life to exist. Right: Desert giraffes living in the dry ephemeral river valleys of the Namib, where water is a scant resource . Aggressive: The programme also featured two African lions competing for dominance . Remote: Only found in the Aigamas Cave, Namibia, these blind catfish are some of the rarest on the planet . Captured: A shoebill stork chick was filmed in the nest for the first . time. The birds proved very difficult to find and crews researched them . for six months . Journeying: A family of elephants cross the parched plains of Amboseli in the shadow of Kilimanjaro . Swarming: Eight million straw-coloured fruit bats fill the sky above a tiny patch of forest in Kasanka, Zambia . | Scientists excited to catch black rhinos in midnight gatherings in African watering hole .
The animals have never before been seen socialising in groups .
New high definition cameras which function with nearly no light made the discovery possible . |
222,017 | ab5edd0b27c7aec3e320ed78d2f78e623af77b83 | By . Bryan Keogh . The leftover beef trimmings derisively known as 'pink slime' is making a comeback two years after a series of graphic news broadcasts devastated sales. Two of the largest makers of the ground beef product are reporting a rebound in customers thanks in part to rising prices of its higher-quality counterparts. Average ground beef prices have jumped 10 per cent this year to an all-time high . of $3.808 per pound in April, according to the Bureau of Labor. The ground beef product derisively known as pink slime is seeing a turnaround in sales at two of its biggest producers . Cargill Inc's sales of finely textured beef have tripled since March 2012, and the agriculture company now has about 400 customers for the product, which is made from trimmings that have been separated from fat and treated with ammonia or citric acid to kill pathogens, the Lincoln Journal Star reported on Saturday. That's more customers than Minneapolis-based Cargill had before the controversy erupted after ABC News aired a series of reports on the meat, prompting a consumer backlash, according to Cargill director of communications Mike Martin. Sales, however, are still 40 per cent below their peak, he said. Jeremy Jacobsen, a spokesman for Beef Products Inc, which dubs its meat 'lean finely textured beef', also confirmed a sales boost. Both companies didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr Jacobsen said his lawyers advised him not to comment further pending the outcome of the Dakota Dunes, South Dakota-based company's $1.2billion defamation lawsuit against ABC, which accused the network of misleading consumers into thinking the product is unsafe. ABC News, owned by The Walt Disney Co, denied BPI's claims and vowed to fight the lawsuit. Last month the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit could proceed to the discovery phase. Plant workers at a Beef Products plant in Nebraska produce 'lean, finely textured beef in 2012 . The . meat industry's use of ammonium-treated beef trimmings in school . lunches and fast food restaurants was little known until 2009, when The . New York Times reported on the product and publicized use of the term . 'pink slime'. The product, trimmed from leftover fatty parts . and treated to kill bacteria, was fast becoming a staple of grocery . stores, fast food joints such as McDonald's and Burger King and the US' school lunch program, which purchased 7 million pounds worth in 2012. The USDA gave it a clean bill of health, considering it almost safer than regular ground beef. Critics of the product object to the use of ammonia to treat the meat, a food safety practice . used for decades and that meets federal food safety standards. The term 'pink slime' gained traction after it was used in a New York Times story in 2009. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver also joined the anti-pink slime cause, railing against it on his cooking show. McDonald's and . other fast food companies stopped using it, and major supermarket chains . including Kroger and Stop & Shop vowed to stop selling beef with . the low-cost product. An online petition calling for the banning of the product from school menus drew hundreds of thousands of supporters. Schools slashed their use of the meat . product by 94 per cent during the 12 months ended September 2013 to 392,000 from . at least 7 million pounds in the previous fiscal year, according to . Bloomberg News, which cited US Department of Agriculture data. Only Iowa, . Nebraska and South Dakota were still ordering ground beef with the . product in 2012. As a result of the sudden drop in sales, Beef Products fired about 750 employees and closed three of its four plants. At least one company, AFA Foods, declared bankruptcy. 'The result of that has been catastrophic for this company,' Craig Letch, BPI's . director of food-quality assurance, said in December 2012. The company lost 80 per cent of . its business in 28 days. | Cargill's sales of finely textured beef have tripled since March 2012, while the number of customers has surged to 400 .
The rebound comes as average ground beef prices climb to record high .
Sales still remain 40 per cent below their peak . |
146,093 | 48e81c007b9b822812c22d0fd3d2dd61c14a5a3f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:16 EST, 6 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:00 EST, 7 May 2013 . An Air Force colonel in charge of sex assault prevention has been charged with one of the very same crimes he's paid to stop after he allegedly groped a female victim while intoxicated. Lt Col Jeff Krusinski, 41, the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response boss, was arrested early on Sunday morning after police said he grabbed the female victim's breasts and buttocks in a parking lot in Crystal City, Virginia. Police said that Krusinski, then tried to touch the woman again, but she was able to fight him off and call 911. Scroll down for video . Bloodied: Jeffrey Krusinski, the chief of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response division, was charged with sexual battery in the incident over the weekend . A booking photo taken after Krusinski's arrest showed numerous cuts and scratches on his face, but it's not known whether they were from the scuffle with the woman, who was not identified. Krusinski was charged with sexual battery - a misdemeanor - and held on $5,000 bond. An Air Force spokeswoman confirmed Krusinski's employment and rank to ARLnow.com, but would not comment further. Police told the site that he and the . victim did not know each other before encounter on South 23rd Street, a . street dotted with several restaurants and bars. NBC News reported that Krusinski was removed from his post as the Air Force conducts an investigation into his arrest. Krusinski graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994 with a degree in psychology. Dishonor: Krusinski was reportedly removed from his post as details of the arrest came to light . He later attended St Mary’s University and the Air Force Institute of Technology, according to his LinkedIn page. Two years ago, while stationed in Afghanistan, he recorded a video greeting for the Air Force baseball team. Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a tweet on Monday night that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is 'outraged and disgusted' over Krusinski's arrest. It is another black eye for the Air Force, which is currently struggling with accusations of sexual assault within its ranks. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program says on its website that the program 'reinforces the Air Force's commitment to eliminate incidents of sexual assault through awareness and prevention training, education, victim advocacy, response, reporting and accountability. 'The Air Force promotes sensitive care and confidential reporting for victims of sexual assault and accountability for those who commit these crimes.' Dozens of young female recruits and airmen at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio were victimized by their instructors who sexually harassed, improperly touched or raped them. The preliminary figures for 2012 show there were nearly 800 reports of cases, ranging from inappropriate touching to rape, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Mark Welsh said during his testimony to a House committee in January. That would be a nearly 30 per cent increase from 2011, when 614 cases were reported. The 2012 figures were included in a report that the Defense Department submitted to Congress last month. Hagel has been examining the startling epidemic. According to defense officials, Hagel will seek legislation requiring that cases go through the U.S. Court of Military Appeals, and that senior officers no longer have the authority to set aside guilty findings. Cheerleader: Two years ago, while stationed in Afghanistan, Krusinski recorded a video greeting for the Air Force baseball team . | Lt Col Jeff Krusinski, the chief of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response in the Air Force, was charged with sexual battery .
He and alleged victim did not know each other .
The arrest is latest black eye for Air Force, which has struggled with an epidemic of sexual assault cases . |
251,100 | d0fa3f787cb81969a24d5ba361c4f5a1b7bddd8b | Each year the awards season becomes more like a Three Stooges episode. Metaphorically at least, the combatants poke each other in the eye, bash each other over the head with frying-pans or planks of wood, each tumbling over the other to look more vindictive, more pompous, more ludicrous, more stupid. It starts, where else, with all the venal, pointless bile on social media: ‘My favourite is better than your favourite,’ which resembles nothing more closely than the playground ‘my dad could batter your dad’. You know the stuff. But year-on-year the participants and football powers-that-be are abandoning dignity quicker than an I’m A Celebrity contestant. Real Madrid's Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo holds up the Ballon d'Or after winning the award in 2013 . Last year, we had the risible, hopefully soon-to-be-deposed, Sepp Blatter prancing about the stage at the Oxford Union impersonating Cristiano Ronaldo as some sort of stentorian automaton who ‘spends more expenses on his hair than “the other one’’ and lauding his personal ‘preference’ for Lionel Messi because ‘he’s a nice boy’. It was all against the delightful background of FIFA forgetting that they were running a World Cup the following summer, easy mistake, and thus that there were World Cup qualifying play-offs in November 2013. The polls closed before the infamous Zlatan v Ronaldo play-off ‘super-matches’ which were bound to influence the voters (FIFA’s international coaches, captains and a select band of journalists) and so a vast amount of them just didn’t bother responding. Ronaldo is many people's favourite to win the award again this year after winning the Champions League . FIFA ‘re-opened’ the polls, announced that those who’d already marked their ‘X’ couldn’t vote again (to take account of Ronaldo’s fabulous performance in eliminating Sweden in that play-off), then informed them that they actually could... on it went. Like a bad Benny Hill episode. Nobody in Zurich seemed to realise that when you produce a real-life narrative which would put the script-writers of The Thick Of It to shame then something’s gone wrong. Madrid demanded an apology on behalf of Ronaldo, got it, and CR7 duly won. Franck Ribéry, principal star of Bayern Munich’s treble season, spiralled down into a reverse Sally Field acceptance at the 1985 Oscars (‘You LIKE me.... right now you really LIKE me!’). Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or three times and also won the World Player of the Year trophy too . Those around him in Bavaria needed to mop up tears for weeks (‘They hate me, they really HATE me!’) and even now he’s still harping on about it in interviews: ‘I learned a lot during last year’s Ballon d’Or gala. As soon as I got there, I told my wife that I would lose,’ he whined last week. ‘I saw how Blatter was hugging Ronaldo and how his entire family was there. I’m not stupid. It was clear that he had to win it. He wouldn’t have brought his entire family with him otherwise. ‘It will be the same this year. Manuel Neuer or Arjen Robben should win it. You can’t disagree with this. Manu has won it all, he’s a great guy and he isn’t arrogant. Arjen has played an incredible season in the Bundesliga and then a fantastic World Cup. Messi is unlikely to win the award after Barcelona failed to win any major trophies last season . ‘But I fear it will be about politics again. The Ballon d’Or is no longer for the best player. Fabio Cannavaro won it in 2006 because he won the World Cup, that’s all.’ Now Franck isn’t known for his University Challenge capabilities. But, I ask you. Robben or Neuer ‘should get’ the Ballon d’Or this year for their fantastic World Cups, but Cannavaro was a blaggard and a con man of the first order when winning it ... for World Cup 2006. Give us strength. And if Blatter was fawning all over Ronaldo, then lingering embarrassment at his Oxford Union stupidity might explain it. This weekend, it’s all taken a new, nonsensical turn. Asked, well after voting had closed, about the Ballon d’Or, UEFA chief Michel Platini replied that, in a World Cup year, one of the players who’d lifted that trophy in the summer should automatically be Ballon d’Or winner, too. Sepp Blatter got in trouble last year after admitting he would prefer Messi to win the award as he was 'nice' He repeated an opinion he’d given four years earlier when Xavi and Andres Iniesta were both pipped by Messi because of his individual brilliance in a year when Spain became world champions. Both Spaniards admitted that they were pleased Messi won. Platini put into words a sentiment that many (particularly the voting journalists, I believe) hold — but I’d also ask how many of you really think that the FIFA coaches and captains will now be remonstrating themselves and banging fists against their own head after the Frenchman spoke? Imagine it: ‘World Cup!?!? Bloody hell, I never even THOUGHT of making that part of my consideration!!!’ or: ‘Dammit — Platini’s come out for a World Cup winner to lift the Ballon d’Or, if I’d only known how he’d vote then I’d obviously have trotted along behind him like an obedient little sheep.’ But, oh no. Real Madrid exploded in an apoplectic vomit of nonsense — issuing a statement remonstrating with Platini for answering a question posed to him by a Spanish news agency, declaring that anyone who opposes Ronaldo for this award is an ideological criminal and questioning his impartiality despite the presence of World Cup winning Toni Kroos in their own first XI. A number of Germany's World Cup winners have been touted as possible winners of the award . While all of this was happening, a much stranger fact emerged. The players world union FIFPRO hadn’t found a place for either Koke or Gabi in their top 15 midfielders of 2014 despite the Atletico Madrid pair’s excellence in winning the Spanish League, Supercup and coming within seconds of winning the Champions League. Weird, I’d suggest. Wrong in my view. But football democracy in action. FIFPRO’ s voting is not immune to errors or manipulation but the players had their voice and it didn’t shout: ‘Atletico!’ On Sunday we’ll know the final three for the Ballon d’Or. Hopefully they are Ronaldo, Neuer and Messi. I’d expect the podium to reflect that order in January. But, if it doesn’t, don’t expect me to join the pitiful Three Stooges pantomime. | Final three for the Ballon d'Or announced on Sunday .
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the award in 2013 .
Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer are among favourites for 2014 award . |
45,499 | 803614c289a2036f4e07d9ad842049058d29d480 | Looters are compounding the anguish of grieving relatives in the MH17 massacre by using bank cards and mobile phones stolen from the dead. The shocking development emerged yesterday as emergency workers trying to reclaim missing body parts at the crash site were chased away by heavily-armed pro-Russian rebels accused of downing the Malaysia Airlines flight. The Boeing 777 was destroyed by a missile killing all 298 people on board while flying over the separatist-held Donetsk region a week ago. Since then, the site has been one of astonishing chaos, with bodies looted, evidence sabotaged and valuable aluminium metal plane parts being stolen and sold for scrap. Scroll down for video . South African helicopter pilot Cameron Dalziel and his wife Reine recently moved to Malaysia with their two children . Cameron Dalziel was killed in the MH17 disaster . A man looks at the debris scattered at the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 . The crash site of MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region . Yesterday, it emerged that the widow of one of the ten Britons killed had been forced to cancel her husband’s credit cards to stop their fraudulent use. Reine Dalziel, the wife of British helicopter pilot Cameron, a 43-year-old father-of-two, was ‘stunned’ by the shameful abuse of her dead husband’s belongings. Her brother Shane Hattingh said: ‘People are abusing it in the Ukraine. They have no respect for each other, look what they’re doing. It made me angry beyond words.’ Mr Dalziel, who had just moved to Malaysia with his family, was killed while on his way home after taking a training course. His wife was said to be ‘destroyed’ following his death. Mr Hattingh said her whole body was ‘sore from crying’. He added: ‘The little we do know is that Cameron was in business class, and that particular part of the plane was found reasonably intact. ‘So we can only hope that things will work out for us and that we can get Cameron home and start the grieving process.’ Meanwhile, relatives have told of their horror after their loved ones’ phones were answered by strangers with ‘eastern European-sounding voices’. New footage also shows rebels stealing golden wedding rings and other valuables from the scene. Yesterday, flights continued to carry victims’ bodies from the government-controlled Ukrainian city of Kharkiv to the Netherlands for identification. Poignant: Belongings lay scattered at the crash site near the village of Grabove as the first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands for identification . New evidence has also emerged that the rebels allegedly planned to sabotage the investigation by contaminating the site with parts from other planes . But forensic experts say just 200 corpses and an unspecified number of body parts have been sent to them by rebels from the crash site in the eastern farming village of Grabovo, which is unsecured and now largely deserted. There are fears that vital evidence has been lost as the site is sabotaged and plane debris – including the jet’s mangled cockpit – moved around and stolen to be sold as scrap metal. Remaining body parts have also been left to rot and destroyed by wild animals in the summer heat.Yesterday, the head of Ukraine’s emergency services, Serhiy Bochkovskiy, said officers were forced away from the site by the rebels who confiscated their equipment. Jan Tuinder, a forensics expert leading the Dutch investigation, said what was happening at the scene was ‘criminal.’ He added: ‘There are still some lunatics, it’s very hard for us to get to the bodies.’ Australia has sent a team of 50 policemen to London ready to fly out to try to recover remaining body parts. A toy belonging to a child who died in the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region . Belongings of victims are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near Grabove . Toys in a bag are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region . Rebels have promised secure access to the site for investigators but fighting was yesterday getting worse in the area. Meanwhile, a decree allegedly signed by rebel commander Igor Strelkov was issued stating that valuables taken from bodies must be handed in to contribute to the ‘defence fund’ of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Jordan Withers, 22, the nephew of British crash victim Glenn Thomas, 49, said: ‘It’s a hard one to swallow — that my uncle and everyone else’s loved ones are there and they are being degraded and treated inhumanely.’ Evidence of looting? The image appears to show a rebel fighter handling a gold ring amid the wreckage . Hunt for clues? A rebel fighter is filmed rifling through the bag of one of the 298 MH17 crash victims . Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko yesterday said looters were stealing valuable aluminium from the site. Andrei Lysenko, of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said: ‘The cynicism of these gangsters has no limits. According to our information, apart from picking up valuable personal belongings of the passengers, terrorists are using credit cards of the victims.’ Last night Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation following widespread criticism of his government’s inability to secure the crash site. Wants jewellery for 'defence fund': An alleged decree by rebel commander Igor Strelkov (centre) appears to admit that the bodies of dead passengers on MH17 were looted by pro-Russian separatists . 'Valuable items must be sent to the DPR Defence Fund': The alleged order (above) is apparently signed by rebel army commander Colonel Igor Strelkov and carries what appears to be an official stamp . Children walk past a piece of wreckage from the MH17. Military analysts said the size, spread, shape and number of shrapnel impacts visible all point to a missile system like the SA-11 Buk as previously suspected . Long, sad journey home: Dutch police watch as a plane touches down carrying the bodies of crash victims from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at Eindhoven Airport . Contaminating the crime scene: A pro-Russian militant holds up a stuffed animal as others look on at the MH17 crash site which they have been accused of sabotaging in an attempt to hamper the investigation . Russia 'bears responsibility' for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, U.S. intelligence officials said, but they offered no evidence that Vladimir Putin was directly involved. The senior intelligence officials were cautious in their assessment, noting that while the Russians have been arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. had no direct evidence that the missile used to shoot down the passenger jet came from Russia. The plane was probably shot down by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile fired by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, the intelligence officials said. U.S. intelligence chiefs have found no evidence of Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in the shooting down of MH17 but said Russia 'bears responsibility' for the disaster . They also said that after analysing taped phone conversations between separatists obtained by U.S. intelligence it could be all but concluded that the culprits did not realise they were targeting a commercial airliner. 'Five days into it [following the crash] it does appear to be a mistake,' one official said. The officials briefed reporters over intelligence related to last week's air disaster, which killed 298 people. It comes a day after the first pictures emerged of damaged panels from MH17, which appear to show evidence of shrapnel and missile damage. They cited intercepts, satellite photos and social media postings by separatists, some of which have been authenticated by U.S. experts. Separatists previously had shot down 12 Ukrainian military airplanes, the officials said . But the officials said they did not know who fired the missile or whether any Russian operatives were present at the missile launch. They were not certain that the missile crew was trained in Russia, although they described a stepped-up campaign in recent weeks by Russia to arm and train the rebels, which they say has continued even after the downing of the commercial jetliner. In terms of who fired the missile, 'we don't know a name, we don't know a rank and we're not even 100% sure of a nationality,' one official said. White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the US was still working to determine whether the missile launch had a 'direct link' to Russia, including whether there were Russians on the ground during the attack and the degree to which Russians may have trained the separatists to launch such a strike. 'We do think President Putin and the Russian government bears responsibility for the support they provided to these separatists, the arms they provided to these separatists, the training they provided as well and the general unstable environment in eastern Ukraine,' he said in an interview with CNN. He added that heavy weaponry continues to flow into Ukraine from Russia following the downing of the plane. | South African helicopter pilot and father of two killed in MH17 tragedy .
Cameron Dalziel's wife forced to cancel his credit cards .
His brother-in-law says they've been used in Ukraine since crash .
Families tell of their shock after hearing strangers' voices on mobile phones .
UK intelligence chiefs 'uncover evidence rebels planned to sabotage scene'
Separatists 'considered scattering parts from other planes among debris'
Rebel commander 'issues decree that proves militants are looting victims' |
216,409 | a429177985f4616ebbdd0a58805cb63288c9818b | (CNN) -- "It was an angry call," Seth MacFarlane said of the now-infamous phone call in which Jon Stewart lambasted him for "Family Guy" poking fun at the fact that "The Daily Show" went live during the 2007 writers' strike, "and suffice it to say, he is a phenomenally good debater, if you had been keeping score, I would have lost roundly." The creator of "Family Guy," "American Dad!" and "The Cleveland Show" is a guest on tonight's "Piers Morgan Tonight." "I was really kind of in shock more than anything else," said MacFarlane. It was kind of an odd Hollywood moment. I was a huge fan of his show, and here I was getting this angry phone call." MacFarlane told Morgan that he still maintains the standpoint that Stewart, "arguably the most popular, successful television personality in the genre," ought to have stood up for "the people who haven't made it yet." He said that Stewart asked him who'd made him "the moral arbiter of Hollywood." When Morgan pointed out the irony in Stewart calling out MacFarlane for mocking him, MacFarlane joked. "If I say yes, he's going to crucify me on his show every night for a year." MacFarlane summed up the incident by telling Morgan that while he stands firm in his opinion that Stewart ought to have shut "The Daily Show" down during the strike, the "Family Guy" gag "was probably so over the line in its ruthlessness that it probably could have been more measured in its execution." When Morgan asked where his darkly hilarious, absurd, slightly sinister brand of humor comes from, MacFarlane said "a lot of people in my family have very dark, very twisted senses of humor that I was exposed to at a very young age." MacFarlane was very close to his mother, Ann Perry MacFarlane, whom he called "invaluable" to his comedy career, calling her sense of humor "wickedly vicious." MacFarlane, who lost his mother to cancer last year, told Morgan "there was really nothing on 'Family Guy' or any of the other shows that could offend her," said MacFarlane. When Morgan pointed out that "Family Guy" has poked fun at paraplegics, multiple religions, pedophiles, AIDS, and did an opera version of the Nicole Simpson murder, among many other controversial topics, Macfarlane maintained that his mother remained "unflappable," stating that "there was really nothing that fazed her" and that she herself had told her son stories about her past, "none of which I can repeat on the air, that shocked the hell out of me." MacFarlane called the fact that he was never able to shock his mother the reason was such a valuable resource. When it comes to what is and isn't off limits on his shows, MacFarlane told Morgan that he trusts his gut -- and the opinions of his team of writers, telling Morgan that they are "very smart, very conscientious people who are aware of what is funny and what is going to be over the line." Citing "The Simpsons" as one of his influences, MacFarlane called prime-time animation a great forum for satirical humor, calling it the televised translation of politic cartoons found in "The New Yorker." MacFarlane told Morgan "if we're wrong about something, we have a table read, where we read the script aloud for the network, for the studio, for each other, for the animators. And we get a lot of groans if something's over the line at that point. And if we make it past that point, there's always broadcast standards who, in Fox's case, are actually very reasonable people who genuinely care about the comedy as much as they care about not getting the network fined." MacFarlane told Morgan that comedy is often an edgy, cutting, dark medium and that "Family Guy" doesn't veer away from poking fun, even at 9/11. "It always has to be funny," he said. "If we're ever getting preachy or soapboxy then we're not really doing our jobs, and there have been times that we have gotten preachy and soapboxy, and that's us not really working as hard as we should." MacFarlane himself had been booked on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles -- the plane that hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. MacFarlane told Morgan that he'd given a lecture at his alma mater, Rhode Island School of Design, the night before and went out with some faculty members afterward and "had a few pints." Due to the combination of being hung over and having been mistakenly told by his travel agent that the flight was set to takeoff 10 minutes later than it did, MacFarlane arrived just after the gate closed. MacFarlane exchanged his ticket for a late-morning flight, dozed off in the lounge and woke up to the commotion surrounding the news that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. As the crowd gathered in the airport lounge watching the horror unfold, it was announced what flight it was. "And I turned to the guy next to me, said MacFarlane. "And said, 'My God! That was the flight I was supposed to be on. I was late. I missed it.' " MacFarlane recalled a "wonderful unity" among the people in the airport that morning "that we've since completely abandoned," recalling how the lounge bartender poured him a shot upon hearing that MacFarlane was supposed to have been on Flight 11. "That feeling that must have been what, you know, our grandparents felt during World War II where, you know, this is -- in that moment, everything was -- we -- we're all the same," said MacFarlane. MacFarlane did tell Morgan, "I'm not a fatalist," and admitted that the event, which was arguably a twist of fate for him, didn't shake him up the way it might others, because he habitually misses flights. "A day before that incident, I could have been crossing the street five minutes earlier and gotten hit by a car and never known that I just missed it," he said. Watch Piers Morgan Live weeknights 9 p.m. ET. For the latest from Piers Morgan click here. | Seth MacFarlane angered Jon Stewart by parodying him on "Family Guy"
MacFarlane says twisted sense of humor comes from family, namely his "unflappable" mother .
MacFarlane missed American Airlines Flight 11 on 9/11 by moments . |
126,714 | 2fcf2421e2d335af15d8ced57462464b4b221a4f | McDonald's Japan has . apologised to customers and vowed to ensure product safety after . objects including a tooth and plastic were found in its food. The food safety scandal comes as the fast-food chain is hit by sliding sales and a shortage of french fries caused by a labour dispute. McDonald's Japan is on track to record its sixth straight year of sales declines and its first annual loss in 11 years. Convenience stores in particular have drawn away customers with broader ranges of ready-made meals and low-priced coffee. McDonald's Japan has apologised to customers and vowed to ensure product safety afterobjects including a tooth and plastic were found in its food . Today's apology came after a diner found a roughly 1 1/2 inch strip of vinyl in a Chicken McNugget at the . weekend. That prompted the chain to halt sales of nuggets made . on the same day as the contaminated item at a plant in Thailand. The company is still investigating the cause. Other incidents that have damaged the restaurants brand include the discovery of a human tooth in a french fry in August, and a child cutting its mouth on a piece of plastic in a sundae in December. McDonald's sought to reassure the public about its standards at a news conference with Takehiko Aoki, senior vice president at McDonald's Holding Co (Japan) Ltd, saying he was 'confident that my family can eat McDonald's products'. Mr Aoki said the believed the company's response to the food safety scare had been 'appropriate'. McDonald's Japan began sourcing nuggets from three . Thai plants less than six months ago. The change was aimed at . boosting confidence in product quality after Chinese supplier . Shanghai Husi Food Co Ltd was accused of selling expired meat. McDonald's Japan vice president Takehiko Aoki, centre, reassured the public about the restaurants food standards and said he was 'confident that my family can eat McDonald's products' The Thai plant that produced the nugget containing vinyl is located in Saraburi and is owned by Cargill, who have not commented on the incident. On Monday, just days after the latest discovery, McDonald's . Japan resumed sales of all sizes of french fries for the first . time in three weeks. A labour dispute at U.S. West Coast ports . had delayed imports, forcing the company to ration portions. Meanwhile, McDonald's fans in Venezuela are still waiting for french fries to return to their menus. The imports delays in the U.S. comes as . socialist Venezuela grapples with shortfalls of basic goods . ranging from medicines to flour due to strict currency controls . that stymie imports. McDonald's restaurants are coping by replacing the spuds . with salad or local fare such as fried yuca or 'arepa' corn . pancakes - but it's no happy meal for McDonald's fans. Two cashiers at separate restaurants said fries had been . missing for two weeks and that business had dropped as a result. Arcos Dorados S.A., McDonald's Corp's key operator . in Latin America, did not reply to queries about whether . Venezuela's Byzantine three-tiered exchange rate system was to . blame. French fries only became available again in Japan on Monday after a three week absence caused by a labour dispute at U.S. West Coast ports, and they are still off the menu in Venezuela . But the company's senior director for corporate communications, Sonia Ruseler said the shortage was down to a 'temporary issue with distribution which we are trying to solve'. A protracted labor dispute at U.S. West Coast ports forced . McDonald's to ration fries in Japan last year. Fries sold at McDonald's restaurants in Latin America are . imported from Argentina, Canada or the United States, according . to Ms Ruseler. Weary Venezuelans were quick to blame the country's currency . controls, implemented more than a decade ago to stem capital . flight and viewed as the root of the current economic crisis. 'Fries are definitely imported and there are no dollars to . bring them in,' said Patricia, whose granddaughter, Arantxa, ran . off to play when she learned there were no fries on offer. 'A month ago we came and she did eat, because there were . fries,' said Patricia, who declined to give her last name. | A diner found a 1 1/2 inch strip of vinyl in a Chicken McNugget .
Follows the discovery of tooth inside a french fry and plastic in a sundae .
McDonald's Japan is set to record its first annual loss in 11 years .
A labour dispute in the U.S. has also caused shortages of French fries . |
125,152 | 2dca7e911a87afe243dad3e4a16b29e95197ad14 | About 90 per cent of snails eaten in France come from Eastern Europe according to French producers who are demanding a limit on exports. A campaign has begun to specify the origin of snails on boxes so people know exactly whey they are from. 'If we do not distinguish the 'made in France' from the 'made in Poland', we are shooting ourselves in the foot', Yves Detaigne, a centre-right senator, told The Times. The Roman snail (pictured) is used by top chefs in their dishes but the French are calling for boxes of the delicacy to say exactly where they are from . But according to expert Jacky Pommier, who organises an annual snail-eating festival in August, it is quite clear that snails from France are better. Burgundy snails, or Helix pomatia, are now protected by a ban which prevents them from being harvested during the reproductive season which falls between April 1 and June 30. Mr Pommier says he has to serve Polish snails over his festival because there are not enough French snails. But Joel Pre, chairman of the French Federation of Snail Producers, called for boxes of snails to say exactly where they are from. A Burgundy snail which cannot be farmed during its reproductive season between April 1 and June 30 . He said if people knew the snails they were eating were from Poland instead of Dijon, people might think twice about eating them. At the moment boxes of snails just say they are produced in the EU. British snail farmer Helen Howard has said buisness is booming. She sells Helix aspersa muller (petits gris) or maxima (gros gris) as well as the Helix pomatia known as Roman snails. Snails in tins can be expensive costing £21 for an 800g tin of Bourgougne snails. Snails in tins can be expensive costing £21 for an 800g tin of Bourgougne snails . SNAIL BOURGUIGNONNE . Ingredients:For the court bouillon . 1 kg/2lb 3oz snails (available from specialist suppliers) 750ml/1lb 10fl oz vegetable stock . 250ml/9fl oz white wine . 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley . 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary . 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme . 1 garlic clove, chopped . For the herb butter:2 shallots, finely chopped . 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped . 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley . 500g/1lb 2oz butter, softened . pinch freshly ground black pepper . 1 tsp sea salt . To serve:lemon wedges, crusty breadPreparation method:Using a snail fork or toothpick, remove the snails from their shells, reserving the shells for serving. Bring the vegetable stock, white wine, parsley, rosemary, thyme and garlic to the boil, then add the snails and simmer for one hour. Drain. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Beat the softened butter in a bowl, then stir in the shallot, garlic, parsley and seasoning. Spoon a little of the herb butter into each snail shell, top with a snail, pushing it into the shell, then top with more butter and smooth over. Place the shells onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Serve the snails in snail plates with lemon wedges and crusty bread. | A campaign has begun to specify the origin of snails on boxes .
Burgundy snails are protected by a ban which prevents them from being harvested during the reproductive season .
Snails are being served in France which are actually from Eastern Europe .
At the moment boxes of snails just say they are produced in the EU . |
20,819 | 3b14566b522d50064ac87a3b964450e5cfda8048 | It's been the year that us bought us selfies, belfies and bookshelfies but now it's time for the 'pelfie' - that's a pet dressed as an elf. Devoted dog and cat owners entered snaps of their four-legged friends dressed in their seasonal best into a Pet Elfie competition and the results were just adorable. From terriers in elf jackets to a lizard in a tiny red hat, Britain's pets are perfect as Santa's little helpers. Sweet-natured Honey the Jack Russell won the BuyAGift 'pet elfie' competition. Her owner Caroline Virgo claimed the £250 voucher as well as a £250 charity donation to the dog rescue charity of her choice . These two dogs don't look all that happy to be dressed up as Father Christmas and his lone reindeer . The company was inundated with entries for their Christmas competition including these two cute pooches, one of which wore a snowman outfit complete with top hat and carrot nose, while the other wore a Santa hat . Buyagift.com offered a £250 gift voucher and a £250 charity donation for the best snaps and Britain's animal lovers entered in their droves. Some took the Christmas theme even further, dressing their animals up as Father Christmas on his sleigh with a reindeer. The company say that they were inundated with entries but they eventually awarded the prize to adorable Jack Russell, Honey. Her owner Caroline Virgo said: 'Honey loves lots of attention and fuss and is extremely placid. 'As she is short-haired she wears a jumper when we take her for walks when it's cold, so she doesn't mind wearing elf outfits at all.' A festive Staffordshire bull terrier wears an 'I believe in Santa Claus' bib, left, while a labrador wears a red hat . This long-haired cat climbed into the sink it its Father Christmas outfit, perhaps it was hoping to wash it off . In the most accurate elf costume, this collie seems to have been collecting Christmas baubles for its owner . 'When I found out she had won I was over the moon to say the least. 'My husband had an accident a couple of weeks ago, and now I will be able to take him for a relaxing weekend away with the prize.' Mrs Virgo added that her charity of choice is Forest Dog Rescue - Green Gap Kennels in Far Forest, Worcestershire, a small charity rescue centre that cares for abandoned dogs. These two pals both have Christmas outfits, while one wears reindeer ears the other has its Santa hat on . While not as cute and cuddly as a dog or cat, buying a hat small enough for this lizard is a feat in itself . She said: 'They don't receive any financial support from councils or the government and work hard raising funds doing car boot sales and raffles to enable them to continue their fantastic work trying to re home dogs.' While Honey was the overall winner, many of the other pet owners went to great lengths to impress the judges. One labrador was dressed as a snowman complete with carrot and a green tinsel necklace, while a collie looked the part in a green-and-white striped elf suit. While another managed to dress their long-haired cat in a red Santa suit - a prize-winning feat in itself. Santa's little helpers: Matching hats for these two Chihuahuas, dressed in the same Christmas outfit . | Owners dressed dogs, cats and a reptile as elves for contest .
In with a chance of winning a £250 voucher and £250 charity donation .
Winner was Honey the Jack Russell wearing a festive jacket and hat . |
203,388 | 9344c613159ac9959f4d124fda2256a450e55521 | Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has called for a winter break and insists it would benefit English clubs. The Scot has added his name to a growing list who want the Barclays Premier League to stop over Christmas. Jose Mourinho, Gus Poyet and Wayne Rooney have all insisted a break would be good for the game. Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert said he thinks a winter break in the Premier League would be a good idea . Lambert is not alone in his beliefs and is joined by fellow Premier League manager Jose Mourinho of Chelsea . Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has also showed his dislike for the fixtures over the festive period . Villa host Crystal Palace on New Year's Day, their third match in less than a week, and then face Blackpool in the FA Cup on Sunday. And, ahead of the Eagles' visit, Lambert is keen to see a league hiatus during winter. 'From a manager's point of view, I guarantee if you went up and down the country and did a survey on it, I'm pretty sure 99 per-cent of managers and staff and players would want the break,' he said. 'I guarantee you fans would enjoy it, too. 'Fans up and down the country are brilliant. They follow their teams everywhere. I have no issues with that. Lambert commended the Aston Villa fans for their efforts to travel to watch games over the Christmas period . 'My point of view is that you will have a lot better quality in the second half of the season with a break. 'I just think it would help everybody, the national team, everything. 'You're asking the players to play (again) in two days. You're not going to get the best quality from the game. 'It's difficult to do that 48 hours after playing a tough game.' Villa are 13th in the table after their 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Sunday and host Palace who could have Alan Pardew in charge by the time they come to Villa Park. Aston Villa haven't beaten Crystal Palace in a Premier League match at Villa Park since March 1998, when Savo Milosevic (right) struck twice in a 3-1 victory for the Villans . Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor will return from suspension following his red card against Manchester United . Lambert is without the suspended Fabian Delph and injured Ashley Westwood and Nathan Baker (both knee). Gabby Agbonlahor is back after a ban and Joe Cole is available following a hamstring injury but the club will assess Tom Cleverley (foot) and Ciaran Clark (back). Lambert played for Borussia Dortmund between 1996 and 1997 and had a winter break and reckons it would help the players' fitness. 'I had a long break when I played in Germany and it was fantastic,' he told the Birmingham Mail. Lambert played for Borussia Dortmund between 1996 and 1997 and was gifted with a winter break . 'You shut down and everyone comes back refreshed and ready for a massive push in the second half of the season. 'It's brilliant for everybody. 'People think footballers are super-human but they're normal guys. 'If you're selling a product to millions of people you sell it when everybody is fresh. 'Games come thick and fast and you have to manage players and get them through games. 'You look at them and see that they're tired but they have to go again. It is what it is. 'From a player's point of view you try to get them in the best condition they can be in to play two games in two days but it's hard.' | Paul Lambert joined the list of big names supporting a Christmas break .
Jose Mourinho, Gus Poyet and Wayne Rooney have expressed their views .
The Villa boss said '99 per-cent' of those involved would be in favour .
The Scot played in Germany from 1996-97 and was handed the time off . |
126,946 | 301980d0fd66f6e93a5f8b8c42c40a9757ddefab | Each year, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants cross into the United States via the Mexican border desperate for opportunity. Some are caught and deported while others are successful, but at the cost of never being able to travel freely again. An even more unfortunate group never survive the journey, and die on the border - their new life in America just within reach. Their remains, and the personal items they left behind, are discovered by border patrol officers and local ranchers. Left behind: The crucifix of a broken rosary and coins that belonged to a person whose skeletal remains were found in the Arizona desert on September 12, 2014 . Belongings: Each year, the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office receives about 176 remains recovered from the desert, most of which belong to undocumented immigrants who died of dehydration trying to cross into the U.S. Above, a bible, chapstick and lighter found on a body discovered June 19, 2014 . Prized possession: Forensic anthropologists try to identify the bodies, and return them to their home countries, along with personal items. Others are cremated. Above, a ring found on an identified woman's remains . Family: Currency from Mexico and Honduras, a bracelet and a child's portrait are among the items found on this body, recovered from the Arizona desert on June 10, 2014 . Unidentified: The Pima County Medical Examiner's Office currently has 90 unidentified remains at their center, which they are currently trying to identify . Casualties: Forensic technician Kristine Clor handles human remains in the refrigerated morgue of the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona . Each year, Arizona's Pima County Medical Examiner's Office receives about 176 bodies recovered from the border. Currently, the remains of 90 bodies are stored at the center, where forensic anthropologists try to identify the remains, which usually belong to undocumented immigrants who died of dehydration trying to cross into the U.S. If they are able to identify the remains, they are repatriated back to the deceased's home country, along with their personal items. Others are cremated. Some of the items are common: a box of matches, chapstick and change. Things you'd find in almost anyone's pocket. Others tell a story of what that person was doing they died. A letter to a loved one, a piece of paper with U.S. phone numbers, and a list of items not to forget on their journey across the border. Water tops the list. Be prepared: A list of items to bring, along with Mexican money, are kept in a sealed bag of personal effects, after they were found on skeletal remains in the Arizona desert on June 1, 2014 . Contacts: A list of American phone numbers was among the items found on a body in the Arizona desert . Photo: A fading picture is preserved next to toiletries and a cellphone among one person's personal items . Bills: American and Mexican money is kept in a sealed bag of personal effects at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona . Sick: The personal items of this deceased person show that he or she might have been sick at the time of death, since they were carrying Vick's VapoRub. Their body was discovered in the Arizona desert on September 23, 2014 . Last words: A letter to a loved one was found among money and other personal items on this unidentified person. Their body was discovered in the Arizona desert on October 9, 2014 . All that remains: A comb, change and a Mexican identification are kept in a sealed bag of personal effects at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. The items were with the decomposed remains of a Mexican male, 25, found in the Arizona desert on August 1, 2014 . 'We have to win': A wallet which reads in Spanish reads Tenemos Que Ganar or We Have To Win in English, is kept in a sealed bag of personal effects at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. The items were with the skeletal remains of a person found in the Arizona desert on July 5, 2014 . Flame: On the left, a lighter which reads 'Vatos Forever' meaning 'Dudes Forever' and a belt buckle which appears to have the design of marijuana leaves . Who were they? Forensic anthropologist Tracy Van Deest takes an inventory of skeletal bones at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona . Mystery: Van Deest takes notes on the remains, which she jots down on a sheet of paper on December 9, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona . Resting place: Above, some of the human remains stored in the refreigerated morgue at the Pima County Office . Meanwhile on the U.S-Mexico border: A border patrol agent rides near the Nogales, Arizona. With increase manpower, the patrol has seen the number of illegal crossings and apprehensions drop in the Tucson area . Watchful eye: Border Patrol agent Nicole Ballistrea looks through the border fence in Nogales . | Arizona's Pima County Medical Examiner's Office receives about 176 human remains each year, discovered on the U.S.-Mexico border .
Most belong to undocumented immigrants who died of dehydration trying to cross the border .
Forensic anthropologists repatriate the remains they can identify; the others are cremated . |
240,910 | c3e27b5339a5d9477fda9eecffcb07b1b2ef726a | The head of the IMF has refused to ‘go on my knees’ to apologise to George Osborne for wrongly warning his austerity cuts would harm the British economy. Christine Lagarde admitted ‘we got it wrong’ after the global financial watchdog warned the UK Chancellor he was ‘playing with fire’ by pressing ahead despite a sluggish recovery. Pressed repeatedly on whether she had apologised to Mr Osborne in person, Miss Lagarde admitted mistakes in growth forecasts but hit back: ‘Do I have to go on my knees and bend over backwards to say it?’ IMF chief Christine Lagarde has admitted getting it wrong on British growth, after urging Chancellor George Osborne to change course on the cuts . Last year, the International Monetary Fund caused a huge row when it claimed Government cuts were harming the prospects for the economy. It warned Britain was ‘still a long way from a strong and sustainable recovery’. Olivier Blanchard, chief economist at the IMF, said Mr Osborne was 'playing with fire' by pressing ahead with austerity before the recovery gathers pace. He added: 'In the face of weak demand it is really time to reconsider an adjustment to the fiscal consolidation plans.' But over the past year the economy has recovered and the IMF has since upgraded forecasts four times in a row. The IMF now expects growth of 2.9 per cent rate of growth in 2014, putting Britain on course to grow faster than any of the G7 richest countries, including the US, Germany and France. Appearing on BBC One’s Andrew Marr show, Miss Lagarde was pressed repeatedly on whether she had apologised to Mr Osborne for the IMF’s strident warnings which turned out to be wrong. ‘We said very clearly that we had underestimated growth for the UK and that we had, our forecasts, had been proven wrong by the reality of economic developments and I’m happy to repeat it for you.’ In April the International Monetary Fund was forced to admit the UK economy was on course to grow by 2.9 per cent this year, faster than any other G7 country . Miss Largarde admitted that Mr Osborne had faced intense pressure to change course after the IMF criticism, ‘but he resisted, as he would’. Asked several times if she had said sorry, she hit back: ‘I completely acknowledge that we underestimated growth. Now, do I have to go on my knees and bend over backwards to say it? ‘We got it wrong. We acknowledged it. We were not the only ones to get it wrong, we were in good company actually. ‘Most forecasters got it wrong, and clearly the confidence building that has resulted from the economic policies adopted by the government has surprised many of us.’ After being in the economic doldrums for many months, the UK economy is growing faster than most major economies – and crucially is not relying on consumer spending to fuel the boom. ‘It is growth is fuelled both by consumption but also now investment, but not just public investment as we recommended earlier on, but also with private investment,’ Miss Lagarde added. ‘Exports is lagging behind a little bit, but those two big cylinders of growth, consumption and investment, are fuelling growth, which in our view makes it more sustainable than if it was fuelled exclusively by consumption as was feared a few months back.’ She warned risks remained on low productivity and rising housing prices, but asked if there was a property boom in Britain, Miss Lagarde replied: ‘No. What our team has clearly seen and acknowledged is that the housing market in the UK is multi-faceted.’ | International Monetary Fund last year warned cuts were 'playing with fire'
Repeatedly urged the Chancellor to change course to prevent stagnation .
But warnings were unfounded and now predicts fastest growth in the G7 .
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde admits: 'We got it wrong' |
251,097 | d0f8712e35e7a6c33ca2acd63ca413a2e905b5d4 | A haunting photograph of flight MH17 is believed to have been posted on Facebook by a Dutch passenger just moments before he boarded the doomed plane. The plane, pictured on tarmac, took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at lunchtime today. It was shot down hours later on the Russia-Ukraine border in an 'act of terrorism', killing all 295 people on board. Cor Pan, who is listed on Facebook as living in Volendam in North Holland, uploaded the picture of the aircraft with the caption: ‘If it disappears, this is what it looks like.’ Scroll down for video . Cor Pan, who is believed to have posted a photo of flight MH17 being refuelled on the tarmac at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam just moments before he is thought to have boarded the doomed plane . Cor Pan is believed to have posted this haunting image of the plane on Facebook, with the caption 'If it disappears, this is what it looks like', apparently referencing flight MH370 which disappeared in March . The comment is believed to have been a reference to Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March. After . seeing the photo friends initially went along with the joke and wished him a good trip, but their . messages quickly turned frantic when news of the crash emerged. Posting . underneath the picture they asked whether his flight was the one that . had gone down and said that they were praying that it wasn’t true. His cousin later posted the flight number underneath the picture and wrote: 'Turns out our cousin Cor was on this plane.’ Friends and family members began to leave touching tributes to the Dutch traveller, with one posting ‘rest in peace’. Their posts also suggested that he was on board the plane with his girlfriend Neeltje Tol. One said: ‘Rest in peace Cor and Neel this is surreal, with sympathy for family and friends.’ Cor Pan with a woman believed to be girlfriend Neeltje Tol, who it is thought was also on the plane. Friends initially wished him a good trip, but their messages quickly turned frantic when news of the crash emerged . Another posted: ‘Terrible and unfair. Rest in peace Cor and Neeltje.’ Mr Pan, who lists himself as 'self-employed' on his Facebook page, . is thought to have posted the image through a window at the boarding . gate, just a few minutes before getting onto the flight which took off . at 12:15pm in Amsterdam. At least 151 Dutch nationals were on board, according to Malaysian Airlines. The plane has the words Malaysia emblazoned on the side and appears to be being refuelled. Fairfax news agency could not independently verify whether the post was genuine. | Photo of flight MH17 is believed to have been posted by Dutch passenger .
Cor Pan is thought to have been on the plane with girlfriend Neeltje Tol .
Caption on the photo reads 'If it disappears, this is what it looks like'
Thought to reference Malaysian Airlines flight 370 which disappeared . |
139,319 | 401ead93eb9c28a7ff6b6c7c761407ed1a5d1f52 | LONDON (CNN) -- Iran offered to stop attacking coalition troops in Iraq nearly four years ago in an attempt to get the West to accept Tehran's nuclear program, a British diplomat told the BBC in an interview aired Saturday. John Sawers, British ambassador to the U.N., told BBC of Iran approaching Western nations with offer. "The Iranians wanted to be able to strike a deal whereby they stopped killing our forces in Iraq in return for them being allowed to carry on with their nuclear program -- 'We stop killing you in Iraq, stop undermining the political process there, you allow us to carry on with our nuclear program without let or hindrance," said John Sawers, now the British ambassador to the United Nations, in the documentary, "Iran and the West: Nuclear Confrontation." The United States and other Western nations believe Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, but Iran says it is developing nuclear capability to produce energy. Iran also has been accused of sponsoring terrorists and supplying weapons to Iraqi insurgents. The latter prompted a warning from the United States that such behavior by Tehran "would be regarded by us as enemy action," Philip Zelikow, a State Department counselor, told the BBC. Then, Iran began shopping its offer around Europe, Sawers said. Sawers, Britain's political director at the time, reveals the behind-the-scene talks from 2005 -- when roadside bombing against British and American soldiers in Iraq peaked -- were held with British, French and German diplomats at hotels in London, Paris and Berlin. "And then we'd compare notes among the three of us," Sawers told the BBC. The British government dismissed the offer and Iran's nuclear enrichment program restarted once again, the BBC reports . Iran has denied offering any such deal and reiterated its position Saturday. "Iran's high officials have repeatedly stated that Iran has not had any part in attacks against American and British forces, and there is no evidence to support these baseless accusations," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency. Interviews with top brass from former President Bush's administration and British envoys indicate that Iran and the West had neared agreements several times in the past few years, but never reached success. Nick Burns, who was in charge of the Bush administration's State Department policy with Iran, said taking a tough approach with Iran didn't seem effective. "We had advocated regime change," Burns told the BBC. "We had a very threatening posture towards Iran for a number of years. It didn't produce any movement whatsoever." The documentary aired a day after the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security released a report stating that Iranian scientists have reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability." The report analyzed the finding of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, an IAEA official who asked not to be named cautioned against drawing such dramatic conclusions from the data, saying Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium would have to be turned into highly enriched uranium (HEU) in order to be weapons-grade material. That hasn't been done, the official said. Meanwhile, Iran's relationship with the West continues to be strained, though both sides have indicated interest in holding direct talks. President Obama, in his first prime-time news conference held earlier this month, said the United States is looking for opportunities for "face-to-face" talks with Iran after an absence of diplomatic ties for nearly three decades. "There's been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it's not going to happen overnight," he said. And Iran's powerful parliament speaker and former nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, has called the Obama administration "an exceptional opportunity for Americans." | Iran approached diplomats with offer nearly four years ago, BBC told .
Diplomat: Iran offered to stand down in Iraq if West would accept its nuke program .
Iran denies involvement in fighting in Iraq, says allegations are "baseless"
Despite strained relations, Obama administration has hinted at direct talks . |
89,952 | ff6ce6b88b20829714c9c980b948f8909f46d393 | (CNN) -- Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano erupted Saturday, sending ash and lava spewing nearly a mile into the sky. Residents evacuated the area after the country's National Agency of Risk Control issued a "red alert." The warning was later downgraded to orange, as the volcano became less active. Activity at Tungurahua -- which means "throat of fire" in the native Quechua language -- peaked Saturday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the Geological Institute in Quito. At one point, the ash cloud reached nearly 3 km (1.9 miles) above the volcano's crater, according to the institute, and lava flowed about 2 km from the crater. The glacier-capped, 16,478-foot (5,023-meter) volcano has erupted periodically since 1999, when increased activity led to the temporary evacuation of the city of Banos at the foot of the volcano. Major eruptions also occurred in August 2006 and February 2008, according to the government's emergency management agency. Prior to this more recent activity, the last major eruption was between 1916 and 1918. Relatively minor activity continued until 1925, the Smithsonian Institution said on its volcano website. The volcano is 140 km south of Quito, Ecuador's capital. CNN's Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report. | Ash and lava spew from the Tungurahua volcano .
The glacier-capped volcano has erupted periodically since 1999 .
The ash cloud from Saturday's eruption reached 3 km above the crater . |
270,599 | ea777cf856ff598ee7e5470646655a41abeef26f | By . Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 12:10 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:13 EST, 30 October 2012 . A senior columnist at the New York Times has openly questioned whether former BBC boss Mark Thompson is fit for his new post running America’s most prestigious newspaper in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal. Mr Thompson has denied knowledge of a BBC cover-up and vowed to take up his role in New York as planned next month. But in a column, Joe Nocera questioned his explanation of his role in the affair: ‘Thompson winds up appearing wilfully ignorant, and it makes you wonder what kind of an organisation the BBC was when he was running it. It also makes you wonder what kind of chief executive he’d be at the Times.’ Denial: Mark Thompson, left, has denied any knowledge of a BBC cover up over Jimmy Savile, right, and vowed to take up his new job in New York as planned on November 12 . ‘Thompson winds up appearing willfully ignorant, and it makes you wonder what kind of an organization the BBC was when Thompson was running it — and what kind of leader he was. It also makes you wonder what kind of chief executive he’d be at The Times,’ wrote Mr Nocera. It comes as day after it was alleged that Mr Thompson's office was twice alerted to claims that Savile was a child abuser. In May and again in September, his aides were told of allegations that the late television presenter had molested youngsters on BBC premises. But on both occasions, a spokesman for the ex-director general insisted, the claims were not passed on to him. Claims: Mark Thompson with a former colleague. Mr Nocera said Thompson appears 'willfully ignorant' Mr Nocera, a business and finance columnist writing for the flagship paper’s Op-Ed page, said Mr Thompson’s nameplate is already on his office door. ‘Yet since early October,’ he added, ‘all anybody has asked about Thompson are those two most damning of questions: what did he know, and when did he know it?’ Mr Nocera said the BBC ‘plainly’ did cover up Savile’s wrongdoing. ‘What is far less certain is how high the cover-up went,’ he continued. ‘Thompson first said that he never heard the rumors about Savile, and that he didn’t learn about the “Newsnight” programme until after it was cancelled. Given the byzantine nature of the BBC bureaucracy, these are plausible denials. BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London. Mr Nocera said the BBC ‘plainly’ did cover up Savile’s wrongdoing . ‘Here is where it gets a little less plausible. Thompson now says that at a cocktail party last December, a BBC reporter said to him, “You must be worried about the ‘Newsnight’ investigation into Jimmy Savile.” Soon thereafter, Thompson asked his underlings about the investigation and was told that it had been killed — for journalistic reasons. He claims to have inquired no further, not even to ask what the investigation was about. ‘A few months later, the news broke in the British press that the BBC had, as The Daily Mail put it in a headline, “shelved Jimmy Savile sex abuse investigation ‘to protect its own reputation.’ ” ‘Given the seriousness of sexual abuse allegations — look at what it did to Penn State — you would think that Thompson and his underlings would immediately want to get to the bottom of it. But, again, they did nothing.’ Mr Thompson, 55, has made it clear he has the full support of his new bosses. Jimmy Savile pictured at the Liberal Party Conference in Scarborough in 1965 . ‘I do not believe there is anything that I've done in relation to this matter which should in anyway impinge on my abilities to fully discharge the responsibilities I'll have at the New York Times,’ he insisted in an interview last week. But the columnist claimed that New York Times chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger is ‘in a difficult spot.’ ‘He believes strongly that he’s got the executive he needs to lead The Times to the promised land of healthy profits again,’ he wrote. ‘Although he declined to be interviewed for this column, he appears to have accepted Thompson’s insistence that he knew nothing about the explosive allegations that became public literally 50 days after he accepted the Times job. Sulzberger is backing his man unreservedly. ‘For the sake of Times employees — not to mention the readers who want to see a vibrant New York Times Company — let’s hope his faith in Thompson is warranted. ‘Otherwise, the BBC won’t be the only organization being asked tough questions about its judgment.’ | Mr Thompson has denied any knowledge of a BBC cover up and vowed to take up his new job in New York as planned on November 12 .
But in a column published on Monday, Joe .
Nocera questioned the plausibility of the former BBC director general’s .
explanation of his role in the affair . |
37,749 | 6ae24038ec9d5288bf908af153f2e4224a01a2a7 | A middle-class mother with £300,000 in a Swiss bank account and children in top fee-paying schools carried on claiming benefits as 'pocket money', a court was told today. Caroline Foxley, 58, was a 'greedy' woman who had made a 'calm, calculated and rational' decision to abuse the benefits system out of more than £20,000, Gloucester Crown Court heard. She is alleged to have claimed income support, Jobseeker's Allowance and council tax and housing benefits, while she had more than £300,000 in the bank. Caroline Foxley, 58, of Teignmouth, Devon,is accused of committing a £20,000 benefits fraud . Ms Foxley, formerly of Mickleton, Gloucestershire, but now living in Teignmouth, Devon, denies four charges of dishonestly failing to report a change in her circumstances and dishonestly making false representations to obtain benefits between March 2007 and March 2009. The court heard the interest she was receiving on her money was around £300 every couple of weeks - more than the benefits she was claiming. Yet when she filled out forms certifying she still qualified for benefits she said she had only £100 in a Lloyds TSB account. 'This case is about greed really,' said prosecutor Stephen Mooney. 'It involves her making a calm, calculated and rational decision, in fact quite a number of them, to top up her already quite substantial income by making false claims for benefit.' He told the court Foxley had abused a system designed to be a safety net for people unable to finance their lives and in danger of ending up sleeping rough on the streets. He added: 'It is not supposed to be a source of pocket money or additional income for wealthy people like Ms Foxley who decide that is what they would like. 'It is the prosecution case that this is a thoroughly dishonest woman who decided to get money she knew she was not entitled to in the hope and expectation, and arrogance, that she would not be caught. 'Greedy people bank on not being caught but this was a gamble in respect of which this woman failed.' The benefit rules did not allow anyone with more than £16,000 in the bank to be paid any State benefits, he said. She paid the money into an Indian bank and then started using the money which included paying fees to Cheltenham Ladies' College (pictured), it was said . Until March 30th 2007 she did qualify but she then sold a house which made her £306,000, said Mr Mooney. She paid the money into an Indian bank and then started using the money which included paying fees to Cheltenham Ladies' College, Malvern College and Bloxham School, Banbury, he said. 'These are not cheap schools,' he said. 'Between 2007 and 2009 when she was claiming poverty and penury she paid in the region of £48,000 to Bloxham School. 'This was a woman who had certain high expectations and standards for her children and a sense that she was entitled to a particular standard of living and she was going to have it come what may. 'You would either have to be colossally stupid or fraudulently dishonest to continue claiming benefits when you had £306,000 in the bank.' During the course of the alleged deceptions, he said, she transferred her money into Habibsons Bank - a Swiss bank with a branch in London. 'No doubt she was taking advantage of the notorious and well documented reluctance of the Gnomes of Zurich to give out information about their bank accounts.The money went back to Zurich, spirited away, no doubt, to be used by Ms Foxley.' Mr Mooney said that when the alleged frauds were detected Ms Foxley was 'like a chameleon on a tartan hook' not knowing which way to turn when questioned by investigators. Her explanation was 'like a sort of fraudster's equivalent of "the dog ate my homework",' he said. She claimed the money in the account was not hers and was needed by her ex husband in Italy to settle debts. She produced a document to support that claim but the prosecution alleged it was a false document, he went on. 'What we have here is a woman who has been caught out and frankly she doesn't like being caught out. She regards it as rather an affront that those perhaps less clever than her, less sophisticated than her, and less entitled than her, should have the right to pursue her. 'And all this at a time when the poorest in society are having their entitlement to benefits cut from beneath them because of the austerity which affects all of us - but not her. 'This is a case of someone using the benefits system as their own pocket money to help finance an already wealthy lifestyle.' The case continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Caroline Foxley, 58, labelled a 'greedy' woman at Gloucester Crown Court .
Accused of claiming more than £20,000 in income support, Jobseeker's Allowance and council tax and housing benefits .
She 'had savings of £300,000 in a Swiss account after selling her house'
Anyone with more than £16,000 in the bank cannot claim benefits .
She denies the alleged offences between March 2007 and March 2009 . |
74,909 | d460e6bc9439e48c25eb8ab5c0fa050215effe6e | Raheem Sterling is a menace for the world's defences whether bombing down the wing or unleashing his arsenal of trickery in tight spaces - the same can't be said for his ping pong ability. Mario Balotelli is the latest Liverpool star to claim the scalp of starlet Sterling on the table tennis table, with the standard humiliation being for the loser being the indignity of climbing under the table to be photographed. Sterling's last public ping pong humbling came from Luis Enrique, Liverpool's serial destroyer with a paddle and a plastic ball and a strict enforcer of the under the table forfeit. Raheem Sterling is sent under the ping pong table after his defeat at the paddle of Mario Balotelli . Balotelli and Sterling share a joke at training at Melwood the day after their opening Champions League win . Balotelli slots his first goal for Liverpool inside the far post to give his side the lead over Ludogorets . The Italian striker was pumped after finding the net and breaking his duck for his new club . As is customary, Italian striker Balotelli turned to Instagram to share his victory over the 19-year-old with the world. 'Loool ops! Mario still the Champion in ping pong,' Balotelli posted, tagging Raheem's official profile @31sterling for full effect. Balotelli is having a good week at the Reds, appearing to get along well with his team-mates after scoring his first goal for the club in their Champions League win over Ludogorets. Under the table: Alberto Moreno takes his punishment in good spirit after a ping pong defeat by Jose Enrique . Both hands: Raheem Sterling is sent under the table tennis table after being beaten by his Spanish team-mate . It's not too late to play MailOnline Fantasy Football… There's £1,000 to be won EVERY WEEK by the highest scoring manager . | Mario Balotelli beat Raheem Sterling at ping pong, a favourite pastime for Liverpool players .
The customary punishment for the loser is to be pictured under the table .
Balotelli, as is tradition, posted the embarrassment on Instagram .
Sterling, along with Alberto Moreno, are past victims of Jose Enrique .
Liverpool beat Ludogorets on Tuesday in their Champions League opener .
Balotelli scored his first goal for the club before last-gasp penalty won it . |
184,639 | 7b2827400d209cb6089cd3dc1f633f411f2979e3 | 'Honeytrap': British professor Paul Frampton . A British scientist is being held in an Argentine jail on suspicion of smuggling cocaine. Professor Paul Frampton, an Oxford graduate, was stopped at an airport in Buenos Aires as he tried to board a plane after police discovered two kilos of the drug in a suitcase. Last night the professor, a former member of the UK Institute of Physics, was facing the nightmare prospect of a 16-year jail sentence if convicted. The scientist, who is 68 and divorced, is said to have told investigators the drugs were planted in the suitcase without his knowledge in a honeytrap sting involving a model he met on the internet. Reports say he claims he flew to Argentina to see his online girlfriend but ended up not meeting her. Instead, a woman purporting to be her agent persuaded him to take the suitcase with him on the understanding that it belonged to the model. He was arrested on January 23 at Ezieza International Airport moments before he boarded a plane to Peru for a second flight to the States. The drugs were in the lining of the suitcase. He has spent the past two months in Villa Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires, scene of the worst jail riots in Argentine history in 1978 which left 62 people dead. Professor Frampton, who was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, now lives in the United States and teaches physics at the University of North Carolina. Professor Frampton, who was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, now lives in the United States and teaches physics at the University of North Carolina (pictured) Special scanner: Airport security in Buenos Aires used a device to detect material density and found two kilograms of cocaine found his luggage . He has protested his innocence, saying: ‘I will not be convicted. There is easily enough evidence that I didn’t know there were drugs in the bag, and that will come out.’ But investigators say it is ‘improbable’ that a 68-year-old man ‘with a solid university education’ would agree to carry a suitcase for someone he had not met. Friends are now trying to get him freed from prison while the investigation continues. Ex-colleague David Stallard said: ‘He never showed any interest in drugs and it is inconceivable to me that he intentionally smuggled cocaine. He must have been duped.’ Retired lawyer John Bird, a former neighbour, said: ‘There’s no one in the world more improbable who would smuggle cocaine. He got set up. I would bet my life on it.’ | Professor was stopped at an airport in Buenos Aires as he tried to board a plane .
He faces 16 years in prison after police 'found two kilos of the drug in a suitcase'
Oxford graduate claims he was set up in a honeytrap sting involving a model he met on the internet . |
61,760 | af7116521155625b7b27a02b1b68d622fd3f6690 | Hong Kong (CNN) -- China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, is aiming to ban indoor smoking in public areas by the end of the year. About one in three cigarettes smoked in the world is in China, according to the World Health Organization. And more than half of Chinese men smoke, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2010. Although the nation's health ministry issued guidelines in 2011 to ban smoking in places like hotels and restaurants, they haven't been "strictly enforced," according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. The China's National Health and Family Commission is now working on a tobacco control law with clear punishments, according to Xinhua. The country's health authorities estimate over a million deaths from tobacco-related diseases every year. The WHO warns that if tobacco use is not decreased in China, these deaths will increase to 3 million by 2050. Last month, Chinese government officials were told not to smoke in public places such as hospitals, public transport or schools to set a good example for the public. The latest moves by the Chinese government on tobacco are "hopeful," said Dr. Judith Mackay, the senior adviser at the World Lung Foundation, who examines tobacco issues in China. About 32 Chinese cities have passed their own rules to restrict public smoking, she added. "China stands on its own in the magnitude of the problem," said Mackay. "Unless there is change in China, we won't proceed further in reducing the tobacco epidemic in the world." Tobacco use in China has far-reaching consequences, she said. "This isn't a health problem. It's a huge economic problem. There's all these things ranging from medical and health care costs, the costs to the families and there's the cost of secondhand smoke." | China moves to ban public indoor smoking by end of 2014 .
Half of Chinese men smoke, according to survey .
China is largest consumer and producer of tobacco . |
180,276 | 75659b10faa6d402156429f0a3f2db3ea3fd47e0 | Almost a third (31 per cent) of 18-25 year-olds have had a sexual encounter with someone they met through an app or social networking site . A new survey has revealed shocking statistics that show the damage so-called hook-up apps may be having on the sex lives of young Brits. Apps like Tinder and Grindr are geo-social networking applications supposedly geared towards finding a lover or relationship. But many users reveal they have the apps - and traditional social networking sites like Facebook - just to find instant sex partners. Almost a third (31 per cent) of 18-25 year-old's who responded to the questionnaire admitted having a sexual encounter with someone they met through an app or social networking site. On average, a young person who used one of these apps had three of these encounters. The most unrestrained admitted having up to 80 sexual partners this way. Londoners are the most promiscuous; nearly 40 per cent of young people living in the capital admitted to the having sex with someone they met on social media. Scots are the most reserved, with less than half as many young adults (17 per cent) opting 'yes' when it comes to having a hook-up north of the border. But while young people are finding it a lot easier to access sexual partners, it appears to be making them worse in bed. Respondents were asked to rate their experience between the sheets, and compare it against sex with a frequent partner. The hook-up partner scored lower across the board on duration, excitement, comfort and overall satisfaction. And the decline in quality has resulted in almost half (47 per cent) of 18-25 year old females admitting that they fake orgasms. Conversely, one in four 40-50 year olds, who have grown up without the instant sex apps, boasted that they were able to experiment with their partner more than when they were younger and their sex has got better as they've got older. A spokesperson for intimate toy retailer Bondara, who commissioned the research, said: 'From UK festivals to far-flung foreign lands, it is now possible to arrange an illicit liaison through a smartphone. 'However, while hookup apps such as Tindr, Grindr, Bendr and 3ndr are increasing the quantity of sexual experiences, the quality is suffering. For many people there are huge benefits to fleeting, no-strings-attached encounters - but great sex is seldom one of them. 'If you are looking for the most pleasurable experience possible, you should put down the phone, pick up some roses, and ask that friend or colleague you fancy for a traditional date.' The hook-up partner scored lower across the board on duration, excitement, comfort and overall satisfaction . | Survey shows 40 per cent of young men in UK have found sex this way .
On average, those who said yes had met three sexual partners via apps .
But sex with someone sourced online is 'less satisfying than regular partner'
Hook-ups scored lower on duration, excitement, comfort and satisfaction . |
135,118 | 3ac7ead38d3e893606b7fcc6af5cd9ceeabef13b | A Royal Marine officer who met the Duchess of Cornwall has been jailed for the sexual abuse of a young girl. Warrant Officer Tony Jacka, 50, was unmasked as a paedophile after boasting to other sex offenders about his crimes online. The former Regimental Sergeant Major of 3 Commando Brigade repeatedly indecently touched his victim, a court heard this week. Warrant Officer Tony Jacka, pictured here with the Duchess of Cornwall during her visit to HMS Drake in 2013, has been exposed as a predatory paedophile . But prosecutors had previously failed to take the case to court due to a perceived 'lack of evidence' - despite the girl having gone to police. The father-of-two and Iraq war veteran spent three years accessing indecent images of children from his naval base, a court heard. During that period, as second in command of his unit he showed the Duchess of Cornwall around HMS Drake, a service personnel rehab unit. Police later searched his computer and discovered 139 indecent images of children and messages Jacka had sent to other paedophiles bragging about his previous assaults. Jailing Jacka for four-and-a-half years Judge Graham Cottle said the offences were 'completely abhorrent'. Jacka has been jailed for four and a half years for sexual activity with a child, indecent assault and making indecent images of children . He criticised a decision by the CPS not to prosecute him five years ago, when the girl was interviewed by police. The court heard Jacka indecently touched a girl while based at RMB Chivenor near Barnstaple, Devon. Prosecuting, Lee Brembridge, said his victim complained to the police and was interviewed in 2009. But the CPS failed to take the case to court because of a 'lack of supporting evidence' in a decision the lawyer described as 'strange'. Jacka was finally charged with assaulting the girl after police discovered 139 indecent images of children downloaded between 2010 and 2013 while he was at Devonport Naval Base. The Afghanistan veteran showed the Duchess of Cornwall around HMS Drake in 2013 when she visited Hasler Company, a unit for the rehabilitation of service personnel. Defending, David Evans, said: 'For a number of years, [Jacka] was to a certain extent living a lie. He has buried his head in the sand.' He said Jacka was willing to tackle his problems and had 'supported injured personnel with emotional issues'. Jacka, of Ivybridge, Devon, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault of the girl and four counts of sexual activity with a child. He also admitted making 139 indecent images of children between 2010 and 2013. Jacka grew up in Ludgvan, Cornwall, and after joining the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1983, served in Cambodia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was given the Meritorious Service Medal for his outstanding contribution to the welfare of disabled and wounded soldiers. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said after the case: 'We will consider the effect of this conviction on his service career. It would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases.' Jacka met the Duchess of Cornwall as part of a royal visit to Plymouth Naval base (pictured) in 2013 . | Officer had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and served in Northern Ireland .
He abused girl while at based in Chivenor, Devon and she went to police .
But Marine was not prosecuted until indecent images found on computer .
He is now jailed for four and a half years for the sex offences .
Judge hits out at CPS for not bringing the matter to court earlier . |
90,406 | 004d6b65c6de14b27a46cf21d7b727cdfd25f638 | By . Naomi Greenaway . A group of cute mini-mes starring in an Emmy parody clip have managed to almost upstage their A-list counterparts and attract over half a million YouTube hits . The adorable video, created by parenting site Mom.me, features a cast of children as characters including Detective Rust Cohle, played by Matthew McCounaghy in True Detectives, Walter White from Breaking Bad played best-actor winner Bryan Cranston and Michelle Dockery's Downtown Abbey alter ego, Lady Mary. It also includes scenes from Emmy-nominated shows including Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Mad Men. Scroll down for video . Little Detective Rust Cohle from True Detectives giving Matthew McConaughey a run for his money in a YouTube parody of mmy nominee performances . Starring in the YouTube hit are mini Lady Mary (pictured right) and mini Anna (pictured left with Lady Mary) from Downtown Abbey . Bryan Cranston may have won the Emmy for his role as Walter White in Breaking Bad but his miniature counterpart also gives a stirring performance . In the opening scene a group of children in Game of Thrones garb declare they are the 'the true king' only to be set on fire by a stuffed dragon at the request of a mini Queen Daenerys. A little Detective Rust Cohle sporting a fake moustache then gets philosophical across his desk, much to the bemusement of a teeny Detective Maynard Gilbough. And in a quirky parody of Kevin Spacey's performance in House of Cards, a pint-sized Frank Underwood talks to the camera from the Oval Office. A scene from Breaking Bad starring Walter and his chemistry teacher . Game of Thrones also appears on the YouTube clip . A cuddly dragon saves the day for Queen Daenerys . Also given the kiddy treatment is Jon Hamm's Mad Men character Don Draper, who raises a laugh across the boardroom table by making a sexist remark at the expense of a mini Peggy. 'I spent all night working on that pitch!' declares the miffed Peggy before storming off. But perhaps the best laugh of the clip comes in a scene from Downtown Abbey when Anna pours her heart out to Lady Mary. A miniature Kevin Spacey appears in a House of Cards scene . 'I know how you feel. My dress has stain, afternoon tea was late and I don't know which wealthy man to marry!' sighs Lady Mary's tiny doppelganger. And emulating Bryan Cranston's Emmy-winning role, the pint-sized Walter White also gives a brilliant performance. 'This is the last time I trust my chemistry teacher!' he declares dryly. Award-winning performances all round! An award-winnning performance by a mini John Hamm playing Don Draper in Mad Men . Peggy's mini-me makes an appearance too . To see more from Mom.me click here. | YouTube video of children reenacting scenes from hit TV shows attracts over half a million hits .
Characters include Detective Rust .
Cohle from True Detective and Lady Mary from Downtown Abbey .
The clip also includes scenes from Emmy-nominated shows Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Mad Men . |
145,682 | 48618524d1ede4b9e9e7e62821251a54c86023dd | By . Jonathan O'Callaghan . A trip down to the local video, and more recently DVD, store has become a thing of the past thanks to the rise of video streaming services. Companies including Netflix and LoveFilm let viewers indulge in back-to-back episodes of hit TV series at the click of a button. Now, a new study has shown that streaming can be much better for the environment, requiring less energy and emitting less carbon dioxide (CO2) than some traditional methods of DVD renting, buying and viewing. New research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters suggests that it would be more 'green' to scrap DVDs in favour of using streaming services. This is for two reasons, one that DVD players use more energy than comparable streaming services and also that people sometimes have to drive to buy or rent DVDs . The researchers, who published their study today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, cite modern devices such as laptops and tablets as the reason for this improvement. This is because they are much more efficient than older, energy-sapping DVD players. Furthermore, the driving that is required to go and buy, or rent, DVDs makes this method much more energy- and carbon-intensive. Netflix has signed a deal with three small cable-providers in the US to become a regular TV channel. The . agreements with Atlantic Broadband, RCN Telecom Services and Grande . Communications gives the internet streaming site's subscription service a . channel on TiVo boxes that the companies provide their customers. It debuted on Atlantic and RCN in late April and is now expanding on to Grande's service. A significant proportion of the energy consumption and carbon emissions for streaming comes from the transmission of data, which increases drastically when more complex, high-definition content is streamed. The study was carried out by researchers from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in California and Northwestern University in Chicago. They estimated that if all DVD viewing in the US was shifted to streaming services in 2011, around 2 billion kg of CO2 emissions could have been avoided and around 30 petajoules (PJ) of energy saved. That's the equivalent of the amount of electricity needed to meet the demands of 200,000 US households. They estimated that in 2011, 192 PJ of energy was used, and 10.4 billion kg of CO2 emitted, for all methods of DVD consumption and streaming in the US. From this, they calculated that one hour of video streaming requires 7.9 megajoules (MJ) of energy, compared to as much as 12 MJ for traditional DVD viewing, and emits 0.4 kilograms (0.9 pounds) of CO2, compared to as much as 0.71 kg (1.6 pounds) of CO2 for DVD viewing. Video streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo and Hulu have risen hugely in popularity in the last few years and have successfully dented the sales of DVDs - but the researchers say it might be time to scrap the format completely . To arrive at their results, the researchers compared video streaming with four different types of DVD consumerism: DVDs that are rented from online mailers; DVDs that are rented from a store; DVDs that are purchased online; and DVDs that are bought from a store. Video streaming was limited to TV and movies and did not include shorter videos that are streamed online through YouTube, Vimeo and so on. They found that video streaming and the online rental of DVDs required similar amounts of energy; however, the renting and purchasing of DVDs from a store were much more energy intensive, due to the impact of driving. 'It's a modern-day equivalent of the debate about which is more environmentally sound - the disposable or the cloth diaper,' says Lead author of the research Arman Shehabi from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. 'Our study suggests that equipment designers and policy makers should focus on improving the efficiency of end-user devices and network transmission energy to curb the energy use from future increases in video streaming. 'Such efficiency improvements will be particularly important in the near future, when society is expected to consume far greater quantities of streaming video content compared to today.' | Scientists say that using streaming services is better for the environment .
Their research found that DVD players are wasteful and not very green .
Also driving to a store to buy or rent a DVD in itself releases more CO2 .
They suggest the rise of sites like Netflix and YouTube is good for Earth .
And they say it might be time to get rid of DVDs forever . |
244,628 | c898481ed29bb71ec7281f56f3abd56217d2ed95 | By . Zoe Szathmary . and Associated Press Reporter . A Wyoming landslide about the size of two football fields continues to slowly move down a hill, causing nearby residents to evacuate - and splitting apart one home. 48 Jackson residents as well as several businesses were evacuated, according to a CNN report. The residents checked in to a Red Cross station. So far, only one unoccupied home has sustained any damage. The house is directly atop the slide zone and its interior wooden floor seems to be splitting in two, Assistant Town Manager Roxanne Robinson told the channel. Crack: A large fissure can be seen in the ground in this photo . Landslide: the landslide continues to shift, officials say making it unsafe for Jackson residents to return home . Hope: a geologist put the risk of sudden collapse at just 5 percent . 'What really struck me is the wood flooring, which is separating,' Robinson said. 'One half of the house looks like it's on side of the slide area and the other half is definitely at the crest of the slide.' Robinson also said that the home's driveway is cracked by a 6-1o-12-inch upward fissure. According to CNN, the landslide moves slowly enough for officials to observe ground cracks and monitor its path each day. Officials say the landslide continues to shift, making it unsafe for residents of mostly apartments to return home even though the apartments are outside the area where the highest risk of a collapse exists. 'The cracks continue to widen and deepen,' Robinson said on Saturday. 'If it keeps sliding every day, other complications could arise.' Evacuated: 48 Jackson residents have reported to a Red Cross station . Damage: a large crack can also be seen in this photo of the affected Jackson area . Helping hand: the American Red Cross is set to open a shelter for displaced residents on Sunday night . Residents are allowed escorted access to their homes to check on them and pick up personal belongings, but no one is allowed to stay overnight, Robinson said. About 43 people were escorted to their homes on Saturday as well as between 9am and 5pm on Sunday, according to a town press release. Residents requesting escorted access on Monday will be able to do so by appointment only. The Red Cross has provided 18 displaced residents with hotel rooms until now. But the continuing uncertainty of when they can return home has led the agency to open a shelter. Evacuees were told that they can report to the Teton County Fair Grounds Exhibition Hall at 6pm on Sunday night, according to a town press release. Displaced: no one can say right now when residents might be allowed back home . No one can say right now when residents might be allowed back home, Robinson said. Robinson said portable water tanks were being placed on the unstable hill in case a fire breaks out. The shifting hill has broken permanent water lines, and the temporary water lines that have been put in place don't provide sufficient pressure for firefighting, she said. There are power lines on the hill that could be brought down by the slide and spark a fire. 'It's definitely dry on the hill, and we need to have a water supply that we can access in a hurry should it be necessary,' said Mike Moyer, an official with the local incident command team. At the foot of the slide zone, two restaurants, a liquor store and a just-built Walgreens remain closed amid a slim but persistent risk the hill could collapse suddenly. A geologist put the risk of sudden collapse at just 5 percent. | A landslide about the size of two football fields continues to slowly move down hillside near Jackson .
48 Jackson residents went to Red Cross checkpoint location .
So far only one home has sustained any damage .
Home is directly atop slide zone and its interior wooden floor seems to be splitting in two .
Risk of sudden collapse is 'just 5 percent' |
18,097 | 3341cfcf5a3ae3829a291b848111985ba095e564 | (CNN) -- The salmonella outbreak that led to the recall of 380 million eggs was preventable and will likely grow, federal officials said Thursday. Hundreds of Americans likely have become ill from tainted eggs in recent months, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said Thursday. From May 1 to July 31, a total of 1,953 cases of Salmonella enteritidis were reported; the expected number of such cases ordinarlily in that time would be about 700, Dr. Christopher Braden, acting director of the CDC's division of food-borne, waterborne and environmental diseases, said in a conference call Thursday. The CDC is not yet sure exactly how many cases can be attributed to this particular outbreak. The salmonella outbreak prompted Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, to increase its recall Wednesday to 380 million eggs. The number of salmonella cases is expected to grow because any that occurred after July 17 may not yet be reported due to a two- to three-week lag between when a person becomes sick and when the case gets reported in the system, the CDC said. "We would certainly characterize this as one of the largest shell egg recalls in recent history," Sherri McGarry of the Food and Drug Administration said in a conference call Thursday. On July 9, the FDA announced it had new safety rules for large-scale egg producers, but that came after the salmonella outbreak apparently began. "The outbreak could have been prevented." McGarry said. "The egg safety rule is in a phase-in approach, but there are measures that would have been in place that could have prevented this if it been placed earlier than in July." FDA's new rules cover refrigeration of stored and transported eggs, pasteurization, rodent control, cleanliness and a required written Salmonella enteritidis prevention plan. The agency said "implementing the preventive measures would reduce the number of Salmonella Enteritidis infections from eggs by nearly 60 percent." Producers with more than 50,000 laying hens, or about 80 percent of the market, were to comply by now. The regulations requires "egg producers with fewer than 50,000 but at least 3,000 laying hens whose shell eggs are not processed with a treatment, such as pasteurization, to comply with the regulation by July 9, 2012." The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, said the FDA needs a strong inspection force. Health departments across the country are tracking cases of salmonella and dispensing advice to citizens. Arizona, for example, has seen a twofold increase in salmonella reports, with an uptick beginning in June, said Dr. Joli Weiss, food-borne disease epidemiologist for the state Department of Health Services. Thoroughly cooking eggs kills salmonella bacteria within, but there is still risk of cross-contamination if a food preparer doesn't properly wash kitchen utensils, such as whisks or spatulas, that came into contact with the raw eggs. Undercooked food also leaves the consumer at risk of infection. Salmonella, which is generally contracted from contaminated poultry, meat, eggs, or water, affects the intestinal tract. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, which typically begin within 12 to 72 hours, according to the CDC. Vomiting, chills, headache and muscle pains also may occur, according to the Mayo Clinic. These symptoms last about four to seven days, and then go away without specific treatment in healthy people. Antidiarrheal medications may help with cramps, but they may also prolong the diarrhea, the Mayo Clinic said. The elderly, infants, and people with impaired immune systems are at heightened risk for developing a more serious illness because of salmonella, the CDC said. Some people can develop life-threatening complications if the infection spreads beyond the intestines. Chickens can pass the bacteria to eggs because the eggs leave hens through the same passageway as feces, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Alternatively, bacteria in the hen's ovary or oviduct can get to the egg before the shell forms around it, FSIS said. Wright County Egg added several more batches and brands to the recall Wednesday afternoon. "Wright County Egg is fully cooperating with FDA's investigation by undertaking this voluntary recall," the company said in a statement. "Our primary concern is keeping salmonella out of the food supply and away from consumers. As a precautionary measure, Wright County Egg also has decided to divert its existing inventory of shell eggs from the recalled plants to a breaker, where they will be pasteurized to kill any salmonella bacteria present." After the uptick in salmonella infections, the CDC and the FDA traced the source and determined it was most likely eggs from Wright County Egg. The company says it is working to determine how the shell eggs are being contaminated. The CDC reported Thursday evening that more than one person became ill in 26 restaurants in 10 states. Information showed that Wright County Egg was an egg supplier to 15 of the restaurants. Krista Eberle, director of food safety programs at the Egg Safety Center, reiterated that only shell eggs are affected by the Wright County recall. "From what we know they only do shell eggs, and if they did extra egg products, they are still considered to be safe," Eberle said. She added that egg products such as egg whites and dried eggs go through pasteurization and extensive heat treatment, so they're considered safe to eat and the Egg Safety Center is not concerned the other products might be sullied with bacteria. Country Eggs, Inc. on Thursday said it is voluntary recalling specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by Wright County Egg. Eggs were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and food-service companies in California, Arizona and Nevada, according to a statement. Eggs were packaged under the Country Eggs, Inc. brand name in 15 dozen bulk pack with the identifying plant code of P 1946 and P 1026. Julian code dates are 216-221. Dates and codes can be found on the box label. Wednesday's recall covers eggs branded as Albertsons, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Glenview, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma, Lund, Kemps and Pacific Coast and are marked with a three-digit code ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers1720 and 1942, the company said. In addition, NuCal Foods, which, on its website, calls itself the largest distributor of shell eggs in the western United States, announced Thursday it was "voluntarily recalling specific ... dates of shell eggs produced by Wright County Egg and packaged by NuCal Foods because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella." The earlier recall covered the Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps brands that were marked with with a three-digit code ranging from 136 to 225 and plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946. The four-digit plant number begins with "P - " and is followed by the three-digit code. Both recalls affect eggs packed in several different sized cartons, from a half-dozen to 18 eggs. Only shell eggs are affected by the recall, the company said. Consumers are encouraged to return the eggs in their original packaging to where they were purchased for a full refund. Eggs have not been a major source of infection in humans for this particular strain of salmonella, enteritidis, in the last twoor three years, said Patrick McDonough at Cornell University's School of Veterinary Medicine. A big outbreak like this one is out of the norm, he said. Ideally, when a chick becomes a candidate to become an egg-laying hen, it is put in a clean environment with clean water and feed, he said. But that is not always the case, he said. Rodents can get in the feed, and their feces can transmit bacteria to the birds. One Wisconsin woman infected by salmonella has filed a lawsuit against a restaurant that allegedly served contaminated eggs linked to the nationwide outbreak of the potentially deadly bacteria. Plaintiff Tanja Dzinovic, 27, from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, said she got sick after eating at the Baker Street Restaurant and Pub in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in June. She recently retained the Seattle, Washington-based law firm Marler Clark, which specializes in food poisoning cases, and amended her lawsuit against the restaurant to include Wright County Egg. Drew Falkenstein, the Marler Clark attorney co-representing Dzinovic, said Thursday although she returned to work a while ago, after a week of acute illness, she suffers from ongoing gastrointestinal problems. In the legal complaint, Marler Clark says, "defendant Baker Street Restaurant and Pub purchased and used in the manufacture of its menu items Salmonella-contaminated shell eggs subject to defendant Wright County Egg's August 16, 2010 recall." The Kenosha County Health Department closed the restaurant on July 13 to investigate an outbreak of "at least 30 confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses... including the plaintiff's," according to the complaint. The restaurant has since reopened. Falkenstein said even though Wright County has recalled the eggs, Baker Street Restaurant will remain part of the lawsuit. He said when so many people in one restaurant became ill that it should have raised red flags and called the food-handling practices into question. The 30 cases of salmonella reported in Kenosha County came from no specific source and not all the people were connected to the restaurant, said Diane Bosovich, assistant director of nursing for the health department. She wasn't certain how many may have been tied to the restaurant, which she said was closed for a week as "a precaution." She indicated that Baker Street Restaurant has been inspected and employees were educated on proper food handling. There were no findings of food-borne sources of salmonella, but she couldn't comment on whether any employees tested positive for the disease at the time. L & K Tricoli, LLC, which owns the Baker Street Restaurant and Pub and two other Kenosha restaurants, did not respond to repeated CNN requests for comment. CNN's Elizabeth Landau, Caitlin Hagan, Val Willingham and Mark Morgenstein contributed to this report . | Illnesses since July 17 may not yet be reported .
The CDC estimates hundreds of Americans have been rendered ill by contaminated eggs .
Iowa's Wright County Egg has recalled 380 million eggs due to salmonella concerns .
The U.S. egg industry produced about 6.5 billion eggs in April . |
150,758 | 4ee8aac79eef22e4eb732053f144404d9f9603a3 | By . Press Association Reporter . Camilo Villegas produced a sparkling eight-under-par 63 to claim the first-round lead in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Americans William McGirt and Webb Simpson - the 2011 Wyndham champion - must have thought they had done enough to head into day two of the final regular event of the PGA Tour season at least top of the pile, but Colombian Villegas had other ideas. Eye-catching: John Daly watches his shot from the fairway on the 11th hole during the first round . Villegas started as he meant to go on with a birdie at the 10th - his first hole of the day - and went on to add four more birdies and a brilliant eagle three at the par-five fifth to highlight a flawless opening round. England's Paul Casey, Scotland's Martin Laird and American trio Scott Langley, Heath Slocum and Andrew Loupe were two shots off the pace after signing for 65s. John Daly, who caught the eye in a shocking pink outfit, carded a one-under-par 69. In the swing: Camilo Villegas set the pace during the first round of the Wyndham Championship . | Camilo Villegas carded eight-under-par 63 to claim the first-round lead .
John Daly caught the eye in shocking pink outfit at Sedgefield Country Club .
England's Paul Casey was two shots off the lead after opening 65 . |
107,622 | 16c431ad1cea68f4c3de119e352b88a21c3b0503 | By . Tom Gardner . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:15 EST, 5 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:04 EST, 6 January 2014 . 'Multi-organ failure': The condition of Ariel Sharon is deteriorating, doctors admit . Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in a coma since a 2006 stroke, is clinging to life after his condition took a turn for the worse last week, the head of the hospital treating him said on Sunday. Sharon was fighting like a 'true lion,' Zeev Rotstein told reporters. But he added: 'Our general assessment is there is no way to overcome this crisis...I am perhaps more pessimistic than I was before.' The 85-year-old’s condition sharply deteriorated last week, with doctors reporting a life-threatening collapse of vital organs. Rotstein said Sharon’s two sons remained at his bedside in the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. One of Israel’s most famous generals, Sharon left his mark on the region through military invasion, Jewish settlement building on captured land and a shock, unilateral decision to pull Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. Sharon was one of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures and his career stretched across Israel's 65-year history. Speaking to reporters yesterday at the hospital, Rotstein said Sharon's life remains in danger and that 'there is a slow and gradual deterioration' in his condition along with 'multi-organ failure'. Test results show Sharon also has a blood infection, Rotstein said. The director refused to provide a prognosis but when asked if Sharon will recover, 'looking at the trend of deterioration, it doesn't give us good signs for the future'. Sharon's family was by his bedside, Rotstein said. Referring to Sharon by his nickname 'Arik,' Rotstein said Sharon 'is fighting like a real fighter, as he did all his life.' As one of Israel's most famous generals, Sharon was known for bold tactics and an occasional refusal to obey orders. Sharon is credited with helping turn . the tide of the 1973 Mideast war when Arab armies launched a surprise . attack on Israel on the solemn fasting day of Yom Kippur, causing large . Israeli casualties. He led an Israeli force across the Suez Canal, trapping part of the Egyptian army and turning the war in Israel's favor. As . a politician, he became known as 'the bulldozer' - a man contemptuous . of his critics while also capable of getting things done. He was elected . prime minister in 2001. In . mid-2005, he directed a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli troops and . settlers from the Gaza Strip, ending a 38-year military control of the . territory. Impact: Mr Sharon, pictured with former US President George W. Bush shortly before his stroke, is one of Israel's most iconic and controversial political figures . It was a shocking turnaround for a man who had been a leading player in building Jewish settlements in captured territories. He . later bolted from his hard-line Likud Party and established the . centrist Kadima Party. It seemed he was on his way to an easy . re-election when he suffered the stroke in January 2006. After . spending months in the Jerusalem hospital where he was initially . treated, Sharon was transferred to the long-term care facility at Tel . Hashomer hospital. He was taken home briefly at one point but was returned several days later to the hospital, where he has been since. | Mr Sharon, 85, has been in a coma for eight years after a stroke in 2006 .
Doctor describes 'slow and gradual deterioration' in former PM's condition .
Dr Zeev Rotstein: 'Deterioration doesn't give us good signs for the future'
Family 'prepared for the worst' as they remain at his bedside .
Former leader one of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures . |
235,558 | bcf1438a0ecb75b29ddf8494f36d9e366cce1494 | (CNN) -- Two more goals from Lionel Messi, taking him to 50 goals in all competitions in a remarkable season, saw Barcelona win 2-0 at Racing Santander on Sunday to close the gap on Spanish leaders Real Madrid back to 10 points. Fresh from bagging an astonishing five goals in the 7-1 Champions League rout of Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, the Argentine maestro again proved the catalyst for another Barcelona win as the defending Spanish champions kept within range of Jose Mourinho's side, who beat Real Betis 3-2 on Saturday. Racing appointed Alvaro Cervera as their new coach last weekend in an attempt to arrest a slide that has seen them drop into the relegation zone after going eight matches without a victory. Messi hits record five in Barcelona rout . However, they always looked second best against a Barca side, who went ahead in the 29th minute when Messi slid home to score from close range after being set up by Cesc Fabregas on the right. And Fabregas also played a hand in the second goal -- the former Arsenal midfielder earning a 56th minute penalty after being fouled by Domingo Cisma, with Messi making no mistake from the spot. Barca wasted further chances to extend their advantage, but Messi missed a one-on-one opportunity for his hat-trick, while Juan Cuenca struck the post. Of his 50 goals this season, Messi has scored 30 in the Primera Liga, meaning he still trails Cristiano Ronaldo by two goals in the Spanish golden boot standings. Pep Guardiola's side are now a massive 24 points clear of third-placed Valencia, who squandered a two-goal lead before being held 2-2 by Real Mallorca. Valencia, who have won just one of their last four matches, went ahead through Tino Costa's deflected shot and doubled their advantage early in the second half when a mistake from Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate allowed Aritz Aduriz to score. But Emilio Nsue and Victor Casadesus turned things around for the visitors and Valencia ended the match with 10 men after Costa was dismissed for a two-footed challenge. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid and Espanyol kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Nigeria international Kalu Uche scored a hat-trick as Espanyol crushed Rayo Vallecano 5-1, while Atletico beat Granada 2-0. Atletico and Espanyol lie eighth and ninth in the table respectively, a point behind seventh-placed Athletico Bilbao -- who slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna. Bilbao failed to kick on from Thursday's impressive 3-2 Europa League victory at Manchester United. Osasuna took the lead when Ander Iturraspe headed a free-kick into his own goal after nine minutes and Raul Garcia doubled the lead before Spain striker Fernando Llorente pulled a goal back for the visitors. | Two more goals from Lionel Messi saw Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 2-0 .
Messi's double takes him to 50 goals in all competitions this season and seven this week .
Barcelona's victory means they trail leaders Real Madrid by 10 points in the Primera Liga .
Third-placed Valencia waste a two-goal lead and are held to a 2-2 draw by Real Mallorca . |
79,836 | e25912334ac3ec0222d7a0c1b28ee01e45e1a933 | Phone companies have revealed the cost of using mobiles and land-lines will 'inevitably' rise if Scotland leaves the UK . Phone bills are set to rise for millions of Scots if the country votes for independence next week. BT and a host of telecoms firms are to set out plans that mean higher costs for almost every Scottish family will be ‘inevitable’. It comes on top of mounting evidence that the cost of living for families in Scotland will soar after independence. Major stores including Asda and Next warned that prices on essentials such as bread, milk and children’s clothes will rise. The boss of Iceland has now added his voice to growing concerns, saying he would ‘panic’ if Scotland voted Yes. And figures published yesterday showed that fears of a split have led to more than £17billion being pulled out of the UK in the last month. It is the largest amount of money moved out of Britain in a single month since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. More than £127billion has been pulled out of the UK’s stock markets and debt markets so far this year, according to figures from consultancy CrossBorder Capital. Swiss banking giant UBS also warned that Scotland’s economy could shrink by as much as 5 per cent if it votes to leave. The cost of landlines, mobile phones and internet will increase in Scotland, a host of firms will say before the vote. BT is in talks with mobile providers Vodafone, EE and O2 as well as TalkTalk about issuing a joint statement warning of the implications of separation. It will be released over the weekend or early next week. The cost of installing broadband cables or mobile phone masts are already higher in Scotland because of the distances involved. Currently these are subsidised by the rest of the UK, but an independent Scotland would be likely to have its own separate pricing structure. A draft of the letter was yesterday said to warn of ‘the inevitability of cost increases’. Several companies are waiting to see the final wording before agreeing to sign. The announcement adds to mounting evidence the cost of living for families in Scotland is likely to soar if the country chooses to leave the UK on September 18 . The talks are being led by BT chairman Sir Mike Rake, who is also president of business lobby group the CBI. BT, Vodafone, O2 and TalkTalk refused to comment but an EE spokesman said: ‘Independence is entirely an issue for the Scottish people. Any political changes could of course add complexity to our operations and for this reason we are keeping a close eye on the referendum. ‘We remain fully committed to our network, employees and customers in Scotland.’ A separate letter warning of price rises by a host of retailers is also set to be published before the vote on Thursday. The traditional white, red and blue of the Union Flag could be replaced by yellow, red and black if Scotland votes Yes. The Flag Institute has drawn up a new design that shows the cross of St Andrew replaced by elements of the St David’s flag. The flag institute has drawn up a design for a potential new flag if Scotland leaves the union . Written by Sir Ian Cheshire, boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher, the letter has also been signed by the chiefs of Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Asda. John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield this week warned that the department store would be forced to pass on higher costs of operating in an independent Scotland. Iceland boss Malcolm Walker, whose chain has 71 stores and a major distribution centre in Scotland and employs more than 2,000 people, said his first response to a Yes vote would be to ‘panic!’. ‘The consequences will be just massive,’ he told Channel 4 News. ‘To be perfectly honest with you, we didn’t take it too seriously. 'I don’t think anybody for one moment considered that there would be a Yes vote.’ Large Scottish banks including RBS and Lloyds have drawn up contingency plans to move their registered offices South. UBS said an independent Scotland would shed jobs and tax revenues. Economists at the bank said: ‘Until there is clarity over the currency arrangements and the banking system, Scotland is likely to suffer some degree of a credit crunch. ‘Scottish GDP would suffer a one-off contraction of somewhere between four per cent and five per cent as half of the banking sector moves to Britain before independence.’ A spokesman from Deutsche Bank said last night that ‘a Yes vote would go down in history as a political and economic mistake as large as Winston Churchill’s decision in 1925 to return the pound to the Gold Standard or the failure of the Federal Reserve to provide sufficient liquidity to the US banking system, which we now know brought on the Great Depression in the US’. | BT is among the many telecom firms which say hike in prices is 'inevitable'
Comes as Asda and Next warn their prices will also rise if country leaves UK .
Vodafone and O2 'in talks with BT' to announce joint warning ahead of vote .
EE spokesman said company was keeping a 'close eye' on referendum . |
108,691 | 1826eb53b99a4247c3a92fbc0ca17ac5ff045e43 | By . Ian Parkes . Lewis Hamilton served up a psychological hammer blow to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. It was Hamilton's fourth successive win, and the team's fourth consecutive one-two. This race, however, is likely to be one that will hurt Rosberg for some time ahead of Formula One's blue riband event in Monaco in a fortnight. Thumbs up: Lewis Hamilton was delighted with his maiden Spanish Grand Prix victory on Sunday . Although Hamilton was clean away from pole, the 29-year-old grumbled often throughout the race, complaining about oversteer, the back end of the car sliding out, graining on his tyres, his strategy, how much time he had lost to Rosberg in the pit stops. At times it was a nervous, tetchy Hamilton behind the wheel, whereas Rosberg appeared to drive serenely behind as he managed the gap to his championship rival. To give the German his shot at victory, Mercedes altered tyre plans from the first stop onwards, and as the race reached its denouement Rosberg reeled Hamilton in. Champagne moment: Hamilton (centre) celebrates his fourth consecutive F1 win on the podium . But despite finally managing to get within a second late on, Rosberg ran out of laps and not once had a crack at making a pass on Hamilton, who ultimately won by just 0.6 seconds. It means for the first time since June 2012 Hamilton now leads the drivers' standings, moving three points ahead of Rosberg who must be wondering what he has to do to triumph again. Hamilton also has history on his side because on every one of the 19 previous occasions a driver has won four in a row he has gone on to claim the world championship. As wins go, Hamilton's first in Spain, this one was crucial as he said: 'It means everything to me. Getting my first grand prix win here after being in the sport eight years, it's very difficult to put the feeling into words when you have a result like this. 'Never have I had a car like this, nor a gap like this to anyone before. 'But I know I wasn't fast enough. Nico was quicker, I struggled with the balance, but fortunately I was able to keep him behind. 'I really had to rely on my engineers a lot more to give me the gaps and try to find where I could find time, also with my settings as I was moving them up and down, really trying to find extra time.' Closely-fought: Hamilton (left) finished ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg (right) by just 0.6 seconds . Despite the rivalry between the duo - and there was undoubted tension in the green room before they went on the podium as barely a word was exchanged between them - Hamilton insists they can remain friends. 'We've been racing together for a long time, so I don't see why not,' remarked Hamilton. As for Rosberg, he concurred, although his body language perhaps said different as he commented: 'Definitely yes, because we've been through this before. 'It's not the first time, and even back then we had discussions, debate, but always.... life goes on. You discuss it and life goes on.' Rosberg is determined Hamilton will not make it five wins in a row in Monaco, a race the former won from pole last year. 'Second place, I'm still close in the championship and with many more races to go,' said Rosberg. 'I'll be heading to Monaco where I'll put in a massive effort to go one better, to repeat the win from last year.' Massive effort: Rosberg is determined Hamilton will not make it five wins in a row in Monaco . Mercedes' dominance was such that Daniel Ricciardo finished 49 seconds adrift in his Red Bull, but at least this was a legitimate podium for the Australian who was disqualified from his home race in March. As for Ricciardo's team-mate Sebastian . Vettel, the reigning four-times champion conjured his best drive of the . season to put behind him a torrid weekend hit by gremlins, finishing . fourth after starting 15th. Williams' Valtteri Bottas was fifth, whilst Ferrari, winners here last year with Fernando Alonso, had to settle for sixth and seventh, with Kimi Raikkonen passed by the Spaniard just over two laps from home. Romain Grosjean hauled Lotus into the points for the first time in a problematic campaign with eighth, with Force India duo Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg ninth and 10th. That left McLaren out of the points for the third successive race, with Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen 11th and 12th, while Max Chilton was 19th in his Marussia. | Lewis Hamilton secures fourth successive win in Spanish Grand Prix .
Hamilton leads drivers' standings for first time since June 2012 .
Nico Rosberg now trails Hamilton by three points . |
176,365 | 7050731fbcdb04229a6089cdef10aab491d734a2 | Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- The recent election in Ukraine was a step in the right direction, Russian U.N. Representative Vitaly Churkin told members of the Security Council Wednesday, but unless Ukraine halts military action in the eastern part of the country, Russia cannot engage in dialogue. Ukrainian U.N. Representative Yuriy A. Sergeyev, in turn, accused Russia of "stoking the flames of separatism" in the eastern part of his country. The majority of Security Council members commended Ukraine's presidential election, won by billionaire Petro Poroshenko with 55% of the vote. "Despite successful elections which could be the beginning of a new chapter for Ukraine, violence rages on, causing loss of life and injuries." said Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs. More clashes reported in eastern Ukraine . Ukraine's National Guard base in Luhansk was attacked Wednesday by what Ukraine's Interior Ministry described as "terrorists." "There have been losses among military personnel as well as among the attackers," said a statement by the ministry. The Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine is at the heart of the separatists' bid to declare independence, which is mirrored in the neighboring Donetsk region. There dozens of pro-Russian separatists were killed after Ukrainian security forces launched an assault on Donetsk International Airport on Monday, following the militants' seizure of a terminal. The Ukrainian military's move against the militants at Donetsk airport has been interpreted by some as an indication that newly elected President Petro Poroshenko will take a tougher stance. The presence of military aircraft may be intended as a reminder of the security forces' capacity to act. Russian troop withdrawal . The Pentagon and NATO are saying Russia has moved at least a few thousand troops back from its border with Ukraine, but a Pentagon spokesman said tens of thousands of combat-ready troops remain. The Kremlin last week announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops to return to their bases but said the pullback could take some time. NATO said Wednesday that there was "ongoing evidence of equipment and supplies being packed or prepared for movement" in the area. "A small number of units have now withdrawn from the border. The activity we are observing continues to suggest a slow withdrawal of forces," a NATO military officer said. However, he said, many of the Russian troops remain in the border area and are capable of operations at short notice. "Thousands of troops have withdrawn, but tens of thousands remain," he said. NATO is monitoring the situation and would welcome a complete, verifiable Russian withdrawal, the NATO military officer said. But, he added, "Any withdrawal does not erase or reverse what has happened in recent months. Russia has violated the trust of the international community by illegally invading Ukraine. The security dynamic in Europe has been fundamentally changed." Ukraine is not part of NATO, but other former Soviet states such as Poland do belong to the alliance. Russia is opposed to any move by Ukraine to forge closer ties with NATO. Where are the OSCE monitors? Four members of Europe's Special Monitoring Mission who went missing in the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk are being held by a pro-Russian group, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebynis said Wednesday. "The negotiations for their release are in process," Perebynis said during a briefing in Kiev. The team members, who are Swiss, Turkish, Estonian and Danish, were on a routine patrol Monday east of Donetsk when last heard from, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. U.N. Undersecretary-General for political affairs Undersecretary Jeffrey Feltman said the OSCE does not know who is holding the four monitors. The last time an OSCE team went missing in Donetsk, its members turned up in the hands of militant separatists in the town of Slovyansk. They were freed just over a week later. There were fears Wednesday that another group of 11 monitors had gone missing after being stopped at a roadblock in Marinka, west of Donetsk, but the group reestablished contact with the OSCE after returning to Donetsk, according to an OSCE statement. Ukraine: Fierce fighting closes Donetsk airport, claims dozens of lives . Opinion: Free elections good for Ukraine, but could be bad for Putin . CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported from Donetsk and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. Journalist Victoria Butenko contributed from Kiev and CNN's Andrew Carey from Donetsk. | NEW: Russia's U.N. envoy says dialogue can't occur amid Ukraine military action .
NEW: Ukraine U.N. envoy says Russia is still stoking flames of separatism .
NEW: Pentagon acknowledges slow withdrawal of Russian troops from border .
Four missing monitors are held by pro-Russian groups, Ukraine foreign ministry says . |
146,583 | 4990c34004db11a85b5b6006f5652ba8b343b09d | A mother and her daughter have been awarded more than $15m in compensation after the woman hurt her back as the bus she was traveling in went over a speed bump, it merged today. Maria Francisco, 20, on a shopping trip with her four-year-old daughter Mia, jumped in her seat as the coach hit the traffic speed bump and landed so badly on her back she damaged one of her vertebrae. No-one else was injured in the incident and at first the bus driver refused to believe she was in pain. Eventually she was taken to hospital where she had to have back surgery. Scroll down for video . Shock: Surveillance video captures the sequence of events when Maria Francisco and her child, Mia, were thrown when the driver hit the speed bump too fast when the mother was returning from a shopping trip . Impact: The moment the bus hits the traffic calming device. Maria was thrown against the back of the seat, damaging one of her vertebrae. She can still walk but her lawyers say she is in chronic pain . Spin to win: Critics says the case throws up the irrationality of the US legal system - where such a large figure can be arrived at. The payout included $10m for Maria's emotional pain and suffering on top of $3m for her medical expenses in the past and future . Distress: The huge award also included $1m for Mia's emotional pain caused by witnessing the accident . Now three years later, a jury has ordered the transit company to pay the unemployed mother $14.3m in compensation, including $10m for her emotional pain and suffering. Her daughter was awarded a further $1m for past and future emotional pain caused by witnessing the incident. Ms Francisco, who can still walk, said she was pleased to have received the money as the incident had put 'a tremendous strain on her and her family'. But others criticised the size of the pay out, the biggest in the transit company’s history. Walter Olson, Senior Fellow at the Libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, branded the pay out as 'spin to win'. 'Why $10 million for pain and suffering in this one case?' he said. 'Why . $1 million, paid by taxpayers, to a 4-year-old for seeing her mother . fall off a bus seat? Why not $100,000 and $10,000 instead? 'In . a case like this the American legal system has no real reason for . picking one number rather than the other and no real consistency between . cases. It's just spin to win. Ms Francisco, her daughter and other members of her family were travelling to buy birthday presents at a mall in Richmond, California, when the incident happened in August 2011. The Alameda-Contra Costa bus driven by Dollie Gilmore hit the speed bump at 30mph – twice the limit as it was a school zone – and the impact catapulted Ms Francisco into the air. The jury were shown a video of Ms Francisco flying up and then as she lands hitting her back on the edge of the plastic seat. The film then shows Ms Gilmore stopping the bus and walking down the isle accusing Ms Francisco of faking the pain. She threatens to prosecute her for wasting time. Ms Francisco, whose boyfriend and father-of-her child works in a coffee shop, was taken to hospital where she was found to have suffered a burst fracture of her back. Pain: Maria had to have three surgeries, . including the fusion of a lower vertebra, and medical bills so far . nearing $1 million. It is estimated she will need a further $2.4m worth . of treatment throughout her lifetime . She had to have three surgeries, including the fusion of a lower vertebra, and medical bills so far nearing $1 million. It is estimated she will need a further $2.4m worth of treatment throughout her lifetime. At the time, AC Transit refused to admit any liability until it was time and then offered $2.75m out-of-court settlement. It conceded that Francisco's injuries were its fault but argued that they, along with Ms Francisco's inability to work, were exaggerated. But Ms Francisco, represented by Los Angeles-based firm Panish Shea & Boyle, fought the case and this month a jury at Alameda Superior Court jury awarded her and her daughter $15.3m. The pay out included $10m for her past and future pain and suffering, $3.3m in past and future medical expenses and $800,266 for future loss of earnings. Ms Francisco’s daughter was awarded $1m for past and future emotional distress relating to her witnessing the incident. 'I am happy to have been able to show the jury I was seriously hurt and was unjustly attacked by AC Transit,' she said. 'I pray they do something so this never happens to anyone else as it has been a tremendous strain on me and my family with more to come.' Ms Francisco is able to walk but says the injury leaves her in constant pain and that the condition will get worse in the future. It has also affected her sex life and she is unlikely to have more children. Brian Panish, her leading attorney, defended the pay out. 'She wasn’t looking for this to happen,' he said. 'She has chronic pain for life. She has a fused spine and she is going to need to have future surgeries. 'It has severely damaged her quality of life and it is only going to get worse. She can walk but she struggles to bend and stoop. 'It is going to be hard for her to get a job. Rather than accepting responsibility for its negligence, AC Transit instead chose to challenge Ms Francisco’s credibility. That tactic didn’t work, and the jury did the right thing with this verdict.' Life sentence: Maria's lawyer said she has a fused spine and she is going to need to have future surgeries. It has severely damaged her quality of life. She can walk but she struggles to bend and stoop' Fellow attorney Spencer Lucas added: 'This verdict will ensure that Ms Francisco is able to get the long term treatment that she needs and will be able to take care of herself and her daughter. 'That is what this case was about.' Meanwhile, Mr Olson added: 'What I can say is this: no rational system would give out this much money for every incident like this, even accepting the plaintiff's claims'. AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson said it was still looking over the details of the pay out. 'We are still mulling over the verdict as it were and deciding what the steps may be,' he said. 'We have no comment in the meantime.' It is not the first time the law firm Panish Shea & Boyle has obtained big pay outs. In 2011, it obtained a $10.5m settlement against AC Transit when a bus knocked a woman over on a crossing. She now has to walk with a cane. Crazy: Walter Olsen, of the Cato Institute, said: 'What I can say is this: no rational . system would give out this much money for every incident like this, even . accepting the plaintiff's claims' In 2005, it obtained a $27.3m verdict against the City and County of San Francisco after a four-year-old girl was crushed to death against a wall following a crash between a municipal truck and two cars. This was the largest personal injury verdict ever against the City and County of San Francisco. | Video shows the moment Maria Francsicso, 20, is thrown in air when bus hits speed bump while on shopping trip with daughter, Mia, 4 .
Francisco can still walk - but is in chronic pain and claims it has affected ability to have children .
Payout includes $10m for pain and suffering, $1m for her daughter's distress .
But critics branded it 'irrational' and highlights how the American legal system is a case of 'spin to win' |
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