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20,302 | 399918c7389abca109de52314062f2b5119d403c | A known criminal and drug user fired at Denver police last month using a gun he had hidden in his butt cheeks. Isaac Vigil, 32, was already in handcuffs and despite having been frisked three times still managed to pull out the gun and fire at officers outside District 4 Police Station in Denver, Colorado. The incident occurred on May 14 after local narcotics detectives spotted Vigil smoking meth in a McDonald's parking lot. Isaac Vigil, 32, was already in handcuffs and despite having been frisked three times still managed to pull out the gun and fire at officers outside District 4 Police Station in Denver, Colorado . Detectives attempted to frisk Vigil, but had difficulty and described him as acting in a ‘highly agitated’ and 'squirrelly' fashion. During that first attempt to frisk him, a knife allegedly fell from Vigil's wasteband. The detectives also found a crack pipe. According to the DA's report, Denver Police officers searched Vigil another two times before putting him in the back of the patrol car. A uniformed officer in a patrol car was . called for to assist during the arrest because Vigil was ‘violent and . aggressive behavior,' reports KUSA. The recovered Raven P25 Auto .25 handgun allegedly fired by Vigil at police had the serial number filed off . The officers needed a car that had a cage in the back to transport Vigil. Vigil was arrested for possession of drug . paraphernalia and an outstanding warrant for assault, felony menacing . and possession of a weapon, . After his arrest, police said he threatened several times to shoot them and that he wanted to die. He also allegedly told police he had been smoking meth for three days and didn't want to go back to prison. Officers say when they arrived at the police district, Vigil refused to get out of the car and fired two shots from behind his back. Vigil’s gun then jammed and police shot at him, injuring him in the stomach. Vigil has an extensive criminal history and wasn't supposed to own a gun after he had been charged with illegal possession in April . Police recovered a Raven P25 Auto .25 handgun from Vigil that had the serial number filed off. According to the police report, he also had two baggies of meth hidden in his 'rectal area.' The Denver District Attorney has . investigated the shooting and on Monday declared that the officer who . shot Vigil would not have criminal charges brought against him. After recovering from his injuries, Vigil is now in Denver Jail. He is facing attempted murder charges for firing at officers. Vigil has an extensive criminal history and has been arrested many times before. As a convicted felon, he wasn't supposed to own a gun after being charged with illegal possession in April. The incident occurred on May 14 outside District 4 Police Station in Denver, Colorado . | Isaac Vigil, 32, was already in handcuffs .
and despite having been frisked three times still managed to pull out .
the gun and fire at officers .
The incident occurred on May 14 after local narcotics detectives spotted Vigil smoking meth in a McDonald's parking lot .
Vigil refused to get out of the car when he arrived at a Denver police station and he fired two shots .
from behind his back .
His gun then jammed and police shot at him, injuring him in the stomach .
Vigil, who has an extensive criminal history, is now facing attempted murder charges for firing at officers .
Police also found that he had two baggies of meth hidden in his 'rectal area' |
82,784 | eabc3885ce0abb47e8943416da8f68bbfe53731c | Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith and his ex-girlfriend Daisy Lowe appear to have become the latest victims of hackers who have leaked naked photographs of celebrities online. The pair join a long list of stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Avril Lavigne and Rihanna whose personal pictures are believed to have been posted online by anonymous bloggers. Smith, who quit his role as the timelord last year, dated former model Lowe for several years but the pair have since split up. So far, the images - which were first leaked in August - have involved women. But this week, the fourth bout of images were released and were said to include pictures of the first male victim, Nick Hogan, son of Hulk. The fourth wave of leaked images comes one week after a lawyer for more than a dozen targeted celebrities issued Google with a threat to sue for $100 million. Scroll down for video . Ex Doctor Who star Matt Smith and his ex-girlfriend Daisy Lowe are the latest victims of hackers who have released naked photos of celebrities . The firm threatened action due to Google 'making millions and profiting from the victimisation of women'. This week, Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence also broke her silence to hit out at the leak of the naked pictures. The Oscar-winner, one of the most high-profile victims of the hacking of hundreds of explicit images, said it was a 'sex crime'. She told Vanity Fair magazine that anyone who looked at the images 'should cower with shame'. The 24-year-old told the magazine that she started to write a statement, but realised she had nothing to apologise for. She said: 'I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years. It was long distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he's going to look at you.' She told Vanity Fair: 'Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. Smith (left) and Lowe (right) join a long list of stars including Avril Lavigne, Cat Deeley and Rihanna whose pictures were said to have been posted online . 'It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It's my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting. I can't believe that we even live in that kind of world.' Lawrence called for a change in the law to prevent more leaks and added: 'It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It's disgusting. 'I just can't imagine being that detached from humanity. I can't imagine being that thoughtless and careless and so empty inside.' She added: 'Anybody who looked at those pictures, you're perpetuating a sexual offence.' Many have surmised that the controversy may be coming to a close given the lower profile of the hacker's latest victims. But photos from an unreleased and potentially massive collection of stolen celebrity nudes can still be bought online for $350, evidence shows. Some say this summer's celebrity nude leaks were only a peak at how many photos and videos were compromised through security flaws in Apple's iCloud and other platforms. Scandal: Jennifer Lawrence - one of dozens of other stars who had naked photos leaked online - has broken her silence over the scandal, calling it a 'sex crime' The latest hits will come as a blow to Apple as the tech firm desperately tries to tighten security on the iCloud. It currently allows users to attempt access to any account an unlimited amount of times. The FBI and Apple, which runs iCloud, are already investigating the hacking in which dozens of celebrities’ accounts were infiltrated. Naked pictures of stars were put online by hackers linked to the notorious online forum 4chan. The first wave of explicit, personal images were released on August 31, featuring Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton. Since, images have surfaced of singers Rihanna and Avril Lavigne, TV actress Kaley Cuoco, American goalkeeper Hope Solo, and socialities Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. Taking action: Some of the female celebrities who have been targeted the photo hacking scandal - with Rihanna (left) and Amber Heard (right) among the most recent victims - are threatening to sue Google . Victims: Naked images already released are alleged to feature actress Vanessa Hudgens (left) and TV actress Kaley Cuoco (right) Another huge wave of leaked images took place around September 20 and involved nude photos of Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Hudgens, Kate Bosworth and Hope Solo all being released. The hackers also managed to steal pictures of Aubrey Plaza, Hayden Panetierre and Vanessa Hudgens in similar compromising positions. Also among the victims was British model Cara Delevingne. The blogger has also threatened to target Emma Watson - and created a website called Emma You Are Next - after she gave a feminist talk at the UN. Reddit closed the forum titled Fappening, a lewd reference to masturbation, a week after the first hit after receiving a warning that the images violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). But the images have been cached by thousands of users all over the world and shared on other blogs and websites, meaning many still appear on Google Images. First male victim: Reality TV star Nick Hogan, son of wrestler Hulk Hogan, was said to be the hacker's first victim . Marty Singer, half of Lavely & Singer law firm in Los Angeles, California, is now persuing legal action on behalf of a number of A-list victims. Singer claims he also issued more than a dozen warning letters to Google but received no response. In a letter to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Singer accused the pair of 'blatantly unethical behavior'. Reacting to the potential lawsuit, Google said they have been trying to eradicate the photos from the web in response to complaints about privacy violation. 'We've removed tens of thousands of pictures -- within hours of the requests being made -- and we have closed hundreds of accounts,' a Google spokeman said. Threats: A website was set up titled Emma You Are Next but the images of Emma Watson never surfaced . Apple has denied that its iCloud system was compromised during the attacks, which were the result of 'a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions'. The firm, which said it was 'outraged' by the security breach, has now advised worried customers to update their accounts with a 'strong' password and enable two-step verification. Last month, during a previous leak of stolen, naked pictures, Twitter said it was shutting down accounts disseminating the images. In response to a request for comment, a Twitter spokesman said in August: 'We do not comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons,' and referred MailOnline to the company's content boundaries web page. | They join long list of stars whose pictures were said to have been posted .
Smith and Lowe dated for several years but the pair have since split up .
Leaked images have so far focused on women but latest wave includes men .
Comes a week after a lawyer for several stars threatened to sue Google .
Jennifer Lawrence broke silence over the scandal, calling it a 'sex crime'
Anonymous users on 4chan say photos were stolen from Apple's iCloud app . |
151,348 | 4fae873f6b73a58ef970d56383e4df5fd20e27aa | By . Sam Webb . Every time Alfie the terrier, above, was exposed to pollen he had an allergic reaction which left him trapped indoors with painful red and itchy sores. But now the one-year-old can go walkies again thanks to this Lycra ‘onesie’. Owner Joanne Mitchell, 50, of Cullingworth, West Yorkshire, tried various treatments before discovering the lightweight, breathable suit from US company K9 Top Coat. Suits you, cur: Alfie, pictured with owner Joanne Mitchell, can go outside thanks to a special suit that stops his hayfever symptoms . Walkies: The lightweight, breathable suit comes from U.S. company K9 Top Coat. Right, with Joanne Mitchell . 'He's so much better now and the sores have really settled down,' Ms Mitchell said . ‘He’s so much better now and the sores have really settled down,’ she said. ‘He puts his little head in and lifts his paws up to help me put it on.’ The swanky suit proved such a hit with Jack Russell Terrier Alfie that Joanne went on to order a second. Ms Mitchell added: 'He was booked in to be castrated around April, May time and I noticed he had a really itchy red tummy. 'I thought it might be fleas at first but after talking to the vet we realised it might be a pollen allergy. Painful: Alfie's sores before he got the coat . 'We tried numerous things including Piriton but nothing seemed to work and he was just miserable. 'It got to the point where he was just trapped in the house unable to go out. To have a dog that can't even go out for a walk is just awful, I felt terrible. 'I decided to do some research online and that's when I came across K9 Top Coat. 'Everything changed from there. He wears his bodysuit all day long and he loves it. 'Now he can go and play outside and enjoy running around without a care. 'It's been so great I've bought him another so I can alternate. He'll have his own little wardrobe full of them soon.' June Lotz, co-founder of K9 Top Coat, said: 'I came up with the idea as a way of controlling shedding. 'Our first child was just beginning to crawl and with three large dogs it was impossible to keep our floors free of dog hair. 'Many people purchase one of our lycra bodysuits and have such great success they purchase more. 'There's nothing like having a dog wearing a lycra bodysuit in the park or walking down the street to draw people's attention. | Alfie faced a life indoors because allergy caused painful sores on skin .
But owner Joanne Mitchell found the lycra suit after online research .
Now the happy Jack Russell has found a new lease of life . |
252,815 | d33071afe6e9fc8d22228a70c03117e6dc49736f | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 07:05 EST, 9 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:55 EST, 9 May 2013 . Gone: Detective Chief Inspector Heather Eastwood has resigned from her post at Cleveland Police after she was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly . The detective wife of the first British chief constable to be sacked in 35 years has resigned herself after being held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. Detective Chief Inspector Heather Eastwood had faced an Police Complaints Commission's hearing following an allegation she had failed to inform her superiors of the arrest two years ago. Ms Eastwood's husband, Sean Price, served as Cleveland's Chief Constable from 2003 until last October when he was dismissed for gross misconduct. His wife will no longer face any disciplinary action now she has quit her job at the same force. The former officer, who married Mr Price last year, was arrested at Northallerton railway station in 2011. She was questioned and later released with no further action taken. Following an investigation, the alleged incident was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission by Cleveland Police and Cleveland Police Authority in May last year. A force spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm that a Chief Inspector who was due to face a misconduct hearing has now resigned from the Force. 'As the individual is no longer a serving police officer they are no longer subject to disciplinary proceedings.' It is not clear yet if she will keep her pension, but in most cases an officer who resigns will. Disgraced: Her husband Sean Price, former chief constable of Cleveland Police, pictured accepting the Queen's Police medal at Buckingham Palace, was sacked last year . A spokesman for the IPCC confirmed that details of its investigation would be released as soon as possible. Avoided: Heather Eastwood's decision to resign means that she escapes disciplinary action . He said: 'As the force has accepted the resignation of the officer there was no need for the hearing to proceed. However, we will publish the findings of the investigation once we are legally able to do so.' Ms Eastwood's husband, Mr Price, served as Cleveland's Chief Constable from 2003 until last October when he was dismissed for gross misconduct. He was found guilty of asking a . colleague to inquire about a job for the former police authority . chairman's daughter and subsequently lying about it. He was arrested in August 2011 and later dismissed from his £191,905 job, where he had been suspended on full pay. His sacking also meant he escaped a . further inquiry into claims that he abused his force credit card and . concealed the arrest of his wife. In March, Cleveland's former Deputy Chief Constable Derek Bonnard was dismissed for gross misconduct on six counts. Mr Bonnard denied any wrongdoing and planned to appeal against the ruling, however, earlier this week it emerged he had reached a settlement with the force over disputed wages paid during his suspension and dropped the challenge. As a result he will not now pursue an appeal against the dismissal or an action claiming sexual discrimination. | Cleveland Police DCI Heather Eastwood was held at a railway station in 2011 .
Husband Sean was first chief constable to be sacked in 35 years, last year .
Ms Eastwood's decision to quit means that she avoid disciplinary action . |
53,762 | 987820ec2e1633ce95d3183ca8edc8758304bcf6 | The stray dog that refused to leave a group of Swedish adventurers on an extreme sports race through the Amazon rain forest continues to recover in quarantine, after being adopted by the the team's captain. Arthur the dog made national headlines last November for tagging along with Mikael Lindnord and the rest of Team Peak Performance as the group of men hiked, climbed and kayaked hundreds of miles through the Ecuadorian wild. Earlier this month, the team updated Arthur's fans on Facebook after a trip to visit the recovering dog at a quarantine facility in their native Sweden. Scroll down for video . Lifelong friends: Mikael Lindnord (right) decided to adopt stray dog Arthur last November, when the mutt refused to leave his team during a grueling extreme sports race through the Amazonian wilderness. Pictured above with Arthur in Sweden, where the dog continues to recover in quarantine . Good to see you! Arthur jumps on the lap of Team Peak Performance'sStaffan Björklund during a visit to quarantine on February 5 . The team wrote that Arthur was originally scheduled to leave quarantine on February 5 to undergo surgery, but the request was denied at the last minute because he still wasn't in good enough health for the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Instead, Lindnord and some of Arthur's other friends visited him in quarantine where he has experienced a 'huge progress in health'. 'We met a very happy dog and it didn’t take a second before he recognize us and jumped in to my knee, we where so happy to see him today [sic],' the post reads. According to the post, the dirt on Arthur's skin is gone, his ears are much better, his claws are growing again and the last wound on his back is almost completely healed. His teeth still need improvement however. The team wrote that they respect the Agriculture Board's decision to keep Arthur in quarantine for the time being. They also went on to praise the quarantine's staff for doing an 'amazing job' with their new best friend. The fifth member: Team Peak Performance met Arthur during the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship. He followed the group of four during the grueling race . All terrains: Despite numerous attempts by the team to get rid of Arthur, primarily for his own safety, he refused to go. It meant when he got stuck in the knee-deep mud they helped get him out and when he was exhausted, they stopped to take a break . Support: At one point the dog was not able to find any food in the jungle, so the team stopped and gave him some of their canned food . Arthur first met Lindnord in November, as his team were sitting down for a meal that would fuel them through a dangerous 20-mile trek through the Ecuadorian rainforest. As he opened his can of meat, a tired Lindnord noticed Arthur, then a scruffy, miserable stray dog, staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Feeling sorry for him, he fed Arthur a meatball and thought nothing of it, but as the team stood up to continue their race the animal started to follow them - and he didn't stop. As the group of four navigated the final two stages of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship, Arthur befriended them and was eventually given his new name. Every grueling task the team face, Arthur would do the same. He swam alongside them while they kayaked down rivers, dragged himself up hills during hikes and pulled through knee-deep mud during treks. Determined: Before one of the segments of the race - a 36 mile kayak around the coast - organizers warned the team that taking Arthur along posed a risk to his and their safety. But Arthur swam alongside the boat and ended up being pulled in by Lindord . Resting: When the team slept Arthur would also curl up and take a nap alongside them . Encounter: Lindnord (right) first noticed the scruffy dog when he was sitting down to eat canned meatballs. He fed Arthur one thinking nothing on it, but ended up creating a bond with the dog . Even when the team tried to get rid of their new member out of concerns for his safety - he refused to leave. This meant when he was tired they stopped for a break and when he got stuck in the mud they pulled him out. After six days the team finished the race, and the dog had suffered. They therefore decided to take him to a vet while still in South America to have him checked out. During that time Lindnord thought to himself that after their experience, they could not leave Arthur, so he decided to adopt him and take him back to Sweden. He applied to the Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture) and was made to wait to see if his application was successful. After a tense few days, the team arrived at the airport with Arthur and boarded the plane with him back home. Adventure Racing is a form of extreme sport that combines continuous hiking, trekking, mountain biking and kayaking over a successive number of days. Attention: The team let passengers stroke Arthur as he wondered around the airport terminal before their flight back to Sweden where he is still being kept in quarantine . The world championships held in Ecuador covered three diverse geographical regions - the Andes, the Pacific and the Amazon rainforest. Before one of the segments of the race - a 36 mile kayak around the coast - organizers warned the team that taking Arthur along posed a risk to his and their safety. They tried to set off without him, but as they left he jumped into the water beside them and started desperately paddling. Lindord, heartbroken by the site of Arthur struggling in the water, picked him up, put him in the kayak and let him stay for the rest of the journey. The gesture prompted a standing ovation and cheers from spectators watching from the banks. The ordeal to get him back to Sweden was documented on the team's Facebook page. In one post Lindord wrote: 'I almost cried in front of the computer, when receiving the decision from Jordbruksverket (Board of Agriculture) in Sweden!' 'The team is overwhelmed and happy knowing that Jordbruksverket has approved Mikaels application to bring Arthur to Sweden. A big important piece in the work to get Arhur on the plane, is done. So far so good. But, There are [sic] still one paper to go. The team are now working hard for the very last piece in this puzzel [sic]. Lindord ended by saying: 'I came to Ecuador to win the World Championship. Instead, I got a new friend.' | Mikael Lindnord adopted Arthur the dog after the mutt refused to leave his extreme sports team on a 430-mile journey through the Amazon .
Lindnord and the rest of Team Peak Performance brought Arthur back to their native Sweden where he remains in quarantine .
Earlier this month, Lindnord and other team members went to visit Arthur in quarantine where he continues to experience a 'huge progress in health'
Arthur could be released as soon as the end of next month . |
130,083 | 342b4cc9c39b0e64d04bcd1896f99883ea3b227c | A photographer who travelled into Siberia to capture the Northern Lights risked his life by equipping himself just a sword to protect him from wolves. Russian Ruslan Akhemtsafin trekked into the remote Far Eastern Siberian Taiga region to capture his images last week. Braving temperatures as low as minus 50C - as well as bears, wolves and frostbite - Ruslan waited for several nights to take the perfect picture. Russian Ruslan Akhemtsafin trekked into the remote Far Eastern Siberian Taiga region to capture his images last week . Ruslan has explained that he regularly gets frostbite on his face, legs and fingers while waiting for the perfect shot, but said he was now used to the freezing conditions . It gets so cold in the wilderness he even designed a special fur coast for his camera to protect it from the harsh conditions. The sensational images show the natural phenomenon at its majestic best, with swirls of green, red and purple reaching out into the cold night sky. Displays of the Northern Lights occur when solar particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere and on impact emit burning gases that produce green, yellow and blue-coloured lights. The scientific term for the Lights is the aurora borealis. The traditional places for optimum Northern Lights viewings are the northern reaches of Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Canada and Alaska. Ruslan followed information about the weather conditions in the days before he took his photographs to give himself the best chance of capturing the images . Braving temperatures as low as minus 50C - as well as bears, wolves and frostbite - Ruslan waited for several nights to take the perfect picture . Displays of the Northern Lights occur when solar particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere and on impact emit burning gases that produce green, yellow and blue-coloured lights . The Lights themselves can only be seen between September and March each year. They are notoriously unpredictable and cannot be forecast in advance. Rusland, who lives in the village of Aikhal in Yakutia, said: ‘I love photography and I love nature. ‘So, for me it is an ideal situation where I live as it's a great region surrounded by fantastic nature and I can capture moments like the Northern Lights and share them with people. ‘Photography for me is when my soul tries to reach something so beautiful that you can't describe it with words, but can you capture it, and then share it. ‘It's never about money, it's about this moment of beauty that I've been lucky to witness.’ The 37-year-old father-of-one is an amateur photographer and he has a normal full-time day job working as an engineer at a nearby diamond mine. He was brought up in the Aikhal area having moved there from Kazakhstan with his parents and brother 30 years ago. Ruslan has been taking photographs since he was a schoolboy using his Pentax MZ-30 film camera. In 2001 he began trying to capture images of the night sky. He said: ‘My heart demanded much better results than what I was achieving with its limited abilities though. The traditional places for optimum Northern Lights viewings are the northern reaches of Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Canada and Alaska . ‘Four years later, in 2005, I bought my first amateur Nikon D70, which brought me a step further to what I wanted. ‘I had been dreaming about a camera that would allow me take pictures of Northern Lights within split seconds since the sky changes so rapidly that if you miss a moment your picture is gone. ‘Of course no camera is supposed to work for four, five or six hours at temperatures like -50C and below, so I have to invent some tricks. ‘I cut a sleeve off an old fur coat, turned it inside out so that the fur is inside, and then cut holes for the lenses, tripod, viewfinder and LCD monitor. Ruslan has been taking photographs since he was a schoolboy using his Pentax MZ-30 film camera. In 2001 he began trying to capture images of the night sky . Ruslan travelled into Siberia to capture the Northern Lights, risking his life by equipping himself Samurai sword to protect him from wolves . ‘That helps to protect the camera, and it gives a bit of extra warmth to my hands. ‘Taking pictures of the Northern Lights is a bit of a sport. You have to follow information about solar flashes and then possible days of the sun's winds reaching earth. 'On the day you also monitor any rise in this activity and then finally rush with all the equipment to the shooting area. ‘I do get frostbite on my face, legs and fingers while waiting for the next shot, but I am quite used to it.’ Being alone in the Taiga - which is closer geographically to the United States than it is to the Russian capital Moscow - can have its dangers and Ruslan ensures he is armed, for security. Shooting the Northern Lights is extremely difficult as the sky changes within a split second, meaning many are unable to take the perfect shot . The 37-year-old father-of-one is an amateur photographer and he has a normal full-time day job working as an engineer at a nearby diamond mine . It gets so cold in the wilderness he even designed a special fur coast for his camera to protect it from the harsh conditions . He said: ‘I have always had to carry hunting knives when going on trips in case I meet any wolves. So far our paths have never crossed. ‘I am against killing animals but these days I carry a small samurai sword, called a Vakidzasi, which I bought on a website that specialises in Japanese and Korean made weapons. ‘I bought the most expensive one they had and it was just like they promised, so it cuts bottles and logs. 'The sword weighs a bit more than a kilogram, but it's worth carrying it around as it gives me a feeling of security and confidence while I am alone in Taiga. ‘My family supports me in my passion and applauds my little victories, when I catch a very good shot. So I am a very happy man indeed.’ | Ruslan Akhemtsafin trekked into the remote Far Eastern Siberian Taiga region to capture his images last week .
It gets so cold in the wilderness he designed a special fur coast for his camera to protect it from harsh conditions .
An amateur photographer, Rusland has a normal full-time day job working as an engineer at a nearby diamond mine .
The sensational images show the aurora borealis at their majestic best, with swirls of green, red and purple reaching out into the cold night sky . |
180,965 | 7648fa2f247fa9cd009272cf52b3789ac68c8f9e | Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes team-mate Alexis Sanchez deserves all the plaudits after his double helped the Gunners on their way to a 3-0 win over Stoke. Sanchez's first was a brilliant solo effort in the 33rd minute, having earlier set up Laurent Koscielny for the opener, before netting a deflected free-kick at the start of the second half. The Chile forward, signed for £30million in the summer from Barcelona, took his tally in an impressive debut campaign to 18 and Oxlade-Chamberlain has no doubts he is a game-changer for Arsenal. Alexis Sanchez continued his run of brilliant form with an assist and a goal during the first 45 minutes . The England midfielder told Sky Sports: 'He is amazing. He shows it week in, week out and I think that's the most important thing. 'For the top players it's about consistency and not just about being good one week but every week. And I think Alexis has done that all the way through this season. 'He was brilliant again against Stoke, got two good goals and set Laurent's goal up as well. Hopefully it continues for him because he's having a great season and his confidence is brimming and that helps the team as well. England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain attempts to keep possession against Stoke on Sunday . The Arsenal players join star man Sanchez in celebration of his second goal of the afternoon against Stoke . 'There were a lot of good performances out there but with his two goals and the assist he's the star.' Oxlade-Chamberlain added: 'We knew we had to start well on Sunday. 'It was important who got the first goal and we knew if we could get that we'd put the pressure on from there. 'In the first half we did well, managed to get a good goal and then the game went really well for us - not just for the boys up front, but also the boys at the back defended really well and gave us the base to go and push on.' Alexis Sanchez was in sensational form throughout Arsenal's win over Stoke, and found the net twice . | Alexis Sanchez scored twice in 3-0 win over Stoke on Sunday .
Chile international has now scored 18 goals for Arsenal this season .
Victory against Stoke lifts the Gunners to fifth in the Premier League . |
148,326 | 4bc8edf5224ef5370696748e22145c312d325195 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The top military and civilian leaders of the U.S. Air Force were forced out Thursday over the handling of nuclear weapons, the Defense Department secretary said. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, left, and Secretary Michael Wynne have stepped down. Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael W. Wynne resigned over the department's concern over two incidents, including the August flight of a B-52 bomber that flew across the country with nuclear weapons. "Focus of the Air Force leadership has drifted" in terms of handling nuclear weapons and equipment, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. In August, a B-52 bomber flew from North Dakota to Louisiana with the crew unaware that six nuclear-tipped missiles were on board. Four officers were relieved of duty afterward, including three colonels. Gates also cited this year's discovery that components designed to arm and fuse nuclear warheads were accidentally shipped to Taiwan in 2006. Watch Gates talk about the firings » . Critics also cite last month's news that the Air Force's 5th Bomb Wing failed a defense "nuclear surety" inspection -- despite having months to prepare and being under close scrutiny after the previous incidents. The inspection found deficiencies in the wing's ability to protect its part of the nation's nuclear stockpile. The resignations come after a report on a Navy admiral's investigation that criticized the Air Force's reactions to the incidents. Gates said the report "depicts a pattern of poor performance" in which Air Force brass didn't act to improve security after mishaps and Air Force personnel handling nuclear weapons consistently failed to follow existing rules. Air Force leaders "not only fell short in terms of specific acts, they failed to recognize systemic problems, to address those problems or, when beyond their authority to act, to call the attention of superiors to those problems," Gates said. The investigation found that although the Taiwan incident didn't compromise the integrity of the U.S. nuclear force, it represented "a significant failure" by the Air Force to ensure sensitive military components, Gates said. Gates said the report concluded that erosion in the branch's command and oversight standards helped lead to the incidents, and that they could have been prevented if the oversight programs had functioned correctly. He said he asked for the resignations after consulting President Bush. Sen. Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Service committee, welcomed Gates' decision. "Secretary Gates' focus on accountability is essential and had been absent from the office of the Secretary of Defense for too long," Levin said. "The safety and security of America's nuclear weapons must receive the highest priority, just as it must in other countries." Rep. Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, also welcomed the resignations. Markey said he's long been concerned about what he called a series of dangerous Air Force missteps in handling nuclear weapons. "The magnitude and frequency of these errors indicate a deep-seated problem within Air Force culture, practice and training," Markey said. "The entire Department of Defense should immediately recommit itself to ensuring the safety and security of our nuclear stockpile before one of these mistakes has lethal consequences." A senior military source said the August nuclear weapons incident was the straw that broke the camel's back but that other leadership issues also factored into Moseley's and Wynne's resignations. A previous investigation into the B-52 flight uncovered a "lackadaisical" attention to detail in day-to-day operations at the air bases involved, an Air Force official said in October. Maj. Gen. Dick Newton, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, said the investigation found "a failure to follow procedures" by "a limited number of airmen" at the two bases. Newton defended the procedures themselves. Wynne is not the first secretary of a military branch to resign since Gates became Defense secretary. In March 2007, Gates announced the resignation of Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey in the wake of reports of substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. CNN's Jamie McIntyre and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. | "Leadership has drifted" regarding nuclear weapons, Defense secretary says .
Resignations come after report criticizing bomber flight, mistaken device shipment .
Report criticizes U.S. Air Force's reactions to incidents . |
49,455 | 8bbbd3d05e22fc3372abdbb471799bd5f5380a75 | By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 12:02 EST, 9 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:54 EST, 9 January 2014 . Shocking footage has emerged of a mother and father being brutally assaulted by two burly supermarket security staff while on holiday in Spain, having been falsely accused of stealing. The film was shot covertly by the couple’s young daughter on her mobile phone and also witnessed by their son, who was distraught and ‘inconsolable’ over what he saw. The attack, the father has said, left him fearing for his life. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Shocking: The assault was filmed by the parents' daughter on her mobile phone . The astonishing incident took place at a Carrefour store in the Spanish seaside resort of Torrevieja over the Christmas holidays. It began when the parents, from France, activated an alarm at the till. Under suspicion of stealing, they were told to walk back and forth through security gates, but the alarm on these remained silent. Recounting the tale: The mother and father describe their ordeal . However, rather than being allowed to leave, the situation dramatically escalated. They claim that they were taken into a room and spat upon – and then physically attacked. What happened next left the mother and father needing hospital treatment. The father describes how he was restrained with a chokehold . The mother told how her son could not stop crying when he witnessed the attack . The guards refused to believe that the pair were innocent and, as the footage shows, grappled with them very roughly. At one point a guard appears to punch the mother several times. The father was restrained by a choke hold and is clearly in pain. He told El Mundo: 'They grabbed my neck and I thought I was going to die in Spain.’ His wife said: ‘My youngest child couldn't stop crying, I couldn't console him. ‘If they had found something, well that's different, but I didn't have anything. They looked everywhere and didn't find anything.’ The pair were treated at a local hospital before complaining to the local police. They were forced to wait several days before the matter could be dealt with because officials couldn’t find a translator. The security firm the guards work for has yet to comment, but the supermarket that uses its services has asked for a response after acknowledging that the assault took place, according to El Mundo. | The harrowing ordeal took place in a supermarket in Torrevieja .
The incident began when the mother and father set off an alarm at the till .
The situation escalated when the guards took the pair to an office .
They claim they were spat on before being assaulted . |
187,774 | 7f28154cba12d392b6e61cee6ab9da6b5c579a97 | By . Rebecca English . PUBLISHED: . 17:43 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:45 EST, 1 August 2013 . The Duchess of Cornwall says her own grandchildren call her GaGa. Will Prince George follow suit? It's a true test of modern family etiquette. Just what do children call their grandfather’s second wife? Step-gran doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and a straightforward ‘gran’ has the potential to cause offence. But when it comes to little Prince George, it seems as if the Duchess of Cornwall might have the tricky issue cracked – with the unlikely name of GaGa. Yesterday Camilla revealed to the Daily Mail that ‘GaGa’ is what her own grandchildren call her. ‘I don’t know if it’s because they think I am,’ she joked, ‘but it is still very sweet.’ Camilla disclosed her quirky nickname as she and Prince Charles visited the Sandringham Flower Show in Norfolk, which is held on the Queen’s private estate. Thousands of well-wishers waited in driving rain to greet the couple, particularly to congratulate Charles on the birth of his first grandchild, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. Seeking shelter in the Sandringham Women’s Institute tent, Camilla chatted proudly about Prince William and Kate’s ‘lovely’ new addition to the family as she stocked up on £1.20 packets of chocolate buns. For many families in which parents are divorced or separated, the issue of what to call a step-grandparent can become a social minefield, sometimes causing bitter rifts – although clearly not here. The Duchess of Cornwall made the revelation at the 132nd Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House in Norfolk . Ga Ga: The Duchess of Cornwall quipped, 'I don't know if it's because they think I am!' Asked what she had decided to call herself, Camilla told the Mail: ‘That’s something we have got to have a think about. We haven’t decided yet.’ She continued, laughing: ‘My own grandchildren call me GaGa. I don’t know if it’s because they think I am! It is funny but is still very sweet. Family: The Duchess has forged an affectionate relationship with her two stepsons, William and Harry . ‘We are all just about to go off on holiday together, there will be seven children in all. Can you imagine? It can be quite chaotic, but I just love having them around.’ Camilla has five grandchildren under the age of five from the two children she had during her first marriage to Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles. Her son, Tom Parker Bowles, has two children with his wife, Sara: Lola, five, and Freddy, three. Her daughter, Laura Lopes, and her husband Harry also have Eliza, five, and twins Gus and Louis, three. Although she was described as ‘the Rottweiler’ by William’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, friends say Camilla is a warm and generous woman, who adores her growing family. She frequently chats happily about how the ‘entire brood’ regularly take over her private home in Wiltshire at weekends. She has also managed to forge an affectionate relationship with her two stepsons, William and Harry, and was seen offering Kate some wifely advice over lunch shortly before her wedding. As his wife chatted about pet names, Prince Charles was busy collecting gifts from well-wishers to be passed on to baby Prince George, including teddy bears, babygros and books. Charles said: ‘It’s a wonderful feeling [to be a grandfather]. It’s a very nice feeling, isn’t it?’ Cute: The Duchess is presented with some seeds by 22-month-old Evelyn Holt . Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, carries her new born son, the Prince of Cambridge, who may soon be calling his step-grandmother 'Ga Ga' Long to reign over us: Kate and William pose for pictures with their new baby son, George Alexander Louis . He was clearly delighted to receive a teddy bear embroidered with George’s name from 55-year-old Sheila Clark, of Glasgow, asking: ‘You didn’t put a bet on it did you?’ Unfortunately not, she said. He also told Freda Aspinall, 73, herself a great-grandmother, that baby George was ‘very sweet’ but it was ‘too early to say’ who he looked like. ‘I think I am going to have to go on a babysitting course as it’s a while since I have done this sort of thing,’ he added. | Royal reveals her grandchildren's quirky nickname for her .
She says the family has not decided what George will call her .
She spoke glowingly of her 'brood' of grandchildren . |
100,094 | 0cf683dd3e0664d4170348f540fe2a186de65e6e | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 10:37 EST, 18 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:43 EST, 18 March 2013 . Diversity: A historic decline in the number of U.S. whites and the fast growth of Latinos are blurring traditional black-white color lines . A historic decline in the number of U.S. whites and the fast growth of Latinos are blurring traditional black-white color lines, testing the limits of civil rights laws and reshaping political alliances as 'whiteness' begins to lose its numerical dominance. Long in coming, the demographic shift was most vividly illustrated in last November's re-election of President Obama, the first black president, despite a historically low percentage of white supporters. It's now a potent backdrop to the immigration issue being debated in Congress that could offer a path to citizenship for 11 million mostly Hispanic illegal immigrants. Also, the Supreme Court is deciding cases this term on affirmative action and voting rights that could redefine race and equality in the U.S. The latest census data and polling from The Associated Press highlight the historic change in a nation in which non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority in the next generation, somewhere around the year 2043. Despite being a nation of immigrants, America's tip to a white minority has never occurred in its 237-year history and will be a first among the world's major post-industrial societies. Brazil, a developing nation, has crossed the threshold to 'majority-minority' status; a few cities in France and England are near, if not past that point. The international experience and recent U.S. events point to an uncertain future for American race relations. In Brazil, where multiracialism is . celebrated, social mobility remains among the world's lowest for blacks . while wealth is concentrated among whites at the top. In . France, race is not recorded on government census forms and people . share a unified Gallic identity, yet high levels of racial . discrimination persist. Melting pot: Despite being a nation of immigrants, America's tip to a white minority has never occurred in its 237-year history and will be a first among the world's major post-industrial societies . 'The American experience has always been a story of color. In the 20th century it was a story of the black-white line. In the 21st century we are moving into a new off-white moment,' says Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, a global expert on immigration and dean of UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. 'Numerically, the U.S. is being transformed. The question now is whether our institutions are being transformed,' he said. The shift is being driven by the modern wave of U.S. newcomers from Latin America and Asia. Their annual inflow of 650,000 people since 1965, at a rate that's grown in recent years, surpasses the pace of the last great immigration wave a century ago. That influx, from 1820 to 1920, brought . in Irish, Germans, Italians and Jews from Europe and made the gateway of . Ellis Island, New York, an immigrant landmark, symbolizing freedom, . liberty and the American dream. An equal factor is today's aging white population, mostly baby boomers, whose coming wave of retirements will create a need for first- and second-generation immigrants to help take their place in the workforce. Currently 63 per cent of the U.S. population, the white share is expected to drop below 50 per cent by 2043, when racial and ethnic minorities will collectively become a U.S. majority. Hispanics will drive most of the minority growth, due mostly to high birth rates, jumping in share from 17 per cent to 26 per cent. The pace of assimilation for today's Latinos and Asian-Americans is often compared with that of the Poles, Irish, Italians and Jews who arrived around the turn of the 20th century and eventually merged into an American white mainstream. There was a backlash. By the 1930s, an immigrant-weary America had imposed strict quotas and closed its borders. Those newly arrived were pushed to conform and blend in with a white mainstream, benefiting from New Deal economic programs that generally excluded blacks. The immigration quotas also cut off the supply of new workers to ethnic enclaves and reduced social and economic contacts between immigrants and their countries of origin. 'America of the Melting Pot comes to End,' read a 1924 opinion headline in The New York Times. The author, a U.S. senator, pledged that strict new immigration quotas would 'preserve racial type as it exists here today.' Today, data show that Latinos are embracing U.S. life but also maintaining strong ties to their heritage, aided by a new stream of foreign-born immigrants who arrive each year. Hispanics, officially an ethnic group, strive to learn English and 1 in 4 intermarry, taking a white spouse. Nowadays, immigrants face less pressure to conform than did their counterparts from a century ago. Latinos are protected as a minority, benefiting from the 1950s civil rights movement pioneered by blacks. Nearly 40 per cent of Latinos now resist a white identity on census forms, checking a box indicating 'some other race' to establish a Hispanic race identity. Data: The white share of the U.S. population has been steadily declining since 1980, and is currently at 63 per cent . While growing diversity is often a . step toward a post-racial U.S., sociologists caution that the politics . of racial diversity could just as easily become more magnified. A . first-of-its-kind AP poll conducted in 2011 found that a slight . majority of whites expressed racial bias against Hispanics and that . their attitudes were similar to or even greater than the bias they held . toward blacks. Hispanics also remained somewhat residentially segregated from whites in lower-income neighborhoods, hurt in part by the disappearance of good-paying, midskill manufacturing jobs that helped white ethnics rise into the middle class during most of the 20th century. It long has been assumed by sociologists that Latinos eventually would be redefined as 'white' as they joined the mainstream, but the Census Bureau now wants to classify Latinos as their own distinct group in the next census, in 2020. The proposal is based on census research that finds many Latinos do not identify with the current race categories. One possible revision, urged by Kenneth Prewitt, a former bureau director, would drop the word 'race' from the census form altogether, simply offering a set of check boxes for categories such as black, white and Hispanic that is preceded by the question, 'Are you ...?' 'Whether we're tabulating by income or poverty, Hispanic is treated as a de facto race,' said Roberto Ramirez, chief of the Census Bureau's ethnicity and ancestry branch, in an interview. As it stands now, he says, many Latinos are checking 'some other race.' The AP survey was conducted with researchers from Stanford University, the University of Michigan and NORC at the University of Chicago. Harvard economist George Borjas projects that by 2030, the children of today's immigrants will earn on average 10 per cent to 15 per cent less than nonimmigrant Americans, based on past trends, and that Latinos will particularly struggle because of high rates of poverty, lack of citizenship and lower rates of education. In 1940, the children of early 20th-century white ethnics fared much better on average, earning 21.4 per cent more than nonimmigrants. About 35 per cent of Hispanic babies are currently born into poverty, compared with 41 per cent of blacks and 20 per cent for whites. 'How America responds now to the new challenges of racial and ethnic diversity will determine whether it becomes a more open and inclusive society in the future - one that provides equal opportunities and justice for all,' said Daniel Lichter, a Cornell sociologist and past president of the Population Association of America. The demographic shift has spurred debate as to whether some civil-rights era programs, such as affirmative action in college admissions, should begin to focus on income level rather than race or ethnicity. The Supreme Court will rule on the issue by late June. Following a racially lopsided re-election, Obama has spoken broadly about promoting social and economic opportunity. In his State of the Union speech, he said that rebuilding the middle class is 'our generation's task.' Sen Marco Rubio, R-Florida, a rising star of a mostly white Republican party now eager to attract Latino voters, is courting supporters in both English and Spanish in part by pledging programs that would boost 'social mobility.' Rising star: Sen Marco Rubio, a key player in the mostly white Republican party, is now eager to attract Latino voters, courting supporters in both English and Spanish . Left unclear is how much of a role government can or should play in lifting the disadvantaged, in an era of strapped federal budgets and rising debt. The Latino immigrants include Irma Guereque, 60, of Las Vegas, who says enjoying a middle-class life is what's most important to her. Things turned bad for the Mexico native in the recent recession after her work hours as a food server were cut at the Texas Station casino off the Strip. As a result, she couldn't make the mortgage payments on a spacious house she purchased and was forced to move into an apartment with her grandchildren. While she's getting almost full-time hours now, money is often on her mind. Her finances mean retirement is hardly an option, even though she's got diabetes and is getting older. Many politicians are 'only thinking of the rich, and not the poor, and that's not right,' Guereque said in Spanish. 'We need opportunities for everyone.' | Census data shows that non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority by about 2043 .
Shift is driven by modern wave of U.S. newcomers from Latin America and Asia .
More than 45 per cent of students in Kindergarten-12th grade are minorities, statistics show . |
202,497 | 922c0cb44667ddbc8590b1ad415e0f7bd0c9dbe8 | London, England (CNN) -- One of England's most famous soccer clubs has been sold to the American owners of baseball's Boston Red Sox following a protracted Trans-Atlantic legal battle. John W. Henry, the head of New England Sports Ventures (NESV), confirmed in London Friday that the company's $480 million deal to buy Liverpool Football Club had finally been completed. Liverpool's previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who are also American, earlier withdrew their temporary restraining order blocking the sale, having twice gone to a court in Texas to prevent the transaction. "I can't tell you how happy I am that we finally got to this stage," Henry told a throng of reporters. "We're going to do a lot of listening. We have a lot to learn, but our actions will hopefully speak louder than words." Liverpool takeover saga explained . The deal eliminates the English Premier League club's debt obligation -- believed to be around $377 million -- to the club's main creditor, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Crucially, this will prevent the club's holding company, Kop Football Holdings, from going into administration, the British equivalent of bankruptcy. This carries a nine-point penalty for Premier League clubs, and could have led to relegation from the top flight given the club's poor start to the season. Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton, whom Hicks and Gillett hired to find a buyer, said in a statement: "I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive. "The Board decided to accept NESV's offer on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a new owner. NESV is buying Liverpool in order to put it on an excellent financial footing and continue to develop it internationally. "This is a good deal which comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the Club's debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool F.C." From the frying pan into the fire for Liverpool? Meanwhile, Hicks and Gillett are now planning a $1.6 billion damages action, claiming the sale is "illegal." A statement on behalf of the pair read: "It's an extraordinary swindle and it will result in exactly the wrong thing for the club and the fans." RBS, which had set a Friday deadline for Hicks and Gillett to repay the loan used to finance their 2007 purchase of Liverpool, said any legal action by the pair "will be vigorously opposed." "RBS is pleased the sale to NESV has been completed and is confident this will provide the foundation for the club and its fans to enjoy renewed success on and off the pitch," the bank said in a statement. "RBS is aware of reports that Mr. Hicks and Mr. Gillett may intend to pursue further litigation in relation to the sale of Liverpool F.C.. The English courts have described claims made to date as "not realistic and abusive." Any further claims against RBS will be vigorously opposed." History of Liverpool in images . Earlier Friday, Hicks was believed to be trying to offload his shares in the club to a U.S. hedge fund which already controls Gillett's 50 percent ownership, Britain's Press Association said. However, the Premier League, which oversees the game in England, rejected Mill's requests to undergo a fit and proper person test, saying it could only negotiate with the Liverpool board, the BBC reported. The board, headed by Broughton, approved the deal with NESV last week without the consent of Hicks and Gillett as a way to rescue the club from its financial problems. But the pair said through their lawyers that superior offers had been "on the table and were not chosen." A subsequent bid to veto the sale was rejected by a London court, before Hicks and Gillett obtained the restraining order in a Texas court on Wednesday in an effort to delay the deal. On Thursday the case was taken to a London court for a second time, but English judge Mr. Justice Floyd said the move by Hicks and Gillett amounted to "unconscionable conduct," and granted anti-suit injunctions to nullify decisions taken in Texas. The American duo were given until 1500 GMT (1100 EST) on Friday to comply with the ruling. Henry, meanwhile, had pledged to fight Hicks' "last desperate attempt" to hang on to Liverpool. "We have a binding contract," he wrote on his Twitter account late Thursday. "Will fight Mill Hicks Gillett attempt to keep club today. Their last desperate attempt to entrench their regime." NESV promised that if its offer was successful, it would keep all acquisition debts away from Liverpool's football operations and stabilize the club in order to return it to its glory days. One win in seven games has left the team 18th in the 20-team Premier League table in the early stages of the season, and at risk of possible relegation in May unless results improve. The club faces one of its biggest matches of the season this Sunday against city rivals Everton. The club has earned a joint record of 18 English titles -- but none since 1990. It is also England's most successful club in European football, winning five European Cups, most recently in 2005. | New England Sports Ventures completes $480 million deal to buy Liverpool .
Previous owners remove legal barrier to what they called "illegal" sale .
Tom Hicks and George Gillett now planning a $1.6 billion damages action .
NESV removes debt obligation to main creditors the Royal Bank Of Scotland . |
84,583 | eff41543ad233e0ae8c2b6ade2608c1e718f45fe | By . Ryan Lipman . 'Flush it now' was the warning issued by a Jetstar cabin crew member to a plane full of Splendour in the Grass passengers. The casual employee gave the music festival revellers the heads-up that sniffer dogs were waiting at Sydney airport late Sunday night and suggested they flush their drugs before arrival. 'We have been told there are sniffer dogs and quarantine officers waiting in the domestic terminal, the male crew member said, reported News.com.au. Jetstar confirmed an employee made their own quarantine announcement about sniffer dogs waiting at Sydney Airport late Sunday night . 'If you need to dispose of anything you shouldn't have we suggest you flush it now.' Many of the passengers on flight from the Gold Coast had been at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay. There are reports passengers dashed for the plane's toilets and were seen queuing as they clenched things in their hands. Yet the crew member's announcement left some passengers angered and questioning the reasoning behind warning people who may have been breaking the law and otherwise could have been caught. The plane was arriving from the Gold Coast to Sydney and was full of passengers who had been at the Splendour in the Grass music festival, pictured, in Byron Bay . The airline confirmed the employee made his own improvised quarantine announcement rather than the using prerecorded one used by Jetstar. A spokesman said the airline is required to play the prerecorded announcement to passengers on all interstate and territory boarders and that its procedures allow cabin crew to deliver the quarantine message through public announcement as was done on this occasion. 'The crew member's words were poorly chosen and are plainly at odds with the professional standards we'd expect from our team. We're addressing the matter with the cabin crew member involved.' Jetstar has been contacted for comment. Some passengers were angered that the announcement gave people an opportunity to avoid being caught at Sydney Airport, pictured . | A Jetstar crew member warned passengers about sniffer dogs .
The plane was arriving from the Gold Coast to Sydney late Sunday night .
Many passengers had been at the Splendour in the Grass music festival .
Jetstar confirmed the staff member made the announcement . |
8,558 | 18213dfa6e9ba3e389ba0a1a2203ad61a4d34e4b | Southampton have opened a new state-of-the-art training centre in honour of their former owner Markus Liebherr. The south coast club officially opened the Markus Liebherr Pavillion on Wednesday, which is the focal point of the Staplewood Football Development Centre. It's hoped the top class training facility will help the club continue its proud record of producing top level talent from their academy. Southampton's new training facility has been named after former owner Markus Liebherr who 'saved' the club from financial ruin . Markus Liebherr, who died in 2010, stepped in and bought the club back in 2009 when the club had suffered several years of decline, following relegation from the Premier League in 2005. The new training facility will house the club's sports science, scouting and recruitment, football administration and medical departments, as well as training, changing and dining facilities. Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger commented: 'We are delighted to officially open our new training facility and, in doing so, we are proud to pay tribute to the memory of Markus Liebherr. Premier League high-flyers Southampton have unveiled a new state-of-the-art training centre on Wednesday . Victor Wanyama celebrates with team-mates Morgan Schneiderlin (left) and Graziano Pelle (right) after his winner at Hull last weekend . The Southampton academy and first-team players will be able to relax in the pools after training or when recovering from injury . Former Southampton owner Markus Liebherr pictured when taking over the club in 2009 with former Saints boss Alan Pardew (left) The extensive gym and training areas will enable Southampton's players to work on their strength and fitness of the pitches . 'The role Markus played in saving Southampton Football Club and enabling it to be transformed into the progressive and sustainable company it is today will never be forgotten. 'In naming this outstanding new facility in his honour, Markus's vision and legacy will live on in every player and member of staff who passes through these doors.' Chief Executive Officer Gareth Rogers added: 'Markus bought the club in 2009 and his vision was to create a sustainable football club and one that plays great football. The gym at the Staplewood Football Development Centre, with machines displaying the club crest, is of the finest quality . Southampton want all the players from the different age groups to be integrated into one at the new training centre . 'Integral to that was the building of the training ground. This has required a huge investment, but it is something that we see as incredibly important in terms of the future of our club. The club is about sustainability. 'Most of the cost has come from [Markus's daughter and current owner] Katharina's wealth, so it is right that there is a lasting memory of Markus at the club.' The Saints, currently sitting second in the Premier League after an astonishing start to the season, have a track record of producing fine academy players. The likes of Real Madrid galactico Gareth Bale, Arsenal trio Theo Walcott, Calum Chambers and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, along with Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw are just a selection of recent academy graduates. Arsenal ace Theo Walcott and Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale both graduated from Southampton's academy before moving on . England internationals Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw also progressed through the Saints academy before moving to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively . Southampton appear to be a club that never rests on their laurels and have already applied for permission to enhance the facilities on offer in the Markus Liebherr Pavilion. Construction of an inflatable dome over Staplewood's 3G pitch is already under way as the club hopes to integrate their academy players with the senior squad on a more permanent basis. 'This is only phase one of a big project. At the moment, we have what we call the Academy Village, which is a portacabin village at the other end of the training ground. It reflects the quality of the people we have that we've been able to produce a world-class academy in what are essentially temporary facilities,' added Executive Director of Football Les Reed. 'We're always looking forward, and the fact that we've done it in phases has meant that we've learned things as we've gone along, and everyone will benefit from that - from the academy through to the first team.' Former Southampton striker Rickie Lambert celebrates after winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in March 2010 . Southampton goalkeeper Kelvin Davis (centre) lifted the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with his team-mates . | Former owner Markus Liebherr took over the then League One club when they were in financial turmoil in 2009 .
Liebherr, who died in 2010, has had Southampton's new training facilities named in his honour .
Southampton will hope the facilities will help their successful academy to continue producing top level talent .
Ronald Koeman's side are currently second in the Premier League after a fine start to the season . |
35,388 | 649a59145dfaeeeac8f5d9186cde5728b81276b2 | Cruel: Sean Deakin, 19, battered his dog with a hammer before stabbing it in the chest and leaving it to die . A 19-year-old faces jail after he battered his new dog with a hammer, stabbed it in the chest and left it to die in agony. Unemployed Sean Deakin left the male Staffordshire bull terrier dying on the kitchen floor of his flat while he went to the JobCentre to sign on. The cruel youth returned to find the dog - which he had owned only a few days - lying immobile and vomiting. In all, the dog - named Tyson - took eight agonising hours to die. A witness to the attack alerted RSPCA officers, who found Tyson's body in a wheelie bin outside Deakin's home four days later. Deakin was arrested and charged with three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. He denied the offences but was found guilty at Manchester magistrates court and now faces up to six months behind bars. The court heard Deakin and his girlfriend Sarah Tame, 19, had taken ownership of Tyson just days before the attack after answering an advert on classifieds website Gumtree in May last year. At around 3am, he struck the dog around 20 times on the head with a hammer. No explanation was given in court. Three hours later, Deakin woke and noticed the dog had urinated on his bed. He chased it around the kitchen, trapped it between his legs and stabbed in it the chest with a six-inch knife he had grabbed from a drawer. Deakin then went to sign on, returning shortly before Tyson died at 2pm. Inspector Danielle Jennings, of the RSPCA, said the attack was the worst case she had ever encountered. 'This was an absolutely heinous crime against an innocent animal who had done nothing wrong other than suffer the misfortune of being taken into that flat,' she said. 'In four years as an inspector this is without a doubt the worst attack on an animal I have encountered. 'Almost as soon as Tyson arrived in the flat a pattern of abuse which amounted to torture began. 'It is a concern that animals are being so easily given away online, seemingly without any checks.' Manchester City Magistrates Court: Chairman of the Bench Hugh Keachie said he was 'appalled' by the crimes and told Deakin he faces jail . Chairman of the Bench Hugh Keachie told Deakin the starting point for such crimes was a custodial sentence. He said: 'As a bench this offence absolutely appalled us and we need to make sure you understand how serious this is.' Tame pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at an earlier hearing for not seeking veterinary attention for Tyson. Deakin, formerly of Birchfield Avenue, Atherton, Wigan, will be sentenced at Manchester magistrates court on June 28. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Sean Deakin had only owned the dog for a few days .
Staffordshire bull terrier Tyson took eight hours to die .
Deakin offered the court no explanation for the abuse . |
133,687 | 38dfcf74bacbca9a10f79df2b8139dd056a6a6c0 | Ministers came under fresh criticism for their handling of the NHS last night after it emerged the ambulance service will be hit with £90 million in fines – as punishment for the chaos blighting casualty departments. Critics said the fines will simply deprive trusts of vital funds that could help tackle the deterioration in patient services. A new penalty clause that was written into ambulance trust contracts from last month will levy fines of £200 for every patient who has to wait for longer than 30 minutes for admission to A&E, and £1,000 for each patient forced to wait more than an hour. Closures: The devastating impact of casualties shutting across the nation . Delays: The ambulance service faces millions of pounds in fines if patients cannot be delivered to A&E units . But acute overcrowding in A&E . departments has led to increasing ambulance ‘jams’ formed as they queue . to unload, with waits of four hours recorded at some hospitals at the . busiest times. Damning new . figures reveal that during the past year there were more than 265,000 . occasions in England when ambulance staff took more than half an hour to . deliver patients into the hands of hospital doctors. Doctors and MPs have vowed to fight ‘disastrous’ new plans to close two more A&E departments that will affect more than a million people. The proposals come despite growing concerns about over-burdened emergency departments across the country, with record attendance figures and soaring waiting times. NHS bosses have tabled plans to close A&Es at hospitals in Epsom, Surrey, and St Helier in nearby Carshalton – even though they are highly regarded by patients. It means eight A&Es within the M25 are now threatened with closure, joining a growing list nationwide. Proposals to downgrade Epsom and St Helier A&Es to ‘urgent care centres’ were slipped out on the website of an NHS review panel for South-West London called Better Services, Better Value. Some of these UCCs are staffed only by nurses. Consultant-led maternity services at St Helier could also go. The review panel says that concentrating services at three hospitals in the region is necessary because the existing five are failing to meet quality standards. Centralising will mean senior staff are available round the clock, it says. The plan is to beef up GP surgeries and other ‘community services’ to stop people going to A&E. But Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam, said: ‘Proposing the closure of A&E and maternity at St Helier without a clear idea of how the GP and community services will be improved is a recipe for disaster. ‘It will shunt more people into what are already busy and often overloaded A&E and maternity units.’ He is being supported by other MPs, including Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, Tory MP for Epsom and Ewell, who says the plans would mean ‘cannibalising’ two hospitals to ‘bolster’ the remaining three, in Kingston, Croydon and Tooting. In England and Wales, at least 14 hospitals have either closed their casualty wards or have cut their services. A further 14 A&E departments are under threat of being closed down or merged. By Stephen Adams . And shockingly, more than 37,000 patients had to wait over an hour to move on to the wards. Official guidelines say ambulances should deliver patients, clean the ambulance and be back out on the road within 15 minutes. A longer wait is seen as ‘unsafe’. Yet the chaos in A&E departments is so bad that at one, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, doctors were forced to put up a tent to act as a makeshift ward to treat patients alongside the ambulance queue. If the ‘handover delays’ continue at their current level then the ambulance trusts will have to find nearly £90 million to pay to the Department of Health over the next financial year. The fines were introduced after NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson said last year that he would like to see handover delays treated as ‘never events’ because of their impact on patients. Fewer than a third of trusts hit their target of achieving a 15-minute turnaround in 95 per cent of cases. In London, where the situation is at its worst, the 15-minute target is missed in nearly half of all cases. Last night Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham said that depriving one part of the Health Service of money as a ‘punishment’ for delays beyond its control was divisive and counterproductive. ‘This is a clear sign of the chaos . that is now engulfing the NHS,’ he said. ‘People expect to see the NHS . pulling together to protect patients. They do not expect to see one part . of it fighting another. ‘A&E . departments across the country are reaching crisis point. Thousands of . nursing posts have been lost, leaving hospitals understaffed. David . Cameron has slashed council budgets to the bone, resulting in cuts to . home care and support, leaving elderly patients stranded unnecessarily . in hospital beds. ‘Hospitals can’t move patients from A&E through to wards so ambulances are unable to discharge patients. ‘Now, to top it all, hospitals are having to pay thousands of pounds in fines because of the delays. ‘This . is no solution and it will only make matters worse. These are problems . made in Downing Street, not in our hospitals. It is David Cameron’s . toxic medicine of budget cuts and top-down reorganisation that has . brought the system to its knees. ‘He . urgently needs to get a grip and sort out this crisis. This money . should be used to put nurses in our hospitals not paid out in fines.’ Queues: Problems in A&E are causing some patients waiting over an hour to be moved into hospital . The region with the greatest number of handover delays was London, which had 63,962 delays longer than 30 minutes. Of these, 4,240 were over an hour. If that is repeated this year, the trust will have to pay more than £17 million in fines. West Midlands Ambulance Service faces . the highest fine – more than £20 million – if it repeats its 63,426 . delays. Its fine would be the highest because an alarming 8,010 of these . were longer than an hour. Critical: Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham said fining ambulance services was divisive and counterproductive . The best performance came from the South West Ambulance Service (North), where just 10,596 delays of more than 30 minutes were recorded last year. Even this performance would see the trust hit by a fine of £6.4 million. Delays at A&E mean ambulance crews may be prevented from attending other emergencies, if paramedics are stuck in corridors or in their vehicles with patients waiting for a nurse or doctor to take over. Although procedures are in place to ensure that those whose lives are in danger can be fast-tracked into hospital ahead of those not at immediate risk, critics say patient care is still seriously jeopardised. Liberal Democrat Health Minister Norman Lamb, who as North Norfolk MP has observed the problems of the Norfolk and Norwich first-hand, said: ‘The situation with ambulance handovers has been unacceptable, and can mean that they miss their response times to other incidents. 'We have got to try to understand why the demand for A&E services is going up so much.’ Last night, a spokesman for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘We believe that everyone should be seen quickly when they arrive at hospital, even more so when they arrive in an ambulance. It is unacceptable for patients to be left waiting in ambulances outside hospitals. ‘The NHS needs to ensure it has proper plans in place to deal with high demand and we are doing everything we can to support the service in treating patients as swiftly as it can.’ Tens . of thousands of readers have backed The Mail on Sunday’s campaign . against A&E closures since it was launched last September. We have received a total of 32,074 protests from our readers – 17,290 coupons, 9,745 emails and 5,039 text messages. They . are concerned that closing down their local A&E departments could . risk lives as it will lead to longer journey times to hospital. In . October, we delivered your response to David Cameron’s doorstep, when . our reporters handed over two bulging mailbags of your petitions to 10 . Downing Street. In the same month, a powerful lobby of 140 senior . physicians, academics and surgeons signed an open letter to Mr Cameron . calling for an end to the ‘indiscriminate’ closure of A&E units . across the country. They accused health chiefs of driving through changes just to save money, rather than for valid clinical reasons. It . is believed that more than 25 A&E wards out of 220 units have . closed down, been downgraded or face being shut. Such cuts are having . devastating impacts on local residents. Plea: The Mail on Sunday has been campaigning to stop A&E closures . Fiasco: In September we revealed how longer waiting times were putting lives at risk . David's story: We told how a former paramedic who died after delays getting to hospital after a heart attack . Secret: The MoS published information from a hidden NHS study showing A&E closures affect health . | Ambulance trusts fined for waiting outside overcrowded casualty units .
More than 37,000 patients waited more than a hour last year .
Fines are counterproductive 'punishments', says Andy Burnham MP .
Up to 14 more A&E departments could close, following cuts to 14 others . |
102,075 | 0f8a99c9153afb59baf4bede991748e8485ed604 | According to popular myth, the price of Christmas gets more expensive every year - but this is not necessarily the case. A glance through a copy of the 1982 Boots Christmas catalogue shows that a video recorder cost a month's average wage, while today, a decent quality DVD recorder, will set you back, approximately half-a-week's. Figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics show that although prices are now more than three times higher than at the end of the 1980s, the cost of technology has either stayed relatively stable, or in many cases, fallen dramatically. Scroll down for video . A Ferguson video recorder similar to this cost £599 in 1982 which was the equivalent to a month's wages . In the 1980s a Braun hand blender, left, cost £9.95 (£30 in today's money) while its modern equivalent, right, costs £18.99 on the Argos website, and unlike 1982, it is possible to get it delivered home with one click . A Braun hand blender, which would have seemed exotic, in time before the television schedules were packed with cookery shows, cost £9.95 - which when inflation is taken into account - would be worth in the region of £30 today. An equivalent version today costs about £18.99 on the Argos website, although shoppers in 1982 did not get the option of Click and Collect. In 1982 a Ferguson VHS video recorder was a highly desirable piece of equipment as it allowed people the flexibility to record live television and return to it at a later date. What made it inaccessible to many, was the price of £599. In today's money, that would be around £1,830. Workers earned on average £136.50, which meant that you would have to work for more than four weeks to afford the video recorder. Today, the VHS recorder is no longer available following the increase in popularity of DVD systems. A Sony DVD recorder with a hard drive can be bought for less than £200. As the average wage is around £480, the new DVD machine can cost a few days' pay - although for the true bargain hunter, simple DVD players can be purchased for just £30. For children waking up on Christmas morning there was rarely a better sight than a £95 Atari (£300 today) Over the years, the basic shape may be similar, and at around £350, is broadly similar in price to the Atari . A generous parent who paid almost £100 for an Atari soon realised that if they did not want to miss the next thrilling episode of The Professionals, they often had to spend a further £180 for a 14-inch portable television . Paul O'Donnell, of the Manufacturing and Technologies Association told The Guardian: 'The big trend over the last 30 years has been the globalisation of manufacturing. Production that would have been done in the UK, Europe or North America has moved to the far east. That started taking prices down and it really got turbo-charged in the 90s.' The early 1980s led to the production of a range of electronic educational gifts for children, with gadgets such as Texas Instruments' Speak and Spell, worth £33.95 - around £100 today. Now any parent can download an emulator app for their smart phone. However, the most envied children were those who returned to school in January 1983 with tales of a new Atari video games system. Their parents had to pay £95 - almost £300 today. No games system was complete without a few cartridges such as these which cost around £25 (£77 today) Meanwhile, today's high-tech video games cost in the region of £50-60, which is slightly cheaper than 1982 . While people may remember the Atari, the gold standard machine of the time was the Mattel Intellivision video computer which cost £150 - almost £470 today. The children would quite happily plug their games system into the back of the £260 20-inch colour television in the living room (£800 today) but that could cause discord. Parents who treated their children to a video games system were often forced to buy a second television, because unless they had their rather expensive video recorder, they would miss out on the latest episode of The Professionals. Instead, many parents decided the simpler option was to pay £180 for a 14-inch portable (£560 today), which they could set up in their bedroom. Today a Playstation 4 or XBox One cost between £350-£400, while an 50-inch LG Smart TV costs £499, while a 40-inch JVC LED tv costs £199. In 1982, educational toys such as Speak and Maths were very popular, but are now free mobile phone apps . | A Ferguson VHS video recorder would set you back £599 at Christmas 1982 .
The average weekly wage was £136.50, meaning the machine was one month's pay .
An Atari games system was £95 which is around £300 in today's money .
That compares reasonably well to a £350 Playstation 4 or Xbox One .
But games in 1982 cost £25 which works out at almost £80 today .
Games for the Playstation 4 or Xbox One cost around £50-£60 .
Also families in 1982 often had to buy a second TV at £189 for a 14-inch .
That works out at £560 - which is more than a 50-inch LED TV costs today . |
249,496 | cee3984af4ab6d112daed3e36c13191cba441cd2 | We're now well into Movember, the November-long occasion when men grow a moustache for the 30 days of the month to spark conversation and raise funds for men's health. But as if men needed another reason to put down the razor, more than half of British women think men with bushy 'hipster' beards are 'sexiest'. A quick hashtag search of #BILF (which stands for Beard I'd Like to Fondle) brings up more than 16,000 results on Instagram. The trend is clearly not going anywhere. More than half of British women think men with bushy 'hipster' beards are 'sexiest' Movember sees men ditch the razor to spark conversation and raise funds for men's health . Despite a recent survey revealing a beard can make men look up to ten years older, more than half (51 per cent) of women prefer the bushy beard look on a man over clean shaven, a bit of stubble, or any other styles. The distinctive look - a full, heavy beard that falls beneath the jawline and is often accompanied by a thick moustache - is particularly popular with trendy twenty-something hipsters and male models. Celebrity sporters of the stylish face-fuzz include Hollywood hunk Tom Hardy, Gossip Girl actor Penn Badgley and lothario Calum Best. Nearly all of the women surveyed (82 per cent) agreed that bearded men looked more masculine, with over two thirds revealing they would prefer to date a man with a beard over one who was clean-shaven. More than half (51 per cent) of women prefer the bushy beard look on a man over clean shaven . A full, heavy beard that falls beneath the jawline is often accompanied by a thick moustache . Some women determined to bag a bearded bloke admitted they had asked - or would ask - their other half to grow a beard if he was clean-shaven, according to the new poll. A further 38 per cent added that it would be somewhat of a turn-off if a man was unable to grow a beard, saying it would 'make them appear juvenile'. Despite male grooming still being a sensitive subject for some men, the vast majority (84 per cent) of women said they found men who take pride in their grooming and appearance more attractive than those who don't - as long as they didn't take it too far like the men from The Only Way Is Essex or Geordie Shore. Most women (82 per cent) agreed it would be a massive turn off for them if a potential partner displayed poor grooming skills. The new poll found surveyed 1,000 women on their preferred men's facial fuzz, in light of Movember. A spokesperson for online beauty retailer Escentual.com, which conducted the survey, said: 'At the moment we are seeing a huge craze for beards that are fuller, but exceptionally neat and well kept. The smart, masculine look has been a top trend for men in 2014 and it doesn't look to be going anywhere soon.' 'We've seen a massive 92 per cent year on year increase in sales of traditional barber shop style grooming products like the Acqua di Parma Collezion Barbiere range, as more and more men have been embracing the trendy bearded look.' The popular social media accounts for the BILF movement have a sense of humour . It's meme after meme featuring beards of all shapes and sizes (generally the bigger the better; not always) Women said they found men who take pride in their grooming and appearance more attractive . The BILF UK Facebook page - for those who 'have a beard, admire beards or are beard-curious - has 7,000 likes, and the @b_i_l_f Instagram account more than 4,000 followers. 'Team BILF is made up of a team of people with a huge fondness for beards,' says BILF UK owner Vicky Scarfield, from Brighton. After she started the Facebook page, she found BILF turned into a huge community over night, 'which is when the idea to make T shirts and sell them for charity evolved'. 'Eventually BILF is looking at starting an apparel company, hoping to launch properly next year focussing on fundraising and selling good quality street wear. 'We are working with Decembearduk at the moment doing a raffle; if all the tickets sell we hope to raise £2,000 with the money going to bowel cancer. At the end of the year we are going to make a donation to other cancer charities with the money made through our T shirt and hat sales. We decided to support cancer charities initially because all the core team members (Tim Allen, Lea Turner) of BILF have all lost people close to them to the disease. 'We all work for free with the aim to raise as much money for charity as possible. 'Team BILF collectively run and admin all the social media sites with help of spreading the word through friends and colleagues. BILF as a hashtag did exist but we amended it to "fondling" because anyone and everyone can get invloved with our kind of BILFing. People now hashtag #BILFs and #BILFettes too.' Vast majority (82 per cent) of women agreed that bearded men looked more masculine . Men are sporting beards that are fuller, but exceptionally neat and well kept . Movember sees men grow moustaches for the annual campaign for men's health - and the official rules say no beards or goatees. The reasons for the poor state of men's health, as stated on the Movember website, are numerous and complex. They include a lack of awareness and understanding of the health issues men face, men not openly discussing their health and how they're feeling and reluctance to take action when men don't feel physical or mentally well. Men are also likely to engage in risky activities that threaten their health, and the stigmas surrounding mental health can prove a problem for them. The Movember Foundation aims to change this way of thinking by putting a fun twist on this serious issue. Laura Whitmore leads Aussie's Misstache Movement in Support of Movember at the Hoxton Hotel in Holborn, London (l) while Cindy Crawford posted a picture on her Instagram ' It's #Movember! I can't wait to see everyone's #Movember moustaches. Support this great cause at Movember.com!' (r) Using the moustache as a catalyst, the idea is to bring about change and give men the opportunity and confidence to learn and talk about their health and take action when needed. As a global men's health movement, the Movember Foundation has the ambition to contribute to improving the lives of men around the world. This will be achieved through programs we fund in the areas of - Awareness & Education, Living with Cancer, Research and Mental Health. Its aim is to reduce mortality from prostate, testicular cancer and men's suicide, and to help men living with prostate or testicular cancer to have the treatment and care needed to be physically and mentally well. It wants to educate men and boys how to be mentally healthy and take action when they experience mental health problems, and ensure men and boys with mental health problems are not being discriminated against. The United Kingdom Movember campaign raised £20.4 million in 2013, of which 88.3 per cent went to programmes supporting prostate cancer and testicular cancer initiatives. The rest supported admin and fundraising costs. Men and women can sign up to do a run or walk for charity, for example, to support the Movember Foundation. | Movember will see thousands of men ditch razor for men's health .
82% of women agreed that bearded men look more masculine .
2 in 3 would prefer to date a bearded man over a clean-shaven one .
BILF movement has 16,000+ pictures on Instagram and 7,000 Facebook likes .
Movember official rules say no beards or goatees - only moustaches . |
73,096 | cf47e12f21467d004a46b744115314ad8f915248 | By . Rob Harris, Ap . Manchester United's American owners are set to raise around £89million by selling more of their shares in the club on the New York Stock Exchange. The Premier League club announced on Wednesday that the Glazer family is selling eight million shares with reduced voting rights, which equates to around 5 percent of the business. The Glazers, who maintain control of the club, previously sold 10 per cent of their holding via a stock listing in 2012. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Manchester United unveiling their new shirt sponsor . Time to sell: Manchester United owners, which include Joel Glazer (third left) and Avram Glazer (fourth left) plan to sell more shares . Oppose: Manchester United fans have been against the Glazer ownership . The announcement comes two months . after Malcolm Glazer, who led the family takeover of United in 2005, . died. His six grown children control the club. The . latest share sale was announced on a day when United shares closed at . £11.44, with the Glazers cashing in at a time of renewed confidence at . the club. Former Netherlands . and Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal has taken charge following a dismal . first season of the post-Alex Ferguson era under David Moyes that saw . the team finish seventh and fail to qualify for the Champions League. United . also signed a 10-year kit sponsorship deal earlier this month with . Adidas, announcing that it would be worth an overall £750million from . 2015. But United has . disclosed to potential investors in the new share prospectus that . failure to play in the Champions League for two or more consecutive . seasons would see the annual Adidas payments drop from that second year . by 30 per cent from £75m to £52.5m. Passing: The decision to sell more shares comes just two months after the passing of former United owner Malcolm Glazer . On tour: Manchester United are currently in the United States as part of their pre-season preparation . If United are relegated, Adidas can . cut their payments in half during seasons out of the Premier League, and . give a season's notice to terminate the sponsorship. Conversely the fee . could rise by up to £4m each year if the team wins the Premier League, . Champions League or FA Cup. A loss of Champions League revenue from UEFA is already set to cost the club around $60 million next season. 'Our . success and many achievements over the last 20 years does not . necessarily mean that we will continue to be successful in the future, . whether as a result of changes in player personnel, coaching staff or . otherwise,' United said in the share prospectus. VIDEO We need defenders - Van Gaal . New era: Louis van Gaal (centre) took over as United manager earlier in the summer . 'A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players.' United . said success on the pitch is key to 'the value and strength of our . brand and reputation,' with a global array of sponsorship deals helping . the club generate an estimated revenue of around £430m for the year to . June 30, 2014. Claiming to . have 659 million followers around the world has helped to drive up . turnover in recent years, but United has conceded that 'our popularity . in certain countries or regions may depend, at least in part, on . fielding certain players from those countries or regions.' | Glazer family selling eight million shares with reduced voting rights .
Man Utd owners previously sold 10 per cent of holding stock in 2012 .
Decision comes two months after Malcolm Glazer, who led 2005 takeover of Red Devils, died .
United signed 10-year kit with adidas earlier in July, worth £750m from 2015 .
Failure to reach Champions League for two consecutive seasons would see annual adidas payments drop to £52.5m . |
165,794 | 6269d9f1e902d78abc6d9f1def4517e7d69dfc75 | They're the dinosaurs that wowed cinema audiences in Steven Spielberg's 1993 film classic Jurassic Park - and now you could own them. Ten full-sized dinosaur models used in the block buster are tipped to sell for £100,000. The models include the huge head of the Tyrannosaurus Rex that wreaked havoc on the theme park of cloned dinosaurs and ate other monsters and humans alike. Ten full-sized dinosaur models used in the block buster are tipped to sell for £100,000, including the hulking head of a sick Triceratops that was seen in the film being comforted by the main characters . The models, made out of foam latex and hand-painted in incredible detail, are owned by Don Lessem, who worked as an advisor on Jurassic Park . There are also two whole Velociraptors that were featured in the sci-fi adventure film chasing the two children into a locked room. And the hulking head of a sick Triceratops that was seen in the film lying on the ground being comforted by the main characters is also included in the auction. The models, made out of foam latex and hand-painted in incredible detail, are owned by Don Lessem, who worked as an advisor on Jurassic Park. His company Dino Don Inc has cast the 10 dinosaurs for touring museum exhibitions and they are now selling the models at US auctioneers Profiles in History. Joe Maddalena, of Profiles in History, said: 'These dinosaurs are an embodiment of creativity and talent and are being offered to the public for the very first time. Two whole Velociraptors that were featured in the sci-fi adventure film chasing the two children into a locked room are up for auction . Tense: The scene where the Velociraptors hunted the children in a kitchen is one of the most memorable . 'The Triceratops head is one of the most memorable dinosaurs seen in the first Jurassic Park movie. 'Audiences were in as much astonishment as the characters when they encountered her for the first time, laying ill but breathing deeply. This scene captured audiences and set the tone for the unexpected.' Other Jurassic Park dinosaurs up for auction include a dome-headed Pachycephalosaurus, a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex, a baby Stegosaur and T. rex, and the head and neck of the giant Brachiosaurus. They are being sold on October 17. The models include the huge head of the Tyrannosaurous Rex that wreaked havoc on the theme park . | Ten full-sized dinosaur models from 1993 hit Jurassic Park are up for sale .
They include the head of the sick Triceratops and two Velociraptors .
The huge head of the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex is also being auctioned .
The models are being sold at US auctioneers Profiles in History . |
187,041 | 7e3b75aed15e56ac4752ccaefa5089b37faefbd8 | By . Tim Shipman, Deputy Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 11:55 EST, 25 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:42 EST, 25 October 2012 . The BBC’s war with ministers over the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal deepened last night as the broadcaster’s chairman, Lord Patten, warned that it is not an ‘agent of government’. The peer told Culture Secretary Maria Miller that the BBC should be left to deal with the matter without interference from ministers, although he conceded that the affair was a ‘tsunami of filth’ and ‘the worst crisis the BBC has ever known’. The row erupted earlier this week when Mrs Miller, whose department is ultimately responsible for the BBC, wrote to Lord Patten expressing concerns about the way it has responded to the Savile revelations. Warning: BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten told Culture Secretary Maria Miller that the corporation should be left to deal with the Savile affair without interference from ministers . To the fury of senior Tories, Lord Patten replied by suggesting indignantly that she was questioning the BBC’s independence. But he stepped up the attack last night saying: ‘In view of what some people have said, it’s quite important for people to remember that the BBC is independent, it is answerable to licence fee payers. 'It’s not an agent of the Government. Occasionally people perhaps misunderstand that. ‘We’re a national broadcaster – we’re owned by the licence fee payers.’ His outburst will deepen the concerns of the BBC’s critics that it is determined to resist external scrutiny. Lord Patten was also forced to issue a . humiliating apology to Tory party chairman Grant Shapps over the BBC’s . attempts to gag him. Investigation: Police revealed that they were dealing with around 300 alleged victims of late television presenter Jimmy Savile . The Mail revealed yesterday that Mr Shapps was warned against raising damaging allegations about the Savile affair hours before an appearance on BBC political show Question Time on October 11, as the corporation was fighting to contain the revelations. The email from the BBC’s head of . public affairs, Julia Ockenden, insisted claims that the corporation’s . Newsnight programme had scrapped an investigation into Savile’s . activities because of internal pressure were ‘malicious’. Mr Shapps was told: ‘No pressure was . applied to drop this investigation. None. To suggest otherwise is to . risk impugning the professional reputation and integrity of a number of . journalists.’ The email referred Mr Shapps to a . blog written by Newsnight editor Peter Rippon explaining the decision . not to broadcast claims against Savile. The BBC has since admitted key . elements of Mr Rippon’s defence were inaccurate. Lord Patten was yesterday forced to . concede that the email was ‘misleading’ and too aggressive. He said he . hadwritten to Mr Shapps saying that ‘if I’d been in his position I would . have felt much the same’. ‘The fact that it was misleading – . that’s what was wrong,’ he said. ‘I also think the terms in which it was . expressed were unfortunate.’ The BBC is also facing fresh allegations relating to other stars working for it in the 1970s. A spokesman for the National . Association for People Abused in Childhood said: ‘We have been told of . new allegations of abuse at the BBC. This time by three key personnel on . a flagship BBC programme from the 1970s.’ He added the caller rang the helpline but declined to give further details so was advised to contact the police. 'Baptism of fire': New BBC Director General George Entwistle (left) was forced to deal with 'a great tsunami of filth' within 11 days of taking the job, Lord Patten (right) said . Under pressure: BBC Director General George Entwistle was widely criticised after he gave evidence about the scandal to MPs earlier this week . It comes as the BBC investigates nine . current cases of alleged sexual harassment, at least two of which are . of the most serious grade. None of the claims involve paedophilia. The most serious allegations have been reported to the police, while the others are being handled by the BBC’s HR department. Letter: Culture Secretary Maria Miller, whose department is ultimately responsible for the BBC, wrote to Lord Patten expressing concerns about the way it has responded to the Savile revelations . Lord Patten admitted he would not be . surprised if people lost their jobs or faced disciplinary action over . the scandal once the findings of the inquiries into it were made public. He told ITV News: ‘I would be delighted if there didn’t have to be, but not surprised if there did. ‘We have to find out who made mistakes, where those mistakes were made and what the consequences of those mistakes were. 'It seems difficult to believe there weren’t any mistakes and those have consequences.’ He admitted that he and the BBC had . misled the public because of Mr Rippon’s inaccurate claims about why a . report on Savile’s predatory activities was shelved in 2011, shortly . after the former Top Of The Pops presenter’s death. Lord Patten added: ‘The BBC hasn’t . done as well as we should have done, to put it mildly, and that is an . issue we will have to address in the aftermath of this.’ Mark Williams-Thomas, the former . detective who fronted a bombshell ITV documentary on Savile, said the . ‘true figure’ of the DJ’s victims could be 500. He said: ‘What we do know is that it’s going to be in excess of 300. We are talking about four decades of abuse. 'We will see a criminal investigation in respect of other significant individuals, and not just in the media. 'There are people in significant . standings in the community who will hopefully be sleeping very . uncomfortably, and who will in due course be subject to criminal . investigation.’ Lair: Police investigating the alleged sexual abuse have searched a cottage in Allt na Reigh, in Glencoe, Scotland, where Savile is said to have entertained fellow celebrities . | Tory peer warns that the BBC is not an 'agent of government'
He tells Culture Secretary Maria Miller that the BBC should handle affair .
But he concedes it is 'the worst crisis the BBC has ever known'
Mrs Miller had expressed concerns over BBC's management of the scandal . |
76,495 | d8f5885ed1f6551f2e17417b7555505c91739af2 | (CNN) -- Hundreds of inmates in Mississippi whose fight among themselves spiraled into a riot were back in their cells Monday afternoon, leaving authorities to mourn the death of one guard and express thanks that things didn't turn out worse. "When we first ... learned of the situation, I had a high degree of anxiety because there were so many guards who were unaccounted for," Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said, praising the efforts of law enforcement and those with the private company that runs the facility. "I know it when I see it when something is handled correctly." By Monday afternoon, all of the roughly 2,500 inmates at the Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez were secure in their cells on lockdown, which Mayfield said will continue indefinitely as the investigation continues. Guard killed, several others injured in riot at Mississippi prison, officials say . It was a far different scene about 24 hours before. Mayfield said that, about 2:40 p.m. Sunday, a fight broke out either among members of one gang or between members of rival factions in a prison yard and soon ballooned out of control. With a core group of about 300 inmates involved -- meaning most others were simply caught up in the chaos -- the disturbance quickly spread through the grounds. "It turned into a mob mentality, and ... it just expanded so quickly," the sheriff said. Sometime early in the riot, a guard was assaulted and ended up on the roof of a building, Mayfield said. That guard -- later identified as Catlin Carithers, 24 -- was brought out through the facility's gates within an hour, only to be later pronounced dead due to blunt head force trauma, according to the county coroner. The disturbance continued for hours more around the western Mississippi facility, which houses illegal immigrants from around the region who are serving time after convictions for both violent and nonviolent crimes. The Tennessee-based Corrections Corporation of America operates the facility and employs all those within. At one point, inmates pulled out some mattresses, rags and other materials into a prison yard and started a fire. Others used an array of weapons, such as mop and broom handles, in their fight. Meanwhile, the facility's employees at once tried to maintain order and take cover. Mayfield said earlier Monday that at least 24 or 25 hostages were being held at one point. County and state authorities were on site within an hour to maintain the perimeter and help the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) bring the situation under control, according to Mayfield, who noted that FBI agents were also there. No gunshots were ever fired, and Mayfield praised the "restraint" by law enforcement. Authorities did use "pepper balls," which the sheriff said are shot from something akin to a paintball gun. "The whole thing was probably over by 11 or 11:30 p.m. Sunday," at which point all the inmates had been forced out into a prison yard, Mayfield said. But it wasn't until 3:30 a.m. Monday that every prisoner had been searched and brought back to his housing unit. In addition to Carithers, about 10 workers at the facility were injured, including one who suffered head trauma and was transported about 100 miles northwest to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, according to the sheriff. CCA, meanwhile, has reported that 16 of its staffers at the prison were treated and released from the hospital. Four inmates had to be taken to area emergency rooms for treatment -- for injuries such as a stab wound, a concussion and rib injuries -- though Mayfield said he didn't think any of them needed to be admitted. CCA had said three inmates received such treatment. The sheriff stressed that the public was never in danger, as the riot was confined within the facility and there were no breaches of its perimeter. While he didn't know what exactly caused the riot, Mayfield did say that, "from the outside looking in, I can't see anything that would have prevented it." He lavished praise on the decisions made by Corrections Corporation of America and law enforcement, saying, "I don't think they could have handled it any better." The sheriff added that the facility has "not had anything of this magnitude at all" since opening in 2009. "This could have happened anywhere, anytime," Mayfield said. Yet the American Civil Liberties Union said the riot wasn't surprising because companies like the Corrections Corporation of America "have incentives to cut corners even at the expense of decent and safe conditions"; they employ "too often poorly paid and trained" staff; and they run facilities with conditions that "are often woefully inadequate." "This weekend's riot should make clear to Mississippi and every other state that for-profit incarceration must end," the advocacy group said in a statement. "We need to save taxpayer money by ending the nation's addiction to incarceration, not give money to private companies whose profit depends on locking up as many people as possible." | NEW: The ACLU blasts "for-profit incarceration," says the riot wasn't surprising .
The riot began with a fight among prisoners, a sheriff says .
Guard died due to what the coroner thinks was blunt force trauma .
The sheriff praises law enforcement efforts and the private firm that runs the prison . |
3,334 | 09a468fe2a75b20f8abe689ce96d05315be61177 | Hunter Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's son, was discharged from the Navy Reserve this year after failing a drug test, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night. Biden, who got the boot after testing positive for cocaine, served part time in the reserves in Norfolk, Va. while also working as a partner at an investment firm. Who is Hunter Biden? Hunter graduated from Georgetown University and earned a law degree from Yale. After graduation he was a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. He's lesser known than his older brother, Beau Biden, now the Delaware attorney general, who served a year-long deployment in Iraq and has announced plans for a 2016 gubernatorial run in the state. Biden's son discharged from Navy after testing positive for cocaine . What did he do in the military? Hunter's membership in the American armed forces was brief: He enlisted in the Navy Reserves less than two years ago. In January 2013, the Vice President joked about his son's decision to join the military later in life. "We have a lot of bad judgment in my family," Biden said. The Vice President's office has not yet released a comment about Hunter's discharge. But the announcement might not fare well for the Second Family, which touts their status as a military family in speeches and public appearances. Hunter Biden said in a statement that it was "the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward." Does he have much experience in politics or Washington? Yes -- both in the public and private sectors. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as a director in the Department of Commerce handling ecommerce policy issues, a post he held from 1998 to 2001. From 2001 to 2008, he worked as a lawyer and federal lobbyist at a firm he co-founded. He resigned from this post when his father was asked by then-Senator Barack Obama, who at the time refused donations from lobbyists, to join his presidential ticket. Along the way, he's enjoyed stints as chairman of PARADIGM, a hedge fund agency. He also held a job as senior vice president at MBNA Corporation, the world's largest independent credit-card issuer at the time. In 2006, President George Bush nominated Hunter to serve on the Amtrak board of directors. He served a five-year term after a unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. What has he been up to recently? In May 2014, Hunter signed on as a lawyer and board member of Burisma Holdings Ltd., a large Ukrainian gas production company. The appointment caused a stir, given that it occurred around the same time that his father and the White House were engaged in diplomatic missions in the region to wean Ukraine off Russian energy sources. Critics argued that Hunter's work for a country promoting Ukrainian energy independence was a blatant conflict of interest. But, the Vice President's office brushed off the controversy, insisting that Hunter is a private citizen whose actions don't represent the views of the government . That brings us to the present day. Hunter may no longer be in the Navy, but he still has his hands in public service. He's the board chairman at World Food Program USA, an organization fighting poverty and hunger, and he serves on the President's Advisory board of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington . Hunter also has a job at his alma mater as an adjunct professor at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. He is married and has three daughters. | Hunter Biden was discharged from the military this week after failing a drug test.
He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Law School.
He's held jobs in many fields, including stints as a lawyer and a lobbyist. |
67,360 | bf1c9da921648c60cd737d629099f71ee4446c07 | By . Mark Prigg . America really is run by the smart, a researcher has claimed. Fortune 500 CEOs, billionaires, federal judges, Senators, and House members were all found to be largely comprised of those in the top 1% of intelligence. The researchers concluded 'America's elite are largely drawn from the intellectually gifted, with many in the top 1% of ability.' Researchers concluded 'America's elite are largely drawn from the intellectually gifted, with many in the top 1% of ability.' Individuals were deemed to be in the top 1% of ability if they attended an undergraduate or graduate school that had extremely high average standardized test scores that put the typical person well within the top 1%. Researchers have determined that standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, give a reasonably good — yet of course imperfect — measure of a person's general reasoning capacity. Five groups of America's elite were examined by Duke University's Jonathan Wai: Fortune 500 CEOs, federal judges, billionaires, Senators, and members of the House of Representatives. 'Within each of these groups, nearly all had attended college with the majority having attended either a highly selective undergraduate institution or graduate school of some kind,' Jonathan Wai wrote in the journal Intelligence. 'High average test scores required for admission to these institutions indicated those who rise to or are selected for these positions are highly filtered for ability.' Individuals were deemed to be in the top 1% of ability if they attended an undergraduate or graduate school that had extremely high average standardized test scores that put the typical person well within the top 1%. Researchers have determined that standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, give a reasonably good measure of a person's general reasoning capacity. The team also looked at differences between sectors in which billionaires made their money. 'Ability and education level differences were found across various sectors in which the billionaires earned their wealth (e.g., technology vs. fashion and retail); even within billionaires and CEOs wealth was found to be connected to ability and education. Five groups of America's elite were examined by Duke University's Jonathan Wai: Fortune 500 CEOs, federal judges, billionaires, Senators, . and members of the House of Representatives. The researchers concluded 'America's elite are largely drawn from the intellectually gifted, with many in the top 1% of ability.' Wai said today's elites are increasingly coming from the high end of the IQ distribution. 'That's especially true in highly complex fields like finance and tech,' Wai wrote in Business Insider. 'Billionaires in the investments and technology sectors had the largest fraction of people who were also in the top 1% of cognitive ability. 'Think Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg.' Billionaires in the investments and technology sectors had the largest fraction of people who were also in the top 1% of cognitive ability. 'Think Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg,' said Wai. He also examined the mix in the US political system. 'Within the Senate and House, Democrats had a higher level of ability and education than Republicans. 'Females were underrepresented among all groups, but to a lesser degree among federal judges and Democrats and to a larger degree among Republicans and CEOs. Billionaire ability and education level by sector: Billionaires in the investments and technology sectors had the largest fraction of people who were also in the top 1% of cognitive ability. However, Wai wrote in Business Insider that the work did not prove that America's top performers still had their limits. 'This does not mean they are geniuses (I would reserve that term for someone who does mind-bending work like Albert Einstein); but they are really smart.' Researchers also analysed the male top female ratio in each group . In general the research found women were largely underrepresented. Notably, female Fortune 500 CEOs were underrepresented by a factor of 28.3 to 1, Wai said. 'But among those women who had climbed the ranks, they had to be smarter and more select, on average, than their male counterparts,' he said. Roughly 60% of female CEOs but only 40% of male CEOs were in the top 1% of cognitive ability. The connection between attending Harvard University and being a part of America's elite was also investigated. Roughly 11% to 13% of CEOs, judges, billionaires, and Senators had attended Harvard in some capacity, but only 6.6% of the House did so. | Five groups of America's elite were examined: Fortune 500 CEOs, federal judges, billionaires, Senators, and members of the House of Representatives .
Individuals were deemed to be in the top 1% of ability if they attended an undergraduate or graduate school that had extremely high average standardized test scores .
Females were underrepresented among all groups, but to a lesser degree among federal judges and Democrats .
Billionaires in the investments and technology sectors had the largest fraction of people who were also in the top 1% of cognitive ability . |
128,110 | 319222b085cd218d9feaa079eabcc3cda554c1ae | By . Zoe Szathmary . The owner of a dog reportedly shot by police officers is outraged and has called her beloved pet's death 'an execution.' 'Bam, they shot him right in front of my face, right in front of me,' owner Tracy Kirkpatrick - whose son was killed last month by officers following a police chase - told KRQE. 'They came towards the dogs,' she told the station. 'To me it looked like an execution.' Scroll down for video . Owner: Tracy Kirkpatrick has been mourning the death of her dog, which was reportedly shot by Carlsbad, New Mexico police officers . 'They’re here to serve and protect,' Kirkpatrick also told the affiliate station. 'Their badge means a lot and they had no reason to do what they did.' The dog was killed after Carlsbad, New Mexico police officers responded to an alleged fight, KRQE reported. A police report obtained by the affiliate station claimed Kirkpatrick's dogs were hostile to officers. 'The officer felt like he was fixing to be attacked by the dog so he shot the dog,' Captain Jon Moyers told KRQE. Kirkpatrick's other dog, pictured, survived . During the incident, 'Kirkpatrick [...] allegedly failed to call off the dog despite instructions from officers to do so,' The Current Argus reported. Her other dog was not shot and survived, the station said. The Albuquerque Journal reported that in June, Troy Kirkpatrick escaped from jail when he 'assaulted the detention center officer and fled the area in a stolen vehicle.' He was later shot and killed when he tried to flee a second time. Police did not immediately return a request for comment from MailOnline. | Tracy Kirkpatrick's dog was killed by Carlsbad, New Mexico police officers after they responded to an alleged fight .
Kirkpatrick's dogs were reportedly hostile to officers .
The one dog was killed, though the other dog was not shot and survived .
Kirkpatrick's son Troy Kirkpatrick was killed by police last month after escaping from a detention center and stealing a car . |
149,355 | 4d243dc77d7c1e01474ecf3ed2681941651bfac2 | By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 05:29 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:59 EST, 31 July 2013 . A British mother accused of smuggling heroin has spoken of her torment at having to bring up her baby daughter in a Pakistani prison cell. Khadija Shah says nine-month-old Malaika is the only thing keeping her sane as she waits to find out if she will face the death penalty for her alleged crimes. The 25-year-old from Birmingham has not had a date set for her trial, 14 months after she was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle £3.2million of heroin into the UK. In prison: Khadija Shah, pictured with her daughter Malaika shortly after her birth, is in jail in Pakistan . She gave birth to Malaika in October, but was then forced to return with her to the Rawalpindi Central Jail, where she fears the baby will be struck down with one of the infectious diseases such as tuberculosis which are rife in the prison. 'If Malaika was not here, I would be crazy because things are very hard,' Mrs Shah told Vice. 'She keeps me strong.' Human rights charity Reprieve has been helping the British citizen, but she and the baby continue to face an uncertain future thanks to the slow pace of Pakistan's legal system. Plight: Mrs Shah, from Birmingham, could face execution after being accused of smuggling heroin . 'I am still breastfeeding,' Mrs Shah said. 'Every three months Prisoners Abroad give me some money for basic food items and Pampers for the baby, who I keep clean. 'She likes to play with empty wrappers of food items. I usually try to keep our surroundings clean, too.' Last year the prisoner complained that her newborn daughter was being bitten repeatedly by mosquitos, had developed severe diarrhoea and had not recieved vital inoculations. Her older children Ibraham, six, and Aleesha, five, were originally in jail with their mother, but were flown back to the West Midlands over a year ago and she has not seen them since. 'They miss me, but never ask me where I am,' Mrs Shah said. 'I ignore things. I ignore what's happening to me.' Maya Foa of Reprieve said: 'We are extremely worried about Khadija and the health of her baby. 'What is still more troubling is that the British Government is complicit in her plight - by giving aid to Pakistan’s counter-narcotics programme, the UK is in effect helping to send people to death row for drugs offences, including its own citizens.' The young mother has denied any wrongdoing ever since she was arrested at Islamabad Airport in May last year. She claims she agreed to transport some suitcases as a favour for men she had recently met, and had no idea that the luggage contained heroin. | Khadija Shah, 25, is in prison in Rawalpindi with baby daughter Malaika .
Accused of smuggling heroin but has not been convicted of the crime .
'If Malaika was not here, I would be crazy because things are very hard' |
162,393 | 5df752d78b08722e385399f011816ddb5cd60d23 | A little dishy wasn't quite big enough for this fishy - nor was the door of Rab McAleese's restaurant. The owner of the Little Italy eatery in Dumfries forked out £1,500 the huge halibut and had it shipped to his restaurant in a refrigerated truck. Only when it arrived did Mr McAleese realise just how big the seven-foot tall, 16-stone whopper actually was. Little dishy? Rab McAleese (left) and chef Ashley Rainbow (right) realise they might need a bigger pan for the halibut . The 38-year-old restaurateur had to resort to filleting the 103kg fish in the restaurant forecourt with the help of fellow chef Ashley Rainbow before he could get it into the kitchen on the second floor. Passers-by watched in amazement as they laid plastic on the ground and set to the halibut with knives. 'We got a call from the fish market saying one of the trawlers had caught this huge fish and asked if I would be interested in taking it,' Mr McAleese said. 'I jumped at the chance because we specialise in seafood dishes and I wanted to have a halibut week at the restaurant. 'I didn't realise how big it was until it arrived though. I was stunned. 'Our kitchen is upstairs and there was no way we could fit it inside. I hadn't really given it much thought before it arrived. Not your usual plaice: The halibut had to be filleted in the forecourt of the restaurant before it could be carried to the second floor kitchen . 'Myself and my chef Ashley had to take it off the bone outside. 'It took about an hour and people passing by couldn't believe it, we stopped the traffic on the street outside and nearly caused an accident. 'The fish was very heavy and it was very slippery to handle. 'We had to get three guys to suspend it with a rope from our top window just to get our photo taken with it.' Mr McAleese paid £15 a kilo - £1,545 in total - for the halibut at Glasgow Fish Market after it was line caught off the north coast of Scotland. The 200 that he managed to carve it into were gobbled up by diners in less than a week. Mr McAleese added: 'There was a lot of talk about it in the town because so many people had saw it when it arrived. 'It sold it in less than a week. 'Catches like that are fairly rare but I would definitely buy another one.' Shell out: The fish cost £15 per kilo and cost £1,545 in total . At 16 stones, Rab's fish is still somewhat shy of the largest halibut ever caught - a 34st whopper caught by German angler Gunther Hansel in 2010, which was sold for £2,500. The previous largest halibut was a 33st fish caught off Norway in 2009. Earlier this year, staff at the Crabshakk restaurant in Glasgow took delivery of an 11st halibut. Atlantic halibut are among the largest fish in the world and can grow up to 15ft long. | Rab McAleese buys seven-foot tall fish from Glasgow Fish Market to serve in restaurant .
Forced to fillet fish on forecourt of Little Italy restaurant in Dumfries before it could be moved to the second-floor kitchen .
Fillets of the huge halibut fed 200 diners . |
19,233 | 36763874da7b7fe18883df397ed072b6771d68a3 | San Diego, California (CNN) -- Marco Rubio is writing his life story. Now the only question is: Which life? The 40-year-old Florida senator, and Republican Party rock star, is shopping his memoir to New York publishing houses. There is sure to be a market; Republicans want to embrace a Latino conservative to shield them from accusations that their immigration rhetoric is anti-Latino, and so, for them, Rubio is the most beloved Latino since Desi Arnaz. A memoir is a good idea. Rubio may need a whole book to explain the contradictions surrounding his biography. Rubio has repeatedly said that his parents left Cuba after Fidel Castro took power in January 1959. But documents brought to light by the Washington Post and St. Petersburg Times reveal that Mario and Oriales Rubio arrived in the United States, legally on an immigration visa, much earlier -- in May 1956. So what? That's the scandal? Rubio is clearly not the only American with a bad memory. Many European-Americans are so far removed from their families' immigrant past that, not only can they not tell you when their ancestors migrated to the United States, sometimes they can barely tell you what country their family came from. "Let's see, I'm part German, and I think I have a little Irish and some Italian. No, some French." Apparently, if you're Cuban-American, it matters a lot. There is a pecking order in South Florida. Being a descendant of those who came as political exiles after Castro came to power supposedly carries more cachet than if your family simply came as economic immigrants before Castro took power. I don't get it. But then, I'm not Cuban-American. So I defer to two friends (and media colleagues) who are. Alfredo Estrada, publisher of Latino Magazine, is skeptical about Rubio getting the dates wrong. "When your parents left Cuba is seared into the memory of every Cuban-American," he told me. Rick Sanchez, whose family left Cuba in the winter of 1962, was much harder on Rubio. In an op-ed for The Huffington Post, the former CNN host blasted the inconsistency and tied it back to the senator's immigration views. "[Rubio] convinced Americans that he was the son of political refugees," Sanchez wrote, "implying that it somehow made him different from the other Hispanics who he attacks regularly -- the ones in Arizona, Georgia and Alabama that he and others want to detain, arrest and kick out. How dare they come here looking for work and to better their lot in life? Marco Rubio made us believe he is different from them when he's not." I understand what my friends are saying. And I understand that, as a Mexican-American and not a Cuban-American, there are some things I will never understand. Nevertheless, I thought that Rubio did a fine job of acquitting himself in an op-ed for Politico. "The Washington Post accused me of seeking political advantage by embellishing the story of how my parents arrived in the United States," he wrote. "That is an outrageous allegation that is not only incorrect, but an insult to the sacrifices my parents made to provide a better life for their children...I am the son of immigrants and exiles, raised by people who know all too well that you can lose your country. By people who know firsthand that America is a very special place...Ultimately what The Post writes is not that important to me. I am the son of exiles. I inherited two generations of unfulfilled dreams. This is a story that needs no embellishing." That's poetry, and yet that op-ed may have backfired. National Public Radio says that it has found discrepancies between what Rubio wrote for Politico and the account that Rubio offered on one of its shows two years ago. For Politico, Rubio wrote, "In February 1961, my mother took my older siblings to Cuba with the intention of moving back... But after just a few weeks, it became clear that the change happening in Cuba was not for the better...So in late March 1961...my mother and siblings left Cuba and my family settled permanently in the United States." But, in 2009, Rubio told NPR's "All Things Considered" that his mother returned to Cuba in 1960 with his older siblings to care for her ailing father and that she wound up staying nine months because the Cuban government wouldn't let her and her eldest son, Mario, return to the United States. Eventually, she and her children were allowed to leave. Which is it? Did Rubio's mother return to Cuba in 1960 or 1961? Was she preparing to move back, or caring for a sick parent? And did she stay "just a few weeks" or nine months? Documents confirm that Oriales Rubio was in Cuba for just over one month. So the story that Rubio wrote in Politico was closer to the truth than the one he shared with NPR. Frankly, I don't know what to make of this story. My reporter's nose tells me there are more "gotcha" revelations to come. My head tells me that this whole story doesn't matter to most Americans. And my heart tells me that Rubio would not even be in hot water -- especially with fellow Latinos -- if he was not a Republican. Rubio is someone with a shot at becoming the first Latino in the White House, he terrifies the Democratic establishment. And so they want to take him out. Yet, I am quite impressed that the story of one family's exodus from Cuba more than 60 years ago has captured the attention of so many of my media colleagues. Now if I could just get them to focus on a much more important story to which many of them are turning a blind eye: the exodus of more than one million illegal immigrants from the United States, and the breaking up of hundreds of thousands of families, at the hands of the Obama administration. All of it for the sake of politics. Now that's what I call a scandal. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette. | Ruben Navarrette: GOP "rock star" Marco Rubio has warring details in his life story .
He says there are conflicts in when Rubio says parents left Cuba and when they actually did .
He says Latino friends doubt Rubio's explanation: Cuban emigres know when they left .
Navarrette: Only reason it's an issue is because Rubio is real threat to Democats . |
115,776 | 216dfdd88b465cf7b90ed2d206da9bdcbf149e57 | By . Eddie Wrenn . UPDATED: . 07:04 EST, 25 September 2012 . Nasa wants to build a manned base which can be 'parked' beyond the dark side of the moon as a 'gateway spacecraft', to serve as a starting point for manned expeditions to Mars. It would remain permanently in space 277,000 miles from Earth - in context, the International Space Station is just 230 miles away. The spaceship would expand man's . horizons - but it will require much problem-solving to figure out how to . protect astronauts from radiation, and how to re-supply the ship from a . quarter of a million miles away. On the way to Mars: Nasa is exploring the possibility of placing an Orion space station in a stable location on the far side of the moon . The Orlando Sentinel reports that . Nasa will likely use parts left over from the construction of the ISS, . and will need to use the Space Launch System . rocket to get the craft out of the atmosphere. The launch project is currently being built at an estimated cost of $3billion a year, and should be ready in 2017. Nasa then plans to begin building the moon outpost two years after that. The Orlando Sentinal reports that . Nasa spoke to the White House about the idea last month, but whether the . U.S. Congress will support the multi-billion-dollar project is not yet . known. The U.S. space agency is forming a . team to draw up plans for the outpost, to be parked at a spot in space . known as the Earth-moon libration point 2 (EML-2). The most remote hotel in the universe: The Orion spacecraft will return humans to the moon and prepare for future voyages to Mars and other destinations in our solar system . Libration . points are 'parking spots' in space where an object can be balanced . between the gravitational pull of two large masses - such as the Earth . and the moo, meaning Nasa can effectively 'park' the vehicle there. Nasa's report said that placing a . spacecraft at the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 'beyond the moon as a test . area for human access to deep space is the best near-term option to . develop required flight experience and mitigate risk.' Nasa spokesman David Weaver said: 'There are many options - and many routes - being discussed on our way to the Red Planet. 'In addition to the moon and an . asteroid, other options may be considered as we look for ways to buy . down risk - and make it easier - to get to Mars.' | Nasa will make use of 'gravity fields' behind the moon so that spaceship can be 'parked' in space .
Base will be 277,000 miles from Earth . |
56,647 | a085074551f84289c0794384eb384a2545dca148 | A primary school headmaster has quit his post suddenly, claiming the bureaucracy of a 'faceless government' has left him unable to focus on his job. Neil Jackson, 52, head of Hadleigh Community Primary School, Suffolk, said he could not continue because he was constantly 'frustrated by having to tick boxes and jump through hoops'. The headteacher, who has held his post for four years, made the announcement in a letter to parents on Friday. Resigned: Mr Jackson, pictured outside Hadleigh Community Primary School, Suffolk, announced his move in a letter sent home to parents on Friday. He blamed 'faceless government' bureaucracy for the move . Mr Jackson said that, irrespective of which party is in government, headteachers were being 'constrained' to what they 'can and can't do'. He added that government rules meant members of staff were left 'constantly stressed and exhausted by the huge amount of paperwork which they are required to complete'. It comes nearly a year after his school, which has 584 boys and girls aged from 3-11, was handed a 'requires improvement' Ofsted grade. The report found that teaching 'was not consistently good across the school' and that pupils' 'achievement is not good'. It added that targets set by the school's leadership team are 'not focused', leading to confusion as to whether improvements are helping pupils. A monitoring inspection, carried out since then found that some improvements were being made. Quit: Mr Jackson said there was no definitive date for when he would be leaving the school, pictured above . Mr Jackson said that while the result was 'not the only reason' for his decision, it had 'made him realise' that schools are 'solely judged on children's progress'. Last year three headteachers left Suffolk primary schools because of 'significant challenges' posed by changes to Ofsted inspections - which are now conducted as more frequent, but shorter visits. In the letter, which was also published on the school's website, Mr Jackson wrote: 'The role of a headteacher in modern Britain is completely different to what it was and I constantly find myself frustrated by having to tick boxes and jump through hoops for a faceless government who do not understand what providing wonderful, creative learning opportunities for children is all about. New head: Suffolk County Council is working with school governors to find a 'suitably experienced replacement' for Mr Jackson in a 'timely fashion' 'I therefore feel that I cannot continue in the role of a headteacher. 'Whilst our Ofsted inspection was not the only reason for my decision, it certainly made me realise that irrespective of which government is in power, schools are solely judged by children's progress and that headteachers in particular will be constrained with regard to what they can and can't do.' Mr Jackson, a former headteacher of Bucklesham Primary School, said no definite date had been set for when he would leave but he has requested it is before the end of the academic year. He said he 'could not continue' in the role of headteacher but is due to stay in education. Geoff Barton, headteacher of nearby King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said Mr Jackson's letter gave a 'bleak picture' of leading a school which he said can be a 'very lonely' job. Mr Barton said: 'It fits with the national picture that both at primary and secondaries more headteachers are thinking about stepping down and it can be incredibly difficult to recruit people.' He said work was under way to strengthen the support network which is in place through the Suffolk Association of Secondary Headteachers. No one was available to comment from the Suffolk Primary Headteachers' Association. Inspection: Mr Jackson's resignation comes a year after his school, which has 584 boys and girls aged from 3-11, was handed a 'requires improvement' Ofsted grade last year. Above, an extract of the report . Vicky Neale, headteacher at County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds, said being a headteacher carried a large responsibility. She said: 'Teaching and being a headteacher has a heavy workload. It's also a very important job and it's right that there is strong accountability. 'I would not say there's more work now than there was five years ago.' She added that, while staff worked hard, she would not say they are 'stressed and exhausted'. Mr Jackson's resignation comes after three headteachers left Suffolk primary schools because of 'significant challenges' posed by changes to Ofsted inspections. Lisa Chambers, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for education and skills, said: 'We wish Mr Jackson the best in his future endeavours. 'Following his decision to resign, our priority is to work with the school's governors to ensure that Hadleigh Community Primary School receives the support it needs to find a suitably experienced replacement head teacher in a timely fashion.' The Department for Education said in a statement: 'We want to support the profession to tackle the issue of unnecessary and unproductive workload, which many teachers are concerned about and is stopping them from giving time to what really matters - inspiring young people to achieve their potential. 'That is why we launched the Workload Challenge. 'We received over 44,000 responses and are now acting on those to ensure teachers are able to carry on with their fantastic work and prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.' Mr Jackson's letter to parents: 'To all Parents, carers and children at Hadleigh Community Primary School, . 'I am writing to you today to tell you that after a great deal of soul searching, I have decided to resign from my position as headteacher here at Hadleigh Community Primary School. 'It is not a decision I have made lightly; this is a fantastic school, with wonderful, talented children, inspirational staff, supportive parents and proactive, challenging governors. 'I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you why I am leaving the school; please do understand that I am not leaving to take up another headship elsewhere, I am leaving headship completely. 'The role of a headteacher in modern Britain is completely different to what it was and I constantly find myself frustrated by having to tick boxes and jump through hoops for a faceless government who do not understand what providing wonderful, creative learning opportunities for children is all about. 'I therefore feel that I cannot continue in the role of a headteacher. 'Whilst our Ofsted inspection was not the only reason for my decision, it certainly made me realise that irrespective of which government is in power, schools are solely judged by children's progress and that headteachers in particular will be constrained with regard to what they can and can't do. 'Hadleigh Community Primary School has many wonderful, talented staff; good, conscientious people who are constantly stressed and exhausted by the huge amount of paperwork which they are required to complete. 'I consider myself to be a very approachable, honest headteacher and when staff ask me how to achieve a better work/life balance, I can no longer give them an answer. 'After much soul searching, I am going to put my family and myself first. 'Please do be assured that I will work hard to lead the school as effectively as possible in the coming months, until I leave. 'I was offered a new job on Wednesday February 4 and telephoned David Smyth (chair of governors) straight away in order to allow governors and senior leaders the time and opportunity to ensure that the children's education would not be jeopardised in any way at all. 'However, in light of the change in circumstances, a deputy headteacher was not appointed yesterday. 'As I write this letter, I am aware that David Smyth is meeting senior leaders at Suffolk County Council in order to ensure that the school does not suffer in any way at all. 'Please do be assured that the school governors are incredibly astute and aware of their responsibilities with regard to your children and that they will now work tirelessly to advertise for and appoint my successor. 'The senior leadership team have already met to draw up an action plan with regard to the future of the school and I would ask you to trust them as they ensure that "life at Hadleigh carries on as normal". 'I have enjoyed four years here at this fabulous school and am so proud of everything and everyone connected to it. 'I appreciate that some of you will be shocked, surprised and disappointed by my letter and I hope that you will discuss my leaving with your super children explaining that they have not done anything to warrant this, but, Mr Jackson has decided that headship is no longer the job for him. 'I hope that in the coming weeks and months many of you will take the time to chat to me and please do feel free to discuss the contents of this letter with me. '(As I write this letter, I am not exactly sure when I will be leaving as the governors will need to ensure they have a competent, experienced headteacher in place first before they can consider my request to leave before the end of the academic year). 'I hope and trust that this letter has begun to explain the reasons why I have decided to leave headship; as mentioned previously, it has not been an easy decision to make and I have made it with a heavy heart and have suffered many, many dark nights. 'Thank you all so much for your fantastic support during the last four years and thank you for allowing me, as headteacher to lead a school where we have almost 600 wonderful, fabulous children.' | Neil Jackson quit post at Hadleigh Community Primary School, Suffolk .
Said he was 'frustrated by having to tick boxes and jump through hoops'
Added staff was left 'stressed and exhausted' by government paperwork .
Made announcement in letter sent home to parents and pupils on Friday .
Last year school was handed 'requires improvement' grade by Ofsted . |
15,229 | 2b4cbf60d4c149fc8b30f47a185cf2af237dc22d | By . Sam Peters . No bowler would wish to be the subject of withering criticism from Michael Holding but for England paceman Chris Jordan the barbs of the legendary West Indian have added resonance. Jordan, born and raised in Barbados before earning a scholarship to Dulwich College at 16, endured a difficult afternoon with the ball in India’s first innings at the Ageas Bowl, sending down four wides in a wayward spell that raised questions over his unconventional approach to the crease. Holding’s criticism was fierce, with the Sky analyst claiming the 25-year-old’s confidence was ‘shattered’ while highlighting a string of technical problems he says need fixing. Stand up and take notice: Chris Jordan has taken criticism from Michael Holding on board this summer . Not holding back: The former West Indian seamer was fierce in his opinions on Jordan . Keep it quick: Jordan said he is always looking to improve and would 'enjoy' talking to Holding about the game . Jordan insisted: ‘My approach to the crease is different but everyone is unique and different things work for different people and that works for me right now. I don’t intend changing too much. 'You’re always looking to improve as a cricketer and if you get a window where you can improve then I’d be more than happy to work on it. But at this moment I don’t see too much that I need to change. ‘Playing international cricket is all about having a strong mind and strong character — sticking to what has got you to that stage in the first place. ‘Michael Holding has vast international experience and was a great fast bowler. You’re always looking to learn new things and push your game on. He’s someone I’d probably enjoy speaking to about the game. ‘In the first innings everything didn’t go according to plan. There were a couple of balls that didn’t come out of the fingers quite right. But it’s nothing I’m too worried about because I put it right in the second innings. ‘I’m not the sort of player who gets too caught up in disappointments. It’s all about how you come back from those disappointments. I’ll just mark it down as one bad day in my international career.’ On the rise: Jordan has broken into England's Test and is looking to become a regular . Legend: Holding (pictured here with Ian Ward) is a regular on Sky Sports' coverage of Test match cricket . Chris Jordan is the official ambassador of Octopus Investments. Follow Octopus cricket: twitter.com/OctopusT20 . | Ex-West Indies fast bowler didn't hold back when talking about Jordan .
The 25-year-old could play a key role in the fourth Test against India .
Alastair Cook's side do battle against the tourists at Old Trafford . |
53,942 | 98e971d7e9d9a1c483766e95ffd5daec8ab2f2a8 | By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 14:45 EST, 17 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:50 EST, 18 September 2013 . A 23 year old 'cold-case' rape has been brought to trial thanks to new technology and the alleged victim's EastEnders habit. The alleged victim, at the time a 20-year-old club cashier, was brutally attacked as she was on her way home from work in May 1990, a court heard. Salvador Orozco, 49, is standing trial accused of dragging the woman into a derelict Gateshead railway yard and raping her. Saving soap: It was this scene from a 1990 episode of EastEnders where Kathy Beale is raped by James Willmott-Brown which made the young woman take notes and ensure she preserved DNA following the attack . Following the supposed assault, the woman ensured she preserved DNA evidence on her body and made detailed notes, inspired by an episode of the BBC soap where character Kathy Beale is raped by bar owner . James Willmott-Brown. ‘Kathy had been raped by Willmott-Brown and I remember watching the story,' she told a jury at Newcastle Crown Court. ‘I knew I had not to have a shower or bath and I knew it was important to remember as much as I could. When I got home I . decided to make notes of everything that happened, step-by-step, so it . would help me remember when I spoke to police.’ Orozco, previously of Bensham, Gateshead, was extradited from Hawaii earlier this year after a specialist team executed a warrant at his US home, a jury was told. Prosecutors claim he approached the woman at Gateshead Metro Station on May 17, 1990, before brutally assaulting her in wasteland off Askew Road, in Gateshead. Attack: The then 20-year-old was on her way home in May 1990 when she claims Orozco dragged her from the Gateshead Metro Station and brutally raped her . Speaking from behind a screen, the alleged victim told the court: ‘I felt an arm around my neck. I thought it was something messing about because you don’t think that something bad is going to happen to you. It was quite strong and I couldn’t get out and that’s when I realised it wasn’t a joke. ‘I was just saying, ‘Please, no. Please, stop it.’ It was terrifying. I was crying and sobbing and struggling and I was really worried that I was going to get hurt. I was paralysed.’ The jury was told that following the assault the woman’s attacker told her: ‘You must hate me, you must feel degraded.’ Following the assault Orozco is said to have covered his victim in her own coat, before threatening her towait ten minutes before contacting the ‘boys in blue’ so he could escape. Gavin Doig, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim was first shocked, then terrified. She began to cry, to panic and to sob. The man told her he was going to make love to her, that she would like it. ‘She was begging him not to hurt her, . not to kill her.’ He added: ‘At one point she looked around and the man . hit her, saying: ‘Don’t look or I’ll slap you.’’ The . woman fled the scene and returned home before her husband discovered . her wrapped in a duvet in the couple’s living room, the court heard. Her . injuries were so severe that she vomited during a police interview and . could not be examined by forensic scientists, it was said. Case revived: Following the cold case review in 2002, alleged attacker Orozco could be extradited from Hawaii and is now facing trial on rape charges at Newcastle Crown Court . Over a decade later, advances in forensic science sparked a cold case review of the rape. In 2002, DNA evidence was checked against the national DNA database where a match was discovered with Orozco’s two children. 'Scientific conclusions found that ‘the prospect of anyone other than the defendant having the DNA found at the time of the crime was one in a billion’, Mr Doig said, adding: ‘In short, it was [Orozco] who left it there.’ Orozco has admitted having sex with the woman but claims he lived a ‘promiscuous lifestyle’ and that the sex was consensual. Mr Doig said: ‘The defence here is that he and victim decided jointly to go have sex having met near to the Gateshead bus station. ‘The defendant says he had a promiscuous lifestyle at the time. As a result he cannot now recall if they were already acquainted or if the victim decided she urgently wanted to have sex with him immediately upon meeting him that night.’ Following the attack the victim helped create a ‘rather accurate’ artist’s impression in a bid to catch her attacker, the court was told. Orozco denies rape, attempted buggery and indecent assault. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Salvador Orozco is accused of raping a Gateshead woman in 1990 .
Alleged victim made detailed notes of attack after watching EastEnders .
Character Kathy Beale was raped by James Willmott-Brown on soap .
Woman said she followed Kathy's example which preserved evidence .
Thanks to new technology the cold case could be re-opened in 2002 .
DNA connection to alleged attacker secured his extradition from Hawaii . |
108,186 | 177e0e5457ff027004fc8baeb92f9735cf41ef9f | Oldham's deal to sign convicted rapist Ched Evans is at an advanced stage and is set to be announced on Thursday. Barring any last-minute issues, the former Sheffield United striker will join the League One club on a two-and-a-half-year deal. The 26-year-old will earn a salary comparable with other Latics players - first-teamers at Boundary Park earn around £800 to £2,000 a week - as club officials want to make the deal 'as normal as possible'. It had previously been suggested that Evans would be paid £400 a week. Oldham Atheltic's deal to sign Ched Evans is at an advanced stage and is set to be announced on Thursday . Evans, pictured with fiance Natasha on Tuesday, is set to sign a deal with the League One club until 2017 . Evans (pictured in Cheshire on Sunday) will earn a salary comparable with his Oldham Athletic team-mates . Contrary to reports, the father of Evans' fiancee, despite being heavily involved in the deal, will not subsidise the player's wages or cover any potential loss in sponsorship. Oldham are pressing ahead to sign Evans, who has 13 caps for Wales, despite calls from major political figures and senior police officers as well as more than 60,000 people who signed an online petition. On Wednesday, Oldham sponsor Verlin Rainwater Solutions severed its ties with the club due to the 'imminent signing of Ched Evans' having previously threatened to terminate any involvement with the club should the League One side go through with the move. Craig Verling, a director of Verlin which sponsors a stand at Boundary Park, said in a statement: 'After receiving the news regarding the imminent signing of Ched Evans it is with great regret that Verlin Rainwater Solutions will no longer be associated with Oldham Athletic. 'We would like to take this opportunity to make clear that we feel that Mr Evans should be able to lead a life without further punishment after serving his sentence, although our feelings remain the same that this should not be within the public domain where his previous behaviour may influence the next generation. 'We sincerely wish the club a very successful future and have no regrets about being associated with Oldham Athletic over the past few seasons, but feel our continued support would be sending out the wrong message. Oldham manager Lee Johnson arrives at the training ground on Tuesday . Oldham players begin training on Tuesday, but there was no sign of Evans . Evans hasn't played for a club since Sheffield United in 2012 - for whom he scored 35 goals in his final season . Pressure on Oldham came from prime minister David Cameron on Tuesday, whose official Westminster spokesman outlined his position on an issue that has divided football. 'His view hasn't changed (from) ... the time when there were reports around Sheffield United,' said the spokesman. 'Ultimately, it is for employers to take decisions, but the prime minister does think that footballers are role models and he is sure that any potential would-be clubs and employers will weigh their decisions very carefully.' At one stage on Tuesday a joint statement was being prepared by the Professional Footballers' Association in tandem with Evans, and according to sources might even have contained some words of contrition from the disgraced Welsh international striker. That said, Evans will not want to jeopardise his appeal with the Criminal Cases Review Commission and PFA sources insisted a statement would not be issued after all. A police officer stands outside Oldham Athletic's training ground on Monday morning . Oldham chief executive Neil Joy reads out a club statement outside Boundary Park on Monday afternoon . On Monday shadow sports minister Clive Efford called on the Football Association to withdraw the player's registration should Oldham try to recruit him. On the same day, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley held the key to Evans' future. Oldham stalled on the former Sheffield United forward on Monday, stating that they would 'continue to have conversations with representative bodies such as the PFA' before making a decision. But two club sponsors threatened to withdraw their backing if Oldham sign Evans – who was due to report for training on Monday but in the end did not show – and Ashley came under pressure to withdraw Sports Direct's sponsorship as well. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley had come under pressure to withdraw his £1million sponsorship at Oldham . Evans was released from prison last October half way through a five-year sentence for raping a 19-year-old woman. Since then, he has been rejected by Hartlepool and Tranmere. Former club Sheffield United - for whom Evans scored 35 goals in 42 appearances in his final season at Bramall Lane - offered the striker a chance to train with them last November but they retracted the invitation after it caused uproar. | Ched Evans set to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with Oldham Atheltic .
The Latics have ignored calls not to sign the convicted rapist .
Evans' deal with the League One club is set to be announced on Thursday .
Sheffield United had considered taking him back to Bramall Lane .
Sponsor Verlin Rainwater Solutions have severed its ties with the club .
MARTIN SAMUEL: Fury of the mob will only turn Evans into the victim . |
81,448 | e6c97bb9a751c562e72c00ed513bb3d8927df7d4 | Baghdad (CNN) -- The head of a television station and a human rights activist were shot dead by gunmen who attacked their car with small arms fire Friday, Iraq's interior ministry said. Taha Hameed, the director of al-Massar TV, and Abed Farhan Thiyab, the director of Iraq's political prisoners association, were killed in southern Baghdad. Hameed was also a senior official with the governing Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organization. He was killed immediately when gunmen intercepted his car and fired on it, interior ministry officials said. Separately, two civilians were killed and four others were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in a residential area in the northern outskirts of Baghdad on Thursday night. | Gunmen intercept a car and spray it with bullets, Interior Ministry officials say .
One of the victims is Taha Hameed, the head of al-Massar TV and a political party official .
The other is Abed Farhan Thiyab, the director of Iraq's political prisoners association . |
143,378 | 456b588d7434d7e7efc3be23191595371d61e38c | (CNN) -- Andy Murray's preparations for the defense of his U.S. Open title hit a wall in Montreal as he was beaten in the last 16 by Ernests Gulbis. The world No. 2 was playing in his first tournament since taking the Wimbledon crown in July but sank to a 6-4 6-3 defeat to his Latvian opponent in the Rogers Cup. It was Gulbis' first ever win over Britain's number one, and ended a 13-match winning streak for the Scot. Murray now only has one more tournament in which to fine tune his game before returning to Flushing Meadows, the scene of his first ever grand slam victory 12 months ago. "I struggled at the start of the first set from the baseline, but then I got more aggressive and took my opportunities," Gulbis said in an on-court interview. "I started this year at 150 in the world, I was struggling. But slowly and surely I am getting to where I belong. I want to crack the top 20. Then, one or two big wins and you are in the top 10." It was a different story for Rafael Nadal, who continued his unbeaten run on hard courts this season with a hard-fought win over Poland's Jerzy Janowicz. The Spaniard, who won the Indian Wells title earlier in the season in his only other hard court appearance, won 7-6 6-4 against his big-serving opponent. Nadal, also in his first competitive action since his first round loss to Belgian Steve Darcis at Wimbledon, made it 45 wins since returning from a long injury layoff in February. "I was able to play without limitations these two matches; hopefully I can continue like this," Nadal said during an on-court interview. "That's my goal. I will try to forget this injury with my knee." The number four seed will now play Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic in the last eight after he defeated Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 6-7 6-3. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic looked to be heading the same way as Murray when he lost the first set of his match against Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin. Istomin had only taking five games off Djokovic in their previous two meetings, but the world No. 66 took the opening set 2-6. But Djokovic roared back to clinch a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory before donning a fuzzy wig and dancing on court to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." The Serb also showed off his dance moves after his first round win over Florian Mayer. "He was a better player first half of the match," admitted Djokovic. "I was trying to find rhythm. A lot of unforced errors. Just had a very difficult time to be in the point. "He did a great job in staying very solid and putting a lot of pressure on me. Then I had to fight. It was a very even match up to the last point. Just glad to get lucky and dance on the court after the match." At the women's Rogers Cup event in Toronto, Serena Williams breezed into the fourth round with a 6-0 6-3 victory over Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens. Wimbledon champions Marion Bartoli had to retire during her clash with Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova while there were victories elsewhere for Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani. | Andy Murray is knocked out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal by Latvia's Ernests Gulbis .
Wimbledon champion is beaten 6-4 6-3 by his opponent who is ranked 38th in world .
Rafael Nadal wins a hard fought game over Poland's Jerzy Janowicz 7-6 6-4 . |
197,608 | 8bc2a19876d26127a1b2bfd47df16ab77b39b4b6 | By . Harry Mount . PUBLISHED: . 18:24 EST, 27 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:35 EST, 27 December 2013 . Each of the objects filling every spare bit of space in the room tells a story. They’re all snapshots in the long life of Tony Benn. When Benn, 88, moved into sheltered accommodation from the house in Holland Park, London, where he had lived for decades, he was determined to take as many mementoes as possible to his new home. He’s surrounded here by an amazingly eclectic selection — from busts of Marx and Lenin to pictures of his four children and his grandchildren, who no doubt supplied the helium Get Well Soon balloon on the bookshelf and the charming drawing on the table. Pictures and a bust of his beloved American-born late wife Caroline take pride of place. Scroll down for labelled descriptions of the objects . Each of the objects filling every spare bit of space in the room tells a story. They're all snapshots in the long life of Tony Benn . From his 60 years on the political frontline are recollections of Benn’s time in Government, both as Postmaster General and Minister of Technology in the early days of Concorde and beginnings of North Sea Oil, and hilarious models of Labour leaders. The bookshelves include the originals of his diaries. Benn has kept a daily diary since 1963, and as the final volume is published, he opened his home to the Mail . . . Tony Benn plays Connect 4 occasionally with a friend, Kathleen, who helps him in his flat . Behind the chair on the grate is the children’s game, Connect 4, which Tony Benn plays occasionally with a friend, Kathleen, who helps him in his flat. The rules of the game say players have to get four counters in a row to win . This photograph is of Benn with his wife, Caroline, in December 1964, shortly after an election victory . This joyous photograph of the Benns was taken in December 1964, shortly after the Labour general election victory. The two cups next to the bust of Lenin are golfing trophies from 1929 and 1951, whose origin is lost in the mists of time. Tony Benn doesn’t play golf — but he is a student of the Russian Revolution . Figures of Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown . They were Labour leaders, but you may struggle to identify them from these models bought at the House of Commons souvenir shop. Gordon Brown, right, is barely recognisable. The others, from left, are Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, and Tony Blair . Benn counts this Boris Yeltsin doll (left) and this 'clapperboard' made to celebrate a Benn documentary . Left, inside the Russian doll of Boris Yeltsin (President of Russia from 1991 to 1999) are a series of other Russian leaders dating right back to the last Tsar, Nicholas II, assassinated in 1918 . This ‘clapperboard’ was on a cake made earlier this year to celebrate Will And Testament, a documentary about Benn that records the highlights of his extraordinary political life . On Benn's mantelpiece is this model Big Ben with a pipe incorporated . In 1992, Benn was awarded the Pipesmoker Of The Year trophy — aptly, a model of the tower of Big Ben which incorporated a pipe . Benn met Mahatma Gandhi when he was six years old in 1931 . The cardboard cut-out of Mahatma Gandhi recalls the day in 1931 a six-year-old Tony Benn met the Indian independence leader when Gandhi was in London for political talks. Benn’s father, Viscount Stansgate, was Secretary of State for India from 1929 to 1931 . Benn keeps this bust of his wife, Caroline, which was completed in 1999 - shortly before she died . The bust of Benn’s wife, Caroline, completed in 1999, a year before her death, is on a chair once owned by the first Labour leader, Keir Hardie, whose biography she wrote . Left is a picture of Benn with his daughter, Melissa, and granddaughter, Hannah . A photograph taken in the room of Benn with his only daughter, Melissa, a journalist, and his granddaughter, Hannah, a university student . This memorial plate, given to Benn by the Kent Area National Union of Mineworkers, sits on his busy shelf . Tony Benn acquired this miners’ strike memorial plate when he visited the Kent Area National Union of Mineworkers during the 1984-1985 dispute. Benn supported the strike and controversial NUM leader, Arthur Scargill, in what would be one of the defining industrial showdowns of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership . Benn started writing his diary, bound here, 50 years ago . These ring-binders, containing the original typed copies of his diaries, start in 1963, when Benn won his fight to disclaim his hereditary peerage. The extensive diaries have been published in nine volumes so far . And objects obscured in the main picture... The former Minister of Technology was on the first British test flight of this Concorde in April 1969 . The Concorde model recalls Tony Benn’s time as Minister of Technology. He was on the first British test flight of the plane on April 9, 1969, and said then: ‘I must say that when it took off the vibration made me feel I was being filleted, my skin falling off my skeleton!’ Behind the model is a bottle of North Sea oil, presented to him at the time before production started . This Karl Marx bust (right) is flanked by two miners lamps, while this postbox commemorates Benn's time as Postmaster-General in the 1960s . Left, this model postbox recognises Benn’s time as Postmaster-General from 1964 to 1966 . A bust of Karl Marx — surely one of the few occasions when the father of communisim shares a room with the likes of Tony Blair . Candles of Tony Benn himself (left) and former Labour leader, Michael Foot . | When Benn, 88, moved into sheltered accommodation he was determined to take as many mementoes as possible to his new home .
Included are busts of his wife, Karl Marx, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown .
Also a Boris Yeltsin Russian doll and 50 years' worth of diaries .
A Blaze Of Autumn Sunshine: The Last Diaries, by Tony Benn, edited by Ruth Winstone, is published by Hutchinson (£20). Tony Benn has donated the fee for this article to charity. |
96,134 | 07a1ecb50ca22ba8da511338ff55b420bc361562 | Toni Kroos has no intention of being a Manchester United player next season. The Bayern Munich midfielder has been a long-term target for the Old Trafford club, especially as his contract situation with the German champions remains unresolved. Kroos, 24, has a year left with Bayern and has yet to accept their offer of an extension, giving a nod to a possible move away. All smiles: Toni Kroos, in training for Germany on Thursday, believes he will be at Bayern Munich next season . Raring to go: Manchester United target Kroos will feature for Germany at this summer's World Cup in Brazil . Kroos flourished under new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal at Bayern and is thought to be keen to work under his old coach again, but he has since claimed the English giants are not on his radar. Speaking to Bild he said: 'I am expecting to play for Bayern Munich next season. There was a lot of speculation, but Manchester is and was not an issue. 'At this point in time I am fully focused on preparations for the World Cup.' Kroos was the subject of a £20million offer from United with the two clubs having agreed a deal for his services when David Moyes was still in charge. Meanwhile, Bayern's president Karl Hopfner, claims Kroos is unlikely to receive a better contract offer from the German club. Done deal: Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos for £20m . Green light: The deal to bring Kroos to Old Trafford was agreed when David Moyes was still in charge . Speaking to German sports magazine Kicker, Hopfner said that the offer Kroos has received will not go any higher at the moment. 'It was the same with Michael Ballack, and eventually we retracted our offer (to extend his contract). Kroos has a contract until 2015. 'There will definitely be further talks. At some point, the player has to decide what he wants. I'll be taking a leaf out of Uli's book certainly: certain financial boundaries will not be crossed.' When asked to talk about how Kroos' offer won't increase Hopfner said: 'That is how things stand. No question, but on whether a big offer could change their stance Hopfner replied: 'I don't know. Things change very quickly.' Kroos is currently training with the Germany squad ahead of the World Cup. | Bayern Munich ace Toni Kroos has been a long-term target for Man United .
The 24-year-old has a year to run on his Bayern Munich contract .
But Kroos believes he will remain with the German champions next season .
Man United and Bayern have agreed a £20million deal for the midfielder . |
62,542 | b1a6252aae8e905bbed66c23046ed1bd6bfd2103 | Louis van Gaal isn’t the type of man to look backwards when looking forwards is available. To find the early reasons why his immediate future is log jammed with problems, though, we do need to look over our shoulders, back to a time when Manchester United were winning trophies and widening cracks were being covered by shiny silver and gold paper. That was when today’s troubles really started at Old Trafford, back in the glorious days of Sir Alex Ferguson. It sounds ungrateful to say it; impertinent, rude and sacrilegious. But it’s true, nevertheless. United continued to win trophies during Ferguson’s latter years at United but the future, it transpires, was not adequately being taken care of. This is the future that Van Gaal has inherited and one reason why the current United manager has arrived at Old Trafford to find a squad so desperately short of quality. Frustrated figure: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal watches his side lose 4-0 to MK Dons . Game over: MK Dons striker Benik Afobe scores his side's fourth goal of the night to shock United . Final triumph: Sir Alex Ferguson holds the 2012-13 Premier League trophy shortly before retiring . Tuesday night’s embarrassing defeat at Milton Keynes cannot be blamed on one individual. It contained dreadful playing errors. Nevertheless, it is impossible to view the current picture of United’s predicament without placing their greatest ever manager somewhere in it as the recruitment statistics of Ferguson’s last six years in charge make for startling viewing. During that time, United won four Barclays Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League as a core of previously and expertly recruited players – Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Park Ji-sung, Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - combined seamlessly with the last vestiges of the Class of ’92 to ensure Ferguson’s remarkable team remained eminent. Inspired signing: Cristiano Ronaldo gave United years of fine performances before leaving for £80million . Captaincy material: Wayne Rooney (left) ranks among Ferguson's best acquisitions during his time at United . Nani (£17m) Anderson (£27m) Ashley Young (£17m) Bebe (£7.4m) Owen Hargreaves (£17m) Tomasz Kuszczak (£2m) Zoran Tosic (£7m) Dimitar Berbatov (£30m) Gabriel Obertan (£3m) Mame Biram Diouf (£3m) Javier Hernandez (£6m) Chris Smalling (£7m) Nick Powell (£6m) Alexander Buttner (£4m) Wilfried Zaha (£15m) During those last six years, however, Ferguson, despite the restrictions of Glazer ownership, invested in the region of £160m of the club’s money on a string of players he believed would form the club’s future. Some have certainly contributed during better times but none have ultimately endured and this, in hindsight, represents the beginning of a decline exacerbated by David Moyes’ erratic season last time round. Between the summer of 2007 and the January of 2013, Ferguson’s United bought Nani (£17m), Anderson (£27m), Ashley Young (£17m), Bebe (£7m), Owen Hargreaves (£17m), Tomasz Kuszczak (£2m), Zoran Tosic (£7m), Dimitar Berbatov (£30m), Gabriel Obertan (£3m), Mame Biram Diouf (£3m), Javier Hernandez (£6m), Chris Smalling (£7m), Nick Powell (£6m), Alexander Buttner (£4m) and Wilfried Zaha (£15m). Set against those purchases is the arrival of the more successful Rafael da Silva, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, David de Gea and, of course, Robin van Persie. Exit door: United hope to offload midfielder Anderson (left) and sent Nani (right) on loan to Sporting Lisbon . Unveiling: Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov poses with his shirt after signing for Manchester United in 2008 . Big money buy: Winger Wilfried Zaha was brought in from Crystal Palace for a fee of £15m . To question Ferguson’s legacy in this way is a very uncomfortable thing to do. It is more fashionable, more palatable, to blame Moyes entirely. Nevertheless it is equally difficult to examine the two lists of players above and ignore the very obvious connection between then and now. Ferguson’s incredible man management skills endured to the end but his judgement in the transfer market seemingly did not. During his latter years, United were winning. In reality, though, they were also hanging on as the world changed around them. Paul Scholes retired once and was lured back, eventually quitting for good at the age of 37. Ryan Giggs played until he was 40. There were reasons for this. Anybody who saw United play regularly during that time will have recognised the marginal regression in their football that was not always hidden beneath generally positive results. Back then, Manchester City and Chelsea were coming on strong and players like Van Persie and De Gea were never going to hold back the tide on their own. The old ones are the best: Ryan Giggs played until he was 40 - Paul Scholes quit at 37 after a second spell . Farewell: Ferguson waves to the fans after his final match in charge of United at West Brom in 2013 . Senior sources at Old Trafford have admitted that the 2013 title, Ferguson’s last, surprised them. They didn’t expect it. They had seen the quality of the squad wane. A poor summer in the market after Moyes’ appointment didn’t help and had Van Gaal’s predecessor inspired his players a little more maybe United would have squeezed another year out of Vidic and Evra. Regardless of that, Van Gaal’s first challenge now is to arrest this decline and then find first gear. Certainly, what he has found will have alarmed him. The Dutch coach has inherited, for example, a Premier League squad without a fully functioning defensive line and he must ask himself how a club of United’s standing and stature has allowed that to happen. This is why he suggested after Tuesday’s failure at MK Dons that results this season haven’t surprised him. Van Gaal does do a neat line in sarcasm but this wasn’t one of them. Get him in the engine room: Angel di Maria should be available against Burnley on Saturday . VIDEO Di Maria joins La Liga's England exodus . Looking ahead to Saturday’s Premier League game at Burnley, Van Gaal’s most pressing concern will be his system and how to fit record signing Angel di Maria in to it. Just as Juan Mata struggled to fit in to Moyes’ team last January, so Di Maria does not look a natural fit for the 3-4-1-3 formation that Van Gaal has placed so much faith in thus far. Van Gaal hinted after Tuesday’s game that he may change his tactics and indeed he may have to. The 62-year-old has attempted to engrain the system in all levels of football at United’s Carrington training ground and clearly saw a long-term future in the formation he used to great effect with Holland at the World Cup. Tough times: Van Gaal (centre rear) looks on as United are knocked out by MK Dons in the Capital One Cup . Already, though, it is looking shot to pieces. United’s defenders do not look comfortable with it and Di Maria arrives as a player seemingly ready-made to slip in to 4-3-3. Van Gaal will surely be a big enough man to perform a volte face if he needs to but any move away from his current formation would leave him with a problem connected not with dented pride but where to play his captain Rooney and indeed the aforementioned Mata. Sketch a United starting XI on to paper and it will look competitive enough. Injuries are currently hurting them to the extent that they appear worse than they actually are. Van Gaal is not fooled, though. There are fissions in this squad that will not be solved in one transfer window. The cumulative effect of six years of questionable judgement now weighs heavy. | Louis van Gaal has arrived at Old Trafford to find a squad desperately short of quality .
The recruitment statistics of Ferguson's last six years in charge make for startling viewing .
Ferguson invested in the region of £160m on players he believed would form the club's future .
Senior sources at Old Trafford admitted that the 2013 Premier League title surprised them .
Van Gaal has inherited a squad without a fully functioning defensive line . |
282,924 | fa7ab7819245141392ee572ed86dc6f7737eec9f | The owner of an eight-bedroom house in West London who paid £870,000 for their home in 1998 sold it last year for £18.7 million - returning a profit of £132 an hour. The house on Ilchester Place in Holland Park showed the greatest increase in value of all residential properties sold in England and Wales over the past 20 years. The Land Registry has been keeping a database of house sales since 1995 and has put the details online which allows people to look up the sale price of any property. Scroll down for video . Ilchester Place in Holland Park, pictured is one of the most desirable - and profitable - streets in the country . The Chatsworth Estate may be the fictional home for the Gallagher family on Shameless, but the real Chatsworth Road in Salford has seen one house bought for £345,000 in 1997 sell for £2,225,000 in 2007 . Figures held by the Land Registry show the nation's most desirable neighbourhoods based on house sales . According to the Land Registry, the terraced house was bought on June 30, 1998 for £870,000 and sold again on October 24, 2013 for £18,700,000. One neighbouring house was bought on August 7, 1995 for £1,780,000 and was sold again on May 30 this year for £14,250,000. A few doors down on the same side of the road another property which was bought for £4.5 million on July 28, 2000 and was sold for £12 million on March 30, 2011. In Withdean Road in Brighton a detached house bought for £700,000 on December 8, 2000 and sold for £2.5 million on May 16, 2014. However, not every property on the popular street has returned a profit for each owner. One detached house was purchased for £352,500 on March 29 2000 and sold for £1,465,000 on April 4, 2012. However on May 30, 2014, that same house sold for £1,300,000 - a loss of £165,000. Jonathan Hewlett, head of central London residential sales at Savills estate agency told the Sunday Times: 'Ilchester place has been one of the top London addresses for the past 30 years. Its three-storey townhouses, which critically are close to Holland Park, have become increasingly sought after by a group of ultra-wealthy UK and international buyers. 'Those buyers have often extended the properties on Ilchester Place have added or are in the process of building basement accommodation.' In the North East, Runnymede Road in Newcastle can turn a £1 million profit for a canny investment . In Liverpool, a property on Shireburn Road was bought for £470,000 in 2000 and went for £2.2 million in 2007 . Withdean Road in Brighton is incredibly popular with one house making a £1.8m profit in 13 years . In Oxford, a detached freehold house on Charlbury Road was bought for £4,130,000 on April 1, 2011 and was sold again on July 11, 2014 for £10 million. Even in Newcastle it is possible to make significant profit on property purchases with a detached house being bought for £300,000 on April 28, 2000 before selling for October 1, 2007 for £1,975,000. For television audiences the Chatsworth area of Manchester is the fictional sink-estate home for the dysfunctional Gallagher family in Shameless, but for the canny investor it can turn an impressive profit. Woodbourne Road in the in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham is the most profitable street in the Midlands . Across in Cardiff one property in Llandennis Avenue in the city's northern suburbs reported a £900,000 profit . Charlbury Road in Oxford is also among the most desirable places to live in Britain . On Chatsworth Road in Worsley area of Manchester a detached home bought for £345,000 on March 3, 1997 sold again for £2,225,000 on August 23, 2007. In the Midlands, Woodbourne Road in Birmingham is one of the most desirable locations in the estate. A detached freehold house bought for £1,145,000 on March 31, 2006 was sold for £3,550,000 on November 16, 2011. Across in Liverpool, Shireburn Road is one of the most desirable areas on Merseyside. One house on the road was bought for £470,000 on July 7, 2000 before selling for £2,200,000 on March 3, 2007. In Bristol, one house owner on Harris Lane, pictured, made a nice £1.7 million profit on their property . | Ilchester Place in Holland Park, London is the most desirable location to live .
The area is a haven for celebrities with Robbie Williams living nearby .
One house purchased for £870,000 in 1998 was sold last year for £18.7m .
The eight-bedroom house increased in value by £2.20 per minute . |
118,073 | 24787f610889a92e5f4b7c7913e8b36fece34c8a | (CNN) -- Novak Djokovic fought like a true champion to extend his winning run to 36 matches this year as he reached the final of the Rome Masters at the expense of Andy Murray on Saturday. The Serbian triumphed 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) in a three-hour semifinal epic to set up another showdown with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, a player he has beaten in three Masters Series title matches this season. Second-ranked Djokovic ended the Spaniard's two-year unbeaten run on clay in the Madrid final, but it remains to be seen whether he has enough energy in reserve to repeat that on Sunday. Nadal had a much easier passage as he defeated French 16th seed Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1 in 93 minutes, ending the run of a player who had earlier beaten his longtime rival Roger Federer and seventh seed Tomas Berdych. Djokovic's dream year shows no sign of slowing . Djokovic had to dig deep as Murray showed tremendous resolve after capitulating in the first set -- a showing that raised the prospect of a repeat of his Australian Open final defeat against the same player in January. But the fourth seed -- who turns 24 on Sunday -- battled back to level, inflicting Djokovic's first dropped set of the tournament, and then fought back again after going down 3-1 in the decider. Murray, seeking to become the first British player to reach a top-level clay final since 1982, broke Djokovic's serve twice in a row -- the second time to love - as he went 4-3 ahead. But Djokovic, who could have gone top in the rankings if Nadal had not reached the last four, broke back immediately. Both players then dropped serve again -- Murray after a morale-sapping double fault -- but then held to take the match to a tie-break. Djokovic had appeared to be on his last legs at several stages, but appeared rejuvenated as he raced to a 5-1 lead before reaching the final of an event he won in 2008. He then roared with relief at an appreciative crowd as he showed just how much the victory meant to him ahead of his own 24th birthday on May 22. Nadal beat Djokovic in the 2009 Rome final, and has won the event for five of the past six years. But his status as "King of Clay" is under serious threat this year ahead of the French Open starting next month, where he is defending champion and seeking a sixth title since 2005. "I am playing better every day and a little bit higher, so I think that in general I am happy for everything," Nadal, who was hampered by illness earlier this week, told the ATP Tour website. "I'm in another final, six in a row, and it is unbelievable. I had a tough week, so I am very happy for everything." | World No. 2 Novak Djokovic to play top-ranked Rafael Nadal in Rome final .
Serbian overcomes fourth seed Andy Murray in epic semifinal clash for 36th win of 2011 .
Nadal has fewer problems in defeating Roger Federer's conqueror Richard Gasquet .
Djokovic ended Nadal's two-year unbeaten run on clay in Madrid final . |
131,247 | 35b75ae418962120f7b86846f4402171f63daef0 | (CNN) -- In the cold, predawn hours of February 20, 2007, shortly after 4 a.m., armed men stormed into the home I owned with my family and burst into my bedroom, shouting at me to show my hands. My husband had left for work, and our 4-year-old son began to cry with fright. I stumbled out of bed in my nightclothes to the family living area, terrified and confused. Two armed men were coming upstairs from our basement, having searched it without permission, and others were demanding that we tell them the location of my ex-husband, with whom I had not lived for several years. As I had reported to the immigration service on my daughters' citizenship applications, I had been remarried for four years. The men acted as if they had the right to be in our home, but we knew to ask questions: Who were they? Did they have a warrant? They refused to identify themselves or show a warrant, and they put their hands on their guns when we tried to move. They interrogated my 12-year-old daughter and ordered my brother, a U.S. citizen since he was a teenager, to produce his papers. That's when I realized the men were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. When they left, they threatened to return. The same scene was happening all over New York: Armed agents surrounding homes, pounding on doors and windows, ordering residents to open the door and storming in, sometimes damaging doors and walls, sometimes pointing guns as they entered. It didn't seem to matter to the agents whether they found the person they were looking for or if frightened people in the home could not produce papers. The agents arrested people even if they hadn't been a target. The ICE agents had no judicial warrants; instead, they claimed that the rudely awakened men, women and sometimes children in the homes had provided consent. We decided to sue and discovered that ICE had embarked on a nationwide program of warrantless immigration sweeps with names such as "Return to Sender" and "Community Shield" to invade private homes in search of undocumented immigrants. Last week, more than six years and many court battles later, our class-action suit Aguilar v ICE, which included 22 New York men, women and children, was settled in Federal District Court for a million dollars. ICE has also been required to change national training and policy to conform with existing law to avoid further abuses from home raids. We are proud of this accomplishment, even though we know that home raid operations have continued in the Obama era, most notably in Tennessee and Alabama, where Latinos report ICE engaging in the very same unconstitutional behavior that traumatized my family. During those raids in 2006 and 2007, thousands of terrified people, mostly Latino, were pulled out of bed. ICE claimed it was looking for people not suspected of a crime, but merely those in violation of civil immigration laws. Although ICE was supposedly seeking fugitives -- people who may have evaded a deportation order -- most of the people they arrested had never had any encounter with the agency before. They were arrested because many ICE agents were operating under a quota policy that gave credit for arrests of any undocumented person, not just the target. Citizens and lawful permanent residents like us were not immune; if ICE had an old address for someone they were looking for, that address was fair game. In the home of three of the other people in our case, ICE knew it had already deported the person it were seeking. But agents invaded anyway, storming inside after a 12-year-old girl opened the door in her pajamas. ICE invaded the home of another family in our case twice in little more than a year, because when agents didn't find their target the first time, they didn't bother to record the mistake. It seemed that being Latino, and nothing more, was enough to arouse suspicion. ICE declined to enter the homes of white residents who opened their doors in shock. Latino men and women were handcuffed before they were even asked about their status, and some agents even admitted to using the derogatory word "wet" to describe the Latinos they encountered. I studied the U.S. Constitution in order to naturalize. I knew that the government is not supposed to enter your home without a warrant or handcuff you only because you are Latino. But that night in 2007, and in the months after, I lost a sense of hope in our government's ability to make its own agents obey the law. The fact that ICE has agreed to some changes helps me regain that hope. As the country debates immigration reform and enforcement, we owe it to ourselves to hold ICE's leaders and agents accountable and to make sure that they are subject to the same laws as everyone else. The opinions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of the writers. | Class-action suit brought by Adriana Leon requires ICE to change policy on home raids .
Agents had stormed into Latino homes in middle of night, pulling people out of bed .
Leon: ICE agents terrified families and did not have permission or warrants .
Leon: ICE must be held to the same legal standards as everyone else to avoid abuses . |
210,785 | 9d05be4cb3cb18941b4ed4d672d1cd6cfe1727ff | The Geordie Shore ladies are best known for fashion faux pas and flashing some flesh on nights out, but cast member Marnie Simpson is bucking the trend with a demure clothing range. The former Miss Newcastle has teamed up with online retailer lasula.co.uk to offer shoppers the chance to copy her style and show the world that she can be taken seriously. The 22-year-old from South Shields said: 'I feel like girls my age are criticised for dressing too old or provocatively. I want to be able to dress nicely without looking like a total slapper, something which a lot of people just presume I am anyway without even giving me a chance.' Scroll down for video . Perfect match: Former Miss Newcastle Marnie Simpson models a co-ordinating jumper and trouser combo from her new range . Party time: The Geordie Shore star models a textured, sparkling evening dress . Although she enjoys a night out as much as any other 22-year-old, Marnie says she wants to be able to be able to dress nicely without looking cheap . 'You should be allowed to dress young and fun, without being accused of looking like a 'slut', says the budding designer . 'You should be allowed to dress young and fun, without being accused of looking like a ‘slut’, and that’s what Lasula have focused on with this collection.' Although Marnie was an outsider when she entered the MTV show in series 7 because of her understated style, the northern beauty is using the attention she gained to her advantage. The 45 piece collection includes jumpsuits, jackets and co-ords, with prices starting from £18. The beauty from South Shields was an outsider on the reality show because of her understated style . The Lasula range is also affordable, with prices starting from £18 and items available online . Marnie says she feels that girls her age are often criticised for dressing too provocatively . Marnie wanted to offer her fans a chance to emulate her style on the hit MTV show . Many items in the 45 piece collection are perfect for transitioning from day to night . According to the budding designer, the items are all perfect for transitioning from day to night. The reality star also used her launch as a way to promote the city, modelling her range in Newcastle's Royal Station Hotel, following backlash from Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah over the city's portrayal in the programme. | Former Miss Newcastle has teamed up with online retailer Lasula .
The 22-year-old says girls are criticised for dressing provocatively .
The 45 piece collection includes jumpsuits, jackets and co-ords .
Marnie was an outsider in series 7 because of her understated style .
The budding designer says the range is for transitioning from day to night . |
75,517 | d62c3f7a02dfddbe249af3747a56450beee3df25 | Houston, Texas (CNN) -- John Phillip Hernandez and a friend walked into the Collector's Firearms gun store in Houston, Texas, to buy a cache of weapons. Hernandez was wearing sunglasses and a dark T-shirt with the words "I Am the Scene" scrawled across the front. It was April 28, 2007. Collector's Firearms was one of two gun stores they visited that day as part of a scheme to arm Mexican cartels across the border, according to federal court documents. Hernandez's friend passed his background checks and did all the buying, prosecutors say. On that spring day, he purchased six weapons, including a quick-firing 7.62-caliber firearm and a favorite cartel weapon, the Bushmaster .223. Within days, ATF investigators say, those weapons were put on the road and funneled into the hands of cartel members. "The cartels are looking to supply their private armies, and they are coming up with more elaborate, larger schemes," said Dewey Webb, the special agent in charge of Houston's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field office. The Houston case offers a glimpse into the underworld of illegal gun trafficking and how Mexican drug cartels find much of their firepower in the United States. Straw purchases are made by people who are legally qualified to buy firearms, but those weapons then make their way into the hands of criminals, authorities said. The daily struggle plays out as drugs flow north and guns and money flow south. At least 55 murders were the result of the gun scheme that began in Houston gun shops, authorities said. Hernandez is at the center of the case, what Houston ATF agents say is one of the largest straw-purchasing schemes they have ever seen. "He doesn't stand out in a crowd," an ATF agent told CNN. "He's just a regular guy." The agent asked not to be identified because he's been intricately involved in the investigation of this case. Federal investigators say Hernandez recruited and organized 23 people around Houston. Together the men funneled nearly 340 firearms valued at almost $370,000 to Mexican drug cartels. ATF agents say almost 100 of those weapons have turned up at cartel-related crime scenes in Mexico and Guatemala. Hernandez pleaded guilty in 2009 to making false statements about firearms purchases. He's currently serving an eight-year prison sentence. Of the 23 other people connected to the case, 11 have pleaded guilty for their roles in the gun trafficking scheme. Each was sentenced to less than eight years in prison. Several others struck plea deals and continue to cooperate with federal authorities. What made this group so effective was its ability to appear like ordinary gun buyers. All the men had clean criminal backgrounds, authorities say. It wasn't until the firearms started showing up at violent crime scenes in Mexico that federal investigators started piecing together the magnitude of the case. ATF investigators, cooperating with Mexican authorities, traced the weapons back to various Houston gun shops and started seeing the same names of repeat customers. "It really surprised us at first that we had this many people linked together," said the ATF agent who spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal investigators say Hernandez and his men were reimbursed by the cartels for the money spent on the weapons, and then paid an extra $100 to $200 for each firearm they supplied. The weapons Hernandez purchased himself, according to federal court documents, were used in the kidnapping and murder of a prominent Mexican businessman. Another group of weapons turned up in a shooting known as the "Acapulco Massacre" in 2007. Seven people were slaughtered that day, including four police officers. ATF agents say breaking up these networks of straw purchasers in the United States is a key battlefront in the fight against Mexican drug cartels. "These folks that are out buying these guns, they're just as responsible as the people pulling the trigger and killing people in Mexico," said Webb, Houston's top ATF agent. | Guns smuggled to Mexico after sale in Houston-area gun stores .
At least 55 killings linked to gun trafficking scheme .
Twelve people have pleaded guilty for their roles in the gun scheme .
This story is part of the American Morning series "The Gun Trail" |
33,362 | 5eddceeaf011bd856222aeb471b293e77811ee0c | By . Margot Peppers . A mother-of-two from Bethesda, Maryland, has told how her five-year-old daughter was treated like she had a disease for wanting to eat healthy snacks at her summer camp. Caron Gremont wrote on the Huffington Post that at an orientation meeting, parents were shown the menu of snacks their children would be given at the camp, which consisted of a daily rotation of Oreos, Cheese-Its, Chips Ahoy, pretzels, cookies and cheese curls. When she asked that her daughter be given more healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, the counselors told her she could send the 'special' food to the nurse's office, where her child could collect it daily. A mother's concern: When Caron Gremont (second right) requested nutritional camp snacks for her daughter instead of cookies and chips, counselors treated her five-year-old's healthy eating habits like a disease . Unhealthy: The normal snack menu provided for campers consists of a daily rotation of cookies, chips, crackers and pretzels, and a serving of fruit only once a week . Ms Gremont, founder of child nutrition website First Bites, noted that singling out a child for eating healthily is a backwards step in a country where one-in-three children is overweight or obese. Since the camp children would be doing daily sports and activities, she asserted they would need 'a snack that provides them with energy and carries them from lunch to dinner'. She was shocked not only that the daily offering of snacks consisted of mainly crackers, cookies and chips, but that it featured a serving of fruit just once a week. After complaining to the head counselor, she was eventually sent to the camp nurse, who told her she could send in 'special' snacks for her daughter, which would be stored in the nurse's office. Every afternoon, the counselors said, her daughter could go to the nurse to collect her food. But Ms Gremont was disconcerted when she realized that her five-year-old's healthy eating habits were being treated like a disease. 'The camp was very happy to accommodate our "special" needs,' she wrote. 'What message does it send to tell my daughter she needs to get her "healthy food" from the camp nurse?' '[They] reassured me that with all the allergies today, our daughter wouldn't be the only one eating a "special" diet.' Surprisingly, when she asked whether other parents had made similar requests, Ms Gremont discovered that the camp only received 'one or two' complaints about the snacks per year. She notes that there is an irony in the fact that the American Medical Association officially classified obesity as a disease last week, yet her daughter was being singled out for healthy eating as if it were an irregular diet. 'My daughter doesn't think her diet is "special,"' she wrote. 'To her, it's normal. She eats a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day.' Instead of treating healthy children differently, Ms Gremont states that camps as well as schools and teachers have a duty to protect children, which includes keeping them safe at the snack table. Besides, she wrote: 'What message does it send to tell my daughter that to eat "healthy food," she needs to get her snack at the camp nurse every afternoon?' | Caron Gremont complained about the unhealthy snacks at her daughter's summer camp - a daily rotation of Oreos, Cheese-Its, cookies and chips .
Counselors told her she could send 'special' food to the nurse's office, where her five-year-old could collect it each day .
She notes that treating her daughter's healthy eating habits as abnormal is a backwards step in a country where one-in-three children is overweight or obese .
Shockingly, the camp informed Ms Gremont that they receive only one or two complaints per year about the lack of nutritional snacks . |
149,583 | 4d66cada1f2e1a9336cd7f195d3e7ffc96ac4cb1 | By . Paul Thompson . PUBLISHED: . 11:21 EST, 7 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:44 EST, 7 August 2012 . A four-year-old girl was beaten to death during a horrific punishment for dropping a meatball out of her Subway sandwich, her mother has claimed. Melanie Garcia, 21, brought Kayla Garcia to San Antonio's Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, where employees called Texas police when they saw the girl covered in bruises and cigarette burns. She initially said the injuries were caused by a fall, but she now claims her then-boyfriend Matthew Carrillo, 23, beat the child to death merely for dropping food on the floor. Gone: Kayla Garcia, 4, was beaten to death in May during a horrific disciplinary session for dropping a meatball out of her Subway sandwich, her mother has claimed . Accused: Melanie Garcia, 21, left, initially said the injuries were caused by a fall, but in court last week she claims her ex-boyfriend Matthew Carrillo, 23, right, beat the child to death for dropping food on the floor . The gruesome details were revealed when Miss Garcia gave evidence at a preliminary . hearing for her ex-boyfriend Matthew Carrillo according to the San Antonio Express-News. Both Carrillo and Garcia have . been charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child after Kayla . died from her injuries on May 9, 2012. Prosecutors in Houston, Texas, said they are considering bringing capital murder charges that could lead to the death penalty. Garcia told the court her boyfriend allegedly carried out the beating because her daughter had dropped a meatball from her sandwich as they walked home from a Subway restaurant. He had lived with the women for six months preceding the incident, officers told the MailOnline . She also said he was angry that she was walking too slow and when they reached home the punishment began. Carrillo then had the child pull down her pants and underwear and brace herself against a couch. Tragedy: Garcia brought Kayla Garcia to San Antonio's Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, where employees called police when they saw the girl covered in bruises and cigarette burns . Home: Carrillo lived with the women for six months at this San Antonio address preceding the incident . Sandwich: Both Carrillo and Garcia have been charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child after Kayla died from her injuries on May 9, 2012 . When the child threw herself to the floor as Carrillo struck her, he picked her up by one arm and began hitting her all over with his belt as she dangled in front of him, Garcia said. He then had her lift a phone book and a box parallel to the ground for an extended period, Garcia said. She claimed Carrillo slapped the child and pushed her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. When Garcia was rushed to hospital . after she stopped breathing doctors found her body covered in bruises, . including on her genitals, a burn on her thigh and her retinas hemorrhaging. Playful: Garcia also said Carrillo was angry at the girl for walking too slow and when they reached home the punishment began . Garcia said she told paramedics her daughter had hit her head after falling out of her toy wagon. She told the court Carrillo had ordered her to lie to authorities and was terrified of him and his family. 'She used to tell him that he was her best friend,' Garcia said through tears of her daughter and Carrillo, who was living with them at the time of the death. 'It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I love my daughter.' Lawyers for Carrillo said Garcia is bipolar and was cooperating with authorities to avoid any of the blame. She has two previous arrests for drug possession, documents show. Garcia said she was told by prosecutors she could still face charges. Beaten: Carrillo then had the child pull down her pants and underwear and brace herself against a couch . Child services were called to the couple's home in March of this year on child abuse accusations. 'We located the child and the mom, took photographs, interviewed the gentleman involved and we found nothing,' Mary Walker, an agency spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, said to the San Antonio Express-News. 'Although a case worker conducted a thorough investigation, no evidence of abuse was found at the time.' The investigation occurred only two months before Kayla died. 'It's absolutely tragic,' Mrs Walker said. 'Sometimes we see what they want us to see. We rely on people to tell us what's true, and that doesn't always work out.' Melanie Garcia was released from jail without bail after agreeing to submit to a lie detector test and to testify against Carrillo if necessary. Carrillo's bid to be freed from jail due to lack of probable cause was denied by Magistrate Judge Andrew Carruthers, but he did order his bond reduced from $200,000 to $100,000. Kayla was buried on May 16 in the San Fernando Cemetery. | Kayla Garcia, 4, died on May 9 after she was allegedly beaten by her mother's ex-boyfriend .
Melanie Garcia, 21, testified that Matthew Carrillo, 23, hit the girl repeatedly and lashed her with a belt for dropping a meatball out of her sandwich .
Texas Child services visited home two months before incident and found no evidence of abuse .
Both Carrillo and Garcia are on trial for causing serious bodily injury to a child . |
159,146 | 59b91262dc5f37f71b097c850a21ba5eb66605e2 | The death of a University of Louisville cheerleader this summer has been ruled a drug overdose, with police confirming she was found in the apartment of a popular freshman footballer who has since left the college. Danielle Cogswell, 22, was found dead July 28 in the off-campus Kentucky apartment of wide receiver Cameron Polk, who was later kicked off the team for an unrelated drug charge. Autopsy results have now shown Cogswell died of a lethal mix of heroin, amphetamines and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the police report obtained by WAVE3. Cogswell's sister said she star athlete had battled a drug problem for the last two years and had, as far as the sister knew, smoked heroin two weeks before her death. Autopsy: Dani Cogswell (right) died in July of a lethal mix of heroin, amphetamines and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the police report . Overdose: Cogswell, described as an 'elite athlete', went to sleep in the apartment of freshman footballer Cameron Polk (not pictured) on July 28 and never woke up, police said . A witness told police she seemed high and 'slow' the night before her body was found. She had been watching a movie with Polk in the bedroom of his apartment. Polk told police Cogswell fell asleep early in the morning and he left the bedroom, falling asleep himself in the living room. When he returned to bedroom about 9am, Polk said he found Cogswell unresponsive. He panicked and had a roommate call 911, WAVE3 reported. Police reported no foul play in the death of Cogswell during their initial investigation. On October 7, about 11 weeks after Cogswell's death, campus police entered Polk's apartment and found marijuana, hydrocodone pills and codeine syrup. Polk received a citation for trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of school as a result and was released by the school. Student housing: Dani Cogswell died in an apartment at Cardinal Towne north of the University of Louisville campus. Police have since confirmed it was the apartment of freshmen Cameron Polk . Dismissed: Wide receiver Cameron Polk, who was with Cogswell the night before she was found dead, has since been released from the university on a separate drug charge. He has not been charged in Cogswell's death . Disbelief: Friends of Cogswell, seen here with Drew Malone, are still in shock at her death . Beloved: Social media was flooded with messages of disbelief and grief at Cogswell's sudden death . Cogswell, who tranferred from the University of Arizona a year ago to be a part of the University of Louisville's cheerleading program, was described by the university's sports information director Kenny Klein as an 'elite athlete.' The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires regular drug testing for college athletes, but cheerleading is not part of the association and therefore team members do not undergo drug screenings, Klein told the Louisville Courier-Journal . 'Obviously we're devastated at the loss of Dani,' Klein said at a media conference.'She . was clearly, as you've seen from the photographs that are circulating, . beautiful on the outside but that paled in comparison to her inner . beauty. She was incredibly talented.''At . the University of Louisville, as most people know, our spirit program . is nationally and world-renowned. And Dani absolutely fit the bill for . one of our elite athletes. She is definitely at an elite status within . an elite program. She was on the upper echelon of our program here.' Troubled: Cogswell had issues with drugs dating back at least two years, her sister told police . Using the hashtag #RIPDani, countless friends, teammates and acquaintances expressed their sorrow at her death. 'My other half is gone. I know she will be watching over me,' wrote Daria Daspin. The university was unable to confirm any further details surrounding Cogswell's death. 'The University of Louisville spirit program is devastated to lose one of our beautiful and talented team members,' spirit coach Todd Sharp said in a statement. 'Dani had a contagious smile and a spirit that would ignite the room. She will be greatly missed.' | Cheerleader Danielle Cogswell was found dead in an apartment near the University of Louisville campus in July .
She was an UofL student and star athlete .
Autopsy revealed she died of a lethal mix of heroin, amphetamines and Xanax .
Police confirmed Cogswell was in the apartment of freshman footballer Cameron Polk at the time of her death .
Polk has since been dismissed from the university for an unrelated drug charge .
Polk has not been charged in Cogswell's death and police previously said they do not suspect any foul play . |
7,900 | 165a01ddb03ba724828f623270c8687a3fa483d6 | Washington (CNN) -- Here are six things you learned on "Inside Politics." 1. GOP jitters in Florida: The special House election in Florida's 13th Congressional District is Tuesday, but many plugged-in Republicans there are predicting defeat -- and are already finger pointing. It's a competitive district, but the seat has been in GOP hands for decades, so a win by Democrat Alex Sink would sting the GOP, and no doubt set off a round of debate about the party's midterm election strategy -- despite the fact history suggests the results of special elections often say very little about what will happen come November. Again, let's await the results. But already many Republicans involved in the race are complaining the party is falling short of its promise to make dramatic improvements in its use of data and technology to identify and turnout voters. 2. GOP outreach: Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times made note of another Republican promise being called into question. Remember after Mitt Romney's 2012 loss, there was a pledge for much more aggressive GOP outreach to younger voters, women, African Americans and Latinos. Maeve noted that at this weekend's big Conservative Political Action Conference "there was strikingly a lack of a message still at this point to these voter groups that they have had such a tough time with...They are going into all of these communities but they are still figuring out what they are going to say and so I think we need to watch very closely as to whether there is any evidence that they are making progress on that front." 3. Crushing his critics: Audie Cornish of National Public Radio noted the dramatic shift from Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell: usually silent about his primary opponent and conservative groups that attack him, now suddenly he vows to "crush them everywhere." In a new radio ad, McConnell specifically attacks the Senate Conservative Fund, which had made a name for itself the last few cycles by supporting primary challenges to GOP establishment figures. "So the gloves are not just off, they are in another room, they are under the bed," is Audie's take on the McConnell shift. "It just seems that they are going to go hard." 4. The right stuff?: Look for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to highlight his anti-abortion views as part of an effort to show the conservative GOP base it's unfair to dismiss him as just another Northeast moderate. Robert Costa of the Washington Post shares a conversation with Christie's top political operative. "All he was telling me about was Chris Christie's pro-life record and at CPAC we heard that from Chris Christie," Robert said. "My predictions is in the coming months as Christie continues to travel ... he's going to emphasize that pro-life record, looking ahead to Iowa and South Caroline in the 2016 campaign." 5. Deep chill: One person Christie apparently isn't interested in persuading is fellow Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. And vice versa. CNN's Peter Hamby took us behind the CPAC curtain to show how the deep chill between the two 2016 prospects continues. Christie is chairman of the Republican Governors Association; Jindal is the vice chairman. Both spoke at CPAC. "I'm told that these two didn't even cross paths backstage, there was no time set up to meet - even say hello in this green room where all these stars were crossing paths," Peter reports. "Jindal spoke right after Chris Christie and they didn't even talk afterward." A flashback to Jindal's frosty defense of Christie over Bridgegate a month ago: . 6. Hamlet on the Merrimack? Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and key allies are suddenly sending signals he intends to jump into the 2014 Senate race in New Hampshire. Brown has been debating for months about whether to challenge Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, torn, friends say, about whether he should instead run for president in 2016, or just forgo running for elective office again. Well a number of GOP sources in New Hampshire report receiving calls in recent days from Brown or his top allies, and there's word from GOP operatives that there are conversations about building a Senate campaign staff. So all systems are go? Not so fast. Because Brown has been pondering this for months, the GOP activists I spoke to say they won't believe it until he makes a public statement or files candidacy papers. The wait for Brown's final answer may be short. "I will make an announcement sooner, rather than later," he told Neil Cavuto of Fox News on Thursday. "Obviously, it's a very, very big decision --a very, very big decision for me and my family. And I'm going to make sure that I cross all T's and dot all I's. So it will be sooner, rather than later, and I'll certainly let everyone know. | The special election for Florida's 13th district is Tuesday and the GOP predicts defeat .
Republicans at CPAC had little to say to women, minority and young voters .
Chris Christie is to focus on his anti-abortion message .
Christie and Bobby Jindal have little to say to each other . |
126,792 | 2fe7b20f6264752ad5cb8c049279b806104b02b0 | Arrested: Boxer Jermaine Taylor allegedly threatened to shoot three children and their parents . A Little Rock woman said Tuesday that Jermain Taylor threatened to fatally shoot her 5, 3, and 1-year-old children, and that she knocked the gun away after the cursing middleweight boxing champion put the weapon to her husband's head. Toya Smith, 40, said she and her family were having a good time at the city's Martin Luther King Junior Day parade Monday when Taylor produced his boxing belt and asked to get a photo with her son. Smith says her family had never met Taylor before and that it appeared he had been drinking. 'He bent down to give my son the belt and he almost fell over and dropped the belt, and he thought my baby dropped the belt,' Smith said. She said Taylor — who already faces charges in an August shooting in Maumelle, Arkansas — produced a gun and fired two shots into the air and threatened to kill her husband. 'He put (the gun) up against his temple, I jumped in front of it and it went off up into the air,' injuring her husband's ear, Smith said. 'He was going to shoot him, but I saw it, he was going to kill him and I had to hit the gun.' Taylor's attorneys did not immediately return phone calls for comment Tuesday. A Little Rock police report says Taylor was arrested without incident and a gun was recovered. He is jailed on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a minor and drug possession. Boxing champion: Arthur Abraham (R) of Germany and Jermain Taylor (L) of the U.S. in action during the WBC Super Middleweight fight during the 'Super Six World Boxing Classic' in October 2009 . Accused of threatening children: Boxer Jermain Taylor, pictured at the Pulaski County Jail in Little Rock on August 27 2014, is accused of pointing a gun at a family on January 19 . Smith said she and her family tried to get into their car and leave, but Taylor continued pointing the gun toward the vehicle. 'He was pointing at the kids, so I jumped in front of him again and said 'please don't shoot my kids,"' Smith said. She said Taylor cursed, saying that he didn't care about the children or her and that he was going to kill her husband. Smith said her son and two daughters were unable to sleep and cried most of the night. Taylor, who won the International Boxing Federation middleweight title in October, faces first-degree battery and first-degree terroristic threatening charges in connection with the August incident in which Pulaski County sheriff's deputies say Taylor shot his cousin. He has pleaded not guilty in that case, and a trial has been set for June. | Toya Smith, 40, said a 'drunk' Jermain Taylor threatened to shoot her 5, 3, and 1-year-old children and that he put a gun to her husband's head .
Smith says Taylor asked to get a picture with her son and later accused the young son of dropping his boxing belt sparking anger .
'He bent down to give my son the belt and he almost fell over and dropped the belt, and he thought my baby dropped the belt,' Smith said .
She said Taylor, who already faces charges in an August shooting , produced a gun and fired two shots into the air . |
208,013 | 99503a2d7b0260cff042ed8f5f138c3908e9510e | Taking a moral stand: Prime Minister David Cameron said it was time to teach right from wrong . David Cameron last night called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead a return to the ‘moral code’ of the Bible. In a highly personal speech about faith, . the Prime Minister accused Dr Rowan Williams of failing to speak ‘to . the whole nation’ when he criticised Government austerity policies and . expressed sympathy with the summer rioters. Mr Cameron declared Britain ‘a Christian country’ and said politicians and churchmen should not be afraid to say so. He warned that a failure to ‘stand up . and defend’ the values and morals taught by the Bible helped spark the . riots and fuelled terrorism. At Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, . where Dr Williams used to teach, Mr Cameron said the time has come for . public figures to teach ‘right from wrong’, and questioned whether the . Church of England has done enough to defend those values in the face of . the ‘moral neutrality’ that pervades modern life. And taking aim at the Archbishop, Mr Cameron tackled head-on his public criticisms of the Government over the last 12 months. The speech was a bold Christmas gamble . by Mr Cameron. In making a speech about religion, he did something that . Tony Blair always longed to do but was talked out of by spin doctor . Alastair Campbell, who flatly told him: ‘We don’t do God.’ The clash between the Government and . Church is at its most acute since former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr . Robert Runcie clashed with Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s. The Prime Minister appeared emboldened . by his opinion poll bounce since his decision to wield the veto during . the Eurozone crisis summit in Brussels last week. Admitting that he had ‘entered the . lion’s den’ by addressing an audience of churchmen, Mr Cameron said: ‘I . certainly don’t object to the Archbishop of Canterbury expressing his . views on politics. Challenged: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, should take the lead in promoting Christian teachings, according to the Prime Minister . ‘But just as it is legitimate for religious leaders to make political comments, he shouldn’t be surprised when I respond. ‘I believe the Church of England has a . unique opportunity to help shape the future of our communities. But to . do so it must keep on the agenda that speaks to the whole country.’ At . an event to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King . James Bible, he said: ‘We are a Christian country and we should not be . afraid to say so. 'The Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values . and morals which make Britain what it is today. Values and morals we . should actively stand up and defend. ‘Whether . you look at the riots last summer, the financial crash and the expenses . scandal or the on-going terrorist threat from Islamist extremists . around the world, one thing is clear, moral neutrality or passive . tolerance just isn’t going to cut it any more. David Cameron said it was 'easier for people to practise other faiths when Britain had confidence in its Christian identity' ‘Put simply, for too long we have been unwilling to distinguish right from wrong. “Live and let live” has too often become “do what you please”. ‘Bad choices have too often been defended as just different lifestyles. To be confident in saying something is wrong is not a sign of weakness, it’s a strength.’ Mr Cameron’s demands for a ‘moral code’ were directed at human rights apologists and Left-wing politicians who recoil from promoting Britain’s Christian heritage. But they also covered the hand-wringing pronouncements of many senior churchmen, who refuse to condemn lawbreaking by rioters and show unwillingness to take on militant Islam for fear of offending Muslims. The PM said an ‘almost fearful, passive tolerance of religious extremism’ had let Islamic extremism grow unchallenged and called for the promotion of ‘Christian values’ saying it was ‘profoundly wrong’ to believe that promoting Christianity would ‘do down other faiths’. | PM said it's easier to be Jewish or Muslim in Britain than in a secular country like France .
Britons 'treasured' responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, .
self-sacrifice, love and pride in working for the common good, says PM .
Even admitted he was only a 'vaguely practising' Christian with 'full of doubts' about theological issues . |
54,984 | 9bc8f4e53dc5c9d9cffd676da7bedcbba1a5a114 | Do you struggle to keep your toes cosy in wintery weather? Now there’s an inconspicuous interactive insole that heats your feet and can be controlled using a smartphone app. Digitsole devices slip inside shoes and will allow wears to adjust the temperature of the insoles at the touch of a button, as well as count steps and calories burned, when they go on sale. Scroll down for video . Appy feet! Digitsole insoles (pictured) slip inside shoes connect to an app. They will allow wears to adjust the temperature at the touch of a button, as well as count steps and calories burned, when they go on sale . Charge the insoles via the built-in USB port. Switch the on/off button on the back of the insole, launch the app and connect it to your smartphone using Bluetooth. Select the warmth function on the app and adjust the temperature of each insole by sliding the bar up and down. You can track how many steps you take during the day as well as the altitude. The app also counts how many calories have been burned. The company, based in Nancy, France, claims its lightweight insole is the first wholly connected design of its type and fits into most types of shoes. The heating element of the insole is a secret, but the company told MailOnline that it's located in the toe and that the specially-engineered fabric spreads the heat throughout the sole. Digitsoles are made from a lightweight material called Neotech. They will be charged using a USB port and will connect to an Android and iOS app via Bluetooth 4.0. Once connected, a user will be able to access the ‘warm up function’ on the app. There, they will adjust the temperature of each insole separately by sliding a bar on the screen up and down. Getting warmer: Once connected, a user will be able to access the ‘warm up function’ on the app to adjust the temperature of each insole separately, by sliding a bar on the screen up and down (pictured) Not so shocking: The insoles have a ‘shock heel system’ (pictured) to help with general posture and foot health, the company claims. They are made from a lightweight material called Neotech . Weight: 3.5 ounces (100 grams) Measurements: Half an inch (1.3cm) thick at the heel and less than 0.25 inches (0.5cm) at the toe . Materials: Neotech and Poron . Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 . Maximum heat: 40°C (104°F) Heat regulation: Thermostat . Distance measurements: Miles or metres . Battery life: Seven to eight hours, recharged via twin USB chargers . Sizes: 36 to 46 . Cost: $99 (£78) ‘This unique independent adjustment allows you to get the perfect temperature setting for each of your feet,’ the company says on its Kickstarter page, where it is looking for funds to put the insoles into production. Once the temperature of an insole drops below the chosen setting, a built-in thermostat adjusts it to maintain the temperature. The insoles have sensors inside to provide precise tracking, which their creators say are more accurate than exercise wristbands. Users can enter their weight and height when they first log in to the app to keep track of how many calories they burn and how many steps they take while using Digitsoles. The insoles have a ‘shock heel system’ to help with general posture and foot health, the company claims. This consists of a cushion section placed at the back of the insole to soften shock and spread vibrations of the foot, and a ‘flex zone section’ at the front of the insole to encourage natural movement of feet and provide arch support. The insoles are available to pre-order on crowd funding website Kickstarter, from $99 (£60) and are expected to be shipped in December. Multipurpose: Users can choose how warm to make their insoles using the 'warm the feet' function of the app (pictured left), track how many steps they have taken and metres walked (pictured centre) and document how many calories they have burned while wearing the insoles . Flexible: Digitsole has been designed to be thin, comfortable and easy to place in most shoe types so you only need one pair. 'The insoles can be used in just about any shoe...so you can enjoy warm feet whatever you’re doing,' the company said . Good to go: The insoles, which will be sold for $99 on Kickstarter, can be charged by using a built in USB-port . | Digitsole devices slip inside different kinds of shoes and are rechargeable .
The insoles connect to an app so users can change their temperature .
Insoles also have sensors to track footsteps and calories burned .
French company behind the design claims it has come up with the first wholly connected design of its type, using a secret heating element .
Heat spreads from the front of the insoles throughout via the material .
They can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter for $99 (£60) |
225,131 | af8a93ec432027b58701f80bb49ac6fd76894e7e | (CNN) -- Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Poland over the signing of an international treaty to enforce intellectual property rights on the Internet. Police said more than 10,000 people have taken part in the countrywide protests, which began Wednesday and are set to continue Friday. A group of lawmakers in parliament also protested the signing Thursday in Tokyo by the Polish ambassador to Japan. The legislation must be ratified by the Polish parliament before coming into effect. Protesters held signs and banners reading "No to ACTA." Their protests were largely peaceful, though there were a few skirmishes in the city of Poznan, where protesters threw bottles at police. Activists hacked several websites, including that of the prime minister, to protest the signing. The activists say the treaty -- called ACTA, or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement -- amounts to Internet censorship. The European Commission describes ACTA as a "major initiative" designed to fight piracy and the counterfeiting of goods at the international level. It says the agreement would not censor or shut down websites and, unlike the SOPA bill recently put on hold in the U.S. Congress, it would not change legislation. ACTA allows criminal procedures and penalties to be applied in cases of counterfeiting and piracy, such as the unauthorized copying of movies. Penalties would be applied to offenders as well as those guilty of "aiding and abetting" the crime. The actual penalties would be up to the individual countries that have signed onto ACTA. SOPA, introduced by the U.S. House of Representatives, and a sister bill in the Senate called PIPA, aim to crack down on copyright infringement by restricting access to websites that host or facilitate the trading of pirated content. CNN's Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report. | The bill would fight counterfeiting and piracy .
Opponents say it amounts to Internet censorship .
Poland signed the treaty Thursday . |
70,347 | c76df1450ed2e85907b2c35ace630e2fd21e4d1c | A unique collection of images beautifully illustrating the southern hemisphere's most amazing wildlife will be featured in an Australian gallery exhibition throughout October and November. Photographers from across the globe will be vying for the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year award, which recognises the most outstanding images taken from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Antarctica across 10 categories. Curators from the South Australian Museum will exhibit the works from October 10, before a winner is awarded the top prize of $10,000. In considering entries judges will take in to account the region in which the image was taken, as well as technique, aesthetics, and the artistic and unique quality of all images. South Australian Museum Exhibition Manager Tim Gilchrist said: 'Every image offers the viewer an opportunity to explore a new region or discover a new species they might never otherwise be introduced to.' He said the competition encourages awareness of biodiversity and conservation in a fascinating and important part of the world. The Editor-in-Chief of Australian Geographic Chrissie Goldrick said: 'This year's shortlist delivers a powerful statement about the diversity of the ANZANG region as perfectly executed portraits of miniscule invertebrates stand side by side with awe inspiring images of our largest and most majestic marine mammals. Gentle Touch: As these nankeen kestrels mate, the male balances on the female’s back with its claws pointed inward, careful not to pierce the female’s delicate skin. Credit: Ofer Levy, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition. Stunned Mullet: An eastern osprey takes to the air with a large mullet in its talons. Ospreys carry their prey parallel while in flight, reducing air resistance. Mark Sanders, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . A mid-air drink: Southern Kimberley temperatures exceeded 40ºC for weeks and the wildlife was severely stressed. For thirsty birds, a dripping tap was an irresistible attraction. Some timed their approach with enough precision to snatch drops in mid-air. Steve Wilson, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Young Nankeen Kestrel hovering: I followed a pair of nankeen kestrels which nested near a deserted soccer field. When their young fledged, they practised their hunting skills close to the nesting site, typically hovering about 10-20 metres above the field searching for insects and other small creatures. Ofer Levy, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Regent Flight: This male regent bowerbird was photographed at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat where these birds are used to people and offer great photo opportunities. Only the male has the beautiful bright colours. He typically builds a big bower where he tries to impress the females and mate with as many of them as possible during the breeding season. Ofer Levy, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Soldier Crab Flamenco: These soldier crabs were poised near the entrance to a burrow. It looked as though they were comparing body size, and the clear disparity between them meant that the conflict was resolved without a fight. Similarly sized rivals tend to fight to determine who is going to occupy a burrow. Ofer Levy, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Australian Emperor Dragonfly: Australian emperor dragonflies are large, fiercely territorial and are found all over Australia. I spotted this individual sitting poised for take-off among the plants in my grandparents’ garden. Ian Bool, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Fluorescent Landscape: Starry cup coral shows its colouration at high magnification under full-spectrum lights. Corals, similarly to numerous other tropical marine invertebrates, owe their remarkable colours to special fluorescent pigments. Fluorescent colours become apparent only under natural underwater illumination. Daniel Stoupin, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Some you win and some you lose: The egrets that come in to fish on the mudflats near the Cairns Esplanade each evening are able to pluck fish after fish from the shallow waters with an alarming rate of success. As worrying as this must be for the fish, it sets the scene for some amazing photographs. Cameron Fletcher, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Newborn: This smooth-skinned, newborn calf was less than a day old. You can still see the folds where it had been tightly wrapped in a foetal position. Scott Portelli, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Collective: Hidden away on the coast of Western Australia, the town of Jurien Bay is home to a number of Australian sea lion colonies. Young females congregate on the beaches in harems controlled by a large single male or beach master. Scott Portelli, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Praise to the Rain: The other roos had seen this many times and merely sat drenched and depressed waiting for the storm to pass. The young bucks had something to prove, rearing back onto their tails to intimidate each other into submission. Charles H Davis, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Mako Head: A poignant reminder of the controversy created by the sport of game fishing and the emotional reaction that such a sight can provoke. However, this mako shark did not die in vain, as it was used for scientific research on the species. Kirsten Woodforth, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Rainbow Rebirth at Dusk: I was taking photos of the Murray River at night when I noticed this cicada on a nearby tree. Preparing my camera, I waited for the perfect moment when the elegant cicada filled the frame. Nicholas Volpe, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Back from fishing: A pair of eastern ospreys took up fishing in my local river for two weeks. After finding their favourite fishing spot, I spent a few hours taking photographs of them while I was cloaked in camouflage. Fatih Sam, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Blizzard: I was a member of the Australian Antarctic Expedition on the East Antarctic fast ice when a nasty blizzard arrived. As we made our way to the safety of our ship, the dark shapes of a huddle of Adélie penguins could just be discerned amid the starkly beautiful icy landscape. Andrew Peacock, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Beach quokkas: I found these two quokkas on the beach at sunset foraging for food. They were not shy towards people, no doubt used to being fed. Coming in looking for scraps, they got so curious that later I had to clean off little nose marks they had left on my lens. Charles H Davis, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Gibber Ghost Gum: I took this photo of a ghost gum around Windorah in gibber country. It was early morning and the rocks in the foreground cast big, long shadows. I like that the roots stick out like a person’s remains are there; it makes it a real ghost gum. Rory O’Chee, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Houseboat: These old boats left in Antarctica are a reminder of its terrible whaling past. The boats were abandoned with no thought of their impact on the environment. At Port Lockroy, these Gentoo penguins have embraced a decaying whale boat as their own while they shed their adolescent down feathers. Kirri Cetinich, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . The Surfacing: A humpback whale surfaces on the northern Austral winter migration. The whale had begun to exhale before breaking the surface, leaving a progressive trail of bubbles. Pam Osborn, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Crimson Tidepool: I had been trying to capture images of these waratah anemones for several weeks but hadn’t had the perfect day. On this particular day the morning mist created a beautiful sun halo, and, as I took this shot, a gull flew right through the Sun’s orb. Matthew Smith, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition . Princess Parrot: Wild Life Sydney Zoo in Darling Harbour has a flock of seven princess parrots that fly free around the urban zoo. Surveying them in the wild is very difficult as they are highly nomadic; it is believed that the captive population now outnumbers those left in the wild. Angela Robertson-Buchanan, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition. Salinity by Twilight: During winter this parched lake gains water that runs down from surrounding paddocks which have all been cleared for crops. Without any exit creeks, it sits still and slowly evaporates during summer, with salt growths and crystals forming on the dead trees. Keith Lightbody, Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition. | The images have been entered into the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of Year competition .
The images represent the different types of biodiversity living in the Australia, PNG, NZ and Antarctica regions .
Winner of the award will be crowned the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year .
There are 10 categories, with the winner of each receiving $1000 and the overall winner $10,000 .
Images will be exhibited at the South Australian Museum from October 10 through to November 28 . |
1,344 | 03d07c53ccb9457f3a27b93a8fa942d0ca90d996 | (CNN) -- The question may have been lost in translation, but a visibly angry Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bluntly told a town-hall meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, "I will you tell you my opinion, I'm not going to channel my husband." Hillary Clinton became visibly angry after a translator asked what Bill Clinton would think regarding an issue. The unscripted moment happened as Clinton spoke to students at a Congolese university in Kinshasa, the Congo capital. A male student rose to ask a question about Chinese financial contracts with Congo. The student asked Clinton what President Obama would think of the deal, but pool reporters in the room said the translator made a mistake, posing the question as what would Bill Clinton think. Clinton looked surprised when she first heard the translation in the headset, and then sharply replied, "You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state, I am. You ask my opinion. I will tell you my opinion; I'm not going to channel my husband." Watch Clinton react to question » . At the State Department, Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley said the question she heard "struck a nerve," that her opinion on the matter was apparently of less interest than that of her husband, the former president. Crowley told CNN that Clinton's answer must be considered in the context of her African trip. "The secretary of state is going to Goma Tuesday, to draw attention to the plight of women who are victims of rape as a weapon of war" in Congo, Crowley said. "She did react to what she heard," Crowley explained, but regardless that the interpreter may have gotten it wrong, "you can't separate the question from the setting." He said "If Africa, if Congo is going to advance, women have to play a more significant role. She was in the setting of a town hall, and the questioner was interested in what two men thought, not the secretary of state." Crowley, who has just returned to Washington after traveling with Clinton during the first part of her trip to Africa, said the State Department has not yet reviewed recordings of the original question, in French, to learn whether the student clearly intended the question to refer to Obama, not former President Clinton. "She did talk with the student afterward, and they seemed to have reached an understanding," Crowley said. | Question at town-hall meeting may have been an error of translation .
When translator posed question, they asked for Bill Clinton's thoughts .
Clinton responded: "I will tell you my opinion; I'm not going to channel my husband"
State Department: Question "struck a nerve," that her opinion was of less interest . |
114,978 | 206362e5ddd211c874f432a290e67dec5e61bcac | Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. military is gearing up for a possible influx of Haitians fleeing their earthquake-stricken country at an Army facility not widely known for its humanitarian missions: Guantanamo Bay. Soldiers at the base have set up tents, beds and toilets, awaiting possible orders from the secretary of defense to proceed, according to Maj. Diana Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. "There's no indication of any mass migration from Haiti," Haynie stressed. "We have not been told to conduct migrant operations." But the base is getting ready "as a prudent measure," Haynie said, since "it takes some time to set things up." Guantanamo Bay is about 200 miles from Haiti. Currently, military personnel at the base are helping the earthquake relief effort by shipping bottled water and food from its warehouse. In addition, Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the Navy has set up a "logistics field," an area to support bigger ships in the region. The military can now use that as a "lily pad" to fly supplies from ships docked at Guantanamo over to Haiti, he said. "Guantanamo Bay proves its value as a strategic hub for the movement of supplies and personnel to the affected areas in Haiti," Haynie said. As part of the precautionary measures to prepare for possible refugees, the Army has erected 100 tents, each holding 10 beds, according to Haynie. Toilet facilities are nearby. If needed, hundreds more tents are stored in Guantanamo Bay and can be erected, she said. The refugees would be put on the leeward side of the island, more than 2 miles from some 200 detainees being held on the other side, Haynie said. The refugees would not mix with the detainees. Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay is responsible for planning for any kind of Caribbean mass immigration, according to Haynie. In the early 1990s, thousands of Haitian refugees took shelter on the island, she said. | Soldiers at the base have set up tents, beds and toilets .
Refugees would be placed more than 2 miles from detainees .
No current indication of a "mass migration" from Haiti . |
19,025 | 35db7bb529e736891f1e4803d26b7cf8ae248c8c | A pensioner has lost a bitter legal battle with a multi-millionaire Tory peer over a patch of land next to his recycling yard that he has used for more than 17 years. Tom McAllister, 68, said he decided to clear the disused plot, which was used as a dumping ground, after he was unable to find the legal owner in government records. But lawyers insisted the land in Rigside, Lanarkshire, belonged to the estate of David Douglas-Home, son of ex-Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home, and took legal action against Mr McAllister. Tom McAllister, right, said he decided to clear the disused plot, which was used as a dumping ground, after he was unable to find the legal owner in government records. Lawyers said it belonged to Lord Home (left) Mr McAllister, who runs a pallet recycling firm, said he spent around £10,000 clearing the 0.3 acre site and had been using it to park his trailers and to hand out free firewood to the local community. Lawyers acting for Lord Home, former chairman of private bank Coutts & Co, said the land was part of the Douglas Estate, and an adjoining estate owned by the Carmichael family. Mr McAllister was ordered to vacate the site in Rigside, Lanarkshire, but appealed all the way to the Court of Session where judges have now found in Lord Home's favour. Today, Mr McAllister told of his disappointment at the outcome and said he was bracing himself to be thrown off the land. He said: 'I can't believe I was dragged to court over this in the first place but when the decision went against us we decided to take it all the way. 'This will mean that I will be thrown off the land and it will cost me a fortune. Mr McAllister, who runs a pallet recycling firm, pictured above, said he spent around £10,000 clearing the 0.3 acre site and had been using it to park his trailers and to hand out free firewood to the local community . In a written judgement, Lord Carloway found that the two estates had a valid title to the land near Mr McAllister's business (above) as he could not produce definitive evidence that it was owned by another party . 'I have been portrayed as a squatter but I have looked after the land for 17 years when nobody else was bothering with it. 'It's a piece of land which is of no use to the estate but they have been determined to remove me from it. I'm really disappointed, I think it's ridiculous.' He added: 'We have been here for 17 years and have spent a lot of time and money clearing the site which was previously a dumping ground. 'We checked with the Registers of Scotland and couldn't find a clean title for the land so we decided to clear it ourselves. 'We use the site to park trailers and to dispense fire wood for free to the local community, which is much appreciated in an area of high unemployment.' In a written judgement, Lord Carloway found that the two estates had a valid title to the land as Mr McAllister could not produce definitive evidence that it was owned by another party. Lord Home had earlier sparked fury by brokering a deal to let Scottish Coal mine his land in Lanarkshire for a fee. In 2012 environmental protesters invaded the ground of his mansion on the estate and dug up his lawn. Yesterday, no one from Douglas and Angus Estates, Lord Home's family business that manages the estate, was available for comment. The estate's factor Henry Birch has previously said that they believe they are the legal owners of the land along with the Carmichael estate and had offered in the past to lease it to Mr McAllister. Legacy: Lord Home is the son of former Tory Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home, pictured above . The Douglas family's connections can be traced back to 767 AD when Sholto Duglass 'turned' a battle in favour of King Solvathuis. But it is William Douglas, born in 1174, who is widely acknowledged as the founder of the Black Douglas family and the Douglas Estates. The Earls of Home can boast similar lineage to the Douglases. The family are associated with the Hirsel Estate, which was purchased from Sir William Ker in 1611 by the first Earl of Home. The two families and the two estates came together in 1832 when Lady Lucy Montagu Douglas married Cospatrick Alexander Home – the 11th Earl of Home. The union resulted in the joining of the Estates – geographically separate, but run as a single integrated trading business. The set-up is one that remains today. The estates are focused on the Hirsel at Coldstream and Douglas in South Lanarkshire, extending to about 36,000 acres. The Douglas Estate in South Lanarkshire has been the seat of the Douglas family for some 800 years. But the fortunes of the estate ebbed and flowed with each generation. Douglas Castle, which once stood on the estate, was sieged, destroyed, burnt down before it was finally demolished in 1938 – leaving behind it only the remains of Castle Dangerous (built in 1457). In 1689 James, Earl of Angus, raised the Cameronian Regiment - later to be known as the Scottish Rifles - at Braidlea in Douglas. The Regiment served both their country for 300 years before being disbanded at Douglas in 1968. Source: Douglas and Angus Estates . | Tom McAllister cleared disused plot of land next to his recycling business .
The 68-year-old said he could not find legal owner in government records .
But lawyers said patch belongs to Lord Home, son of Alec Douglas-Home .
Judge ruled in Lord Home's favour after he took Mr McAllister to court . |
144,028 | 463ef1eebeb0de4e923e7decf95aa5c4178035f9 | James Arthur Ray, pictured during his trial, said yesterday he wishes he could trade places with three people killed in sweat lodge at a retreat he led . A self-help author who led an Arizona sweat lodge that left three people dead said he wishes he could trade places with the victims. James Arthur Ray was convicted on three counts of negligent homicide and served 20 months in prison until his release in July this year. In his first interview since being freed he said he haunted by what happened. The deaths occurred in 2009 after dozens of people traveled to a scenic retreat outside Sedona, Arizona, for his five-day 'Spiritual Warrior' event in which participants endured fasts and sleep-deprivation. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, New York, and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee died in the sweat lodge, which consisted of trees covered with tarpaulins and blankets over hot coals . Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, slipped into a coma and died after more than a week in the hospital. Eighteen others were injured suffering from ailments including burns, dehydration, breathing problems, kidney failure, or elevated body temperature. Ray told CNN's Piers Morgan yesterday: 'If I could trade places with any of the three, James Kirby or Liz, I would do it.' Ray made millions from his self-help business and as a motivational speaker and appeared on Larry King Live. He says he has lost his fortune but insists 'hurting' people he had tried to help is more difficult. He told CNN: 'It's just the antithesis of anything that I had ever stood for or wanted. And so that anguish has continued every single day since that moment.' A further 18 people were injured in the sweat lodge that can be seen on the bottom left of this shot of the Angel Valley Retreat Center, near Sedona, Arizona . Kirby Brown (left) and James . Shore (right, with wife Alyssa) both died in the two-hour sweat . lodge ceremony . Participants paid more than $9,000 each to attend the retreat and the sweat lodge was planned as the highlight. Ray acknowledged he was responsible for the deaths, but offered no excuses for his lack of action as the chaos unfolded at the sweat lodge. Liz Neuman, 49, fell into a coma and died in hospital a week after the ceremony . He and his attorneys maintained that he wasn't aware people were dying or in distress, or he would have stopped the ceremony. Survivors said people were vomiting and lying unconscious on the ground. The families of victims have spoken openly against Ray ever rebuilding his self-help business. Ms Neuman's daughter Andrea Puckett previously said: ''Ideally, we don't want [Ray] doing anything in the industry anymore. 'I don't think he has the right to work with people. If he does move forward with that, I hope people become aware of what he did and he changes the way that he handles his seminars and his teachings.' He has said he will not conduct a sweat lodge again but since his release has set up another self-help blog. The self-described 'thought leader' wrote: 'The last four years of my life have been the most painful and difficult of my entire existence; and yet they’ve also been an incredible and amazing adventure. 'Sometimes you must experience something completely ugly to find the beautiful.' | James Arthur Ray served 20 months in prison for negligent homicide .
Three died and 18 people were injured in 2009 sweat lodge ceremony .
In post-release interview, Ray said he is anguished every day . |
91,398 | 018d43ff7338ddd489c5ad5591c47ea1b411300d | (CNN) -- Every morning before riding, Gary Stevens has to walk four miles. The walk is a necessity, the only way the 51-year-old can get his ailing knees slowly warmed up and working, capable of dealing with the demands on those damaged joints of riding some of the world's best horses at speeds of up to 45 mph. When the American first retired in 2005, he had enough money in the bank from a glittering riding career to kill any thought of a comeback. Then there was the ensuing broadcasting career, not to mention acting forays in the movie "Seabiscuit" and the television series "Luck." But he finds himself back in the saddle. "This is middle-aged crazy," he says -- and without cracking a smile, all too aware of the risks being taken. One only has to watch the clip of him being trampled like a rag doll in the 2003 Arlington Million race, suffering a punctured lung and a fractured vertebra in his back, to see that. "People retire and play golf or go fishing. This is my fishing. I never thought I'd say so at this time of my life but I'd rather be on the race track than on the golf course, and I like golf," says Stevens, who started racing again at the start of last year. "And the 50s are the new 30s right? Anyway, I'm not the only old guy out there. Look, you've got Fred Couples in golf and he's doing alright." But his return demanded sacrifices. Stevens had to shed the equivalent of 10 bags of sugar off his body and get down to a racing weight of 114 lbs (51.7 kg) in a grueling two-month training regime. In addition, his knees are damaged to the point he knows he will need surgery to replace them. "You don't realize how good it is until it's gone," he told CNN, explaining his decision to retire. "Being retired allowed me to look back and actually enjoy some of the great things that had been accomplished in my first career. I was like 'wow.' If you won a big race, you could never rest on your laurels as there was the next day, the next race. "Then there were the injuries and always thinking and obsessing, 'When will I get back?' I realized how good it was and I asked myself, 'Can I do it again?' "I didn't want to come back and tarnish what I'd done in the past. I wanted to come back at a high level." Sporting comebacks don't generally tend to end well. Stevens, though, has provided a Hollywood epilogue befitting his secondary career on the silver screen. Last year, he won 69 races including the prestigious Preakness Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic, and he is fast approaching 5,000 career victories on American soil alone. He notched up $100 million in winnings by the age of 30, and he is now nearer the $225 million mark. There are parallels between Stevens and another giant of flat racing, Lester Piggott, who famously returned to the saddle aged 55 -- in his case after a year in prison for tax evasion. Much like Stevens, his success was almost immediate, the British rider capping his return by winning the Breeders' Cup Mile within 10 days of his return. "It's funny," says Stevens, "but no-one's actually asked me about the Lester link before. The way he rode that Breeders' Cup, arguably one of the best rides of his career, making all the right moves at the right time. So my thought was, 'If he can do it and I'm younger, then why not.' The guy was a bit of an inspiration." Luck has also played a part in Stevens' return to the saddle. He had previously been enjoying an acting career in the Michael Mann-directed TV series "Luck" alongside the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, but it was cut short before the second season began due to concerns over animal safety. "If that hadn't been axed, I'm not sure I'd be doing this," he says. "I was all set to meet in makeup the next day at 4.30 a.m. when I got an email saying it might be scrapped. "Via a couple of phone calls a few minutes later, sure enough, it was over. I was just lost, it was like losing a family member. In that first week, I made the decision to come back." Stevens will forever be grateful for his acting career -- he describes it as one of "two dream jobs I've had" -- but it has also acted as Cupid for him, having met his wife Angie on the first day of filming "Seabiscuit." "I turned up on the set and this lady appeared as a silhouette. She said, 'You look lost,' and I was like, 'I need to find where I'm supposed to be.' I explained I was playing George Woolf and she showed me to my trailer." He did not lay eyes on her for the next five months but, as the movie wrapped up, they met again, went for dinner and the rest is history. Such Hollywood-esque nuggets are littered throughout the life of the man from Caldwell, Idaho. There was the hip condition called Perthes syndrome that forced him to wear a metal brace for 19 months at the age of seven, his decision to drop out of high school in 1979 to become a jockey -- also the year he won his first race -- difficulties with alcohol in his career, and now the ongoing return to the sport of kings: all quite remarkable for a grandfather. But he argues he is currently at his happiest. "It's an unbelievable ride, better than the first time around," he says. "It's been very gratifying as I don't think people expected me to come back at the level I did. I didn't expect it. But I'm very hard on myself and motivated so I made it happen. That was the thing missing in my life, I just didn't have anything to push myself." How is the Stevens Mark II in his own mindset as a jockey? "I think I'm better in the sense that my broadcast work has made me more analytical," he adds. "I really think watching racing for seven years has developed my skills. "It's been crazy, what a journey, hey? If it ends tomorrow I'd be a happy guy. My life is more than half over and it's been a good life." The Hollywood ending, it would seem, has already been sealed. | Stevens is relishing life in the saddle having returned to being a jockey past his 50th birthday .
Injury forced his original retirement and he'd been enjoying an acting career .
But the lure of horse racing proved too much and he has returned in some style .
He argues his role as a broadcaster has enabled him to become a better jockey . |
62,970 | b2e692b5ce8fab087fce5527aa14d1e729baeb70 | By . Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 16:44 EST, 14 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:16 EST, 15 April 2013 . Labour heavyweights have piled further pressure on Ed Miliband to clarify his policies and stop protesting about everything the Government does. Three former Cabinet ministers – John Reid, David Blunkett and Tessa Jowell – yesterday urged the Labour leader to follow Tony Blair’s advice and offer a positive alternative for voters rather than simply criticising the status quo. Lord Reid, who held nine Cabinet posts, said Labour will not be ready for government until it spells out policies on key issues. Policies: Ed Miliband has tried to downplay Tony Blair's assertion that Labour has become a ‘repository for people’s anger’ ‘I think what [Mr Miliband] now has to do is to set out the direction of future Labour government on questions like welfare, on the economy, on housing and so on,’ he said. ‘The important thing is to recognise that, as you move from the politics of opposition to the politics of a potential government, that you have to be offering solutions and not just criticising the status quo.’ Lord Reid also dismissed the view of Mr Miliband and his guru Lord Wood of Anfield that the political centre ground is shifting to the Left. Mr Blair last week wrote a lengthy critique of the direction Mr Miliband has taken the party, warning that Labour has become a ‘repository for people’s anger’. But Mr Miliband dismissed the concerns saying his ‘One Nation Labour’ wants to look to the future not the past. In an article yesterday David Blunkett said Mr Blair and others were trying to provoke debate about the party’s future. In a Sky News interview the former home secretary said Labour would be ‘literally going nowhere’ if senior members could not voice their views. Mr Blunkett said: ‘We’ve got to have the confidence to be able to say where we’re going, not just a narrative about what the Government is doing.’ He added: ‘One Nation cannot and should never be simply the avoidance of the most obvious injustice or collective suicide. It has to be about a great deal more than politics built on grievance and the unhappiness of a resentful and selfish public sphere.’ Former culture secretary Dame Tessa Jowell said Tony Blair still had a lot to offer British politics and compared him to Bill Clinton. She said: ‘If it is simply a kind of combustible relationship where any intervention by Tony Blair is seen as unwelcome, unhelpful … then I think that is destructive. ‘If you take someone like Bill Clinton … he is a kind of honoured, experienced older statesman that still has value and currency … and I think exactly the same applies to the Labour party now and Tony Blair.’ A multi-millionaire former tax exile, who has pledged up to £1million to help Mr Miliband win the next election, said the Labour leader was ‘committed to making a difference’. Property magnate Andrew Rosenfeld gave £500,000 last year. The latest pledge could see him become Labour’s biggest backer outside the unions. Mr Rosenfeld made an estimated £100million before spending five years in Switzerland, a move he insists was for lifestyle reasons. While there, he paid Swiss taxes but not British capital gains or income tax. Mr Miliband has attacked ‘predatory’ capitalists, tax avoidance and the use of offshore tax havens, and acceptance of the money will lead to accusations of hypocrisy from the Conservatives. Observations: Dame Tessa Jowell, pictured, has compared Tony Blair's status now to that of Bill Clinton . | Three former Cabinet ministers urged leader to clarify what he stands for .
John Reid, David Blunkett and Tessa Jowell said follow Tony Blair's advice .
ED Miliband fell and broke his left wrist a week ago while walking in the hills above Dartmouth, Devon, aides revealed yesterday. He had a minor operation to set the broken bone. |
155,596 | 551ff98a39c767b9641a40609f02e26354feab07 | (CNN) -- Don't run, Hillary. Nobody is saying the former secretary of state, New York senator, U.S. and Arkansas first lady, and Yale-trained attorney is not qualified for the White House. In fact, she may have one of the most impressive résumés to ever be submitted for the job. Clinton has a breadth of experience that indicates she has every capability needed to be president of the United States. But it is time for America to move on. The first argument against another Clinton candidacy is generational. Baby boomers need to release their arthritic fingers from the torch of leadership and pass it off to another generation. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama will have accounted for 24 years of the presidency by 2016, which seems more than sufficient. Clinton's election potentially extends boomer influence in a manner that risks creating a generation gap that further increases political disaffection among young voters. Age is another important consideration, regardless of howls of outrage on this question by her supporters. Clinton would be 69 when she raised her right hand for the oath of office. She would be the second-oldest person to become president -- younger than Ronald Reagan by several months. The pressures of the White House amplify the afflictions of time. Arguably, an optimal president combines an earned wisdom and natural intellect with the residual energy of youth. No one does this by turning 70 during their first year as president, which would be Clinton's status. How long can Hillary Clinton wait? Although doctors pronounced her perfectly healthy after a recent scare with a blood clot on the brain, the probabilities of geriatric disease in office are very real for someone who might be 77 at the end of a second term. Reagan's comportment during his last years suggests that he had already begun moving behind the veil of Alzheimer's. This is not ageism. An accumulation of years defines our range of capabilities, physically and intellectually, and the Clintons as well as the nation need to confront the question of whether a person in their mid-70s is the best to serve as president. The obvious answer is no. There is, nonetheless, no underestimating the cultural importance of the first female president and the glory it will bestow upon history's grandest democracy. The Democratic Party, too, will have an interest in being the political organization that gave the country its first female as well as African-American presidents. Clinton, who is properly positioned with experience, has other challenges that impede her getting a chapter in future textbooks as the first woman in the Oval Office. America is weary of limited political choices and dynasties. A second Clinton presidency might culminate in 28 years of Clinton-Bush control. We are, more than ever, a nation that desperately needs to renew itself with what is different and hopeful and visionary. Unfortunately, there is too much that is predictable with a second Clinton candidacy. No one needs a time machine to look into the future and see the grainy video in TV attack ads with a baritone voice rattling on about Benghazi or mumblings about how her husband enriched himself by accumulating a net worth of $55 million since leaving office. Hillary on possible presidency: 'I'm realistic' "Don't the Clintons have enough?" the voice would ask. "And hasn't America had enough of the Clintons?" In spite of the fact that Clinton's accomplishments as secretary of state are significant, including diplomatic efforts that averted a war between Israel and Hamas, she is likely to be forced to endure campaign onslaughts accusing her of character flaws for forgiving her husband's indiscretions, which means the electorate probably has to endure at least some painful flashbacks. This is not, however, a recommendation to back away from a fight. Clinton has proved that her political knuckles are toughened with gristle, and she can skillfully marginalize absurd allegations from her opponents. Instead of running and winning a fierce campaign, there might be a more honorable endeavor for the former secretary of state. There is always a right moment to leave the stage, and failing to recognize that timing can lead to a lingering image that, in the longer term, overwhelms the accomplishments of a person in the prime of their powers. Hillary Clinton can make a gracious exit. Yes, she has every right to run for president and is brilliantly qualified for the job. That does not mean, however, she is the best person at this time in America's narrative. There is also nothing inexorable about anyone's presidential candidacy, regardless of how vehemently it is argued by Clinton's backers. Presumptive candidacies, which appear initially like logical choices that are the consequence of devotion and hard politics, often tend toward failure. The Dole, McCain and Romney nominations, presumed candidates with generationally disconnected politics, have sundered the GOP's power for possibly decades. Running for president because it is expected and seems like an obvious decision are clearly not the right motivations. Clinton's service to her country has already transcended even the starry-eyed youthful dreams she shared with her husband. Beyond her time in office as U.S. senator, and as secretary of state, and as counsel to Bill during his presidency, the namesake foundation she leads with her husband and daughter is having a profound impact in this country and internationally, facilitating education, health care and nutritional programs. That nonprofit needs her guidance and initiative. America, though, is ready for different choices representing a new generation for president. Don't run, Hillary. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James C. Moore. | James Moore: Hillary Clinton is brilliantly qualified to be president .
Moore: But it is time for America to move on to a new generation of leaders .
He says age is an important factor; do we want another Clinton dynasty?
Moore: Hillary can make a gracious exit; U.S. should look forward rather than back . |
82,111 | e8ba5fce61630c90ef42cd5164cc2e0bb7225dea | UK Scouting membership has grown by almost a quarter in the last 10 years - and there are now more than half a million Scouts. The Scout Association said its membership has shot up from 450,455 to 550,457 members in the last decade, and in this time female membership has grown from 69,996 to 128,042. The number of adults volunteering has increased by 14,596 in 10 years to a total of 104,28, but more than 40,000 young people want to join and are unable to because more adult volunteers are required to help, the Association said. Chief Scout Bear Grylls said scouting gives young people the chance of adventure and teaches them positive life skills . The figures are based on findings from the Scout Association's latest census, which is carried out annually to identify trends and development areas in the movement. The Association said it is launching a plan to recruit a further 58,000 young people, as well as 18,000 more adult volunteers by 2018. Over the past 18 months, the movement said it has focused on delivering its youth work in more deprived parts of the UK, using funding supplied by central government via the Youth United Foundation. Scouting has worked hard to change the public's perception of the organisation . This funding has enabled the recruitment of 1,553 more young members and 315 adult volunteers in areas such as Newham, Salford, Burnley and Merseyside. Wayne Bulpitt, UK chief commissioner, said: 'Scouting offers young people and adults alike a chance of real adventure. Scouting changes young people's lives and the communities in which they live for the better. 'We have a clear plan to make the movement more diverse, more community-focused and more youth-led in the next four years. 'Ultimately this means we want to recruit another 18,000 adults by 2018 so that they can help offer life-changing adventures to 58,000 more young people.' Allowing girls join the Scouts has seen membership of the organisation increase by more than 100,000 . Chief Scout Bear Grylls said being a Scout 'empowers' people, and he said he is "excited" to see membership increasing. 'I am super-proud to see so many young people and adults learning new life skills, achieving personal rewards through Scouting in the UK. 'I am excited to see Scout numbers continue to rise across the UK and the big reasons for this are that more and more young people are realising that Scouting can give them so much - whether it's the opportunity to be involved with some incredible adventures, learn practical life, outdoor and teamwork skills, or helping to improve their local communities. 'People don't want to miss out and Scouting brings them all together, empowers them and allows them to make a positive impact,' he said. | The Scout Association needs more adult volunteers to admit 40,000 additional young people into the organisation .
Association wants 60,000 more young people by 2018 .
More than 100,000 adults volunteer on a regular basis according to association . |
56,490 | a015fea57fd4283a24306e0d2c7ad8338912785c | (CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton might be in the midst of one of the fiercest Formula One battles of recent years but the Mercedes man is staying cool -- ice cool. While Hamilton has just eight races remaining to secure a second world title, the 29-year-old took time out to brave the ALS ice bucket challenge. But while some might have frozen with shock, Hamilton was in red-hot form during practice at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, Friday. The British driver, who trails teammate Nico Rosberg by 11 points in the standings, finished more than half-a-second clear of the field in the second practice session. "It's great to be back in the car and it was feeling good out there today," Hamilton told reporters on the first day back after the mid-season break. "The morning wasn't as strong, but it definitely improved in the afternoon. As always, we still have work to do tonight, but overall today was OK. "It stayed dry throughout both sessions but the forecast is wet for tomorrow, so it was important to maximize track time as this may be our last dry running before the race. "We've seen rain so often here in the past and that can really mix things up -- particularly when it's wet in places and dry in others. "Your visor is almost level with the ground, so it's not like looking from above where you can see the different patches. "That makes it really hard to pick out the areas where you can find grip, but it's also a lot of fun." Hamilton set a fastest lap of one minute 49.189 seconds on the soft compound tires, with German Rosberg just behind on one minute 49.793 seconds. Fernando Alonso, who finished 0.741 seconds behind Hamilton, was third ahead of Williams' Felipe Massa and Jenson Button in the McLaren. Hamilton, whose five victories this season have taken him to 191 points, will start as favorite for pole position on Saturday but Rosberg is confident he can come out on top with adverse weather expected. "As normal, it will be a long night analyzing everything that we learned today to really nail it tomorrow," Rosberg told reporters. "The interesting challenge for this weekend is to find the right compromise between being quick over one lap and over a long distance in the race -- especially if it's wet tomorrow, with the predictions currently saying we will have mixed conditions." Elsewhere, reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel was forced to miss the session after his Red Bull suffered engine failure. | Lewis Hamilton stars in Friday's practice section in Belgium .
Mercedes driver topped the charts ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg .
Rosberg leads drivers' championship by 11 points .
Hamilton has won five races so far this season . |
256,329 | d7c904289c94992470f4a3539bfb204473670fd1 | (WIRED) -- Who says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has no sense of humor when it comes to "The Social Network," the Oscar-nominated film which he has said got nothing right except his T-shirt collection? Zuckerberg made a very sporting cameo tonight on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," running lines with guest host Jesse Eisenberg and SNL player (and frequent Zuckerberg "impersonator") Andy Samberg, during the show's opening monologue. As Samberg and Eisenberg -- Oscar-nominated for his portrayal of Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" -- bantered on stage, the camera cut away to the real Zuckerberg in trademark T-shirt and hoodie off stage with show producer Lorne Michaels. "Those guys are just nerds," said Zuckerberg, whose company was recently valued at $50 billion and is perhaps the wealthiest person ever to take the SNL stage. "I invented 'poking it!'" Moments later Zuckerberg joined Eisenberg and Samberg as they were comparing notes on how they each nail their own impressions of the Facebook CEO. "I wear this sweatshirt and I say, "I am Mark Zuckerberg," Samberg shared. "Have you not met," Samberg asked, as both Zuckerberg and Eisenberg shook their heads. "AWK-BERRRRRG WAAAARD!" he said, bowing out. Faux nervous silence ensued. "I really liked you on '60 Minutes,'" Eisenberg finally offered. "You ... ever end up seeing the film?" Zuckberg nods. "And what did you think?" Eisenberg asked. "It was ... interesting," Zuckerberg replied. "OK -- I'll take it." WIRED: Why Zuckerberg should like 'The Social Network' Then Zuckerberg introduced the program and it was all, handshakes, smiles and pats on the back. Zuckerberg, still all smiles, stuck it out for the entire 90-minutes program, taking a final bow with Eisenberg at 1 a.m. Maybe he'll even put in an appearance at the wrap party. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com. | Zuckerberg makes a sporting cameo on NBC's "Saturday Night Live"
Facebook founder runs lines with guest host Jesse Eisenberg .
Zuckerberg is perhaps the wealthiest person to ever take the SNL stage . |
183,017 | 7909823f02b59a7d146623a37d8fc4d75dfe049a | (WIRED) -- Apple's loose-lipped overseas partners are exchanging whispers about the next-generation iPad, claiming it will come in three different versions, one of which would work with Verizon's network. The iPad 2 will support three different wireless configurations: UMTS, CDMA and Wi-Fi only, according to "industry sources quoted by DigiTimes" citing component makers. That's up from the two versions Apple currently offers: UMTS plus Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi only. To explicate the alphabet soup, UMTS is the standard used by major 3G carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, while CDMA is compatible with Verizon and Sprint networks. Currently the 3G iPad ships with a MicroSIM card slot, and in the United States, the only carrier that uses MicroSIM is AT&T. Customers who want to connect to non-AT&T 3G networks must either buy an external wireless hotspot device such as the Verizon MiFi (Verizon already sells a MiFi plus iPad package) or trim a standard SIM card down to MicroSIM size, like Wired.com's Charlie Sorrel. The current 3G model of the iPad is not tied to a contract: Customers pay a flat monthly rate for data and can opt out whenever they please. So if this rumor is true, it means that when the iPad 2 ships, you'll have to pick a 3G model based on your carrier preference. If you don't plan to be on the road a lot, there's still the Wi-Fi option. Support for both major wireless standards in the United States will make the iPad 2 available to a much larger potential audience, whereas before it was only available in the states from AT&T. WIRED: With iPad, Apple still has fatal attraction for AT&T . Whether Apple hammers out sales agreements with Verizon or Sprint remains to be seen. Recent rumors suggestion that the iPad 2 will hit stores April 2011, one year after the original iPad's release. Some third-party protective cases for a purported "iPad 23 have been cropping up in Asia, hinting at the possibility of a bigger speaker and a rear-facing camera. Persistent rumors -- so far unsubstantiated -- have also pointed to a Verizon-compatible iPhone to be released in early 2011. If Verizon gets the iPhone and the iPad, it would greatly expand Apple's potential market, and would also likely deal a severe blow to AT&T, which has been roundly criticized for the inability of its 3G network to keep up with iPhone-induced demand. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2010 Wired.com. | Next generation iPad could come in three different versions .
Currently 3G iPad ships with a MicroSIM card slot, which is only used on AT&T .
If Verizon gets iPhone and iPad, it would greatly expand Apple's potential market . |
144,463 | 46d3f87bff3f57007d65e65198773fde7e639fdf | By . Jenny Hope Medical Correspondent . Thousands of women trying for a baby through IVF are being given unnecessary and expensive procedures to examine the womb, warn doctors. Research shows that having a hysteroscopy to check the womb before fertility treatment makes no difference to success rates. But some private clinics insist on the invasive procedure, which costs up to £3,000 a time, before giving IVF. Dr Tarek El-Toukhy, from Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital, London, who led the study, said: ‘Based on these findings, outpatient hysteroscopy before IVF doesn’t significantly improve IVF results and cannot be considered essential for women with recurrent IVF failure.’ Thousands of women trying for a baby through IVF are being given unnecessary and expensive procedures to examine the womb, doctors have warned . There has been a long-running debate over whether to perform hysteroscopies on women who have failed to get pregnant after one or more IVF attempts. The procedure – often under general anaesthetic – uses a narrow tube with a camera at the end to send images to a computer, where they can be checked for problems such as scar tissue that may cause infertility. If any abnormal growths are detected they are subsequently removed using a repeat procedure. In a trial involving eight fertility centres in Europe, 700 women who had suffered an unsuccessful round of IVF treatment were randomly assigned either a hysteroscopy before a second attempt, or put straight through for IVF again. Abnormalities of the womb were found in one in 10 women having the procedure. But using the procedure and treating such problems made no significant difference to a woman’s chances of going on to have a baby, the researchers found. The take-home baby rate was 31 per cent in the hysteroscopy group and 29 per cent in women who had IVF alone. Dr El-Toukhy said the finding suggested the abnormalities discovered had ‘little clinical significance’ and were not interfering with the woman’s chances of getting pregnant. Research shows that having a hysteroscopy to check the womb before fertility treatment makes no difference to success rates. The test involves using a camera to check for scar tissue. Stock image shows a technician during part of the IVF process . Dr El-Toukhy said hysteroscopy was justified in women where an abnormality in the womb was found by ultrasound, but not as a routine procedure prior to IVF. The findings were reported yesterday at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Munich. Dr Yacoub Khalaf, a fertility expert from King’s College London, said: ‘In some clinics, the first thing they do is hysteroscopy before the patients get any IVF. ‘It’s standard in some clinics and could cost £2,000 to £3,000 under general anaesthetic. It’s an unpleasant experience and this study shows it does not add value.’ Using non-invasive ultrasound for most women would show if they needed treatment of polyps, or growths, in the womb, he added. Professor Allan Pacey, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said hysteroscopy was often routinely used even in NHS fertility clinics, costing around £500-£600 a time. The money could be better spent on giving women more IVF treatment, he added. | New study found having a hysteroscopy to check the womb before IVF makes no difference to success rates .
But some private clinics insist on invasive procedure, which costs £3,000 .
Hysteroscopies are often carried out under general anesthetic .
Doctors use a narrow tube with a camera to look for scar tissue and other problems which could cause infertility in a woman .
Experts say any abnormalities detected during tests do not affect a woman's chances of getting pregnant .
Study at Guy's and St Thomas's in London found birth rate was 31% in hysteroscopy group compared with 29% in woman who had IVF alone . |
13,702 | 26d286befbb199add2a8b9f989fe249e8fa394bf | Liverpool lost in the region of £25m in the deal which saw Luis Suarez join Barcelona. The sale of Suarez was always going to happen this summer as reported in this column FIRST. But the predicted £100m fee that Liverpool wanted did not materialise. Unmistakeable: Luis Suarez joined Barcelona with a trademark grin . Costly: Suarez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini hit Liverpool hard in the pocket . Everton and Tottenham still want Romelu Lukaku despite his poor World Cup showing. But the Belgium striker is being pursued by Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg. That was because an auction between Barca and Real Madrid did not happen. Madrid withdrew any interest after Suarez’s bite saga at the World Cup. But Liverpool feel they have done well at £75 million, even though the Uruguayan’s confirmed buy-out clause was £100m. Wilfried Zaha is poised to leave Manchester United for Newcastle. Manchester City wanted to sign Lionel Messi this summer. City would have gone as far as paying Messi’s buy out clause from Barcelona of £200million. With the addition of crowd funding with sponsors the deal had been a matter of negotiation for months with City’s hierarchy and several agents. But Messi recently signed a new contract with Barca worth £16.3million a year. Leader: Lionel Messi has dragged Argentina to the World Cup final with a string of fine displays . Happy to stay: Messi's new deal at Barcelona is worth over £16m a year . Lionel Messi is 9-2 to be first goalscorer in the World Cup final with Coral. City could afford the money given their oil rich Arab owners and other partners. But the Argentine, who is the central figure of the World Cup final, is satisfied with how he has been looked after by Barca. Even given the massive amount Messi has been paid he showed a sense of loyalty. City were willing to outbid Barca, but the impact of FIFA's Financial Fair Play regulations de-railed their bid. Manchester United are still trying to lure Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich in a £40 million deal. Liverpool and Tottenham are in a battle for Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony. After signing Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal . will try to lure German midfielder Sami Khedira in a £24m move as the . Gunners seek to re-assert themselves as a Barclays Premier League title . contender. I-Say . No, I’ve never seen a game quite like it and I doubt I ever will again. Germany 7 Brazil 1. In a World Cup semi-final. In Brazil. It was fantasy fussball from Germany. Brazil expected fireworks in the favelas but in the end it became a funeral pyre. In many ways, they got what they deserved. Having abandoned their romantic roots of stylish samba soccer in favour of a mean, rough, win at all costs approach insisted upon by manager Big Phil Scolari, they were simply outplayed by a group of superior players, in a superior system, who were never going to be out muscled. Brazil, having sold their soul ended up in hell; Dante’s Inferno, indeed. The Brazilian player Dante, like all his team-mates, ended up being tortured before being condemned. Germany passed them to death. It was, to turn a phrase on its head, just like watching Brazil but with added efficiency. The football was sublime but ruthless too. History makers: Germany celebrate their stunning 7-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals . Yes the absence Neymar and Thiago Silva made a difference but in that respect it was a case of bonfire of vanities for Brazil. The Neymar fixation, right down to Scolari wearing a cap bearing his name when they arrived at the stadium, and the players waving his shirt during the national, undermined them. Even when Pele was in his pomp the team did not rely so heavily on him. There were plenty of others who could play Jogo Bonito like Rivelino, Tostao, Gerson and Jairzinho. But having shelved the samba soccer Brazil didn’t have a clue what to do without Neymar in attack and without Silva had no spine or leadership. David Luiz went from being King of the Copacabana to playing like Coco the Clown. Fred and Hulk? They wouldn’t even get into the England team and that’s saying something. In the 1970 semi-final, West Germany lost a titanic battle 4-3 to Italy after extra time, in a match which became known of The Game of the Century. Last Tuesday in Belo Horizonte we surely witnessed The Game of this Century. Distraught: David Luiz (left) is comforted by his captain Thiago Silva after Brazil's shambolic defeat . But for the Germans to remember it with pride not just nostalgia then they have to crown it all in Rio on Sunday and win the World Cup. Of course, Argentina won’t roll over like Brazil did. And there is a certain Lionel Messi to deal with. But if Germany produce another performance close to that level then surely they will crack Argentina so that the names of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos , Thomas Muller Miroslav Klose and Manuel Neuer et al will be up there with World Cup legends of any era. And after such an entertaining World Cup, it would be fitting if the winners are the team who have consistently played the best and we are left to reflect that Germany delivered Fussball Uber Alles. Back Heel . Most people’s abiding memories of the 1986 World Cup are Diego Maradona’s two goals against the England; the Hand of God in the 51st minute in the quarter-final then three minutes later the Greatest Goal as Argentina won 2-1. Maradona then scored two more remarkable goals in the semi-final win over Belgium. In the final Maradona did not notch. But after Germany had come from a two goal deficit and with Argentina on . the ropes Maradona produced a sublime pass that was ‘half a goal’, as . he released Jorge Burruchaga who raced clear to score the winner six . minutes from time. Hand of God: Diego Maradona handles the ball past Peter Shilton of England in 1986 . Brilliant: Maradona scores his second, sublime goal against England in the last-eight clash in 1986 . Libero . It seems a long time since England shuffled out of the World Cup after a woeful showing. But the English game still has a massive allure given the global popularity of the Premier League. It’s what attracts so much TV and sponsorship money. And it’s good to see some companies putting something back too. As part of their Vodafone Firsts project, the mobile network giant flew over an Under 15 team from Ghana, the Anokye Stars, to compete against four British teams in London last week. The action was streamed back to their village at a pop up cinema. But clearly there is plenty of work to do at grass roots level in this country given the Ghanaians won the tournament with some ease. Ones to watch: Ghanaian side Anokye Stars celebrate their win in London . Humble beginnings: The team from Ghana faced four English sides and won the tournament . BTW . It seems there are some West Ham fans who are getting hot under the collar about the change to their club badge. The club have ditched the back drop of the Boleyn Castle, given they will move to the Olympic Stadium in a couple of years, and now have a simpler crest of two hammers, like the club had in the glory days of the Sixties. They have also added the name London. Both moves seem sensible to enhance the club’s brand without ditching the heritage. Exploiting the name London is especially shrewd. Besides, over the years West Ham have had 15 badge designs, eight of which have not had the castle. And to those stick in the muds, in the early 1900’s the club was advertised as West Ham London . Y-factor . Why do footballers keep lying ? On the one hand Luis Suarez says he is ‘Leaving Liverpool with a heavy heart’. But then he says that ‘playing in Spain is a lifelong dream.’ The truth is he couldn’t wait to get out of Liverpool this summer despite having led them to Champions League football so that he could fulfil an ambition and earn more money. So why not just admit it? Or bite his lip? Done deal: Luis Suarez completed his £75m move to Barcelona from Liverpool on Friday . | The bidding war between Barcelona and Real Madrid did not materialise .
Real lost interest after Suarez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini .
City were prepared to match Lionel Messi's £200m buy-out clause .
But Messi signed a new £16.3m deal and is happy at the Nou Camp .
Manchester United STILL want Bayern Munich's Toni Kroos .
Arsenal want to sign Sami Khedira from Real Madrid .
Everton and Tottenham are keen on Romelu Lukaku .
Liverpool and Tottenham are in a battle for Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony . |
275,296 | f0a77bbbd920dc5429474c924f5a1b4edba80466 | Jerusalem (CNN) -- Defense Minister Ehud Barak testified Tuesday that he bears full responsibility for the actions of Israeli soldiers in the mid-sea interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that left nine people dead in May. He defended the action and said Israel went to great diplomatic lengths to stop the flotilla heading to the Palestinian territory of Gaza, and when that didn't work, it considered the implications of the use of force and weighed the possibility of simply letting the flotilla through. In the end, Israel made the right decision, Barak said in his two-hour testimony before an Israeli commission looking into the incident. Israeli navy commandos intercepted the flotilla at sea and stormed the largest vessel, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara. "We regret any loss of life, but without the courage and skill of the commandos we would have lost more lives," Barak said. The Israeli navy commando fought with activists on the ship, leaving one Turkish-American and eight Turkish activists dead and sparking an international outcry. The incident left a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance between the Jewish state and Turkey, its powerful regional ally, badly shaken. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that a separate U.N. inquiry, launched Tuesday, would help mend the strained relations. Ban met with members of the U.N. panel, which is chaired by New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and includes representatives from Israel and Turkey. But Israel has already said that it will not participate in the U.N. inquiry if the panel asks to question soldiers. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarifies that Israel will not cooperate and will not participate in any panel that will demand to interrogate IDF soldiers," said government spokesman Nir Hefetz. Netanyahu said Israel operated within international law when it stopped the flotilla and raided the Mavi Marmara on May 31. "I'm convinced that at the end of your investigation, it will be clear that the state of Israel ... operated in accordance with international law and that ... soldiers on the Marmara showed great courage in fulfilling their mission and acting in self-defense against real-life dangers," Netanyahu said Monday, the opening day of the Israeli probe. Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists only after they were attacked by those on board. Soldiers were attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects, Israeli officials have said. But passengers on board the boat insist they were fired upon without provocation. The ships were carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, organizers said. The Palestinian territory has been blockaded by Israel since its takeover by the Islamic movement Hamas in 2007. "For the past two months, I have engaged in intensive consultation with the leaders of Israel and Turkey on the setting-up of a panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident," Ban said in a statement. "This is an unprecedented development. I thank the leaders of the two countries with whom I have engaged in last-minute consultations over the weekend, for their spirit of compromise and forward-looking cooperation." CNN's Paula Hancocks contributed to this report. | Ehud Barak: Many options were discussed, including letting the flotilla through .
Israel will not participate if the panel wants to question soldiers .
The United Nations launches an investigation into the Gaza flotilla incident .
Nine people aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara died in the raid . |
226,357 | b11a1922c184e8d69518b258e49255b70b1b7eb2 | By . Kirsty Walker . PUBLISHED: . 05:17 EST, 2 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:48 EST, 2 April 2012 . Damning: Lord Tebitt accused the Prime Minister of relying on advisers 'without any experience or much understanding of the party or indeed politics' David Cameron and George Osborne were . accused of running a ‘government by chums’ yesterday as they faced a . series of highly personal attacks from within the Tory party. Former party chairman Lord Tebbit . said the Prime Minister and Chancellor relied too much on advisers who . lack ‘experience or much understanding of the party or politics’. And he warned that Downing Street’s . ‘cash for access’ row and the fuel strike panic had reinforced the view . that Mr Cameron was ‘born to privilege’. Growing numbers of disgruntled . Conservative MPs have also accused the Prime Minister and Mr Osborne of . being out of touch with the party and Tory voters. Stewart Jackson, a former . parliamentary private secretary, said there was concern ‘that the . Government is being run by a clique’ and called for more people with . ‘principles and integrity’. The influential 1922 Committee of . Tory backbenchers has warned Mr Cameron he needs to make major changes . to the way he runs his Government. The attacks follow simmering internal . rows within the party over issues such as taxes on pensioners and . pasties, gay marriage, the fuel crisis and the axing of child benefit. The Prime Minister’s personal rating – . the difference between the number of voters who think he is doing a . good job and those who do not – plunged to -27 in the latest YouGov . poll. Writing in The Times, Lord Tebbit . said Mr Cameron’s carefully orchestrated public relations photo . opportunities such as cycling to work, and not wearing a tie to black . tie dinners, will not make voters forget his background of wealth and . privilege. Accused of being out of touch: David Cameron and George Osborne . He added that senior figures in the . Tory Party ‘had their paths lubricated with money from cradle to school, . to university and on through public relations and Westminster village . bag-carrying’. Lord Tebbit said: ‘After another week . of hasty, ill-thought-through policy initiatives and the calls to hoard . petrol, many Conservatives are questioning this style of government by . chums.’ He described Andrew Feldman, . co-chairman of the Tory party and a university contemporary of the . Prime Minister, as another ‘Cameron chum’. Mr Osborne is also under mounting . pressure from Tory backbenchers following his widely criticised handling . of the Budget. Nadine Dorries, a former nurse, attacked him for being . out of touch with working-class voters, saying: ‘At the root of much of . the catastrophe we have become is George Osborne. He drives the liberal . elite agenda.’ Unsatisfied: Both Nadine Dorries, left and Mark Pritchard, right, criticised George Osborne and David Cameron . Scandal: Disgraced Peter Cruddas , pictured left with Prime Minister David Cameron MP, was forced to resign over his 'cash-for-access' boasts . In an apparent reference to the . feuding between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, she took to Twitter to add: . ‘History is teaching us that when you have a Chancellor who is more . interested in becoming Prime Minister, he messes up.’ Criticising Mr Osborne’s . ‘self-appointed’ dual role as Chancellor and head of Conservative . political strategy, she said: ‘It’s about influence controlling . outcomes, not letting others shine ensuring own succession.’ Mr Jackson said: ‘David Cameron would . do well to take on board the criticism. The tone and tenor of his . leadership is in danger of sending the wrong signal to Middle England . voters. We need less Lords reform and gay marriage and more reducing . taxes for ordinary voters, giving small business a leg-up and telling . the EU courts where to go on Abu Qatada. ‘People are very concerned that the . Government is being run by a clique. We need more authentic voices and . less teenage scribblers at Number 10. People with life experience, . principles and integrity. We are in danger of becoming obsessed with the . liberal chattering classes who are never going to vote for us.’ Tory MP Mark Reckless warned that the . Coalition had empowered Civil Service ‘Sir Humphreys’ to make policy . decisions and accused Mr Osborne of ignoring backbenchers’ concerns over . the axing of child benefit for high-earners. He said: ‘We have seen a whole raft . of strange Civil Service initiatives rather than the political . leadership the country needs.’ Connected: Peter Cruddas claimed to have direct access to David Cameron on at least 13 occasions - even bankrolling a dinner at the Prime Minister's country retreat of Chequers, pictured . Loyalist Tory MPs hit back at Mr . Cameron’s critics. Charlie Elphicke, an executive member of the 1922 . Committee, said: ‘It is not the Prime Minister who needs to get a grip . but colleagues on the backbenches who need to realise that government is . not a cakewalk.’ Kris Hopkins, another Conservative . MP, warned that his disgruntled colleagues risked ‘compromising’ the . party. He said: ‘There should be constant challenge to the leadership, . it shouldn’t start from the position of dislike for the Prime Minister.’ But Tory MP Mark Pritchard said Mr . Cameron should hold an early reshuffle to promote more ministers from . state schools and working-class homes ‘to make the government a little . less foie gras and a little more fish and chips’. Mr Cameron’s official spokesman said . the Prime Minister would not be changing the way he governs. He said . tackling the deficit ‘involves taking some difficult decisions, but we . are getting on with the job’. | Lord Tebitt says David Cameron relies on advisers 'without any experience or much understanding of the party or indeed politics'
Several members of 1922 executive tell Mr Cameron he must overhaul his Downing Street operation .
'At the root of much of the catastrophe we have become is George Osborne. He drives the liberal elite agenda,' said Nadine Dorris .
Mark Pritchard, said a reshuffle is needed to make the government 'a little less foie gras and a little more fish and chips' |
1,027 | 02e5ac3f1c674ecbab06c7f596540f684eafb492 | (CNN) -- The board of News Corp. has agreed to split the conglomerate into two pieces, with one company encompassing its television and film assets and the other holding its publishing entities, according to The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by News Corp. The split is expected to be formally announced Thursday, a person familiar with the situation told the Journal. The move would separate the 20th Century Fox film studio, Fox broadcast network and Fox News Channel from newspapers and book publishing, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in which the proposal was first reported. News Corp.'s publishing unit includes newspapers such as The Times of London and The New York Post. Its book publishing assets include HarperCollins. News Corp. is controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch. He has been grappling in recent months with criminal investigations into his company over allegations of hacking into people's phones and improper collusion with British police. The scandal prompted News Corp. to shut down its venerable old British tabloid News of the World last year. A report last month from a British Parliament committee said that Murdoch was not a "fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company." News Corp. said Wednesday night it would have no comment on The Wall Street Journal's report. | Wall Street Journal: News Corp. board agrees to split company .
Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
TV, film assets and the publishing wing to be separate entities . |
185,831 | 7cad2f3955f963f62bd487e9daef3a099de47f82 | By . Gemma Mullin for MailOnline . and Chris Kitching . Thousands of motorists faced the ultimate test of their patience today as they were caught in a major traffic jam that brought parts of the M25 to a standstill. People who were hoping to get an early start to the weekend instead faced bumper-to-bumper traffic as the busy motorway that encircles Greater London became a car park. Queues of vehicles stretched more than 13 miles while motorists crawled along the western part of the M25 between junction nine and junction 15 near Heathrow Airport. Nightmare: Queues of vehicles stretched more than 13 miles on the M25 near Heathrow Airport . Lengthy delays of more than 60 minutes were reported at the height of the traffic jam, which comes a week before travellers hit the roads in massive numbers for the summer bank holiday weekend. An earlier car fire contributed to some of the tailbacks closing the anticlockwise carriageway at junction 13 for Staines and junction 14 to Heathrow. The blue BMW 4x4 burst into flames just after midday and left the busy section of motorway completely closed for just over an hour. All lanes were reopen by 2pm but the build-up in traffic is thought to have added to the chaos. The traffic jam extends 13 miles back on the western side of the motorway between junction 9 and 15 . The blue BMW 4x4 burst into flames just after midday between junction's for Staines and Heathrow on M25 . Crews from Surrey Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene shortly after and the road was closed for an hour . Motorists can expect more congestion and delays during the mass exodus a week from now. Frustrated drivers and passengers who were caught in today’s traffic jam turned to Twitter to vent or pass the time. One user wrote: ‘105 minutes in a traffic jam on the M25 with two children in the back. I've made myself two mugs of tea at once to recover.’ Another user said: ‘traffic on M25 has been described today as 'diabolical'. hours to get anywhere. avoid if you can.’ [sic] . Traffic remained busy through rush hour this evening, with traffic reportedly moving by 7pm. Jammed: Delays of more than 60 minutes were reported at the height of the congestion . Frustrating: More delays are expected during the bank holiday weekend's mass exodus . A traffic map showing the western part of the M25 which is was at a standstill with traffic queued for miles . | Major traffic jam occurred on western part of motorway near to Heathrow .
An earlier car fire on the anti-clockwise carrigeway closed section for hour .
One Twitter user said they were stuck in the traffic jam for nearly two hours .
More traffic headaches are to be expected during the Bank Holiday weekend . |
269,991 | e9ac8f99f0bd24393d09571abef9f97d313cbd17 | Ched Evans is engaged to his girlfriend Natasha Massey just two weeks after he was released from prison after serving half of a five-year sentence for rape. The former Sheffield United and Wales striker proposed to Ms Massey, who led the campaign against his conviction for raping a 19-year-old girl in his hometown of Rhyl, Wales. He spent two-and-a-half years at Wymott Prison in Lancashire before his release last month. Ched Evans is to marry his fiancee Natasha Massey after proposing shortly after he was released from prison, where he served half of a five-year sentence for raping a 19-year-old girl . Ms Massey, who has continued to protest Evans's innocence since he was convicted of the crime, was seen wearing a ring in a recent video the footballer made in which he claimed he was only guilty of infidelity . Ms Massey appeared alongside Evans in a recent video he made, in which he insisted he was guilty only of infidelity - not the rape he was jailed for. In the video, Evans apologised to Ms Massey, who he described as 'the woman I love with all my heart'. He said: 'I've constantly regretted my act of infidelity and the damage that has been done on so many fronts because of it. 'The support that's been shown by Natasha, our friends and family during the trial and the time spent in prison has kept me strong. 'It can't have been an easy thing to stand by someone who the court found guilty of such a destructive act. I will be forever grateful. 'Even though I've been released from prison I'm determined to continue to fight to clear my name.' It is thought Evans, pictured with Ms Massey before he was convicted, did not want to propose from jail . Ms Massey appeared to be wearing an 'engagement' ring in the video, but it is now believed to have been a 'commitment ring' Evans gave her while he was in prison. The Sun reported on Monday that Evans had not wanted to propose while he was in jail, but planned to asked Ms Massey to marry him as soon as he was freed. A source told the paper Ms Massey was 'over the moon' and 'smiling from ear to ear'. Ms Massey, pictured with Evans last week, is said to be 'over the moon' after he proposed to her . Ms Massey has continued to protest Evans's innocence since he was convicted of rape in April 2012. Shortly before his release earlier this month, she wrote on the ChedEvans.com website: 'Not a minute passes when I don't think about Ched, his mental and physical strength is admirable and keeps us all positive. 'When Ched is released the fight to clear his name will continue, however long it takes this is one fight we will not lose. 'My boyfriend was wrongly convicted and we are doing everything in our power to clear his name.' She later told ITV's This Morning: ‘As soon as I found out that he’d been questioned over rape, my instinct was kind of protective of Ched, and I thought I have to stand by him. ‘So my thoughts and feelings over the cheating were put to one side and I just stepped in to help him through this terrible time. ‘I know Ched and I knew he wouldn’t be capable of committing a crime like that.’ Ms Massey, pictured on ITV's This Morning, said she put thoughts of Evans's infidelity 'to one side' Evans had been serving at HMP Wymott prison in Lancashire but was released earlier this month . Evans's own family have criticised his lack of remorse, with his aunt Nina Evans, 56, urging him to apologise to his victim. She said: ‘He deserved to go down as he was found guilty - he did rape her.’ His victim's father has also spoken out, demanding an apology from the footballer. He said: ‘He’s shown no remorse and every time he makes some fresh appeal or comment, he draws attention to my daughter and risks her being identified and found. ‘She went into hiding because people were trying to track her down and kill her.' The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently examining Evans's case as part of his hopes to launch an appeal. He has not been re-signed by his former club or any other team since his release. | Welsh footballer jailed for five years in 2012 for raping 19-year-old woman .
He was freed from prison earlier this month after serving half of sentence .
Fiancee seen wearing ring in recent video in which he protested innocence .
It emerged today that couple are now engaged and she is 'over the moon'
Evans has been criticised over lack of remorse for the crime . |
141,506 | 42f8c56bea824460cd951357b883b300396091b3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:50 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:09 EST, 12 November 2013 . An investigation has been launched after a group of prison officers went on a night out wearing T-shirts with the words 'We have Madeleine McCann' printed on them. One of the officers has been sacked and four others disciplined after photos of them wearing the T-shirts were posted online, it has been reported. The pictures were on Facebook for two months before bosses at Wandsworth Prison, in south London, were alerted. A prison officer has been sacked and four others disciplined after being pictured on a night out wearing T-shirts with the words 'We have Madeleine McCann' printed on to them, it has been reported . According to the Metro, the incident led to a prison officer being sacked and four others disciplined. But a member of staff at the prison told the paper there were some officers who had been involved in the incident but were still working at the prison. He said: ‘It makes me sick to think just because they work for the prison service that they should get away with this disrespectful behaviour.' It is a disciplinary offence for officers to bring the prison service into disrepute through social media, according to their code of conduct. A Prison Service spokesman told MailOnline: 'An investigation has taken place at HMP Wandsworth and appropriate disciplinary action has been taken following an incident concerning a number of prison officers outside of working hours and away from the prison. 'Until the disciplinary process is completed we are unable to comment further.' The pictures were on Facebook for two months before bosses at Wandsworth Prison, in south London, were alerted (file picture) Last month police in Portugal reopened their inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance, five years after they controversially shelved the investigation. The country’s attorney general authorised the move after ‘highly significant’ new evidence was identified by local detectives. She said ‘new elements of evidence’ and new witnesses justified the continuation of the original investigation. Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry welcomed the news. ‘We are very pleased. We hope that this will finally lead to her being found and to the discovery of whoever is responsible for this crime,’ they said in a statement. | Investigation launched after pictures posted on Facebook for two months .
One officer sacked and four others disciplined, according to report .
Others involved are still working at the prison, it has been claimed . |
17,848 | 328d6730e8cf1ba144cab029c422939c08ef0dec | (CNN) -- Some travelers wondered Friday whether they should be concerned about Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner after a string of recent mechanical and other problems prompted a wave of negative publicity and an unusual federal safety review. Troubles dating back just four months include reports of an oil leak, a fuel leak, engine cracks and a damaged cockpit window. This all follows a very difficult development history that included a series of production setbacks and other delays before the plane entered service in 2011. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for air safety, launched a comprehensive examination on Friday of the Dreamliner's design as well as its manufacture and assembly. The electrical system is of particular interest to authorities following a fire this week aboard an empty 787 in Boston. Atlanta-based businessman Bobby Burns said he'll choose not to fly on the aircraft anytime soon. "I am wary of a plane model that has fire problems and leaks fuel," said Burns, a project manager who takes more than 50 trips a year. "I think of it the same as a new car model: wait a year or two to get all the 'recalls' sorted out." On the other hand, travel industry leaders report passengers seem to be taking things in stride. Jay Johnson, president of Coastline Travel Advisors in Garden Grove, California, said not one client has called with concerns about 787 safety issues. David Holyoke, president of Travel Leaders Corporate, echoed a similar conclusion. "No one is steering clear of it at this point. No clients have called and asked to be rebooked." Jim Osborne, who helps run a network of high-end travel agencies, says he has "zero trepidation about flying on this plane." In fact, he said many clients have shifted their travel plans specifically so they can experience flying on the Dreamliner wide body. More than 150 Dreamliner flights occur daily, according to Boeing. United Airlines -- which has six 787s -- debuted the nation's first domestic Dreamliner routes last November with much fanfare. "We continue to have complete confidence in the 787 and the ability of Boeing," United said Friday in a statement. The airline described the problems as "early operational issues." United's Dreamliner fleet travels routes primarily linking Houston and Chicago and between Newark and Los Angeles. Last week, the airline kicked off its first international 787 service between Los Angeles and Tokyo. Other U.S. carriers are in line to buy Dreamliners, including Delta. American Airlines has announced an order, but it's not yet "firm." Worldwide, Boeing has delivered 50 Dreamliners. Several hundred are under order, making its success crucial for Boeing, which had not designed a new commercial jetliner in years before unveiling the Dreamliner. The FAA review is "very unusual" because the agency signed off on the aircraft's safety before it could fly commercially, said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The safety board is the leading authority in the United States on aircraft safety investigations and is looking into the Boston fire, which preliminarily has been linked to a auxiliary battery system. The FAA "just certified the airplane, so they're going to go back and redo it." Does the FAA "not trust" their "own people?" asked Goglia, who's also a former airline mechanic. Kevin Hiatt, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, says the situation speaks to what's going on inside the FAA itself. "We hope they take a look at their own processes internally to make sure that they're up to date and on par with this new technologically advanced aircraft." The twin-engine jetliner is heralded for its mostly carbon fiber construction, which reduces weight. Its fuel saving possibilities, cutting edge technology, operational versatility and cabin appointments generated enormous interest from airlines, initially overseas. Top Boeing, Transportation Department and FAA officials said at a news conference on Friday announcing the federal safety review that it was important to maintain public confidence in the Dreamliner. "There is a continued process that we always go through. So this is not unprecedented," said FAA chief Michael Huerta. But at Reagan National Airport on Friday, some passengers expressed skepticism in general about the nation's airline regulatory safety net. "As a regulatory attorney, I know that regulatory agencies in this country don't always do their job all that efficiently," said Jonathan Weinrieb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. "So do I trust them to make sure the Dreamliner is safe? No. But will that stop me from flying if that's the plane I've got to get on to get where I'm going? No." Another traveler said his confidence in the system was high. "They'll figure it out and get it all squared away," said Ridgely Albaugh of Lower Marlboro, Maryland. Goglia said every new airplane is going have "teething problems." The manufacturers usually "get a handle on it quickly and fix it," he said. A week Boeing would like to forget . The most recent Dreamliner setbacks occurred Friday. Oil was discovered leaking from a generator on an engine at a Japanese airport, and a crack appeared in a cockpit window of a plane en route from Tokyo to western Japan, a spokeswoman for All Nippon Airways said. ANA was the Dreamliner's launch, or first customer. On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines flight bound for Tokyo aborted takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport after a pilot on another airplane spotted the 787 leaking fuel. On Monday, a maintenance worker discovered the electrical fire aboard an empty plane being prepared at a gate at Logan for a return trip to Japan. In December, a United Airlines 787 traveling from Houston to Newark, New Jersey, was diverted to New Orleans because of mechanical problems. A general inspection of all 787s in September turned up cracked engines on two planes. The cracked window and the leaky generator were not unusual issues, ANA said, and occur with other aircraft as well. This was the third time that a window cracked on an ANA Dreamliner, but the cockpit window has five layers, and Friday's crack, in a spider web pattern, appeared in the outer layer, ANA said. It did not endanger the flight. Dreamliner's growing pains not unusual for new airplanes, experts say . Newer airplanes are safer than ever, Goglia said. "We are flying more airplanes that have been engineered to be safer," he said. "We almost (never) have material failures in airplanes anymore." The Airbus A380 also had problems when it started flying in 2007, but aviation expert Janet Bednarek loves to fly on it. "It had cracks in the wing, which would be much more concerning to me" than the 787 reports, said Bednarek, a University of Dayton aviation history professor. "They figured it out. Pilots want to get to their destination alive as much as anybody, so they don't mess around." Like the 787, the Boeing 747 had a lot of issues when it started flying in 1970, aviation consultant Michael Boyd said. And as with the former model, Boeing will work through the current aircraft's issues and move on, the company has said. Two problems, two planes, two days . "Just like with anything that's new, they kind of have to get the kinks out of it," said airline passenger Ronald Hobby, of Fort Washington, Maryland. "So I would probably wait for a while until they get everything straight before I would fly." CNN's Mike Ahlers, Junko Ogura, Ben Brumfield, Katia Hetter, Marnie Hunter, Jim Barnett and Todd Sperry contributed to this report. | NEW: Some fliers will wait before flying Dreamliner; others will keep flying .
NEW: Air safety group calls on FAA to examine its internal processes .
Travel industry leaders report zero concerns from clients .
150 Dreamliner flights happen daily, Boeing says. United owns six aircraft . |
15,276 | 2b73bdb469dbaebd0c289a6d5f54d662b7daccc1 | By . Jim Norton . Revisted: Comedian Tony Hancock was the main character in the 1950s sitcom. Lost episodes will be played in November to mark the 60th anniversary . It has long been revered as one of the most important British radio comedies of all time, yet the BBC still managed to mislay several episodes. However now there is good news for fans of Hancock’s Half Hour, who will once again be able to listen to the travails of the struggling comedian and actor. This November the BBC is to broadcast lost episodes of the classic 1950s sitcom on Radio 4, to mark the 60th anniversary of the show’s first transmission. The Missing Hancocks will feature a new cast re-recording material from the original scripts, with Pirates of the Caribbean actor Kevin McNally playing the lead role as Tony Hancock. Mr McNally, 57, has also played various parts in Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and Midsomer Murders. Hancock’s Half Hour, which was originally broadcast on the BBC Home Service between 1954 and 1959, centered on a fictionalised version of Tony Hancock’s life. He was joined by his dim Australian lodger, played by Bill Kerr, and dodgy businessman Sid, played by Sid James. In all, 103 episodes were recorded and a TV version followed in 1956 which ran for five years and more than 60 episodes. The programme was the first hit for writing partners Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who went on to create Steptoe and Son. They have chosen five out of the 20 missing episodes that will begin recording this evening at the BBC Radio Theatre in central London. Star: Kevin McNally will play the lead character and will join a cast reading scripts from older episodes . The cast will also feature Simon Greenall, Kevin Eldon and Robin Sebastian. The idea came about when series co-producer Neil Pearson, who was researching original Tony Hancock scripts for a rare book catalogue, found out many episodes had disappeared from the BBC archive. He told the Guardian: ‘We will be re-creating as closely as possible the experience you would have had listening to your radio all those years ago. The scripts are perfect and timeless. ‘We will be recording the programmes in front of a live audience at BBC Radio Theatre and, rather thrillingly, the BBC Concert Orchestra will be re-recording the theme tune for the new series.’ | Unreleased episodes of 1950s sitcom will be aired again in November .
Pirates of the Caribbean actor Kevin McNally will play Tony Hancock .
Was originally broadcast on the BBC Home Service between 1954 and 1959 .
Was based on the fictionalised life of Hancock, lodger Bill Kerr and dodgy businessmen Sid . |
234,776 | bbefc553799e4a313024ae59d8a1864e73cd41c9 | Washington (CNN) -- The military's newest and most powerful ground-penetrating bomb is not intended for Iran's underground nuclear and weapons facilities specifically, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday. "The system's not aimed at any one country," said Pentagon spokesman, Capt. John Kirby. "It's to develop a capability we believe we need." The new Massive Ordinance Penetrator, known as the MOP, is able to explode 200 feet underground and designed to destroy deeply buried and fortified targets such as the ones Iran is believed to have constructed to protect its nuclear research facilities. "It gives us a far greater capability to reach and destroy an enemy's weapons of mass destructions that -- weapons of mass destruction that are located in well-protected underground facilities, without getting into specifics, to -- to a magnitude far greater than we have right now," Kirby said at a Pentagon briefing. The Air Force has contracted from Boeing for 20 of the bunker-buster bombs. It took the first delivery in September, according to Pentagon official. The official, citing operational security limitations, would not provide details about how many have been delivered. There were three separate orders placed by the Pentagon with the final one placed in August. The bomb is said to be more than 20 feet long and 30 inches in diameter and weighs some 30,000 pounds (13,600 kilos). It is more powerful than its predecessor, the BLU-109, and is a "relatively simple weapon," according to information posted by the military's Defense Threat Reduction Agency. "The MOP relies on gravity to turn its massive weight into tremendous kinetic energy. Designed to penetrate supposedly untouchable facilities in one piece, the MOP will defeat our adversaries' (weapons of mass destruction) before they leave the ground," according to the description on the website. Air Force Lt. Gen. James Kowalski talked about the bomb in a speech in suburban Washington in September when discussing Air Force capabilities to deliver long-range payloads, saying the MOP "giv(es) the warfighter increased capability against hardened and deeply buried targets." | "The system's not aimed at any one country," Pentagon spokesman says .
It's known as the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, or MOP .
Said to weigh 15 tons, the bomb can explode 200 feet underground . |
69,587 | c5407bca4346ea2c27070cfebed6c5516a9bcb8d | By . Hugo Duncan . PUBLISHED: . 19:49 EST, 30 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:50 EST, 30 May 2012 . The single currency crashed to its lowest level for nearly two years last night as Brussels warned that the eurozone faces ‘financial disintegration’. In a hard-hitting report on the dire state of the economy, the European Commission called for drastic action to prevent catastrophe tearing the region apart. It proposed that money set aside for keeping debt-ridden governments afloat should now be used to rescue troubled European banks. Disintegration: The single currency crashed to its lowest level for nearly two years last night . ‘Flexibility and speed are of the essence,’ said EC president Jose Manuel Barroso. The desperate rallying cry came amid mounting fears that the banking crisis in Spain will cripple the eurozone’s fourth largest economy and trigger a cataclysmic break-up of the single currency. The euro crashed below $1.24 against the US dollar to a level not seen for nearly two years. The single currency was also trading below 80p against the pound having lost 20 per cent of its value in the last three years. ‘The market has lost confidence in the euro,’ said Carl Forcheski, a currency expert at French bank Societe Generale in New York. ‘People are battening down the hatches.’ Stock markets around the world were on the slide with the FTSE 100 index down 1.74 per cent or 93.86 points to 5297.28 on a punishing day for investors in London. Chris Beauchamp, a market analyst at IG Index in the City, said: ‘Without wishing to sound apocalyptic, it does feel as if Spain is gradually shuffling towards the abyss. 'Flexibility and speed are of the essence': EC president Jose Manuel Barroso . ‘Investor confidence wanes by the day, and it could only be a matter of time before the Spanish government is forced to ask for financial aid. ‘This would be an event of a far greater magnitude than the bailouts of Ireland, Portugal and Greece, since Spain’s size means it would exhaust Europe’s financial firepower.’ The EC said the eurozone bailout fund could be used to help banks directly rather than fund governments. It said it could ease pressure on countries such as Spain struggling to prop up the banking system. ‘To sever the link between banks and the sovereigns, direct recapitalisation might be envisaged,’ the report said. The money would come from the European Stability Mechanism, the eurozone’s permanent bailout fund which launches in July but is currently only designed to lend to governments. Brussels said: ‘A closer integration among the euro area countries in supervisory structures and practices, in cross-border crisis management and burden sharing, towards a ‘banking union’ would be an important complement to the current structure.’ It also floated the idea of Eurobonds - a move that would see debt issued jointly by all 17 countries in the eurozone. The idea is vehemently opposed in Berlin because it would involve German taxpayers underwriting Greek and Spanish debt. | European Commission calls for drastic action . |
38,696 | 6d6759983d5a6cac9e550f1c772317c9619fa1c9 | (CNN) -- Testing continues for patients who may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis from their visit to Dr. W. Scott Harrington's suburban Tulsa, Oklahoma, dental office. By Monday, nearly 1,000 patients had been screened at a special clinic in the city, and most will receive results in about two weeks, state health officials said. The screenings began Saturday, and the free tests will continue weekdays. Harrington, 64, surrendered his dental license on March 20 after health investigators found sterilization, staffing and other infractions. The dentistry board launched its probe after one of Harrington's patients came down with hepatitis C. That patient originally tested positive for HIV, too, but a subsequent test came back negative, the Tulsa Health Department said. Investigators raised a number of sterilization and "cross-contamination" alarms -- such as "unauthorized, unlicensed" employees using IVs to sedate patients and that needles weren't handled properly. "I will tell you that when ... we left, we were just physically kind of sick," Susan Rogers, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, said last week. "That's how bad it was, and I've seen a lot of bad stuff over the years." The outward cleanliness of the office belied the mess elsewhere, Rogers said said, noting that "just basic universal precautions for blood-borne pathogens" weren't followed. Besides being "unlocked and unattended," the drug cabinet was rife with issues -- containing, for example, a drug that expired in 1993 -- according to the official complaint filed before the state dental board. Other records showed that morphine had been used in patients throughout 2012, even though the dentist had not received a morphine delivery since 2009. Harrington and his attorney have not returned multiple calls from CNN. And the oral surgeon wasn't home when a CNN crew went there on Saturday. "How do you say you're sorry to 7,000 people that you could possibly have infected?" said Melissa Wood, whose daughter -- a patient of Harrington's -- spent part of her 18th birthday getting tested. Learn more about HIV . CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report. | Health officials say a dentist may have exposed thousands to HIV and hepatitis .
The screenings began Saturday; by Monday, nearly 1,000 patients had been tested .
Dr. W. Scott Harrington has surrendered his dental license . |
3,393 | 09d15d29ff736f00a72492fe5dd8a6787d429856 | For some, the idea of cutting Britain's ties with Europe is a way of returning the country to a simpler and more independent time. However, according new research, the British relationship with Europe dates back far further than was previously thought. Scientists have discovered that stone-age hunter gatherers in England were trading with continental wheat farmers 8,000 years ago - long before agriculture came to Britain. Researchers from the University of Warwick were able to isolate DNA from sediment core samples taken by divers from the sea floor below the cliffs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight, as shown in the picture above . They have found DNA for einkorn wheat buried within coastal sediments around the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. A study of ancient human bones has revealed how Early Europeans had difficulties digesting milk around 5,000 years after the introduction of farming. It took at least that long for their genes to evolve until they were no longer intolerant to lactose, the natural sugar in mammalian milk, scientists suggests. Researchers looked at ancient DNA extracted from 13 individuals buried at archaeological sites in the Great Hungarian Plain - a region known to have been at the crossroads of cultural change in European prehistory. The scientists also found changes in prehistoric technology, such as the adoption of farming, were linked with a significant influx of new people. For instance, in the Neolithic or New Stone Age, ancient central Europeans had an appearance closer to Sardinians. In the Iron Age, there is another shift, with people coming into Central Europe from the East, such as the Caucasus or Asia. Researchers claim that tolerance to lactose only appeared in the Bronze Age, around 4,000 years after these people began dairying. Before then, most humans were lactose intolerant, and only later evolved the ability to break down this sugar in animal milk. However agriculture is not known to haarrived in Britain until around 6,000 years ago and scientists have found no evidence of wheat cultivation or pollen in the sediments. Instead they believe local hunter-gatherers bought the wheat by trading with European farmers from as far away as the south of France or the Balkans. This means that even 8,000 years ago there must have been trade routes winding their way across the European continent to Britain across an ancient land bridge. The scientists say that the discovery shows that Britain was no-where near as isolated or insular as had been originally thought. They say the findings may also force a complete rethink about how agriculture first arrived in Britain. Dr Robin Allaby, a plant geneticist at the University of Warwick who led the research, said: 'Eight thousand years ago the people of mainland Britain were leading a hunter-gatherer existence, whilst at the same time in southern Europeans farming was gradually spreading across Europe. 'Common throughout Neolithic Southern Europe, einkorn is not found elsewhere in Britain until 2,000 years after the samples found at Bouldnor Cliff. 'For the einkorn to have reached this site there needs to have been contact between Mesolithic Britons and Neolithic farmers far across Europe. 'The land bridges provide a plausible facilitation of this contact. 'As such, far from being insular, Mesolithic Britain was culturally and possibly physically connected to Europe.' The researchers suggest the wheat was brought to Britain by neolithic traders from southern Europe . Einkorn wheat, like that pictured above, is thought to be one of the first plants to have been domesticated . The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Science, used new DNA extraction and analysis techniques to extract DNA from underwater sediments. They obtained sediment cores from Bouldnor Cliff on the north coast of the Isle of Wight, an area that had once been dry land before the end of the last ice age. Using the ancient sedimentary DNA, or sedaDNA, the scientists were able to reconstruct a picture of the plants and animals left behind there by the mesolithic people who inhabited the area. Among the native plants they found DNA sequences that matched those of near eastern strains of wheat. Professor Vince Gaffney, chair of landscape archaeology at the University of Bradford who was also involved in the study, said: 'We don't think it was grown here. We think it was traded across Europe. 'What that tells us is that these societies weren't isolated and they weren't simple. The scientists developed a new technique to extract DNA preserved in underwater sediments like above . 'Wheat, of course, is a signature for farming but this is 2,000 years before the onset of framing in Britain, and at this time the nearest farmers were either in the south of France or possibly as far away as the Balkans, thousands of miles across continental Europe. 'This tells us rather than the traditional model of farming arriving with colonists or some sort of invasion, the ideas and concepts of farming must have arrived several thousand years earlier.' Dr Greger Larson, a palaeogeneticist at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the study, said the technology used to extract DNA in the study could revolutionise our understanding of history. He said: 'The ability to sequence DNA no longer associated with the macroscopic remains from which it originated presents a range of possibilities that begins with a refinement of accepted chronologies. 'The unexpectedly early appearance of wheat in Britain should force a rethinking of both the strength of the relationships between early farmers and hunter-gatherers, and the origins of settled agricultural communities in Europe.' | Archaeologists found wheat DNA in sediment off coast of the Isle of Wight .
The wheat dates from a time 2,000 years before farming started in the UK .
Scientists say the nearest farmers were in the south of France and Balkans .
The discovery suggests the wheat grains were brought to Britain by traders .
Stone-age hunter-gatherers in Britain may learned about farming from them .
Historians say it could transform our understanding of stone-age culture .
They say it shows Mesolithic Britain was not as isolated as once believed . |
74,845 | d42f159b2f0a4273363e4ea970b8786588be9d92 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:00 EST, 29 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:00 EST, 29 November 2013 . An Italian court today accused Silvio Berlusconi of bribing witnesses in a trial linked to the case in which was convicted of paying for sex with a minor. The accusation came in a written judgment from the trial of three associates of the former prime minister who are charged with procuring prostitutes for parties at his home near Milan. It emerged just two days after Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon, was stripped of his seat in parliament for tax fraud. Expelled: Silvio Berlusconi pauses as he addresses his supporters during a rally in Rome on Wednesday after he was stripped of his seat in parliament. He faces fresh scandal after being accused of bribing witnesses . The court said today that evidence against Berlusconi and others implicated had been sent to prosecutors who are expected to open a new investigation into the case, court documents showed. It said there was evidence Berlusconi had paid 'money and other benefits' to young women who had taken part in the parties near Milan to give false testimony in the case, one of a number of scandals which overshadowed the end of his last government in 2011. It said the regular monthly payments of at least €2,500 (£2,081; $3,400) to witnesses in trials in which the 77-year-old Berlusconi was implicated 'is not an anomaly but an illegal action. It is evidence of corruption.' Berlusconi was convicted in June of . paying for sex with former nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, better . known by the stage name 'Ruby the Heartstealer', when she was under 18. He . was also found guilty of abusing the powers of his office as prime . minister to have her released from police custody over a separate case. Silvio Berlusconi, left, waves to his supporters during the rally where he declared a day of mourning: The accusation came in a written judgment from the trial of three associates of the former prime minister . Forza Italia party's supporters wave flags as Silvio Berlusconi addresses a rally in Rome . Heartstealer: Karima El Mahrough leaves a Milan Courtroom after judges questioned her as a witness in the trial against showbiz manager Lele Mora, journalist Emilio Fede and Nicole Minetti in Milan, Italy . He denies any wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdicts, which would not become effective until the whole appeals process is exhausted. El Mahroug, who is also suspected of giving false testimony, has denied having sex with Berlusconi. In a separate but parallel trial, three associates - showbusiness agent Lele Mora, Emilio Fede, a former newsreader at one of Berlusconi's television stations, and Nicole Minetti, a former dental hygienist - were found guilty of procuring young women for prostitution. | Accusation came in written judgment from separate trial of three associates .
They were charged with procuring prostitutes for 'bunga bunga' parties .
It said there was evidence Berlusconi had paid women to deny having sex . |
235,212 | bc7bf5cb2affee8974b6115658c9b3b2da8609b0 | By . Daniel Bates . Being interrupted is so bad for your concentration that even a one minute distraction is enough to completely wipe your short term memory. A study has found that if you are bothered for 60 seconds while trying to focus on something then you will have to start afresh because you can’t recall what you were doing. The researchers said that their findings should be a warning to anyone with a smartphone as users check the devices around 125 times a day. A study has found that if you are bothered for 60 seconds while trying to focus on something then you will have to start afresh because you can¿t recall what you were doing (stock image shown) People who joke about having the memory of a goldfish may have to think again, after scientists have found fish can remember events for up to a fortnight. Canadian researchers trained fish to locate food before removing them from the tank for 12 days. When the fish were later reintroduced, motion-tracking software revealed they could identify the precise location of the food. The study looked at African Cichlids, a popular aquarium species which has previously been shown to demonstrate complex behaviours, including aggression. Working on the assumption they could be capable of advanced memory tasks, each fish was trained to enter a particular zone of an aquarium to be fed, with each training session lasting twenty minutes. After three days, the fish were given a 12-day rest period. They were later reintroduced into their training arena, and their movements recorded with motion-tracking software. And the software revealed the fish returned to the spot where it found food. It shows that humans are more similar to goldfish than they might think as the animals have a memory that lasts just three seconds. The US researchers asked test participants to outline an answer to an exam and then write their response under three conditions. Firstly they had to write uninterrupted, secondly they were disrupted three times whilst writing the outline and thirdly they were interrupted three times whilst writing the answer. During each of the one-minute interruptions, the test subjects had to do maths problems. The findings showed that the breaks caused 95 per cent of people taking part to write poorer quality answers. They also wrote less - for those planning to write a paragraph with five points, they only managed to include three even if they did not realise. The study has been hailed as ‘breaking new ground’ as it is the first to show the impact that distractions have on the quality of work somebody is trying to carry out. Cyrus Foroughi, a doctoral student at George Mason University, Virginia, who led the research, said: ‘One minute is more than enough to wipe your short-term memory. ‘Most interruptions in the real world can last from 10 to 15 minutes to 10 to 15 seconds.’ Dr . Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA Semel Institute for . Neuroscience and Human Behaviour, who did not take part in the research, . likened our brains to a computer and said that you have to ‘boot it up’ if you flit between tasks. He . said: ‘Our brains are hardwired to like things that are new. The new . electronic devices offer us this opportunity for novelty.’ Do not disturb? The study shows that humans are more similar to goldfish than they might think as the animals have a memory that lasts just three seconds (stock image shown) | Researchers in Virginia say their findings .
should be a warning to anyone with a smartphone as users check the .
devices around 125 times a day .
Study hailed as ‘breaking .
new ground’ as it is the first to show the impact that distractions have .
on the quality of work somebody is trying to carry out . |
170,936 | 693e3bebe3fa9fb9e26fa9e445239aa0a60e821d | Look, I admire Dame Judi Dench. You admire Dame Judi Dench. In interviews, even Dame Judi gives the impression of a pleasantly high opinion of herself and her gifts. Much the same could be said of her fellow national treasure Dame Helen Mirren. But do you think that these nicely ageing actresses are the most inspirational women ever to grace our planet? According to a survey this week, that is exactly what we do think. Pale imitation: Helen Mirren playing Her Majesty and, left, the real deal . Four thousand women were asked to nominate the top 100 ‘spirited and inspiring’ women of all time and, lo, Dame Judi and Dame Helen came in as the top two. In a cursory concession to the real world, they were followed in third place by suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, but normal order of play then resumed, with Dawn French in fourth and Joanna Lumley in fifth. The list is one of the most depressing snapshots of the aspirations of women today that it is possible to imagine. Unbelievably, 14 of those included are fictional characters, such as Elizabeth Bennett from Pride And Prejudice (who is at number 11), Jane Eyre (20) and — wait for it — Bridget Jones (15). More than half owe their inclusion to their place in the ditzy worlds of showbusiness, fashion and ‘celebrity’. There is a smattering of sportswomen — the highest ranking, at 33, is Jessica Ennis — but I suspect even that elevated position might well owe more to her glamour than her guts. There’s a nod to the notion that some of the 4,000 female voters watch the news: Burma’s brave opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in the bottom 50. And Harper Lee, whose book To Kill A Mockingbird laid bare the racism of the American Deep South, did squeak in. At number 100. Inspirational? Judi Dench played a boss of MI5 and Dawn French a vicar but what of the real women who fulfill these roles? Otherwise, there is an indecent showing for women famous for nothing more than the man they married. (Cherie Blair ‘inspirational’? Really?) Then there’s a handful of general do-gooders, and you may make your own category for Cleopatra. Women who have made it in business? Three. Art? One. Science? One — Marie Curie (22), just below Beyonce. Medicine, architecture, engineering, philosophy, spiritual leadership? All zero. As style over substance, the top 100 surpasses itself. As a measure of women’s ‘thinking’, it’s a shocker. The fixation that this purportedly representative 4,000 appear to have with celebrity and showbusiness is not lacking in irony. Real women and achievement lie forgotten in the rush to revere the cosmetic and make-believe. Dame Judi Dench wins, it is assumed, thanks to acclaim for her appearance as M in the James Bond film Skyfall. Yet Stella Rimington, who actually ran MI5, didn’t even make it on to this ‘inspirational’ list. By the same token, Dame Helen Mirren became famous as fictional Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in TV’s Prime Suspect. So what of Pauline Clare, Britain’s first female chief constable? She’s in the cold. Only worthy candidate in the top five: Emmeline Pankhurst . Dame Helen owes even more of her fame to her portrayals of the Queen. But while the actress is the runner-up in the list, the real Queen only makes it to 28 — just below Helena Bonham Carter, who played the Queen Mother in The King’s Speech. As for Dawn French at number four, I slightly know and greatly like her. If the poll were for a smile to rival the Blackpool Illuminations, she’d have my vote. But she isn’t up there for being Dawn. She’s up there for her role as the nation’s best-loved pretend vicar, using words written by — naturally — a man. The real-life rector of St James’s in Piccadilly, the Rev Lucy Winkett, is widely tipped to become the first Church of England woman bishop. Yet is she on the ‘inspirational’ women list? No. But this list is nothing but a bit of fun, I hear you say. And part of me agrees with you: commissioned by Baileys, it’s there to sell you sticky booze. Nevertheless, it rankles. And here’s why. Imagine doing the same survey of 4,000 men and asking who they find inspirational. Similar results would be inconceivable. I’ve sat in enough rowdy pubs to know who we’d find on the list, and it certainly wouldn’t be George Clooney or Robbie Williams. They’d go for changing the world (Apple’s Steve Jobs), stretching the boundaries of human endurance (Sir Ranulph Fiennes), business genius (Richard Branson), intellectual brilliance (Stephen Hawking), power-mongering (Bernie Ecclestone), politics (oh, go on, you list them) and, by the gallon, sport: Tiger Woods, Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray. Men gaze with awe and admiration upon those who’ve grafted for their fortunes. But if women are asked whether they aspire to be gravel-voiced, 18-hour-working-day businesswoman Hilary Devey or the few hours here-and-there Judi Dench, they prefer the easier route any day: scant effort for maximum reward. Judi Dench . Helen Mirren . Emmeline Pankhurst . Dawn French . Joanna Lumley . And don’t tell me Devey doesn’t work ten times harder than Dench. As Katharine Hepburn famously pointed out, acting isn’t difficult: ‘Shirley Temple could do it when she was four.’ I’ve worked in repertory theatre and have produced feature-length TV drama and I promise that luvvies do less work, for fewer hours, then anyone else on the set. Nice work if you can get it and all that. But what does this mean in the long term? Most voters in the adults-only survey were mothers. Every day we hear of worried parents who despair of their otherwise clever, able, teenage girls whose ambition amounts to no more than: ‘I wanna be famous.’ Many of these modern mothers probably teach their girls some version of women’s rights. Most of them, no doubt, do a great job of persuading the next generation to revolt the moment they perceive themselves to be treated unequally. And I’ll bet they all do a nice line in indignation at the merest hint of a glass ceiling. Yet when these mothers rate the ‘inspirational’ Adele, Angelina Jolie or Rihanna more highly than Angela Merkel, Virginia Woolf or Eleanor Roosevelt, we might ask what influence they bring to bear on the daughters for whom they claim to want so much more. If mum is this much in thrall to effortless success and fairytale fortunes in make-believe worlds, what chance does even the smartest sixth-former have to resist the next time Simon Cowell brings his audition circus to town? | Actress Judi Dench topped poll of inspirational women .
Helen Mirren was second .
The Queen only merits 28th place .
Fictional characters are recognised while real life heroines are ignored . |
29,880 | 54fd2a0764e9d9fabfe043de14019ec09164a82a | (CNN) -- Thor is now a woman. On Tuesday, Marvel Comics announced the hammer-wielding superhero will be represented by a female, though the precise circumstances of the changeover are unknown. Presumably, all the details will be spilled in October, when the new storyline begins. "This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR," writer Jason Aaron said in a press release that was widely retweeted. The Twitterverse generally approved. "I was at the mall w/my kids & overheard some teenagers (guys & girls) talking about female Thor excitedly & I just am happy to be in comics," tweeted Scott Snyder. "We now live in a world where Captain America is black, and Thor is a woman. Huzzah," tweeted the Washington Post's Nia-Malika Henderson, noting the news that the new Captain America will be the African-American Marvel character the Falcon, a.k.a. Sam Wilson. Some wags couldn't resist a joke, however. "New Female Thor to be paid less than Male Thor. Reports already suggest she is 'bossy' and displays 'God-like' arrogance," tweeted Al Jazeera's Wajahat Ali. The news was revealed on ABC's "The View." Marvel's "Thor, the God of Thunder," dates back to 1962. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who borrowed from Norse mythology -- Thor is part of the Norse pantheon -- and comic-book tropes, as the character takes on a human guise until his powers are brought to the fore by clutching Mjolnir, his fabled hammer. | In new storyline, Thor will be represented by a woman .
"This is not She-Thor," says writer, " ... This is THOR"
Character based on Norse mythology, tweaked by Marvel's Stan Lee and Jack Kirby . |
170,272 | 6864f405d386aae7a43d96f5d8654b8c3b0d760f | (CNN) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a good friend and U.S. ally, but declined to predict whether the embattled leader would heed protesters' calls to step down. Cheney made the comments Saturday night at a ceremony honoring former President Ronald Reagan in Santa Barbara, California. Protesters have pledged to stay on the streets of Egyptian cities until Hosni Mubarak relinquishes power. Mubarak, who has led the north African nation for three decades, has said he will stay in power until September, and will not run for re-election. Cheney said the Egyptian leader should be treated with respect. "He has been a good man, a good friend and ally to the United States," Cheney said. "We need to remember that." The former vice president declined to predict whether Mubarak would step down. "I don't want to make a prediction because I don't know," Cheney said. "But I also think there comes a time for everybody when it's time to hang it up and move on and someone else will take over." Massive demonstrations have been held in Egyptian cities since January 25 to demand an end to Mubarak's rule. Cheney said Egyptians will decide his fate as leader. "In the end, whatever comes next in Egypt is going to be determined by the people of Egypt," he said. | Cheney speaks at a ceremony honoring former President Ronald Reagan .
Egyptian protesters are pledging to stay on the streets until Hosni Mubarak steps down . |
220,186 | a8fa29a9b2de3fa8073d2d273ba184fd63eb6eda | Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- They've been described as the voice of their generation -- though not one that everyone is comfortable hearing. Mashrou' Leila, whose name translates as "The Night Project," is a controversial alternative rock band from Lebanon, whose music has served as something of a soundtrack to the Arab Spring for many young people throughout the region. Formed at the American University of Beirut in 2008, the multi-confessional, seven-piece band has won a legion of fans throughout the Middle East with lyrics that speak to the daily realities and aspirations of young Arabs, frankly addressing taboo topics such as politics, sexuality and religion. The group was simply interested in making music that honestly reflected its members' experiences, keyboardist Omaya Malaeb told CNN. "The things we talk about, for us, they're not anything very extreme or very unusual. They are really realistic situations that each one of us goes through." The group was given rich material to mine simply by the daily realities of life in the Lebanese capital, described in the band's online bio as a "city that tastes of the absurd," characterized by chronic insecurity and full of "musical bombshells, incoherent sexuality and thrusting pleasure." "Our daily lives were the major inspiration, being young people and part of a changing country trying to form its future in a very sensitive period," said guitarist Firas Abu-Fakhr. Read more: Lebanese women take on judges who call rape a "marital right" This contrasted with much of the mainstream pop from the region, which shied away from addressing anything substantive in its lyrics. "The people who produce pop music... don't really deal with any topics that really relate to real daily issues," he said. But not everybody has appreciated their approach, said Malaeb, the sole female member of the band. "For other people, this seems a bit too bold," she said. The band's expressive music has earned them their share of critics as they have risen to prominence. In 2010, when the group became the first Lebanese act to headline the Byblos International Festival -- one of Lebanon's largest music events -- then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri reportedly left midway through the performance, after the band played a song with swearing in the lyrics. Read more: Tackling Lebanon's racism problem . Lead singer and songwriter Hamed Sinno said the group does not actively court controversy, but is not interested in toning down their act to win mainstream approval. "It's not like we try to bother people. But we haven't really tried to inhibit ourselves," he said. "I guess that we haven't tried to censor ourselves bothers people, because we're rather explicit about the world -- sometimes in ways that are disagreeable for a lot of people." Most controversially, he says, "we're rather explicit about our sexuality." Sinno is openly gay, a rarity for performers in a region where homophobic attitudes prevail. He has draped himself in a rainbow flag onstage, and written lyrics from the perspective of a gay lover in songs such as "Smell the Jasmine." It reflected the band's goal to transcend stereotypes, and create art that communicated the complicated realities of a new generation in the Middle East, said Malaeb -- an honesty that has seen Mashrou' Leila perform to fans in Tunis, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Amman and even Novi Sad, Serbia. "Lebanon has more to offer than the commercial music that you hear on the radio," she said. "We're trying to do something that speaks more to us." | Mashrou' Leila is a seven-piece alternative rock band from Beirut .
The group has won fans throughout the Middle East since forming in 2008 .
Its frank treatment of taboo subjects such as sexuality and religion has drawn criticism .
The band's lead singer is openly gay, a rarity in the Arab music scene . |
80,430 | e403882f7934204cb1c3a49c369780ffcec747eb | (CNN) -- Hardcore junkies of the series "Arrested Development" finally got their fix after a seven-year hiatus when Netflix released 15 new episodes Sunday, 3 a.m. ET. To binge watch or not to binge watch, that is the question. "Modern Family's" Jesse Tyler Ferguson observed on Twitter that the recaps from "people who watched ALL of #ArrestedDevelopment in one sitting ... sound like crazy coke heads." Binge-watch responsibly, everyone! But whether you binge watch or spoon it out a week at a time, will you feel satisfied when it's over? To be fair, the anticipation for series' return has been feverish and more than a year in the making, creating very high expectations. The first three seasons, which followed the outlandish antics of the dysfunctional Bluth family, was on Fox from 2003 to 2006. Those episodes were critically acclaimed and developed a sizable cult following -- a following that has only grown through DVDs and online streaming. The new online streaming format on Netflix gave creator Mitch Hurwitz more freedom with episode length, allowing far more variability than in the TV format. To work around cast availability, as stars like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Will Arnett and Portia de Rossi have moved on to busy careers, each episode focuses on one member of the Bluth family rather than trying to incorporate the entire cast. So while everything feels familiar, it's not the same old "Arrested Development." Some critics have welcomed the fresh presentation, praising Hurwitz for pushing forward the show's legacy: . The Hollywood Reporter: "The beauty about the Netflix version of 'Arrested Development' is that, given the laws of time and hype, it should not have succeeded. ... But the series quickly found its pacing, the elaborate 'Rashomon' structure revealed its glorious ambition and the combination of absurdity and intelligence meshed as well or better than you might have remembered from the original three seasons." Los Angeles Times: "In a sense, it is not merely a continuation of the show, but a celebration of it. ... I have, to be clear, watched it all -- and not with grim determination, but rather great, increasing satisfaction. ... The show improves as it gathers context, and before long you stop thinking about what makes this 'Arrested Development' different." San Francisco Chronicle: "Do the new episodes live up to those of the first three seasons which ended in 2006? Yes, and then some: The new season is not only as smart and absurdly funny as ever, but also reflects the rapid changes in how we watch television." Yet others think the concept was a nice idea in theory that didn't pass muster in execution: . HitFix: "[T]he result was both exhilarating and a wee bit disappointing. ... Out of 15 episodes, there are four or five episodes I'd put in the 'A' range. There were two or three episodes I'd put in the 'C' range. And the majority of the episodes were variably uneven, hardly devoid of brilliance and the sort of hilarity that most currently running shows can't even approach, but usually diluted to an infuriating degree by the structure and lack of structure of the endeavor. " Wall Street Journal: " 'Arrested Development' has lost a step or two in its long stint on the sidelines. The pacing is notably slower than during its original run and the show lacks the breathtaking density that characterized its glorious past. At its worst, the new/old 'Arrested Development' is reduced to doing an shaky imitation of itself: the characters and themes are there but the beats are slightly off, as is the tone." Variety: "Ultimately, this 'Arrested' revival plays a bit like a reunion special, where the individual cast members come out and take their curtain calls. After the warmth of seeing them reunited (or semi-reunited, given how rarely more than one or two are featured in a scene together), there's a sort of awkwardness to it, as if nobody really has much to say. 'Arrested Development's' long-awaited encore is like a lot of TV development -- namely, an interesting idea that was more exciting on paper." BuzzFeed: "Fifteen episodes later (after a few hours of sleep in between episodes 9 and 10), and I was left disappointed. ... Maybe when I have some time in the future, I'll give these new episodes another try, but if I'm looking for my 'Arrested Development' fix, I'll just go back to the original banana stand." NYT: "Chalk one up for the Internet: It has killed 'Arrested Development.' ... If you truly loved (the first three seasons of 'Arrested Development'), it's hard to imagine being anything but disappointed with this new rendition." Regardless of the mixed reactions, Hurwitz and executive producer/narrator Ron Howard have had nothing but gratitude for the show's strong fanbase. "Reaction from 'Arrested Development' fans so so gratifying," Howard tweeted, while Hurwitz posted a handwritten letter to Facebook. "It's been our great joy to bring this to you on Netflix, where you can access it whenever and however you want," Hurwitz wrote in the letter, dated May 25. "Except, you know, it's really meant to be watched in order. And you really should watch them all ... But really, this is yours now. Except for the obvious copyright issues. And you have to subscribe to Netflix." OK, so maybe it's "not completely yours I guess," Hurwitz continued. But there's still hope for the movie! | "Arrested Development" premiered its fourth season on Netflix Sunday .
The anticipation has been building for more than a year .
Overall, critics were slightly disappointed .
Creator Mitch Hurwitz and producer Ron Howard have thanked fans for support . |
50,104 | 8db6225f67580d64a196f2f3197386a6be950a09 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 15:16 EST, 6 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:16 EST, 6 November 2013 . Hacked: The Old Bailey was told that Sven Goran Eriksson had his phone hacked by the News Of The World for almost his entire time as England manager . Sven Goran Eriksson had his phone hacked by the News of the World for almost his entire tenure as England manager, the Old Bailey heard on Wednesday. The court was told that Mr Eriksson and his lover Faria Alam were monitored by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire between 2002 and 2006, leading to several high profile stories at the now-defunct tabloid. Among them was the 65-year-old's affair with FA employee Miss Alam, with the 'first details' of the relationship emerging from hacked messages in June 2004. The court heard that two hacks by the . paper came just days before Mr Eriksson was exposed in a sting operation . 'perpetrated' by undercover reporter, so-called Fake Sheikh, Mazher . Mahmood, which prosecutors say led to a story with the headline 'This . Man Is A Crook'. The England boss's phone was also hacked just a day before his team were due to kick-off their 2006 World Cup campaign. Prosecutor . Mark Bryant-Heron told the jury that when Mulcaire was arrested in . August 2006 on suspicion of phone hacking, recordings of two voicemail . messages intercepted from Mr Eriksson's phone were found at his address. One was from Everton chairman Bill . Kenwright relating to player transfers, Mr Bryant-Heron told the jury, . and the other from an Italian player. The . court heard that Mr Kenwright had left a message saying: 'I didn't get . back to you before I signed James Beattie and I wanted to talk to you . about another of your England players before I sign him.' Mr Eriksson was the subject of intense . media scrutiny while managing the England football team between 2001 . and 2006, including coverage of his affair with Miss Alam, which started . in 2004. Target: The court was told Glenn Mulcaire, left, monitored Mr Eriksson and his lover Faria Alam, right, between 2002 and 2006, leading to several high-profile stories . Jurors were shown . the pages from Mulcaire's notebooks from May 2002 which had Mr . Eriksson's phone number in, but had not at that point been attributed to . the England boss. The . same number cropped up against in August that year in taskings from NoTW . news editors Neville Thurlbeck and Greg Miskiw, this time with Mr . Eriksson's name on it. A . new phone number for Mr Eriksson was in pages of the notebook from June . 2004, alongside the mobile number and central London address of Miss . Alam. Mulcaire had also noted down Miss Alam's PIN and had written down a set of bank details on June 20, 2004. The expose of the affair between Mr Eriksson and Miss Alam was published in the News of the World on July 18, 2004. Job: The England boss's phone was also hacked just a day before his team were due to kick-off their 2006 World Cup campaign, the jury was told . It was followed the next week with another exclusive that Miss Alam was also sleeping with FA executive Mark Palios, and another follow-up on August 8, 2004 with Alam's thought's on Mr Eriksson's then-partner Nancy Dell'Olio. Prosecutor Mark Bryant-Heron showed . evidence of a string of calls to Mr Eriksson's and Miss Alam's phones . from Mulcaire, which he said were all evidence of hacking. This . included five calls between January 17 and 20, 2006, just before the . Fake Sheikh expose in which the England boss was duped into a string of . indiscrete remarks about his future with the national team. Partnership: The court heard that after the expose of Mr Eriksson's affair, several stories followed - including Miss Alam's thoughts on his then partner Nancy Dell'Olio, right . 'It is suggested these phone calls are hacks', said Mr Bryant-Heron. Jurors were shown two more phone contacts from Mulcaire the following week, then more again into February. The court heard Mulcaire renewed his interest in June 2006, as England were preparing to play in the World Cup. He even hacked Mr Eriksson's phone on June 9, 2006, the day before England played their opening game against Paraguay. The evidence on the hacking of Mr Eriksson's phone will continue on Thursday. Prank: Nancy Dell'Olio was left embarrassed on Tuesday night when a prankster wearing a Sven Goran Eriksson mask followed her into the Shaka Zulu restaurant in Camden, north London . Go away; Miss Dell'Olio, who split with the football coach in 2007, did not appear to be amused by the mystery man donning a mask of her former partner . | Glenn Mulcaire 'monitored' Eriksson between 2002 and 2006 .
Court told hacks led to stories including affair with Faria Alam .
England boss's phone hacked day before 2006 World Cup, jury hears .
Recordings of messages from Everton chairman found at Mulcaire's home . |
11,625 | 210ae1c5dbd677977a76880edecd204bf68b656a | (CNN) -- Few would argue that football is the planet's true global game. From Baghdad to Buenos Aires it is watched, played, argued about, loved and hated with an intensity that no other sport can match. Its ubiquity also brings a tremendous amount of power. Dictators and politicians have long tried to harness its ability to inspire unity and national pride for more nefarious political purposes -- be it Argentina's junta who used the 1978 World Cup to inspire the kind of loyalty that its regime had failed to do, to current Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who feared and respected football's power to spark change in equal measure. "[Football] has caused at least one war and many battles, often tragic, off the pitch," wrote Melvyn Bragg, nominating the 1863 Rules of Association Football, the football's first official code, in his "Twelve Books That Changed the World." But sometimes a single match has been at the center of huge social and political changes. Ahead of the start of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, CNN gives you some of the games that changed the world. Secretary's XI versus President's XI (1864) When 22 men gathered in Battersea Park, London, in the winter of 1864 for a game of football, no-one could imagine the worldwide sporting revolution that would follow. This was the first game played according to the Rules of Association Football, written by the embryonic English Football Association and the first attempt to unite and codify football's different, not to mention competing, strands. The forward pass hadn't been introduced yet, there were no such thing as crossbars and the offside rule was still three years away from being introduced, but the British Victorian need for imprimatur and order meant that the simplified, slimmed-down rules -- just 13 laws -- were easily exported. Which the British did with a proselytizing zeal throughout its colonies and the rest of the world. One such football missionary was Charles William Miller, who in the mid-1890s took a copy of the rules and a football to Brazil, from where it caught on like wild fire. "A Brazilian taxi driver told me that Charles Miller had invented football. In other words, he's a legendary figure [in Brazil], but no-one is quite sure what the legend actually is," explained Josh Lacey, author of "God is Brazilian," a biography of Miller. "In Sao Paulo, there is a square named after him. It's the square outside the stadium where Corinthians play." And the match itself? The Secretary's XI won 2-0, with both goals scored by Charles William Alcock, who would himself go on to organize the very first international fixture, between England and Scotland, seven years later. West Germany versus Hungary (1954) Post-war Germany was a haunted, broken and divided place. Although it was devastated financially by the folly of Nazism and the split between east and west by the emergence of the Iron Curtain, Germans were in a soul-searching funk over their role in the Second World War. The singing of the national anthem was actively discouraged and the country's new, unloved flag was rarely seen. And then came the "Miracle of Bern" at the 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland. Despite being trounced 8-3 in their first match against Hungary, West Germany made it to the final of the World Cup to face the same opposition. The team was made up solely of amateur footballers, while Hungary -- the best team in the world at the time -- boasted the likes of Ferenc Puskas. No-one gave them a chance, but they won 3-2, sparking scenes of jubilation back in West Germany and the first positive, collective nationalistic outburst since the war. "It was a kind of liberation for the Germans from all the things that weighed down upon them after the Second World War," German historian Joachim Fest wrote. "July 4, 1954 is in certain aspects the founding day of the German Republic." From there West Germany boomed economically, becoming the leading nation in Europe. As newspaper Der Spiegel pointed out before a united Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup: "In one 90-minute match against Hungary, modern-day Germany was born." Rangers versus Bucks (1966) Robben Island is infamous for its most revered prisoner: Nelson Mandela. But the jail, which held what the apartheid South African state viewed to be the most dangerous political prisoners, also gave birth to an unlikely football league. The Makana Football Association was set up by a group of prisoners desperate to break the monotony of prison life. Every week from 1964 onwards a prisoner would ask for permission to play football, and then be punished by the authorities as a result of his temerity. But by 1966 the prison warden relented and a football league was set up based on one of the only books in the prison library: the FIFA rule book. Scores, leagues, disciplinary records and even the results of disciplinary hearings from on-pitch indiscretions were kept, although no record exists of the score between the Rangers and Bucks in the first-ever match. As well as giving the inmates hope during desperate times, the Makana FA had a more important impact: honing the administrative skills of South Africa's future leaders. Jacob Zuma, the current President, was a tough-tackling defender for the Bucks and a future Makana FA referee. "It taught them administration ... Robben Island created the new generation of people that struggled for freedom," explains Professor Chuck Korr, author of "More Than Just a Game: Football vs. Apartheid." "And those men thought football was very important in maintaining their sanity and hope for the future. By definition, football is absolutely essential in the way the struggle for freedom is won." The Makana FA, although long abandoned, was given honorary FIFA membership in 2007. Dinamo Zagreb versus Red Star Belgrade (1990) Yugoslavia was already on the brink of imploding by the time Serbia's Red Star Belgrade played Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb at the latter's Maksimir Stadium. Pro- independence parties had already won recent Croatian elections. But the events that unfolded on March 13, 1990 are regarded by many as the opening salvo of the most vicious European war since the Nazis were defeated in 1945. During the match, future AC Milan and Croatia captain Zvonimir Boban launched a kung-fu kick at a policeman who was attacking a Zagreb fan. Riots broke out between Zagreb's "Bad Blue Boys" ultra group, and Red Star's "Delije" -- led by the brutal war-lord Arkan. Arkan's Tiger's, the paramilitary group he ruled during the war, recruited heavily from the Delije. Arkan himself was indicted by the United Nations for war crimes, but was assassinated in 2000 before he stood trial. Later, Boban explained what was going through his head. "Here I was, a public face prepared to risk his life, career and everything that fame could have brought, all because of one ideal cause: the Croatian cause." For the rest of the soon-to-be-non-existent country, it was a symbolic moment. "It was the most important match in Yugoslav history," explains Dr. Neven Andjelic, author of "Bosnia-Herzegovina: The End of a Legacy." "It has political implications and is a clear sign of the forthcoming violence and war that this unfinished match provided to the population." The war went on to rage for five years, with the International Center for Transnational Justice estimating that 140,000 people were killed. Its effects are still evident today, not least outside the Maksimir Stadium, where a statue depicting a group of soldiers stands. On it is the inscription: "To the fans of the club, who started the war with Serbia at this ground on May 13, 1990." Iraq versus Saudi Arabia (2007) Younis Mahmoud ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with the handful of fans that had made the long journey to the vast, half-empty stand in Jakarta's Bung Karno stadium. The captain of the Iraq national team -- a team of Kurds, Sunni and Shia Muslims -- had just scored the only, decisive goal in the 2007 Asian Cup final on July 29 against Saudi Arabia, but it meant much more than the first piece of major silverware for the "Lions of Mesopotamia." Back in Baghdad, tens of thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets, firing celebratory bullets into the air, with many clutching something that had not been seen in numbers since the fall of Saddam: the Iraqi flag. Football had achieved what no politician or general had managed to achieve: a semblance of national unity. According to the U.S. military, there were 1,700 sectarian attacks in Baghdad alone in June 2007. That had almost halved after the final, to 960 by the end of August. But the victory came at a price. Minutes after Iraq had beaten South Korea in a penalty shoot out in the semifinal, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of cheering fans, killing 50 people. At the Asian Cup, the victorious team sat, stunned, in the dressing room and contemplated pulling out of the final. But then the players watched the carnage on television. "One of the victims was a 12-year-old child," recalled Mahmoud to the press afterwards. "His mother, when his body was laid in front of her, she didn't weep, but she said: 'I present my son as a sacrifice for the Iraqi national team.' We have to win." They chose to continue, and the rest is history. | The 2011 Asian Cup kicked off in Qatar earlier this month, with 16 teams taking part .
The holders Iraq shocked the world by winning in 2007 and violence there fell afterwards .
CNN looks at five football matches that had political and social reverberations . |
116,671 | 22a1391739826fc1eece8c97d3f2219750cfdebb | By . Ray Massey . Suppressed: Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin told Parliament it is 'not in the public interest' to publish the official report that labelled HS2 in danger of failing . A key report into whether the HS2 rail line would give value for money is being kept secret by the Government. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told Parliament he is using emergency powers to veto publication of the report that says HS2 is in danger of failing. He said that protecting the impartiality of civil servants’ secret advice to ministers has to take priority over disclosure to the public. But HS2 protesters branded the gagging order an ‘absolutely disgraceful’ delaying tactic. Campaigners against the £50billion high-speed line between London, the Midlands and the North of England demanded publication of the Project Assessment Review and its cost-benefit analysis under Freedom of Information laws. Joe Rukin, of the Stop HS2 campaign, said yesterday’s decision was ‘absolutely disgraceful’ and a Government cover-up. He said: ‘This veto has only been used a handful of times, including the blocking of publication of Cabinet discussions on the Iraq War, the NHS risk register and letters from Prince Charles to Cabinet members. This is the first time the veto has been used in relation to a ruling made by the Information Commissioner on environmental grounds. ‘This just proves that there has been, and continues to be an agenda from Government to deceive MPs and the public with spin and dismiss any independent information showing just how bad the HS2 project is. ‘All they want is to make sure this report stays buried for a little longer so they can con MPs into voting for their white elephant vanity project.’ The Information Commissioner, rejecting ministers’ objections, ordered them to release the report. But now that has been overruled by the Government veto. In a written statement to MPs, Mr McLoughlin said: ‘The assurance of confidentiality is important in the conduct of the review. In my view, there is nothing in the nature or content of this particular report which outweighs that strong public interest against disclosure.’ High speed: The report about the proposed train line the warned there was a 'red or red/amber' risk of the project failing . Mr McLoughlin said he had given the . Information Commissioner a ‘certificate’ under section 53 of the Freedom . of Information Act 2000. This overrides the Commissioner’s decision to force the Government to reveal the Whitehall report. He . said: ‘My decision to exercise this power of veto in this case was not . taken lightly,’ adding that he decided it was an ‘exceptional case’. Information . Commissioner Christopher Graham said: ‘This is a disappointing . decision and I’ll be studying the Secretary of State’s explanation to . understand why this has been ruled an exceptional case. ‘There . are important legal issues to be considered here, and I’ll be . highlighting our view of them in an open letter to the Justice . Committee in due course.’ The report, which included a cost-benefit analysis of the scheme, was given to ministers in November 2011 but never made public. It . is understood to warn of a risky timetable for HS2, poor management, . low delivery confidence and suggestions that the success of the scheme . is in doubt. It says that . at the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd there are ‘concerns over . skills, capability and resources’, with too few people working on the . project and many of those lacking sufficient skills. Last November, the . Government published its strategic case document, painting a rosy case . for HS2 including an upbeat benefit-cost ratio. Richard Houghton of HS2 Action Alliance said unveiling the report is in the public interest. ‘The proposed . £50billion . project will blight 500,000 homes – only 2 per cent of whose owners . will receive compensation – and which will generate massive . environmental damage,’ he said. ‘So . far as we can see, the last time secrecy laws of this nature were . invoked was during the Iraq war. The implications are immense.’ Anti-HS2 . protester Dr Paul Thornton, who brought the Freedom of Information . request, said: ‘This is a delaying tactic on the part of Government as . they know the decision is likely to go to judicial review. ‘This . should not be necessary as Parliament should be scrutinising this . arbitrary decision and ensuring that it is overturned, as it creates an . alarming precedent.’ But a . Government spokesman said: ‘It’s important to strike a balance between . the benefits of transparency and protecting the ability of officials to . “speak truth to power”. ‘The . Major Projects Authority will not be truly effective if officials fear . that their frank advice to ministers could be disclosed. The Government . has decided that it is not in the public interest to release this . report.’ | Transport secretary used emergency legal powers to block report .
Government needed to 'protect the impartiality of civil service advice'
HS2 will link London and Birmingham with new 240mph train line . |
188,626 | 804c328aca500e0d2a97a652943341271eeacdf8 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 23:48 EST, 22 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:51 EST, 23 May 2013 . The 21-year-old tweeting motorist who boasted on Twitter that she had knocked a cyclist off his bike has apologised to the rider. Trainee accountant Emma Way said she was sorry and revealed that her career may be at risk because of the incident which has had nationwide publicity. Emma sent a Tweet admitting that she had 'definitely knocked a cyclist off his biker earlier - I have right of way he doesn’t even pay road tax #bloodycyclists' Collision: Emma Way (left) tweeted she 'definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier'. Toby Hockley (right), 29, came forward as the cyclist involved in the collision and said he was 'lucky to be alive' following the crash . But her angry victim has accused her . of shocking driving after her car raced past him, hitting his handlebars . and sending him crashing into a hedge. Miss Way said: 'It was spur of the moment stupid Tweet - there are so many of them flying around. 'But I never realised it would escalate . like this - it is now national and the social networks have blown it up . out of all proportion. 'I just thought he had clipped my wing mirror and if he was injured in any way then I am very sorry. 'I am getting a bad name because of . it and my employers are getting calls and e-mails. I have been suspended . and I think my career may be over.' Confession: This tweet by user Emma Way was met with shock and prompted an investigation by Norfolk police . Emma has now spoken to Norfolk police . about the incident and is waiting to hear if any further action will be . taken against her for a possible driving offence. The bike rider Toby Hockley, 29, was . taking part in a road race near Snetterton race track at the weekend . when the accident happened. He said: 'She hit me really hard and I am lucky to be alive - I suffered a bruised knee, a sore elbow and nettle rash. 'She should have stopped and shown . some respect for other road users - by Tweeting about it, it is almost . as if she is proud of what she did. Not angry: Mr Hockley, foreground, said he had not been planning any further action before he was alerted to the Tweet . 'I would like her to get a telling . off from the police rather than anything that is going to affect her . life. I don’t want her to lose her licence - just an apology.' A spokesman for her employers Norwich . accountants Larking Goiwen said: 'We are aware one of our employees . posted some tweets relating to an incident on their personal twitter . account. 'Please be assured this is not a view shared by us and we certainly don’t condone sort of behaviour. 'We are treating the incident very . seriously and a full and detailed investigation will be carried out and . appropriate action taken.' | Twitter user Emma Way bragged about collision with cyclist in Norwich .
'I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax!' the post added .
Toby Hockley, 29, came forward claiming to be the cyclist involved .
He said he was knocked into hedge by the car and is 'lucky to be alive'
Norfolk police launched an investigation and spoke to both parties involved . |
151,368 | 4fb2847ea6175cc4861d8b8aa2acdf38a95e0e61 | Alex Mowatt grabbed the only goal as Leeds dented Middlesbrough's Sky Bet Championship title aspirations with a smash-and-grab 1-0 win. The midfielder scored in the third minute as Middlesbrough, who entered the day's early kick-off one point clear at the top of the table, fell to a first home defeat since August. Aitor Karanka's men headed into the afternoon's early game brimming with confidence having risen above Derby and Bournemouth with a 1-1 draw at Birmingham on Wednesday. Mowatt (centre) watches as his third minute shot is deflected into the goal for Leeds to beat Middlesbrough . Mowatt (centre) of Leeds scored the first goal for his team after three minutes against Middlesbrough . Luke Murphy (right) of Leeds tries to protect possession from Middlesbrough striker Kike (left) Sol Bamba (right) slides across and blocks an attempt by Middlesbrough striker Kike (second right) Middlesbrough manager Aito Karanka has taken his side to the top of the Championship table . Middlesbrough: Mejias, Nsue (Bamford, 66), Kalas, Gibson, Friend, Adomah, Clayton, Leadbitter (Forshaw, 79), Reach (Tomlin, 57), Vossen, Garcia. Subs not used: Ripley, Husband, Whitehead, Omeruo. Leeds: Silvestri, Wootton, Bamba, Bellusci, (Cooper, 90), Charlie Taylor, Murphy, Cook, Byram, Austin, Mowatt, Morison. Subs not used: Sharp, Cani, Berardi, Stuart Taylor, Sloth, Antenucci. Goal: Mowatt, 3 . Referee: Andre Marriner . But they got off to a terrible start when Mowatt put the visitors ahead with a deflected strike. Middlesbrough responded well but, despite creating a glut of chances in the opening period, they could not find a way past the dogged rearguard led by Leeds skipper Sol Bamba. It was the same story after half-time, welcome news for Middlesbrough's rivals Derby and Bournemouth in the promotion battle. Middlesbrough's position did not stop Karanka continuing his rotation policy, with six changes made to the side that started in midweek. It was the sole enforced alteration that proved Boro's undoing, though, as Leeds took an immediate lead. Tomas Mejias, in the XI because Dimi Konstantopoulos was serving a suspension for his red card versus the Blues, saw a poor throw-out intercepted by Lewis Cook. And the midfielder took full advantage, pulling back for Mowatt to fire into the bottom corner via a deflection. Middlesbrough almost bounced back immediately, only for Jelle Vossen to fluff his lines having been picked out by Grant Leadbitter's well-worked free-kick. The home side looked the most likely to score thereafter, with Kike and Vossen drawing smart saves from Marco Silvestri. Vossen then went agonisingly close to levelling when Giuseppe Bellusci cleared off the line to deny the Belgian after good work from Kike and Adam Reach. The onslaught showed few signs of halting as only last-ditch defending, and excellent saves from Silvestre to deny Kike and Adam Clayton, kept Leeds ahead at half-time. Leeds United have been on an upturn in form in recent matches under Neil Redfearn's guidance . Giuseppe Bellusci of Leeds (right) challenges Kike (left) during the match at the Riverside Stadium . Adam Clayton (left) of Middlesbrough tries to take the ball beyond Leeds' Steve Morison (right) Picking up where they left off, Middlesbrough applied further pressure following the interval, Kike seeing an effort turned around the post by Silvestri. But Leeds issued a warning shot of their own moments later when Scott Wootton nodded James Murphy's free-kick against the crossbar. Any thoughts that his effort may herald a spell of visiting pressure were quickly extinguished, Silvestri again called into action by Kike and Albert Adomah. Karanka introduced top-scorer Patrick Bamford midway through the second period in a bid to find an elusive equaliser. Scott Wooton of Leeds (left) challenges Middlesbrough's Adam Reach (right) for the ball . Jelle Vossen (centre) lies injured and the game was halted for five minutes as he received treatment . Clayton (left) puts in a challenge on Murphy (right) of Leeds during the Championship encounter . Yet even switching to 4-2-4 did not bring the desired goal, with Bamba denying Kike after a sublime move. Frustration then turned to worry inside the Riverside as Vossen was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious head injury. That meant there were nine minutes of injury time, although Middlesbrough - down to 10 men having used three substitutes - could not force themselves level. | Championship leaders Middlesbrough lose to Leeds 1-0 at home .
Leeds went ahead thanks to a third minute strike from Alex Mowatt .
Boro striker Jelle Vossen stretchered off and given oxygen on 88 . |
230,316 | b64194ca5722758543f569a429c0fd47b2990877 | By . Ashley Collman . Social networking site Twitter unveiled the latest expansion to its San Francsico headquarters Monday, surprising workers with a log cabin right in the middle of the cafeteria. Twitter now occupies seven of the 11 floors in the 77-year-old SF mart building, and bought the 1800s homesteader cabin to go along with the cafeteria's forest theme. 'We've used the notion of the forest as a nice tie-in with Twitter and its bird logo,' office designer Olle Lundberg told MarinIj.com. Home, home on the Twitter range: An 1800s log cabin was unveiled in Twitter's new cafeteria headquarters on Monday . Decked out: The interior of the cabin features seating for workers to eat lunch and TV monitors for entertainment . Farm to table: Twitter's office designer purchased the century-old cabin for an undisclosed amount from a local contractor who salvages them from remote Montana ranches . Growing: Twitter now occupies seven of the 11 floors in the 77-year-old SF Mart building . The unveiling alco coincided with the 149-year anniversary of the day President Abraham Lincoln was shot - perhaps the most famous person to have lived in a log cabin. The president was born in a one-room cabin in Kentucky and Lincoln Logs, the children's building blocks, are named after him. The timing of the unveiling seems to have been a coincidence. Mr Lundberg purchased the log cabin from a Novato, California contractor who salvages them from remote Montana ranches. 'We advertised them for a year and we pretty much got a lot of crackpot calls,' contractor Karl Beckmann said. 'When you think about it, buying a 100-year-old log cabin that has been exposed to the elements is not a very practical idea unless you're doing something exactly like what is being done here.' While the price of the cabin was never released, Tech Crunch found a 'more down market version' selling for around $12,500. Bird feeders: The log cabin is part of Twitter's new cafeteria . Perks: The company fuels its employees with healthy foods, as evidenced by the granola bar . Fun office: Other features of the headquarters include a yoga studio, rooftop garden and arcade. Above, another view of the new cafeteria . The 20x20-foot cabin was reassembled in the cafeteria without its roof to add intimacy and a space for workers to eat lunch. The cabin was outfitted with booths and a center pillar with TV monitors and a coffee station. 'You can see the hand of the original craftsmen who built them,' Mr Lundberg said. 'It's kind of cool that cabins that were built sometime in the 1800s have now reappeared. The guys who built them are long dead, of course, but are sort of still here. I kind of like that.' Other features of the company's headquarters include a yoga studio, rooftop garden and arcade. | The log cabin was one of the latest additions to the company's headquarters in the SF Mart building in downtown San Francisco .
Office designer Olle Lundberg sourced the cabin from a contractor who salvaged it from a Montana ranch .
The unveiling of the new cafeteria conversation piece also coincided with the 149-year anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination .
President Lincoln grew up in a one-room log cabin in rural Kentucky and Lincoln Logs toys are named after him . |
156,969 | 56f63e99cd432ec13b904735be93328ec48923c3 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 03:08 EST, 25 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:35 EST, 25 May 2012 . A secret East German-style rescue package is being cooked up by Germany as the eurozone's 'engine-room' desperately bids to save the single currency. German chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing a six-point plan that aims to revive Greece in the same way East Germany was developed after the fall of Communism. Der Spiegel reports that it will see ailing countries transformed through privatisations, soft investment rules and the relaxation of employment laws. Hit: France, led by Francois Hollande (left), and Germany, led by Angela Merkel (right) are usually known as the engine-room of the eurozone, but are now also suffering from the economic slowdown . The European Union will be presented with the plan, including a proposal for a European privatisation agency or fund, in the next few weeks. It is likely to provoke outrage in Greece because of it's 'behave more like the Germans' message. It is modelled on the 'trust agency' Treuhandanstalt, created in 1990 by the People’s Chamber of East Germany to sell off 8,500 state enterprises. Merkel also wants to create special economic zones that will tempt foreign investors with tax relief and reduced regulation. The employment market would also be restructured along German lines, with a job protection loosened. The leaking of the plans comes as it was revealed France and Germany, dubbed the eurozone's engine-room, is now being hit by Europe's economic slowdown. Worry: The news that Germany and France is also suffering from the economic slowdown gives added urgency to the region's struggle to keep Greece's debt crisis from tearing the single currency apart . So far, the 17-nation bloc's downturn has been confined mainly to its periphery - with Greece, Portugal and Ireland all seeking bailouts. But an index measuring broad economic activity across the monetary union in May showed its weakest outcome since mid-2009, during the global financial crisis. It has given added urgency to the region's struggle to keep Greece's debt crisis from tearing the single currency apart. Greece's general election on June 17 has turned into a referendum on whether Athens should continue with an austerity drive that is the price of continued fiscal support from its euro partners. Greece's anti-bailout leftist SYRIZA party is maintaining a lead ahead of the elections, according to an opinion poll yesterday. Greece held elections on May 6 but that vote left parliament divided evenly between groups of parties that support and oppose austerity conditions attached to a €130billion rescue agreed with lenders in March. The Public Issue/Skai TV poll showed SYRIZA leading with 30 per cent of the vote, four points ahead of the conservative New Democracy party, which is backing the bailout. If repeated on June 17, this would fall short of enabling SYRIZA to govern alone but give it a decisive role in forming a new government. Greece's deficit means that without the EU/IMF money, which would stop flowing if Athens were to tear up the agreement on reforms, it would not be able to pay salaries and would have to leave the eurozone and start printing its own currency. 'Regardless of the turmoil and the debate that's going on in these crucial countries, it would seem that for the time being, people want to stick with the euro,' said John Wright, senior vice president of global public affairs at Ipsos. Yesterday's composite PMI indicated core nations such as Germany and France were also being caught up in the downturn. This was as they made contingency plans to deal with financial and economic turmoil in the event Greece quits the euro. Italy, which could be on the front line of speculative attacks on euro markets if Greece went back to the drachma, put a brave face on the situation, saying the most probable outcome was still that Greece would remain in the euro zone. 'Anything can happen, but I think the most probable outcome is the one which is most positive for Greece and for all of us,' Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told Italian TV. He said Greece's eurozone partners had been wrong to insist on overly rapid reforms and fiscal adjustment, and he did not expect it would be long before European countries were ready to introduce common euro zone bonds. 'Italy is very much in favour of the creation of euro bonds when the time is right, and we do not expect it to be too far off,' Monti told an earlier news conference. At least half of eurozone governments, as well as banks and large companies, are making contingency plans in case Greece decides to quit the euro. Despite Monti's comments, his deputy economy minister said Rome was ready for such a possibility. And European markets are currently stable. The FTSE-100 is 0.05 per cent up at 5,352.93; France's CAC 40 is 0.41 per cent up at 3,050.58; and Germany's DAX is 0.43 per cent at 6,343.35. It came as yesterday the euro crashed to a 22-month low as the European economy took another dramatic turn for the worse. Figures showed the biggest slump in private sector business across Europe this month for nearly three years. The dire news sent the euro tumbling against the dollar to $1.25 – its lowest level since July 2010. Against the pound it was worth little more than 80p. Figures from financial research group Markit showed the eurozone economy sank deeper into the mire this month. In Germany, the private sector was in decline for the first time in six months while in France the slump was the steepest for just over three years. Common euro bonds, which would allow weaker nations like Greece to borrow with the collective backing of the bloc, have been placed back on the agenda as Greece's possible exit looms larger. And the topic has seemingly split France and Germany. France's election on May 6 of a Socialist president, Francois Hollande, has changed the tone of the debate on euro bonds. He urged a reluctant German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders at talks on Wednesday to consider recourse to euro bonds among other measures. Merkel, seen as an architect of the austerity prescription for Greece, now looks increasingly vulnerable on the eurozone crisis. Other European leaders have rallied around Hollande's call for a new emphasis on growth alongside debt-cutting. Surprise: Meanwhile, away from the eurozone crisis, French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan today . Trip: Hollande visited some of the French troops he wanted to pull out later this year . On euro bonds, Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SDP) and Greens have taken a similar line to Hollande. But there were signs yesterday they might instead accept a compromise plan to mutualise only a proportion of members' sovereign debts. This would involve mutualising the debts of euro zone countries beyond 60 percent of GDP. The euro crisis has also thrown a spotlight on the vulnerability of commercial banks to a full-blown crisis of confidence in the single currency, especially in the indebted countries of southern Europe, such as Spain. Spain is considering creating a single nationalised bank out of its failed lenders, including problem lender Bankia, if the state cannot find buyers for state-rescued banks, a senior Economy Ministry source said. Bankia, which was part-nationalised just two weeks ago, is also to ask Madrid for £12billion in bailout cash. Meanwhile, away from the eurozone crisis, French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan today. He visited some of the French troops he wants to pull out later this year and meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom he saw briefly last week in Chicago. Hollande, making a whirl of foreign trips since his May 15 inauguration, is accelerating the withdrawal of the roughly 3,400 French troops still stationed in Afghanistan to the end of this year, two years ahead of the NATO timetable. His office said he would pledge to keep to a long-term cooperation treaty signed with Kabul earlier this year. Hollande's new withdrawal timetable is at odds with NATO partners adhering to a plan to hand over command of all combat missions to Afghan forces by the middle of 2013 and withdraw most of the 130,000 foreign troops there by the end of 2014. | Aims to revive Greece in same way as East Germany after Communism .
Ailing countries to be transformed via mass privatisations .
Germany's private sector worryingly in decline for first time in six months .
France's slump in same sector is the steepest for just over three years .
Gives urgency to keeping Greece's debt crisis from tearing euro apart .
Euro bonds splits growth-led France and austerity-pioneers Germany .
Spain ponders creating single nationalised bank out of its failed lenders .
Greek election 'has become referendum on austerity measures' |
271,922 | ec3add78c09a87d9f84c3bc67260916fffe70f0b | Loretta Lynch is promising a fresh relationship with law enforcement – and with Congress – as she appears before a Senate committee Wednesday in her bid to become the nation's first female black attorney general. But she has serious hurdles in front of her as the Senate Judiciary Committee, now under Republican control, warns about 'a Department of Justice that is deeply politicized' under the outgoing AG, Eric Holder. Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the committee's chairman, said in his opening statement that America's next top law enforcer would need to worry about 'restoring respect for the co-equal branches of government.' In the first confirmation hearing under the GOP-led Senate, Lynch appeared Wednesday for the first of two days of hearings on her nomination. She's widely expected to win confirmation but faces tough questions from a GOP that's flexing its post-election muscles. Grassley said in Wednesday's hearing that 'the Attorney General’s job is to represent the American People – not just the president and not just the executive branch.' Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch faces the first confirmation hearing under the new Republican Senate. Her nomination raised eyebrows when it emerged that she once co-founded a college sorority with the future wife of the outgoing AG, Eric Holder . Power Troika: Lynch (left) prepared for a grilling as Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa (right) and Ranking Minority Member Patrick Leahy of Vermont (center) readied their jousts . That was a jab at the Oval Office and President Barack Obama's recent expansion of its power with executive action on immigration and other hot-button issues. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, from Lynch's home state of New York, introduced her at the tense Capitol Hill hearing by warning that 'the president's immigration policies aren't seeking confirmation today. Loretta Lynch is.' 'If we can't confirm Loretta Lynch, we can't confirm anyone,' Schumer said. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's ranking Democrat, used his moment in the spotlight on Wednesday to warn that Lynch will need to deal with the Bureau of Prisons as it bulges with convicts placed behind bars because of mandatory-minimum sentences that he said don't make America safer. He also condemned 'dragnet surveillance programs directed at American citizens' and looked ahead to June when three sections of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are set to expire. 'We must protect our national security and our civil liberties,' Leahy said. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, expects to replace Eric Holder, who announced his resignation last fall after leading the Justice Department for six years. Holder has been a lightning rod for conservative criticism, clashing with Republicans and becoming the first sitting attorney general held in contempt of Congress . Lynch introduced her husband to the committee on Wednesday, whom she said has 'supported me in all my endeavors, no matter how poor they make us.' In prepared testimony, she pledged better relations with Capitol Hill. 'I look forward to fostering a new and improved relationship with this committee, the United States Senate, and the entire United States Congress – a relationship based on mutual respect and constitutional balance,' Lynch said. Holder also battled the perception from critics that he aligned himself more with protesters of police violence than with members of law enforcement, a charge he and the Justice Department have strongly denied – but one that resonated in the aftermath of high-profile deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers. In her prepared testimony, Lynch promised a fresh start in that relationship, too. 'Few things have pained me more than the recent reports of tension and division between law enforcement and the communities we serve,' Lynch said, pledging to 'work to strengthen the vital relationships' if confirmed. But her ties to Holder have raised concerns among Republicans. At Harvard University in 1980, Lynch co-founded a chapter of the all-black Delta Sigma Theta sorority along with Sharon Malone and nine other college co-eds. Malone is now Holder's wife. Lynch already has earned praise from several GOP senators for her credentials and accomplishments, though. She still face tough questions from Republicans who now control the Senate. The hearing gives them an opportunity to press their opposition to Obama administration policies while showcasing their own governing roles as the 2016 presidential election cycle gets underway. 'She certainly has the credentials. We don't want a repeat of what we had,' said Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, a senior committee member. 'I look upon her as a pretty good appointment, but I have to listen along with everybody else.' TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT? Sharon Malone (left), the wife of outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder (right), co-founded a Harvard sorority with Loretta Lynch in 1980 . Loretta Lynch, poised to become the first black woman to serve as America's attorney general, has been the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York since 2010 . The Judiciary Committee includes some of the Senate's most outspoken Republicans, among them Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a potential presidential candidate who promised to quiz Lynch on Obama's executive actions on immigration that granted reprieves from deportation to millions. 'We need an attorney general who will stop being a partisan attack dog and instead get back to the traditions of upholding the Constitution and the law in a fair and impartial manner,' Cruz said. Lynch's hearing comes amid a nationwide spotlight on police tactics in the wake of deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers, as well as the slaying last month of two officers in New York City. It's an issue Lynch, 55, is deeply familiar with. She helped prosecute the New York City police officers who severely beat and sexually assaulted Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in 1997. Her office in New York is currently leading a civil rights investigation into the police chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island last summer. Lynch has been the top prosecutor since 2010 for a district that includes Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island, a role she also held from 1999 to 2001. On a conference call Tuesday, law enforcement officials praised Lynch's nomination. New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton described her as a 'fair-minded individual' who would be able to navigate sensitive matters of race relations and policing and see both sides. Lynch grew up with humble beginnings in North Carolina, the daughter of a school librarian and a Baptist minister. She went on to receive undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. 'I believe in the promise of America because I have lived the promise of America,' she said in her prepared testimony. | Loretta Lynch would be the first black woman to become America's top law enforcement official .
She's the leading federal prosecutor in the New York City boroughs of Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn, and Long Island .
New Republican Senate majority is using its first confirmation hearing to draw attention to the White House's expansion of its powers .
Lynch's hearing comes amid a nationwide spotlight on police tactics in the wake of deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers .
Her nomination raised concerns about her independence when it emerged that she co-founded a college sorority with the future wife of current AG Eric Holder . |
46,719 | 839fe695f63b7ac50ec861bc7891b1c92827d6bb | JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Angry protests greeted the acquittal Wednesday of a former Indonesian intelligence official accused of killing a respected human rights activist four years ago. Muchdi Purwopranojo was accused of plotting the murder of lawyer Munir Said Thalib. A court in Jakarta cleared Muchdi Purwopranojo of murder charges in the September 2004 death of Munir Said Thalib, a lawyer heavily involved in human rights work. Protesters outside the courthouse chanted, "Who killed Munir? Muchdi killed Munir." Munir's widow, Suciwati, said she was angry and disappointed in the verdict. And Usman Hamid, head of the National Commission on Missing Persons, said the family "is hurting from the verdict." "The decision has turned people's faith in the justice system upside down," said Hamid, who now leads Munir's organization. Munir died after being poisoned while on a flight to the Netherlands. Munir's supporters say he was the victim of a conspiracy by Indonesia's national intelligence agency, the BIN. Two other people have been charged and convicted in Munir's death -- a pilot for the national airline Garuda Indonesia who was directly linked to the poisoning, and a former Garuda official who authorized him to be on the same flight. Prosecutors argued that Muchdi gave the orders in the conspiracy. But Hamid said judges treated the case as a personal vendetta by Muchdi, and he said more people from the agency should have been implicated. | Protests greet acquittal of a former Indonesian intelligence official .
Muchdi Purwopranojo was charged with murder of Munir Said Thalib .
Thalib, a human rights lawyer, died after being poisoned on a flight . |
191,956 | 848f3b330acbe23b7929cef2ce788b5a85c9b50d | By . Meghan Keneally . Rough state: Ice Road Truckers star Tim Zickuhr was arrested in December and pictured here after being taken to the Las Vegas police department . A star of a reality trucking show has been charged with kidnapping a Las Vegas prostitute and threatening to kill her. Tim Zickuhr now faces three felony charges after threatening and attacking a prostitute who went by the name 'Snow White'. His mugshot, which was taken in December immediately following the arrest but only released on Tuesday, shows that the 40-year-old has bruises or dirt all over the sides of his face. TMZ reports that he attacked the unidentified prostitute after accusing the woman of taking too much money out of his debit account after he gave her his ATM card to pay for an evening with her. Zickuhr joined the History Channel . show in its second season, which filmed in 2011, and was sent to drive . cargo across some of the scariest roads in Bolivia. The . show went off the air after that season and he has since returned to . the United States- and was in Las Vegas on the night of December 18 when . he had a tryst with the prostitute. TMZ . reports that the pair met that night and she claims that he gave her . his ATM card so that she could withdraw an undisclosed amount for her . payment. Charged: Tim Zickuhr was arrested for kidnapping, extortion and coercion following a December 19 incident when he attacked a prostitute in Las Vegas . He later accused her of taking too much from the account but she agreed to come back and meet him the following day to settle the dispute. As soon as she walked into his apartment on December 19, he punched her and said that he would kill her if she didn't get him the money. During the attack, he allegedly used backpack straps to tie her up and then poured cold water over her head from a bucket. She continued to deny that she took . any extra money from him, but he gave her a phone and forced her to call . someone who would be able to get him the $1,000 he accused her of . stealing. She cleverly . thought to dial a police officer friend of hers and Zickuhr is said to . have ripped the phone out of her hand and threatened him into meeting. Aggressive: Zickuhr allegedly tied the prostitute up, punched her and doused her with cold water before threatening her life . Zickuhr pushed the woman out a second-floor window as they headed to the meeting, and as soon as they arrive, the officer friend arrested Zickuhr. TMZ claims that Zickuhr 'sang like a canary' and admitted to the threats and violence. He now faces first degree kidnapping, extortion and coercion charges and will be back in court in May. | Tim Zickuhr has been charged with three felonies after threatening to kill a prostitute that he believe had stolen money from him .
He punched and tied up the prostitute, who calls herself 'Snow White', and doused her in cold water .
Told her to call someone who would get him the money and she dialed a friend of hers who works as a police officer .
Zickuhr forced her to jump out the second story window before they went to meet with the officer- who promptly arrested the reality star . |
164,789 | 6116b46d1d3f228d090419d558f34892373c0b9d | (CNN) -- Ohio authorities on Saturday advanced their investigation into killings tied to a Craigslist job listing when they identified the last of three bodies found last month, a sheriff said. The body of Ralph H. Geiger, 56, of Akron, Ohio, was identified by the Licking County coroner's office, said Sheriff Stephen S. Hannum of Noble County. His corpse had been discovered by investigators November 25 in a shallow grave in eastern Ohio. He and two other men found dead -- also in different shallow graves -- are believed to have been killed after answering a Craigslist ad to work on a cattle farm in eastern Ohio, authorities said. Brogan Rafferty, 16, of Stow, Ohio, who is a high school sophomore, is facing charges of aggravated murder and attempted murder in the killings, and prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult, according to CNN affiliates WKYC and WJW. In court documents filed by prosecutors, Richard Beasley, 52, of Akron, Ohio, is also alleged to have been involved in the killings. But he hasn't been charged yet specifically in relation to the case. Beasley did plead not guilty this week to promoting prostitution charges -- an unrelated case -- and he was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, WKYC reported. Rafferty's father, Michael, told WJW a week ago that his 16-year-old son had been "manipulated" and "corrupted," insisting that his son is a "mild-mannered gentleman." The father also said that his son unwittingly dug the graves at Beasley's direction, WJW reported. The boy's mother said her son denied killing anyone and added that Beasley portrayed himself as "a chaplain" who gave food to the homeless. Last week, another victim was identified as Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio, who died from gunshot wounds to the head and whose body was found in a shallow grave behind an Akron mall, authorities said. The other murder victim has been identified as David Pauley, Noble County Sheriff's office dispatcher Kevin Macri told CNN on Saturday. The South Carolina man's body was also found last month in a shallow grave with a gunshot wound to the head, according to WKYC. The investigation into the killings began the night of November 6, when a Noble County deputy sheriff responded to a call and came upon a "white, middle-aged man being treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm," according to Hannum. The wounded man, who is from South Carolina and was not identified by police, told the sheriff he had answered an ad on the Craigslist website offering work caring for cattle on a 688-acre property. He met with the two suspects and drove with them toward Stock Township. After being told a road was closed due to a landslide, the South Carolina man got out of the car to start walking toward the property, which he was told was nearby. He told the sheriff that, while walking through a heavily wooded area, he then turned around "to see a gun pointed at his head. He deflected the gun and ran" -- getting shot in the arm while fleeing, the sheriff explained last month. The victim hid for seven hours in the forest before going to a house and requesting help, Hannum said last week. Zach Kern, 19, told CNN last week that he last saw his father, Timothy, on November 12 after he had gone with another son for the job interview. "He was all stoked about it," Zach Kern said of his father's feelings about the opportunity to work on the cattle farm. "My brother ... thought the whole situation was sketchy." Zach Kern said his father, divorced and with three children, worked "odd jobs" including recently as a street cleaner in Canton. He said that his father saw his children daily, adding that the whole family is struggling to come to grips with his death. "We're just trying to get through this," Zach Kern said. In his last Facebook posting, dated November 10, Timothy Kern wrote: "Just got one of the strangest job offers. A good offer but strange. The job is to watch over 680 acres south of cambridge. Odd jobs and such but mainly just secure it. Trailer, utilities, salary. Drawbacks? No cell phone service, kids are up here, and i have to move this Sunday." CNN's Ross Levitt contributed to this report. | The body of a 56-year-old man from Akron, Ohio, is identified, a sheriff says .
A total of three men were found dead in separate shallow graves .
All three are believed to have responded to a Craigslist ad for work on a farm .
A teenager and a 52-year-old man are suspects, authorities say . |
203,692 | 93b2f19c3dbee1605254a92cc5183e4adecbd5af | Seattle, Washington (CNN) -- When Amanda Knox's parents head to Italy for closing arguments in their daughter's murder trial they'll be carrying a present they hope desperately she can use soon: a plane ticket home. In that purchase lies one family's entire hope. Curt Knox and Edda Mellas say their daughter is nothing like the person they've seen depicted before and during her trial. They grimace at the description prosecutors have used in court: that Amanda Knox was a resentful American so angry with her British roommate Meredith Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sex misadventure at their home two years ago. Prosecutors say Knox directed then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and another man infatuated with her, Rudy Guede, to hold Kercher down as Knox played with a knife before slashing Kercher's throat. "She is totally nonviolent, almost a passive person," Mellas told CNN in a joint interview with her former husband. So passive was Knox, the parents said, that she couldn't even continue a kickboxing class because she felt it was too violent. She was so caring, they said, that she would make her friends stop a car to let a spider out rather than kill it. Knox was an easy child to raise in Seattle, Washington, along with her younger sisters Deanna and Ashley, her parents said. She took to soccer early on but hit the books as hard as she played. It was on the field that she earned the nickname Foxy Knoxy, though they say it was rarely used and taken out of context when Kercher was found killed to portray their daughter as a sex-hungry party animal. "It was totally associated to soccer and how she prepared herself as a defender, waiting to take on a striker going down," Curt Knox said. "So how people read this nickname is totally wrong." Eventually, though a star player at college, Knox gave up the sport to focus on her education. She knew she wanted to study in Italy and wouldn't be able to leave the team to go abroad. Her mother said she threw herself into jobs to help the family save for the trip, working as a soccer coach, a barista and in a gallery. They recall a young woman far different from the wild party girl depicted by prosecutors, one they said found more enjoyment in going to a coffee house and reading a book than going out to a club. They say she met her former boyfriend and co-accused Sollecito at a classical concert. Yes, they concede, Knox, now 22, and Sollecito say they were smoking marijuana and having sex at his home the night Kercher was killed, but that was as wild as it got. They reject the idea of revenge as a motive for Knox to kill Kercher. Mellas said her daughter e-mailed and called to tell her about her new roommate regularly. Knox told her they got along great and spent time together, going to libraries and a chocolate festival. What has happened in Perugia, Italy, is unfathomable to them. On November 2, 2007, at 4 a.m. in Seattle, Mellas was awakened by the phone. "Amanda called [and said] 'I hate to wake you up, but something's not right here, I think someone's been in my house,' " Mellas recalled. The door to the home she shared with Kercher had been ajar when she came home that morning, and when Knox got out of a quick shower, she noticed drops of blood. Kercher's door was locked, and Knox couldn't reach her, she told her mother, adding that Sollecito was calling the police. Later, when officers broke down the door to Kercher's room, Mellas said her daughter struggled to understand what was going on, hanging on the few words of Italian she understood at the time. "They were screaming 'A foot, a foot,' that's what they could see," Mellas recalled Amanda Knox saying. When she learned Kercher was dead in the room, a hysterical Knox called her mother, Mellas remembered. "We were constantly on the phone," she said. "She was tired, scared, there was a murderer out running around and she was afraid to be alone." On the day Knox was arrested, Mellas was flying to Italy to be with her daughter, to comfort her and help her find a new place to live since her home was still a crime scene. But Mellas' plane was diverted to Switzerland, where she switched on her phone and learned that Knox had been charged with murder. "I felt physically ill, I went to the bathroom to throw up. I was stuck [in Switzerland] for five hours," Mellas recalled, beginning to cry. By the time she reached Italy and was allowed to see her daughter, Mellas had already heard news reports that Knox had confessed. She was flabbergasted and confused. See the evidence against Amanda Knox . "It was horrible. We cried most of the time," Mellas recalled of the first meeting. "But we held each other and it all made sense. She told me what happened in the interrogation, how they asked her to imagine the possibilities. She talked about being hit, screamed at, threatened; it was the most horrible thing she had ever been through in her entire life." But even with the way Knox has been treated and portrayed, her parents know they are the lucky parents in this case. "As parents, the Kercher family received the worst phone call they could get," Curt Knox said, adding he believes Kercher has gotten lost in the sensational coverage. "At least our daughter called us." After the arrest, Mellas was sure there was a mix-up or problems with translation that would soon be cleared up. But they weren't. When Guede was later arrested in Germany, police said he had been speaking to a friend on a Skype call monitored by police and had been talking about being at Kercher's house. Mellas and Curt Knox were sure again that everything would be fixed. During the conversation, despite saying that he knew who Amanda Knox was, he never indicated she was at the home the night of the murder. But after being jailed, his story changed, and he pointed the finger at Knox and her then-boyfriend, Sollecito. Her family said they've tried to shield Knox from knowing how high-profile the case has gotten and how people are talking about her, discussing what she wears to court and what kind of person she is. But she does know she may be going to jail for a very long time. During closing arguments, prosecutors asked for her to be sentenced to life in prison, shocking her family who had expected a demand for 30 years. Read about the case against Amanda Knox . Still, at occasional prison visits, Curt Knox and Mellas try to give Knox a light at the end of the tunnel. "We have to try and put on a face that it is going to work out," Mellas said, beginning to cry. "We keep telling her it's taking way longer than expected but she will get out of there. They will not put an innocent 20-year-old in jail, they just can't." They take solace and hold onto the moments the court allows Knox to share with her parents after the trial has recessed each day. "They allowed us to go into the back room and say goodbye and hug her, tell her we love her," Curt Knox said choking up. "Just those few seconds are worth a lot." | Parents of Amanda Knox say they still hope murder trial will acquit their daughter .
They say they don't recognize the vengeful killer portrayed by the prosecution in Italy .
Knox's parents say they know they're luckier than parents of victim Meredith Kercher . |
280,593 | f786a3b92c5f9b96ec05e071895d8fb013c49889 | By . Chris Pleasance . A mural in a Thai temple has been criticised as 'totally inappropriate' for depicting the 9/11 terrorist attacks alongside comic book characters and celebrities. The White Temple at Chiang Rai is the bizarre pet project of controversial Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat . As well as depicting planes flying into the Twin Towers, the mural at Chiang Rai features fictional characters such as Spiderman and Harry Potter, celebrities like Michael Jackson, as well as fighter jets and spaceships. Scroll down for video . 'Totally inappropriate': A mural in the Thai temple of Chiang Rai depicting the 9/11 terrorist attacks . The surreal painting, by Chalermchai Kositpipat, also features celebrities like Michael Jackson alongside fictional film characters, like the Terminator . Sci-fi films such as Star wars and The Matrix provide a lot of inspiration for the painting, which includes traditional Thai an Buddhist symbols such as demons and dragons . Po, the character voiced by Jack Black in Kung Fu Panda, also appears next to Jigsaw from horror series Saw . It is not just American blockbusters which adorn the walls, as Harry Potter also features riding a broom . The huge painting appears opposite a wall featuring a large Buddha and traditional Buddhist statues. Photography inside the temple is forbidden, but one tourist managed to take this picture using a camera phone. The 31-year-old insurance broker from Nottingham, who did not want to be named, said: 'The whole place is very strange. There's a pit full of hands and skulls outside that looks like something from the Walking Dead. 'Inside I was shocked to see a painting of planes flying into the Twin Towers. I just think it's totally inappropriate.' The bizarre imagery continues outside the temple itself, with a sculpture of Predator sunk into the ground . In order to enter the temple visitor pass over a bridge surrounded by a pit full of demonic hands and skulls . Kositpipat first drew up designs for the temple in 1997 and began working on it with a team of assistants . The whole structure is not due to be completed until 2070, though it already serves as a tourist attraction . Designed by Kositpipat in 1997, the surreal temple is still under construction and isn't due to finish until 2070. Kositpipat uses a team of 60 other artists to help him work on the building, and has passed designs on to them so they can continue working after he dies. Another visitor to the temple, 38-year-old business owner Alexey Statsenko, said: 'It was so different from anything I had seen before. 'When we entered I was pretty shocked to see all those images from American popular culture- Michael Jackson, Terminator, Kung-Fu panda, Harry Potter and more. 'I did not know what to think of it. It seemed some kind of a mockery. Posting on his blog, he added: 'Generally speaking it is an very out-of-the-box (for a Buddhist temple) and creative way of expressing one’s ideas.' Like Dali's cathedral in Barcelona, Kositpipat has given designs to his staff to keep working after he dies . The artist claims he is emulating traditional Thai temple art, which features scene of ancient Thai life alongside Buddhist symbolism. But he has been heavily criticised for his approach . Artwork around the temple ranges from the macabre to the magnificent to the downright bizarre . Unlike most other Thai temples which are usually brightly painted, the outside of the White Temple is plain . The outside of the temple is covered with intricate artwork and thousands of tiny mirrors to reflect sunlight . Traditional Thai art symbols, such as dragons, also feature as part of the immense artwork . 'Only death can stop my dream, but cannot stop my project,' he said in 2003, adding that he believes the work will give him 'immortal life'. He is also behind the Wat Buddhapadipa temple in Wimbledon, London, which contains another controversial mural charting the life of Buddha from birth to death. However, mixed in with symbols from traditional Thai culture are punks sporting Mohicans and leather jackets, Charlie Chaplin, and Margaret Thatcher. Spiderman, Superman, Elvis Presley and other cartoon characters all adorn this wall inside the temple . Captain Jack Sparrow, Jonny Depp's character from Pirates of the Caribbean, surfs down Predator's arm . The temple also features Buddhist statues and paintings which sit opposite the mural . The artist claims this is in keeping with conventional Thai temple art which portrayed scenes from ancient Thai life alongside figures from Buddhist mythology. However his work has attracted strong criticism. Speaking in 1998, shortly after the London murals were finished, he said: 'I got complaints from everybody – from the [Thai] government, from monks and from other artists, saying that what I was doing was not Thai art.' | Tourist criticises mural of Twin Towers as 'completely inappropriate'
Features burning buildings alongside comic book characters .
Bizarre temple is the pet project of Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat .
He drew up designs for it in 1997 and it won't be finished until 2070 .
He has passed details on to team of assistants to continue after his death . |
85,073 | f14a6657ebfa71a88df9cfe739093357bc19695e | Samsung said that the Galaxy S3 smartphone which apparently 'exploded' had actually been placed in a microwave. An Irish customer had purchased Samsung's new flagship phone, only to report that the phone burst into flames as he was driving his car. But the customer has now admitted that the phone was placed in a microwave in an attempt to remove water damage to the phone. Time to burn: The S3 is shown suffering damage near the charging port - although the battery looks unscathed and was later determined to have been caused by a microwave deliberately . Initially reported to have ignited . into fire while charging in an Irish customers car, the Internet poster . who first brought the damage to the attention of the web, retracted his . claims, saying that he was mistaken. 'The damage to the phone was caused . by another person, although they were attempting to recover the phone . from water this later caused the damage shown on the phone. It occured . due a large amount of external energy and there was no fault with the . phone,' wrote Dillo2k10 on a Samsung Tomorrow Board. Reacting seriously to the claim that their wildly successful smartphone might be faulty, Samsung enlisted Fire Investigations UK (FIUK) to determine the exact cause of the damage done to the Galaxy S3 unit. Exposing the destroyed phone to a series of tests, the investigation discovered that 'The energy source responsible for generating the heat has been determined as external to the device and the device was not responsible for the cause of the fire,' according to engadget. In addition to this, the results state that 'The only was it was possible to produce damage similar to the damage recorded within the owner's damaged device was to place the devices or component parts within a domestic microwave.' Samsung launched the investigation after a user of the company's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3, alleged his phone blew up while he drove in his car. Here is the full report which exonerates the Samsung Galaxy S3 device of spontaneously combusting . As these unverified images below appear to show, the smartphone started burning at the base of the unit, near the charging port. The Galaxy S3 has already sold more than 10 . million models worldwide and was one of the fastest-selling gadgets of . all time following its launch in May. The pictures were posted on a website by the angry user, who called himself Dillo2k10, from Dublin Ireland. They clearly show an area of blackened, melted plastic around the charging terminal. The user said: 'I was driving along with my Galaxy S3 in my car mount when suddenly . a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of the phone. 'I pulled in to look at my phone, the phone burned from the inside out. Burned through the plastic and melted my case to my phone. The phone . kept working but without any signal. 'The phone was destroyed and it slightly burned a piece of plastic on the inside of my car.' He added: 'I'm really annoyed. That could have burned the side of my face or through my pocket and my leg, or set fire to my bed. It's very dangerous.' Worrying: The owner originally said he was driving in his car with the phone plugged into a charging socket when 'a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of the phone': That was not true . Burning: He said the phone had 'burned through the plastic and melted the case to the phone' Samsung confirmed it will investigate . the claim, to check if the phone is susceptible to overheating. The . company is now trying to get hold of the unit for a proper examination. A spokesman said: 'Samsung is aware of . this issue and will begin investigating as soon as we receive the . specific product in question. 'Once the investigation is complete, we will be able to provide further details on the situation.' Probe: Samsung investigated the claim and discovered that the damage was caused by a microwave . Faulty: Smartphones from most manufacturers, including the Apple iPhone, have occasionally had reports of overheating or scorching . Many reviewers have praised the S3, calling it Android's 'iPhone killer', in reference to Apple's phone, which is often seen as the standard-bearer for smartphones. Smartphones from most manufacturers, including the Apple iPhone, have occasionally had reports of overheating or scorching. Buyers are often reminded to avoid cheap alternative batteries as they do not always conform to stringent safety practices. Heavyweight: The Samsung Galaxy S III phone, next to an Apple iPhone . | The user, from Ireland, had claimed the phone 'exploded' while charging in his car .
'Wrote online, 'It could have burned the side of my face or through my pocket and my leg, or set fire to my bed .
Samsung's investigation discovered that the level of damage could only have been caused by an external energy source such as a microwave .
The claims made by the user were retracted and he admitted he was mistaken . |
25,631 | 4895c4e9fe9b753dc5dd1bc0ed8d08c3ff8ad440 | Nearly 900,000 people who are either fit for work or capable of preparing for it have been claiming out-of-work benefits for three out of the last four years, according to figures released today. A further 117,000 are still under assessment. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says that more than four out of ten work-related benefits are claimed by the long-term unemployed. His new report, released today, will fuel controversy about welfare spending at a time when the Tories are imposing restrictions on what people can claim in state handouts. Welfare spending: More than four out of ten work-related benefits are claimed by the long-term unemployed, according to a report due to be published today . It will reinforce Mr Duncan Smith’s claims that longterm worklessness is major contributor to social breakdown and poverty. Ministers have come under fire from Labour for capping total benefits at £26,000 a year per household and forcing those on Incapacity Benefit and its replacement Employment Support Allowance to undergo health tests to assess their readiness for work. The report says: ‘On 31st March 2012, . there were 2.3 million claims for benefits that indicate a capacity for . work or work-related activity. ‘One million of those were from people who had been claiming one or more of the main working-age benefits for at least three out of the preceding four years.’ Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the figures showed that bringing in charities and private firms to help families with little history of work and to assess people for their fitness to work was the right move . According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, social security spending will rise from £180billion this year to nearly £198billion in 2017/18. The report, published to mark the first anniversary of the Government’s social justice strategy, also lays bare shocking figures about family breakdown. Five disabled people have lost their High Court challenge over the Government’s decision to abolish a scheme that helps them live independently. Their lawyers asked Mr Justice Blake, sitting in London, to declare 'unlawful' the consultation process that led to the proposed axing of the £320m Independent Living Fund (ILF). Bur the judge dismissed the application, insisting the consultation process had been lawful. The five are among 19,000 people who currently receive money from the ILF, which the Government plans to scrap in 2015. The average payout is £300 a week per recipient. The money enables them to employ personal assistants to help them with their personal needs and, they say, to 'go out and have a full life'. Two out of three children aged 12 to 16 in low-income households are no longer living with both their birth parents. By contrast, more than six out of ten children in middle to high income households are living with their parents, while just 39 per cent are not. The figures highlight the scale of entrenched social breakdown that has taken hold across Britain over the last decade, particularly in households living on benefits. In total, around a third of all children are not living with both birth parents. The report said that of the 2.3 million benefit claimants capable of some work-related activity, around one million had been 'stuck' on a working-age benefit for at least three of the past four years. 'Nothing illustrates more clearly than these statistics that we must continue focusing our efforts on families and communities where worklessness has become a way of life,' the report said. 'By reforming the benefits system we will transform the way people think about work, incentivising them to take the step into employment, knowing they will be better off compared to remaining on benefits.' The report concludes: ‘Children growing up in low income households are twice as likely not to be living with both birth parents as children in middle to high income households.’ The study – Social Justice: Transforming Lives – also says that thousands of parents who fear family breakdown have used couples counselling. The DWP says local authorities have already turned around the lives of 1,675 troubled families. The report also looks at the gap in educational attainment between rich and poor pupils. In 2011-2012, 16.8 per cent fewer pupils on free school meals achieved good grades than those who were better off. The social justice strategy set out a series of targets to tackle the root causes of disadvantage, including family stability, worklessness and drug and alcohol addiction. The clampdown on out-of-work benefits is part of a raft of changes the government is introducing to curb steep rises in the UK's benefits bill . More than half of the 56,000 families affected by the benefits cap have four or more children, according to estimates by the Department for Work and Pensions . Mr Duncan Smith said the new figures showed that bringing in charities and private firms to help families with little history of work and to assess people for their fitness to work was the right move. He added: ‘This approach starts with the family, the foundation of our society. Prioritising children’s formative years, we are taking action to prevent social problems from arising in the first place, supporting the strong relationships which we know offer children the best start in life. ‘We are prioritising children’s formative years and supporting strong, stable family relationships which we know offer children the best start in life.’ Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said the findings should be a 'wake-up call' to ministers. He added: 'This new report is a damning verdict on this Government's disastrous economic policies and Iain Duncan Smith's abject failure to get a grip of unemployment. His own figures in his own report have proved this Government is useless. 'In the three years since the election, unemployment hasn't gone down, its gone up and the welfare bill with it. Across Britain, long term unemployment has spiralled as the work programme has proved worse than doing nothing and universal credit is hit by delay after delay. We need to get these people off benefits and into jobs. We cannot stand by and watch another generation dumped on the scrap-heap like the 1980s. We must act and act now to get people into work.' TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: 'It’s tragic to see the Work and Pensions Secretary once again peddling myths about benefits in order to provide cover for more austerity and his own failure to tackle rising unemployment. 'The fact is that the majority of the million benefit claimants that he believes are ‘fit to work’ have either been declared not-yet fit-to-work by his own department, or are lone parents with children below school age, who will struggle to find work given the high cost of childcare. 'The Work and Pensions Secretary should spend less time wasting taxpayers’ money on bogus benefits propaganda and more time getting to grips with the real issue of rising unemployment, particularly the one million young people currently struggling for work.' An earlier version of this article said that one million people claiming out-of-work b enefits are 'fit' to work'. This was based on statistics provided by the Department of Work and Pensions at the time but has now been updated. | 4 out of 10 work-related benefits claimed by long-term unemployed .
Iain Duncan Smith releases report which includes the damning figures .
Ministers under fire for capping benefits at £26,000 a year per household .
Study found a third of all children are not living with both birth parents . |
168,402 | 65d1d41681196121fcb60c825cf5347075c8fe45 | By . Alexandra Klausner . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 01:35 EST, 1 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:09 EST, 1 January 2014 . Well-wishers have far surpassed the fundraising goals of the family of a 12-year-old girl from Texas whose brain tumor surgery that caused her to become obese and leaving her with two options - surgery or death. With the U.S. military, her family's insurance provider, unwilling to pay for the girl's $50,000 operation because 'she's too young,' her family turned to crowd funding and found success - to the tune of $76,000. Alexis Shapiro is 4 foot 7 and weighs almost 200 pounds. Alexis feels like she is constantly starving due to the fact that her surgery to remove a benign tumor caused damage to her hypothalamus, instigating the development of hypothalamic obesity. Alexis Shapiro is obese but feels like she's starving and needs gastric bypass surgery in order to survive . The young girl's family was afraid the appeal process would take longer than she had. A GoFundMe page asking for help was set up, and it was more successful than they ever could have hoped. The 'Hope for Alexis' page received donations in excess of $76,000, a shock to her family. 'You all have shown her that dreams can come true and that the rude comments out in public can be ignored because she has so many people supporting her and rooting for her,' her family posted on the page. 'Thank you oh so very much!' The family also expressed their gratitude during a Monday interview with NBC News. 'If nothing else, we have what’s required for the hospital,' Jenny Shapiro said. 'Alexis really likes it. I think she feels like people aren’t looking at her anymore and people are rooting for her.' The girl's family was 'surprised and touched' by the outpouring of help, Ms Shapiro also said. Dr. Thomas H. Inge, of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, told NBC he plans to 'move forward as quickly as we can' with the life-saving operation. The good news came only after the ailing girl's pleas for help received international publicity. She is currently on a restricted diet of 900 to 1,400 calories per day but despite controlling her food intake, she keep's gaining weight. Remarkable: The family's cries for help raised more than they ever could have hoped, far exceeding their goal of $50,000 . 'Our reviewers have denied your request for Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass,' reads the rejection notice sent from TRICARE earlier this month. Her parents and doctors had asked that TRICARE reconsider their decision in order to save Alexis' life. NBC news reports that Alexis is gaining two pounds per week. She has been hospitalized for a kidney infection and she has developed type 2 diabetes and requires nightly insulin injections. Her pediatric obesity doctor, Dr. Thomas H. Inge of Cincinnati, believes that surgery is the only way to keep the suffering girl from gaining more weight which could top 400 pounds. Gastric bypass surgery will do more that destroy the weight, it can also tell her brain that she is not starving and she may be able to curb her painful appetite. After her surgery, Alex's parents had to take extreme measures to keep their daughter from eating herself to death. 'She’s always hungry,' her father Ian Shapiro said. 'In the past, we’ve had to padlock the cupboard.' Two years ago after developing Craniopharyngioma , a rare type of brain tumor that grows next to the pituitary gland, Alexis had surgery to have it removed. This is Alexis before she had brain surgery that caused her to develop hypothalamic obesity after doing damage to her hypothalamus . More than half of children with this specific form of tumor experience similar post-operative symptoms to Alexis. 'I think it is disappointing that they cannot see the facts of this case,' said Inge, of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. 'There is no evidence that doing nothing would be in this child’s best interests,' he continued. According to a spokesperson for TRICARE said that gastric bypass and weight loss services are only covered of the patient is or over and has full bone growth. 'In general, our Managed Care Support Contractors are required to approve or deny coverage based on TRICARE policy,' spokesman Austin Camacho said in an email to NBC News. 'We have an appeals process in place specifically designed to give our medical professionals the opportunity to examine the details of any special cases when coverage is denied,' said the insurance company. Alexis may be a child, but she wears a women's size 1x or 2x and she goes up a size every month. When asked by psycologists about how she is coping with her condition, she has told them she 'wants to die.' If Alexis gets the surgery she may be able to lead a normal life again and keep off the weight . 'She doesn’t have any friends or anything like that,' her mother Jenny Shapiro said. 'It’s so sad, because she remembers what it was like before.' Alexis is in constant pain and has begun homeschooling because she is afraid of going out in public. Doctor's believe that if Alexis has Bypass surgery, she may have a chance of leading a normal life. Kelsie Blackwell of Indianapolis, Indiana,21, had a successful bypass surgery when she was 18 that helped her lose 100 pounds after being diagnosed with hypothalamic obesity. Unlike Alexis, Blackwell's surgery was covered by insurance. Alexis' parents have begun to investigate other ways to raise money for their daughter's surgery. They created a Gofundme.com account to raise enough money to cover her daughter's lifelong health costs. 'These kids will literally eat themselves to death,' Jenny Shapiro said. 'That’s what I’m scared of.' | Alexis Shapiro, 12, feels like she is constantly .
starving due to the fact that her surgery to remove a benign tumor .
caused damage to her hypothalamus, instigating the development of .
hypothalamic obesity .
She is home-schooled, has no friends, and has told doctors 'she wants to die'
Her mother Jenny Shapiro is afraid her daughter will 'eat herself to death'
Gastric bypass surgery will help her lose weight and may even help her brain from believing it is starving .
A GoFundMe page set up to raise $50,000 has raised more than $76,000 to pay for the surgery . |
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