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180,902 | 763277a9cecc6aa1eb296f04d098defa274bca73 | (CNN) -- Mohamed Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel, one of Africa's leading mobile telephone companies, with networks in 15 countries on the continent. Ibrahim was born in Sudan in 1946 and received a BSc in electrical engineering at the University of Alexandria in Egypt. After a brief stint working for the state run Sudan Telecom, he moved to the UK to continue his studying. While there he was hired by British Telecom (BT) to work as a technical director for Cellnet, its in-car telephony company. In 1989 Ibrahim left a successful career at BT to start his own telecommunications consultancy company, called MSI Cellular Investments, based in Africa and meant to be a specifically African operation. As part of his hiring and bonus scheme at MSI, Ibrahim awarded shares to his employees, which, although they were officially worthless since the company was not listed, were given a nominal value of £0.14 ($0.28) per share. When the company was acquired by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC (MTC), the shares were sold at £14 ($27.76) each. When MTC bought Celtel, in 2005, Ibrahim sold his part in the company, for a share in the total buyout sum of $3.4 billion. Since leaving Celtel, he has founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which awards funding to African heads of state and governments that have demonstrated excellence in African leadership. This is a part of a $100 million fund that Ibrahim has set aside for investment in Africa, to encourage business and development in the continent. As well as his BSc in electrical engineering, Ibrahim holds an MSc in electronics and electrical engineering from the University of Bradford, and a PhD in mobile communications from the University of Birmingham. He is a member of the Africa Regional Advisory Board of London Business School. E-mail to a friend . | Born and educated in Africa, Ibrahim is interested in developing the continent .
Worked for state run Sudan Telecom and the UK's British Telecom .
Left BT to found MSI, which later became Celtel, an African mobile phone company . |
91,771 | 020f5dc04915a1bc7802982d4d8d4bc77e26f2f4 | By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 09:27 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:43 EST, 2 October 2013 . The parents of Baby Lisa have said they are still hopeful the little girl will be returned to them - two years after she vanished from their Missouri home in the middle of the night. Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, who will hold a candle-lit vigil on Saturday to mark two years since the disappearance, have also worked with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to release an image of what Lisa could look like now, in the hope it will reinvigorate the case. Despite the family's determination, authorities in Kansas City said tips into the disappearance have waned since the months after she vanished on October 4, 2011. Missing: Lisa Irwin was just 10 months old when she vanished from her parents' home in Kansas City in 2011 - and two years on her family has not given up home. Right, how she could look today . 'I cannot force the people who know where . Lisa is and who might have her into telling us. I have no control over . that,' Bradley told the Kansas City Star. 'You do what you can for your baby, because it is . your job as a parent to protect your child, and I wasn’t able to protect . her from the bad guys.' Lisa was 10-months-old when her father returned from a late work shift to find the front door open, the lights on, Bradley asleep, his daughter's bedroom window open and her crib empty. They believe that someone broke into the home and snatched the baby while Bradley slept, and have said they think someone is bringing up the little girl as their own. Heartbroken: Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, pictured after her disappearance, believe she was taken so that someone else could bring her up as their own. They are holding a candle-lit vigil on Saturday . Scene: They say she was taken in the middle of the night from their home while Bradley slept in October 2011 . 'When . somebody abducts an infant, they don't take them to hurt them,' she . said. 'Wherever she is, she is being loved and taken well care of, . because they went through a hell of a lot of trouble to get her.' She said that she knows people have pointed fingers at them for the disappearance but she maintained their innocence - and said it will be proven when the little girl returns to them. A private investigator continues to work on the case, and the family still offers a $100,000 reward for anyone who has information that could bring the baby home. Bradley said she still hands over tips she receives to the police. Have you seen her? Police said they now receive about one tip a week in the case of the missing baby . Where is she? Lisa's parents have also offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to her return . In the first year after the disappearance, detectives received more than 1,600 tips and many were checked twice. Now the tips have slowed down and authorities receive about one a week. The family and their supporters will hold a prayer vigil at 7pm on Saturday at their home. John Picerno, the couple's attorney, said they are 'very pleased' with the newly-released age progression photo. 'The investigation continues, and even though the leads have slowed, we have not given up hope,' he told KCTV5. | Friday marks two years since 10-month-old Lisa Irwin vanished from her parents' home in Kansas City, Missouri while her mother slept .
Her parents say they are still hopeful she is alive and will be returned - even though authorities say tips in the case have dwindled .
They have worked with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to create an image of what two-year-old Lisa would look like . |
37,188 | 6966b0165266003cb949983193f868c0fc03ad3b | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 07:42 EST, 23 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:38 EST, 24 December 2013 . Devastated: Dennis Dunstan, 70, had prepared three mince pies and shandy for Christmas but thieves stole them . A pensioner says his Christmas is ruined after burglars raided his home, stole his car, and ate his entire batch of homemade mince pies. Dennis Dunstan, 70, woke to find thieves had taken thousands of pounds worth of valuables after forcing their way through his kitchen window. They stole £150 from his wallet, a laptop, a digital camera and made off in his £5,000 Smart car. Before they fled the scene, the gang took the shandy and three mince pies Mr Dunstan had prepared for Christmas Day. Devastated, the retired builder from Nottingham said the attack has left him terrified to be in his own home. He said: 'I woke up at 9am the next day and realised what had happened. 'I am a pensioner . and to think they were in my flat while I was asleep is scary, they . could have done anything to me. 'I checked my wallet, which I left on the table but it was above a cabinet, and it had £150 stolen from it. 'I started checking everything and noticed what they had taken and then when I randomly looked in the fridge, I don't know why I did, but I saw they had raided that too. 'I had three mince pies in there on a plate and they ate them and I had a can of shandy which they drank as well. 'For them to take my belongings, my car and laptop is one thing but it is just a complete cheek to steal my food too. 'It has ruined Christmas for me - I've been left with nothing and I can't even enjoy a mince pie. 'Mince pies are my favourite thing about Christmas Day, it is a tradition of mine and I can't even do that now.' Nottinghamshire Police are now investigating the break-in which happened on December 13. Officers . found Dennis' car had been abandoned nearby but the rest of his . belongings are still missing and no arrests have been made. Upset: Mr Dunstan has urged police to catch the thieves who drove off in his car and ruined his Christmas . Dennis added: 'They need to be caught. 'It isn't nice to not feel safe in your own home and the fact all this happened just before Christmas makes it worse. 'You feel helpless though, if they would have woken me I wouldn't have been able to do anything. 'I told my friends about what happened and they were shocked, I am just glad I wasn't physically hurt, this could have been so much worse than what it was.' A spokesman for Nottingham City Homes, which runs Mr Dunstan's housing development, said: 'We were very sorry to hear about the burglary. 'As a result of the comments about security we will be sending out members of staff to see if anything else can be done to make the scheme more secure.' Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. | Gang took thousands of pounds worth of valuables from Dennis Dunstan, 70 .
Woke in Nottingham home to find £150 gone from wallet, no car, and no pies .
Pensioner said attack ruined Christmas and left him afraid in his own home . |
279,876 | f68e971570e0f2e535cd2353a902d7f5fb70a299 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 10:48 EST, 29 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:07 EST, 29 March 2013 . As much of the UK freezes under a blanket of snow, spare a thought for this man. The father was forced to dig his way out of his home after heavy snowfall trapped him inside the house. The snow was more than 6ft high and had completely blocked his back door. Scroll down for video . The father poses for the camera in front of his backdoor which is blocked by more than 6ft of snow . Luckily his back door opens inwards and he begins on the mammoth tasks of escaping through the snow wall . A video of the Ukrainian dad escaping through the wall of snow has become an internet hit, and has been seen more than 57,000 times. The film begins will him tentatively opening his backdoor, which fortunately opens inwards, to reveal the mountain of snow. To the obvious delight his son, who can be heard laughing in the background, the father sets about trying to get out of his house. At first he dives headfirst into the snow and his son is sent into even greater fits of hysteria as the father emerges covered head to toe in snow. However, he had created enough space for him to then use his hands and a shovel to begin shifting the blockage. But the father falls once more as he tries to climb through the gap. First of all he dives headfirst into the snow and emerges covered in the white stuff . He uses a shovel and his hands to clear enough space for him to try and climb through . He does finally manage to escape and is seen posing triumphantly in his back garden at the end of the video. Ukraine announced a state of emergency this week amid record snowfall and the loss of power in about 600 towns and villages. Temperatures plummeted to -28C in some parts of the country and some areas received the normal monthly level of snow fall in just 24 hours. It has been so heavy this winter that . almost 5,000 soldiers have been tasked with clearing roads and . pavements in ten regions and the capital city Kiev. Since last week, the service people had already cleared 7,200 roads as they tried to get the country's transport moving again and tanks were used to drag buses and cars from snowdrifts. The father's escape plan finally works and he is pictured standing triumphantly in his back garden . | Father trapped in his house by snow that reached to the top of his door .
He was filmed diving into the wall of snow to try and escape .
Ukraine has seen record snowfall in the past week as temperatures dropped to as low as -28C and soldiers were tasked with clearing the roads . |
8,971 | 1957d0701bb64aaa36249f2b9b0a0e43ef31410b | Was a police officer justified in shooting and killing Michael Brown? That's the question at the heart of the looming legal battles over the controversial case. What charges could Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson face? What would state and federal authorities have to prove in order to pursue charges? And does the fact that the gunman was a police officer change how the case could play out? Here's a look at what legal analysts say could happen next. Was a state crime committed? A local grand jury has started hearing testimony, but that doesn't mean any particular charges are being recommended by prosecutors at this point, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said. "An investigation is just an investigation. ... It's just something that they're looking into," Toobin said. For a criminal case to go forward, the grand jury must decide whether a crime was committed, and whether it's more likely than not that the accused person -- in this case, Wilson -- committed the crime, said CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor. After a fatal shooting, a range of charges are typically on the table, said CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos, a criminal defense attorney. "They're going to be anything in the spectrum of murder, manslaughter (or) negligent homicide," he said. The prosecutor will make a recommendation to the grand jury. From there, the grand jury could decide to indict Wilson, or that there isn't enough evidence to move forward. In order to bring charges against Wilson, nine of 12 jurors will have to agree. But the prosecutor plays a key role in the hearings, which are not open to the public. "The grand jury ultimately decides whether to indict, but it's 100% the prosecution's show. ... The prosecutor could, in theory, make less of an effort if he doesn't want someone indicted," Cevallos said. Some residents and community leaders contend St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch has deep ties to the police and has favored law enforcement in criminal cases. J.Tom Morgan, a former district attorney in Georgia who knows McCulloch, defended him as fair and objective. "I believe Mr. McCulloch will present the facts and the evidence to the grand jury and the Missouri law as he is required to do so," Morgan said. "We do not put defendants on trial just to see what a jury will do." Were Brown's civil rights violated? As part of a federal civil rights investigation, authorities are interviewing witnesses and weighing a number of factors. Key among them: whether Wilson exhibited "racial hostility," Toobin said. "The most important thing would be, did he say anything that indicates racial hostility, either before, or after, or during (the shooting)?" Toobin said. Wilson is white, and Brown was African-American. "The bar is very high," Hostin said, "and they're difficult cases to prove." But race doesn't have to be a factor in the shooting for investigators to allege there was a federal civil rights violation, Cevallos said. Federal statute says it's a crime for government officials "to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution." Federal prosecutors could argue that Brown's right to life was violated, Cevallos said, but it's a tough case to make. "They have to show that the officer intended to deprive somebody of that constitutional right. They would have to show intent to kill...which is not a particularly easy showing to make," he said. When can police use deadly force? The fact that Wilson is a police officer could influence whether he faces charges -- and how the case plays out. "Often jurors are extremely sympathetic to police officers," said Paul Butler, a professor at Georgetown University Law School and a former federal prosecutor. "They think, even if he made a mistake, he's got the hardest job in the world, so they often want to cut police officers some slack." Authorities also weigh different factors when deciding to prosecute police. "There are issues that come up when you're prosecuting cases against police officers, because police officers by the very nature of their jobs can use deadly force," Hostin said. Police officers have the same rights civilians have to self defense, Cevallos said, and they also have the right to make arrests. "To do that," he said, "they can use deadly force to prevent an escape." If Brown was trying to get away from the officer, Cevallos said, the Supreme Court case Tennessee v. Garner allows the use of deadly force when an alleged felon is trying to flee if "the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others." But given the number of times Brown was shot, along with newly released audio that may show a pause in rapid gunfire, Wilson has a lot of explaining to do, the analysts said. "Evidence suggests that he wasn't fleeing and was facing the officer," Cevallos said. "If that's true ... the officer has to explain six shots. He has to explain a reason for each of those six shots. He has to have justifiably been in fear of his life or fear of some imminent serious bodily harm." Complete coverage of Ferguson shooting and protests . | A Missouri grand jury is considering whether to bring charges against Darren Wilson .
A federal civil rights investigation is also underway .
Analyst: Federal civil rights cases are difficult to prove .
Former prosecutor: "Jurors are extremely sympathetic to police officers" |
95,014 | 06170e97be4a50b17fe711818d0801c2cc6790fd | BEIJING, China (CNN) -- North Korea, formally called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is also known as the Hermit Kingdom for a good reason. Chinese border guards patrol in Jilin province across from the North Korean border on March 21, 2009. For decades, it has been shrouded by a veil of secrecy that has prevented us from better understanding this important nation. As journalists we seek out the realities of life there, beyond the myths and hype, but that is difficult because the DPRK is generally inaccessible to journalists. The gap between reality and illusion remains profound. Journalists, such as the two Americans being detained in North Korea, do travel to the border between China and North Korea to get a sense of what life is like in the isolated nation of 22 million people. The circumstances surrounding the journalists' arrest are still unclear. "North Korea is such a difficult country to enter for a foreign reporter that the temptation to slip across the frozen river border is considerable," said former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy, author of "Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis." "If that's what they did, however, it was extremely foolhardy and really pushing their luck." China and North Korea share a 1,415-kilometer (880-mile) border that mainly follows two rivers. The Yalu River defines the border on the northwest, the Tumen River on the northeast. By land, the two countries are linked by seven road crossings and four railway points. Over the years, I have visited three towns on the Chinese side of the border. From a narrow river crossing at the border town of Tumen, Koreans cross on foot and in trucks. Those going back into North Korea carry bags full of food and household wares, even bicycles. Some of those coming into China ferry logs and minerals. From across the Yalu River in China's Dandong City in October of 2006, I had a glimpse of Sinuiju, a North Korean border town of some 350,000 people. Using a long camera lens, I saw school children learn to roller skate, and residents celebrating what looked like a wedding. Still the city's decrepit appearance hinted at stagnation and isolation. It was a stark contrast from the Chinese city, which was ablaze in neon lights and a bustling commerce and trade. North Korea's public face is one of smiling children, clean streets, manicured gardens, spectacular scenery and a stoic people united under the aegis of Kim Jong Il, known among Koreans as the "Dear Leader." I saw it up close twice, in 1996 and 2002, when I had the chance to visit the most reclusive nation on earth. We were typically greeted by polite officials and smiling children and invited to watch spectacular performances with a cast of thousands. North Korea, however, remains isolated, diplomatically and economically, led by an erratic leadership that behaves out of fear and insecurity. Diplomatic sources in Beijing suggest that China is getting fed up with North Korea's inability to preserve social stability and with its erratic behavior in the multi-national efforts to deal with North Korea's nuclear program. Publicly, however, China sticks to the official line, often calling the two nations' ties as close as "lips and teeth" -- one cannot function without the other. In my two visits to North Korea, I have detected conflicting signs -- one, of social instability and another of a tentative desire to experiment with reforms. In 2002, the government tolerated some quasi-private businesses, raised civil servants' salaries and deregulated prices of some commodities. But much of these tentative efforts to change seem to have been aborted and the country remains isolated and poor. What emerges is a nation, now considered a nuclear threat, desperately seeking respect and economic aid. That picture is now intertwined with the two detained U.S. journalists, Chinoy said. "It will be interesting to see how the case is handled. North Korea has been in a generally more bellicose mood lately," said Chinoy, who is currently a senior fellow at the Pacific Council on International Policy. "The concern is that this incident could get caught up in the bigger picture of heightened tension between the north and the U.S. and the north and south. If it is not swiftly resolved, it will add to the complexity of the situation facing [U.S. President Barack] Obama, where he is under pressure from Seoul, Tokyo and some in Washington to get tough, while trying to find a way to get diplomacy with the North going again." In recent years, waves of North Korean refugees have fled into China seeking food, jobs and freedom. In the border cities of Tumen, Yanji and Dandong, these refugees tell of misery and persecution. They live under the protection of relatives, friends and human rights activists. Here, people speak of a Korean "underground railways" -- a network that smuggles desperate people across the border and eventually out of China. China is struggling to keep out the hundreds of North Korean immigrants and refugees, but stopping the exodus remains a tall order. A fundamental solution, analysts suggest, lies not in China but in North Korea, where many people are running away from humanitarian disasters and political persecution. | Secretive and closed off for decades, North Korea is known as the Hermit Kingdom .
By land, China and North Korea are linked by 7 road crossings and 4 railway points .
In recent years, N. Korean refugees have fled into China seeking food, jobs, freedom .
Tentative reforms have been aborted and North Korea remains isolated and poor . |
71,951 | cbf788987b75c11aa5c49518c5b3cb45e2c177df | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 12:41 EST, 3 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:52 EST, 3 October 2013 . Russian embassy staff and their families fled Libya today after 60 gunmen descended on the headquarters. The attackers were planning to sabotage the Russian diplomatic mission following the murder of a Libyan officer by a Russian woman in Tripoli. But the botched attempt yesterday was foiled when embassy security guards opened fire. Staff took refuge in safe rooms during the attack until Libya's foreign minister Mohammed Abdelaziz advised it was no longer safe. Scroll down for video . Attack: An estimated 60 gunmen arrived in cars at the embassy yesterday before guards opened fire . Arriving at the scene, he told the Russian ambassador that the country was 'not in a state to guarantee the security of the Russian embassy and recommended his employees leave the diplomatic mission,' a statement read. Eventually employees and their relatives were evacuated to Tunisia today. They are expected to return to Russia tomorrow. The seige has been branded as an indication that Libya is still unstable two years on from the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Russia, the oil-producing country's long-standing ally, is now struggling to re-stabilise energy and arms deals worth billions of pounds. After the fall of Gaddafi - who was captured and killed in October 2011 - Russia claims to have lost billions of dollars in arms deals. Refuge: Embassy staff and their families were forced to hide in safe rooms during the seige in Tripoli . Still fighting: Protesters demanding the execution of Abdullah al-Senussi, intelligence chief and brother-in-law of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who is on trial for crimes committed during the 2011 uprising . Unrest: Russia lost billions when they were forced to withdraw oil and energy operations in Libya in 2011 . The violence prompted Russian companies, which had pumped hundreds of . millions of dollars into Libya's oil and natural gas sectors, to put . their investments on hold. The attack on the embassy occurred as a Russian delegation was planning . to visit Libya to try to put commercial relations back on track, the . head of a business council said. The Kremlin - desperate to minimise any long-term impact between the countries - has turned its focus to Tripoli, where the Russian woman, who also wounded the officer's mother, has been arrested. This is the latest in a series of attacks on Western diplomats. Clan and tribal rivalries, and Islamist groups, have flourished without a strong central government in Libya. Change: It is two years since Gaddafi was overthrown, which destabilised Russia's relationship with Libya . Security services have struggled to maintain order. On September 11 last year, al Qaeda-linked militants attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, killing Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three . other Americans. Moscow-based analyst Georgy Mirsky said: 'When Gaddafi was in charge, ties (between Libya and Russia) were good. 'He was buying our weapons and there was talk of a railroad being built. 'This kind of thing happens all the time, there is no reason to exaggerate it.' | Employees and their relatives fled to Tunisia and fly to Russia tomorrow .
Kremlin branded attack as revenge for Libyan officer's murder in Tripoli .
Latest setback for the countries whose alliance has been rocked since 2011 . |
199,430 | 8e2ccd090f90a32a15156ec5d7b4e1af189ba6a2 | A university professor in Austin, Texas, has moved into a 33sq ft dumpster, which he plans to call home for an entire year. Dr. Jeff Wilson, a Harvard-educated environmental science professor, took up residence in the trash can Tuesday in an effort to show students at Huston-Tillotson University, and the world, that humans can live on a smaller scale and lessen our environmental impact. Thankfully for Wilson, who's now known as Professor Dumpster, his new home isn't your ordinary smelly dumpster but will be getting kitted out by his students so it includes creature comforts like a shower, kitchen, bed, WiFi and toilet. Scroll down for video . Dumpster time: Dr. Jeff Wilson, pictured Tuesday, Dean of the University College and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Huston-Tillotson University, moved into a 33-square foot dumpster on the campus of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas on Tuesday . Outfitting the tiny space is step one in the trash can challenge, and the goal is to design the dumpster to be as energy efficient as possible, with solar panels and an energy producing toilet. 'The idea here is to ultimately show one can have a pretty good life in a dumpster,' Wilson told Fast Company. However, the dumpster is starting off modestly. Tuesday night, the 6ft 1in Professor Dumpster posted a picture of his new abode on Twitter with a maroon sleeping bag laid out tightly in the small space with little else in view. If occasionally Wilson needs a break from the box, students can opt to take his place for the night. One student, Evette Jackson, has already signed up. Mod cons: Thankfully for Wilson, pictured, his new home isn't your ordinary smelly dumpster but a special version customized by his students that includes creature comforts like a shower, kitchen, bed, WiFi and toilet . Not very big: Wilson posted a picture of his new home on Twitter Tuesday with the comment 'Bird's eye view of dumpster home at bedtime' 'I think it's pretty intriguing,' she told KVUE. 'It's pretty cool. I want to live in it too.' After the year of dumpster living is up, Wilson plans on taking the bin across the United States, educating students about the possibility of following in his 'less is more' footsteps. Wilson said the project idea came to him two years ago while he was sipping a latte at Starbucks. 'I looked out the window into the parking lot and saw an eight-yard dumpster and had some sort of strange flash that I was definitely moving into a dumpster,' he told Fast Company. So when the lease ran out on his lovely, full-sized, apartment a year later, he posted an announcement on Facebook, which read: 'Starting at 6pm, I will be selling all of my home furnishings, clothes, kitchen appliances, and everything else in the apartment for $1 an item.' Help: Wilson, right, had help from students and other educators including Dr Karen Magid, pictured . Concerns: A week before move in, Wilson wrote a list of his concerns with 'heating' number one . Despite, the five-item-per-person . maximum, his home was empty by nightfall except for a modest suitcase, . which was coming with him to the dumpster. However, the dumpster wasn't ready at this stage, so he moved into his office for the next seven months, secretly sleeping on the floor. 'Keeping that secret for seven months, especially from the 3 a.m. cleaning staff and 24-hour security, much less the students and my colleagues, was interesting in itself,' he told the website. But the low-impact living experiment, officially known as The Dumpster Project, is finally ready to begin - and it has the university's backing. Scrub: Five days ago, Wilson was giving his dumpster a clean out . Cute: Wilson posted a picture of him and his girlfriend two weeks ago with the comment, 'Honey, I'm home. This place looks like a dump' Vs: Wilson's previous front porch was slightly more desirable . 'I'm essentially becoming part of the . 1 per cent, he jokes. 'This dumpster is 33 sq ft, which is 1 per cent . the size of the new American home...' But as he undergoes this transformation, so will his students in campus dorms, whom he'll expect to replace light-bulbs and install low-flow shower heads. The goal is to bring sustainability to the center of the college experience. 'What we are talking about right now is to start a green movement within historically black colleges and universities, and become the flagship school of that, under an initiative called "Green is the New Black,"' he told Fast Company. In the meantime, Wilson says he's going to take his dumpster life one day at a time. 'It's going to be pretty overwhelming,' he said. 'I can't think too far ahead in this project and stay sane.' | Dr. Jeff Wilson, a Harvard-educated environmental science professor at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, moved into the dumpster Tuesday .
The experiment is designed to show students, and the world, that humans can live on a smaller scale and lessen our environmental footprint .
Thankfully for Wilson, who's now known as Professor Dumpster, his new home isn't your ordinary smelly dumpster .
It will be getting kitted out by his students so it includes creature comforts like a shower, kitchen, bed, WiFi and toilet . |
47,090 | 84b114cd1d066d2669eb14ded93557bd123f5f7a | FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (CNN) -- Marylisa Miller has spent much of her two decades as an Army wife bracing for the worst. But now the pressure is higher, as both her husband and their 20-year-old son are serving together in Afghanistan. Pfc. Martin Miller, left, and his dad, Sgt. 1st Class Martin Miller, serve in the same Army squadron in Afghanistan. It's rare, but not unheard of: Sgt. 1st Class Martin Miller and his son Pfc. Martin Miller have deployed as part of the same squadron of about 500 soldiers. Their brigade -- based at North Carolina's Fort Bragg -- is among the first specifically assigned to train Afghan security and military forces. "If the phone rings in the middle of the night, I answer it no matter what," said Marylisa Miller. "You never know. It could be the last call." Watch the Millers talk about serving together » . The Miller men -- both paratroopers -- didn't really plan to march shoulder-to-shoulder into harm's way. It just sort of happened that way. "I pretty much have always wanted to be in the Army," said Pfc. Miller, who remembers watching his dad leap out of military aircraft with other soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division. "I guess watching him do it -- it looked cool," he said. Shortly before they deployed in August, the Millers revisited family memories at Fort Bragg's Wilson Park -- the same spot where the couple picnicked with their toddler son and daughter years ago. Telling family stories, the Millers laughed about old snapshots showing the future private first class as a boy -- standing at parade rest while his father spoke to him. "When I scolded him and his sister, I taught them to stand at parade rest," Sgt. Miller explained. "Then their punishment would be laps, flutter kicks, push-ups and sit-ups. It taught discipline and put them in good shape." After high school, dad convinced his son to try a year of college first. Soldiers with college degrees go further in the service, Sgt. Miller said. But a year later it was clear the young man's interests were in the Army. After all, growing up with a warrior father tends to influence a boy. Sgt. Miller did what he could to have his son stationed at Fort Bragg. He ended up in the same squadron. The father and son describe themselves as close. "Yeah, we're always doing something together," Pfc. Miller said. "We go out and party together and we fish and ride motorcycles." Walking together wearing red Airborne berets marked with their distinctive squadron flashes, the Millers talked about what it means to be a military family and how this life of service often extends to civilian spouses and children. "Back when I was a kid, there were a lot of people who saw the Army as something good," said Sgt. Miller, 46, who enlisted a year out of high school. "Everybody should do a little bit for their country." Although the Millers serve in the same squadron, they are in different troops -- and therefore don't share the same chain of command. "He can't work directly for me," Sgt Miller said. "Family members are not supposed to work directly for other family members. But my platoon possibly would work with his." Unlike his previous tours of duty, Sgt. Miller now bears two heavy burdens: command and fatherhood. The possibility that his son could lose his life while serving in the same squadron has crossed his mind. "If something happens to him, I can still function, but it won't be pretty," the sergeant said. "But knowing others depend on me, I can't get all broken up about it. If something were going to happen to him, I'd probably break when I got back." 'Navy brat' Marylisa Miller has known the military since birth. She is the seventh of eight "Navy brats" born to a father who chose a sailor's life and moved his family from assignment to assignment. In the early '80s she met the man who would be her warrior husband. Shyly, she said they met in a bar. "It wasn't a bar," her husband said, smiling. "They say she's kind of like me: kind of hard-headed, a little bit stubborn and not afraid to voice my opinion." Marylisa laughed about their first meeting: "I was trying to get him interested in my sister." Instead, she and Martin "just clicked." They married six months later. Sgt. Miller has served in Cold War Europe, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He said being away from his wife doesn't get any easier. "After you hit the 12-month mark, and then it turns into 15, it feels like forever after that," he said. The Millers have chosen a life in which Marylisa may not hear her husband's voice for three or four months at a time. Over the years, she said, she has learned to rely on herself. "He would come home from deployments and say, 'Let me help you,' and I'd say 'No, because when you're not here, who's going to do it for me?' " "I have to learn how to be independent, so I try to tell everybody else to learn how to do it yourself," Marylisa said. "You can't always rely on them." 'I don't want to think about if the phone's gonna ring' She stays busy. At Fort Bragg, Marylisa is the co-leader of a Family Readiness Group, the Army's support group aimed at helping spouses, children and others make the best of difficult military deployments. "I always like to be involved in everything," she said, laughing. "That way you get to hear the information firsthand." The network of Army families provides a conduit of information on deployments and upcoming events. FRGs offer Marylisa a way to help other families. "We have a lot of new families in the troop," she said. "Some of them are young and we try to guide them in the right direction. When someone gets hurt, we're all right there to jump in. It's like an extended family." She recalled an FRG request to help a young Army wife with a newborn baby. "I jumped in and baby-sat her child," she said. "She didn't know me from the man in the moon." Volunteering keeps her away from TV news and its reminders that terrible events could be moments away. "I don't want to think about if the phone's going to ring or if there's going to be that knock on the door." 'I should have been dead' The Millers' 4th Brigade Combat Team will be the first such unit designated for "security force assistance" in Afghanistan, said an Army spokeswoman. The brigade will train Afghan forces to battle Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. In the past, this kind of mission was given to small teams of advisers who were trained in the United States and then deployed in the region. This is the first time an entire brigade has been given this mission, according to the Army. The sergeant has embraced the view that there's nothing much a soldier can do except depend on his or her training to stay safe. "I've had mortars come within 20 meters of me and not get a scratch out of it. I should have been dead," Sgt. Miller said. "You see something happen like that and you know it's not your time until it's your time." His son, not long out of jump school -- he has just seven jumps to his credit -- said he's not worried about himself or his father. "He ain't gonna die. He's too old for it now," Pfc. Miller joked. "He has deployed too many times. He knows the secrets." | The Millers, father-and-son soldiers, serve in the same squadron in Afghanistan .
Fort Bragg-based brigade is among first to train Afghan forces against Taliban .
"I've had mortars come within 20 meters ... I should have been dead," dad says .
"Navy brat" mom co-leads Army support group to distract her from fears . |
93,236 | 03edd4772eff52f9a5b5b88bf73d95f32ed1b5ea | The driver of a U-Haul truck loaded down with beer kegs which crushed to death a 30-year-old fashion design student at a weekend football game has apologised to her family for the accident. Yale student Brendan Ross, 21, hit Massachusetts College of Art and Design student Nancy Barry in the tailgating field at the Harvard-Yale football game in New Haven, Connecticut, on Saturday. His lawyer William Dow said the collision was a ‘tragic accident that appears to be the result of a vehicle malfunction’ as Mr Ross drove the rented vehicle at 35mph into a crowded car park. Scroll down for videos . Tragic: Nancy Barry, a 30-year-old who studied fashion design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, died shortly after she was struck by a runaway truck . Barry, of Salem, Massachusetts, . suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Yale student Sarah Short, 31, of . New Haven, and Harvard employee Elizabeth Dernbach, 23, of Naples, . Florida, were both injured. Ross and his family want to express . their condolences to the three people who were hit by the truck, Mr Dow . said. Ms Short remains in hospital with leg injuries but Ms Dernbach has . been released. Ross passed a field sobriety test . after the collision on Saturday and police said he has been cooperative . in their investigation, which remained open on Sunday. No charges had . been filed. Ross was driving the truck through a . tailgating area before the game when the vehicle turned a corner and . sped up, hitting the three women and then crashing into other U-Haul . vans, police said. It is not yet clear why the driver . sped up but at least one witness told police he pressed the pedal in . annoyance that the women were not moving fast enough, the New Haven . Register reported. Yale crash: Early footage emerged on YouTube showing people rushing to the aid of those injured . Devastation: People look at the tailgating area where the driver of a rental truck carrying beer kegs suddenly accelerated, killing one woman and injuring two . Taped off: New Haven and Yale Police roped off the scene of the accident involving the U-Haul trucks at Yale Bowl Lot D . 'I watched a woman die today,' one man . told the New Haven Register of the crash, which happened at 9:49am. 'It . was totally an accident. Whether he was impaired is another question.' 'She was an angel - and I'm not just saying that - an absolute angel, and we don't know why this happened to her' Nancy St. PierreGrandmother of Nancy Barry . The U-Haul was heading to a tailgate . party for Sigma Phi Epsilon, the fraternity of which Ross is a member . and where police listed his address, reported the Yale Daily News. A spokesman for the fraternity in . Richmond, Virginia, said on Sunday it was ‘deeply saddened by the tragic . accident’ and its ‘thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their . families’. People huddled around them trying to . help, according to a video believed to have been recorded shortly after . the accident. ‘We're not getting a pulse,' said someone crouched near . one victim. Tim Walker, of Pawtucket, Rhode . Island, said he was grilling sirloin tips when he heard the crash behind . him. He turned and saw two people lying on the ground. Call for help: Students and football fans came to the aid of those in need before emergency paramedics arrived to provide CPR . Police investigation: New Haven Police Department spokesman David Hartman, left, said detectives were conducting a reconstruction of the crash and had taped off the area immediately surrounding it, right . Show must go on: Today's game between the Ivy League teams, pictured, which Harvard won 45-7, went ahead despite the death with a moment's silence called for the victim at half time . 'The driver looked shocked. Absolutely . shocked. He didn't look intoxicated or anything like that. He had a . dazed look like he had just hit someone.' 'The driver looked shocked. Absolutely shocked. He didn't look intoxicated or anything like that. He had a dazed look like he had just hit someone' Tim Walker, witness . Yale put its mental health counselors . and chaplain's office on alert to work with students and said its Dean's . Office and Yale Athletics plan to carry out a full review of . regulations on tailgating. New Haven police said their . investigation will include a forensic review of the rented U-Haul truck, . witness statements and other work before they can determine whether . anyone should face charges. At the annual Yale-Harvard game, . tailgating is nearly as storied as the competition itself. Elaborate . buffets dot the car parks and fans frequently fill U-Haul trucks . with kegs, grills and hard alcohol. Fraternity: The driver was headed for the Yale Bowl's Lot D, the site of the Sigma Phi Epsilon tailgate . Big crowd: The Yale versus Harvard game, held at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, was expected to attract 50,000 fans. Pictured is a previous match between the universities . Six years ago, Yale began shutting . down all parties after halftime to curb binge drinking and keep students . and alumni safe. The car parks around the stadium can be full of . drunken revellers. 'I watched a woman die today. It was totally an accident. Whether he was impaired is another question' Anonymous witness . Saturday's fans had gathered for the . 128th game of the Ivy League rivalry, which Harvard won 45-7 for its . fifth straight victory over Yale. The rivalry dates back to 1875. At halftime, with Harvard leading, the . public address announcer at Yale Bowl informed the crowd of the . accident and the woman's death. He asked fans to stand and observe a . moment of silence. ‘She was an angel - and I'm not just . saying that - an absolute angel, and we don't know why this happened to . her,’ Barry's grandmother Nancy St. Pierre, also of Salem, told the . Hartford Courant. See videos here . | 21-year-old Brendan Ross's rented U-Haul truck crashed into Nancy Barry .
Some say he hit pedal in rage at slow walkers but others say it was accident .
He was driving through a car park at Yale Bowl marked for fraternity tailgate .
Driver's lawyer blames the fatal accident on a 'malfunction' with the truck .
Attendance of 50,000 for the game between the Ivy League universities .
It went ahead despite death with announcer calling for silence at halftime . |
86,666 | f5f31ca2278d330ad558269a030f58fa4a901ba3 | (CNN) -- For far too long, according to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, his committee was nothing more than "a U-Haul trailer of money for a presidential nominee" who lacked a permanent, sustainable presence in crucial states. "We had been a party that has shown up once every four years about five months before an election," Priebus told CNN, arguing that no matter how much money you have, that model won't work and hasn't worked in recent years. So after the drubbing the party took at the ballot box in 2012 -- failing to win the White House and losing seats in the House -- Priebus ordered a much-talked about top-down review of the party in an effort to stop Republicans for taking big losses during presidential elections. The report -- titled the "Growth & Opportunity Plan" -- was stark and blunt, challenging the Republican Party to make substantial changes to the way it interacted with voters. Republicans want to end perception as 'stuffy old men' Less than a year after the report was released and as Republicans nationally venture to Washington for the group's winter confab, Priebus and other Republican leaders are looking back on 2013 and heralding the moves they made in implementing their plan. "A lot of it comes down to mechanics," Priebus said. "Here is the point, if you are not in Hispanic communities on a year-round basis. If you don't represent those congressional districts, if you don't represent those Senate districts, who is there? Who is there telling the story of the Republican Party, of opportunity and freedom." There are fundamental areas that RNC re-tooling has focused on: improving a lackluster ground game, growing Republican standing in minority communities, investing in a data infrastructure and revamping the GOP primary system. All of this, Priebus and others said, is in an effort to turn into a year-round organization with a sustainable presence in crucial states. After President Barack Obama beat Republican nominee Mitt Romney on the way to winning reelection in 2012, many in the party felt changes needed to be made. As the GOP report touts on one of its first pages, it had "lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections" and Obama just won the Hispanic vote by a whopping 44%, African Americans by over 80% and Asians by 47%. In response to these losses, according to Jennifer Korn, the RNC's deputy political director and the head of demographic specific outreach, the party has put minority engagement staff in sixteen states. The RNC is especially proud of that - pointing out that 78% of the RNC's political staff is outside of Washington, D.C., -- but not fully satisfied. If they had their way, the RNC would have this demographic specific staff in all 50 states. And Korn believes this plan has already been a success, pointing to the fact that Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey won 50% of the Hispanic vote on the way to his reelection in 2013. Korn, who came to the RNC after running similar outreach programs in the George W. Bush White House, said the results were particularly stark in heavily Hispanic Passaic County, New Jersey, a county Christie turned red in 2013. "This is a permanent, year round effort," Korn said. "We will be in these communities to not only ask for their vote, but to build relationships and listen to their concerns." But not all recommendations outlined in the report have been followed. On the top of that list: the report's suggestion that Republicans should "embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform." "If we do not, our party's appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only," wrote the five Republican authors of the report, which also stated that the RNC believes "comprehensive immigration reform" is "consistent" with Republican policies to "promote job growth and opportunity for all." After passing the Senate, immigration reform has stalled in the Republican controlled House. What's more, Republican's who supported the measure - like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio - have taken a beating with the party's base for that support. Reid: Boehner will compromise on immigration reform . The other much talked about suggestion, that Republicans need to alter their tone when talking about certain issues, has proven hard to change. "It's not just what we say; it's how we say it," Priebus said when the report was published. But a number of high profile comments have undermined the GOP effort. Examples: When Rep. Steve King of Iowa told Newsmax that Mexican immigrants have "calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert" or when Rep. Trent Frank of Arizona said "the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low." Priebus, who has called out some of the more outlandish comments, seems to just shrug this off with the fact that the RNC has only been at this for less than a year. "This idea that somehow the committee itself is taking on the entire world upon its shoulders and has to carpet the world" is not realistic, Preibus told CNN on Wednesday, the first day of the meeting. "In one year, is the world carpeted? No. But we are making fundamental changes at a historic level that no one can deny." Democrats have watched this rebranding with amusement. Every time someone like King makes an eye-popping statement or when the RNC, like it is doing this week, considers a resolution that encourages candidates to be more vocal on the anti-abortion stance, Democrats have questioned the validity of the plan. In an e-mail on Tuesday, Marcy Stech, spokeswoman for Emily's List, a liberal woman's group, said the RNC abortion proposal shows the party is "misfiring on that rebrand" and "Republicans are yet again focusing on rhetoric over reason." "This is yet another example of the Republican Party being tone-deaf to American voters and trying to solve a policy problem with a fake, PR solution," Stech wrote. "Maybe, in 2014, they should be taking a stronger look at the policies that women and their families actually want, and not how much or how little to talk to them about the ones they don't." Priebus, quite expectedly, doesn't see it that way. Instead of saying the resolution pushes Republicans to talk about their pro-life stances, the chairman said the idea is that "the point of the resolution is don't stand there like s sitting duck, like a fool, and get punched in the face" when Democrats challenge Republican on abortion. While tone and demographic outreach have been the most talked about aspects of the RNC changes, the committee has also tried to shore up other deficiencies that hurt them in 2012. Kirsten Kurkowski, the RNC's spokeswoman, said the party has "fundamentally reshaped our ground game structure to be community-based and bottom up," is "closing the digital divide with a multi-million dollar investment in technology" and has "united behind the need for changes in the debate system." The debate system as been an important, albeit quiet, focus of the RNC after the 2012 loss. For much of 2013, a handful of party officials pushed batch rules aimed at streamlining a chaotic presidential nominating process that many party insiders viewed as damaging to the their campaign for the White House in 2012. Those rules are to be considered and voted on at this week's RNC meeting. "I don't think we need a six-month slice and dice festival on our party," Priebus said. "I think we need some compression on both ends to shorten the time period of the primary. And like I said, look I can't always control people's mouths but we can have some control over how long we have to kill each other. " As for more comments that strike a tone the RNC would rather not take, most GOP committee members in Washington for the winter meeting know they are inevitable. "We wrote a report and certainly we advocated people being smart about what they say, but we don't have a magic wand," said RNC Committeeman Henry Barbour. "I think that is where we have to keep fighting that fight. We have to keep educating our members, or governors, as well as our candidates, to think about what you say and how you say it." His advice to members who have a penchant for strong statements: "Speak in a way that unites people and is not shrill. Shrill doesn't sell." | After losses in 2012, RNC Chair Reince Priebus ordered a review of the GOP at the national level .
In 2013, the RNC released a report titled the "Growth & Opportunity Plan"
Nearly a year after the report's release, the GOP has increased minority outreach efforts .
But it hasn't embraced immigration reform and is struggling with messaging directed at women voters . |
164,911 | 613cbcb303f77dd56f25bd7bfc50d3ec500a37e0 | A teenager has been left partially blind after suffering a stroke linked to the contraceptive pill. Georgie Holland, 18, collapsed after being sent home from college and spent two days in bed before her parents took her to hospital, where a scan revealed a blood clot in her brain that was affecting the flow of blood. Doctors linked the stroke to her taking the contraceptive pill Yasmin for two years. Georgie now has limited peripheral vision in her right eye and has to take aspirin every day to thin her blood. Georgie Holland, 18, had a stroke which she thinks was caused by taking the contraceptive pill, Yasmin. The stroke has caused her to partially lose her sight . Georgie spent a week in hospital and has to take daily medication to thin her blood, but she has bounced back to compete in a national pageant in a bid to be crowned ‘The Face of Europe’. Georgie, of Thrapston, Northamptonshire, said: ‘It came completely out of nowhere. I was in a dance lesson at school and started to feel a bit funny and had to sit down. ‘I was allowed to leave, but I couldn’t think clearly and wasn’t sure what I was doing. I ended up walking out of the school and down the road. ‘My dad was passing, on his way to get me, and saw me collapsed in a bush. I didn’t know why I had decided to walk out of the school.’ Georgie’s father took her home where her condition deteriorated further. She said: ‘I spent two days in bed before being rushed to the hospital - a doctor was called out to my house as I was too ill to move. Georgie (pictured with her mother, Kim) was rushed to hospital after she became confused and struggled to see. At the hospital, a brain scan revealed she had suffered a stroke . ‘He was waving his hands in front of my face but I couldn’t see them, that’s when everyone realised that something was terribly wrong. ‘I felt really sick and it was really frustrating because I knew what I was thinking but I was unable to speak without slurring. ‘When my parents and younger brother were shown my brain scan their faces just dropped, I was so worried what had they seen. ‘When I saw the scan I was shocked - there was a black clot in the middle of my brain which had stopped the blood from flowing.’ Georgie said: 'When my parents and younger brother were shown my brain scan their faces just dropped, I was so worried what had they seen. When I saw the scan I was shocked - there was a black clot in the middle' Georgie spent a week recovering in hospital and doctors told her family that they believe the stroke was linked to her taking the contraceptive pill, Yasmin, for two years. It is commonly accepted that Yasmin can, very rarely, cause a patient to suffer a stroke. In 2011 American mother, Joan Cummins, sued Yasmin's manufacturer, Bayer, claiming that a similar pill, Yaz, had caused her daughter, Michelle Pfleger to have a fatal stroke. The stroke left Georgie with limited peripheral vision in her right eye - and she has to take aspirin every day to thin her blood. She also had to re-sit her first year of A Levels. Georgie said: ‘It wasn’t until my best friend came and visited me in tears that I understood properly what had happened to me.’ Georgie now has to take aspirin every day to thin her blood and prevent another stroke but she still hopes to pursue her dream of becoming a beauty queen . Georgie will be competing against girls from all over the country at the event in Essex on September 15, which would see her compete in the finals at Disneyland Paris if she is successful. ‘I hope the event will help me forget and move on from such a horrifying experience. ‘Losing sight in your eye is very scary, especially as it just happened out of the blue. But I’m ready to compete and win the competition. ‘It would be an extraordinary achievement for me if I did.’ Bayer told MailOnline: 'We extend our sympathies to women and their families who feel that they have been adversely affected by Yasmin®. 'At Bayer we take the safety of our products very seriously and we continuously review the safety profiles of our products. 'Bayer investigates reports on side effects thoroughly and collaborates closely with medical regulatory authorities concerning the use, benefits and risks of all products, including Yasmin®. 'Bayer strongly encourages all patients and healthcare professionals to report adverse events to the company directly or to the MHRA. 'Combined oral contraceptives, like Yasmin®, are among the most systematically studied and widely used medical products available today. 'Based on a thorough assessment of the available scientific data by regulatory authorities, outside independent experts and Bayer scientists, Yasmin® is effective and has a favourable benefit-risk profile when used as directed in the Patient Information Leaflet. Bayer fully stands behind Yasmin®.' People over the age of 65 have the highest stroke risk but they can occur in people of any age. Strokes are thought to affect about six children in every 100,000. In adults, strokes are often caused by high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. This is rare in children who are more likely to have a stroke caused by diseases of the arteries, heart disorders, infections and abnormal blood clotting. Children usually recover better than adults from strokes because their brains are still growing. However, they can develop complications such as seizures, weakness and vision problems. | Georgie Holland was picked up early from school after feeling faint .
At home her condition deteriorated quickly .
She became confused, her speech was slurred and she struggled to see .
She was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a stroke .
She had no other risk factors so doctors think The Pill might have contributed . |
73,264 | cfc8218314e9f9ac4f4f25506b28a6108488b3ca | A British woman could be jailed for up to ten years over claims that she was a key figure in a Mafia drug-smuggling operation run from a Spanish holiday resort. Sheryl Rogers, 46, was the mistress of a Mafia boss who ran the £100million business for one of Italy’s most dangerous criminal families. The grandmother of three spent years as the lover of Giuseppe Felaco, a senior member of the Nuvoletta family. Scroll down for video . Horse-loving Sheryl Rogers is accused of helping her former lover run a multi-million pound crime organisation . Rogers, from Box Hill, Surrey, is accused of helping to launder hundreds of millions of pounds in profits from the smuggling of up to six tons of cannabis from Morocco to Italy every month. The horse-lover was arrested three years ago in a raid at Felaco’s holiday complex in Tenerife. She spent five months in prison before being released on bail, and recently became engaged to Stephen Hill, a handyman from Middlesbrough who lives on the island. Felaco died at 57 from cancer shortly after he was arrested in 2011 as police seized assets worth £32million, including super-cars, luxury properties and a yacht. His lover of 16 years is due to go on trial in months with 20 other alleged members of the Nuvoletta family. In a writ at the Central Criminal Court in Madrid, prosecutors claim that Rogers ‘participated actively in financial operations’ to conceal criminal money. But she claims Felaco, with whom she has a 16-year-old son, told her that he was a legitimate businessman. He said he bought the 200-apartment Marina Palace resort in Adeje in Tenerife for £3.2million in 1999 with a bank loan. But police claim he built the complex in the Nineties and installed henchmen to launder drugs profits. The 46-year-old will stand trial in Spain in months alongside 20 members of her former lover's family. She is pictured with her British fiancee Stephen Hill . At the weekend, Rogers, who met Felaco while running a bar in Tenerife, described the charges as ‘daft’ and said police had got ‘everything completely wrong’. She said she could not have been in the Mafia because she was not Italian and, besides, they did not admit female members. ‘I was basically a housewife,’ she said. ‘I did not have anything to do with the business. I was put down in the books as if I worked in his business but that was because we weren’t married and I had no social [security] and he wouldn’t let me work. 'I still cannot believe the Mafia accusation, but then perhaps I did not know him at all, and that is very scary. ‘I still do not know if he actually loved me or just used me. Now he is dead I will never know.’ Rogers moved to Tenerife in 1994 to open a bar, and fell for the crime boss. She gave birth to his son, Joseph Felaco, in October 1997. Felaco – known as Peppe Nazzaro – was originally a member of another Neapolitan Mafia family when he married Maria Michelino, from the Nuvoletta clan. Rogers claimed that Felaco’s wife knew all about her and that their children even became friends. Rogers recently became engaged to Hill (pictured together) who works on the island as a handyman . The Nuvoletta family control a network of international business interests, from cement manufacturing to hotel cleaning. Felaco built up an extraordinary empire, including an Italian holiday home on Lake Como near George Clooney’s mansion. Rogers and her co-defendants face a ten-year prison sentence and fines of up to £2.4million each over charges of money laundering and illicit association. She said that after her arrest she was held as a high-risk prisoner and could have no visitors, so she only learned of her lover’s death from another inmate. Rogers accused police of rushing the inquiry. She said: ‘They hadn’t finished their investigation when they arrested all the people. The main man, Giuseppe, was dying, so they made a mass of arrests. A lot of people in this case have absolutely nothing to do with anything.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Sheryl Rogers was mistress of boss of one of Italy's most dangerous families .
The 46-year-old is accused of helping smuggle drugs and money laundering .
Arrested three years ago at Italian lover's holiday complex in Tenerife .
Due to stand trial in months alongside 20 members of Nuvoletta family . |
123,550 | 2bb51502c734a838679e6ed7f63fc005a135d71e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:45 EST, 26 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:45 EST, 26 January 2013 . It is a sight that will have birdwatchers licking their lips with glee. But if enthusiasts find themselves thinking this scene of frenzied feeding is too good to be true, well, that's because it is. The busy photograph is in fact a montage, compiling numerous visits by different birds to a feeder over a 20 minute period. Feeding time: A range of birds, including the blue tit, coal tit and chaffinch pictured visiting a feeder at Stover Park near Newton Abbot in Devon . The impressive collection of birds was photographed at Stover Park near Newton Abbot in Devon. The compilation reveals the animals in their various guises, with some perched on the multi-entrance feeder and others spreading their wings in flight as they go to-and-fro. Included in the picture are the blue tit, coal tit, great tit, chaffinch, nuthatch and bullfinch. The photograph was released by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as part of their Big Garden Birdwatch, now in its 34th year. The photograph was released by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as part of their Big Garden Birdwatch, now in its 34th year. | Photograph includes the blue tit, coal tit, chaffinch, bullfinch and nuthatch .
Released by the RSPB as part of its Big Garden Birdwatch weekend . |
80,153 | e32bda8a1629181edcc9c487d823fcc07104770d | New York may be the "city that never sleeps" but that won't come as a shock to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who are still new parents and are expecting another baby in April. Prince George, now a toddler, would no doubt love the bright lights of the big city but he'll have to wait to see them himself. A source close to the couple tells me the main reason he isn't coming is that the program of events "doesn't make it appropriate to bring him." This visit certainly feels rocket-propelled compared to the leisurely three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia earlier this year, when George did join his parents. On Monday that will involve everything from a children's craft group in Harlem, a conservation reception with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, to an NBA game where they're likely to rub shoulders with Beyoncé and husband Jay Z. On Tuesday, their plans include a moment of reflection at the September 11 memorial and a glittering charity dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. The couple will split at one point so that the heir to the throne can drop in on President Obama in Washington and give a speech at the World Bank. The White House said William's visit underscored "the special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom. "The President looks forward to thanking The Duke of Cambridge for the hospitality shown to him by the Royal Family during the President's recent visits to the United Kingdom," a spokesperson said in a statement. William and Kate will also have additional private engagements. Each event has been carefully orchestrated to promote the couple's own interests or those of the British government. Royals are in the fund-raising business and if there's anywhere you can make big money, it's in the Big Apple. The causes the royal couple support are set to benefit hugely from this trip. The Duke and Duchess will meet the rich, the famous, the powerful and the vulnerable. No other couple in the world has the power to fill a room like the Cambridges can right now. Their spokesman tells me: "The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to their visit enormously, especially as neither have visited New York or Washington in any capacity before. "They fondly remember the incredibly warm welcome they received on their last official visit to the U.S.A. (California in 2011) and are very much looking forward to returning to the States." That last visit was to sunny Los Angeles at a time when people were still sizzling from the hype around the royal wedding. It was an unquestionable triumph. This time they will be returning to a bitter East Coast winter but the welcome will no doubt be as warm. It may be reminiscent of Princess Diana's first visit to New York. Poignantly, Diana never came here with her husband Prince Charles. Kate and William are the next generation and very much a couple. Wherever they go in Manhattan, the royals will be greeted by cameras and big crowds. America's fascination with this fairytale is unmatched. Unlike Diana's day, many of the best royal moments come now from cell phones belonging to well-wishers. No doubt Kate will be asked how she is feeling after her bout of morning sickness -- with her entourage looking-on to make sure she doesn't over do it. | Britain's Prince William and Catherine arrive in New York City for a whirlwind tour Sunday .
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will not be accompanied by Prince George .
A source says the program of events in the city "doesn't make it appropriate to bring him"
Prince William will travel to Washington to meet U.S. President Barack Obama . |
206,031 | 96b46ce1222653b6984c529eec552036a80c4409 | By . Snejana Farberov . Busted: Christie Dawn Harris, 28, was hiding a loaded gun in her genitalia and bags of crystal meth in her buttock cheeks . A 28-year-old Oklahoma woman who was discovered in March with a loaded handgun wedged inside her vagina during a drug arrest has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. On June 27, Christie Dawn Harris pleaded no contest to three felony counts of possession of methamphetamines with intent to distribute, gun possession and bringing contraband into jail. Judge Steven Kessinger sentenced Harris to 25 years on each count, with the three prison terms to run concurrently. Harris also has to pay $1,363 in court costs and fees, The Smoking Gun reported. Harris' legal troubles started just before 4am on March 4, when police officers spotted her and another woman inside a Toyota Yaris parked in the 100 block of North Bluff in Ada, Oklahoma. Harris was taken into custody after the officers searched her vehicle and discovered meth, drug paraphernalia, a Raven Arms .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a magazine. As she was taken to jail, the 28-year-old complained to arresting officers that she needed to go to the bathroom. When she was told that she had to change into 'jail clothing' and submit to a cavity search, Harris took off her shirt, pants and socks, but refused to remove her underwear, claiming she was on her period. Ouch: The loaded Freedom Arms .22-caliber handgun, which had three live bullets and one spent shell . Firepower: Police also seized a Raven Arms .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a magazine (right) from Harris' car . She eventually agreed to submit to a . body cavity search, at which point Officer Kathy Unbewust said she . 'observed at that time a wooden and metal item sticking out from her vagina area.' It turned out to be a loaded Freedom Arms .22-caliber handgun, with three live bullets and one spent shell. But . the revelations didn't stop there. According to Pontotoc County . District Attorney Chris Ross, 'as [Harris] turned around, [the officer] . noticed more plastic baggies, larger plastic baggies wedged in the crack of her buttocks.' Hiding place: Police discovered plastic baggies filled with meth wedged in the crack of the woman's buttocks . The bags were found to contain meth. Harris and an accomplice were booked on various drugs and weapons charges. They both have extensive criminal records. | Christie Dawn Harris, 28, arrested in March after stashing firearm in vagina .
She also had bags of crystal meth wedged between her buttocks .
Gun had four rounds, one of which had been fired . |
238,288 | c06e28a4911ddf94ec9891f79502bbd0f22db435 | Minot, North Dakota (CNN) -- Waters rushed into an overflowing lake near Minot, North Dakota, faster and in greater amounts than expected Thursday, officials said, exacerbating the region's flood concerns. But Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman said Thursday that no new evacuations had been ordered, even though "the flows coming into Lake Darling are reaching the lake quicker and at a greater volume than predicted." "Due to this, Lake Darling has increased its outflow," the mayor added -- increasing flooding in the flood-plain, though not to a point that it yet changes the "inundation zone." Evacuations stand at about 12,000, according to Minot Fire Department Capt. Dean Lenertz. The mayor of Minot and the state's governor congratulated citizens on an organized and efficient evacuation thus far, with Gov. Jack Dalrymple saying it had "gone extremely well." Sirens sounded in Minot early Wednesday afternoon, urging residents to abandon their homes in the face of major flooding. Water is already overtopping the city's dikes, which are leaking in some places. Populated areas are seeing a couple inches of water on the ground at this time, and there is significant concern about dikes eroding, Lenertz said. Dalrymple said that "all agencies are engaged" statewide in addressing the issue. He noted, for example, that workers with North Dakota's transportation department are moving 100,000 sandbags from Bismarck to the Minot area, and there are about 500 National Guard personnel on site. The National Weather Service predicted record flooding as heavy rains and dam releases cause the river to swell at Minot. The Souris River is expected to crest on Monday, two to three days earlier than had been forecast. Zimbelman said the river is expected to rise to a level five feet higher than any previously recorded. Minot got some support from a hometown hero who was halfway around the world. Actor Josh Duhamel, in Moscow for the "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" premiere, asked for donations to the local Red Cross. "My heart goes out to all the incredible people of Minot & surrounding areas," Duhamel said on his Twitter account. The Souris River, which locals call "The Mouse" after the French translation of its name, flows through the center of town, and there are several homes and businesses along its low-lying banks. Fearing the main levees would not hold back the water, emergency workers have been constructing local levees around a school and the Broadway Street Bridge, a main thoroughfare. At least one of those had to be pushed back Thursday, said Zimbelman, eliminating Third street as a north-south access point through the city. Residents appear to be heeding evacuation warnings. The evacuations zones are "pretty bare," Lenertz said. In a sign they're taking the flooding seriously, some residents were pulling up carpets because they are easier to remove now than after their homes have been inundated with water. Not everyone, however, was planning to evacuate. Troy Erickson, 44, lives across the street from the perimeter of the evacuation zone and said he plans to ride out the flood. His neighbor has a bucket loader and they have distributed several loads of sand and gravel around four houses, which are home to 13 people, he said. They have "lowered a couple hundred sandbags" on top of the mixture, he said. "We've got more sandbags coming to have just in case we need to build it higher," said Erickson, a lifelong North Dakotan. "It if happens, it happens." He said he is "a little bit" frightened because he's never been in this situation, though he was a toddler during the flood of 1969. At the nearby Minot Air Force Base, about 1,000 members of the military and their families have been displaced by the rising waters in the city, according to Capt. Genieve David, a base spokeswoman. An emergency shelter has been set up on the base, with 50 people staying their overnight, the mayor said. An additional 221 people stayed at shelters run by the Red Cross. Minot, in the north central part of the state, is the fourth-largest city in North Dakota. The evacuation order covers a third of its population, Fong said. The river at Minot, which stood 1,555.6 feet above sea level early Thursday, is forecast to top the 1881 record of 1,558 feet early Friday and peak at 1562.5 feet early Monday. The Souris River looks like a "U." It swoops in and out of North Dakota from Canada. CNN's Jim Spellman, Ed Payne, Marlena Baldacci and Alta Spells contributed to this report. | NEW: Water levels also are greater than expected, Minot mayor says .
NEW: No new evacuations beyond the 12,000 who were asked to leave .
City mayor and state governor congratulate residents on smooth evacuation . |
183,792 | 7a13ba0397441bfe7ef66ba433a990d9753c4896 | (CNN Student News) -- October 28, 2013 . As President Obama orders a review of U.S. government surveillance programs, some American citizens and lawmakers speak out against the NSA. Get the details in Monday's program. We also report on new species discovered in the Amazon Rainforest. Plus, we look into the NFL's global expansion plans, and we discuss a significant victory for an African-American NASCAR driver. On this page you will find today's show Transcript, the Daily Curriculum, Maps pertaining to today's show, and a place for you to leave feedback. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. DAILY CURRICULUM . Click here for a printable version of the Daily Curriculum (PDF). Media Literacy Question of the Day: . What factors might make a protest newsworthy for a national audience? Key Concepts: Identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today's show: . 1. National Security Agency (NSA) 2. biodiversity . 3. NASCAR . Fast Facts: How well were you listening to today's program? 1. What were some newly discovered animal and plant species announced by the World Wildlife Fund? Where were these species found? 2. What were the circumstances surrounding an NFL game played in London yesterday? What did people in the report say about the NFL's series of games in London? 3. What race did Darrell Wallace, Jr. win this past weekend? Why is his victory considered significant? Discussion Questions: . 1. Why do you think that citizens, lawmakers, and world leaders are speaking out against alleged data collection and spying by the National Security Agency (NSA)? Why might a government security agency try to collect information about citizens and world leaders? What might the organization risk in trying to do so? 2. What environmental conditions might influence a habitat's biodiversity? Why might conservationists publicly announce the existence of previously undiscovered species? Can you think of any risks of announcing these findings? Explain. 3. What might be the benefits and challenges of expanding a professional sports franchise into a new market? How might a team's owners measure success? Do you think that an NFL team in London would be successful? Why or why not? CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show and curriculum. We hope you use our free daily materials along with the program, and we welcome your feedback on them. MAPS . Download PDF maps related to today's show: . South America . Europe . London . FEEDBACK . We're looking for your feedback about CNN Student News. Please use this page to leave us comments about today's program, including what you think about our stories and our resources. Also, feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom. The educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well. Thank you for using CNN Student News! Click here to submit your Roll Call request. | This page includes the show Transcript, the Daily Curriculum, and Maps .
Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary .
The Daily Curriculum offers the Media Literacy Question of the Day, Key Concepts, Fast Facts and Discussion Questions .
At the bottom of the page, please share your feedback about our show and curriculum . |
284,546 | fca66477c5801ea7d9c6f02f0ae622b7e3d94afc | By . Ruth Styles for MailOnline . Popping the question while dressed as anime character Dr Franken Stein and in front of hundreds of people might not sound like the ideal proposal but for Matt Dunn, 23, from Guisburgh in Yorkshire, that's exactly what it was. Girlfriend Molly Turner, who was dressed up as 'saucy' fantasy character Ikaros, got the surprise of her life when Mr Dunn grabbed the microphone during an appearance on stage. Luckily, the 22-year-old cosplay fan was thrilled with the very public proposal and said yes straightaway. Romantic: Matt Dunn dressed as Summoner (left) and Molly Turner in her Ikaro outfit (right) are engaged . 'She said "yes" and the whole room cheered for us,' said Mr Dunn, a graduate in computer games studies. 'Beforehand my heart was beating so loudly I couldn't really hear anything else. There were rivers of tears afterwards!' The couple, who have been together for two years, first met at another cosplay convention called NemaCon at Middlesborough Town Hall. According to a smitten Mr Dunn, his bride-to-be, who was dressed as Japanese character Nema-Chan, stood out in her bright pink wig and homemade green dress. Thrilled: Computer gaming graduate Mr Dunn said that the couple cried 'rivers of tears' after the proposal . Bond: The couple met at a Cosplay convention in Middlesborough and plan to have a 'traditional Gothic wedding' 'Molly has . an obsession with wigs and she looked brilliant,' he said. 'We met . during a challenge on computer game Soulcalibur IV. 'I was dressed as Dr. Franken Stein from the anime Soul Eater in white lab coat with a bolt through my head.' The couple now regularly attend Cosplay events across the north of England and still enjoy dressing up as their favourite cartoon, anime and gaming characters. At the Sunderland convention where Mr Dunn took to the stage to pop the question, Miss Turner was wearing a favourite ensemble, while her new fiance chose to dress as Summoner from The League of Legends computer game. Popular: Cosplay - or costume play - began life in Japan but now boasts fans all over the world . 'When she was Ikaros from the anime Heaven's Lost Property she looked really beautiful. She made these incredible wings,' said Mr Dunn. 'Cosplay is all about going to a place with like minded people,' added the lovelorn gaming fan, who will move into a new home with his fiancee in the coming months. 'It's just a lot of fun.' However despite their love of Japanese cartoons and computer games the wedding will be traditionally Gothic - an idea of Miss Turner's. | Molly Turner, 23, was surprised on stage at Sunderland Cosplay convention .
Matt Dun, 23, grabbed the microphone in front of hundreds for the proposal .
Miss Turner said yes and couple are planning a 'traditional' Gothic wedding . |
192,031 | 84a8c36fec2206d0e385cff7a623d8af18db0953 | Edwin, 93, and Mary Daubney, 89, say a daily squabble clears the air . Met in 1942 following an argument - between Edwin and a love rival about who should ask Mary for . the last waltz at a town hall dance . Couple have 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren . Edwin said: 'In the past I would give back as good as . I got but over the years I've just learnt to say three special words: . "you're right, dear." - and she probably is' By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 05:56 EST, 7 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:50 EST, 7 January 2013 . A couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary today reveal their secret to a long marriage - having a good row every day. Edwin and Mary Daubney believe a daily squabble between husband and wife always clears the air - and think other married couples should heed their advice to help wedded bliss. Although Edwin and Mary's exchanges are rarely anything more serious than him leaving doors open and she 'always being right', they believe that a few cross words have made them closer over the years. Clearing the air: Edwin and Mary Daubney believe a daily squabble always clears the air . And Edwin, 93, says there's nothing better than to say those three special words: 'you're right, dear.' Ironically the couple, who have been affectionately nicknamed 'Darby and Moan' met in 1942 following another argument - this time between Edwin and a love rival about who should ask Mary for the last waltz at a town hall dance. Since then their marital War of the Roses has continued with Lancashire-born Edwin and Yorkshire-born Mary, 89, bickering over who left the lights on and whose turn it was to tidy up. The golden oldies celebrated their sapphire wedding anniversary with a family party at a hotel in their hometown of Glossop, Derbyshire last weekend. Mary, 89, said: 'We only bicker over silly things really - but I do think those little rows keep us happier because everything is in the open. The little things: The couple are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary and attribute their long marriage to having an argument every single day, even over little things . 'There are no secrets between us and nobody is brooding or sulking. We have a little disagreement and then we move on. 'We usually have little arguments about whose turn it is to tidy up. Edwin also has a thing for leaving doors and drawers open, as well as constantly leaving lights on. 'I'm always pulling him about it and I think he only has a moan when I moan at him - but that's just because he knows I'm right.' Longevity: The couple first met in 1942 at a dance at the town hall (where they had an argument over who would dance with Mary) Dance partners: 'We met in the town hall at a dance. I used to love dancing and that was something we used to do often in those days' said Mary . The couple first met in 1942 at a dance at the town hall in Hessle near Hull when Edwin was stationed from his role as an anti-tank rifle operator with the South Lancashire Regiment during World War Two, and Mary worked in an aircraft munitions factory. They married just eight months later on January 2, 1943 in Hessle Parish Church. Mary said: 'We met in the town hall at a dance. I used to love dancing and that was something we used to do often in those days. Family: Couple have 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren . 'Edwin asked if he could have the last waltz and I said yes. It turned out that he was arguing with a friend over who would ask me and Edwin won - so you could say we even met because of a row.' She added: 'I remember getting married like it was yesterday. It was snowing and we couldn't have our pictures taken so we had to wait till later at the reception to have them taken - I'm sure there were a few words exchanged between us then.' After having their eldest daughter, Pam, now 68, the couple moved to Manchester and Edwin worked as a telephone engineer and Mary worked in an office at the Smithfield market in Manchester. They and went on to have three more children, 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mary said: 'We have always been close as a family - most of us live within about 20 minutes of each other, which is nice. 'Pam takes me out quite a bit and Edwin likes to go out on his mobility scooter when he can so we have a little time apart to do our own things.' 'Despite our little tiffs we are still as firmly in love now as we were back them. I don't think the majority of people these days who are getting together will last like we have. 'The problem is it's too easy for people to pack marriage in rather than stay together now and give it a go. 'When Edwin tells me off for not putting things away after I've used them I just tell him I'll put them away when I'm good and finished with them.' Mary said: 'We had such a nice party four 70th wedding anniversary. All our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all came to visit us which was lovely. Wedded bliss: The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with all their friends and family . Healthy marriage: They usually argue over little things like Edwin leaving the lights on . 'Our eldest Pam made us a special anniversary cake with fruit and sponge with roses on the top and we all enjoyed having a little party. 'It was also a rare day for us too because we didn't have a go at each other about anything. I'm sure that was was because we were celebrating and there was nothing to complain about.' Edwin said: 'Mary tells me off for leaving a door open before I've even gone through it and it was usually case of I'm in the wrong. 'In the past I would give back as good as I got but over the years I've just learnt to say three special words: "you're right, dear." - and she probably is.' | Edwin, 93, and Mary Daubney, 89, say a daily squabble clears the air .
Met in 1942 following an argument - between Edwin and a love rival about who should ask Mary for .
the last waltz at a town hall dance .
Couple have 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren .
Edwin said: 'In the past I would give back as good as .
I got but over the years I've just learnt to say three special words: .
"you're right, dear." - and she probably is' |
134,471 | 39ecec1fef6ec95d6cd9ee12c9441140e3fc27c1 | (CNN) -- British researchers say a new drug could effectively halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, offering hope to millions. The pioneering research -- a joint initiative between the University of Aberdeen in the UK and Singapore-based TauRx Therapeutics -- was announced this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2008) in Chicago. The product -- remberTM -- is the first drug to act on the "tangles" discovered by Alois Alzheimer over a century ago. Tangles are made up of the protein, tau, which forms inside nerve cells in the brain. According to Aberdeen University, the drug works by dissolving these tau fibers to prevent a build up of tangles which destroy nerve cells and neurons critical for memory. Trials were carried out on 321 people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease in the UK and Singapore. Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease were given either 30, 60 or 100mg of the drug or a placebo. The 60mg dose produced the most pronounced effect, with those with both mild and moderate Alzheimer's experiencing an 81 percent reduction in mental decline after 50 weeks. Those on rember did not experience a significant decline in their mental function over 19 months, while those on placebo got worse. Brain imaging data also showed that the drug had its biggest effect in the memory critical parts of the brain where the tangle density is highest. In a statement on the university's Web site, Professor Claude Wischik, Chairman of TauRx Therapeutics and Professor of Psychiatric Geratology and Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences, who led the research, said: "This is an unprecedented result in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. "We have demonstrated for the first time that it may possible to arrest the progression of this disease by targeting the tangles which are highly correlated with the disease." Professor Clive Ballard, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, told the British Press Association: "This is a major new development in the fight against dementia. "It suggests the drug could be over twice as affective as any treatment that is currently available." If further trials prove successful, the drug could be available by 2012. | Announced at Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Chicago .
remberTM is first drug to act on the "tangles" discovered by Alois Alzheimer .
Tangles destroy nerve cells and neurons critical for memory .
If further trials prove successful, the drug could be available by 2012 . |
118,625 | 252a5a9bf4320a8d9be89e0c7ab2b78fcd945c9e | All proceeds from the fourth one-day international between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday will be donated to those affected by the the Peshawar school massacre, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for opening fire on the Army Public School in the city on Tuesday, which resulted in the death of at least 130 people, most of them students, and also left scores injured. 'We tried our best to postpone the fourth ODI but were constrained by the broadcasters commitment as well as for cricketing reasons advised by New Zealand management,' said a PCB spokesman. Pakistan players line up for two-minute's silence prior to the fourth ODI against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi . Pakistan announced that all proceeds from the fourth ODI will go to those affected by the events in Peshawar . Pakistan have been playing their 'home' matches in the middle east since the Lahore terrorist attacks of 2009 forced them from their home country. 'We are playing outside Pakistan only because of the threat of terrorism at home,' the spokesman added. 'If we allow terrorists to disrupt our matches abroad, then all will be lost. So we have decided to go ahead with the match and our players will wear black armbands in grief and observe a minute's silence and flags will be lowered. 'The PCB will donate proceeds of the match to the families of the martyred and towards rebuilding the school.' The PCB has postponed the match between Pakistan A and Kenya which was due to be played on Thursday and the women's Malala Cup final which was due to be played on Wednesday. New Zealand players join in the period of silence at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi . Pakistan led the series 2-1 heading into the penultimate one-day international . Pakistan A will now face Kenya on Friday. 'It's sad what's happened in Peshawar,' Pakistan's stand-in skipper Shahid Afridi told the PCB website before the match against New Zealand got under way. 'Our prayers are with the families who have lost their kids. I hope the situation will get better in Pakistan and we live in a secure atmosphere. 'Obviously Pakistan is our country and if any thing happens there it saddens us. 'Whether we are in Pakistan or away, it affects us. Ever since we heard this news we were saying that it should not have happened. Pakistan was left in mouring after a school in Peshawar was attacked by gunmen on Tuesday . The attack in Peshawar killed at least 130 people including teachers and students . 'We hope the situation gets better but we hope that all those who have the responsibility will improve the situation.' Pakistan team manager Moin Khan added: 'It is shocking. We are deeply disturbed by the series of events in Peshawar and at the loss of innocent kids' lives. 'May Almighty give patience to the parents of these kids who lost their lives, we share their grief and loss.' | Pakistan and New Zealand hold two-minute's silence .
Fourth ODI in Abu Dhabi went ahead as scheduled .
At least 130 people in Peshawar were killed as part of a school massacre .
Pakistan led series 2-1 heading into fourth ODI . |
268,715 | e81201685189adb4d4ed858c1a89f929a4ac0bb1 | London (CNN) -- Lady Gaga visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuador embassy in London and spent five hours with him Monday. The pop star was in London to launch her new perfume, Fame, at Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, close to the Ecuadorian embassy. Lady Gaga launches 'slutty' fragrance . According to media reports she went to the embassy to see Assange at around 7:00 p.m. and emerged out of the embassy well past midnight. Lady Gaga also posted pictures with Assange on her website, Digital Spy reported. She was dressed as a witch, in a black gown and a fitting witch hat. Assange, 41, has been granted political asylum in Ecuador and has been living in the embassy since June. Assange faces extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. His legal team, however, claims he will not be given fair trial and that he is being pursued because of WikiLeak's exposure of U.S. embassy cables, which leaked "secret details" that embarrassed the U.S. government. Read more: Lady Gaga posts nearly nude pics . | Lady Gaga spends five hours with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy .
Pop star was in London to launch her new perfume at Harrods .
Pictures show Lady Gaga dressed as a witch . |
266,090 | e4a461e73ef5f274f7d7b746ad25a8f897ef379e | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 10:41 EST, 6 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:25 EST, 6 August 2013 . A girlfriend saw her ex-boyfriend turn himself into a fireball on her driveway after she broke up with him, an inquest heard. Ami Nahal, 36, was woken by an explosion at around 5am after dumping bricklayer Nick Davies, 43, the inquest heard. She rushed to the window, saw a white van on fire outside and dialled 999 - then realised it was her spurned lover’s Citroen Berlingo going up in flames. Ami Nahal saw a white van on fire outside and realised it was her spurned lover's Citroen Berlingo going up in flames . Firefighters battled to put out the blaze and found the body of Mr Davies, who was from Southampton, Hampshire, in the front seat of the burnt out van. The ‘devastated’ father-of-two had driven to Ms Nahal’s parent’s home, where she was staying, and set himself alight after she broke off their ‘volatile’ eight-month relationship. Ms Nahal, from Chandler’s Ford, Hanmpshire, said she had kept the relationship a secret from her traditional Sikh parents for fear they would not approve. Firefighters battled to put out the blaze and found the body of Mr Davies in the front seat of the burnt out van . Ms Nahal, who worked for an insurance provider, said: 'My parents became aware of our relationship on the day of Nick’s death. 'I heard a loud bang. I jumped out of bed and looked out of the window and then called the fire brigade. 'I saw a white van and flames coming out. I ran back upstairs and looked out of my parents’ window - that’s when I recognised the van.' Recording a verdict of suicide, Central Hampshire Deputy Coroner Simon Burge said Mr Davies committed 'an appalling act of self-destruction'. Ms Nahal told the court she had tried to break off her relationship with Mr Davies on several occasions. Shortly before the blaze began, Mr Davies left a voicemail for David Murtagh, his friend of 40 years, to say who he wanted to carry his coffin at his funeral. Recording a verdict of suicide, deputy Coroner for Central Hampshire, Simon Burge, added: 'What he did was an appalling act of self-destruction and it's left to members of the family to deal with that. 'I'm satisfied that the relationship had caused him a great deal of pressure and that he was finding it difficult to sustain the relationship because of the demands it had placed on him and he simply couldn't cope.' | Ami Nahal's ex-boyfriend Nick Davies set himself and his van on fire .
Father set himself on fire after Ms Nahal ended their eight-month relationship .
Central Hampshire Coroner records verdict of suicide .
For confidential support contact Samaritans on 08457 909090 . |
178,709 | 735c6d6e3274ba110ae5981fd1fac62de9d54ddf | By . John Hall for MailOnline . An advertising campaign by Puma has run into embarrassing difficulties after social media pranksters made it look as if a number of world famous sports stars had written crude personalised messages. As part of the sportswear brand's latest promotional campaign, Twitter users were encouraged to tweet the hashtag #ForeverFaster, which would then automatically generate a 'personalised message' signed by one of Puma's famous brand ambassadors. But as soon as Twitter wags realised the messages were based on their profile details, they began making subtle alterations to make it look as if superstars such as Usain Bolt, Radamel Falcao and Cesc Fabregas had written offensive messages. Scroll down for video . Not what they want to read: Radamel Falcao's 'personalised message' said that 'Liverpool are w***' Bad taste: Cesc Fabregas's 'personalised' photograph was changed to read a crude message . Among the famous names embarrassed by pranksters was Monaco's Colombian striker Falcao. With the footballer apparently just days away from sealing a mega-money move to Liverpool, one Arsenal fan did his best to sour any future relationship with fans of the Anfield club. Simply by changing his Twitter profile name, the unidentified user was automatically sent a signed photograph that read: 'Liverpool are w****. Never stop believing, Falcao.' Another footballer made to look highly offensive by Twitter users was Cesc Fabregas, whose 'personalized' photograph was changed to read: 'I spread Ebola. Appreciate your support, Cesc.' Immature: The prank was not just reserved for high-profile footballers - even Usain Bolt was caught out . Wrong: Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus had his 'personalised' Puma message altered too . The prank was not just reserved for high-profile footballers, however - even the fastest man in the world was caught out by the hijinks. A photograph that appeared to be signed by Usain Bolt was changed to read: 'I'm erect. Forget the pack, follow your instincts.' Despite inadvertently offending their fans around the world, Liverpool are understood to remain keen on signing Falcao - although they are expected to face tough competition from Juventus. The Italians are apparently in favour of a loan deal and are considering the sale of Fernando Llorente to Valencia - although the Spaniard is not overly keen. Real Madrid also maintain an interest in Falcao but would need to sell another non-EU player before being allowed to sign the Colombian. | Group of the world's biggest sporting names were subject of Twitter prank .
Puma sent a 'personalised' message to fans who tweeted #ForeverFaster .
Messages were automatically addressed based on the user's Twitter name .
But wags changed profile details to embarrass stars such as Usain Bolt .
Footballers Cesc Fabregas, Radamel Falcao and Marco Reus also pranked . |
238,850 | c133647fd6ffb32a7966e1384467d964edca7f63 | Last week the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards – one of the culinary world's most prestigious honours – were announced. The list held few surprises, with the top ten restaurants largely unchanged from last year, and once more the list featured strikingly few women. Of the top 50 restaurants in the world, only three had a female head chef or owner and no restaurant on the list had a solo female head chef, with each of the female chefs working with a male partner – their husband, boyfriend, or father. Elena Arzak is the head chef at Arzak in San Sebastian, which was the highest-ranked restaurant in the world run by a woman . The highest-ranked restaurant run by a woman is Arzak, in San Sebastian Spain, which was named eighth best in the world, and is jointly managed by Elena Arzak, 44, and her father Juan Mari. Ms Arzak said that her success comes from growing up in a society where women were encouraged to reach the highest professional echelons. 'We are a matriarchal society where the woman has always been very strong. So I grew up in a society… where being a woman chef is normal,' said Ms Arzak. 'For example my grandmother was a chef, my great-grandmother as well... in Arzak, 80 percent of the staff are women,' she said. Ms Arzak acknowledges that these figures are unusual and says that when she worked at restaurants in Switzerland, France, and Britain, she was often the only woman working in the kitchen. According to a study of U.S. restaurants by Bloomberg, women make up only six percent of head chef positions at restaurants. When that figure is expanded to include chefs as well as head cooks, the figure increased to only 19 percent, less than female CEOs, of which there are 24 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Elena Arzak, 44, runs the restaurant with her father, 72-year-old Juan Mari Arzak. She began working in the Arzak kitchen at the age of 11 . The dishes that made her famous: Some of Arzak's creations: Green Monkfish Sorceress (left) and The Big Truffle (right) It was this lack of female chefs in professional kitchens that led to the creation of a new award in 2011, which is voted on by the same 900 panellists who choose the top 50 restaurants – the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef Award. 'Professional kitchens very much remain a male-dominated world and we think that balance should be rectified where possible,' said William Drew, Group Editor of the awards. 'One of the ways of doing that is by celebrating those female chefs who have been and are successful with a view to inspiring the next generation of young women to follow them into that profession.' The award has come under fire for being unnecessary and patronising to women, criticism that Mr Drew is well aware of. 'In theory, one shouldn't need an award that separates out female chefs from male chefs, if we lived in a world of equality that wouldn't be necessary… but as it is, the vast majority of chefs are men. That will hopefully not be the case generations down the line, but while that is the case, we're taking some positive action to go a small way to rectifying that.' The winner of the award this year was 35-year-old Helena Rizzo, who runs Mani in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was ranked 36th in the world, with husband Daniel Redondo. Helena Rizzo runs Mani in Sao Paulo with her husband Daniel Redondo and was awarded World's Best Female Chef at this year's awards . 'Working in the kitchen is as hard for men as it is for women. The long hours, the heat of the kitchen, the cuts, the burns, the weekend shifts. To be in this profession you have to give up many other things,' she said. However, Ms Rizzo does think the Veuve Clicquot Best Female Chef Award is a helpful step in rectifying the gender disparity in the industry. 'I hope [it] makes the gastronomic world open its eyes to the work of more female chefs,' she said. Ms Rizzo, who was a model and an architect before taking up professional cooking, met her husband while they were both working at El Celler de Can Roca in Spain. The pair have run Mani together since 2006. Having a supportive partner seems to be crucial to the success of female chefs. Elena Arzak, who won the Veuve Clicquote prize in 2012, is married to Manu Lamosa, an architect, with whom she has two children – Nora, nine, and Matteo, seven. She says her husband is very involved with raising the children, who see more of their father than they do of her. 'As long as they see you are happy, they are happy… I think it's very important to be positive and set an example,' said Ms Arzak. 'I don't want to say it's easy. It's not easy; nothing is easy in life if you want to work hard.' But she is hopeful that 'little by little' things will change and awards like the Best Female Chef Award will no longer be necessary as the culinary world stops taking such notice of gender. 'As a woman I am quite feminine; but when I cook no one notices,' said Ms Arzak. From left: Lanshu Chen, who won Asia's Best Femal Chef, Elena Arzak, Helena Rizzo, who won the Veuve Clicquot Best Female Chef Award, and Aymeric Sancerre, Veuve Clicquot¿s director of International Communications . | Three female head chefs of world's 50 best restaurants awarded last week .
Restaurants still male-dominated, with fewer females chefs than CEOs .
Arzak in Spain was top-ranked restaurant run by a woman, Elena Arzak, 44 .
Helena Rizzo awarded best female chef award for her work at Mani in Brazil . |
94,250 | 0525be050e50cb2623d6ca6569ffb6b19a61ca95 | By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 14:03 EST, 16 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:25 EST, 16 February 2013 . A former California attorney has been arrested for the murder of his ex-wife nearly seven years after she was strangled and thrown off a cruise ship during a trip meant to rekindle their failed marriage. Lonnie Kocontes was arrested in Safety Harbor, Florida on Friday night and indicted with the 2006 murder of Micki Kanesaki, 52, whose body was found after washing ashore in southwest Italy. Kocontes told police that Kanesaki, whom he was divorced from at the time, left their cabin around 1 a.m. for a cup of tea on May 26 but never returned. He later suggested she may have been suicidal. Scroll down for video . Mystery: In May of 2006 the body of Micki Kanesaki, pictured, was found washed ashore in southwest Italy one day after reported missing by her ex-husband from their passing cruise ship . Open investigation: Lonnie Kocontes, left, was arrested on Friday night and indicted with Kanesaki's murder, seen right after a domestic assault arrest in 2003, nearly seven years after her death . Kanesaki's body was found the next day after washing on shore in Calabria, in southwest Italy. At the time investigators suggested that foul play was not involved but an autopsy later revealed she had been strangled, KCAL reports. Kocontes said the cruise was meant to rekindle their failed marriage that withstood both . her two-time arrest for domestic assault and his for sexual acts and lewd . conduct on a child - his charges later dropped. Kocontes told authorities that his ex-wife had previously talked of committing suicide suggesting it as a possible reason for her death. That was a claim her mother fiercely denied. 'There's no reason to believe it was a suicide,' her mother Setsuko Kanesaki told the OC Register through a translator in 2006. She said her daughter appeared particularly upbeat before their trip and had plans to see them after her return. Kanesaki's father also told KCAL in 2006 he suspected Kocontes had something to do with it. 'I was committed to this woman,' Kocontes told the LA Times just after her death. 'I loved her with all my heart. I wish I never had gone on the cruise.' Rocky romance: The cruise was meant to rekindle their failed marriage that spanned both her arrest for domestic assault and his for sexual acts and lewd conduct on a child, Kanesaki seen here . Smooth sailing: Kocontes told authorities that the couple were working to rekindle their failed marriage and during their Mediterranean cruise hadn't fought but instead discussed getting remarried that November (file photo) The couple divorced after six years of marriage in 2002 but continued to live together in the Southern California house they both legally owned for a few years after their split. During this time Kanesaki was arrested for domestic violence and ordered to attend a program with Kocontes. After her second arrest in January of 2003 for kicking her ex-husband in the leg, she enrolled herself in anger management classes as well as an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Kocontes had his own arrests as well including the 1999 arrest for sexual acts and lewd conduct on a girl under . 16. Those charges were dropped after the girl allegedly became too distraught to testify in court, the LA Times reports. Home: The couple who divorced after six years of marriage in 2002 continued to live together in this Southern California house they both legally owned and later fought over its sale . Denial: Kanesaki's family denied allegations that their daughter was suicidal with her father, seen here in 2006, saying he believed Kocontes might have something to do with it . After their divorce Kocontes later briefly remarried for a few months and around the fall of 2005 he asked a judge to force Kanesaki to sell their Landera Ranch home and split the proceeds. That case was dismissed after both failed to show up in court. Just several months later they embarked on the cruise that was said to have been an effort to give their marriage another go. Kocontes told police their relationship was getting better and they weren't fighting on the trip but instead discussed remarrying that November. Kocontes will be sent back to Orange County, California to face his charges of murder. It’s still not clear what new evidence has been collected to indict him of the charges nearly seven years later. Watch the video here: . | Autopsy revealed Micki Kanesaki, 52, had been strangled before thrown off a cruise ship passing Italian coast .
Kanesaki's ex-husband Lonnie Kocontes is now indicted with her murder .
Couple had a rocky relationship from start with cruise said to have been effort to rekindle their marriage .
Kanesaki was arrested twice for domestic abuse after their divorce .
Kocontes was arrested for sexual acts and lewd conduct on a girl under .
16 during their six-year marriage . |
256,544 | d80b2d9327eea994b3f2ebf8a0a0174d1e7c093d | Spaceflight may be associated with a process of accelerated aging of the immune system, researchers have claimed. Long-term space flight is known to have detrimental effects on the human body, including muscle and bone loss. But now it seems human missions to Mars will also need to develop ways to counteract the negative effects on the immune system in order to keep the crew fit and healthy. French scientists have been testing the effects of microgravity on Earth. They found that long-duration missions, such as to Mars (illustration shown), could affect the immune system. Superficially, prolonged microgravity caused mice to experience changes also observed in elderly mice . The research, published in the journal Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (Faseb), was conducted by several French institutions including Lorraine University in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy. The team used a ground-based model called hindlimb unloading (HU), which simulates some of the effects of spaceflight on mice. It involves suspending the back legs of the mice in the air, while their front legs stay on the ground. A shower that recycles water just like that on a spacecraft has been unveiled. Inventor Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, CEO and co-founder of the company behind the product - Orbital Systems - also worked on Nasa’s Mars mission project. Known as the Shower of the Future (concept above), it collects water instead of letting it run down the drain, and purifies it until it's drinkable, reducing consumption by 90 per cent. On the ISS, almost all waste water is recycled to provide the astronauts with a nearly self-sustainable environment. The shower starts at a rather daunting £2,405 ($3,629), but the company claims it will save an average of £212 ($320) per year in waste water. In the study groups of three mice were suspended for three, six, 13 and 21 days - and killed after each test - to test the effects of microgravity. The scientists analysed bone parameters and the frequency of cells that will give birth to B lymphocytes in the bone marrow of young mice, old mice and mice subjected to three weeks of HU. B lymphocytes - also called B cells - are known to be one of major parts of the human immune system. They found that mice in low gravity conditions experience changes in B lymphocyte production in their bone marrow similar to those observed in elderly mice living in Earth conditions. The same effects could be present in humans. While the effects of spaceflight on the human immune system have been known before, this study is the first to suggest that such a ground-based method - namely HU - could be helpful in understanding it further. The researchers also say that their model could be used to test or develop molecules and compounds that could improve immune responses in astronauts. ‘This study shows that a model of spaceflight conditions could not only be used to test the efficacy of molecules to improve immune responses following spaceflight in astronauts, but also in the elderly and bed-ridden populations on Earth,’ said Dr Jean-Pol Frippiat, a researcher involved in the work from the Stress, Immunity and Pathogens Laboratory at Lorraine University in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. Dr Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of The Faseb Journal, added: ‘Getting to Mars and beyond promises to be a huge task, requiring contributions from almost every scientific discipline. ‘For biologists and medical researchers, knowing how altered gravity affect our immune system from challenges aloft can be already be studied on Earth. ‘Fortunately for biologists, it's not rocket science.’ Currently, astronauts must keep their bodies in shape on the ISS by performing regular exercise. Pictured is Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, exercising on the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System (Cevis) in the Destiny laboratory of the ISS on 20 July 2012 . While the effects on the immune system were known before, the study says its methods could be used to develop a solution for missions to Mars to help astronauts who have to operate in microgravity for a long time. Pictured is Bruce McCandless II performing a free-flying spacewalk in 1984 . In March of this year, Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will undertake the first year-long stay aboard the International Space Station. The mission is designed to see how astronauts cope with such a prolonged stay in space - previously, crews only spent a maximum of six months aboard the station before returning to Earth. During the mission, experiments will study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the immune system, in addition to other aspects of human biology such as body chemistry and the heart. They will not break the record for the longest continuous time spent in space - that was 437 days, set by Russian Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station from 1994 to 1995 - but nonetheless, the mission will provide invaluable data for the planned mission to Mars, which could take place in the 2030s. In tandem with this one-year stay, though, experiments on Earth will also prove useful in preparing a crew for the journey to Mars - which could take a total of nearly three years, including nine months travelling there and nine months back. Performing HU studies on mice could be one of the latest ways to gather data for the mission. In March of this year, Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly (left) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko (right) will undertake the first year-long stay aboard the ISS. The mission is designed to see how astronauts cope with such a prolonged stay in space previously, crews only spent a maximum of six months on the ISS . | French scientists have been testing the effects of microgravity on Earth .
They found that long-duration missions could affect the immune system .
Specifically, prolonged microgravity caused mice to experience changes also observed in elderly mice .
While the effects were known before, the study says its methods could be used to develop a solution for human missions to Mars .
In March this year the US and Russia will begin year-long stays on the ISS .
These will also test the effects on humans of long-duration spaceflights . |
113,103 | 1dfde2d33e6b928039a38c271d32325f6f30ceec | Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin has said Nasa must commit to building a permanent settlement on the surface of Mars and sending astronauts there to colonise it. The second man to walk on the Moon told a special Senate subcomittee hearing that the United States needed to accept that crews sent to the Martian surface would not be coming back. Instead he said the US space agency needed to focus on sending people to Mars to stay to avoid the huge cost of bringing crews back home. Former Nasa astronaut Buzz Aldrin (above) said the US needs to commit to building a permanent Mars base . The made his comments while outlining his vision for how the US should lead the race to the red planet at the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness. If private space venture Mars One has its way, Nasa could be beaten to put human feet on the surface of Mars. It is aiming to send four people chosen from a longlist of 100 applicants to the red planet in 2025. The organisers behind the project play to send a supply mission to Mars as soon as October 2016 followed by a settlement rover in 2018 that would prepare for the astronauts. However the proposed mission has been widely criticised ever since it was first announced in 2011. Lack of funding, no signs of technology development and an overly ambitious ‘reality TV’ approach have all been cited as reasons that Mars One will never be more than a pipe dream. Others have warned that the project does not have access to the required techology to meet its timescales. Astronaut Chris Hadfield, former commander of the ISS, is among the critics, describing the project as having a 'self-defeating optimism'. Igore Mitrofanov of the Space Research Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences has warned that the doses of radiation that the colonisers could receive during the mission could pose a significant risk. He warned that the US risked being caught up and even beaten by other countries like China who are looking at sending people to Mars. The Apollo 11 pilot, who is now a campaigner for missions to Mars, said the next US president needed to commit by 2019 to building a permanently manned Martian base. In his evidence presented to the hearing, Mr Aldrin said: 'If we wish to retain American leadership in space, I believe that early in the next administration, the nation must commit to developing a permanent presence on Mars.' He added: 'Focus on sending people to Mars to stay. The huge cost driver for Mars missions is the cost of bringing everyone back home after a relatively brief stay. 'I envision a program of settlement that schedules most of the crews who go to Mars will remain and establish a permanent settlement there.' The former astronaut, who now spends much of his time promoting the US space programme around the world, was giving evidence alongside two other former Nasa astronauts Walt Cunningham, who was the pilot on Apollo 7, and space shuttle mission specialist Michael Massimino. Mr Aldrin, who along with Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon for the first time on July 20 1969, said that since the Apollo moon landings, the US had failed to demonstrate that it led the world in space exploration. He said that repeating the 'flags and footprints' approach taken by the Apollo missions to the Moon, would not be enough to keep the US in the lead of the space race. Buzz Aldrin said the US space programme needed to go beyond putting 'flags and footprints' on Mars (above) Mr Aldrin said America had lost its leadership of the space race since the Apollo missions to the Moon . The 85-year-old said: 'Over the next few years we must choose whether we are to go forward as a nation and lead the extension of global civilization to a permanent presence beyond Low Earth Orbit, or to allow American leadership in space to erode over the next decades. 'American leadership is inspiring the world by consistently doing what no other nation is capable of doing. We demonstrated that for a brief time 45 years ago. I do not believe we have done it since. 'Another Apollo like mission to put flags and footprints on Mars does not ensure sustained leadership, and restarting a failed constellation program will only require one small step for China to catch up.' Mr Aldrin was the second man to walk on the Moon (above) after Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11, but says the US must now focus on putting astronauts on the surface of Mars where they will stay for the rest of their lives . Mr Aldrin has compiled what he describes as his Unified Space Vision, which includes using robots to build habitation structures on the Moon by around 2028 that could support future missions to Mars. He said that much of this could be conducted by commercial companies and for scientific activities. Setting out a timetable for the missions, he suggested deploying a cycling spacecraft that perpetually orbits between the Earth and Mars to reduce the amount of fuel needed to send habitable structures to Mars, which could be sent in advance of any astronauts. He added that most pioneers to the red planet would not be expected to return. He said that initially a crew of three could land on the Martian Moon Phobos before later transferring to the red planet itself. He said that this would probably not happen much before 2034. He said: 'Every four and a half years the population of Mars will continue to grow as recurring outbound cyclers bring additional crews of up to 9 new inhabitants. 'The list of potential tasks the surface inhabitants of 18 might accomplish is far too long to enumerate in my remaining time, but I would just note that Steven Squires, the Principle Investigator of the Mars Pathfinder mission . once said that a single crew could accomplish in one week what took two rovers five years to do.' During his evidence Mr Aldrin attempted to lighten the mood of the hearing by showing off a pair of planetary themed socks to those around him. Mr Aldrin's evidence was briefly interupted when his mobile phone buzzed loudly, causing him to sheepishly fumble in is pocket. After 10 seconds of silence, US Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican chairing the hearing, asked: 'Just tell us if that's a call from the space station.' | Buzz Aldrin was giving evidence at a special US Senate hearing on space .
He told senators that the US should focus on sending astronauts to Mars .
He said the US needed to look beyond the 'flags and footprints' approach taken during the Apollo missions that landed him on the Moon in 1969 .
He said Mars' pioneers would live in a permanent settlement and not return .
Mr Aldrin outlined his vision for how humans could set off for Mars by 2034 .
He said three astronauts would first touch down on Mars' moon Phobos .
They would later descend to the red planet to live in a permanent base .
Mr Aldrin said the next president needed to commit to a mission by 2019 . |
242,542 | c5ef9ecbf991fa4c43143b35de8b2b8ad615e423 | (CNN) -- They've earned admiration around the world for their on-court prowess, not to mention the enviable sum of more than $160 million in prize money between them. Now the "Big Four" of the men's tennis world have helped negotiate a pay rise for their lower-ranked colleagues. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have joined forces to convince Wimbledon chiefs to increase the prize money for this year's tournament to £16.1 million ($25.9 million). It's a 10% increase on last year's £14.6 million ($23.5 million) total, representing the biggest rise in 19 years. The largest slice of the cash will go to players making an early exit in late June, with first-round singles losers to each scoop £14,500 ($23,400) -- up 26.1% on last year. The singles champions, meanwhile, will see their prize money rise by just 4.5%, though this will still leave them with a tidy sum of £1.15 million ($1.85 million) each. Djokovic won the men's title last year to become the new world No. 1, while Petra Kvitova will also be defending her title in London. Every round of the grass-court tournament will see increases, with those in the quarterfinals enjoying a rise of 5.5% to £145,000 ($233,720). The decision aims to quell growing grumblings within the sport over the amount of money being offered to lesser players who are failing to meet rising costs. Those knocked out in the earlier rounds are increasingly struggling to cover travel costs or employ a regular coach, and there had been rumors of players preparing a strike in protest. However this was denied by chairman of the host All England Club, Phillip Brook. The Wimbledon chief said the decision followed a meeting with the Big Four at Indian Wells last month. He insisted the issue of strikes was never discussed. "Wimbledon continues to be successful and we are delighted to share that success with the players by increasing total prize money by 10%, the largest increase since 1993," he said. "At the same time, we appreciate the need to help players meet the rising costs associated with professional tennis, so the majority of the record £1.5 million increase will be distributed to those who are knocked out in the early rounds of the championships." Wimbledon follows the lead of the French Open, which last month increased its overall prize purse by 7% to $24.6 million. Similarly, the biggest rise went to first-round losers, who picked up a 20% boost -- a prize of $23,670. In comparison, singles champions at Roland Garos scored an increase of 4.17%, giving them total prizes of $1.64 million each. The pressure will now be on the two other grand slams to follow suit. Growing unrest started at last year's U.S. Open, where Murray and Nadal were particularly vocal about the uneven distribution of prize money. The New York event's singles champions earn $1.8 million and first-round knockouts get $19,000. At January's Australian Open, title winners earned $2.37 million each, compared with $21,500 for players who lost at the first hurdle. | 'Big Four - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray - secure prize rise .
Wimbledon prize money rises by 10% to £16.1m - the biggest increase in 19 years .
Largest increase will go to players knocked out early - up 26.1% for first-round exits .
Follows French Open's lead which gave first-round losers a 20% boost and prize of $23,670 . |
125,305 | 2dfa31cb7520f5e06eddc40b5d43f0a028a5b61e | Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's national election day ended without any major incidents of violence, though tourists are reminded to keep abreast of the situation as anti-government protests are expected to continue in the capital, Bangkok. "Bangkok and some parts of nearby provinces (Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan) remain under a state of emergency," says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in its latest update, issued February 2. The decree, called in response to anti-government protests in which at least 10 people have died since November, came into effect January 22 and will last 60 days. Under a state of emergency in Thailand, authorities can impose curfews, declare parts of the capital off-limits, censor the media and detain suspects without court permission. "We strongly advise U.S. citizens to be alert and avoid protests, demonstrations, and large gatherings," says the U.S. Embassy in a recent warning to its citizens. "While the ongoing protests have been generally peaceful, some have resulted in injury and death. The situation can change rapidly. It is important to pay attention to local news and media reports." Tourists' mobility restricted . Despite the state of emergency, life carries on as normal in much of Bangkok and tourists will find it's easy to avoid the protests if they follow locals news reports. Currently the biggest issue facing visitors is mobility, as protesters have closed off six major Bangkok intersections and conduct regular marches to government buildings throughout the city. Several of these rallies, aimed at forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, have been in popular tourism areas, including Silom, Asok and the Ratchprasong intersection -- the latter a popular shopping area near major hotels such as the Four Seasons Bangkok, Grand Hyatt Erawan and InterContinental Bangkok. "We are working hard to make sure there is as little impact on our guests as possible and we have full contingency procedures in place," said Nicola Chilton, Four Seasons Hotels' senior director of public relations, Asia Pacific. Currently, all hotels and malls in Bangkok remain open, though opening hours of shopping complexes near protest sites are subject to change. Major tourist attractions, including museums and temples, also remain open as of February 2. Transportation . In the runup to the planned mass Bangkok protests, the anti-government group stated it would not close Bangkok's two major airports, Suvarnabhumi -- the main international airport -- and Don Muang, which primarily serves low-cost carriers like AirAsia and Nok Air. The group also said it would allow ambulances to pass along any roads it blocked, and that it would not block access to public transportation. Tourists flying out of Bangkok are advised to leave for the airport four hours before their scheduled flight. All expressways currently remain open. The BTS Skytrain, MRT subway, Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link, public ferries and trains have also all been operating as normal. "About 6,000 taxis registered with the Airports of Thailand have been given special stickers to show that the vehicles are carrying tourists, thus allowing them to be able to pass normally through intersections occupied by the demonstrators," says the TAT. Popular tourist destinations outside of Bangkok, including Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi, are unaffected by the protests. Where to stay . Travelers in Thailand wishing to avoid the protests should note that government rallies are no longer being held near Khao San Road, a popular tourist area filled with guesthouses and bars. Luxury riverside hotels, such as The Oriental, The Peninsula, Royal Orchid Sheraton, Shangri-La, Millennium Hilton and The Siam are also well away from protest sites. Tourist assistance . Thailand's Ministry of Tourism has reportedly set up tourism assistance centers at both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, where they'll coordinate with all concerned public and private agencies, including the Tourist Police, the Immigration Bureau, Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Thai Hotels Association. Help desks will also be set up at the Siam, Phaya Thai, Ekkamai and Wong Wian Yai BTS Skytrain stations as well as the Hua Lamphong MRT subway station. "Each location will be manned by four Tourist Police officers," said the TAT. Tourists can seek assistance by calling the following hotlines. Tourism Authority of Thailand: 1672 . Thai Tourist Police: 1155 . Suvarnabhumi Airport Operation Center: +66 (0)2 134 4077 . Don Mueang Airport Operation Center +66 (0)2 535 3431 . Tourist Assistance Center (temporary): +66 (0)2 401 1111 . Alternatively, visitors can email [email protected] or [email protected]. Who to follow . Twitter is one of the best ways to get real-time information on the Bangkok protests. Richard Barrow, a full-time travel blogger based in Bangkok, is a top source for those seeking news about the protests as well as travel advice. He can be followed at Twitter.com/richardbarrow . Local English-language media on Twitter include the Bangkok Post: Twitter.com/BPbreakingnews; The Nation: Twitter.com/nationnews; and MCOT: Twitter.com/MCOT_Eng. | Thailand national election day on February 2 .
Protests continue in Bangkok, state of emergency remains in effect .
Travelers advised to avoid rally sites, leave for airport four hours before scheduled international flights . |
82,089 | e8a68994e65fee7ef5411b6403c897c306286338 | Beijing (CNN) -- Walking down the streets of Beijing, it's hard to avoid seeing red slogans lining the sidewalks. Switching on a TV at home, almost every channel hosts a gala show performed on a red-colored stage. Such things are all part of a country-wide "red" campaign that China has promoted for several months in preparation for its big red-letter day, July 1. On that day, the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrates its 90th birthday. The campaign ranges from impromptu singing sessions of "red songs" in city squares to touching personal stories of "red stars" in Chinese newspapers; from showing red movies in theaters to red tours of former party leaders' hometowns. A focus of the campaign has been on historical sites of the Revolution. According to CCTV, more than 8 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) has been spent sprucing up famous places like Mao Zedong's hometown since 2004, and thousands of young professionals are encouraged to visit these sites. In his hometown, Mao a source of pride . In Beijing, preparation for the big day is intense. A giant emblem of the Communist Party, the hammer and sickle, was erected at the heart of Tiananmen Square. Huge flower displays of the number 90 are at all major intersections. Banners with slogans congratulating the Party's achievement hang at pedestrian overpasses. 'Red Songs' campaign . The current fervor originated in Chongqing when Bo Xilai became the Party chief of China's biggest city. The municipality launched its "red song" campaign in June 2008 as the start of the Red Culture Movement. Bo promoted 45 red songs "by any means necessary," hoping they would replace pop songs in the hearts of the people. "Red songs" refers to the pro-revolutionary songs that were popular during the country's revolution, reconstruction and reform period, according to Xinhua news agency which quoted music professor Fan Zhuyin. Soon, the red song movement took one step further in Chongqing. The Chongqing satellite TV station suspended all crime shows and soap operas during prime hours TO show classic revolutionary dramas and musicals instead. It didn't take long for Chongqing, in the south-west, to earn the nickname "Tomato," or "Xi Hong Shi" in Chinese -- the same pronunciation as "west red city". Nostalgia . The Chinese central government praised the red song movement as a wonderful example, encouraging other cities to follow suit. And they did. More and more organized singing and Red competitions are happening in all different corners of China. "I could sing these songs in the past and they can be dated back to my childhood," 62-year-old Lu Zhichun told CNN in Beijing. "My feelings toward these songs have not changed at all." Lu and a group of senior citizens gather in Beijing's Jingshan Park once a week to sing red songs. They said that all the red songs give them a sense of nostalgia. "The government would like to see the nostalgia of the revolutionary era through songs many can identify as a means of increasing social cohesion," explains Wenran Jiang, associate professor at University of Alberta in Canada. Communists, 90 years later, still fighting corruption . "It hopes that people can unite under common themes of building a better society, a strong country with the CPC still as its leadership in the many decades ahead," Jiang says. Painful flashbacks . But to some Chinese, the red culture movement is not just another political campaign of the government. The feverish propaganda style and the enthusiasm it requires many painful flashbacks to Mao's Cultural Revolution and the ensuing political violence where tens of thousands died. Blogger Kun Yun Shan Fang wrote recently, "Today's red song movement, to many people, brings back pain and trauma, and memories of being senseless and crazy which remind me of our wasted youth." The red campaign has given rise to a heated debate on Mao's legacy. The 82-year-old economist Mao Yushi (no relation to Mao Zedong) declared in an article last month that Mao was one of the last century's greatest murderers and should no longer be regarded as a god by the Chinese people. In response, conservative website garnered more than 50,000 signatures for a petition to have Mao Yushi prosecuted, and they have sent the petition to the National People's Congress, China's parliament. At the recent press conference, when asked whether red song chorales springing up nationwide indicate an ideological return to the past, Wang Xiaohui, a senior official at the CPC Central Committee, said the red song fever does not signal an ideological shift. Read more of CNN's China coverage . He Bing, a law professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law posted a critical comment that has been circulated all over the Chinese web: "This is a very absurd time: they encourage you to sing revolutionary songs, but don't encourage you to have a revolution; they encourage you to see the movie 'The Founding of the Party,' but don't encourage you to found a party." "It is an obvious effort by the CPC to mobilize popular support in Chinese society at the 90th anniversary. It is further intended to boost the CPC's legitimacy before next year's party congress when younger and less known leaders take over," said Wenfang Tang, professor at the University of Iowa. "What will be interesting to observe is how the younger generations (post-1980) react to such a propaganda campaign," Tang says. "Their attitude toward the CCP is the key to China's political future," Tang explains. Michelle Philips contributed to this report. | Months-long campaign has promoted "red" culture throughout county .
Campaign comes ahead of celebrations of the Communist Party's 90th birthday on July 1 .
Campaign has included sessions of "red" songs in city squares, showing of "red" movies .
Government is said to be hoping the nostalgia of the revolutionary era will increase social cohesion . |
33,992 | 609a20e410efcd9bab829f3f81937371314d2f96 | Michelle Obama has revealed that there is one look that she feels she can't pull off: shorts. The First Lady is regularly hailed for her fashion sense but said that she felt she stepped across the bounds by showing off her legs. During a visit to BET talk show '106 and Park', she cited one of her more casual trips on Air Force One as her biggest fashion faux pas. No go: The First Lady, seen here in 2009 with her daughter Malia, said that there was some backlash after she wore shorts on Air Force One so she doesn't really wear shorts anymore . Fashion forward: Michelle Obama made an appearance on BET's talk show '106 and Park' on Tuesday . 'Sometimes as First Lady, sometimes I forget I’m the First Lady and I’m running around in shorts,' she said, referring to an August 2009 trip to the Grand Canyon. 'I know the first time we went on a family vacation, I had shorts on getting off of Air Force One and that created a huge stink because people were like, she’s wearing shorts getting off of Air Force One. And I thought, "what, we’re on vacation!"' Since that backlash, she has shied away from wearing shorts, opting for longer capris or skirts and dresses in hotter climates. She also cools off by opting for sleeveless shirts that show her toned arms- including in her official White House portrait. Raising eyebrows: She said that the problem arose because sometimes she forgets that she is the First Lady and should dress as such at all times . Other than the slight slip up in 2009, Mrs Obama wasn't able to think of any other fashion missteps. 'I kind of always am happy with what I’m wearing,' she said. Mrs Obama said that in addition to every fashion choice being scrutinized another downside of living in the White House is the lack of anonymity. 'Being able to walk out your front door on your own without agents, people following you around,' she said. 'I just long to walk out that front door, go to CVS and buy some toothpaste, and nobody would notice me.' She said that it was easier for her to go on dog walks or unannounced trips to Target in the beginning of her husband's presidency, and she used a baseball cap to help her go incognito, but she recalled how one time she thought her disguise was not enough. 'The first time I did that I was in an aisle, one woman walked up to me and she tapped me on the shoulder, and I thought, "Okay, she's seen me." And she said, "Can you reach up there and hand me that detergent?"' Mrs Obama said. Partners in stride: Mrs Obama, seen with her husband on Wednesday as they head to the Medal of Freedom ceremony, said that the President sings on a regular basis . She went on to praise her husband's musical skills, which he has demonstrated at a number of events where he slipped in a few lines of a song. 'It was really sweet. But he sings all the time. Oh, yes, he’s in the bathroom all the time just singing,' she said. 'He is always willing to sing. He’s like, "You want me to sing now, want me to sing something for you?" But he has got a good voice.' He may hog the family's musical talent but she said it is very well understood that she is the dancing queen in the Obama household. Tall order: Mrs Obama said that her daughters felt that her appearance on BET's 106 and Park gave her 'street cred', as she is seen waving with hosts Bow Wow and Keshia Chante . 'Without a doubt. He can sing. I can dance. I think that divides the talent evenly across the family tree. We’re all satisfied,' she said. But her husband does have swag. 'I always say my husband has got swag,' she said to applause. 'He’s got a little swag.' Mrs Obama stopped by the television show during a trip to New York on Tuesday and she clearly chose her outfit accordingly by sporting a leather jacket and printed top. Earlier on Tuesday she attended a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown. | Said she later realized wearing did not fit for the 'First Lady'
Mrs Obama said that her husband loves to sing and she finds it 'sweet' |
81,342 | e672c61a89851444af1204673228e5a6cdacc61c | Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the man the U.S. accuses of being the ringleader in the deadly 2012 attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, pleaded not guilty Saturday during a brief appearance in federal court in Washington. Abu Khatallah, with long graying hair and a beard, spoke quietly in Arabic with a translator as he was charged with one count of providing material support to terrorists. A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment Thursday in connection with attacks that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. Standing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola, Abu Khatallah appeared subdued and briefly looked around the nearly full courtroom. Wearing a dark gray hooded track suit and sandals, the defendant addressed the court only once to say his name in a barely audible voice. Abu Khatallah was appointed a public defender, Michele Peterson, who entered a not guilty plea. He was ordered to remain in custody until hearings set for July 2 and July 8. "Now that Ahmed Abu Khatallah has arrived in the United States, he will face the full weight of our justice system," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. "We will prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant's alleged role in the attack that killed four brave Americans in Benghazi." Abu Khatallah was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of "conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, knowing and intending that these would be used in preparation for and in carrying out a killing in the course of an attack on a federal facility, and the offense resulted in death," according to Holder's statement. The single count is part of a legal strategy by federal prosecutors, who plan to file additional charges later, according to U.S. officials. The aim is to delay releasing to the public and Abu Khatallah's lawyer the FBI affidavit detailing the evidence the government has against him. The investigation is ongoing and the Justice Department can bring additional charges, the statement said. An earlier criminal complaint in July 2013 said the FBI believed it had evidence to charge him with murder and firing a weapon at the scene of the Benghazi attacks. Those additional charges, if formally added, could bring the death penalty. In his court appearance, Abu Khatallah, a Libyan national who the government said is about 43, requested consular assistance from the Libyan government. U.S. authorities were working with Libyan embassy officials in Washington to provide him the assistance. He had been interrogated aboard the USS New York after being captured earlier this month. Though he was interrogated both before and after he had been advised of his Miranda rights, he provided information to interrogators after being advised of those rights, a U.S. official told CNN. On Saturday, he was flown by helicopter from the ship, an amphibious transport dock, to the nation's capital and driven to the federal courthouse. After the hearing, Abu Khatallah was taken away under armed guard from the federal courthouse in downtown Washington, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol and near the White House. He was then moved to the detention center in Alexandria, Virginia, which is across the Potomac River from the capital. Authorities say Abu Khatallah is among the senior leaders of Ansar al Sharia, whose members were among several militias that participated in the attacks on U.S. government facilities in Benghazi on September 11-12, 2012. The attacks spawned a political controversy in the United States because some Republican lawmakers claim the Obama administration tried to mislead the public about them and should have done more to prevent them. The GOP critics say they plan to make Benghazi an issue for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, under whose watch the attacks occurred, should she decide to run for president. The criminal investigation led by the FBI has been extraordinarily challenging, authorities say, in part because lack of Libyan government control in the city prevented investigators from visiting the crime scene for weeks. U.S. officials, however, say they collected surveillance video, phone eavesdropping and witness statements to bring charges against Abu Khatallah and others involved. They are charged in a criminal complaint in federal court in Washington. Abu Khatallah became the face of the militant attack, and a top target for the U.S., after he cultivated a celebrity profile in the wake of the attacks, meeting with journalists and granting interviews. He denied to CNN's Arwa Damon that he participated in the attacks. U.S. military commandos captured Abu Khatallah in a nighttime raid June 15-16. U.S. intelligence assets concocted a ruse to lure him to a villa where the Americans surprised him. The commandos, accompanied by several FBI agents, came ashore by boat and quickly took him away. He remained on the USS New York, undergoing questioning by a team from the FBI-led High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, until he was taken to court on Saturday. Timeline of the Benghazi attack . What's next for Benghazi terror suspect? Benghazi 'mastermind' captured without a single shot . | Ahmed Abu Khatallah was moved to a detention center in northern Virginia .
Abu Khatallah and others are charged in a criminal complaint in federal court .
An FBI-led team has been interrogating Abu Khatallah aboard the USS New York .
He is suspected of being the ringleader of the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya . |
205,014 | 95660613e44b50ce70f92cf2d1558a8198ea086e | (CNN) -- Former South African President Nelson Mandela is now in critical condition, officials said. Mandela's condition worsened in the past 24 hours, the South African president's office said, citing Mandela's medical team. He has been hospitalized in Pretoria since June 8 for a recurring lung infection. Previously, authorities had described his condition as serious but stable. "The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands," President Jacob Zuma said in a written statement, referring to Mandela's tribal name. Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail over the years and has not appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010. 'I believe he is at peace,' Nelson Mandela's daughter says . The anti-apartheid hero has been in and out of the hospital in recent years. His history of lung problems dates to when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during the apartheid era, and he has battled respiratory infections. Considered the founding father of South Africa's democracy, Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation. South Africa's governing African National Congress noted "with concern" Sunday the change in Mandela's health. "The African National Congress joins the presidency in calling upon all of us to keep President Mandela, his family and his medical team in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time," it said. In 1993, Mandela and then-South African President F.W. de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. The iconic leader was elected the nation's first black president a year later, serving only one term, as he had promised. Even as he has faded from the spotlight, he remains popular and is considered a hero of democracy in the nation. Last year, South Africa launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela on the front. Mandela's impact extends far beyond South African borders. After he left office, he mediated conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. Word of his worsening health drew global expressions of concern. "We have seen the latest reports from the South African government that former President Mandela is in critical condition," Caitlin Hayden, a U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and the people of South Africa." Opinion: A white South African's memories of Mandela . Mandela's unusual tributes: Bird, nuclear particle named after him . South Africa: Following Nelson Mandela . CNN's Faith Karimi, Kim Norgaard and Dan Lothian contributed to this report. | U.S. official: "Our thoughts and prayers" are with Mandela and his family .
Officials say Mandela's condition has worsened in the past day .
He is in critical condition in a Pretoria hospital, South Africa's presidency says .
Mandela, 94, has been hospitalized since June 8 for a recurring lung infection . |
188,910 | 80ac23cc9086dd3db274a0c981f13d198b9a0ece | By . Larisa Brown . A woman walking her three dogs on a public footpath had two of them ‘dognapped’ by the owners of a riding school after she refused to put them all on leads. Emma Heslop was walking her pets in the countryside when she was approached by Mark Firby who was concerned about his horses in the field crossed by the path. Miss Heslop’s Hungarian wirehaired vizsla Drummer was on a lead while another vizsla, Oscar, and her English springer spaniel Isla were walking to heel. Scroll down for video . Emma Heslop, 35, was walking her dogs (from left; Isla, Oscar and Drummer) near Richmond, North Yorkshire when she claims she was approached by Mark Firby who was concerned about his horses in the field . The 35-year-old nurse said Mr Firby – who owned the land surrounding the public right of way – demanded that she put Oscar and Isla on leads and threatened to shoot them when she refused. His wife Michelle then arrived in a Land Rover and, according to Miss Heslop, got into a struggle with her over Drummer. Mr Firby, meanwhile, bundled Isla into the couple’s 4x4. Miss Heslop, worried about the springer spaniel, said she let go of Drummer to walk over to the vehicle to check on Isla – at which point Mrs Firby walked off out of sight with the vizsla. The couple had also tried to catch Oscar but were unable to reach him. By now Mr Firby had gone to call the police and Miss Heslop was able to free Isla from the Land Rover. The Firbys returned Drummer to her after the police arrived and Miss Heslop put all three dogs on leads. Yesterday she said she had been ‘petrified’ by the altercation near Richmond, North Yorkshire. The Firbys own the nearby Hollies Riding School. Miss Heslop, from Darlington, said: ‘It was as though they were taking previous anger with dog walkers out on me for no reason whatsoever.’ Miss Heslop claims that Mr Firby threatened to shoot her three dogs when she refused to put them on a lead while walking along the footpath (pictured). Police confirmed that an officer attended the incident . Mark and Michelle Firby own Hollies Riding School in Richmond, North Yorkshire, which advertises riding lessons on its website (above). They were said to be concerned for the welfare of their horses in a nearby field . She said the dogs had not been worrying any horses and the ‘dognapping’ had been aggressive and unnecessary. ‘There had been horses in the field further up but my dogs were under complete control and we had already passed the horses,’ Miss Heslop said. ‘I prefer to have the dogs off their lead so they can easily escape if the horses attempt to trample on them and injure me in the process. The Countryside Code says dog owners must keep their pet under effective control. Dogs should be on a lead or in sight and the owner must be confident it will return promptly on command. The code also advises that it is good practice to keep pets on a lead near livestock and horses. Legally, dogs are regarded as a ‘usual accompaniment’ to anyone using a public right of way. But dogs and their owners are meant to stay on the line of the route. It is an offence for a dog to be at large in a field in which there are sheep. As with any property, stealing a dog is illegal. But a livestock owner or the landowner can shoot a dog if they believe it is the only reasonable way of stopping it worrying livestock. ‘It was just a bizarre experience and the law states as long as the dogs are under control I had done nothing wrong. ‘When the police turned up they defused the situation. I just feel quite confused about the whole incident and why it got to that point. ‘I was getting verbally abused throughout and it was a very unpleasant situation. ‘After the threat from Mr Firby I was worried that my dogs were going to get shot.’ She added: ‘I am quite annoyed by it all. In my 15 years experience of walking dogs I have never come across people like this. To think that someone would physically try to take the leads out of my hand is crazy. ‘I’m just relieved I got my dogs back safe and sound in the end.’ When asked about the incident, Mrs Firby said: ‘I don’t want to get into the tittle tattle of it all really. The dogs were well away from the owner and we saw it in our right to act the way we did. ‘We are not fazed by what has been said about this.’ A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police confirmed that an officer had attended the incident on June 28, but neither party made a complaint. | Emma Heslop was walking her three dogs near Richmond, North Yorkshire .
Claims Mark Firby approached her and demanded she put pets on leads .
The 35-year-old nurse said he threatened to shoot dogs when she refused .
Police called to incident but neither party made official complaint to officer . |
238,424 | c098c5699c0d03eb6c93a745a380e39637aff5f5 | Peter Schmeichel says Manchester United’s failure to pick a settled back four will cost them in the long-run this season. Marcos Rojo partnered Chris Smalling in the middle of the United defence for the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday and it was their eighth different pairing in nine games. Schmeichel played in the successful Manchester United sides of the 1990s and with centre back pairings of Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister and then later Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen. Peter Schmeichel was on Match of the Day 2 and was critical of United's defence . The former United No 1 was full of praise for goalkeeper David de Gea but says he needs stability infront of him. Speaking to the BBC as part of his Match of the Day 2 analysis, Schmeichel said: ‘On Sunday, De Gea played exceptionally well and was trying to bring some sort of stability to their defence with the way he controlled his six-yard box and came for crosses. ‘But, whoever is in Van Gaal's defence, he does not seem to have enough commanding players who can stand on their own two feet. Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo played at the back together for the first time this season . ‘He needs a centre-half who can take the team by the scruff of the neck and say "this is what we need to do". That player is not in their squad yet. ‘In my time at United, we always had defenders who were leaders and who took responsibility. For various reasons, that is not the case at the moment.’ Schmeichel was full of praise for David de Gea and his performances this season . Schmeichel played at the back with the likes of Jaap Stam during his career at Old Trafford . United have conceded 13 goals in their nine league games so far, and Schmeichel believes De Gea’s form is the only positive Van Gaal can take from his side’s defending this season. He added: ‘He has made some stunning saves against Sunderland and Everton, as well as against Chelsea to deny Hazard moments before Didier Drogba put them ahead.’ | Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo were United's eighth different centre back pairing this season .
Peter Schmeichel says Louis van Gaal must pick a settled back four .
Schmeichel says David de Gea has been in good form this season . |
90,819 | 00ca6a025c269ef98269842f358bc59e8ad177a8 | Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Fighters pushed Sunday to the outskirts of one of Moammar Gadhafi's last bastions of support, setting the stage for possible clashes ahead of this week's deadline for loyalists of the ousted leader to surrender. Libya's new leaders gave Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, Bani Walid and a handful of towns until Saturday to surrender or face military force. "We're giving them a chance to come forward and negotiate surrender," Col. Ahmed Bani, spokesman for the National Transitional Council's defense ministry, told reporters Sunday. But there were indications that fighters were planning to enter Bani Walid, where a powerful tribe is sympathetic to Gadhafi, before the deadline. One of Gadhafi's sons, Saadi Gadhafi, told CNN's Nic Robertson in a phone conversation that negotiations aimed at a cease-fire had been going well, but that an "aggressive" speech broadcast by his brother, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, a few days ago caused talks to break down. He said he saw no further point in negotiating and believes the NTC is ready to go into Bani Walid. NTC negotiator Abdallah Kinshel said the planned talks fell apart after local leaders refused to come to the designated meeting spot -- a mosque outside of town -- and demanded the NTC fighters come into the town unarmed. The anti-Gadhafi forces refused. "As far as we are concerned, negotiations are over from our side," Kinshel said. "Military commanders must determine what the next steps will be." Asked his location, Saadi Gadhafi said he is "a little bit outside" of Bani Walid but had been moving around. "It seems that his options are running out," Robertson said. Saadi Gadhafi said he had not seen his father or brother for two months. He said he is "neutral" and not on his father's side or that of the rebels, but remains "ready to help negotiate a cease-fire." NTC fighters positioned outside Bani Walid said they remain unwilling to shed blood or fire shots. "Some tribal leaders and many of the residents have surrendered their weapons, but there are still many loyalists who are protecting Moammar Gadhafi and his sons," National Transitional Council media coordinator Adel Zintani said. The deadline was extended by a week to curb further bloodshed and prevent further destruction, military commanders have said. "This extension does not mean we are unaware of what Gadhafi's accomplices are up to," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil said at a news conference, countering earlier criticism that a grace period might give Gadhafi's forces to regroup. But Gadhafi's spokesman, who has not been seen since Tripoli fell, said key tribal leaders in Bani Walid remain loyal to the ousted leader. Musa Ibrahim, in a telephone call from an undisclosed location, told Reuters that the transitional council's messages "are not being heeded here in Bani Walid." Ibrahim also told Reuters that Gadhafi remained in Libya, though he said he did not know where. He did say Gadhafi was well defended. Anti-Gadhafi forces were positioned around the former leader's hometown of Sirte as well as Bani Walid, Jalil said Saturday. Asked to comment Sunday on a report that the NTC knows Gadhafi's whereabouts, Col. Bani refused to do so. Ali Tarhouni, interim deputy prime minister and oil minister of the NTC, said Bani Walid was close to falling. "It's possible, although we are not sure, that the Bani Walid (tribe) has joined the revolution, and now it's under control of the revolutionaries," he said. Anti-Gadhafi fighters from the east pushed toward Bani Walid Saturday with virtually no resistance. They were able to reach El Mardum, which sits on the border of Bani Walid province and is home to Khamis Gadhafi's 32nd Brigade base. The anti-Gadhafi forces entered the base and arrested three men in civilian clothes they claim were loyalists. They also took seven armored personnel carriers. Tarhouni said Libya's new leadership will move their headquarters from Benghazi to Tripoli this week to begin implementing political plans to shape a new future. But for the time being, guns trump government on the streets of the capital. Tripoli has become a city of checkpoints, weapons and no real authority as the threat of Gadhafi's loyalists lingers. Jittery and suspicious anti-Gadhafi fighters blocked a road Saturday where a drive-by shooting occurred earlier. They collected weapons and registered them at police stations. Those who called themselves rebels just a week ago were now working with Tripoli's law enforcement authorities. With Gadhafi's armories emptied, guns -- always in large supply in Libya -- have proliferated on the streets. Those who want to carry weapons now must be issued identification cards, but the selection process is not centralized -- neighborhood councils are making that decision. A group called the Tripoli Revolutionary Council is trying to exert control over the city, creating the potential for further conflict with the established National Transitional Council in a volatile situation. Tarhouni announced Saturday the formation of the Supreme Security Committee, which held its first meeting Friday. Among the priorities for the committee were the protection of public institutions and weapons in Tripoli. The transitional council, meanwhile, is trying to get Libya's oil-dependent economy going again. It expects to restart oil production at the Misla and Sarir oil fields in less than two weeks, Tarhouni said. In related news, Cuba withdrew its ambassador from Libya, saying it does not recognize the NTC. CNN's Arwa Damon, Ben Wedeman, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report. | NEW: Gadhafi's son says he is willing to negotiate a cease-fire .
"As far as we are concerned, negotiations are over," NTC negotiator says .
"No comment" on a report that the NTC knows Gadhafi's whereabouts .
Libya's new leaders have given Gadhafi loyalists until Saturday to surrender . |
57,567 | a32a8934936da7cac26d58d8838b2425844cb3bc | (CNN) -- On April 8, 1988, when he was 16 and long before he became a model, rapper and actor, Mark Wahlberg -- high on drugs and alcohol -- assaulted a man while trying to steal two cases of alcohol and then punched another man in the face as he attempted to avoid the police. He was arrested, sentenced and tried as an adult, and he served 45 days in prison. Today, at 43, Wahlberg is a much different person -- a father of four, a successful movie star, a philanthropist who works with at-risk youth -- but says he's still legally affected by his convictions. In a petition submitted Monday (PDF), he's asking for a pardon. "I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage I may have caused the victims," he writes in the petition. "Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others." Wahlberg says his record "can potentially be the bases to deny me a concessionaire's license in California and elsewhere," something important to him because of his interest in Wahlburgers, a restaurant he hopes to expand. Moreover, he says, "given my prior record, Massachusetts and California law prohibit me from actually obtaining positions in law enforcement," which he says prevents him from becoming "more active in law enforcement activities." Wahlberg has frequently acknowledged his troubled past. In July, he told CBS News that he draws on his experiences in his acting. "I have a lot of real life experience that I can draw on," Wahlberg said. "And I think that shows in the characters that I play because I'm always trying to find somebody -- or find characters to play that I can identify with on a personal level or relate to. And I think it makes for a little bit more of an honest portrayal." He added, "Once I got a second chance, I was never going to do anything to mess it up." In the petition, Wahlberg notes that in 2001 he started the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, which has donated $7 million to various youth causes, and he's very active in the Boys & Girls Club. News reports have noted that Wahlberg left some details out of his pardon. As his sentencing memorandum states, he made a racial slur to the first man he hit and continued with such speech after he was arrested. One victim was left blind in one eye, according to an ABC News report. Wahlberg admits that his reasons for asking for a pardon go beyond just having certain legal rights smoothed out. "The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was the night of April 8, 1988," he writes. "It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works." The pardon would also be a message for troubled youths that "they too can turn their lives around and be formally accepted back into society," he adds. Some observers have been skeptical of the request. "Even if Wahlberg is not the same person anymore, he was that person at one point, and if he's seeking a pardon the full version of how he acted is what should be judged," wrote the Boston Globe's Austin Tedesco. Commenters on Boston's WBZ's "Daily Talker" were harsher. "Why him and not numerous others who have turned their lives around? Has he made amends to the victim?" wrote jockstevens. "Ah, no. It wouldn't be fair to others in the same situation," wrote the flip side. Wahlberg's case will be reviewed by the parole board, which will pass its recommendation to Gov. Deval Patrick, who will make the final decision pending approval by the eight-person Governor's Council. CNN's Kevin Conlon contributed to this report. | Mark Wahlberg served prison time for committing assault when he was 16 .
He's asking for a pardon because he's still affected by the convictions .
"I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person," he says . |
48,045 | 87a331b155919325796a91e47c9ac9365243730c | DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (CNN) -- President Bush gave Tanzania's president, who played basketball as a youth, a pair of Shaquille O'Neal's shoes Sunday, along with millions of dollars to help combat disease and poverty in the east African country. President Jakaya Kikwete, next to President Bush, looks on as Bush greets a boy at a Tanzanian hospital Sunday. The gift of the American basketball icon's size-23 hightops spoke to the lighter side of Bush's visit. President Jakaya Kikwete presented gifts, too -- a stuffed leopard and lion, a Zebra skin and a wood carving for the American president who was enthusiastically welcomed on the second stop of his five-nation African tour. The Tanzanian president later artfully dodged a reporter's question on the potential that the U.S. might elect a black president, Sen. Barack Obama, whose father is Kenyan. Kikwete looked at Bush before demonstrating his political deftness, saying, "Let him be as good a friend of Africa as President Bush has been." But there was plenty of serious business to tend to as well, namely the signing of a compact under which the U.S. is to provide a $698 million grant to Tanzania. Watch how Bush explained what African nations are candidates for U.S. aid » . U.S. funding is intended to help African governments buy mosquito netting and insecticide to prevent the spread of malaria. "It breaks my heart to know that little children are dying needlessly because of a mosquito bite," Bush said. Bush also attended a roundtable on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, program, which Kikwete said is saving lives and helping the African continent avert a health disaster. Bush said he has requested $30 billion over the next five years for the program. Though PEPFAR has helped increase accessibility to anti-viral drugs, the program is controversial because there is little focus on distributing condoms -- a staple of the program under President Clinton -- or on sex education, said Joel Barkan, a senior associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The program is "largely pursued through faith-based initiatives," he said, adding that it's not clear whether the AIDS-prevalence rates are going down. After their visit to Tanzania, the president and first lady Laura Bush will travel to Rwanda to meet with President Paul Kagame. Watch why Bush looks to Africa as part of his legacy » . The U.S. has provided nearly 7,000 Rwandan troops with training, and spent more than $17 million to equip the troops and send them to Sudan, according to National Security adviser Stephen Hadley. Ethnic and tribal violence has raged for years in Sudan's western Darfur region, leaving about 200,000 dead and more than 2 million displaced. Arab militias, said to be backed by the Sudanese government, have wantonly attacked Africans, and numerous rebel groups have attacked government targets. "In Darfur, the U.S. will continue to call the killing what it is -- genocide," Bush said last week. The Bushes will go to Ghana then Liberia after visiting Rwanda. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is on the Africa trip, will head to Kenya on Monday to support efforts to reach political conciliation there. The country erupted in ethnic violence after a December presidential vote, in which President Mwai Kibaki kept his post. Opposition leader Raila Odinga blasted the results, saying the election was rigged. He and his supporters declined to recognize the election results. Violence has declined some since former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan began mediating between the two groups. Bush's first stop on the six-day tour was Benin, where he arrived Saturday. There, President Thomas Yayi Boni inducted Bush into the National Order of Benin and gave the American president a sash, cross medallion and lapel pin. He also thanked Bush for U.S. aid aimed at fighting poverty, malaria and HIV/AIDS, and he asked for help for Benin's struggling cotton exports. Boni said it was tough for Benin to compete with Asian cotton producers because of their superior infrastructure and with U.S. cotton growers because of government subsidies. Bush responded that the U.S. is willing to make concessions, but suggested that Benin might be better served to develop a cotton-products industry rather than trying to export raw cotton. Boni said Benin needs international help bolstering its electricity, water, communication and transportation systems before expanding its manufacturing sector. Bush said he chose Benin to start his African tour because its leaders were determined to fight corruption and were careful to make sure U.S. aid dollars were properly spent. "The United States wants to partner with leaders and their people, but we're not going to do so with people who steal money, pure and simple," Bush said. The United States has given Benin $307 million in a five-year grant to fight poverty, part of Bush's Millennium Challenge Account, which provides aid to countries that practice democratic principles and sound economic policy. Bush's trip to Africa is "basically an effort to celebrate successes," said Joel Barkan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Most Americans picture Africa as the "continent of gloom and doom," but the president is saying the bigger picture is one of "making progress." Barkan added, "The question might be asked why he's not going to a number of countries," in particular the regional powers of Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria. "If the election in Kenya had gone well," the analyst said, "I'm sure Kenya would have been included. That's not possible now." The trip marks Bush's second to the continent and his wife's fifth. E-mail to a friend . | President Bush signs aid compact with Tanzania during Africa tour .
President, first lady visiting five nations during six-day visit to the region .
Benin thanked President Bush for anti-AIDS efforts, other U.S. help Saturday Condoleezza Rice will visit Kenya to back efforts to end political crisis there . |
156,511 | 5657371ae6ec31ea7ce9a8538abe4acbc124d33e | (CNN) -- Waking up to realize you suddenly have no leg or legs is as horrible an experience as one can have, and one that will, sadly, be faced by a number of people injured in the bombing of the Boston Marathon. It happened to me when I was 16 after a bone cancer diagnosis and amputation (the cancer later spread to my lung and caused a lung to be removed as well). As I looked down in the recovery room to where my right leg used to be, all I saw was a short stump. This is frightening for sure, and only one of the things you're dealing with after an amputation. Luckily perhaps, your entire being is consumed just with healing; the bigger issues come later. First thing to deal with is massive physical pain from the surgery, and it will be worse because of the shrapnel packed bombs. The explosive force traumatizes the tissues and the fragments injected into the body cause collateral damage. Modern medicine does well with pain management, so this phase will, luckily, pass quickly. For the new amputee, challenges come fast and furious, but so does the natural "fight" that is in all humans. My very first challenge was trying to stand on one leg. The body and the mind do not adjust immediately to major changes like the loss of a 25 pound leg, so balance while standing up is elusive. But it will come and that is a first little victory. It's the first of many little accomplishments that begin to build up one's zeroed-out self-confidence. Our bodies heal and adapt well--the mind is a bigger challenge. Someone newly disabled naturally has thoughts of "why me?" as well as feelings of loss, despair and even depression. As John Green wrote in a wonderful book called "The Fault in Our Stars," about a boy who lost his leg to cancer, "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world." Bad things happen and all we can do is adapt and move forward. Terrorists make us lose sight of the real dangers . We are pretty attached to all our body parts, so of course there is a sense of loss. People don't study ahead for how they will deal with every possible eventuality that affects the trajectory of their lives. This new horrible reality of being disabled is a shock. There is fear of the unknown. What will I be able to do? How do I get back to normal? Will people stare at me because I look different? And it is easy to imagine how this leads to the tar-pit of self-pity. But that is not what happens to most people and it won't happen with the Boston Marathon bombing survivors. Compared with the primitive prosthetics of my youth, modern prosthetics are technological marvels. It is surprising to most people, but prosthetics' most important role is not ambulation: They are a social device to "level the playing field" and allow others to see you as not different. Today's computerized knees keep people from falling (with mine, I have gone seven years without a fall; before that, for 33 years it happened once a week). They cut energy use for walking in half, and allow normal stair walking. But there is a down side. A computerized above-knee prosthesis is between $50,000 and $60,000, of which the best insurance companies typically pay about 80%. That can be $12,000 out of pocket. This is where we can help the new Boston Marathon amputees. Opinion: Getting on with life after terror hits . By far the biggest long-term issue for anyone knocked down in life is the loss of self-esteem. Humans require strong self-esteem for a healthy, happy life. As Gloria Steinem said, "Self-esteem isn't everything, it's just that there is nothing without it." She's right. Building back the lost self-esteem is the hardest and most important challenge for the newly disabled. How does one do it? I found that sports were key. I liked sports and, of course, physical activity was good for me. Pick something you like. Focus. Work hard at it. Work harder than anyone else. You can't help but get good at it. That feels good. That makes you want to work even harder. You keep getting better and better at it and then others stop saying you are pretty good, considering you only have one leg, and start respecting you. You've won and your self-esteem rises and takes your happiness up with it. I started with skiing, which at first was more "turn, fall, get up, turn, fall, get up" than swooshing down the slopes. Now I am a double-black diamond (amputee) skier. I tried biking and every year join a 200-mile bike-a-thon. I added swimming and in May will do my 20th "Alcatraz Sharkfest" swim across San Francisco Bay. Crystal legs and snake arms: Artificial limbs as art . The natural challenge-response we all have in us is what will be the biggest help to the new amputees. It goes like this: "You can't run with one leg." Says the amputee, "Who says I can't?!" and he or she will be off and running. We know that those with so-called disabilities don't fall into the pity tar-pit and in fact, do better than they or anyone around them ever thought possible. Some even excel far beyond what they had ever accomplished before they became "differently abled." Richard Bruno studied polio survivors in the '80s and wrote in "The Polio Paradox," "Polio survivors who were told they would never go to college or get a job became the country's best and brightest." Like who, you might ask? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Johnny Weissmuller, Judy Collins, Jack Nicklaus, Dinah Shore, Alan Alda, Joni Mitchell and many more. These polio survivors had significant physical problems but refused the label disabled, and never accepted the word "can't." To them, to me, and I predict to these bombing survivors, disability is simply "different ability"; and just you watch, maybe even "superability." Who says they can't? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jothy Rosenberg. | Jothy Rosenberg lost his leg at 16, an experience that some in Boston blast have had .
He says it's horrible. And it's challenging physically to adjust, psychically even more difficult .
But you can, he says. Sports mastery helps restore self-esteem .
Rosenberg: Those hurt can excel far beyond what they imagine. Don't accept "can't" |
222,539 | ac18ced8d4fee012ff4bf5513508a8debba3eabb | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is keeping a close eye on Pakistan after this week's Taliban surge into the Buner district brought them just 60 miles from the capital, Islamabad. A Taliban fighter in the district of Buner, which is only 96 kilometers from Islamabad. A Pakistani government official said Friday that the insurgents had completely withdrawn from the district by the end of the week, but a human rights group said people in Buner were reporting that local Taliban remained in the district. And senior U.S. officials cautioned that any withdrawal by the Taliban was likely meaningless and that the fundamentalist group now holds large areas of the country with the government seemingly unable to stop them. "We're certainly moving closer to the tipping point," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC's "Today" show Friday. In the interview from Afghanistan, Mullen said he was "extremely concerned" about indications the Taliban is moving closer to Pakistan's capital of Islamabad. Syed Mohammed Javed, commissioner of the Malakand Division that includes Buner, said the Taliban withdrew on Friday without any conditions. Earlier in the day, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told CNN that the militants would pull back from the district. Pakistani Express TV showed live footage of armed and masked Taliban militants in Buner, loading pickup trucks and driving away. Sufi Muhammed, an Islamist fundamentalist leader who has been negotiating on behalf of the Taliban, was on scene overseeing the withdrawal, police said. U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus credited about 300 Pakistan's Frontier Corps with driving Taliban militants out of Buner. The U.S. Central Command chief spoke to CNN on Friday after testifying before a Congressional panel about the need for the United States to boost its support for Pakistani counterinsurgency troops such as the Frontier Corps. But Amnesty International's regional chief said people in Buner are reporting a different situation. "What we're hearing from people in Buner ... is that the Taliban that have moved out are the non-local ones," Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia Pacific director, told CNN. "So the local branch of the Taliban are still in place in Buner." Amnesty International is concerned that those local Taliban will continue to enforce the Taliban's "abusive and repressive" control of Buner. Girls over the age of 7 are forced to wear a burka, a head-to-toe covering that the Taliban say is required of Muslims under its radical interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia. "I think we're going to see those harsh edicts stay," Zarifi said. The Taliban installed strict Islamic law when it took over Afghanistan after a two-year fight with warlords, many of whom surrendered without a fight. They fought with a coalition of some of those warlords known as the Northern Alliance from 1996 until U.S. forces, seeking the leadership of al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, added bombing raids to Northern Alliance ground operations and successfully drove the Taliban out of most of Afghanistan. iReport: Should the U.S. intercede in Pakistan? But the Taliban regrouped in 2004, launching a guerrilla war against the Afghan government while operating from the tribal areas of that country and Pakistan. Meanwhile, senior U.S. officials said that the "retreat" was likely meaningless. Control was the impetus behind the Taliban move into Buner, and the fundamentalist group now controls large areas of Pakistan, they said. The officials said, however, that they did not believe the Taliban's goal was to take over the government of Pakistan but rather to create instability by taking advantage of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's apparent inability to cope with the situation. Zardari, they said, does not understand the gravity of the situation, remains distracted by domestic politics and appears unable to make critical decisions to deploy the army to stabilize the country. State Department envoy Richard Holbrooke has been on the phone "nonstop" with officials in Islamabad and Washington, the officials said, providing frequent information to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. Holbrooke's read on the situation, officials familiar with the conversation said, is that the Pakistani government does not know how to handle the situation and is looking to the United States for direction. A senior military official, however, presented a more dire case. Pakistan is "rapidly deteriorating," he said. He said that he could not rule out the possibility of a military takeover in Islamabad, although he added that such a prospect was not in the immediate future. As for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, he said the weapons "are safe for now" but that the United States is monitoring the safety systems in place. Administration officials said that the Pakistani military had assured the United States it would not act without an express order from the civilian leadership. Earlier this week, Clinton warned that nuclear-armed Pakistan was in danger of falling into terrorist hands. Before the Taliban's apparent withdrawal Friday, a local Pakistani official expressed doubt about whether the militants would leave, as they pledged to local elders on Thursday. "Nobody can trust them," Sardar Hussain Babik, the provincial education minister, said by phone from Buner. The Taliban have broken promises before and probably would do so again, he said. Militants who swarmed into Buner subsequently locked up courthouses, seized court documents and battled Pakistani troops who were sent to protect residents. The militants said they took control of the district to ensure that Islamic law was properly imposed. The Pakistani government called the land grab a breach of a recent peace agreement. CNN's Barbara Starr, Elise Labott, Ivan Watson, Tricia Escobedo and Samson Desta contributed to this report. | NEW: Pakistan situation "rapidly deteriorating," says senior U.S. military official .
NEW: U.S. officials: Any Taliban withdrawal from Pakistani territory likely meaningless .
NEW: Fundamentalists hold large areas of the country, military officials say .
Pakistan had reported Taliban withdrawal from captured district 60 miles from capital . |
179,882 | 74e5c60de08b58ac15174d1fd310892394ad6e90 | In keeping with the best traditions of the Olympic village, a competitor has already revealed she is desperate to find an Olympian lover at Sochi's Games. When New Zealand snowboarder Rebecca Torr fired up Tinder on her phone she found that few of her fellow athletes had caught on to the 21st century dating tool. Tinder is a location-based dating app that lets users browse for prospective partners nearby. Users choose yes or no, and if there's a mutual match the app lets them know. Looking for love: When New Zealand snowboarder Rebecca Torr fired up Tinder on her phone she was disappointed to find that few of her fellow athletes had caught on to the 21st century dating tool . Miss Torr wrote on her Twitter feed: 'It seems so far that not many Olympians use tinder.... Just wanna match with the Jamaican bobsled team.' The . Winter Olympics began this weekend in Sochi, on south-west Russia's . Black Sea coast, with thousands of fit, young and energetic men and . women arriving from all corners of the world. The . winter and summer games provide one of the few occasions in the . sporting calendar where athletes of all disciplines mingle - and when . the competition heats up, hormones begin to bubble over. A . record 150,000 condoms were handed out during London's Summer Games two . years ago - 15 each for the duration of the event - and countless tales . of raunchy post competition liaisons spilled out into the public eye. Yes or no? Tinder is a location-based dating app . that lets users browse for prospective partners nearby through profiles on the service. Users choose yes or no, and if there's a . mutual match the app lets them know . Fun-loving: Torr in action on the slopes, left, and joyously waving to the crowds at Sochi . Tinder wasn't launched in time for . London 2012, but its gay equivalent Grindr made headlines after crashing . almost immediately when athletes began arriving at the Olympic Village . en masse. So it's no . surprise that Miss Torr was looking forward to some off-piste action . with her fellow athletes in the days leading up to Sochi 2014. 'Can't wait to tinder in the Olympic village in Sochi,' she tweeted last month. Miss Torr's tweet of January 31 . Love interests: Torr is hoping to bump into Wayne Blackwood (left) and Marvin Dixon (centre) from the Jamaican Bobsleigh team . Hanging out: Torr, right,with fellow NZ team members (from left) Shelley Gotlieb, Stefi Luxton and Christy Prior . But despite her initial disappointment, Miss Torr's chances of meeting a match online have got a boost after her tweet was picked up by the Olympic Village Daily newspaper which runs for the course of the Games and is handed out to athletes. 'My tinder tweet made the Olympic village daily. Hopefully it brings me more matches and closer to the Jamaicans!' she joked. And the story, first reported in Business Insider, has a happy ending, for it seems that Miss Torr eventually found what she was looking for. She tweeted earlier tonight: 'Seriously tinder is on form here in Sochi hahahaha!!' | Rebecca Torr disappointed to fire up Tinder and find few athletes using it .
The smart phone app allows users to find dates based on their location .
Olympic athletes are notorious for promiscuous post-competition activities . |
216,976 | a4ea0e585c7049f1997ad68b14429f60af5a23df | It seems The Duchess of York may be looking for some romantic inspiration in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Sarah attended the Contemporary British Love Poetry book launch at the iconic Fortnum & Mason store in London on Tuesday night, where she mingled with the volume's editor Greta Bellamacina and studied the poems closely. The 55-year-old drew attention to her slim-line figure in a black trench coat drawn tightly in at the waist, which she accessorised with simple earrings. Scroll down for video . Sarah Ferguson kept her look simple and elegant in a black trench coat and ballet pumps . Fergie chatted animatedly with young poet Greta Bellamacina, who edited the volume of love poetry . Clearly a fan of Greta's work, the Duchess was seen asking her to autograph a book of poetry for her . Keeping the look chic and simple, she paired the coat, which sported large gold buttons, with black ballet pumps and wore her hair loose round her shoulders. The former royal, chatted animatedly with Greta Bellamacina, who looked glamorous in a floor length Thirties-style gown with a plunging neckline. The blonde beauty, who recently graduated from King's College London, has already made waves in literary circles. Having studied English Language and communication, Greta, who is blessed with model-like looks, has already published her first book and worked for Dolce & Gabbana, All Saints and Sienna Miller's line Twenty8Twelve as an in-house poet. Clearly a fan of Greta's work, the Duchess was seen asking her to autograph the book of poetry for her. She also chatted with artist and 'it girl' Isabella Cotier at the event, which launched the book Contemporary British Love Poetry. The Duchess posed with the glamorous guests (L to R) Clarissa Sofia, Cosi Bellamacina, Greta Bellamacina and Isabella Cotier at the launch of the book of modern British love poetry at Fortnum & Mason . The Duchess of York also chatted with artist and 'it girl' Isabella Cotier (left) at the event, which launched the book 'British Love Poetry' The volume features the work of modern poets such as Clare Pollard, Annie Freud and John Cooper Clarke and gives a glamorous and romantic new image to British poetry. At one point Sarah seemed to be reading aloud from the volume to Isabella Cotier, who illustrated the book. The Fortnum & Mason website described the collection: 'From dark love to first love, love lost to love regained, the collection is a comprehensive study of the many facets of love, and the feelings we associate with it.' Perhaps the subject has been on her mind recently as the Duchess appeared on US television last month to defend her ex-husband Prince Andrew, with whom she enjoys a famously good relationship. While appearing on the NBC morning Today show, to promote a soup-making kit to help weight-loss, Sarah stood up for Prince Andrew against allegations that he had sexual relations with an underage girl, allegations which Prince Andrew and Buckingham Palace have strongly denied. The Duchess described him as a 'humongously good man' and 'my best friend and my best ex-husband ever'. Sarah Ferguson passionately defended her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, when she appeared on the Today show in America . 'I won't stand by - because I know what it feels like to have salacious lies made up about you - and not support him so publicly,' she told Matt Lauer. 'I won't stand by and have his character defamed,' she said. 'I will not have one word said about him on any level. Any level.' The pair, divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage, and have two daughters together the princesses Beatrice, 26, and Eugenie, 24. | Sarah, 55, looked chic in black trench and ballet flats at literary launch .
Chatted to glamorous editor Greta Bellamacina and artist Isabella Cotier .
Volume of contemporary poetry features John Cooper Clarke . |
237,665 | bf9aefddf4b8778ba9c236893d9926ae4a3f9410 | A cruel eight-year-old is in trouble with police and social services after cooking his neighbour's cat in a microwave. The RSPCA has launched an investigation after being tipped off about the horrific incident in Rochester, Kent. They were told the cat's owner went downstairs to find his neighbour's young son had put the terrified animal in their kitchen appliance and starting cooking it last Saturday. Singed tail: Petrified: The cat was cooked by the eight-year-old but luckily survived . The horrified owners rushed their traumatised pet to the PDSA charity for urgent treatment and it is recovering. Although the microwave ordeal could have permanently damaged the cat's internal organs. 'This was an absolutely horrendous incident and all the more shocking because of the alleged involvement of such a young child,' RSPCA inspector Ray Bailey said. The RSPCA and police are unable to take criminal action against the boy because he is under the age of 10. Lucky: The cat's owner came down the stairs to find the boy had put her pet in a microwave (file pic) But Insp Bailey has alerted the Youth Offending Team at Medway Police Station and social services. RSPCA senior prosecutions case manager Terry Stroud added: 'This is a clearly shocking incident. 'It's one the RSPCA feels needs to be investigated by the appropriate authorities to find out why this happened and to work to prevent this kind of cruelty happening again.' | The child popped the frightened feline in the oven and turned it on as the owner came down the stairs .
RSPCA have called police and social services but the boy is too young to be prosecuted . |
142,835 | 44b91773447027aec604920c442470caa5da4239 | By . Press Association Reporter . Cardiff Blues have announced that Wales international centre Owen Williams continues to make progress after suffering a serious spinal cord injury in June. Blues player Williams, 22, has been at the Welsh Spinal Injuries and Neurological Rehabilitation Unit since early July, where he continues his long-term recovery and rehabilitation. In a statement, the Blues said: 'Owen is now tolerating periods of time sitting up in a wheelchair, allowing him the chance to spend short periods of time outside the hospital. Chase: Cardiff Blues have announced that Wales international centre Owen Williams has made progress . 'He is also starting to use the gym at the hospital for early upper limb rehabilitation. 'It remains very early in his recovery, but support for the £StayStrongForOws campaign worldwide has been a huge inspiration for Owen, his family and friends. 'Over 14,000 £StayStrongForOws wristbands have now been sold and fundraising continues, in association with the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust, to support Owen.' Williams, who has won four Wales caps, was hurt during the first-half of the Blues' defeat against Asia Pacific Dragons in a World Club 10s play-off game in Singapore. Recovering: Williams suffered a serious spinal cord injury in June and is on the road to getting better . | Cardiff Blues announce Wales international centre Owen Williams continues to make progress from his serious spinal cord injury in June .
The 22-year-old has been at the Welsh Spinal Injuries and Neurological Rehabilitation Unit since early July .
Cardiff Blues released a statement about the status of Williams .
'Owen is now tolerating periods of time sitting up in a wheelchair, allowing him the chance to spend short periods of time outside the hospital,' it read . |
39,267 | 6ef1efd1b9425e347c74ea12f0973c9e2f408e6b | By . Alexandra Klausner . PUBLISHED: . 12:39 EST, 11 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:56 EST, 11 January 2014 . A 28-year-old Washington State resident fearfully filed two restraining orders against her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend and now she is dead. 'A piece of paper isn’t going to save my life when he finally gets me, but at least you will know who killed me,' said Hargrove in a 2012 petition to King County Court for a restraining order against her allegedly abusive 28-year-old ex-boyfriend and the father of her third child, Michael Cushman. The Seattle Times reports that friends of Amy Hargrove say that she moved to her mother's home out of fear for her safety. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Amy Hargrove aka 'Amy gang' was discovered dead at her family's home . The 9800 block of NE 130th Place, near Juanita Elementary where Amy was found dead . Michael Cushman has been named 'a person of interest' by police but has not been charges . Michael Cushman, has been named a 'person of interest' in the murder. Hargrove claims that he raped her at . gunpoint and forced her to have sex with another person, raped her . repeatedly when she was pregnant with their now 2-year-old son, stole . her debit card and drained her account, and fractured her eye-socket. She . also claims that he once sped 120 miles per hour on a police speed . chase and eventually flipped the car with the children in the back seat. 'He has cooperated with our detectives,' said a spokesperson for the Kirkland Police Department. 'They believe they're talking to the right person.' Cushman has been interviewed but not arrested as detectives are still investigating the crime. Police are also waiting for the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab to process evidence. The Business Insider reports that Hargrove first sought protection from her boyfriend in 2012 over a child custody battle. Police did not say who the children are currently staying with in the wake of theri mother's death. Hargrove once wrote in a statement for police, 'I just need my children safe. I want them to know how much I love them.' She feared Cushman would try to seek revenge on her. The Seattle Times spoke to Cushman's . former girlfriend. In 2009, he allegedly punched her in the face eight . times, forced her into his house, and stole her cellphone. When hearing about Hargrove's death she sobbed uncontrollably and said 'oh my god, oh my god' then denied talking any further. Cushman was arrested in 2011 for a DUI and Reckless endangerment. Cushman also has an Assault 3 conviction for punching an ex-girlfriend in the face. Amy Hargrove sensed that her husband would seek revenge and unfortunately she may have been right . Michael and Amy pose with their now two-year-old son . Amy on Christmas with one of her four children just weeks before her death . Cushman allegedly raped Hargrove numerous times when she was pregnant with their child . | Amy Hargrove was found dead at her mother's home where friends say she moved 'out of fear for her safety'
Hargrove filed restraining orders against her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend Michael Cushman for torturing her for years .
Cushman allegedly raped her at .
gunpoint and forced her to have sex with another person, raped her .
repeatedly when she was pregnant with their now 2-year-old son, stole .
her debit card and drained her account, and fractured her eye-socket .
Cushman has been named a 'person of interest' but has not yet been charged . |
48,025 | 8793444205fe5a0ac6d0c0a8f760a7e905ac2c33 | (CNN) -- Since she was a college student, Ilene Gordon dreamed of running a Fortune 500 company. She finally achieved that goal last year when her company Ingredion exceeded sales of $6 billion for the first time, making her one of only 21 women to run a company in the coveted Fortune 500 list. "Over a 35 year career, I got there," said Gordon, chief executive, chairman and president of Ingredion. "When we became a Fortune 500 company a year ago when our sales hit over six billion, I have to say that was my dream, it was very satisfying to fulfil that dream." In the four years since Gordon joined Ingredion -- which makes food additives such as starches and corn syrup - its share price has gone from $25 to $60. "We're a very global company with over 11,000 people," she said. "So really my job entails not only running the company from our Chicago base but really getting out into the field and to our 40 different factories. " "It's a 24/7 job. I love it, and I've built on my whole career to be ready for a position like this." Her achievement is even more remarkable given the company has faced a public backlash over one of its staple products, high-fructose corn syrup, which many people blame for rising obesity. When Gordon joined the company -- then called Corn Products -- in 2009, she quickly diversified into other products, acquired National Starch and changed its name to Ingredion to reflect its new focus. "We really diversified and actually only 14% of our sales globally are focused on high fructose for the soft drink industry," said Gordon. "It is a perception problem and high fructose and sugar are really the same dynamics," said Gordon. "Consumers really want healthy food, and so it became clear that to grow the company why not grow with this trend of people looking for health and nutrition type ingredients. "So we've made acquisitions, and we've diversified away from that and really have grown the company with modified starches that really provide a very healthy ingredient." Gordon, born in 1953, studied math at MIT in the 1970s, originally intending to be a high school math teacher. "Instead I met these incredible women that were going to be lawyers, doctors, and PhDs in nutrition and science," she said. "It really influenced me to say 'Wait a minute. I can do more than teach.' which was a traditional field. And that's when I decided to go into business." Gordon earned a Masters degree in business and decided to go into manufacturing because there were so few women, and she felt it was an opportunity to be a "pioneer". This eventually led to her first CEO role, heading up Alcun Packaging, a division of Rio Tinto. "They wanted me to move to Paris and make a decision in 48 hours. My family was in Chicago, and I didn't know quite how we would make it happen. But it was a great opportunity to be a global CEO of a six and half billion dollar company, and I said 'I'll take it, and I'll figure it out." Gordon has never been afraid of standing out. At school, she complained to her principal about being forced to take sewing and cooking classes with the girls, and instead took shop lessons with the boys. Later, at MIT, she was outnumbered by more than 10 to one by men. "I've always pushed ahead and been a pioneer in everything that I've done," she said. | Ilene Gordon is one of only 21 women running Fortune 500 companies .
She grew and diversified the firm after controversy over high-fructose corn syrup .
Gordon entered manufacturing to be a "pioneer" among women . |
100,610 | 0d9c681c789b64a2eb73ed5a16f6c30b6cab0a1e | By . James Nye . PUBLISHED: . 21:53 EST, 27 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:38 EST, 27 July 2012 . A Dallas woman abducted at gunpoint to be be sold into the sex trade made a dramatic escape from her captors and alerted the police 24 hours after being kidnapped. Elia Beltran and her friend Karla Uribe were abducted after leaving Club Rio in West Oak Cliff in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Before eventually freeing Uribe, the alleged kidnapper, 19-year-old Cruz Alcala turned to Uribe and threatened to shoot 20-year-old Beltran saying, 'Convince me not to kill her.' Scroll Down for Video . Elia Beltran, 20, was abducted at gunpoint from a club in Dallas, Texas and held for 24-hours as her captor tried to sell her into the sex trade . Driving around Dallas in Beltran's 1997 Ford Explorer, which Alcala had also stolen, Uribe said that she and Beltran were pleading for their lives. 'We were just trying to convince him,' said Uribe to WFAA.Com . 'You know, 'We have families, please don't do this, you know, if you have a heart just don't do this.' Releasing Uribe soon after kidnapping her and Beltran, Alcala is then alleged to have met up with Alicisa Faye Morris, 23, Jermaine Jackson, 36, and Telvin Pratt, 22. 19-year-old Cruz Alcala (left) abducted Elia Beltran and Karla Uribe from outside a Dallas nightclub and tried to sell Beltran as a prostitute to Alicisa Faye Morris, 23 (right) Jermaine Jackson, 25 (left) and Telvin Pratt, 22, are accused of trying to co-opt Elia Beltran into working as a prostitute for them at gunpoint . Once with them, police have said that he attempted to sell Beltran to them as a prostitute. Beltran managed to escape while at a gas station in the 1700 block of West Main Street in the suburb of Grand Prairie. While one of the suspects checked a tire, Beltran ran to the neighbouring Golden Chalet Motor Inn where she raised the alarm in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The 20-year-old is said by police to be traumatised by her experience but thankful to be back with her family . Elia Beltran was leaving El Rio Disco when she was kidnapped at gunpoint . Her kidnappers abducted Beltran in her own 1997 Ford Explorer and dumped it in woods as the police closed in to arrest them . 'The caller indicated that she was a kidnapping victim from Dallas. She indicated her captors were nearby and escaped,' said Detective Lyle Gensler of the Grand Prairie Police Department. 'They were not only able to locate her, but the three people she escaped from,' said Gensler. Her 1997 Ford Explorer was found abandoned near to where the arrests were made and now police specialist victims units are working with her to piece together a case against her alleged kidnappers. 'She was very emotionally distraught over the incident that happened that day,' said Gensler. 'We were able to calm her down. 'My heart and soul goes out to her and her family. 'She's going to be emotionally scarred over the event. 'It’s not really a happy ending.' View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com. | Elia Beltran, 20 and Karla Uribe kidnapped at gunpoint in Dallas, Texas to be sold into the sex trade . |
193,567 | 869341391f2b8b9761ea3acf6cc261e0635376a4 | Rome (CNN) -- One of the men convicted of killing British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Italy three years ago has lost his appeal, his lawyer said Friday. It means Rudy Guede, originally from the Ivory Coast, will continue serving his 16-year sentence for the crime after the court refused Thursday to overturn his conviction. "Rudy is very disappointed," said his lawyer, Walter Biscotti. "We don't agree with the verdict because, starting today, there is an innocent man in jail." Guede was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder and attempted sexual assault, but he successfully appealed last year to cut the term to 16 years. He is one of three people convicted of killing Kercher in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. Guede was tried in October 2008. Kercher's American roommate, Amanda Knox, and Knox's former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted in a separate trial that concluded a year ago. CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this report. | Guede was convicted of killing Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007 .
The Ivory Coast native is serving a 16-year sentence .
American Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito were also convicted . |
251,835 | d1f3afa616f6f1b4b23cff9e9b963a13631a3976 | It is without doubt the trend that will not go away, whether it's Miley Cyrus grinning for a close-up or Kim Kardashian proudly posing for a 'belfie' with her bottom on display. And now there's a new take on the selfie, with animals getting in on the action as a host of pet selfies sweep the internet, with pet owners encouraged to snap a shot of their furry friends to raise money for charities Angels Animal Rescue and Wood Green, The Animal Shelter. Online retailer Buyagift is asking owners to send in a photograph of their furry . fashionistas that look as though as their pets . have taken the photo of themselves - just like a selfie. Entries have already been pouring in to the competition, which will run until July 3 - with more than 700 entries already submitted, including a dog nailing two trends in a dinosaur onesie, to a tabby cat reaching out as if he is trying to find his best angle. 'It’s fair to say that the individual selfie has taken the web by storm in recent months - and it’s not just celebs who are getting in on the act,' said a Buyagift spokesman. 'But, why shouldn’t our pets get involved, too? We wanted to see just how popular pet selfies could be – and whether they could potentially become as big as the original selfie – and we have to say that it’s looking that way.' For more details visit: www.buyagift.co.uk/nextpetmodel2 . Paws for thought: This grinning dog is keen to get in on the selfie trend as it gets ready for an extreme close up, while his chum has accessorised with a dinosaur onesie, tackling two trends in one simple photograph . Picture perfect: Kim Kardashian may have perfected the art of the selfie, but she would struggle to look as adorable as this sleepy pup . Nap time: This tabby cat paws at the waiting camera phone as she snoozes on the sofa . Ready for my close up: With its paws outstretched, this ginger tomcat could be reaching out with a phone to get the best possible angle for a selfie . Spotted the camera? This dalmatian is happy to pose up for a picture, while a retriever appears to be smiling as it bares its teeth for the photograph . Purrfect pose: A Siamese cat appears to have mastered the art of the selfie, joining the likes of regular selfie takers Kim Kardashian and Kelly Brook . Nose no bounds: Who wouldn't want a cuddle with this fluffy bunny rabbit? And this guinea pig gets up close and personal with the waiting camera . Open wide: It's a slightly psychedelic-style selfie for this tiny kitten, who opens his mouth wide against a sea of bright light . Wide eyed: Entries have already been pouring in to the competition, which will run until July 3 - with more than 700 entries already submitted, including from this wide eyed tabby and one owner's canine chum . Say cheese: A black and white kitten is excited to have his picture taken, and this dog appears to be enjoying a lay down in the summer sun as he smiles for the camera . Trend: Online retailer Buyagift is asking owners to send in a photograph of their furry fashionistas that look as though as their pets have taken the photo of themselves - just like a selfie . Best of friends: Pet owners are being encouraged to share a shot of their furry friends to raise money for charities Angels Animal Rescue and Wood Green, The Animal Shelter . We are Siamese if you please: This pair could have come straight from classic Disney film Lady And The Tramp . Experiement: A spokesman for Buyagift said the company wanted to see just how popular pet selfies could be - and whether they could potentially become as big as the original selfie . Next pet model: This pet rabbit certainly knows how to work its angles as it poses for this moody black and white shot . | Pet owners encouraged to snap a 'selfie' of their furry friends for online contest .
Online retailer Buyagift is running competition in aid of Angels Animal Rescue and Wood Green, The Animal Shelter .
Proud owners have already sent in a range of snaps, from a dog in a onesie to a pair of purr-fect Siamese cats . |
56,983 | a16377c825e665066d81a41bca104775fb9584ef | Savaged: Houston woman Maria Arcos is fighting for her life . A woman is fighting for her life after suffering a heart attack brought on by a horrific dog attack that has left her with severe wounds from head to toe. Maria Arcos was set upon by a pack of at least 15 dogs while she was on her way to start a new job on Monday morning. The 52-year-old, from Houston, was passing through an underpass when she was surrounded by the pack of strays, the ring leader of which is believed to be a pit bull cross. The wild animals savaged her, pulling her to the ground and biting her arms and legs. Arcos was left with severe wounds and is now in hospital in a critical condition. Her family fear the attack left her so badly injured she might not pull through. Her stepson Oscar Reyes said: 'They were eating her - the dogs was eating her to the bone. 'They bit her arms, her legs, her neck. They cover her. 'Supposedly in 48 hours, if she doesn’t get better, she’s not going to make it.' During the frenzied attack, Oscar claims his stepmother's clothes were ripped off and she now has severe wounds covering most of her body. Although she was still conscious when officers arrived, the stress of the mauling caused her to have a heart attack. Her family are keeping a constant vigil by her hospital bed. Oscar added: 'They already have a lot of problems and then this happens. It shocks kind of everybody.' Sustained attack: He may be only a puppy, but he and the rest of the pack savaged a housekeeper on her way to work . Vigil: Stepson Oscar Reyes says they are keeping a constant vigil at his stepmother's hospital bedside. Right, officers have baited a trap with food to catch the strays . Police officers came to the house to break the shocking news and Oscar has been tasked with letting the rest of his family know, some of whom have not been at home. Arcos' horrifying ordeal occurred at about 6am on Monday near Lyons and Eastex Freeway in the Fifth Ward. She had been walking to a nearby bus stop on her way to start a new job as a housekeeper, but only made it halfway there. She was walking through an underpass when a pack of mixed-breed strays, said to number at least 15, set about her and pulled her to the ground. She was only saved when a railroad worker witnessed her being savaged and called for help. Deadly: Maria Arcos was walking through this underpass on her way to the bus stop when she was set upon . Vital clue: Officers were able to trace the dogs to their den underneath a mortuary using these foot prints . City of Houston animal control manager Chris Glaser said: 'Most of the time you won’t have them . acting out in an aggressive manner like this. 'Usually you’ll have one or . two, but an attack like this is very rare. 'It’s a pack mentality. That can happen when there’s an aggressive act by one and it continues. 'With that many dogs on her, she was being dragged up and down the street.' Animal control officers traced the pack responsible to their den underneath a nearby mortuary. They trapped the dogs in and have been trying to lure them into a single trap using food as bait. So far they have captured five of the animals from underneath the mortuary, two of which are puppies and only about four months old. Glaser said one of the dogs, a pit bull mix, appears to be the leader of the pack. He believes at least ten dogs are still hiding out underneath the mortuary. Officers are visiting up to five times a day to check on the trap. Glaser told KHOU 11 News all of the dogs would be tested for rabies and possibly destroyed. | 'They were eating her - the dogs were eating her to the bone'
Stepson describes horrific attack that left stepmother in critical condition .
Maria Arcos, from Houston, was left with horrific wounds covering her body .
The ordeal was so traumatic the 52-year-old suffered a heart attack . |
189,752 | 81b85c49a44771eefb333e3c5a61c67f4caffa5f | By . Ashley Collman . PUBLISHED: . 12:35 EST, 21 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:03 EST, 21 October 2013 . Eight people were injured Sunday when a flight from New York to Dublin was rocked by severe turbulence on the descent into Ireland. An elderly passenger of United Airlines flight 23 was taken to the hospital after the plane landed with a cut to their head, according to Journal.ie. The seven other injured were treated for 'minor injuries' by emergency crews who met the plane once it landed. Shaken: Eight were injured on a flight from New York to Dublin Sunday morning when the plane experienced severe turbulence descending into Ireland. Above, a stock image of a United plane . According to a spokesperson for the airlines, the flight to Dublin 'encountered severe turbulence during the flight's descent into Dublin'. The Boeing 757 was carrying 129 passengers and 8 crew members. The eight passengers were injured when the plane experienced a quick drop in altitude. 'We hit a pretty bad downdraft and so we have some passengers hurt so we need some ambulance to meet the flight,' the pilot told air traffic control in Dublin Sunday morning. When asked how many ambulances were needed ,the pilot said that about 6 people were injured so they might need a couple of ambulances to meet them on the ground. On the ground: When the plane safely landed at Dublin Airport, 7 passengers were treated for 'minor injuries' and one passenger was taken to the hospital for a cut on the head . There also seems to have been a mechanical problem on the flight. When the air traffic controller asks if the passengers are severely hurt, the pilot responds: 'Right now we're not really sure because we are still working on the hydraulic problem'. Despite the turbulence, the airplane landed safely at Dublin Airport. The airline is currently investigating the incident. | United Airlines flight 23 from New York to Dublin experienced 'severe turbulence' descending into Ireland Sunday morning .
Eight people were injured when the plane experienced a quick drop in altitude .
The plane landed safely in Dublin and was met on the ground by emergency crews .
Seven people were treated for minor injuries on the scene and one elderly passenger was taken to the hospital for a cut on the head .
The airline is investigating the incident . |
89,545 | fe41f09089b134bad7f40be0ea4a6fa7a691655b | England have just missed out on a place among the top seeds for next summer's World Cup despite making a considerable leap in the latest FIFA rankings. Roy Hodgson's team qualified for the tournament this week by finishing top of their group and have jumped seven places in the rankings to 10th, but it is not enough for them to make pot one for the finals draw on December 6. Hosts Brazil, who are 11th in the rankings, are automatically seeded, while Spain (first), Germany (second), Argentina (third), Colombia (fourth), Belgium (fifth) and Switzerland (seventh) are also definitely in the top pot. Close: England narrowly missed out on a position among the top seeds . 1 SPAIN2 GERMANY3 ARGENTINA4 COLOMBIA5 BELGIUM6 URUGUAY7 SWITZERLAND8 HOLLAND8 ITALY (level on points with Holland)10 ENGLAND11 BRAZIL12 CHILE13 USA14 PORTUGAL15 GREECE16 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA17 IVORY COAST18 CROATIA19 RUSSIA20 UKRAINE . Uruguay (sixth) will be the other seeded side if they beat Jordan in a two-legged play-off, but if the South Americans lose, the last seeding place will go to Holland, who are joint-eighth in the rankings with Italy. The Italians will be sourly disappointed not to have made pot one, having failed to lose a game in an impressive qualifying campaign. The Swiss, who also completed their World Cup qualifying group unbeaten to reach the finals for the third time in a row, leaped seven places thanks to their wins over Albania and Slovenia this month. Italy had been fourth but paid dearly for drawing 2-2 at home to Armenia on Tuesday. England might have been placed . higher, but Poland and Ukraine were ranked low because they hosted the European Championships in 2012. FIFA previously ruled that Brazil (ranked 11th on Thursday) plus the top seven ranked teams would be seeded for the draw at the Costa da Sauipe tropical beach resort in December. Portugal, Greece, Croatia and Ukraine will be the seeded teams in next Monday's draw for the European zone playoff round, which also features France, Iceland, Sweden and Romania. Rankings leaders Spain, the reigning . world champions, are the only non-movers in the top 10, while Germany . have replaced Argentina in second place and Italy have fallen four . positions. Big guns: England could face top seeds Argentina in their group after the South Americans' campaign . Ones to avoid: Hosts Brazil are also among the top seeds on their own turf . Portugal could draw fellow European giants France in the World Cup draw after the two teams were put into separate pots. Pot one: Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Ukraine . Pot two: France, Iceland, Sweden, Romania . The draw for the two-legged play-offs will take place on Monday . Meanwhile, England manager Roy Hodgson clearly does not mind if his team goes under the radar in Brazil, and will use the shock European Championship triumphs of Greece and Denmark as evidence that the team should not give up on their World Cup dream. 'It's pretty obvious we're not favourites,' said Hodgson. 'The main contenders are Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Germany I guess. 'Is it possible for a European team to win in Brazil? They haven't done yet but anything is possible isn't it? 'No one thought Greece would win the Euros in Portugal (in 2004) or for Denmark to get their players off the beach in 92, but they did. 'Every year it gets that little bit harder to look beyond the favourites but I am pretty sure all the European teams will be hoping to become the first one to reverse the trend. 'We will go with the same attitude.' Impressive: Xherdan Shaqiri (centre) and Switzerland had a strong qualifying campaign . Blow: Mario Balotelli (centre) and Italy dropped out of the top seeds after a costly draw in qualifying . | Switzerland leap seven places after wins over Slovenia and Albania .
Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium and Spain is top seeding pot for World Cup draw .
Eighth place goes to Holland if Uruguay lose play-off against Jordan .
England move from 17th to 10th in FIFA rankings but will be in pot two .
Big guns France and Portugal could draw one another in play-offs . |
57,024 | a1841cf61c53937fffc54c0e81d8f7cfcad2f0c2 | A cement truck driver is lucky to be alive after the coastal highway he was driving on in Mexico cracked and sunk some 300 feet down a mountainside into the sea near the U.S. border. The driver was rescued by heavy machinery before his truck, along with a 300-yard section of the road, which leads to port city Ensenada on the Baja California peninsula, slid into the Pacific Ocean. While it remains unclear what caused the landslide, fractures in the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road were seen after several small earthquakes ranging from 1.3 to 4.3 in magnitude shook the area on December 19, according to some media reports. By Saturday morning huge cracks appeared in the cliff-side, exacerbated by heavy rain, before it slid into the sea. Scroll down for video . Cliff-side cracks: A cement truck driver was rescued from his vehicle after huge section of the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road cracked and slid 300 feet into the Pacific Ocean . The landslide caused gaping holes, one more than 40 feet deep and 200 feet long. The collapse occurred about 58 miles south of the American border, closing the scenic road near the San Miguel toll booth. Some media reports suggest that the road may remain closed for up to a year with vehicles advised to use a smaller, alternate freeway. Fault line: Days before the road collapsed, several small earthquakes were recorded in the area and cracks started to appear in the road . Caved-in construction: The landslide caused gaping holes in the road up to 40 feet deep and 200 feet long . Gilberto Hirata, the mayor of Ensenada, has blamed the national road authority CAPUFE for not closing the road sooner after pictures and reports of fractures were posted on social media according to SanDiego6.com. He also said that discussions were underway to build a replacement highway after years of recurring damage on the route. The day before the landslide, the road authority and the Ministry of Communications and Transport announced that work to strengthen the asphalt had begun on sections of the troublesome highway in sloped areas according to El Mexicano. The road closure could prove devastating for Ensenada which is home to the third busiest cruise ship terminal in Mexico and the major access point to Baja by sea. Delayed reaction? The mayor of Ensenada blamed the road authority for not acting sooner after pictures and reports of cracks in the road were posted on social media days before the collapse . Devastating damage: The toll road, which could be closed for up to a year, provides access to the major port of Ensenada and is the main access point to Baja by sea . | A 300-yard section of the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road sunk into the Pacific Ocean on Saturday .
Several small earthquakes shook the area on December 19 and cracks were seen in the lead up to the collapse .
Road might be closed for up to year according to some media reports . |
198,959 | 8d937a48d95358bb9384a8e94b5d383ebcb3532e | (CNN) -- Rain-swollen rivers have inundated highways and farms, towns and parks in western Washington, shutting down traffic on a 20-mile stretch of heavily traveled Interstate 5 between Seattle and Oregon and threatening the federal roadway north of Seattle. Flooding forces officials to close a road in Arlington, Washington, north of Seattle. "If you're trying to do commerce between Portland [Oregon] and Seattle, there is no way right now," said Bob Calkins, a spokesman for the Washington State Emergency Operations Center in Camp Murray near Tacoma. "That's the major way into Washington state from Oregon." Flooding south of Seattle near Chehalis covered parts of I-5 with 30 inches of water, prompting its closure until at least Monday, state transportation officials said. And state and local roads also were victims of the water. "The problem is the one real good detour is just as flooded," Calkins said. North of Seattle, a levee failure in Arlington brought the Stillaguamish River up to the edges of I-5, which remained open although some access ramps were closed, transportation officials said. The rain also caused Amtrak to suspend service between Seattle and Portland until Saturday, "with no alternative transportation," the rail line said on its Web site. iReport.com: Are you there? Share pics, video . On Friday morning, the National Weather Service extended flood warnings for parts of six rivers that flow through five counties in western Washington near Seattle and Tacoma. Those affected included Puyallup River near Orting, Newaukum River near Chehalis, White River near Buckley, Cowlitz River at Randle, Skookumchuck River near Bucoda and Centralia, and the Chehalis River at Centralia and Porter and near Grand Mound. The weather service canceled flood warnings for two rivers -- the Nisqually near National and the Deschutes near Rainier. This week's flooding has caused hundreds of families to evacuate, according to the Washington Emergency Management Division. It prompted 18 counties and 13 cities to declare emergencies, the division said. Across the state, a number of rivers had crested, but flooded roads remained hazardous. The risk of landslides was high, leading to the closure of all passes across the Cascades, officials said. Watch a report from CNN affiliate KIRO about landslide risks » . A meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle said 15 inches of rain that began Monday had ended. The rainfall swept across virtually all of the state, but its biggest effects occurred along the western half of Puget Sound, Calkins said. The swollen Puyallup River threatened the town by the same name, but Loretta Cutter sprang into action. The administrator of a group home and a longtime resident there helped evacuate 47 residents from the Valley Community Inn, a home for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled, to a shelter at a nearby church. And she made sure her husband and a grandson left their one-story rambler house and got safely situated. "It's a situation you don't realize you are going to be in; it's always someone else," Cutter said from the shelter at the Sunrise Baptist Church in Puyallup, east of Tacoma. "It was pretty traumatizing to all of us." Cutter is one of 40,000 residents in at least 19 communities whom authorities asked to leave their homes Thursday amid heavy flooding along rivers and streams in western Washington. Some 260 of them sought shelter Wednesday night at the 39 shelters for people, Calkins said. In addition, seven livestock and two pet shelters were set up, he said. Meanwhile, the torrential downpours of the past few days transformed Thursday into drizzle, common in western Washington, which typically gets less rainfall in any given year than does Miami, Florida. "It just drizzles every day, or so it seems, whereas in Miami, when it rains, it's a belly washer," Calkins said. This week's flooding was worsened by a warm spell that melted up to 7 feet of snow that had fallen around Puget Sound, he said. Health authorities have issued occasional boil-water orders, but Calkins said he had other concerns. "The larger issue is, as people go to their homes, they may be walking through floodwater that is contaminated by sewage," he said. | NEW: Flood warnings extended for parts of six rivers in western Washington .
A stretch of Interstate 5 between Seattle and Oregon remains closed .
Amtrak suspends service between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, until Saturday .
Up to 15 inches of rain reported in some areas of Washington state . |
257,145 | d8cf9222aeec62f414fb7d15314ca8300d0a4ab5 | An Indian man survived for two months with a bullet lodged just in his heart after walking in on a bank robbery. Bharat Sharma, from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, northern India was shot on July 22 as thieves targeted his local bank. As the 32-year-old tried to deposit a number of cheques for his company, he walked in on the ambush. Two 20-caliber bullets were fired - one hit Mr Sharma's waist, while the other became lodged in his heart. Bharat Sharma, from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, survived for two months with a bullet lodged in his heart after walking in on a bank robbery . An X-ray shows the 20-caliber bullet lodged in the 32-year-old's chest. Another bullet, which hit his waist, was removed within days of the ambush in July but two sets of doctors refused to operate on the bullet lodged in Mr Sharma's heart, for fear surgery would kill the newly married man . But eventually doctors at the Sal Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, agreed to take on Mr Sharma's case and successfully removed the bullet on September 23 . A week after the robbery, surgeons at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Aligarh, removed the bullet in Mr Sharma's waist. But doctors refused to remove the bullet in his heart, fearing the newly married man would lose his life. A second referral to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi saw Mr Sharma refused for surgery a second time. For two months he lived with the bullet lodged in his heart. Eventually doctors at Sal Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, accepted the challenge and agreed to take on Mr Sharma's case. They successfully removed the 20-caliber bullet yesterday. Mr Sharma has been left with an impressive scar . Dr Anil Jain, Cardiac Surgeon, who led the surgery, said: 'It was a very rare case and extraordinary that he was living with a bullet in his heart for two months. 'The bullet was lodged in the heart muscle before the apex of the left ventricle, one of the two chambers of the heart. 'It was just a millimetre away from puncturing the left chamber and could've killed him. 'Whenever the heart pumped, the bullet would've moved proving fatal. 'It's a unique story and he's been a very lucky man.' During the three-hour surgery, the team of five doctors put Mr Sharma on a life support machine so they could take out the bullet and stitching up the vital organs with less risk. His brother Manish Sharma, 38, said: 'I am relieved that my brother has got a new life. 'I am thankful to the doctors for accepting our case and giving him his life back.' Mr Sharma, who is now recovering at the hospital's ICU, wants to preserve the bullet as a reminder of how close he came to death. The bullet will also be used as evidence in the case against the burglars, who are still on the run. | Bharat Sharma was shot on July 22 as he tried to pay in cheques at the bank .
One bullet hit the 32-year-old's waist and another lodged 1mm from his heart .
Doctors immediately removed the one in his waist, but feared operating on the second bullet would risk the newly married man's life .
Eventually doctors at the Sal Hospital in Gujarat agreed to take on his case .
A team of five surgeons successfully removed the bullet on September 23 .
The bullet was a 1mm from puncturing the left chamber of his heart .
Every time his heart beat there was the potential for it to kill him . |
143,138 | 45195146aed2d7edb26055ee4ffc07852dfd6f6a | By . Richard Hartley-parkinson . PUBLISHED: . 11:25 EST, 28 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:50 EST, 10 May 2013 . Gordon Ramsay’s contract to run the restaurant at Claridge’s hotel is not being renewed, it has been revealed. His 12-year stewardship of the Art Deco dining rooms at the five-star Mayfair hotel will end in June after talks aimed at reaching a new agreement broke down. The notoriously fiery chef is understood to have withdrawn from negotiations after becoming annoyed at the length of time it was taking to finalise a new deal. He has run the restaurant since 2001 when he clinched the deal with his former business partner and estranged father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson. Gordon Ramsay's time at Claridge's is coming to an end after a breakdown in talks about long-term contract renewal . The restaurant was rated second in London for 'most disappointing cooking' and fourth for 'most overpriced restaurant' in the Harden's restaurant guide . However, the five-star hotel's dining . rooms lost their Michelin status in January 2010 a year after head chef . Mark Sargeant, one of his most promising cordon bleu stars, quit. After losing the coveted accolade, Ramsay said: 'We are very disappointed to lose the Michelin star, but we are going to work harder than ever to try to earn it back.' The restaurant was later rated second in London for 'most disappointing cooking' and fourth for 'most overpriced restaurant' in the Harden's restaurant guide. The Kitchen Nightmares star - known for his fiery temper - suggested the failure to retain its high ranking might be the result of a desire to offer more simple, cheaper, dishes to appeal to diners in the recession. But there was concern among diners that he might have failed to give the venture enough of his time - as he was appearing on TV shows and opening overseas restaurants at the same time. Soon after Mark Sargeant (pictured with Ramsay) quit as head chef, the restaurant lost its Michelin rating . 2008: Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred La Noisette at London’s Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel closed after less than two years in business. Industry sources said La Noisette, run by former Greenhouse chef Bjorn van der Horst, had struggled and was particularly quiet at lunchtimes. It suffered a string of poor reviews, many of which concentrated on the brown decor and low ceilings. His contract to run the restaurant at London’s Connaught Hotel also ended in September of the same year. 2009: Ramsay admitted his business had teetered on the brink of administration. He sold his flagship restaurant on Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip less than a year after its glittering opening. Business had become so slow that on some days staff outnumbered customers. He also sold his restaurant in Prague – Maze at the Hilton in Prague’s Old Town – back to the hotel. 2010: Maze by Gordon Ramsay, in South Africa, closes after one year. 2011: Ends partnership with Verre in Hilton Dubai Creek; Maze and Maze Grill closes in Melbourne, Australia. 2012: Maze in Qatar closes after two years; Ramsay is ditched by his flagship restaurant in Canada - Laurier Gordon Ramsay in Montreal - after just six months. It is understood Ramsay finally . withdrew from Claridge's after the hotel was apparently unable to decide on a new contract due to a shareholder dispute. A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay . Holdings said: 'We have taken the decision to close Gordon Ramsay at . Claridge's in June 2013 following a fantastic collaboration over the . last 12 years. 'We would . like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given for . over a decade, but felt the time was right to move on to new . opportunities and investments.' Thomas Kochs, general manager at Claridge's, said yesterday: 'We thank Gordon and his team for the incredible dedication they have shown in making the restaurant such a success. 'We feel the time has come, however, for a new dining direction for Claridge's and we bid farewell to Gordon with best wishes.' In 2012 it was reported that Gordon Ramsay would face competition from his estranged father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson. Mr Hutcheson and his son Adam were . said to be launching a chain of healthy fast-food restaurants called . Scoffs, serving British tapas for diet-conscious office workers. Hutcheson . and Adam, who used to be head of pubs at Ramsay’s restaurant group, . expects the chain to grow to 20 to 30 restaurants within 18 months. His adviser David Rawlinson said: . 'Chris and Adam have an incredible wealth of experience in catering and . plan to roll out the concept.' Hutcheson . was dismissed in October 2010 after Kitchen Nightmares star Ramsay . accused him of hacking into private emails and plundering £1.4million . from his restaurant empire to finance his serial womanising. Claridge's general manager Thomas Kochs said Ramsay's team had been dedicated to making the restaurant a success . Ramsay had run the restaurant at Claridge's since 2001 when he clinched the deal with his former business partner and estranged father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson (both pictured) Ramsay also claimed that Hutcheson put his wife and son on the payroll and wrote five-figure cheques to himself. Hutcheson, who denied the claims, branded Ramsay a fame-obsessed 'monster' and sued him for unfair dismissal and unpaid wages. Their . feud was settled after Ramsay, married to Hutcheson’s daughter Tana, . reportedly paid £2million in February last year to buy his father-in-law’s 30 per . cent stake in the business. After his rise to fame, it has been a difficult few years for TV chef Gordon Ramsay. He reportedly paid his father-in-law £2million to end a long-running row over his business in 2012. The pair went their separate way after Ramsay accused Chris Hutcheson of taking money out of parent company Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH). He was even seen in an awkward QVC pitch, as he tried to sell the 'Nonstick Hard Anodized Dishwasher Safe 10-piece Cookware Set'. Ramsay's fiscal . situation hasn't been as healthy as it once was in the last few years, . after he paid off a a tax debt in 2009 relating to his Plane Food . restaurant at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Gordon Ramsay sold his restaurant in Prague - Maze at the Hilton in Prague's Old Town - back to the hotel in 2009 . Also in 2009, he sold his restaurant in Prague – Maze at the Hilton in Prague’s Old Town – back to the hotel. The father-of-four closed two eateries in Australia in 2011, waving goodbye to Maze and Maze Grill in Melbourne’s Crown Metropol Hotel. Further troubles include a £1.1million court battle in New Zealand after pulling out of a number of charity engagements, citing personal reasons . Even wife Tana tried to help pocket some cash after agreeing to star on the fifth series of British Dancing On Ice, but soap star Hayley Tamaddon triumphed as the winner. Ramsay’s rise to fame led from restaurant kitchens to Hollywood. He began with Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which won three coveted Michelin stars in 2001. Then his empire expanded quickly, with Amaryllis in Glasgow, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, and eateries in Dubai, Tokyo and New York. From Royal Doulton to Kmart, from Argos to the QVC shopping channel, you are never far away from Gordon Ramsay-branded products. All this helped Gordon Ramsay Holdings to a turnover of £4.8 million in 2011, although expenses and bad debts lead to heavy losses. In that year he also opened a new restaurant in London. In 2012 he opened four new restaurants in the US. In 2008, the News of the World published . stories claiming Sarah Symonds, now 43, and Gordon Ramsay had had a . clandestine affair for seven years. Mr Ramsay has always denied the . allegations. | Chef had been negotiating new long-term agreement for Art Deco dining rooms at high-end Mayfair hotel .
Clinched deal in 2001 with ex-business partner and estranged father-in-law .
Five-star hotel's dining rooms lost Michelin status in January 2010 after head chef quit . |
179,334 | 742b8209e64a38cb878e4511b19cceeb551de4b2 | By . Mike Dawes . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 28 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:54 EST, 28 May 2013 . Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will be exclusively writing for Sportsmail throughout this summer's Ashes series. Ponting, one of the best batsmen to ever play the game, joins a stellar cast of writers in Paul Newman, Lawrence Booth, former England captain Nasser Hussain and former England batsman and coach David 'Bumble' Lloyd. The 38-year-old retired from Test cricket back in December but is in England this season playing for Surrey. You . can read Ricky's views in Wednesday's Daily Mail as the man . affectionately known as Punter talks exclusively to Paul Newman. VIDEO: Watch some of Ricky Ponting's best moments . Taking the applause: Australia's Ricky Ponting acknowledges spectators as he leaves the WACA and bows out from Test cricket in December last year . Cordon: Aussie fans show their support for Ricky Ponting during the third Test between Australia and South Africa at WACA in Perth . | READ PUNTER'S WELCOME INTERVIEW WITH CRICKET CORRESPONDENT PAUL NEWMAN ONLY IN TOMORROW'S DAILY MAIL . |
111,237 | 1b6fc34c339f9e4311ba4087b9add0443d78c3f9 | Editor's note: The staff at CNN.com has been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn, New York. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers. Brooklyn, New York (VICE.COM) -- Walking through the jungle in the dead of night with a group of Rwandan rebels best known for their expertise at rape and murder wasn't exactly what we had planned for our first trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. All we wanted was to make a little film about the controversy surrounding the so-called conflict minerals that make our cell phones work, drop a couple Conrad references, and drink a Primus. Just one Primus. A week earlier, our team landed at N'Djili International Airport in the capital of Kinshasa, formerly Leopoldville. The place looks like it hasn't had a scrub since Muhammad Ali dropped by for the Rumble in the Jungle in the early 1970s. After having our yellow-fever cards checked for the first time in our well-traveled lives, we ran a gauntlet of sweaty police officers and other officials -- each with his own laundry list of infractions that we had apparently already committed. In an amazing stroke of luck, they were willing to overlook all these violations for a small fine, payable in person, to them. See the rest of VICE Guide to Congo at VICE.COM . We'd come to Congo to try to find out more about the developed world's thirst for coltan, cassiterite, and the other colorfully named minerals that make the electronics industry go round. These are part of a group of natural resources that have been dubbed "conflict minerals" because of the alphabet soup of armed groups (FARDC, CNDP, FDLR, PARECO, etc.) who have found them a very portable and highly profitable way to fund their activities -- which mostly consist of killing people. Since 1996, these guerrilla insurgencies have led to the deaths of more than 5 million people, and in one 12-month period, the rape of approximately 400,000 women. We knew very little about Congo before we came, but the one thing that had been drilled into our heads was "do not fly on Congolese airlines." Conventional wisdom says that between the beat-up Russian planes and their drunken Russian pilots, and the occasional crocodile in the overhead, if you fly a Congolese airline -- you will die. But what else could we do? Walk? This is a country the size of Western Europe, with the infrastructure of rural West Virginia. As it turned out, that flight would be the most comfortable experience of the days that followed. | VICE travels to Democratic Republic of Congo to do film on so-called conflict minerals .
Congo is rich in coltan and other minerals used to make cell phones and other electronics .
Armed groups use the profitable ore to fund their activities, which has led to millions of deaths . |
159,610 | 5a4ef9d286c5c6a872964efa9d4e8a5213d8fea0 | By . Mark Duell . A market town in Nottinghamshire was today named as the best place in England and Wales to bring up a family. Bingham, which has a population of 9,000, has topped a study which examined factors including quality of schools, childcare provision, affordability of living and crime levels. Areas in the Midlands and the North of England are now more prominent thanks to more affordable housing in relation to the South, according to Family Investments which commissioned the survey. Top town for families: Bingham, which lies nine miles east of Nottingham, has a population of 9,000 people . Preferred location: St Mary and All Saints Church in Bingham, a town which is home to a large variety of clubs and social groups including a model railway club, folk club and archery club . The areas making up the remainder of the top ten are Crowthorne, Berkshire; Winscombe, Somerset; Colyton, Devon; Oakham, Rutland; Wokingham, Berkshire; Poynton, Cheshire; Swanland, Yorkshire; Faringdon, Oxfordshire and Dunnington, Yorkshire. These are followed by Longridge, Lancashire; Church Crookham, Hampshire; Yarm, Yorkshire; Woodley, Berkshire; Shebbear, Devon; Leyland, Lancashire; Sedbergh, Cumbria; Kirkham, Lancashire; Kesgrave, Suffolk and Buckingham in Buckinghamshire. The study noted that 77 per cent of GCSE pupils in Bingham achieved A* to C grades compared with the national average of 43 per cent, while the area had a large variety of clubs and social groups and affordable house prices. Kate Moore, head of savings and investments at Family Investments, said: ‘Bingham's combination of affordable housing, low crime and excellent local schools make it a winning location for bringing up a family. First place: Bingham's affordable house prices make it an attractive destination with an average two bed property costing £138,969 versus the national average of £173,632 . Amenities: In addition to a farmers' market, the centre of the Nottinghamshire town has a range of retail outlets, including a post office, pharmacy and six local pubs . ‘It's set in a relatively rural location but is a large enough town to have good amenities and the locals tell us there's a strong community spirit. Bingham, which lies nine miles east of Nottingham, has a . population of 9,000 people. Close to Newark-on-Trent and Grantham, it scored highly . in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 results - with four schools, including . three primaries and a secondary comprehensive. The town is home to a large variety of clubs and social . groups including a model railway club, folk club and archery club. In addition to a farmers’ market, the centre has a range of . retail outlets, including a post office, pharmacy and six local pubs. Equipped with sports amenities and a swimming pool, Bingham . Leisure Centre is popular with residents, as is the local Scout Group which . attracts 140 youngsters. Bingham’s affordable house prices make it an attractive . destination with an average two-bedroom property costing £138,969 versus the . national average of £173,632. A train to London can take as little as two hours with a change, while driving the 127-mile route takes around two-and-a-half hours. ‘Every parent will have a different idea about what makes the ideal location to bring up their family but we have tried to be as comprehensive as possible in measuring a huge range of factors to come up with a list which reflects the attributes parents tell us are most important. ‘One of the most noticeable trends in this year's report was the increased number of locations in the Midlands and northern England compared to last year. ‘This largely reflects the shift in house price trends over the past year resulting in increased affordability of property outside of the South of England. Lancashire for example scored well in this year's report with three of the top 20 postcodes located in the county.’ The factors considered by the study included key stage two and four results, school inspection outcomes, quantity and quality of early years care, affordability of childcare, local crime figures and property affordability. It also considered the availability of an existing population of parents with young children, parks and green spaces, leisure centres, zoos and farms and museums and theatres. No London location made it into the national top 20, mainly due to the high cost of property there - but the study also looked at the best spots in the capital for family friendly living. Coming out on top was Bexley in south-east London, followed by Epsom and Banstead in south-west London. Sutton in south London and Rickmansworth in north-west London also scored well. A spokesman for the company said it had not produced a list of Britain's worst towns for familes. In context: Bingham is located east of Nottingham, south-west of Newark-on-Trent and south-east of Mansfield . | 77% of GCSE pupils in Nottinghamshire town achieved A* to C grades .
Bingham's population is 9,000 and average two-bed property is £138,969 .
Also in top ten are towns in Berkshire, Somerset, Devon and Cheshire .
No London locations in top 20 - but best areas are Bexley and Epsom .
How family friendly is your postcode according to the survey? Click here to find out . |
97,270 | 09290b627ee0b4d9c03d71e47577977cf8653bb1 | A Quran teacher in central Somalia was the fifth beheading victim in one week at the hands of Al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia. "The Quran teacher was snatched from his house in Qandho by Al-Shabaab militants on Friday and they dumped his headless, beheaded body near his home town on Saturday morning," local town spokesman Abdiaziz Durow told CNN. The teacher was identified as Mohamed Hussein, 45, a resident of the Qandho near the besieged town of Bulo Burde, 217 miles north of Mogadishu in central Somalia. "The reason the Quran teacher was murdered is that he was one of the few residents that refused orders from Al-Shabaab to leave his village that was recently seized by Somali and AU troops," Durow said. Al-Shabaab had warned local residents to leave their houses in the towns they have seized, according to Durow. Last week, the militant group abducted and beheaded two Somali policewomen in the city of Teyeglow, located in the southwest region. The beheadings prompted a government soldier whose wife was among the victims to kill five Al-Shabaab wives in retaliation. Al-Shabaab also beheaded two government soldiers near the town of Bur Hakaba in the Bay region in south Somalia. Al-Shabaab is a Somali group that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. It is seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state. The group is believed to be responsible for attacks in Somalia that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers. | Officials say Al-Shabaab is responsible for five beheadings .
The latest was a Quran teacher .
The terrorist group had demanded people to leave a village . |
97,726 | 09ce576631542857077f72bc9887a817d6fd78c3 | RMT general secretary Mick Cash confirmed members had voted for industrial action but said the union remained open for talks . Tube drivers have voted to go on strike after one of their colleagues was sacked for allegedly being drunk on the job. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union voted for the industrial action by 299 votes to 221 after the Northern Line driver lost his job. London Underground, which has a 'zero tolerance' policy on drugs and alcohol, had urged union members to vote against strikes, insisting they dismissed the driver for failing two random breath alcohol tests. But union bosses claimed the tests were 'unfair' as they didn't take medical conditions into account which could affect the result. General secretary Mick Cash said: 'Our members have voted for industrial action and the union will now consult extensively with our representatives before deciding on our next moves in this dispute. 'The union remains available for talks, at Acas if necessary, and as we have already stated we are ready to abide by any decision made at an Employment Tribunal and cannot understand London Underground's reluctance to agree to that course of action.' London Underground operations director Nigel Holness said the decision was a matter of safety and urged those who voted for strike action to 'see sense.' 'We operate a zero tolerance approach towards the consumption of alcohol in order to keep customers and staff safe,' he added. 'You wouldn't let someone who had been drinking alcohol drive your family in a car, and we don't let people who have been drinking alcohol drive people's families in Tube trains. 'As we have made clear, strike threats will not alter our commitment to safety, nor will they make us consider reinstating a driver who failed two alcohol breath tests. 'RMT members have sent a clear message to their leadership that they don't support indefensible strike action on this issue. 'Less than a quarter of those eligible to vote for strike action did so. 'I urge the RMT leadership to see sense and recognise that there is simply no point in taking any further action.' RMT regional organiser John Leach said he rejected a number of allegations by Mr Holness, in a letter sent out to union members. He said: 'RMT fully supports the zero-tolerance policy and takes seriously our obligations to protect the safety of passengers and staff. If they go ahead, the tube strikes could cause chaos for commuters trying to get to work in London . 'We are actually asking for further testing when a hand held breathalyser gives a positive result. 'This makes the process more robust and also complies with the Equalities Act in protecting members of staff with medical conditions. 'The current system is unfair because it doesn't offer safeguards to those with disabilities or who are on certain diets. 'One of LU's own doctors conceded that type 2 diabetes, liver disease and even fasting can give false positives on hand held machines.' | The tube driver was sacked after failing two random breathalyser tests .
Members of Rail, Maritime and Transport union have now voted to strike .
Union claims test is unfair as doesn't take into account medical conditions .
London Underground have urged members to 'see sense' over the strike . |
149,267 | 4d03c3162ce64c03d1f843f608009c974c989477 | By . Peter Allen . The far-right National Front made massive gains across France as Socialist president Francois Hollande faced humiliation in local elections. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the anti-immigration and anti-Europe party, described it as a ‘breakthrough’ in the fight against the corruption and apathy of mainstream parties. The National Front won an outright majority in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont and was first-placed in the eastern town of Forbach and the southern towns of Avignon, Perpignan and Beziers. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the anti-immigration and anti-Europe National Front party, described winning an outright majority in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont as a 'breakthrough' Mr Hollande's Socialists were meanwhile heading for heavy losses as voters punished them for the disastrous economic situation. There was even talk of a vote of no confidence in the bumbling head of state who is easily the most unpopular president in the history of modern France. Almost 45 million French people took to the polls to elect more than 36,000 mayors for the next six years in what was being seen as a test for the Socialist president, whose approval rating has sunk as low as 17 per cent. The National Front hopes to increase its municipal councillors from around 50 to 1,000, and to win control of as many councils as possible. It was heading to be kingmaker in up to 200 towns where its candidates were on course to reach round two by winning more than 10 per cent of the vote. If no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the vote in round one, the race goes to a run-off. President Francois Hollande, pictured addressing a Turkish-French business forum in January, faced humiliation as voters appeared to punish the Socialists for the disastrous economic situation . The Socialists were pinning their damage limitation hopes on retaining Paris, where Anne Hidalgo, their Spanish-born candidate, was on course to become the city’s first female mayor. Some 389 Britons are running for municipal councillor under a 2001 rule in which other European Union nationals can seek town hall posts, but they require French nationality to become mayor. Some 30 percent of voters have indicated they intend to punish the government for its failures on key issues such as soaring unemployment. Mr Hollande’s hugely embarrassing private life, which saw him effectively fire his first lady this year after being caught out with a secret lover, has also played against him. Corruption scandals involving former conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy, pictured, have also put people off backing his conservative UMP . Corruption scandals involving former conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy have also put people off backing his conservative UMP. Mr Sarkozy was pictured voting yesterday in Paris with his third wife, the former supermodel, Carla Bruni. Ms Le Pen won almost 18 per cent of the national vote in the first round of presidential elections two years ago, and has worked hard to ‘detoxify’ the party’s racist and anti-Semitic image. | Leader Marine Le Pen hailed it a 'breakthrough' for anti-immigration party .
Nearly 45 million people took to the polls to elect more than 36,000 mayors . |
167,485 | 649ebb4583fbdd5dc83b7a8bc1ecd815f64ec20a | (CNN) -- David Wallechinsky didn't invent what's on the Internet. It just seems that way. In 1977, Wallechinsky, his father Irving Wallace and his sister Amy Wallace published "The Book of Lists." The compendium of cleverly presented facts, such as "15 People Who Became Words," "10 Men Who Were Supported By Their Wives" and "6 Positions for Sexual Intercourse -- In Order of Preference," wasn't just simple enumeration. It featured detailed explanations about its subjects, proving itself a worthy and entertaining reference work. "The Book of Lists" immediately took its place on another list -- the bestseller list -- and spawned three sequels. More than three decades later, in the Internet age, its impact is everywhere. Countless websites, including CNN.com, have turned to lists -- sometimes in the form of galleries -- to help tell stories in a digestible way and boost page views. Topics range from "History's Biggest Mysteries" to "13 Team Names That Will Make a Lot More Sense When You Know Their Origins" to "11 Things You Didn't Know About Spinal Tap." Sure, you can't copyright an idea that goes back to God and Hammurabi, but one might think that Wallechinsky might be seething about seeing his child so misused. Not in the least, says the author, Olympic historian and creator of the website AllGov.com. "I was thrilled when the Internet came around," he says. He understands that the list concept makes it easier to process information, and "I'm glad to have done what I could." These days, Wallechinsky, 66, devotes his time to AllGov.com, an attempt to create a different kind of information repository: a site all about the business of government, including details about dozens of government agencies and names of hundreds of government officials. Currently AllGov features the United States, California and France; plans call for it to cover every U.S. state and every country in the world. "We pride ourselves on accuracy, double-checking," he says. "The Internet is so full of junk and not-researched material. ... We try to emphasize policy instead of politics." CNN spoke to Wallechinsky about lists, government and finding himself referenced on Wikipedia. The following is an edited and condensed version of the interview. CNN: Have you ever reflected on the impact of "The Book of Lists" on the Internet as we know it? David Wallechinsky: Oh, sure. But I can't take credit because I have in my collection a book of lists that goes back to the 17th century. Certainly the ideas have been there. I was thrilled when the Internet came around. CNN: Why do you think the Internet is so full of lists? Wallechinsky: I think we live in an era of over-stimulation -- too much information -- so lists are a way of grasping that information. It just makes it easier to do 11 of this or 7 of that. It just makes it easier to sort out that overwhelming amount of information. CNN: What sites using lists do you admire? Wallechinsky: I like Mental Floss. I feel like they've picked up the baton and done a wonderful job. They just have great categories. I really admire their obscure categories. I think the best lists are the ones you can't just look up -- you have to really think about and research. The ones that aren't easy. CNN: When "The Book of Lists" came out in 1977, it was a huge bestseller. Did you expect the reaction? Wallechinsky: No, not really. My father and I had compiled a book, "The People's Almanac," and one of the chapters was lists, just list-lists. We got a lot of feedback on the list chapter, and my father said, look at all this. What if we did a whole book of lists? So we did it, and we thought, why just do one through 10, when you can tell a little story behind it. I think that's what really made it a success. CNN: Many websites use lists for clickbait, not for shedding any light on the subject at hand. Does this bother you? Wallechinsky: Oh, sure. One thing I don't like is where there's a list or a gallery and you have to click for No. 2, click for No. 3, click for No. 4. They're just trying to get you to have more page views and sell more ads. I don't want to have to do that. I just want to see the list on one page. CNN: What's the story behind AllGov.com? Wallechinsky: I was looking at the budget of the United States and I was overwhelmed by how much I didn't know as someone who follows politics. Something like 95% of what the government did doesn't get covered. I asked (Parade magazine, where Wallechinsky was a contributing editor) if I could do this article on where our tax dollars go. They said go ahead. I (also) did a sidebar on ridiculous projects about to be funded. The one I picked out to visit was the Bridge to Nowhere, which wasn't so well known at the time, and it (became) the cover story. But when all the publicity about this died down, it was the other article I couldn't get out of my mind. So I made this list of more than 300 agencies in the U.S. government, their budget, how many people they employ and that's how I got the idea for AllGov. (The site's been live since 2009.) CNN: The Internet is supposed to be the great leveler, now that there's all this information out there. But are you concerned we get caught up in bread and circuses? The Bridge to Nowhere got a lot of attention partly because it had a catchy name. Wallechinsky: Yes, certainly that's the case. All I can do with AllGov is put it out there. If people are interested in the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Grain Inspection Bureau, then they will find this, and they will find the only independent view on the Internet of it. CNN: Do you think the Internet has made us more tribal? Wallechinsky: You started to see that with the introduction of cable television. It used to be that everybody watched the same news channels and that was it. The minute cable came in, you got that breakup of what people were watching. The Internet is just an extension of that. But what makes the Internet so great is that it's interactive. You can see opposing sources -- if you know how to use it. I'm so honored it happened my lifetime, just from an information point of view. CNN: I can't be the first person to ask you about creating the Internet. Wallechinsky: I haven't looked in the last year or two, but at one point on Wikipedia it actually mentioned that either "The People's Almanac" or "The Book of Lists" was the progenitor of the Internet. (laughs) I don't know if it's still there. | David Wallechinsky's "Book of Lists" used an influential format now all over Web .
"Book of Lists" was a bestseller when it came out in 1977, spawned three sequels .
Wallechinsky now head of AllGov, compilation of government news and info .
Wallechinsky: With lists, "it just makes it easier to do 11 of this or 7 of that" |
185,178 | 7be179d7597087ad23a05f6e97875c1f679717bc | (CNN) -- World champion Jorge Lorenzo may have thought new teammate Valentino Rossi would be his biggest threat of the new MotoGP season, but a surprise name will be at the head of the grid for Saturday's revamped final qualifying session in Qatar. Rookie Marc Marquez, making his debut for Repsol Honda following the retirement of Casey Stoner and the departure of Andrea Dovizioso, snatched top spot from Lorenzo's Yamaha by just one-thousandth of a second in Friday's third practice. "Practice today went pretty well -- better than expected," Marquez said. "I was very comfortable on the bike and this is the important thing. "What we are missing is a bit of pace and consistency. We will have to make the most of the 30 minutes that we have before qualifying tomorrow to improve those points." Under new rules for motorcycling's elite class, the top 10 riders automatically go through to "Q2" to decide the leading start positions for Sunday's opening race, while in the earlier "Q1" the rest will fight for the remaining two spots to take part the pole position shootout. "It's separated qualifying, so that the fastest group runs together and the slowest group runs together," race director Mike Webb said. "It's one thing for the show, and the other really big reason is for the safety of the riders; each rider group will get a clear race track and be better able to do their best lap time." Splitting the sessions will also give the sponsors of smaller teams more television exposure, the MotoGP website said. Most eyes will be watching seven-time world champion Rossi, who has returned to Yamaha after two unsuccessful seasons with Ducati. "The practices were not so bad, but we are continuing to work for the race," Rossi said. "We still have to decide which tire to use; that will be very important for Sunday." The Italian earned fourth place in the practice sessions, behind Britain's Cal Crutchlow on a Monster Yamaha Tech 3. Compatriot Dovizioso, his replacement at Ducati, claimed sixth place ahead of last season's championship runnerup Dani Pedrosa -- who was outshone by his new Honda colleague Marquez. Another Spanish rider, Alvaro Bautista, was seventh for Honda Gresini while America's 2006 world champion Nicky Hayden was eighth on the second Ducati ahead of British rookie Bradley Smith on the other Tech 3 and Germany's Stefan Bradl on an LCR Honda. The 20-year-old Marquez has moved up to the top division after winning the Moto2 title last year, and the 125cc class in 2010. With two-time world champion Stoner quitting last season after becoming disillusioned with the sport, there is a gap for Marquez to make his name. However, he will have to show he can be as consistent as Lorenzo, who last season finished in the top two for 16 of 18 races -- with two retirements -- as he claimed his second title in three years. "I'm very happy with the changes we made on the bike because it improved a lot," Lorenzo said. "I think we can still improve the bike more tomorrow. "We still haven't decided which chassis is better; today it is the new one, yesterday the old one. I'm very curious to see how the qualifying goes with the new formula -- we will just be concentrating on doing four fast laps and the maximum performance we can get." Before Saturday's two qualifying sessions, there will be one last practice run for the riders. "We'll use the first three practices to get the right setups and then probably use the last free practice to do a long run, just to check the race situation," Lorenzo's crew chief Ramon Forcada said on the MotoGP website. "It's not exactly the race distance, but half an hour should be enough -- and then we'll prepare for the time attack!" | Rookie rider Marc Marquez earns fastest time for MotoGP qualifying session .
Spaniard is quickest after three practice sessions on Thursday and Friday .
World champion Jorge Lorenzo is second fastest under new rules in Qatar .
Sunday's race at Losail circuit will launch the 2013 season . |
39,151 | 6e9f60eca328991309223429eebe366dbd14521a | NEW YORK (CNN) -- Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart hopes to return to the United Kingdom as soon as a reported travel ban stemming from her criminal history is "resolved," the chairman of the company she founded said Friday. Martha Stewart has not been to the United Kingdom since her 2004 conviction, according to British media. "Martha loves England; the country and English culture are near and dear to her heart," Charles Koppelman, chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, said in a written statement. "She has engagements with English companies and business leaders and hopes this can be resolved so that she will be able to visit soon," Koppelman said. The statement was released after British newspapers, led by the Telegraph, reported that she had been refused a visa to enter Great Britain because of her criminal convictions four years ago. Stewart was scheduled to meet at the Royal Academy with several figures in the fashion and leisure industry, the Telegraph reported. The newspaper attributed the rejection of her visa to a blanket policy banning people with criminal convictions. A representative of the British Borders Agency would not comment on Stewart, saying only that "we continue to oppose the entry to the UK of individuals where we believe their presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good or where they have been found guilty of serious criminal offenses abroad." Stewart was convicted on four counts of obstructing justice in 2004 for lying to investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems Inc. stock at the end of 2001. She served five months in prison. | British media report that Martha Stewart denied visa because of criminal convictions .
Claims surfaced after Stewart reportedly failed to show up for meetings in UK .
Chairman of Martha Stewart Living says she "loves" UK, hopes situation is resolved .
Stewart served five months for lying to investigators about stock sale in 2001 . |
239,043 | c178d0e71c802d78fd1ccec81fc277b7e3fc398b | John Terry will sign a one-year extension to his Chelsea contract after Jose Mourinho revealed that it is now ‘a formality’. The 34-year-old will be a leading contender for the PFA player of the year award after some outstanding displays at the heart of defence. VIDEO Scroll down to see Jose Mourinho on John Terry . Chelsea have acted quickly to reassure John Terry that he will remain at Stamford Bridge . Mourinho kept him sweating on a new deal last season, but this time Chelsea have acted quickly to reassure their captain that he will remain at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea manager, who takes his team to Southampton on Sunday, said: ‘There are no doubts that he is going to get another contract. I know that, he knows that. ‘We in the club, in the board, we know that and I think also you have to feel that. ‘Without us confirming anything you have to feel that. He’s a very important player in the team so the next contract sooner or later will come. It’s a formality. Terry will be a leading contender for the PFA player of the year award after some outstanding displays . ‘He’s a happy guy and he’s playing well, he likes his team-mates, likes the manager, he works well. It’s a very happy group and I think John feels very, very well.’ Terry scored for the second successive game against West Ham on Boxing Day and will start for the Barclays Premier League leaders at St Mary’s. Despite their impressive form, Chelsea’s manager is wary of Louis van Gaal’s fast-improving Manchester United as they head into the second half of the season. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is wary of Louis van Gaal’s fast-improving Manchester United . Although Van Gaal’s side are ten points behind Mourinho’s team, United and second-placed Manchester City still have to travel to Stamford Bridge in the league. Mourinho added: ‘If were were top of the league by 15 points we would be pretty sure but we are speaking about three points and after that Manchester United are also not far. ‘I have lots of experiences of coming from behind or being top of the league. I prefer to be top of the league and the players are exactly in the same line as me. ‘It is better to be in front. We play and we think about ourselves.’ | John Terry set to be rewarded for outstanding displays with new deal .
He was kept waiting before being offered contract extension last season .
Jose Mourinho wary of Louis van Gaal’s fast-improving Manchester United . |
163,884 | 5fef4f2cf1e9de656d055bee58ec5f0eea17c328 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:03 EST, 7 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:40 EST, 7 January 2014 . Couples in long-distance relationships might already use their phones to send raunchy photo messages to one another but now smartphones can be used to keep the passion alive in a new way. Underwear featuring a wearable massager that can be controlled by a partner using an app, has been unveiled at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The blueMotion vibrator was created to bring couples closer using smartphones, who might otherwise ignore each other and pay more attention to emails and text messages. blueMotion, a wearable massager that can be operated using an iPhone or Android app, has been unveiled at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It is designed for single women and couples, as it is possible for a partner to take control of the toy to surprise the wearer (stock image) The smart underwear features a Bluetooth . enabled massager that can vibrate in unlimited patterns and promises to . be 'completely discrete'. ‘For some couples, the explosion of the digital age has resulted in a shift in intimacy, as many pay more attention to devices than their partners,’ said Suki Dunham founder of OhMiBod. The smart underwear features a Bluetooth enabled massager that can vibrate in unlimited patterns and promises to be 'completely discrete' A stock image is pictured . ‘blueMotion breaks down those virtual barriers by encouraging couples to interact both physically and emotionally using technology. 'They can experience the thrill of unlimited vibration patterns and total discretion whenever the mood arises.’ The lightweight blueMotion device, which can be . fitted inside underwear, has a motor that is controlled by an app for . Android and iOS smartphones in numerous ways. It connects to a smartphone via the 'remote' app to make use of phone features including the accelerometer, touch screen, and . volume controls to operate the massager. Sound clips can be recorded using the app, which generates vibrations though the device based on a partner’s voice or a favourite song. The company says that the number of vibration patterns that can be created is limitless. The massager will go on sale in March 2014 and retail for $129. | The massager can be .
fitted inside underwear and can be controlled remotely using an .
Android or iOS app .
blueMotion vibrator aims to bring couples closer using smartphones .
Device will go on sale in the U.S. in March 2014 and will retail for $129 .
It is not clear whether the device will be rolled out in other countries . |
160,560 | 5b926c5948657e547ea60ea4323ea94d6f14dcb5 | Andy Carroll scored twice on Sunday afternoon to send West Ham into the Premier League’s top three before declaring: ‘I’m back.’ The striker moved on from his latest injury nightmare with a brilliant performance and two leaping headers as West Ham crushed Swansea 3-1 at Upton Park. And after ending a 797-minute wait for a goal, the 25-year-old, who was playing only his fifth game following ankle surgery in the summer, said: ‘It means a lot to me to get back on the score sheet. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Andy Carroll rose majestically above the Swansea defence to head home and put his team in front . The England striker, who has spent most of the year sidelined through injury, jumps for joy after scoring . ‘I've played a couple of games and I'm back, but until you score you don't feel like you are definitely back. But now I've scored I am definitely back. ‘It is a great feeling. It is fantastic to be back on the pitch and playing as many games as I have in the last few weeks. 'There is nothing better than scoring goals as a striker, so I was desperate to get a goal and it is great feeling. ‘You always have to just think about the positives (when injured). The medical staff have helped me a lot and it is credit to them that I am back.’ The result takes West Ham into the top three for the first time since 1999, albeit only until tonight when they will be overtaken by either Southampton or Manchester United, who meet at St Mary’s. West Ham fell behind to Wilfried Bony’s 19th-minute goal, but levelled through a Carroll header four minutes before the break. Carroll headed a second and then assisted substitute Diafra Sakho for a late third shortly after Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had been sent off for fouling the striker. The 25-year-old can't hide his delight after scoring his and West Ham's second goal of the afternoon . Carroll embraces with his manager Sam Allardyce after scoring his second goal of the afternoon . Manager Sam Allardyce has now overseen three wins in a row. He said: ‘I hope we can stay this consistent. ‘We deserved to win and won playing good attacking football.’ Asked if it was Carroll’s best performance for West Ham, Allardyce added: ‘I have to say it was close to it. When he scores two you have to say yes. 'We thought about taking him off after the second but let him try to get the hat-trick.’ Swansea manager Garry Monk was furious with his side’s performance, but indicated he will appeal the decision to send off Fabianski as he claimed Sakho handballed before being brought down by Fabianski outside the area. He also contested whether it was a goal-scoring opportunity. Carroll celebrates with James Tomkins after heading in West Ham's second goal after the break . Swansea boss Garry Monk was unhappy with his side's performance in the 3-1 defeat at West Ham defeat . He said: ‘Look at the build-up - Sakho knocks it past with his hand clearly. 'Realistically it should have been handball to us and it wasn't a clear goalscoring opportunity from the way it played out so when you look at it, it suggests it wasn't. 'You'd think we would appeal when you have the benefit of the replays.' Monk added: ‘We didn’t reach the levels we can play – that is the first time I can say that this season. ‘Some of the defending, we gifted it on a plate really. We could have done better with the first goal - a good header - but he (Carroll) lost his man marker for the second which is unacceptable. 'The third was bad defending. We can’t give them an early Christmas present.’ | West Ham beat 10-man Swansea 3-1 on Sunday afternoon .
The win lifted Sam Allardyce's men to third in the Premier League .
Andy Carroll got off the mark for the season with a brace in the win .
The 25-year-old says he now believes he is getting back to his best . |
104,890 | 1352d2e912a611615a691abd74f3a8330dfa02a3 | It is a common topic around the festive dinner table - memories of perfect white Christmases of the past. However, US Government forecasters have revealed that in fact, they are actually far more common in recent years. The map they created reveals that only in a few areas (marked in brown) actually had more white Christmases in the past. The map shows the percent change in snow-covered days over the week of Christmas between 1990 to 2013 and 1966 to 1989. The colour blue indicates areas where the ground was more frequently snow-covered in recent years. Brown indicates areas where Christmases in longer-ago decades were indeed whiter. The map below shows the percent change in snow-covered days over the week of Christmas between 1990 to 2013 and 1966 to 1989. Places where the ground was snow-covered up to 25 per cent more frequently in recent decades are coloured in shades of blue, and places that were snow-covered up to 25 per cent less frequently are coloured shades of brown. The colour blue indicates areas where the ground was more frequently snow-covered in recent years, and . The map below shows the percent change in snow-covered days over the week of Christmas between 1990 to 2013 and 1966 to 1989. 'Many of us wondered whether we could trust our memories of how snowy the holidays were when we were kids compared to now,' the Goverment's climate team wrote. 'Just for fun, we asked the experts at the Rutgers Snow Lab to show us what their data (based on NOAA satellite images) had to say about whether the U.S. snow extent during the week of Christmas has changed at all in the past 50 years. 'As you can see, fans of glistening tree tops have had a better time in the past few years - there seem to have been more white Christmases between 1990 to 2013 in the U.S.' Places where the ground was snow-covered up to 25 per cent more frequently in recent decades are coloured in shades of blue, and places that were snow-covered up to 25 per cent less frequently are coloured shades of brown. According to the Rutgers, there has been a modest increase in snow extent during the holiday week today compared to the past for the country as a whole, although it clearly varies a lot from place to place. Further, the scientists emphasize, singling out a particular winter week for scrutiny isn’t especially meaningful as an indicator of long-term climate change. there seem to have been more white Christmases between 1990 to 2013 than between 1966 to 1989 in the U.S . When it comes to meaningful indicators of how snow has changed over time, the scientists say, it’s best to stick to monthly or seasonal averages. By those indicators, says David Robinson, who leads the Rutgers snow lab project, the pattern is clear: Northern Hemisphere snow cover is declining significantly at the end of the cold season (spring/early summer). This pattern of snow disappearing earlier in the spring makes intuitive sense with respect to global warming. As temperatures rise, the impact on snow cover is likely to show up first in those seasons where the temperature is just barely cold enough for snow. Reductions in snow can also feed back on the atmosphere, amplifying warming. Where winter temperatures are well below freezing, however, temperatures will have to rise more significantly before snow cover is affected. | Chart shows how a white Christmas has changed over time .
More white Christmases between 1990 to 2013 than between 1966 to 1989 . |
33,528 | 5f5a03cb371903d06e91adf83a984aff07cecd6d | Many women who juggle career and travel plans fear 'leaving it too late' to have a baby. But one professor has dismissed the theory that once women pass 30 they will immediately begin to suffer fertility problems. Psychologist Jean Twenge has controversially claimed that there's not really a difference between trying to get pregnant in your late twenties and your late thirties. Psychologist Jean Twenge has controversially claimed that there's not really a difference between trying to get pregnant in your late twenties and your late thirties . The San Diego State University professor has refuted statistics that claim there is a significant difference in the odds of getting pregnant in your late twenties. Prof Twenge claims that many women are reading statistics based on outdated records, taken from a time before antibiotics, electricity and advanced medical treatment were in use and the quality of life was much lower. The professor has dismissed statistics that claim there is a significant difference in the odds of getting pregnant in your late twenties . Writing in The Atlantic, the author - who has written the book 'The Impatient Women's Guide to Getting Pregnant' - says that she too feared she would be left childless as she had not tried for a baby and had passed 30. She said: 'Most books and websites I read said that one in three women ages 35 to 39 would not get pregnant within a year of starting to try. 'The first page of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's (ASRM) 2003 guide for patients noted that women in their late 30s had a 30 per cent chance of remaining childless altogether. 'The guide also included statistics that I’d seen repeated in many other places: a woman’s chance of pregnancy was 20 percent each month at age 30, dwindling to five per cent by age 40. 'Every time I read these statistics, my stomach dropped like a stone, heavy and foreboding.' She counsels that there is a just a . marginal difference between falling pregnant at 27 and 39 - despite what . the majority of websites and books say. Instead, she says that some statistics . widely touted today are actually based on data from French birth . records from 1670 to 1830. She also rubbishes the widely cited . statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 will not be pregnant . after a year of trying, which is based on a 2004 article in the Human . Reproduction journal, which used the historical record as its source. She says that women are now basing their pregnancy plans on these antiquated reports, and should focus on modern studies, that show a more encouraging outlook when it comes to getting pregnant. She rubbished the widely cited statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 will not be pregnant after a year of trying . She said a 2004 study in Obstetrics & Gynecology studied the chances of pregnancy among 770 European women, and found positive results. The study, led by David Dunson, discovered that of the subjects who had sex at least twice a week, 82 per cent of 35-to-39-year-old women conceived within a year, compared with 86 per cent of 27-to-34-year-olds. This showed that the fertility rates of women in their late 20s and early 30s was almost identical - which will bring considerable relief to worried women who fear that their chasing other priorities has wiped their chances of motherhood. The author seeks to calm the panic many women feel, using herself as an example - she had three children and all after the age of 35. She says fertility problems are not solely based on a woman's age, and points to endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes for causing difficulties in conceiving. But her comments have been met with criticism from other experts, who insist that age does significantly affect fertility. Lord Winston, The Times reports, claims that medical data collated over 20 years shows a definite decline in fertility with age and, while warning doctors from urging women to have children at a young age, says that there is good evidence of a decline with age. The newspaper also reported that consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Valentine Akende said that generally, women's fertility rates began to slip at 31, dropped at age 37 and sharply fell after age 41. But despite Prof Twenge's reassurances, it would seem that the statistics have had a lasting impact on women's views of motherhood. According to a new survey, nearly 70 per cent . of British women think a woman having a baby in her forties is too old - . with the most critical being the older generation. Of those surveyed, over three quarters aged 55 and over were against woman having a baby in their fifth decade. The . survey, undertaken by YouGov on behalf of First Response Early . Pregnancy test, appears to show a deep-rooted discomfort with women who . delay motherhood until their fifth decade. | Psychologist Jean Twenge claims that there is a just a 'marginal difference' between falling pregnant at 27 and 39 .
Warns that some statistics widely touted today are actually based on data from French birth records from 1670 to 1830 . |
101,414 | 0eb8101c44dd018f4ee346528df766702804d3ef | (CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Providence, Rhode Island, Wednesday to demand that Mayor Angel Taveras take back the termination letters he sent to every educator in the city last week. The protesters carried placards and chanted "We'll never be defeated," in support of the Providence Teachers Union. In a 4-3 decision, the Providence City School Board, voted last week to adopt Taveras' plan to fire 2,000 teachers and staff to give budget writers more flexibility to make cuts. A final decision on how many of them will end up losing their jobs won't be made until the board and the mayor decide specifically how to fill a multimillion-dollar budget gap. The move has outraged veteran teachers and union leaders. Taveras "has done more to demoralize and disrespect teachers in 30 days than I think anyone could possibly do in the history of teaching," union President Steve Smith told CNN affiliate WPRI. Taveras, however, said his mind is made up. "People will have their voices heard -- however my resolve has not changed," Taveras told WPRI. Taveras has insisted that he values the city's "gifted teachers," but felt compelled to give notice to municipal employees of "potential changes to their employment status" prior to a March 1 deadline. The mayor cites budgetary problems for the layoffs, not quality of the teachers. The U.S. Department of Education, has twice singled out Providence for its educational reform initiatives, according to Smith. | Hundred of Providence teachers union supporters demonstrate against terminations .
Providence mayor sent termination letters to 2,000 teachers and staff last week .
Actual layoffs won't be known until mayor and city council decide how to balance budget .
Union leader: Mayor demoralized and disrespected teachers . |
206,663 | 9791ed1bd01d7128ba2092d375b04559232bd46c | Atlanta (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have cited Alabama's Browns Ferry nuclear power plant for a failed valve that could have hindered efforts to cool one of the reactors during an emergency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday. The problem in the No. 1 reactor unit has resulted in a top-level "red finding" by the NRC, bringing increased federal oversight of the three-unit plant for some time. "The public was never endangered because no actual event occurred," the NRC said in announcing the citation. "However, the system is counted on for core cooling during certain accident scenarios and the valve failure left it inoperable, which potentially could have led to core damage had an accident involving a series of unlikely events occurred." Browns Ferry is located outside Athens, Alabama, about 80 miles north of Birmingham. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the plant, had argued against the finding and may appeal the decision, TVA spokesman Ray Golden told CNN. "We think we have a safe plant," he said. "We have a number of higher safety measures in place. That said, we can do more and are planning to do more." The bad valve was part of a residual heat removal system that cools the reactors after they shut down. The problem was discovered when the unit was being refueled in October, said Joey Ledford, a spokesman for the NRC regional office in Atlanta. "This violation will result in additional regional and headquarters inspectors in the plant doing various other additional inspections," Ledford said. The plant's "safety culture" will be under scrutiny along with its technical systems as a result of the ruling, he said. The citation is the fifth red finding issued by the NRC under a system that went into effect in 2001, Ledford said. It is the first issued to Browns Ferry or to any of TVA's three nuclear plants, Golden said. The 3,200-megawatt Browns Ferry plant remains idled following April 27 tornadoes that knocked out external power to the plant. Unit 1 was the scene of a 1975 fire that damaged the control room's electrical systems, an accident that led to new safety procedures at U.S. nuclear plants. The problem found in October could have led to an increased threat of fire under some conditions, Golden said. "We acknowledge that we have more work to do in fire protection and are committed to doing that," he said. The faulty valve had been in place since Browns Ferry was built in the late 1960s, and its failure was the result of a manufacturing defect, he said. But the utility argued that the reactor had multiple backup systems that operated despite the failed valve, and the faulty device eventually responded properly during laboratory tests. "It became stuck, but we were able to demonstrate in these labs that if you allowed enough time to go by, it would unstick itself," Golden said. The valve was replaced shortly after the problem was found, and was working at the time of the April tornadoes, said Roger Hannah, an NRC spokesman in Washington. The agency cited TVA for failing to identify the problem during earlier inspections, he said. "We felt they should have identified this valve as a problem before it was discovered," Hannah said. CNN's Devon Sayers and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report. | NEW: The plant's owner may challenge the NRC citation .
The designation indicates a problem of "high safety significance"
The NRC hits Browns Ferry with a "red finding" over a faulty valve .
The move means closer oversight of the Alabama nuclear plant . |
210,284 | 9c5b9fc5a179764616a56403b1905ed88653b55a | A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up among mourners inside a funeral tent on a farm about 12 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, according to police. At least 21 people were killed and 35 others injured at the funeral in al Taji, a mostly Sunni district, officials said. The funeral was for a member of the local Awakening Council, a group also known as the Sons of Iraq and Sahawat, made up of Sunni Arab fighters who turned against al Qaeda. Iraqi security forces believe that ISIS militants were behind the attack. Awakening Councils are U.S.-backed groups that have been active in Iraq since 2006. A few years ago, the councils were credited as being a major factor in a drop in violence across Iraq, but council members have also become targets for jihadists. | A suicide bomber blows himself up at a funeral north of Baghdad .
At least 21 people die and 35 are injured, police said .
The funeral was for a member of a Sunni group that has turned against al Qaeda .
Iraqi security believes ISIS militants are behind the bombing . |
170,254 | 685f61c365a833060d27048e0788978d326f6ed2 | By . James Nye . and Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 17:13 EST, 11 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:48 EST, 12 March 2014 . Denial: Chimerix CEO Kevin Moch will now supply 7-year-old cancer sufferer Josh Hardy with the life-saving anti-viral drug he needs . The CEO of the drug company that had been refusing to supply lifesaving medication to a seven-year-old cancer survivor from Virginia has caved into public pressure and said the boy will now get it. Chimerix chief Kenneth Moch announced on Tuesday night that his firm will begin a pilot trial for the drug on Wednesday - with Josh Hardy the program's first patient. The stunning reversal comes after Moch faced huge criticism for denying the Fredericksburg boy the medication brincidofovir to fight off an infection he developed after a bone marrow transplant. Indeed at one point, Moch was accused of hanging up the phone to a charity that offered up the $50,000 needed to buy it for the child. In a statement, Moch said that after much careful consideration Chimerix would offer Josh the medicine. 'This 20-patient open-label study underscores Chimerix's mission to develop innovative antiviral therapies in areas of high unmet need -- for everyone,' Moch said according to Fox News. 'Being unable to fulfill requests for compassionate use is excruciating, and not a decision any one of us ever wants to have to make. 'It is essential that each individual in a health crisis be treated with equal gravity and value, a principle we have upheld by pursuing further clinical study of brincidofovir that will inform its use in adenovirus and other serious DNA viral infections.' Scroll down for video . Courageous: Josh has already battled cancer four times in his seven years . Earlier on Tuesday it was reported that Moch put down the phone on Richard Plotkin, vice chair of the Max Cure Foundation after he offered to pay the $50,000 needed to secure the Brincidofovir. 'I spoke to Mr. Moch yesterday by phone. I told him that we had the $50,000 that I thought he was claiming he needed to supply the drug,' Richard Plotkin, vice chair of the Max Cure Foundation, said on Tuesday morning's Fox and Friends. 'He then told me it isn’t about money. He told me it’s all about ethics. I said, ‘Fine, tell me why you will not give it to this little boy. 'If he does not get the drug, he will die this week, I’m told. He said he cannot make an exception.' Plotkin asked Moch what he would do if Josh was his child or grandchild, but Plotkin said Moch refused to answer this question and then hung up the phone. 'As a result, it appears the final plea is to the board of directors at Chimerix…I ask the board to close their eyes, and as you close your eyes, assume there’s a little boy lying in a hospital bed who says to his father, ‘Daddy, am I going to die? And if I’m going to die, who will take care of me in heaven?’' Plotkin said to Fox and Friends. Fighter: Seven-year-old Josh Hardy has survived four bouts of kidney cancer, heart failure and a bone marrow transplant . 'And then I want you to assume that this little boy is your child or grandchild. And members of the board of directors, I have no doubt how you would respond to that.' The drug that will save Josh's life has not been approved by the FDA, but has previously been administered to hundreds of other patients under a prior 'compassionate use' allowance. 'As we progressed to larger and more complex safety trials, we made the decision two years ago to stop the program and focus resources on earning FDA approval,' Moch said yesterday. Previously Moch said that saying yes to Josh would mean saying yes to many more patients, draining the company's resources and delaying the time it will take for the drug to progress through the formal studies required before it can be given FDA approval and help many more future patients. However, the company received $72 million in federal funding to develop Brincidofovir. Before the good news, Josh Hardy's mother, Aimee Hardy, said the situation was devastating, especially for a boy who has fought so hard to live. 'There’s no good excuse for us,' she said. 'There’s nothing they can say that will really keep us from asking. We’re begging them to give it to us.' Mother: Aimee Hardy appeared on Fox and Friends, saying she was infuriated that she was not sitting by her son's side and holding his hand, but had to campaign so that he could get the medicine he needs . Family first: Aimee Hardy (with her children - son Josh is second from left) successfully campaigned for her son to get the medicine he needs . Josh Hardy was diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys in 2007. Since then, he has battled the disease four times. He had been in remission for two years when a bone scan in November of 2013 revealed he had developed a bone marrow disorder due to earlier cancer treatments. In January of this year he had a bone marrow transplant and endured another round of chemotherapy at St Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Following the successful surgery he developed adenovirus, an infection that can be deadly in people with weakened immune systems. 'Normally, Josh’s immune system would be able to handle the adenovirus if his immune system was set free,' Hardy wrote on her son’s CaringBridge page. 'The challenge is his immune system can’t be set free yet because his body is still trying to adapt to the new bone marrow cells. So to keep the body from killing the new cells, they have to suppress the immune system, thus creating ideal conditions for adenovirus to advance. Catch 22.' Brincidofovir has been shown to clear up adenovirus in children in two weeks, reports Fox and Friends. Deadly virus: Josh is in hospital battling a virus that could claim his life, but will now get the life-saving drug he needs . In his hands: Kenneth Moch, CEO of Chimerex, previously claimed the company no longer had a 'compassionate use' program . Josh's doctors also contacted Chimerex requesting their patient be allowed to have the drug. 'I feel that it’s just an excuse and we need them to totally change their stance, not only for us but for hundreds or even thousands of people that need [this drug],' Hardy told Fox and Friends before Tuesdays good news.. '…To me, [it’s] almost a crime to not make it available to everyone who needs it.' Aimee Hardy has launched a campaign to save her son, and says she will not stop until Josh gets the medicine, even though the fight is stealing precious moments she could be spending with her son. 'I want to be by his bedside, holding his hand, telling him, 'It’s going to be okay,' but because of this unwillingness to release this drug, I have to leave him and come talk to you and it infuriates me,' Hardy told Fox and Friends. Prior to his change of heart Kenneth Moch said that even a visit to see Josh at St. Jude would not change his mind about letting the child have the medicine. Aimee Hardy told Fox and Friends what Moch would see if he visited Josh's bedside. Curable: Josh is suffering from a curable virus that's preying on him because of his compromised immune system . A chance to live: The little boy has been in and out of hospital for much of his short life, never having a chance to do the things other little boys get to . 'He would see a frail little boy who has a very weak voice and has a hard time staying awake because he’s in so much pain,' she said. 'It’s horrible for us as parents to see, because he’s a vibrant, strong little boy, and even though he is frail, he has a very strong will about him. But things just keep stacking against him, and we just want to do everything we can to give him the opportunity to make a full recovery.' Moch had told Fox and Friends that seeing Josh in this state would not change his mind. 'We have have great compassion for this family,' Moch says. 'But this is not just about a single boy.' | Chimerix chief Kenneth Moch says they will now offer Josh Hardy the anti-viral treatment he needs .
Hardy, seven, is battling a viral infection following a bone marrow transplant .
A drug called Brincidofovir made by North Carolina company Chimerex could clear up the infection in two weeks .
Brincidofovir has not received FDA approval but has been administered for 'compassionate use' to hundreds of patients .
Previously Moch said the company no longer has a compassionate use program because it cannot afford it . |
282,804 | fa51247f1ce813a25811b5e5047debee3678b098 | Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers sent a personal heartfelt letter to a supporter whose grandfather had recently passed away. Rodgers sent his condolences on January 26 to Joe Nelson after the death of Liverpool fan and season ticket holder, Roy. The letter ends with the Liverpool manager's signature and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' in a classy gesture by the Barclays Premier League club. The letter sent to Liverpool supporter Joe Nelson after the death of his grandfather by Brendan Rodgers . Rodgers sent a personal heartfelt letter to a supporter whose grandfather had recently passed away . 'I am sorry to be writing to you under these extremely sad circumstances,' Rodgers began. 'On behalf of everyone at Liverpool Football Club, the directors, players and staff, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to you and your family following the loss of your granddad Roy. 'As one of our supporters and a season ticket holder for many years, Roy is part of our LFC family and always will be. 'Nothing we say will recompense your loss but I extend my deepest sympathies and I want you to know that all our thoughts are with you and your family at this sad time. 'With sincere feelings, Brendan Rodgers, LFC Manager. You'll Never Walk Alone.' It echoes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's letter to a widow three months ago after her husband passed away. The letter ends with his signature and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' in a classy gesture by Rodgers and the club . Rodgers sent his condolences in January to Joe Nelson after the death of Liverpool season ticket holder, Roy . Reds manager Rodgers pictured during Liverpool's training session at Melwood on Monday . 'Dear Joe, . 'I am sorry to be writing to you under these extremely sad circumstances. 'On behalf of everyone at Liverpool Football Club, the directors, players and staff, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to you and your family following the loss of your grandad Roy. 'As one of our supporters and a season ticket holder for many years, Roy is part of our LFC family and always will be. 'Nothing we say will recompense your loss but I extend my deepest sympathies and I want you to know that all our thoughts are with you and your family at this sad time. 'With sincere feelings, Brendan Rodgers, LFC Manager. You'll Never Walk Alone.' | Liverpool manager Brendan Rodger sent his condolences to supporter Joe Nelson in January after the death of his grandfather Roy .
Roy was a Liverpool supporter and season ticket holder at Anfield .
The letter ends with Rodgers's signature and 'You'll Never Walk Alone'
'As one of our supporters and a season ticket holder for many years, Roy is part of our LFC family and always will be,' Rodgers writes . |
204,057 | 942954462315562bf88ba275251dc5b9229031e0 | A supermarket has been forced to apologise after a little boy opened a box of cornflakes - and found a condom inside. Tesco has launched a probe after the little boy tucked into his cereal - bought from a store in Barnstaple, Devon - only to find the unopened contraceptive swimming in his bowl. His uncle's fiancee, who asked not to be named, managed to snatch the condom packet away before he could examine it - but says she was soon bombarded with awkward questions. The woman claims it came from inside the packet of own-brand Tesco cornflakes. Tesco has been forced to apologise after a little boy opened a box of own brand Cornflakes - and found a condom . Tesco has launched a probe after the little boy tucked into his cereal - bought from this store in Barnstaple, Devon - only to find the unopened contraceptive swimming in his bowl . After she complained to the supermarket giant, she said they offered a £20 gift voucher and a bunch of flowers. The woman says she poured a bowl for her partner's nephew, who was staying with them, and turned around to fetch the milk without spotting the condom. She said: 'He started screaming and there was lots of commotion. I asked him what was wrong and told him to calm down and eat his cereal. 'Then I looked down and saw something shiny in the bowl. I picked out what I thought was packaging and to my horror it was a condom. 'My boyfriend came in wondering what the commotion was about and saw the condom. His nephew was still screaming and I was trying to explain that I found it in the box. 'His nephew was shouting 'there is a condom in my breakfast'. Everyone was shocked and my boyfriend was disgusted.' After she complained to the supermarket giant, she said they offered a £20 gift voucher and a bunch of flowers . The woman says she poured a bowl for her partner's nephew, who was staying with them, and turned around to fetch the milk without spotting the condom (file picture) After the incident the woman took the box to the Tesco Extra store to complain. She's since received a letter from Tesco apologising for the grim discovery, along with a £20 voucher. The woman added: 'I told them there was a condom in my cornflakes and the woman put her head down and was really embarrassed. She went and got me a big bunch of flowers. 'I don't want people to think I am after money but they told me in Tesco this is the worst thing they had found. I am stressed about the whole thing.' A Tesco spokesman said: 'We set ourselves very high standards for the safety and quality of our products. 'Our suppliers have conducted a full investigation and we have provided our customer with a gesture of goodwill.' | The own brand cereal bought from a store in Barnstaple, Devon .
Little boy tucked in to find unopened contraceptive swimming in his bowl .
He soon began to scream before his aunt fished out the condom .
Tesco has since apologised and launched an investigation . |
93,573 | 0456e4aa95865dab4a7f3c571dc48df5329d5f61 | (CNN) -- Retirement hasn't been full of lazy days, rounds of golf and luxury vacations for Gary Terry. When this former telecommunications executive called it quits after a 32-year career, he took up an equally time-consuming volunteer job as chairman of the American Heart Association's Texas chapter. Gary Terry says his being saved by a public defibrillator he'd pressed for was "divine intervention." "I believe the Lord chose me to lead that group," said Terry, who lives in Hurst, Texas. But his "sign from the Lord" came, not in the form of a dream or a mysterious figure in his morning toast. Instead, it came in the form of a cardiac arrest by the security checkpoint at the Austin airport. "I was trying to get back to the metroplex because I had a meeting the next morning. I reached down to pick up my briefcase, and I kept going." Here's where the story takes an ironic twist: Gary Terry collapsed just 18 feet from an automated external defibrillator AED that he and his group -- the American Heart Association -- helped to install just eight months earlier. "A lot of people say there's a lot of circumstances in your situation that really are unique," said Terry, "and I say no, they're not unique circumstances -- they're divine intervention. And I truly believe that." But the circumstances of Terry's experience are unique, because there was a defibrillator nearby, and somebody knew how to use it. Watch more on the heart official saved by a defibrillator he pushed for » . "When somebody stops breathing and they hit the ground, for all intents and purposes, they're dead," says Dr. Art Kellermann, noted defibrillator advocate and professor of emergency medicine at Emory University. "There are a few minutes where you can reach through the door and pull them back from death if you act decisively." And acting decisively, says Kellermann, means following the four links in the "chain of survival." Visit CNNhealth, your connection for better living . The first link, according to the American Heart Association, is to recognize there's a problem, and call 911. Next, begin doing CPR, employ the use of a defibrillator and get the victim into the hands of capable medical professionals like the paramedics. "Research has shown time and time again that you win or lose in a cardiac arrest on the scene," says Dr. Kellermann. "If you don't get [the victim] started before you start transport, the likelihood they'll survive to leave the hospital is less than one-half of 1 percent." And statistics also show that if the chain of survival is initiated within 4 minutes, the chances of survival can be as high as 60 percent. The good news is, CPR is easy to learn (local classes can be found here) and the automated external defibrillator is remarkably simple to use, even without significant training. According to several device manufacturers, you simply place the pads on a victim's chest, and turn the unit on. Complex algorithms inside the unit's computer determine whether a shock from the machine will help restart a victim's heart. Once the machine determines that a shock should in fact be delivered, it tells the user to clear their hands from the patient's body, and press the "shock" button. It's far less complicated than your average VCR, and almost impossible to screw up. It's for these reasons, and the relatively low cost of a defibrillator that Gary Terry continues his crusade. "I think this is part of the plan, and I think he wants me to keep telling people what a great piece of equipment the AED is." And Terry says he won't stop until the defibrillator is as ubiquitous in public places as a sprinkler system. "I'm gonna try to put AEDs in every building and in every house, and then I'm gonna hang them on trees." | Heart association official suffered cardiac arrest in a Texas airport .
His life was saved by an automated external defibrillator .
His group pressed to have the AEDs place in the airport months earlier . |
90,855 | 00d9a0b96c5bdd15c1a30cdd80e1a0fd02bae6bf | Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Like his long-time hero Stevie Wonder, Nigerian music pioneer Cobhams Asuquo was born visually-impaired. And again, like the American R&B legend, the lack of sight was never enough to stop Asuquo from realizing his ambitions. Instead, it only fueled his optimism and desire to achieve success. "Being blind has played an integral role in forming who I am and I think to some extent is responsible for my optimism," says Asuquo, an award-winning music producer, song-writer and musician. "When you feel there's nothing more to lose -- if you want to work towards anything, you probably will want to work towards gaining and I think that's what being blind has done for me." A versatile musical talent, Asuquo has been pushing the boundaries of Nigeria's contemporary sound. His fresh mixture of different styles and beats has helped the west African country become one the continent's modern music hotspots. "I fuse a lot of stuff to create my music" he says. "It varies -- it's jazz, it's classical, it's Afro, it's whatever, it depends on what best interprets the music." 'Ghana's Bob Marley' spreads message of brotherhood . Possessed of natural talent, the self-taught musician started honing his skills from an early age while growing up in a barracks. As a young boy, he used to organize concerts in his neighborhood, drumming on his mother's barrels of water. "All the kids from the neighboring block would come and we'd hang out and we'd make so much noise. I didn't realize at the time that I was preparing myself for what would be my life, my career path, my destiny," Asuquo remembers. His musical journey, however, seemed to come to a halt a few years later when he entered university to pursue studies in law. But Asuquo soon realized that he had to follow his musical passion, leaving university to embark on a path that, for a young blind musician in Nigeria, was far from easy to tread. "(I had to) sleep on studio floors all across Lagos, worked at different studios, worked without pay, I've been out on the road, out on the streets, doing my thing," Asuquo recalls. "I had to convince people that I could do it -- I had sessions that were canceled because they weren't sure I could deliver either because they thought I was too young or maybe as a blind person, 'how do we trust our music which is our future and investment?'" he adds. But it didn't take long for Asuquo to prove himself as his musical talent soon began to shine. Over the next few years he went on to work closely with internationally-renowned artists such as pop sensation Asa and R&B star Darey and today he is a much-in demand producer operating from his own studio. Meet Asa, African pop legend in the making . He is also a judge on Nigeria's "Project Fame," a television musical talent show where he helps young singers achieve their dreams. "It's important for me to mentor and inspire fresh talent, to work with fresh talent," he says. "I feel there is a lot I've learned in my journey as far as music is concerned and I'm in a position to share that knowledge." But Asuquo is not only interested in helping out fledgling music stars. He also sees himself as an ambassador for blind young Nigerians who still face many challenges in their daily lives. "I think it would be meaningless if I can achieve as much as I can achieve and as much as I hope to achieve and I'm not able to affect other blind people," he says. "It is time to bring to the fore the needs of people with special needs and just how much they can contribute to growing Nigeria as a nation and the world." Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report. | Cobhams Asuquo is one of Nigeria's leading music producers, song-writers and musicians .
The blind music pioneer has won several awards for his work .
He has collaborated with internationally renowned talent such as Asa and Darey . |
18,494 | 3449bce3161e0d18b7b89300477df995315ce019 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:30 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:16 EST, 27 January 2014 . EastEnders is ‘frozen in aspic’ and does not reflect the changing face of East London, the show’s new boss has claimed. The soap, set in Hackney, must take into account the influence of trendy Shoreditch just down the road, said executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who took over in August last year. He said: ‘It should feel more like London. It’s been frozen in aspic for too long.' 'Frozen': EastEnders, set in Hackney, east London, has not changed with the times sufficiently, said its executive producer . Trendy: Now hip Shoreditch in east London will start 'creeping in' to the soap. Pictured is Boxpark, a 'pop-up' mall made of shipping containers which is next to Shoreditch High Street station . Hub: Shoreditch has become a big attraction for young artists and technology firms . The BBC1 soap is undergoing a revamp, including the recruitment of hardman actor Danny Dyer as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, as part of an attempt to reinvigorate the drama following a ratings slump. The BBC recently unveiled plans to build a new Albert Square, which will replicate the original but also be 20 per cent bigger to allow the long-running soap to open up new locations to film in. East London has taken off since EastEnders was first broadcast in 1985. Terraced houses on Fassett Square, the area of Hackney which was used as the original inspiration for Albert Square, now fetch as much as £700,000. Speaking to the Radio Times, Mr Treadwell-Collins said the soap had to keep up with the world around it. Headed to the Square? Shoreditch is often the canvas for vibrant street art . He said: 'Sharon (Letitia Dean) said recently that she's looking to be a landlady and as a result you'll see the edges of Shoreditch creeping into EastEnders. It's got to reflect the modern world.' Shoreditch, a once run-down part of London, is now popular with 'hipsters', art students and technology companies, while even former Prime Minister Tony Blair recently dined out there. Mr Treadwell-Collins, who took over as executive producer in August last year following the departure of Lorraine Newman, also said he wanted to see the soap focus less on action and more on character. In the past 12 months, Coronation Street, which recently beat EastEnders to best soap at the National Television Awards, has featured an inferno at the Rovers Return while Emmerdale had a siege at the Woolpack. But Treadwell-Collins told the magazine: 'EastEnders has got to shake up the audience. We don't want to do cover versions of greatest hits. 'EastEnders has to sing new songs, otherwise it doesn't feel fresh. And it also has to be about people and feelings and emotions. I've never been a fan of blowing things up.' Mr Treadwell-Collins said he was happy to see the return of familiar faces, including Lacey Turner as Stacey Branning, as well as new characters. Revamp: The classic look of EastEnders, left, which first broadcast in 1985, will mingle with the trendier environs of Shoreditch, now a hub for new bars and restaurants, right . 'It's good to have one foot in the past while looking to the future. My idea is to make the show feel fresh with the Carters, but also a bit nostalgic by bringing back characters we love. And there should be more secrets that will make the viewer gasp. 'You want those moments where the audience is thinking, "Oh my God, I didn't know that was going to happen." That used to be what the show did brilliantly and what I really want it to do again.' He said that he had been a 'proper die-hard EastEnders fan', even before he began working on the soap. He told the magazine: 'I remember poring over the map of Albert Square that Radio Times published when the first episode aired. I grew up in Radlett in Hertfordshire, which is about 10 minutes down the road from where EastEnders is filmed in Elstree, and I'd go along to the studio and stick my head through the gates. 'I'd never felt an affinity with Corrie - it's a fantastic show, but it wasn't my thing. I liked EastEnders because it felt dangerous, real and naughty, and also that it was saying something about life,' he said. Shake-up: Recent changes to EastEnders include Danny Dyer, left, joining the show - and scenes where his character Mick Carter accepted the homosexuality of his son, Lee Carter (centre) 'Stalking is a heavy word, but I did once stalk Pam St Clement (who played Pat Butcher) around the Radlett branch of WH Smith,' he said. 'She and I have laughed about it since'. New recruit Dyer has played against type in the soap, with his character embracing his son Johnny (Sam Strike) and telling him he is proud of him for coming out as gay. Changes: Dominic Treadwell-Collins explains the changes to the series in a Radio Times interview . The actor said that it was about time EastEnders featured a good father. 'I don't think EastEnders usually portrays good fathers,' Dyer said. 'They're often quite dysfunctional. I'm one of the first to come in and be a really good parent. I think that's what was needed. Plus they used the perception of what I'm known for and spun it on its head. 'It was a gamble. But I've had letters from young gay men who'd been too scared to come out, but who did so after watching that episode.' Meanwhile, Coronation Street's producer Stuart Blackburn said that he was not resting on his laurels, despite getting plaudits for the way the ITV soap portrayed Hayley Cropper's death. 'I abhor complacency,' he said. 'Hayley's death was pitch perfect. It's the proudest I've ever been. But after it's aired, who gives a toss? 'We have the next 12 months to deal with and it's got to be magnificent. 'If we have a bad six weeks, then it can be six months before we get the audience back. But I've every confidence in my stories.' | Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said the soap was 'frozen'
But now it will begin to take on more modern influences .
He said elements of trendy Shoreditch in East London will 'creep in'
Part of a more general shake-up, which includes recruiting Danny Dyer . |
184,407 | 7ad95cb04284c7c73b243014308cf747d5ee64f8 | U.S. President Barack Obama was personally informed of phone tapping against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may have begun as early as 2002, according to German media. As the damaging espionage scandal widened, Bild am Sonntag newspaper quoted U.S. intelligence sources as saying that National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010. 'Obama did not halt the operation but rather let it continue,' the newspaper quoted a high-ranking NSA official as saying. Scroll down for video . Unhappy: Merkel suggested at an EU gathering that she was not placated by talks with President Obama . News weekly Der Spiegel reported that leaked NSA documents showed that Merkel's phone had appeared on a list of spying targets since 2002, and was still under surveillance weeks before Obama visited Berlin in June. As a sense of betrayal spread in many world capitals allegedly targeted by the NSA, European leaders are calling for a new deal with Washington on intelligence gathering that would maintain an essential alliance while keeping the fight against terrorism on track. Germany will send its own spy chiefs to Washington soon to demand answers. Meanwhile several thousand protesters gathered in Washington Saturday to push for new U.S. legislation to curb the NSA's activities. Swiss president Ueli Maurer warned that the scandal risked 'undermining confidence between states'. 'We don't know if we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg or if other governments are acting in the same ruthless manner,' he told the Schweiz am Sonntag weekly. Anger: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff (right) have both voiced concerns over the NSA's infiltration of the online communications of foreigners . Merkel confronted Obama with the snooping allegations in a phone call on Wednesday saying that such spying would be a 'breach of trust' between international partners. The suspicion also prompted Berlin to summon the U.S. ambassador - a highly unusual move between the close allies. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported without citing its sources that Obama had told Merkel during their call that he had been unaware of any spying against her. Der Spiegel said he told her that if he had been informed of the operation he would have stopped it at once. Other media reports said that Obama's National Security Advisor Susan Rice had also told German officials the president knew nothing of the spying. Merkel's office declined to comment on what he told her during their conversation. The White House has said it is not . monitoring Merkel's phone calls and will not do so in future, but it has . refused to say whether it did previously. Bild . am Sonntag said that Obama wanted to be informed in detail about . Merkel, who has played a decisive role in the eurozone debt crisis and . is widely seen as Europe's most powerful leader. Demands: Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, . left, speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, yesterday during a . round-table meeting at an European Union summit in Brussels . Under fire: President Barack Obama, standing next to Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the White House yesterday . German Chancellor Angela Merkel checking her mobile phone in May 2012 . As a result, the report said, the NSA stepped up its surveillance of her communications, targeting not only the mobile phone she uses to conduct business for her conservative Christian Democratic Union party but also her encrypted official device. Merkel only acquired the latter handset over the summer. Bild said U.S. intelligence specialists were then able to monitor the content of her conversations as well as text messages, which Merkel sends by the dozen each day to key associates. Only the specially secured land line in her office was out of the reach of the NSA, which sent the intelligence gathered straight to the White House bypassing the agency's headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, according to the report. Bild and Spiegel described a hive of spy activity on the fourth floor of the US embassy in central Berlin, a stone's throw from the government quarter, from which the United States kept tabs on Merkel and other German officials. Spiegel cited a classified 2010 document indicating that U.S. intelligence had 80 high-tech surveillance offices worldwide in cities including Paris, Madrid, Rome, Prague, Geneva and Frankfurt. If the spying against Merkel began in 2002, it would mean the United States under then president George W. Bush targeted her while she was still the country's chief opposition leader, three years before she became chancellor. Bild said Merkel's predecessor Gerhard Schroeder was also in the NSA's sights because of his vocal opposition to the US invasion of Iraq and close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. As anger simmered in Berlin, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich sharpened his tone. 'Surveillance is a crime and those responsible must be brought to justice,' he told Bild. A poll for the newspaper found that 76 percent of Germans believe Obama should apologise for the alleged spying on Merkel, and 60 percent said the scandal had damaged German-U.S. ties. The scandal derived from documents acquired from U.S. fugitive defence contractor Edward Snowden by Spiegel. The Social Democrats' chief whip Thomas Oppermann told Bild that German MPs would now like to question Snowden. 'Snowden's accounts seem credible while the U.S. government apparently lied to us about this matter.' | Obama was personally informed the U.S. was monitoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel, German media reports .
He was allegedly briefed by National Security Agency chief in 2010 .
Obama let the operation continue .
Earlier this week, Obama said he didn't know about phone tapping .
German intelligence officials will visit Washington, Foreign Ministry spokesman says .
Merkel says allegations have shattered trust in Obama administration .
Top German government official to hold crunch talks with U.S. counterparts . |
276,163 | f1cdf6a346c9573d562cbead5fbb27b22b3fc60c | As a multi award-winning chef, bestselling author, TV channel proprietor and hugely successful syndicated show host, Sanjeev Kapoor is arguably the world's most revered exponent of Indian cuisine. For the past 18 years he has concocted a handful of new recipes every week as the host of "Khana Khazana," said to be India's most watched, and Asia's longest-running, cookery program. As if that weren't impressive enough, Kapoor has penned 36 cookbooks, while his website consistently attracts a hungry audience of 25 million users a month. Suffice to say, the man has a distinguished rep in the venerable tradition of Indian cuisine. But the myriad blend of spices and stimulation of the senses that characterize his country's culinary heritage couldn't be more at odds with the restrained subtlety that dominates contemporary cooking in northern Europe. So it is perhaps testament to Kapoor's desire for a challenge that he chose Copenhagen, Denmark, as the location for his "Fusion Journey." See more Fusion Journeys . Here he would meet with, and learn from, Rene Redzepi, head chef and proprietor of Noma, the two Michelin-star restaurant ranked best in the world by Restaurant magazine, where fresh ingredients and simplicity reign supreme. His mission was to synthesize the two divergent culinary traditions, and ultimately combine them into a completely original dish of his own. In his own words, Kapoor looks back over his Fusion Journey. Sanjeev Kapoor: When you've been in the profession for as long as I have, it's imperative to keep making new discoveries, to go beyond your particular area of expertise. And the best way to do that is to travel. So I couldn't resist the chance to fly to Copenhagen. With its Scandinavian climate and classic European architecture, it's a world away from Mumbai -- and the style of our cuisines are just as contrasting. The challenge is that from an Indian perspective taste is paramount. Our savory dishes are more salty, our hot dishes are more hot, our sweet dishes are more sweet, our sour things are more sour. This is all because the use and blend of spices is very bold -- the objective is to embellish and we often have 15 to 20 contrasting herbs and spices in a single dish. But Rene and his Nordic cuisine is all about simplicity. It's all about passion and appreciation for the ingredients themselves. This philosophy was immediately apparent as soon as we journeyed out to the farms around Copenhagen, where Rene buys most of his food directly. This emphasis on sourcing fresh ingredients, having a relationship with the producers, knowing the history of the food, is something I admire and relate to -- but not something that I'm able to practice very often in my country. It's an irony that the act of going to back to nature, as it were, is something that is so easy to do in India, and yet we have been going in the opposite direction. Unlike a lot of the industrialized West, we're generally much closer to our environment, but we don't focus on it. Instead, it is all becoming very commercial in nature. The food deliveries arrive at your kitchen and you won't know where it's come from, how far its traveled, who the supplier is, what relationship they have with the grower and so on. This is a shame because you can't then guarantee the quality of the product and, on top of that, you lose the emotional connection to the food ... it becomes more like a commodity. See also: Ballet star takes inspiration from Chinese dance . Watching Rene work at Noma was a fascinating experience. He has so much reverence for the food and tries to keep the natural essence of his ingredients intact. So for instance, a simple carrot might be slow-roasted for hours, allowing it to soak in its own juices -- really bringing out its essential flavor. In India, we're quick and explosive in the kitchen -- we'd rarely cook a vegetable for longer than 15 minutes -- and the culture is about pleasing every taste sense on just one spoon, adding layers of flavor so that they all blend together. But then, of course, the individual ingredients are somewhat hidden. So, how to bring these two very different styles together in one dish? I took the best of both. While Rene and I had been foraging, I'd come across some wonderfully fresh and fragrant mustard leaves. It's not too sharp yet it's pungent and very mustardy ... something that I have grown up with as it's very popular in traditional North Indian cooking. I decided to blend this beautiful Norwegian salmon -- coating it with the mustard leaves and some lime, a little seasoning and let it cook gently. The result was a dish that had a distinctive Indian aroma, but with more of a Nordic approach to the style and philosophy of preparation. The respect for the ingredient -- focusing on Mother Nature, one leaf to the next -- has enabled me to return home with a new appreciation for what Indian cuisine still has to offer. | Celebrity Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor travels to Copenhagen to create fusion of culinary styles .
Kapoor teams up with Danish chef Rene Redzepi, owner of two Michelin starred "Noma"
Kapoor is inspired by Nordic emphasis on fresh, locally sourced food and simplicity of flavors . |
104,958 | 1364c717900d281c4bc3e4ee1eaf3cc34c8b4638 | In 2012 the American people sent a message. They elected more women than ever to Congress, shattering glass ceilings across the nation and making it clear that this is a country that is ready for women's leadership. It's happening because voters know female leaders have the right priorities. They've fought for policies like the Violence Against Women Act and equal pay for equal work. Female leaders are the reason we have laws that ended gender discrimination in education. But even though we know women's leadership has helped create so much progress, there is still a "men only" sign on the door to the Oval Office. Across the country, Americans know it's time to change that. It's time to capitalize on the demand for women's leadership, harness the energy and ignite a movement that will put a woman in the White House. 2016 poll: If Clinton doesn't run, then who? Today, EMILY's List is launching a campaign to make that a reality. Our community of 2 million women and men across the country has worked to elect women to offices up and down the ballot. In my personal journey, I know how difficult it is to put women in leadership roles. The first campaign I managed was my own. I ran many times and lost many times when I ran for class president in my high school. In my junior year, I decided that I should run for student body president, because it wasn't just my class voting but the entire school. I put together a campaign plan that targeted only the freshmen and sophomore votes. I even got the younger sister of my opponent to join my campaign. I won. In the process, I learned my first campaign lesson: Never underestimate the power of women. There's a sister, and there's sisterhood. Now, I get to see that sisterhood at work every day. In the past 28 years EMILY's List has become the nation's largest resource for women in politics, and in that time we've done extensive research on women's leadership and women's priorities. Our most recent polling, conducted on likely 2016 voters in battleground states, proves without a doubt that the American people are ready for a female chief executive. Ninety percent of the people we polled say they would vote for a woman for president and 75% say a female president would be a good thing for the country. Of those surveyed, more thought a female president than a male president would be likely to put families ahead of politics and end partisan bickering. That's something we've known about women since we started helping them run for office in the 1980s. Kissinger gives a bit of a wink to idea of Clinton in 2016 . These female leaders have fought -- and fought hard -- to take a place at the table and make laws that improve the lives of American women and families. The results are undeniable. Because of this we know, our community knows, and countless Americans across the country know, that now is the time for a woman to be at the head of the table. So who will it be? There's one name on all our minds: Hillary Clinton. Voters across the country are excited about her possible run. But if she decides not to run, we still have a deep bench of incredible female leaders to choose from. From Cabinet secretaries and senators to the many female governors we'll have after 2014; there are numerous women who are ready to take on the challenge of leading our nation. Long after we've elected the first female president, we're going to keep electing even more American women, building a pipeline of state legislators and members of Congress, mayors and governors and senators, who will work their way up the ranks and be the second and 10th female presidents. We are standing on the edge of history. We are standing on the shoulders of the senators and suffragettes, civil rights activists and founding mothers, who have been the backbone of this great country. It's time for us to take the next step and make electing a female president part of our national story. When a woman runs for president, she will hear this one thing loud and clear from millions of women and men: We stand with you -- and we believe you can win. America is ready to elect its first Madam President. | Stephanie Schriock: In 2012, voters elected more women to Congress than ever before .
Schriock: Despite progress, there is still a "men only" sign on the door to the Oval Office .
She says EMILY's List is launching a campaign to put a woman in the White House .
Schriock: If Hillary Clinton decides not to run, we still many women leaders to choose from . |
58,069 | a49a9cfc502f2664d7a82cb84bcf6562e0e9feab | (CNN) -- Forty-four years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down on the balcony of a Memphis hotel, the Tennessee city is overcoming what some call protracted guilt and embarrassment, and naming a street in his honor. A nearly 1-mile stretch of Linden Avenue will be renamed Dr. M.L. King Jr. Avenue on April 4, the anniversary of the civil rights leader's assassination. The honor has been a long time coming. More than 900 U.S. cities have streets named after King. The largest concentration is in the South, led by Georgia which, according to an article by Derek H. Alderman of East Carolina University in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, has more than 70 roads named after the Atlanta native, . But in the city where he died, the omission has been, to many, glaring. "We never wanted to address losing Dr. King's life here," said former Memphis City Councilman Berlin Boyd, who helped lead the street-naming effort. Born and raised in Memphis, Boyd, 34, said he always wondered why there was no official street tribute for King. During his brief five-month term in a vacated council seat -- from August to January -- Boyd decided to get the ball rolling. "I had the opportunity to do something, and we got it done," Boyd said. The east-west Linden Avenue, while less famous than Beale Street with its many blues clubs and restaurants just a block north, was selected because that was where King marched in support of striking sanitation workers. The avenue also was a pivotal location during the strike. A photo shows the civil rights leader on Linden, Boyd said. The council proposal was approved earlier this year by a land-use control board. "He marched along this street; we wanted something that had a real nexus to this city," said Mayor A.C. Wharton. One of Dr. King's associates during the 1968 sanitation workers' march was the Rev. James Netters, a former city council member. Netters advocated for an intersection in honor of King in the early 1970s; The council decided to rename a portion of Interstate 240 as a substitute, he said. "Naming Linden is better than nothing," Netters said. The downtown thoroughfare is close to the historic Clayborn-Ball Temple, a focal point for many meetings of the sanitation strikers. King was scheduled to speak there on April 3, 1968, but, because of a large crowd, the rally was moved to Mason Temple. It was there that he delivered his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address. Linden Avenue is a busy downtown thoroughfare and is on one side of FedExForum, home of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. The area around the street is undergoing a significant transformation, Wharton said. "This is the right time" to rename the street, the mayor said. Demolition of a public housing project is making way for a mixed-use development, and other projects will change the landscape. Long-term plans include naming up to 5 miles of Linden Avenue for King. King was killed April 4, 1968, by James Earl Ray. The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel where he was killed, will sponsor a commemoration on the anniversary date. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was with King at the Lorraine, said the assassination left Memphis with a deep sense of pain and guilt. He contends the city could "do more to memorialize Dr. King's legacy." For the city, the street naming is a large symbolic step in honoring King. "There is no way we could do enough for him ... that would measure up to what he gave up the United States of America," Wharton said. | A 1-mile stretch of Linden Avenue will be named after the civil rights leader .
Ceremony will take place on April 4, the 44th anniversary of King's death .
It was on this street that King led a march in support of striking sanitation workers .
"We wanted something that had a real nexus to this city," says Mayor A.C. Wharton . |
204,588 | 94dd2c701e13e42322c0b2751b2ea7c5878c52b3 | Hull City manager Steve Bruce is excited by new signing Hatem Ben Arfa, and is confident he can get the best out of the mercurial French winger. Bruce brought in the playmaker on a loan deal from Newcastle on transfer deadline day after Ben Arfa fell out with the club's manager Alan Pardew and was sent to train with their youth and reserve team players. The Frenchman is short of match fitness, and is unlikely to feature in Hull's clash against West Ham on Monday, but the Tigers' manager Bruce has vowed to get the best out of the inconsistent midfielder. Hatem Ben Arfa signed for Hull City on loan from Newcastle after falling out with Magpies boss Alan Pardew . Hull City manager Steve Bruce (right) insists Hatem Ben Arfa will be a success at Hull City . Bruce told Sky Sports: 'I don't think he's fit enough to go straight in at the start because he hasn't played 90 minutes for I don't know how long. 'But that's what you get when you've been ostracised, having to work with the Under 21s. 'He's going to have a big part to play here because he gives us the flexibility to play whatever formation we like. 'All I want him to do is go out there and enjoy playing again, feel wanted, be part of the club and be appreciated.' Sportsmail understands meanwhile that Bruce is keen on leaving Hull to become the Newcastle manager, if, as expected, current boss Alan Pardew is sacked. French winger Ben Arfa was at Newcastle between 2010 and 2014, and scored a number of memorable goals . | Hull City manager Steve Bruce is excited by loan signing Hatem Ben Arfa .
Ben Arfa joined from Newcastle until the end of the season on transfer deadline day .
The Frenchman fell out with Magpies boss Alan Pardew and was made to train with the youth and reserve teams .
The winger is unlikely to be fit for Monday's match against West Ham .
Bruce could take over as Newcastle manager if Pardew is sacked . |
265,098 | e357c62ecd41c5e9ed5cce05246a692f4aece817 | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 06:08 EST, 30 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:12 EST, 30 November 2012 . A pair of Muslim NFL stars have sacrificed their million-dollar paychecks and quit their top-flight American football teams - to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Brothers Hamza and Husain Abdullah are at the peak of their careers, playing every week in front of tens of thousands of cheering fans at the heart of two of America's top gridiron teams. But in June this year, the pair broke the news to their respective coaches that they would not be available to play in the 2012 NFL season because they were taking their ailing parents on a 7,000-mile 'road trip' to Islam's spiritual heartland. Lifelong Muslims Hamza, 29, a first-team starter for the . Arizona Cardinals and Husain, 27, of the Minnesota Vikings, have enjoyed . highly successful careers in American football, climbing the ranks from . little leagues, to high school and college football to the NFL. Faith: Hamza Abdullah (left), 29, left the Arizona Cardinals while his brother Husain (right), 27, quit the Minnesota Vikings to make the trip to Islam's religious heartland in October . High flyers: Hamza (left) and Husain (right) both earn around a million dollars a year as NFL players . But in a country so polarised by perceptions of faith, both say they have experienced Islamophobic abuse on and off the field. Far from accept it as an inescapable byproduct of multiculturalism, however, it inspired them to use their high-profile status to educate fellow Americans in a bid to nurture a better understanding of their faith. 'You . know,' Hamza told NBC News. 'We're playing football, America's number one game. We went on a road trip. What's more American than a road trip?' Born and bred in tough South Central Los Angeles, the brothers say no amount of success . could satisfy their aching desire to honour the most demanding of the . five pillars of Islam - The Hajj. On the flight: They swapped their gridirons for 'ihrams' as they made the 7,000-mile journey . Loyal: Brothers Hamza (far left) and Husain (far right) Abdullah took their ailing parents on the 7,000-mile trip to Islam's religious heartland in October after telling their coaches they would not be available to play in the 2012 NFL season . In the crowds: The brothers swapped their on-field body armour for traditional Islamic clothing designed to make it impossible to tell who is rich and who is poor . It . is a journey all able-bodied Muslims are required to make at least once . in their lifetime and is the largest spiritual pilgrimage in the world. 'We’ve been playing football since we were 8 years old,' Husain told NBC News. 'And although we're knocking down all these barriers, doing things that . people said you can't do, all of a sudden, it was like there's more to . life than this. There's more. And we had to go for it.' The brothers decided to take with . them their mother, a teacher, and ailing father, a former carpenter . whose chronic diabetes leaves him needing daily dialysis treatment. Popular: The brothers in Mecca with a group of Saudi NFL fans . Celebrity: Even in Mecca the borthers were recognised by NFL fans (pictured: Hamza and a young fan) The Kaaba: The Hajj is one of the largest spiritual pilgrimages in the world and is embraced by nearly two million people each year . But before . they embarked on the mission, they spent 30 days . travelling America, having 'Iftar' - the daily Ramadan fast-breaking . meal - at a different mosque each night while giving talks on . fasting and its impact on athletes. The journey that followed was a far cry from the luxury they had become accustomed to as coveted sports stars in their homeland. The Hajj is one of the largest spiritual pilgrimages in the world and is embraced by nearly two million people each year. Many make the journey to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, as it is laid down in the Qu'ran that the journey is a duty that must be carried out at least once by every able bodied Muslim, provided they can afford it. It takes place during the last month of the Islamic year, known as Dhu’l Hijja and once there pilgrims are required to walk seven times around Mecca's most sacred site, the Kaaba, a cuboid shaped building in the centre of the holy city. Although pilgrimages to Mecca are thought to date as far back as 2.000BC, it is believed that the first hajj, in which the prophet Muhammad led his followers from Medina to Mecca, was performed by Muslims alone in the 7th century. Once there Muhammad is said to have cleansed the Kaaba and re-ordained the building as the house of God. From this point the hajj became one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The other four pillars are Shahadah, a statement recited in Arabic, the Salat, five daily prayers, the ritual fasting of the Sawn of Ramadan and the Zakat, a charitable donation. It involved travelling in packed buses . for many hours on end, bustling through vast crowds and sleeping on the . floors of makeshift accomodation erected to help house the two million . pilgrims that visit Mecca every year. First . they traveled by plane to Saudi Arabia then made a series of long-haul . bus journeys - some of which became stuck in traffic jams of up to 12 . hours at a time - before completing their journey on foot. They also swapped their on-field body armour for the requisite 'ihram', a garment of two sheets of white, unhemmed cloth worn by pilgrims to make it impossible to tell who is rich and who is poor. Hamza said the trip shattered any preconceptions he had about negative foreign feeling towards the US. He said the first thing he noticed was 'how much the other Muslims we met love Americans'. He said he was ambushed by a surprising and overwhelming sense of pride at being American. But it has not always been so. Both men have found themselves victims of Islamophobic abuse both on and off the field, especially since 9/11 rocked the nation. But far from roll over and accept the wave of anti-Muslim sentiment that swept the country in the wake of the attack, they saw it as an opportunity to use their status as high-profile sports stars to educate their fellow Americans in a bid to nurture a better understanding of their faith. Hamza said he believes 9/11 was an 'educational opportunity' that 'opened the eyes of a lot of people' and forced many Americans to ask questions about a faith of which many knew next to nothing. He said: '[People] would ask: "Can you guys . kill people?" And I would ask them: "In what book does it say that you . can go and do acts of terrorism?" The Quran doesn’t say that. Islam is a . religion of peace.' Since taking their leave of absence, both brothers are now free agents, with no certainty of a future in the NFL. Indeed, in a country so polarised by . perceptions of faith, would this overt celebration of their religious beliefs . hinder their return to big league American football? They think not. 'A lot of the times [the concept of being Muslim and American] gets lost in translation,' Hamza said. 'Islam is our religion, yes. But . our country is the United States of America.' In action: Hamza (right) tackles Virgil Green of the Denver Broncos in a during the preseason NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in September 2011 . Early years: Hamza (left) and Husain (right) have enjoyed highly successful careers in American football, climbing the ranks from little leagues, to high school and college football to the NFL, but never forgot their roots . Happy family: Hamza and Husain (back center left and right) have ten brothers and sisters. Pictured with their mother and father, centre front . And their former clubs have been encouraging. Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said while 'a lot of things have to fall in place, the door is not closed'. The Hajj is one of the largest spiritual pilgrimages in the world and was embraced by nearly two million people last year alone. Many . make the journey to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, as it is laid down in the . Qu'ran that the journey is a duty that must be carried out at least once . by every able bodied . Muslim, provided they can afford it. It . takes place during the last month of the Islamic year, known as Dhu’l . Hijja and once there pilgrims are required to walk seven times around . Mecca's most sacred site, the Kaaba, a cuboid shaped building in the . centre of the holy city. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy . | Brothers Hamza and Husain Abdullah took the 7,000-mile 'Hajj' in October after telling their coaches they would not be able to play in the 2012 season .
Hamza, 29, was a first-team starter for the .
Arizona Cardinals and Husain, 27, played safety for the Minnesota Vikings until the end of the 2011 season .
They want to use their status as high-profile sports .
stars to educate their fellow Americans in a bid to nurture a better .
understanding of their faith .
Hamza: 'We're playing football, America's number one game. We went on a road trip. What's more American than a road trip?' |
248,990 | ce31e6ef54b647f7311b784d108cd74d7b0ddb09 | (CNN) -- Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has defended his side's decision to wear t-shirts in support of teammate Luis Suarez, despite the striker being found guilty of using racist language by the English Football Association. Suarez was banned for eight matches this week after the FA deemed he had used insulting words to Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, which referenced the color of the Frenchman's skin. However, Suarez denies any wrongdoing and, prior to Wednesday's 0-0 draw at Wigan, his Liverpool teammates backed the Uruguayan international by wearing t-shirts bearing his name. Footballers are TV stars, and should act like it ... This action has prompted criticism on some social media sites, with Dalglish using Friday's press conference for Monday's match against his former club Blackburn to defend his players' actions. "I don't think the players have caused any trouble with the FA by their t-shirts. If we are not in any trouble we will leave it at that before we do get in any trouble." Dalglish added: "Luis has been quite emotional and very grateful for the support. "I don't think it is ever a disappointment when the people you work for give you their undivided support and I think that is the least he deserves." The club are still to decide on a possible appeal against Suarez's ban, with Dalglish continuing: "Most of the people have had their say, we've had our say but we will wait for the judgment and take it from there." Meanwhile, former Manchester United and Aston Villa defender Paul McGrath has criticized Glen Johnson for wearing the t-shirt. Johnson is the only black player in Liverpool's first team squad and McGrath, speaking on radio station talkSPORT, said: "If I was in Glen Johnson's situation, I'd have thrown the shirt to the floor. "If that had been someone in my era, and I'd heard the comments, then I would not wear a t-shirt with his name on it, saying all is well and good here." However, England full-back Johnson hit back at McGrath on his Twitter site, saying: "I will support who i want when i want!!! There are a lot of reasons why I'm standing by Luis Suarez!!!" | Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish defends his players over Luis Suarez t-shirts .
Suarez was handed an eight-game ban for using racist words at Patrice Evra .
Liverpool players showed support for Suarez by wearing t-shirts bearing his name . |
67,048 | be31e7c92b39cad998e92391eb3d009d943cb33e | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lindsay Lohan's judge apparently is so pleased with how well the actress is complying with her probation requirements in the past six weeks that she's giving her more freedom to travel. "Ms. Lohan, you've actually done well and done it not only on time but early," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner said during a five-minute-long hearing Wednesday. Lohan worked 12 days at the county morgue and took part in five psychotherapy sessions over the past month as ordered, Sautner said. "The morgue seems to be pleased, as pleased as a morgue can be," Sautner said. The judge offered an incentive for Lohan to finish her monthly community service work early: She can travel freely around the United States after she completes her required 12 morgue shifts between court dates. If Lohan keeps up her compliance and completes 41 more days at the morgue -- 12 shifts each month -- and four sessions with a psychologist per month, the actress will have her supervised probation eased at the end of March. If she fails, she will serve an additional 270 days behind bars, the judge warned her last month. "This is what we really call putting the keys to the jail in the defendant's hands," Sautner told Lohan. Lohan was found in violation of her probation last month when she admitted that she failed to comply with Sautner's earlier order that she work at a women's shelter. Her punishment -- a 30-day jail sentence -- translated into just a few hours behind bars because of measures to reduce overcrowding in Los Angeles County jails. The atmosphere at Wednesday's status hearing was much lighter than in any previous appearances before Sautner. When Lohan's attorney, Shawn Holley, asked the judge if Lohan was required to be in court January 17 for the next status hearing, Sautner said, "If I say no, she won't complete everything. I'm just saying." The judge's next comment made Lohan lower her face into her hands, laughing. "I think she likes to come here and see me," Sautner said. "I think that's a motivation for her." The judge said Lohan's trip to Hawaii over the past week was approved by her probation officer because of "some confusion" about her travel restrictions. She is permitted to travel outside California only for holidays and work, she said. "She thought your sister's birthday was a holiday and said she could go to Hawaii," Sautner said. "I don't have a problem with it." Lohan missed her flight back home from her Hawaiian vacation Monday, causing her to miss Tuesday's taping of an appearance on "Ellen." The chat with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres was the only planned interview to promote Lohan's nude photo spread published this week in Playboy magazine. The court-ordered community service is part of Lohan's sentence imposed in May when she pleaded guilty to stealing a necklace from a Venice, California, jewelry store. Lohan was already on probation for two drunken driving convictions from 2007. "From what I see of you, you need a structure," Sautner told Lohan last month, instructing her to return to court each month to show she is complying with the schedule. Lohan's legal woes, which began four years ago with two drunken driving arrests, have been compounded by her failure to attend counseling classes and alcohol and drug test failures. Her probation is scheduled to end within a year unless Lohan breaks any laws before then. It has been extended several times because of violations, including the failed alcohol and drug tests. CNN's Jack Hannah contributed to this report. | NEW: Lindsay Lohan has "done well" on probation the past month, the judge says .
NEW: The judge eased Lohan's travel limit once she does 12 shifts at the morgue each month .
NEW: Judge: "The morgue seems to be pleased, as pleased as a morgue can be"
If she stays on track, Lohan's probation will be eased in March, judge says . |
147,824 | 4b25bc9c27e33ee1e68244682bff9c92e1e4ff36 | Forget dating websites or being set up by friends, a woman has revealed she met the love of her life thanks to her Playstation - that was bought for her by her cheating ex. Kelly Murray, 22, from Lochgelly, Fife, was devastated when her long term partner confessed he had been unfaithful so she ended their relationship. In an attempt to win back her forgiveness, he bought her the games console. But while she accepted the gift, Kelly couldn't trust him again and found solace in playing Call of Duty as she adjusted to single life. Love game: Kelly met Paul thanks to playing Call of Duty and they are now engaged with a son . And while the game involving warfare may not sound very romantic, it led Kelly to meet a new man. As her expertise on the game grew, she found herself chatting with other players online including mechanic Paul Abbey, 24, who called her a 'show off' after she thrashed him in one online head-to-head cyber battle. Gift: Kate was given the Playstation by her ex after he cheated on her (posed by model) Kelly explained: 'I was heartbroken when my . long term boyfriend told me he had cheated on me. He moved out taking . his Playstation with him but came round a few days later with a . replacement as a present and asked me to take him back. 'While we had lived together, he had . always been playing the Playstation and it really drove me crazy. 'But . when I started to get into it I realised I was actually quite good. When I got a message from a player calling me a show off it made me . laugh and we started talking.' Kelly and Paul agreed to meet in person in October 2010 and love quickly blossomed between the pair. They were engaged four months later and are now the proud parents of eight-month-old son Owen. 'Everything moved really quickly with Paul and pretty quickly we were moving in together.' Kelly said. 'Then we got engaged and had our little boy Owen. We really couldn't be happier and guess I have the Playstation to thank for that.' Call centre worker Kelly and Paul are now planning to tie the knot next year and hope to include a Playstation theme in their wedding. Not very romantic: Call of Duty is a game of warfare. Kelly met Paul when they linked up to play one another online . Kelly said: 'It really has been such a fairy-tale for us. Maybe because we met in a fantasy world but it became a reality for us. 'We are both really excited about getting married. And you never know, we may just throw a little Playstation tribute in there.' Paul added: 'I did think Kelly was a show off the first time I was playing against her and she won but I'm glad I told her so. Things have worked out great for us and we are both very happy.' | Kelly Murray was devastated when she discovered boyfriend had been unfaithful .
He bought her a Playstation to win her back - she kept the gift but not the man .
She then met Paul Abbey by playing Call of Duty against him online .
Pair are now engaged with a son and hope to include Playstation theme in wedding .
'We met in a fantasy world but it became a reality for us,' Kelly said . |
61,717 | af4bb72af61e20b86f730a0e98482320b282cb83 | Simon Cowell told Lettice that she had both talent and personality . Bizarre, quirky but brilliantly entertaining, Britain's Got Talent has once again proved that no one does eccentricity quite like us. Now, after weeks of mesmerising magicians and dynamic dance troupes, hundreds of contestants have been whittled down to the last 45. So who will pick up the £250,000 prize and perform at the Royal Variety Performance? Weekend meets six of the hopefuls still in with a chance... THE HIPPY VIOLINIST . You can see why posh Lettice Rowbotham, 24, struggled with life in an orchestra. She can't keep still for a second. 'People think I'm drunk most of the time, even when I'm sober,' she says. She won a standing ovation from the judges a few weeks ago when Simon Cowell told her, 'Not only are you brilliant, but you have a fantastic personality as well.' And Lettice says that's driven her on. 'Being on BGT has given me so much encouragement. If I make it to the final I'm going to play my own stuff and really surprise people.' Surrey-born Lettice demanded a violin from her parents at the age of four after seeing buskers playing them and composed her first tune on it in a day. She won a scholarship to the prestigious Purcell School of music but left after a year. 'Musicians are very competitive and focused while I just want to play because I love it,' she says. She moved to Greece to teach windsurfing and spent her winters in Switzerland skiing and playing her violin on the roof of a nightclub, clips of which were posted on YouTube. She claims she isn't after fame and fortune. 'I'm worried about the environment so I'd like to plant a tree for every gig I do,' she says airily. 'And I'd love to encourage kids to leave their laptops alone. Pick up an instrument instead!' THE GYRATING GRANNY . Dancer Paddy Jones, 79, says her life's been a whirlwind since her electrifying audition. In the early moments of her routine she was buzzed by Simon, but by the time her jaw-dropping performance with her Spanish dance partner Nico was over he'd repented, telling her, 'I apologise for buzzing a little early before all the crazy things happened - it went ballistic.' Amanda adored her so much she pressed the golden buzzer, sending her straight through to the semi-finals. 'It's been manic ever since,' says Paddy. 'I could do with putting a bag over my head because so many people are asking for my autograph.' Paddy was a professional dancer until . the age of 22 but gave it up to have a family. She started again a . decade ago after her husband David died of cancer 18 months after they'd . moved to Spain. Nico ran the local dance school and he and Paddy began . performing together. They've . already won one Spanish TV talent show, where she gave the Simon . Cowell-esque judge on that particular panel a piece of her mind. 'He . started having a go at Nico saying, "What do you think you're doing . hauling that old lady around?" So I said, "Your mother would be ashamed . at what you're saying!"' she recalls. 'The . audience went bananas.' She and Nico then decided to audition for BGT . in Britain. Now she's dreaming of performing at the Royal Variety, . especially if the Queen attends. 'I would die happy knowing I'd done . that,' she says with a smile. Paddy Jones, 79, shocked the audience when she performed some very daring dance moves . THE VENTRILOQUIST WITH TOURETTE'S . Sam Jones, 21, admits that ventriloquism is an odd choice of career - but it's the only thing that makes him happy. Sam, who's from Seaford in East Sussex, has suffered from Tourette's syndrome all his life. He's always come out with funny voices, and ventriloquism provides an outlet for them. 'I've always been obsessed with different characters and voices,' he says. 'What I love about ventriloquism is I can combine the two.' He taught himself from a library book when he was six, although as a keen magician too (he auditioned for BGT several years ago doing magic), ventriloquism was only a sideline at first. But it gradually took over and he now has more than 20 puppets, although Baby Leo - with whom he auditioned on last week's show - has become his firm favourite. 'He's loveable but cheeky and mischievous. People seem to connect with him straight away,' says Sam. Sam still shows some signs of Tourette's and hopes that he can help people be more sympathetic towards the condition. 'I was bullied at school and things felt quite tough when I was growing up,' he says. 'But that's over now; I've learned to be proud of my Tourette's. A lot of people with Tourette's control it with creativity; they play the drums or piano. Mine has been through the puppets. You can still see it; my head moves, my eyes blink and I still tend to shout out, but I wouldn't be me without this condition.' REAformed have already earned a place in the semi-final after Alesha pressed her golden buzzer during their performance . THE GLAMOUR GIRL GROUP . Girlie trio REAformed - Alexis Economou, 21, Renetta Eagle, 19, and Ebony Cantwell, 16 - told judge Alesha Dixon, who used to be in girl group Mis-Teeq, she was their inspiration at their audition. Alesha reciprocated by pressing the golden buzzer. And now they're starting to think they have what it takes to be successful. They've already had unwanted exposure when it was revealed that Alexis, from Pimlico in south-west London, was once caught smuggling drugs to a boyfriend in jail. 'That was a mistake I'm going to regret for the rest of my life,' she says. 'I know people will judge me by it but I hope they can forgive me.' All three of them come from single-parent homes and have been singing all their lives. Renetta and Ebony, who are both from Oxford, met on the local talent competition circuit. They were introduced to Alexis, who was desperate to get into a girl band, by her cousin and instantly hit it off. 'We've been together for six months now and we couldn't have asked for a better start,' says Renetta. At their audition, Simon told them to work on their harmonies if they wanted to live up to the potential Alesha saw in them. 'We've been practising like mad,' says Renetta. 'This is important for us; we want to be the next Destiny's Child.' Patsy won the audience (and Ant and Dec) over with her quick wit . THE BLUE-SKINNED DIVA . Fuzzy, pink-haired New Yorker Patsy May doesn't like to reveal her age. However, her friend (and, it has to be said, the woman behind her success) Laura Bacon from Cambridge reveals Patsy is 34. How would Patsy describe herself? 'My style is influenced by the Muppets but I'm not affiliated to them.' Simon was so impressed with her audition he said he could see her in Amanda's chair on the judging panel next year, but like many in showbusiness she's an odd mixture of supreme confidence and crippling insecurity. The latter comes out when she wonders aloud whether she's in the show 'because I'm a token blue; I hope they haven't put me through just be-cause of my colour.' Although Patsy is a talented singer she'd quite like to find fame and fortune the easy way; by marrying into it. 'My favourite type of men are celebrities with money,' she trills. 'And they seem to like me. Did you see me on This Morning with Phillip Schofield? He went all shaky and stuttery.' She doesn't have a favourite male celebrity in mind but reveals she's already planning to drop Ant and Dec (or Anton Dec as she insists on calling them) from her act after they performed with her at her audition. 'I love them so much,' she gushes. 'But I'm going to have to move on. I hope performing with me gave their careers a much-needed boost, though.' James Smith, 15, ticked all of Simon Cowell's boxes . THE PINT-SIZED CROONER . Cute-as-a-cupcake with dimply cheeks and boyband hair, 15-year-old James Smith from Upminster in Essex surely ticks all the boxes for Simon Cowell. He sat his first GCSE the day before we meet yet he earned a standing ovation from both the audience and judges at his audition with his unbelievable rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good. Today he's hoping he not only does well in his exams, but can make the Britain's Got Talent final too. 'I believe I've got the potential to win it... maybe,' he says. 'The thing I'm most worried about is what Simon will say. He's the one I want to impress most. He knows everything and if he doesn't like me, I think I might just give it up.' Despite the reception he got at his audition his parents are determined to keep his feet on the ground. 'After I was on TV that first time my phone didn't stop ringing and I was looking at it constantly, so my mum took it away and told me it was all going to my head,' he shrugs. 'They're also making me work really hard on my GCSEs. If the music doesn't work out I need to be prepared to work in a bank or something boring.' With 30,000 new followers on Twitter and a school full of girls suddenly going giggly when they see him, that's looking highly unlikely. Britain's Got Talent semi-finals start Monday night at 7.30pm on ITV. | With the semi-finals round the corner, we look at BGT's oddest acts .
From a gyrating granny to blue puppet this year offers some crazy acts .
Semi-finals start on Monday at 7:30pm on ITV1 . |
166,829 | 63ba6702555b9bfd51b27fa8874d26f4dbd911a7 | Kei Nishikori blew men’s tennis off its axis on Saturday night when he caused a sensational upset to overcome Novak Djokovic and reach the US Open final. The 24-year-old, from Japan, braved fierce heat and humidity to beat the world No 1 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 in two hours 52 minutes and become the first male from his country to reach a Grand Slam in the modern era. He was left awaiting the winner of the second semi-final between Roger Federer and No 14 seed Marin Cilic, for whom the stakes were substantially raised. VIDEO Scroll down to see Nishikori despatch Federer earlier this year . History maker: Kei Nishikori celebrates beating world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-final . Special Kei: Nishikori's 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win makes him the first Asian Grand Slam finalist . Relief: After his previous two matches lasted a total eight and a half hours, four sets was quick work . Nishikori, who has had 14 retirements in his career and been frequently been held back by injuries or a lack of stamina, handled the brutal conditions better than the Wimbledon champion, who for once was outlasted. It was a brilliant display from the No 10 seed, whose nerve occasionally failed him but who held out to pull off a seismic result against the strong favourite for the title, who defeated Andy Murray in the previous round. ‘It’s an amazing feeling, I’m so happy,’ said an ecstatic Nishikori afterwards. ‘I hope I can recover for the final. He started to play better in the second set. I hope it’s big news in Japan. I feel the support from there. It’s four in the morning there but I hope they’ve been watching.’ Trained at the Nick Bollettieri IMG academy in Florida from the age of 11, Nishikori’s experience of the fierce American summer heat came into its own as he refused to flag against Djokovic, who suffered in the furnace that the Arthur Ashe Stadium became. Pushed: Novak Djokovic stretches for a backhand against Kei Nishikori in their US Open semi-final . Underdog: Nishikori shocked the world No 1 in their meeting in New York . His coach Michael Chang seemed more animated than he ever was as a player as he watched from the bench, urging on his young charge, who lost in the first round of this event last year to British outsider Dan Evans. Nishikori showed his potential earlier this year when he should have beaten Rafael Nadal on clay in Madrid before seizing up with cramp, but this did not happen when in sight of the biggest win of his career. His backhand was especially punishing as he took the first set, only for normal service seemingly to be resumed when Djokovic bounced back in the second by making him run all over the place. The Japanese failed to serve out the third set at 5-4 and it seemed his chance might have been blown, especially as he conceded the break back with a double fault. Frustration: Serbian Djokovic remonstrates with the umpire as he is shocked by the world No 11 . Helpless: Djokovic was formidable in the second set but Nishikori was otherwise in control . Yet in the tie-break, in which both players were extremely nervous and double faulted once each, it was his mental strength that just about held out and he took it 7-4 — crucial, given the expectation that he might fade towards the end of the match. That did not happen and it was Djokovic who became more erratic in the heat of the afternoon, going down an early break in the fourth and never threatening to get it back against an opponent who, while not physically imposing, is a terrific mover around the court. Nishikori got safely to 5-3 in the fourth and then broke once more for good measure when Djokovic drove a final forehand long. Gracious: Djokovic congratulates Nishikori after he is bundled out of the US Open . Run over: Djokovic was attempting to make his fifth consecutive US Open final . | Kei Nishikori beat Novak Djokovic in four sets in the US Open semi-final .
Japan's Nishikori beat Serbia's Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 .
Nishikori is the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final .
His previous two matches lasted a total of eight and a half hours .
Djokovic was playing to make his fifth consecutive US Open final . |
280,999 | f80332c6dd5f14cb4e636f38f19adbf4a6912314 | It is the bane of many an enthusiastic foodie's life - the lingering smell and teary process of chopping onions. But supermarket giant Asda might have found the solution. The chain has unveiled what it describes as the UK's first sweet red onion, promising to rid shoppers of tears and bad breath after eating. Asda has unveiled what it describes as the UK's first sweet red onion, promising to rid shoppers of tears and bad breath after eating . The Asda Sweet Red has 'lower pungency levels', meaning the flavour is less overpowering, fewer tears are shed when chopping and the odour will not linger on the breath as long as a regular onion. The new bulb is said to boast a milder, juicier and crunchier flavour and texture than regular red onions. In an initiative spanning more than 20 years, farmer Alastair Findlay of Bedfordshire Growers personally tasted and evaluated some 400 to 500 bulbs per season to cultivate the new product. More than 40 tonnes of Sweet Reds are hitting selected Asda stores this weekend priced at £1. The new bulb is said to boast a milder, juicier and crunchier flavour and texture than regular red onions . Andy Wareham, vegetable buyer at Asda, said: 'We're incredibly proud to have worked and supported Alastair on his journey. 'Introducing the UK's very first sweet red onion is a fantastic achievement and like the USA, the UK has a sweeter palate than most so will appreciate the same tangy flavour, without the strong acidity of some onions. 'It's funny to think that prior to the 1990s, there were no red onions grown within the UK, however, due to the popularity and versatility of the variety, they now account for 20% of the total onions sold within the UK.' | Asda has unveiled what it describes as the UK's first sweet red onion .
It promises to rid shoppers of tears and bad breath after eating .
Asda Sweet Red has 'lower pungency levels', and flavour isn't as strong .
The odour will also not linger on the breath as long as a regular onion . |
218,953 | a763ea97ed8c697181f14d35c2cfe12b34cd085c | (CNN) -- NASCAR has a new king. It's not enough that the Daytona 500 champion turned 20 years old the day before the race, making him the youngest driver ever to win; he is also the first rookie ever to win it. "I never thought in a million years we were gonna win our first one," Trevor Bayne told CNN Monday morning, "it's incredible." Bayne wasn't the only one who didn't think he would win. He came into the race a complete underdog, according to some NASCAR writers, and even into the last lap, it was anyone's guess who would take the checkered flag. Read about Trevor Bayne's race for faith . Bayne said that after he saw the white flag signaling the final lap, "I thought we were in the worst position possible." Less than a minute later, he got an unobstructed view of the checkered flag, and "there was a collective gasp at the track," said motorsports writer Jeff Gluck. "It was probably the most memorable race I've ever been to," said Gluck, who is starting his eighth season covering NASCAR. Bayne, less than a full day into his historic win in NASCAR's most prestigious race, has been thrust into sudden fame. "It hasn't sunk in to me yet just how big a deal this is," said the Knoxville, Tennessee, native. "This is just, ah, incredible." Sunday's race provided a record-setting start for NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup series, and a fresh new face for fans. "It's great for the sport," Gluck says, "fans have been clamoring for a new personality." "Nobody doesn't like him," Gluck said of Bayne. "He's someone everyone can get behind." "I can't thank everybody enough," Bayne said. In only his second Sprint Cup race, the young driver spoke reverently of veteran drivers on the track who "took that leap of faith seeing our yellow rookie stripes on the back bumper, and still worked with us anyway." "Those guys are the ones that laid the foundation." Bayne said he almost felt bad about his win because he was "coming in and spoiling the fun for everybody." Bayne, who is not yet 21 and can't drink alcohol, had to have a different celebratory drink. "I think they had Gatorade instead of whatever else they use in the victory lanes," he said. Gluck said Bayne is outspoken about his faith. He is also active in Back2Back Ministries, a Christian organization that works with orphaned children and needy people in Mexico, Nigeria and India. Bayne's car was inducted into the Daytona 500 Museum Monday morning, where it will remain until next year's winning car claims the spot. According to Gluck, drivers divided up a purse worth $18.7 million, with Bayne's team, the Wood Brothers racing, taking in $1.4 million. He said Bayne is expected to get about one-third of that. | Trevor Bayne "never thought in a million years" he'd win his first time out at Daytona .
He becomes the first rookie ever to win NASCAR's most prestigious race .
"There was a collective gasp" as the race ended, motorsports writer says .
Bayne is considered a "fresh new face'" for NASCAR fans . |
221,882 | ab344905b8008392f6f1f61c132a7a92e7ab7517 | By . Robert Verkaik . PUBLISHED: . 16:21 EST, 18 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:07 EST, 18 May 2013 . Calling for reform: Chief Constable Andy Trotter . Suspects are being ‘left dangling’ on police bail for too long, according to one of Britain’s most senior police officers. Andy Trotter, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, has joined calls for limits on the length of time people are left on bail before they are charged or released. The move follows a spate of high-profile cases in which suspects have had their lives disrupted for up to two years during criminal investigations. Mr Trotter, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ spokesman on media issues, told The Mail on Sunday that he wanted a review of procedure. ‘I don’t think anyone can be happy with very long bail. ‘In the past police have released people without bail and that hasn’t stopped us continuing the investigation, particularly if they are unlikely to abscond. 'We have re-arrested them at a later stage when we have had sufficient evidence. That way, they are not left dangling.’ There is no limit on how long police can keep people on bail. Sometimes there are stringent conditions attached, such as residing at a particular address and restrictions on movement. Last night, the civil rights group Liberty joined calls for a review. Its director of policy, Isabella Sankey, said: ‘Bail is a vital tool in the police’s armoury. But with no time limit, lives are put on hold and days disrupted by burdensome bail conditions with no end in sight. ‘A six-month statutory backstop would encourage swift and efficient investigation – and end the uncertainty and fear of having the threat of prosecution hanging over your head indefinitely.’Mr Trotter said his ‘gut reaction’ was that six months would be a suitable time limit. In one of the most high-profile cases, Neil Wallis, the former executive editor of the News of the World who was arrested on suspicion of phone-hacking in 2011, said his life was almost destroyed by the experience of being held on police bail for nearly two years, before being told he would not face any charge. High profile complaint: Neil Wallis, former executive editor of the News of the World, said his life was almost destroyed by being held on police bail for nearly two years . His solicitor, Phil Smith, said Mr Wallis was one of several clients who had been on bail that lasted more than a year. Mr Smith said the overuse of police bail was indicative of ‘lazy’ officers who made arrests before they had properly gathered the evidence. He added: ‘These are not terrorist-type scenarios where you might need to keep people on protracted police bail. It ruins people’s lives and smacks of police inefficiency.’ More than 100 people remain on bail in operations linked to phone-hacking and corruption, many for more than a year. Professor Ed Cape, from the University of the West of England, who is an expert on the subject, said it had become ‘an increasingly oppressive, undocumented and unaccountable power by which the police can restrict the liberties of thousands of innocent people every year’. Statutory backstop: Critics of limitless bail complain that lives are put on hold with no end in sight . He added: ‘The use of police bail powers is in need of urgent reform.’ Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said: ‘It should concern anyone who believes in the rule of law that tens of thousands of people each year are held, sometimes for months on end, in the legal no man’s land of police bail. At the very least its use should be properly recorded and monitored so the police can be held properly to account.’ A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We continue to keep police bail provisions under review to ensure they strike the right balance between protecting an individual’s right to civil liberty and allowing police to carry out thorough criminal investigations.’ By Ken MacDonald, Former Director of Public Prosecutions . Concern: Kenneth Macdonald QC, former Director of Public Prosecutions, should not conduct arrests in secret . Secrecy is one of the greatest curses to afflict British public life. It resides in the belief that some people (those in power) deserve to have information that others (the rest of us) do not. Apparently, we’re not to be trusted, or the world is too complicated for us to understand, or important people in power will be too scared to tell the truth to each other if the rest of us might be listening. But this travesty of public values has brought us nothing but disguised incompetence, national ignorance and undiscovered sleaze. Secrecy has afforded few of the benefits that its addicts-in-power claim it will bestow, and the time for the rest of us to put up with being patronised has long since passed. Sometimes secrets can be important. Nations are complex and they need protecting in a dangerous world. We understand that some things have to be hidden from view, where that is genuinely necessary, to protect the vulnerable or to defend our country in dangerous times. Some secrets may be necessary for our own good, but a culture that celebrates concealment is not. And, increasingly it seems, Britain is returning to a late and unlamented past where hiddenness is a way of life. Naturally we are not alone in our addiction to censorship. Indeed the level of public information available in some European countries makes Britain look like a beacon of free speech and democracy. Brussels, in particular, is notoriously furtive and closed, and it has been that way for 60 or more years. The opacity of the institutions of the European Union, and the unaccountability of its bureaucrats and its powerless parliament, are a disgrace that breeds no confidence in the laws and regulations that rain down upon us from across the Channel. It is precisely this lack of transparency, this strange unknowability, which leads so many people in this country to distrust, even to despise an EU whose birth and purpose were and should remain so noble. Why, they think, should we pledge allegiance to a super-nation that won’t share? And this is the problem with secrecy: it is tight-fisted. It allows no scrutiny, no accountability and, in the end, no justice or fairness – because justice, fairness and secrecy cannot co-exist. They are always in conflict. This is why a deficit in transparency, the sense that things are hidden from the public gaze, brings a collapse in public confidence. People, rightly, don’t trust what isn’t explained and they don’t believe in things that hide away. Why should they? You might think that the British police, above all, would understand this – particularly in a society where, traditionally, they have worked by consent rather than by brute force, and taken care to keep the peace alongside citizens rather than in ugly confrontation against them. But disappointingly, they don’t seem to get it. It is, of course, true that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) doesn’t really represent the police. Instead, it is an unaccountable club of senior policemen who have tended over the years to serve their own interests. But even so, their recent announcement that, when officers make arrests in the future, the identity of their prisoners will be kept secret from the public, is deeply shocking. This new policy is, it seems, a poorly judged over-reaction to perceived media and police excesses in the past and, in particular, to the strictures of the Leveson Inquiry, which focused on the very worst media misconduct in recent years. There are better means of protecting the public from press misconduct than by imposing a suffocating blanket of concealment – and many ways less damaging to the wider public interest. So if ACPO believes the answer to a multitude of problems in criminal justice is more secrecy, they’re asking the wrong question. It seems unlikely that many members of the public believe that policing suffers from an excess of transparency. If there is a problem in the way that the police serve the public, most Britons would probably say the solution is more, rather than less light. For ACPO not to see this is a bad mistake. Arresting someone is a serious business – a famous judge once described it as the beginning of imprisonment. In a free society, empowering men in uniform to restrain otherwise free citizens, to remove them from their homes, to put them in closed and locked cells – these are significant inroads into liberty, conducted solely at the discretion of the police. This serious exercise of state power should not be conducted in secret. The Law Commission, which advises the Government on law reform, believes that there should be a general presumption that the identities of arrested people should be revealed, subject only to necessary exceptions to protect particularly vulnerable people or the progress of particularly sensitive police enquiries. So far the reaction of the Government to ACPO’s foolish proposal has been singularly unimpressive. Perhaps David Cameron and Theresa May might like to suggest to senior officers that, instead of treating the public like children from whom everything must be kept hidden, they should show a little more trust in the people of the country they are sworn to serve. | Chief Constable Andy Trotter has joined calls to limit police bail .
There is currently no limit on how long suspects can be kept on bail . |
150,969 | 4f30fc93a3ed3919173047d97056ae6c713c64ee | By . Simon Tomlinson . PUBLISHED: . 09:39 EST, 6 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:40 EST, 6 April 2012 . A former police officer was left needing plastic surgery after having a chunk of his chin bitten off by an ex-lover. Mother-of-two Tracey Pattison, 38, ripped a chunk of flesh the size of a plum from Michael Pattinson’s face as they struggled on the floor during a drunken late-night row. Mr Pattinson, 41, says he now has vivid nightmares about being savaged by packs of wild animals and flashbacks of her mouth covered in blood. WARNING: Graphic content below . 'Stuff of horror movies': Former police officer Michael Pattinson recovers in hospital (left) and weeks later showing the scars following plastic surgery (right) after having his chin bitten off by his ex-lover . But Pattison walked free from Teesside . Crown Court with a suspended prison sentence after admitting a charge . of unlawful wounding. Judge . Les Spittle told her most people would have expected her to be locked . up, but he described that view as ‘over-simplistic’ in Pattison’s case. The . court heard how the couple met through the internet and their on-off . relationship had been blighted by arguments sparked by family . heartaches. Ripped off chunk of flesh: Tracey Pattison was handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting a charge of unlawful wounding . Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said a baby being stillborn in 2010 and a relative of Mr Pattinson being diagnosed with cancer had caused tension. The couple arranged to meet on August 16 last year after a three-week break, and Pattison travelled to her partner’s home to see him. Mr Pattinson says he asked her to leave following an argument, but she started to punch him and he grabbed her by the top of the arms to restrain her. They struggled and fell to the floor, and as Mr Pattison lay there, he felt what he thought was a head-butt to the chin – until he saw the blood. In an impact statement, Mr Pattinson said: ‘I thought I knew her. I didn’t see it coming. ‘I feel as though there is a horrible dark cloud over my life. Plum-sized wound: Mr Pattinson says he now suffers nightmares about being savaged by a pack of animals . ‘I . have had wild nightmares of being savaged by animals. I have flashing . images of Tracey with my blood around her mouth. It’s the stuff of . horror movies.’ Mr . Pattison, who was an officer with the West Midlands and Durham forces . and now works as a taxi driver, added: ‘I have no confidence in any . relationships. ‘I cannot believe the whole situation . has ended in me being scarred for life. There is no happy ending I can . see. The whole thing freaks me out.’ Pattison, . of Mayfield Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne, had denied wounding with . intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but admitted the lesser offence at . an earlier hearing. She pleaded guilty on the basis that she perceived she needed to defend herself, but accepts what she did was beyond reasonable. Pattison . received a nine month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was . ordered to do 60 hours unpaid work and supervision. | Michael Pattinson, 41, plagued by nightmares after late-night attack .
'I have flashing images of Tracey with my blood around her mouth'
Police officer-turned-taxi driver needed plastic surgery on wound .
She walks free from court after judge takes pity on family heartaches . |
142,751 | 449ed9a9308b651290d4dd03397602a819e80ee6 | BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A 13-year-old Chinese girl tried to commit suicide because she wanted her family to donate her liver to her cancer-stricken father, state media reported Thursday. The girl, Chen Jin, swallowed more than 200 sleeping pills after she discovered a medical note in her mother's purse that said her father was dying of liver cancer and had three months left to live, the news agency Xinhua said. Jin's mother returned home after visiting her husband in the hospital to find the front door locked. The mother climbed in through a back window and found two empty bottles of sleeping pills. "Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you any longer," read a note that the teen had left next to her. "Please give my liver to dad and save him after my death." The incident occurred January 24 in Jiangsu province in east China. The teen was taken to the same hospital as her father, where she remains in intensive care, drifting in and out of consciousness, Xinhua said. Doctors say that even if she pulls through, she will need surgery for burns she suffered from an electric blanket on her bed when she lost consciousness, the China Daily newspaper said. According to Chinese media reports, the family -- whose monthly income is about 1,000 yuan ($146) -- has already spent nearly 100,000 yuan ($14,600) in medical expenses since the father was diagnosed with cancer more than a month ago. The mother, who is also in poor health, retired early more than eight years ago. The woman told China Daily she is now trying to keep her husband from learning of their daughter's desperate act of love. | A 13-year-old Chinese girl tried to commit suicide to save her cancer-stricken father .
Girl swallowed more than 200 sleeping pills when she learned of father's liver cancer .
The teen remains in intensive care, drifting in and out of consciousness . |
230,304 | b63c4ca7880ae5e0f15f8776b75cdb1cba836d12 | New Delhi (CNN) -- The father of the woman whose rape and fatal beating provoked outrage across India and worldwide says his daughter's death "brought an awakening to society." The 23-year-old student, whose name has not been released, died in a Singapore hospital in late December after being assaulted on a New Delhi bus on December 16. The case sparked protests in several Indian cities and led to promises to strengthen laws against sexual assault. Opinion: India's rape problem needs a rewiring of society's attitude . "Society can no longer turn a blind eye to these sorts of incidents, which are happening every day," the woman's father told the British television network ITV. "We have to change ourselves. If there are no changes, then these horrible things won't stop. The public has to wake up now." The victim was a physiotherapy student who was expecting to start a hospital internship this month. Her father said she wanted to be a doctor "right from the start," largely to help her family escape poverty. "Her main aim was that our family would not have to suffer anymore," he said. "She wanted to put the difficult life behind us. Why bow to our poverty? She also wanted to make sure that I didn't have to keep working hard late in life." Five men were charged with murder, rape and kidnapping, and could be sentenced to death if convicted. A juvenile court will take up the matter of determining the age of a sixth suspect, who claims to be 17 and therefore not old enough to be tried as an adult. Read more: Lawyer urges not-guilty pleas in India rape case . The five adults appeared in court Monday, when a New Delhi judge ordered proceedings closed after tempers flared among lawyers inside the packed courtroom. The local bar association last week vowed not to represent any of the suspects because of the nature of the crime they are accused of committing. A male companion who had gone to the movies with the woman survived the attack with a broken leg. He later recounted that the bus driver made lewd remarks about the woman when they boarded, and five other men taunted the couple and locked the doors. Opinion: Indian rape debate: Why death penalty is no solution . Then the attack began, with the driver, wielding an iron bar, taking part, the man told the news agency Agence France-Presse. The badly beaten woman was flown to Singapore for treatment after the attack. Her father told ITV he was "like a bird without wings" as he accompanied his unconscious daughter, but "I used to get filled with some hope." "When I was told that she might not get well and might have to get an operation, I felt uncomfortable. It was difficult for me," he said. "But when she was put on a ventilator, it gave me some hope that she would get better. I thought she might get better and she would live." Read more: New Delhi rape exposes the perils of being a woman in India . In some ways, Indian women have made great strides in the past few decades. Literacy rates have gone up and maternal mortality rates have gone down. Millions of women have joined the workforce, and political leaders like Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi are role models. But the number of reported rapes -- in a country where a cultural stigma keeps many victims from reporting the crime -- has increased drastically, from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures. New Delhi alone had 572 rapes reported in 2011 and more than 600 in 2012. Most women in India have stories of sexual harassment and abuse on public transportation or on the streets, said Seema Sirohi, of the Indian Council on Global Relations. The slain student's father said he hoped any new law inspired by the attack -- or perhaps a hospital -- would bear his daughter's name. "She has brought an awakening to society," he said. CNN Correspondent Sumnima Udas contributed to this report. | The victim of the December New Delhi gang rape and fatal beating was an aspiring doctor .
Her killing has provoked protests in Indian cities and calls for tougher laws .
"Society can no longer turn a blind eye to these sorts of incidents," her father tells ITV . |
79,214 | e0857bfbf88e7718a2a6adba80815c756f180a33 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 05:40 EST, 3 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:48 EST, 3 September 2012 . Shattered dreams: The aspiring model sobbed as she recalled her alleged attack . A teenage girl who dreamed of being a model was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by a photographer who duped her into a photoshoot. The 16-year-old trusted the photographer after posing for him a number of times in Greenwood, Indianapolis. But the photographer - who promised to send off her photos to modelling agencies to help her become famous - gradually persuaded her to start posing in lingerie for racier shoots, she and her mother say. Fox59 news reported . that the girl was given ten vodka shots, then drugged, before the . sexual predator filmed himself sexually assaulting her and then taking . nude photos of her. Medical . tests revealed that she had been drugged with methamphetamine and . opiates and had been sexually abused, the news website reported. Speaking to the news website, the victim sobs: 'It was like I wasn't all there, I was gone and then I was like aware... he was on top of me.' The devastated teenager said that all she had wanted to do was make some money and perhaps be famous. But her mother says the photographer took advantage of her dream by telling her if she posed in her underwear he would send the pictures to lingerie chain Victoria's Secret. Scroll down for video . Devastated: The girl's mother claims her daughter's dream was taken advantage of . Her heartbroken mother wept as she . told Fox59 news that after attending multiple shoots with her daughter, . she trusted the man to let him take her daughter's photo alone in his . studio. But she claims that DNA tests taken from the girl after the night match samples taken from the photographer. She . claimed that the man preys on vulnerable girls who have no father . figure and single mothers struggling to raise their children with no . help. The girl claims she was duped into racy photoshoots before being drugged (photo posed by models) Her mother says her daughter's dreams have been stolen and that she cannot bear the thought of her daughter having to live with memories of the alleged assault. She told Fox59: 'I have to live with the regret that I let her go without me.' Assistant Greenwood Police Chief Matt Fillenwarth told Fox 59 News that detectives are searching the photographer's computer hard drive before they charge him. | Teenager was allegedly given cocktail of drugs and alcohol before being abused .
Mother of aspiring model claims photographer took nude photos of her daughter .
Police investigating photographer's computer, Fox59 news reports . |
273,531 | ee54b0f08c9e313d632a11ae4843f8404717b2f7 | By . Sam Dunn . PUBLISHED: . 19:16 EST, 22 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:37 EST, 23 May 2013 . Consumers are turning away from scandal-ridden banks and opening 1,000 current accounts a day at Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society. More than 365,000 current accounts were set up in the last 12 months – up 58 per cent on the previous year – Nationwide said yesterday, as customers deserted banks over poor service, high fees and mis-selling scandals. To lure bank customers, Nationwide is paying 5 per cent interest on balances up to £2,500 in its FlexDirect current account – more than any ordinary savings account. Consumers are turning away from scandal-ridden banks and opening 1,000 current accounts a day at Nationwide, Britain¿s biggest building society . ‘It’s a tonic to see banks at last being given a real run for their money,’ said Michael Ossei, of price comparison website Uswitch. ‘For too long they’ve been able to sit on their laurels and rely on customers’ deep-seated apathy and reluctance to switch. Now, with growing numbers of rival current account deals on offers, banks are going to have to sit up and raise their game.’ A recent survey by Which? consumer magazine found that more than a quarter of bank customers had had a problem with their current account – and a fifth who had made a complaint said that it had not been dealt with to their satisfaction. A current account war is raging on the high street to try to break the banks’ stranglehold and new rivals are already emerging. For the first time since the demise of Girobank in the 1980s, the Post Office is offering customers current accounts, in a trial expected to go nationwide next year, while Tesco and Virgin Money are poised to launch their own current account deals this year. Last year, M&S launched a £20-a-month bank account designed to appeal to its regular shoppers, with money-off vouchers and discounts. In September, new rules will be introduced which are designed to make it easier for people to move their account to another bank, a move backed by Chancellor George Osborne . Only three in every 100 bank customers a year bother to switch their accounts because many fear that the transfer will go wrong. A recent Office of Fair Trading report found three-quarters of people had never switched banks, and that the vast majority had never even considered it. In September, new rules will be introduced which are designed to make it easier for people to move their account to another bank. It will only take seven days to switch over – instead of the current 18 days – and money that is wrongly sent to the old account will be automatically swept into the new one. This change is set to be backed by a multi-million pound advertising campaign, and is supported by Chancellor George Osborne. Hilary McVitty, of the Building Societies Association, said: ‘Nationwide and others are taking on the banks at their own game. 'There has been a noticeable rise in the number of customers moving to building societies, with some reporting increases of nearly 60 per cent.’ | Nationwide is paying 5% interest on balances up to £2,500 to lure customers .
The FlexDirect account offer is more than any ordinary savings account .
Customers have deserted banks over poor service, high fees and mis-selling . |
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