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195,782 | 8969b5543b2e431ef281501d9ed0094f1d2fe3d8 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 02:31 EST, 15 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:30 EST, 15 October 2013 . Models were given some seriously hair raising dos at the ENIGMA Alternative Hair Show in the Royal Albert Hall yesterday. From gravity-defying constructions to sculpted designs, hair was scraped, backcombed and coiffed into a range of wild forms. However, the wacky styles, which were expertly created by various hairdressers, were all for a good cause. Now that's hair raising! Models are styled by the Dmitry Vinokurov team before performing at the ENIGMA Alternative Hair Show . Roadkill: Models were given a quirky style by the Robert Masciave and team at the Royal Albert Hall . Prestigious: The Alternative Hair Show is one of the world's most prestigious hairdressing events . The Alternative Hair Show is one of . the world's most prestigious hairdressing events, bringing together . international teams of hair artists to showcase groundbreaking hair . styling. The show was . launched 30 years ago by acclaimed hair designer Tony Rizzo to raise . money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research following the death of his . son Valentino. To date, over £9 million has been raised for the charity. The . show promised to deliver a 'charged atmosphere of inspiration and . celebration with imaginative performances and memorable hair artistry' and it didn't disappoint. Charitable: The show was launched 30 years ago by acclaimed hair designer Tony Rizzo to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research . Tragedy: Tony Rizzo launched the event following the death of his son Valentino . Catwalk: To date, over £9 million has been raised by the event for charity . Big vision: Models whose stylists are competing in the 'Visionary Award' take the stage . Exciting: The show promised to deliver a 'charged atmosphere of inspiration and celebration with imaginative performances and memorable hair artistry' Strut their stuff: Models styled by the Nicolas French team prepare backstage before performing on the catwalk . Light show: The show, which was launched 30 years ago, is always a stellar success . Dance off: Models styled by the Sanrizz team take the stage at the ENIGMA Alternative Hair Show . Good cause: Models are given hair raising make-overs at Alternative Hair Show...but it's all in the name of charity . | ENIGMA Alternative Hair Show in the Royal Albert Hall this week .
Launched 30 years ago by hair designer Tony Rizzo in honour of late son . |
202,422 | 920f15b01f88774663b1789c96403732e427c162 | Time may be running out for Andrew Culliford. But ask him whether he'd rather meekly give in to the illness that's killing him or risk taking an unlicensed drug that might stave off its devastating effects, and his answer is unequivocal: he'd take the drug - without a second's hesitation. The 37-year-old fire officer and father-of-one was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in July 2011 at the age of just 34. He was told he had just two to five years to live. There is no cure for the disease, which affects the motor neurons - nerve cells that control muscles - in the brain and spinal cord. The muscles gradually waste away, affecting the patient's ability to walk, talk, eat, drink, swallow and eventually breathe. Andrew, who was diagnosed with MND in June 2011, with wife Donna and daughter Isla, 4 . Within a year of his diagnosis, Andrew started losing the strength in his right arm and hand. His speech became slurred, and in 2012 he and Donna married while he could still say his vows. 'Now I have to feed Andrew because the muscles in his tongue and throat have weakened,' says Donna. 'His speech is very slurred so I often have to interpret what he says to other people. He can't use his arms and is starting to find walking more difficult.' The only treatment for MND on the NHS is riluzole, which offers just three extra months of life after it's been taken for a year. But there are other drugs that might help. Through his own research, in late 2012 Andrew came across aimspro, which was being tested for neurological conditions such as MND and multiple sclerosis. Former Rugby Union player Joost van der Westhuizen was taking it for his MND after travelling the world looking for a cure. 'We figured he'd be getting the best treatment for the disease, so Andrew wanted to try it,' says Donna. New drugs undergo three stages of testing. In the first, the drug is given in small doses to healthy patients to check for side-effects; then it's given to a larger group of people who have the disease it's been developed for; finally, some patients are given larger doses, while others are unknowingly given a placebo. The 37-year-old fire officer and father-of-one was diagnosed with motor neurone disease . Aimspro has undergone an 'open label' clinical trial, a version of this last stage, where patients know they are taking the real drug, not a placebo. But it could still take ten years for it to be licensed and prescribed to patients - time that desperately ill patients such as Andrew do not have. What they want is access to drugs such as aimspro before they are licensed. However, drug companies are reluctant to allow this, even to dying sufferers, for fear of being sued if patients experience adverse effects or die as a result of taking them. Aimspro is available for 'named patient compassionate use', meaning a doctor can prescribe the drug where no other is available, although it is still considered experimental and has to be paid for privately. Furthermore, the doctor bears the risk of being sued, so many are reluctant to do this. Andrew was able to find a doctor who would prescribe the drug, but had to sign a disclaimer to waive his rights to sue if something went wrong. He's since spent all his savings and money raised by well-wishers - a total of £50,000 - having the £180-a-day drug injected. 'I was able to carry on working, albeit in a more administrative role, at the fire station. I even ran the London Marathon this year,' says Andrew, speaking through Donna. But the drug could only slow progression of the disease, and by summer he couldn't use his arms, meaning everyday things such as making a cup of tea were out of reach. 'But he still believed the drugs were helping,' says Donna who lives with Andrew and their four-year-old daughter Isla in Poole, Dorset. However, his money has now run out and he's had to come off the drug - and in the three months since he stopped taking it, he has gone considerably downhill. 'The muscles in my throat and tongue that help me speak have deteriorated,' says Andrew. 'My speech was slightly slurred before, but now it's worse. 'Walking isn't coming naturally any more - I have to concentrate on how to do it. Andrew with wife Donna . 'We were recently at a wishing well and Isla threw a coin in and wished I had new arms. 'I'd love to pick Isla up and cuddle her - it's what I long for. 'It's been soul-destroying knowing there's a drug out there that would help me, but I can't have it.' Now it seems that a new law could soon make Andrew's wish a reality. Yesterday it was announced that a Bill which would allow terminally-ill patients to be given untested drugs had received government backing. The Medical Innovation Bill, which will go before the House of Lords on Friday and is due to be considered by MPs in December, would allow doctors to treat people with terminal illnesses - and who have exhausted standard treatment options - with drugs that are unlicensed or have not been tested for their disease. The Bill would give legal protection to doctors so long as they obtained agreement from another specialist to prescribe drugs or surgery which wouldn't normally be given for a patient's condition. This would apply to NHS and private doctors, meaning that funding would come down to local health authorities, now known as Clinical Commissioning Groups, as is the case with standard treatment. If passed, the Bill could become law in England and Wales by March. The Bill was proposed by the Conservative peer Lord Saatchi, who has led a campaign to change the law after his wife, author Josephine Hart, died from ovarian cancer, aged 69, in 2011. He argued that current rules are impeding medical progress, forcing doctors to stick to traditional treatments which don't always work. 'Doctors know if they divert from these well-worn treatment paths and attempt an innovative treatment, and then something goes wrong, they will be found guilty of medical negligence,' he has said. As he told Good Health yesterday: 'I want every patient who is facing a terminal diagnosis to be able to ask their doctor: 'Have you tried everything?' And for this Bill to allow doctors to say, confidently: 'Yes.' Proportion of people with cancer who take part in clinical trials . 'No patient should die thinking more could have been be done, but wasn't for fear of the law. No husband, wife, son, daughter, mother or father should be forced to say goodbye to a loved one with that doubt hanging over them.' Donna Culliford says she and her husband, who have spoken previously in the Mail about the need for the law to change, 'support this Bill 110 per cent'. 'Doing nothing is not an option for us. Sitting here waiting for the Grim Reaper is not an option. We know aimspro works for Andrew, so that's the drug we want to try.' Another patient who could benefit 'hugely' from the proposed legislation is six-year-old Jack Johnson. He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a terminal and incurable condition that causes muscles to weaken, and he is slowly losing the ability to walk and lift things. Andrew in 2011 with two-year-old Isla . His mother says there are 43 drugs in development for Jack's condition, but none has yet been approved. 'Jack will die from Duchenne, but he could have treatment,' adds Alex, 30, who lives with her husband Andy, 40, their two-year-old son James and Jack, near Chorley, Lancashire. 'This new Bill would change all that. 'I'm not some crazy parent. We want to discuss these untested drugs with doctors and make a decision together. We'd be willing to sign a waiver if they would just give us access to these drugs. 'As a mum, I see these promising drugs dangling in front of me and we can't use them. Jack has said to me: 'Mummy, when are my legs going to get better?' All I can do is tell him Mummy and Daddy are working hard to find new treatments.' 'I would try these drugs on Jack. I know that might kill him. But the risk, for me, is doing nothing. My son is going to die anyway.' Yet some clinicians don't think the Bill is the way forward. Michael Baum, professor emeritus of surgery at University College London, said yesterday: 'Changing the law is not going to accelerate innovation in cancer therapy, but might, endanger our patients by uncontrolled experimentation.' And Ammar Al-Chalabi, professor of neurology and complex disease genetics at King's College London, has warned: 'Licensed drugs have to go through rigorous trials. Even if an unlicensed drug works in some way, it might kill you in another way or cause problems.' But many patients don't accept this argument. In August the World Health Organisation said people with Ebola should be allowed untested drugs; Andrew believes the same should apply to other people facing death. 'I know we can't compare having MND to the Ebola outbreak, but for those of us with a terminal illness, we're facing a crisis every day. 'I'd welcome being used as a guinea pig for untested drugs. It might make a difference to others and it would give me a sense of purpose, rather than just fading away.' Additional reporting: Christine Fieldhouse. | Andrew Culliford, from Poole, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease .
Father-of-one, 37, was told he had just two to five years to live .
He came across aimspro, which was being tested for neurological conditions .
Spent all his savings and money raised by well-wishers on £180-a-day drug .
Was able to carry on working in an administrative role at the fire station .
His money has now run out and he's had to come off the drug .
But the Medical Innovation Bill, which would allow terminally-ill patients to be given untested drugs, has now received government backing . |
13,523 | 265fba1c619b24860ee0252424ee5f7b7c571fe8 | Syrians began destroying their country's chemical weapons program Sunday, according to an international team tasked with overseeing the effort. Syrian personnel are using "cutting torches and angle grinders to destroy or disable a range of items," a news release from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Sunday. "This included missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment." The OPCW team, which arrived in Damascus on Tuesday, "are monitoring, verifying and reporting on Syria's compliance with international demands to destroy chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities," the release said. Security Council OKs Syria resolution, warns of consequences . "The process will continue in the coming days," it said. The inspectors plan to visit nearly 50 sites as part of the mission, the OPCW said. Some are not convinced the plan will work. A defected Syrian general told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will never give up its chemical stockpile. "The locations of most of the scientific research centers in Syria and the storage facilities are known and under surveillance, thus, he will give up those centers and facilities for sure without lying. That said, however, Bashar al-Assad will not give up the chemical stockpile," said Syrian Brig. Gen. Zaher al-Sakat. Al-Sakat said that he defected from the Syrian military after he was ordered to use chemical agents. He said he swapped the chemicals out for something non-toxic to fool his commanders. The general said that in addition to four secret locations within Syria, the regime is currently transferring chemical weapons to Iraq and Lebanon, an allegation that the commander of the opposition Free Syrian Army, Gen. Salim Idriss, also recently made to Amanpour. Syrian foreign minister at U.N. General Assembly: 'There is no civil war' Lebanon and Iraq denied the claims at the time, and CNN's Barbara Starr reported that, if true, the claim would fundamentally shift the assessments of U.S. intelligence officials. The U.N. Security Council, capping a dramatic month of diplomacy, voted unanimously September 27 to require Syria to eliminate its arsenal of chemical weapons -- or face consequences. "Today's resolution will ensure that the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program happens as soon as possible and with the utmost transparency and accountability," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The U.N. resolution was based on a deal struck this month between the United States and Russia that averted an American military strike over allegations the Syrian government used sarin nerve gas in an August 21 attack on a Damascus suburb. U.S. officials said it left at least 1,400 people dead. Refugees in their own country . | "Cutting torches and angle grinders" are being used to destroy the weapons .
"Missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment" are being destroyed .
A U.N. team is "monitoring, verifying and reporting" on Syria's compliance with a resolution .
"The process will continue in the coming days," the U.N. says . |
175,152 | 6eb62ff4ce08783d9ce5d6529ce802f520277822 | Mark Jenkins, 45, has been jailed for five years after he took £1.4million from 42 homeowners without finishing the work . A cowboy builder was paid £1.4million by a string of customers but ended up leaving their homes looking like 'bomb sites'. Mark Jenkins, 45, was today jailed for five years after using a number of aliases to target homeowners in Bristol, North Somerset and South Wales between September 2011 and April this year. Bristol Crown Court heard Jenkins, of Caerphilly, South Wales, demanded large sums of money up front and regularly failed to complete work. Jenkins splashed out on expensive Porsche cars and gambling while his victims were left suffering 'immense stress', with some forced to take out loans to resolve half-finished renovations. Police estimate the total loss to victims as around £830,000, though Jenkins, who admitted a charge of fraudulent trading, insists it is in the region of £573,000. A jury heard Jenkins was declared bankrupt and jailed following an identical rogue builder fraud in 2009 - but simply changed his name to avoid detection after serving his sentence. He since took £1.4 million from 42 homeowners in Cardiff, Methyr Tydfil, Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare and Bristol, promising he could deliver their 'dream kitchen or extension'. Judge Graham Hume Jones sentenced Jenkins to five years in prison and told him the most serious part of the offending was the impact caused to victims. He said: 'They tell of saving for years to be able to afford their dream kitchen or the extension to enable an elderly relative to end their life in family surroundings only to be left with what has been described in certain circumstances as a bomb site, with their money from saving gone. 'They tell of immense pressure put on marriages and family relationships and relationships with neighbours. 'These are the most serious factors of this case and there are little or no mitigating factors.' Jenkins, who showed no emotion as the sentence was passed, asked for 22 other offences to be taken into consideration. The judge said Jenkins changed his name from Mark Killick and also used the name Mark Richards to restart the fraud after serving time in prison. His firms, Pro-Fit Builders and XL Builders and Trade Bookers, claimed to secure trade discount and offered competitive prices to draw customers in. He advertised on the RatedPeople.com website, which features recommended tradesmen from across the UK, and people trusted him to be reliable. 'You asked for substantial upfront deposits,' the judge told Jenkins, who spent £62,000 on gambling websites over a three-year period. An example of the quality of work carried out by Jenkins after he left homeowners suffering 'immense stress' Jenkins asked his targets for 'substantial' deposits as high as £20,000 before beginning work on their homes. One homeowner returned to find plastic sheeting and wires poking out from their kitchen tiles . 'The work started and then slowed down or stopped. But your customers were too far in. 'If they pulled out they were frightened they would lose their money and if they paid more they would be paying good money into bad. 'You told them you had a substantial skilled workforce but in fact you were a one man band.' Many of his victims attended court and wept as personal impact statements were read. One woman, from Fishponds, Bristol, who paid a £20,000 deposit for an extension, said: 'Mark Jenkins left me with a shell on the side of my house and he has ruined my life.' Another customer, from Merthyr Tydfil, who gave a £17,000 deposit for an extension said the fraud had brought his marriage 'to the brink of collapse'. 'We are now living with a constant reminder of his deceit and our gullibility,' the victim said. 'He will have a lasting effect upon our family and we will suffer financially for 10 years.' One Cardiff man paid Jenkins an £18,500 deposit to build an annexe at his home for his terminally ill grandmother. 'As my grandmother's health deteriorated I had to constantly say the work was continuing and she knew she was near the end and wanted to spend her final days and weeks at home as she did not want to be in hospital,' he said. 'She died in hospital and her final words were "When can I come home?"' Avon and Somerset Police and National Trading Standards Scambusters teams spent nine months investigating Jenkins after several customers in Bristol realised they had been conned by the same builder. Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Adam Smith described the 'tremendous distress and disappointment' Jenkins' victims suffered. In other cases the fraudster left wiring exposed and did not properly fit plug sockets to the walls as shown . Another plug socket left hanging from the wall after Jenkins was employed to carry out home renovations . Exposed wiring and messy handiwork were hallmarks of the damage caused by Jenkins to the homes of his targets . 'The victims had their dreams and expectations of seeing their homes improved dashed, by the callous actions of a ruthless fraudster, who has been found out,' DS Smith said. Lord Toby Harris, chair of National Trading Standards, said reputable trading websites could be duped by fraudsters posing as legitimate traders. 'Jenkins' deceptive and dishonest tactics left many of his victims financially and emotionally scarred and I am delighted to see that justice has been served,' Lord Harris added. Southwest Scambusters manager, Jonathan Martin, added: 'This successful prosecution, bringing justice for dozens of residents, is thanks to a targeted investigation across a number of authorities over a number of years. 'Mark Jenkins was hooked on his particular kind of building scam and has brought misery and hardship to those he conned.' One of Jenkins' victims, who paid him £42,000 for an extension in Bristol, said she would appeal the sentence. 'The sentence is not high enough,' she said. 'He left us high and dry. It was still a building site. He is very, very good at what he does as a conman.' | Mark Jenkins, 45, has been jailed for five years after targeting homeowners .
He used a number of aliases to dupe people into carrying out renovations .
He would demand large sums of money up front and failed to complete work .
Advertised on reputable sites and claimed to offer trade discounts .
Instead he bought Porsche cars and gambled with the money he was paid .
Police estimate total loss to victims at about £830,000, which Jenkins denies . |
57,598 | a341f5f1a2ef5ebb4df6271762fa0ebfde5dcf2b | By . Simon Tomlinson . PUBLISHED: . 10:01 EST, 25 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:14 EST, 25 December 2012 . The Queen has used her Christmas broadcast to respond to the outpouring of affection and enthusiasm shown by the nation during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. She described how she was left humbled by the huge crowds that turned out to mark her historic milestone. As her momentous year draws to a close, she said she was struck by the 'strength of fellowship and friendship' shown by well-wishers, most memorably during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant when more than a million people lined the banks of the river. Scroll down for video of the Queen's speech . 'Humbled': Queen Elizabeth II delivers her Christmas Day message to the Commonwealth in 3D for the first time from the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace . Your high-tech Highness: James Daws, partner Rachel Izard, Reece Izard and cousin Damien Izard from High Wycombe, Buckingham watch the Queen's speech with their 3D glasses . Despite the cold conditions and persistent downpours, the crowds who witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime flotilla were 'undaunted by the rain', she said in her address. The Olympic and Paralympic Games were another highlight of 2012 for the Queen. She paid tribute to the athletes, Olympic torch bearers and volunteer Games Makers for either inspiring the nation with their efforts or devoting themselves to others. The message, produced by Sky News, was broadcast in 3D for the first time and elements of the footage appeared to leap out from the screen. It was also shown in HD and standard definition. 'Memorable day': The Queen, seen here waving to the crowds during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June, paid tribute to 'strength of fellowship and friendship' shown by well-wishers during the celebrations . 'Striking': Despite the cold conditions and persistent downpours, she said the crowds who witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime flotilla along the Thames were 'undaunted by the rain' In her annual address to the nation, the Queen said: 'This past year has been one of great celebration for many. The enthusiasm which greeted the Diamond Jubilee was, of course, especially memorable for me and my family. 'It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago. People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations. 'But perhaps most striking of all was to witness the strength of fellowship and friendship among those who had gathered together on these occasions.' The broadcast featured panoramic shots of hundreds of boats, tugs, ships, cruisers and canoes sailing down river past the Houses of Parliament during the pageant staged as part of the national celebrations in June. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were shown waving to the crowds, while well-wishers stood on the riverbanks drenched by the downpours, but still clearly enjoying themselves. 'Extraordinary': The same spirit of celebration was found when the Olympic flame reached the UK, said the Queen, pictured here with torchbearer Gina Macgregor (left) and London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe . Bravery: A number of Olympic torchbearers were shown including seriously injured paratrooper Ben Parkinson (pictured), who carried the flame through his home town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in June . In a light-hearted moment, the Duke of Edinburgh was featured jigging along to a nautical tune as other royals, including the Prince of Wales and the Queen, also enjoyed the music. The Queen summed up the day: 'On the barges and the bridges and the banks of the river there were people who had taken their places to cheer through the mist, undaunted by the rain. 'That day there was a tremendous sense of common determination to celebrate, triumphing over the elements.' The same spirit of celebration was found when the Olympic flame reached the UK, said the Queen, who recorded her address in Buckingham Palace's White Drawing Room. She added: 'The flame itself drew hundreds and thousands of people on its journey around the British Isles, and was carried by every kind of deserving individual, many nominated for their own extraordinary service.' 'Splendid summer of sport': The Olympic and Paralympic Games were another highlight of 2012 for the Queen . 'Public-spirited': The thousands of Olympics volunteers, some of whom are pictured here posing in front of the National Gallery, were singled out by the Queen . A number of Olympic torch bearers were shown including paratrooper Ben Parkinson, considered the most seriously wounded soldier to survive the war in Afghanistan, who carried the flame through his home town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in June. Lance Bombardier Parkinson lost both legs and suffered brain and back injuries in a bomb attack in 2006 and was cheered by thousands as he slowly made his way along the route. Military Cross holder Corporal Ricky Furgusson was another injured serviceman who took part in the Olympic Torch Relay. Despite losing both legs, five fingers and his left eye in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010, the soldier from 4th Battalion, The Rifles was seen carrying the torch through Broseley in Shropshire in May. When the nation's sportsmen and women began competing, their efforts impressed spectators, remarked the Queen. 'As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes,' she said. Inspirational: Footage featured Olympic and Paralympic heroes, from cyclist Bradley Wiggins on his way to clinching the time trial gold medal . Highlighted: Paralympian David Weir (pictured) was seen during the speech after his triumph in the men's T54 800m at the 2012 Paralympics . Footage featured Olympic and Paralympic heroes, from cyclist Bradley Wiggins on his way to clinching the time trial gold medal, to an ecstatic Mo Farah after winning the 10,000m title - soon to be followed by a 5,000m gold. Paralympian David Weir was seen after his triumph in the men's T54 800m and the world's fastest man Usain Bolt powering over the finish line to retain his 100m Olympic title. The thousands of volunteers who were the public face of the Games were singled out by the Queen. She said: 'Those public-spirited people came forward in the great tradition of all those who devote themselves to keeping others safe, supported and comforted.' The Queen, with Philip, was shown reviewing troops in May during the Armed Forces Diamond Jubilee Parade and Muster. The Queen, who wore a fine silk tulle gown by Angela Kelly for the broadcast, said: 'For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first. 'Sense of duty': The Queen also reflected on the services provided by the Armed Forces, emergency services and in those in hospitals . The broadcast was recorded on December 7, a few days after it was officially announced that the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant, but there was no mention of the impending royal birth in the message . Those serving in our Armed Forces, in our emergency services and in our hospitals, whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends, will be missing those they love.' The broadcast was recorded on December 7, a few days after it was officially announced that Kate was pregnant, but there was no mention of the impending royal birth in the message. The Christmas address is one of the rare occasions when the Queen does not turn to the Government for advice, but is able to voice her own views. It also has a strong religious framework and this year the Queen spoke about the story at the heart of Christmas - the birth of Jesus. 'A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child,' she said. 'From that day on, he has inspired people to commit themselves to the best interests of others.' At the start of the broadcast, the British Paraorchestra, which accompanied Coldplay during the Paralympics closing ceremony, was featured performing the National Anthem in Buckingham Palace's Ballroom. For the final segment of the message, the Military Wives Choir, with choirmaster Gareth Malone, sang the carol In The Bleak Midwinter in the same setting. | Her Majesty responds to outpouring of affection shown by the nation .
Praised crowds who were 'undaunted by rain' during Thames Pageant .
'The enthusiasm which greeted the Diamond Jubilee was, of course, especially memorable for me and my family'
Hails athletes and volunteer Games Makers at Olympics and Paralympics .
Clips shown of torchbearers, including injured paratrooper Ben Parkinson .
She said the flame was .
carried 'by every kind of deserving individual' |
76,035 | d7af4f730dc7ad558df98e895ada8b13812ed0c9 | The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services kept its acting cyber security director on the government payroll for an astonishing eight months while he was in federal custody with child pornography charges pending against him, MailOnline has learned. Timothy DeFoggi was convicted Tuesday of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiring to advertise and distribute child pornography, and accessing a computer with the intent to view child pornography. He will be sentenced in November. A federal grand jury indicted him on March 20, 2013. Eight months of pretrial motions followed before a trial date was set; court records show he was in federal custody by April 9 of last year. That wasn't enough to strip him of his sensitive job in the Obama administration. Sick: Timothy DeFoggi, a former acting director of cyber security for the U.S. Department of health and Human services, was convicted Tuesday on federal child pornography charges. He remained on HHS's payroll for nine months while charges pended against him . An HHS spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that DeFoggi joined the agency in September 2008, working in its Indian Health Service as a Supervisory IT Specialist. In March 2012 he was promoted to Lead IT Specialist in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, a job he held until January 2014. The Department of Justice said Tuesday in a statement that he was considered HHS's 'acting director of cyber security,' a role that gave him access to the inner workings of thousands of computers engaged in government work. DeFoggi's name appears on an HHS organizational chart in a planning document related to the agency's fiscal year 2014 budget request. The document describes him as being in charge of 'OS [operating system] IT Security Operations,' reporting directly to HHS Chief Information Security Officer Kevin Charest. The federal court docket in DeFoggi's criminal case shows that he petitioned the court for bail in July 2013, three months after he was remanded into custody, proposing home detention in a New Mexico house he owned. A federal magistrate judge denied the request four weeks later. His promotion at HHS came in the same month he registered on an underground website catering to pedophiles, according to federal prosecutors. He remained a member until December 2012, when federal investigators shut the site down. The HHS spokesman would not comment on why DeFoggi was employed for months while he was under indictment, and he had no response to questions about whether he was fired or allowed to retire. He also declined to say how much he was paid during that time and whether he will have to return the money. He referred MailOnline to the Justice Department, which did not respond to a request for comment. A Nebraska jury handed down seven separate guilty verdicts against DeFoggi on Tuesday, following a four-day trial in connection with child pornography websites operated by Aaron McGrath, who is serving a 20-year prison term. This chart, from the HHS fiscal 2014 'Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees' related to the 'Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund,' shows that during 2013 Timothy DeFoggi was in charge of operating-system security on all of HHS computers . Court records show that while DeFoggi was a resident of the Washington, D.C. bedroom community of Germantown, Maryland, he used the screen aliases 'F***Christ' and 'PTa**eater' to communicate with other people and trade images of children engaged in sexual conduct. The name of the website was often redacted from court filings, and MailOnline has opted not to print it. But federal prosecutors mentioned DeFoggi's screen names often in court. 'Through the website,' the Justice Department said Tuesday, 'DeFoggi accessed child pornography, solicited child pornography from other members, and exchanged private messages with other members where he expressed an interest in the violent rape and murder of children.' 'DeFoggi even suggested meeting one member in person,' the DOJ statement added, 'to fulfill their mutual fantasies to violently rape and murder children.' The grand jury's description of the crimes in their indictment was so graphic that a judge agreed to order the redaction – the blacking out – of entire pages on the government's publicly accessible computer servers. In one court filing, his lawyer conceded that 'In the "About Me" section of username "f***christ's" profile on "Website A," it says: "Have many perversions. Contact me for fantasy chat." The attorney argued, unsuccessfully, that DeFoggi and his co-defendant, Zackary Austin, were engaging in harmless online fantasies. Kevin Charest (top C), chief information security officer for the Department of Health and Human Services Department, was DeFoggi's boss at HHS . Trouble: Sylvia Matthews Burwell, the newly minted HHS secretary, now has a new PR headache to add to her already heaving pile of Obamacare woes . McGrath, a Nebraska native, ran a trio of child-porn websites through TOR, 'the onion router,' an open network within the Internet that allows users to hide from network surveillance and surf online without leaving digital footprints. The FBI deployed a custom-made software program in a 2012 investigation it dubbed 'Operation Torpedo,' scouring every so-called '.onion' website it could find and determining which of them were related to illegal activity. McGrath operated two of his sites on the network server 'farm' where he worked by day, and operated a third from his home computer. Federal investigators found that he had left his administrator password blank on one of the child pornography sites. They quickly began collecting information that could identify the computers that were accessing it. One of the sites was a child-porn Facebook knockoff frequented by DeFoggi, 56, and another two dozen defendants the government identified. Other defendants snared by Operation Torpedo are named in court documents as Kirk Cottom, Vincent Diberardino, Jason Flanary, Michael Huyck, Brandon Moore, David William Peer, Russell Glenn Pierce, Kevin Pitman, Gary Reibert, John Sebes, Thomas Spencer and Joshua Welch. The FBI said Tuesday that DeFoggi was the sixth to be successfully prosecuted. When he ordered DeFoggi held without bail in 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas D. Thalken noted that he appeared 'to have a mental condition which may affect whether the defendant will appear' if he were given bond. Attorney General Eric Holder helms the Justice Department, which announced DeFoggi's conviction on Tuesday in a four-day trial that involved seven criminal counts, all related to child pornography . It's not clear what that condition is, or whether it will have an impact on sentencing. John S. Berry Jr. and Justin B. Kalemkiarian, his two current attorneys in Lincoln, Nebraska, did not respond to requests for comment. | Timothy DeFoggi was found guilty Tuesday on seven child-porn criminal charges .
He was formerly the acting director of cyber security at the US Department of Health and Human Services .
DeFoggi was indicted in March 2013 and jailed a month later but HHS confirms that he was employed as a Lead IT Specialist until January 2014 .
Justice Dept says he 'accessed' and 'solicited child pornography ... [and] expressed an interest in the violent rape and murder of children'
DeFoggi 'even suggested meeting one member in person,' according to the DOJ, 'to fulfill their mutual fantasies to violently rape and murder children'
His screen names on an underground pedophile website included 'F***Christ' and 'PTa**eater' |
159,309 | 59ef1fd184f6da24385932a2a616c1cceb44e048 | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 07:50 EST, 29 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:50 EST, 29 July 2013 . One of the most iconic pens in the world is finally fighting back against the iPad by launching a universal stylus. Bic is swapping its plastic stopper for a touchscreen stylus in the new version of its famous biro, Bic Cristal, which has sold 115 billion since the first one made in 1945. The 6mm Cristal Stylus will replace the end of the pen which, traditionally, has been chewed by millions of users from schoolchildren to crossword solvers for generations. The 6mm Crystal stylus has been designed to work at any angle on any touchscreen. The company boasts that it will write for 'up to three kilometres' The Cristal Stylus is a reaction by Bic to the growing use of technology from smartphones to iPads, which has left many traditional pens forgotten in the back of desk drawers . A . range of Bic pens designed specifically for women has fast become one . of the most sarcastically reviewed product on Amazon.com. Bic, . the ballpoint pen manufacturer, launched its 'Bic Cristal for Her' line . last year, but a new wave of customer comments has sparked fresh . interest in the product. The site says the pen has a 'thin barrel to fit a women's hand', and an 'elegant design - just for her!' The . product, which is available in an array of pastel hues, is being . marketed in a serious way, but the ridiculous concept has not gone . unnoticed by shoppers, with dozens of consumers posting hilarious . remarks. The French firm will launch the £2.49 . stylus in supermarket chains Sainsbury and Asda from August, following . its launch online at sites such as Amazon this month. The pen has . been designed to work at any angle on any touchscreen. The company . boasts that it will write for 'up to three kilometres.' The design is a reaction by Bic to the . growing use of technology from smartphones to iPads, which have left many . traditional pens forgotten in the back of desk drawers. In the 1950s, the Bic pen was introduced to America where it became a hit as an alternative to messy and fussy ink pens. Bic became so famous that its design has been included as a permanent display in New York's trendy Museum of Modern Art. An interior design studio in Madrid also used the design to create the Bic chandelier made . entirely from Bic Cristal pens. The Bic Cristal was invented as a super-thin free flowing pen by Baron Marcel Bich after the war to cash in on the newly invented Biro (it needed a licence from Biro to operate.) As a result of its popularity, schools eventually allowed children to use Bics and other biros in the classroom. It now claims to sell 59 pens every second of every day. | Bic's £2.49 stylus can work at any angle on any touchscreen .
The design is an evolution of the Bic Cristal plastic ballpoint pen which has sold 115 billion since the first one made in 1945 . |
136,079 | 3c104a30de40929ead5ee0a39059c624c9e86c47 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:33 EST, 18 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:37 EST, 19 April 2013 . Into the wild... Dustin Self, 19, who is believed missing on Steens Mountain in the remote and rugged country of south-eastern Oregon . An Oklahoma teenager who was inspired to live off the land by the movie 'Into the Wild' is the target of a search effort in remote, rugged country in southeastern Oregon. Dustin Self, 19, left suburban Oklahoma City a month ago after becoming interested in churches practicing a South . American religion that uses a hallucinogenic tea as a sacrament. The Harney County sheriff’s office says a search began on Tuesday for Dustin on the north end of Steens Mountain after a rancher found his truck had slid off a backcountry road. Searchers on ATVs saw no tracks, but . checked out remote cabins and worked their way up the mountain, with no . sign of him before heavy snow and high winds curtailed their efforts, . said Deputy Missy Ousley. Authorities hoped for a break in the weather so they could send up a plane to look for him. 'We did everything we could to try to talk him out of it,' said his mother, Tammy Self. 'He was leaving, no matter what.' The . teen was well-prepared with gear he bought just before leaving, but had . little experience of life in the wild beyond family camping trips, his . parents said. 'He is not a survivalist,' said his father, Victor Self, a manager at a box plant in Oklahoma City. 'He is a very urban child.' His parents last heard from him March . 15, when he called from the parking lot of a motel in northern Nevada . where he was spending the night in the cab of his pickup. The . next day, Dustin called his girlfriend in Austin, Texas, to say he was . lost after his GPS had sent him onto a road along the east side of . Steens Mountain in the high desert of southeastern Oregon. Ousley . said a storekeeper in Fields recalled him asking for directions to . Lakeview, which would have taken him a different direction than where . his truck was found. A . religious young man raised in a non-denominational Protestant church, . Dustin had been searching for meaning in his life, his mother said. He . read books like Human Race: Get Off Your Knees, by David Icke, a . former British sports reporter whose books about what he believes is . really controlling life on earth are admired by conspiracy theorists. Inspiration: Dustin Self, 19, was inspired by . the 2007 biographical film Into the Wild, starring Emile Hirsch, pictured, about the travels of . the late Christopher McCandless in the Alaskan wilderness . The last movie Dustin watched was . Into The Wild about a young man who gives up his worldly goods to live . in the Alaskan wilderness. A clean-cut bodybuilder in high school, he had lately grown his hair long and wore a bandanna around his head. 'I think he got a lot off the Internet,' his mother said. A rocky outcrop on Steens Mountain: The 30-mile long fault block of basalt is the highest point in the desert of southeastern Oregon at 9,773ft. Dustin rang his girlfriend last month to say he was lost on the mountain . Search: The Harney County sheriff's office says a search began on the north end of Steens Mountain, pictured, after a rancher found his truck had slid off a backcountry road . Tammy Self said her son is a vegetarian, with no desire to kill animals to eat. 'He thought he was going to eat berries,' she said. 'We tried to tell him, berries don't grow in wintertime.' His father called the Harney County . Sheriff's Office on March 17, but a search along the route from Fields . to Lakeview turned up nothing. He also filed a missing person report with his local police. Concerning: Tammy Self said her son thought he was going to eat berries and she had to tell him they do not grow in wintertime . Then on Monday, Dustin's truck was found. His backpack and camping gear were gone, but the keys, his computer, his GPS and some of his supply of protein bars and other food had been left behind. 'We're worried sick,' said his father. 'I just hope he's alive.' | Dustin Self, 19, left his family home in Oklahoma City suburb of Piedmont .
Wanted 'to see if he could live in the wild'
Rancher found his pickup truck had slid off a backcountry track . |
197,577 | 8bbada5cc75faf45fa0e896b69b7d7ba20141636 | By . Karen Evennett . Kitty Buchanan-Gregory had repeated episodes of feeling dizzy and sometimes passing out . When Kitty Buchanan-Gregory saw her GP about dizzy spells, she could tell she wasn't being taken seriously - and she could understand why. 'I was 30, didn't smoke, ate healthily, drank little and trained with my rowing club five times a week,' says Kitty, now 39, a business project manager from Battersea, South London. 'I could see the doctor mentally giving me the all-clear before even checking my pulse and blood pressure, which both proved normal.' Kitty had suffered from sporadic dizzy spells since childhood, but over the years they gradually became more frequent and frightening, and by the time she saw her GP, she had them most days - sometimes several times a day. 'If I was walking and couldn't hold on to something when one of these attacks happened, I'd fall, but mostly it happened when I was sitting. All of a sudden I felt I was swirling under water and drowning, and needed to focus on not being sick. 'Then, within no more than ten seconds, I'd jolt back to normal, so people never noticed. Because I seemed healthy, the GP concluded it was stress from work. But I was convinced something was wrong.' The dizzy spells continued and, over the next three years, Kitty returned to her GP practice four times, seeing different doctors, who agreed it was probably stress. At this time she was so desperate for an answer, she had a private medical screening through work. 'It included an ECG (electrocardiogram) that measured electrical activity in my heart for a minute or two. But the doctor said I was one of the fittest people he'd seen. So I decided to try not to let my dizzy spells bother me.' But two years later, in January 2009, Kitty lost consciousness - coming round in a pool of blood in her bathroom. 'I must have fallen backwards on to the door catch, leaving a 7in gash in my back, then gone forward, hitting my head on the bath. I was very shaken and worried about collapsing again.'She returned to her GP a few days later asking for another ECG, and the doctor reluctantly referred her for one at St Thomas' Hospital, London. There she was fitted with a 24-hour ECG monitor. 'Frustratingly, I didn't have a dizzy spell that day,' says Kitty. 'I wanted something to show up because I was sure I had a heart condition.' On the morning she returned the monitor, the hospital called and asked her to go straight to A&E where she was admitted immediately. A cardiologist explained that during the 24-hour test - even without having a dizzy spell - her heart had paused 60 times. Kitty had a 'heart block', a condition common in elderly people, and a natural result of ageing, but which can occur in the young, too. 'It's a problem with the wiring of the heart,' explains Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation and former professor of cardiovascular medicine at Cambridge University. 'A normal heartbeat is initiated by an electrical signal from the heart's natural pacemaker, the sinoatrial node in the right upper chamber of the heart. One in five Britons has had to have stronger medication because they put off seeing their doctor about worrying symptoms, a survey for the Information Standard found. 'With heart block - also called atrioventricular block or AV block - the signals are partially or totally blocked between the upper chambers [atria] and lower chambers [ventricles], which pump blood around the body. This is because the wiring either conducts the impulse abnormally slowly, or the wiring is broken, so the impulse doesn't get through at all. 'The heartbeat can become extremely slow, pausing occasionally - causing dizziness - but then restarts as other pacemaker cells in the heart take over.' So why did Kitty's diagnosis take so long? Most GPs see thousands of patients suffering with dizzy spells, usually with no major underlying cause - which means they may not think that something serious is causing them. While a standard ECG is a cheap and easy way to diagnose heart conditions such as heart failure or valve disease, it won't detect heart rhythm problems if they are intermittent and do not occur during the reading - that requires continuous ECG monitoring for days. There are different types of heart block. First and second-degree heart block - both affecting one in 50 otherwise healthy adults - occur when electrical impulses are slow or fail to reach the ventricles, potentially causing dizziness. Third-degree heart block, or complete heart block, which Kitty has, is when no electrical impulses from the upper chambers of the heart reach the pumping chambers. Instead, the heart keeps beating only thanks to cells in the ventricles stimulating a heartbeat - but because this kind of heartbeat has an extremely low rate, it can affect blood flow, leading to a raised risk of fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, blackouts and cardiac arrest. Kitty had a 'heart block', a condition common in elderly people, and a natural result of ageing, but which can occur in the young, too . Heart block can occur from birth or be acquired. Ironically, athletes may be at greater risk. As Professor Weissberg explains: 'Heart rate is controlled by the vagus nerve, running from the base of the brain to the abdomen, which transmits signals through the body. It acts as a natural brake on the heart's pacemaker cells, particularly when we're at rest or asleep. 'The more physically fit a person, the higher their “vagal tone”, which means it acts even more as a brake, lowering heart rate so the electrical impulses are slow.' Other causes of first and second-degree heart block include inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis - usually caused by a virus), or low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood, caused by extreme dieting, kidney conditions, damage from heart attack and Lyme disease (a bacterial infection spread by ticks).Some heart and blood-pressure medicines - including calcium channel blockers and digoxin - can also delay electrical signals passing through the atrioventricular node (which electrically connects the upper and lower chambers of the heart). Third-degree heart block is normally caused by heart damage as a result of heart surgery, coronary heart disease, trauma, infection or radiotherapy. Up to 10 per cent of over-70s with a history of heart disease develop complete heart block. Often, first and second-degree heart block patients are not treated and only monitored if they have no symptoms and no cause, such as medications, can be found. For other heart blocks, pacemakers, which stimulate heartbeat by firing electrical impulses, are advised. It's thought Kitty's heart block was caused by an underlying problem, probably from birth. 'It's likely it was exacerbated by her extreme fitness,' adds Professor Jaswinder Gill, consultant cardiologist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. 'You cannot predict when a long, life-threatening pause may occur in patients, so it's vital a pacemaker is fitted quickly.' Kitty had hers implanted in January 2009. 'Getting used it wore me out. I was worried for the first six weeks, when muscles need to grow around it to avoid the risk of pulling the wires out - this can happen with awkward movements.' Because of this risk, she's had to stop rowing. The good news is she hasn't had any dizzy spells since. 'After my diagnosis, my GP half-heartedly apologised, but said: “We're not trained to look for people like you.” I could have been angry, but instead feel lucky to have a second chance.' Kitty is supporting the British Heart Foundation's Ramp Up The Red campaign next month - visit rampupthered.org.uk . | When Kitty Buchanan-Gregory was 30 she saw GP about dizzy spells .
Was healthy and didn't smoke, so could tell she wasn't being taken seriously .
Kitty, now, 39, had a 'heart block', a condition common in elderly people . |
26,657 | 4ba9b30591baf358d1eb91ce463e71c4746c1c49 | Drinking lots of cola could affect your bones . We're drinking more soft drinks than ever before - on average, 25 gallons each a year. But what is it doing to our health? Last week, U.S. researchers suggested that girls who frequently had fizzy drinks were more likely to start puberty early. And it's not just sugary drinks - diet versions, even sparkling water, can have an effect on health, as ANGELA EPSTEIN reports... 1. They speed up ageing . People who drink the equivalent of two cans of full-sugar cola daily may age more quickly than people who never drink it, say U.S. researchers. Last year, scientists at the University of California found these people had DNA changes that made their cells 4.6 years older - their telomeres, the tiny 'caps' that protect the ends of our chains of DNA, were shorter. 'Telomere length has an impact on cell repair and regeneration and that is linked to the ageing process,' says Dr Sajjad Rajpar, a consultant dermatologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.' 'A great deal of research is looking at how telomere length can affect that process.' 2. They trigger sugar cravings . Drinking just two cans of sugary fizzy drinks a day dulls people's perceptions of sweet tastes and makes them crave sugar even more, says Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, a physiologist at the University of Bangor who led a study into the effects of fizzy drinks on the body. 'Because sweetness is strongly connected to the reward system in the brain, people may increase the frequency of their use of sugar as a result.' The bubbles, too, could make you want more sugar. Carbon dioxide acts as an acid which enhances our responses to other tastes, such as sugar, says Dr Kubis. 'Though the sugar may create the craving responses, the acidity or fizz of the drink makes the pleasantness of the taste even stronger. This could explain why people prefer carbonated water over still.' 3. They have been linked to cancer . Women who have more than three sugary drinks - fizzy or otherwise - a week may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Last year, researchers from Laval University in Quebec found that the more sugary and fizzy drinks consumed by women, the greater the density of their breasts - a known risk factor for cancer. It is not clear how the two might be linked and more research is needed. 'Women with dense breasts have a higher risk of developing cancer because there are more cells that can become cancerous,' explains Dr Anne Trigg, a medical oncologist at the London Bridge Hospital. 'It can increase the risk factor four-fold. It may be linked to higher levels of oestrogen, which is associated with breast cancer.' Drinking just two cans of sugary fizzy drinks a day dulls people's perceptions of sweet tastes . 4. They may damage bones . Drinking large quantities of cola could affect your bones, U.S. researchers have suggested. This is because they often contain high levels of phosphoric acid - added to cola-type drinks to give them a tangy taste, and tingle when swallowed. A 2006 study by nutritional epidemiologists at Tufts University in Boston found that women who drank cola daily had lower bone mineral density in their hips than those who drank it once a week, regardless of their age, total calcium intake or use of cigarettes and alcohol. The body naturally strives to maintain balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus - so when there is excess phosphorus, calcium is released from the bones to correct the balance. Researchers didn't find this effect when women drank other fizzy drinks. It's possible that the caffeine in the cola had an impact, since caffeine has been associated with risk of lower bone density. If you suffer from bloating, the extra gas will make it worse . The National Osteoporosis Society says that while there is 'no clear evidence' of fizzy drinks having a detrimental effect on bone health, women may want to moderate their intake. The other problem is that people prefer fizzy drinks to calcium-rich milk, adds Dr Peter Selby, an osteoporosis expert based at Manchester Royal Infirmary. 5. They cause bloating . When we have a fizzy drink, the gas - namely carbonic acid - fills the stomach with air, creating pressure which pushes the air back up the gullet (or oesophagus) causing a belch. And if you suffer from bloating, the extra gas will make it worse, says Dr Steven Mann, a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, as the air will simply sit in the stomach. These bubbles eventually burst and get reabsorbed into the blood, he adds. Fizzy drinks can also aggravate irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder linked to digestive system problems. 6. They attack your teeth . Sugar reacts with the bacteria in plaque (the sticky coating on your teeth) and produces harmful acids that can cause decay, making sugary fruit juices a threat to oral health. But fizzy drinks may cause even greater damage. A study by the University of Birmingham found that full-sugar cola is ten times as corrosive as fruit juices in the first three minutes of drinking, even though they contain similar amounts of sugar. It's thought citric acid added to give drinks their tangy taste might be to blame. 'Even diet colas, though low in sugar, can be bad for teeth, because of the citric acid in diet and sweetened fizzy drinks,' said Professor Damian Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association. Fizzy water can also damage teeth because it contains carbonic acid, formed when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, which erodes tooth enamel. 'Even one glass can cause microscopic levels of the outer surface of the enamel to dissolve, and when we consume something acidic, the mouth stays acidic for 45 minutes before returning to a normal pH level,' says Professor Andrew Eder of University College London's Eastman Dental Institute. However, you'd need to drink sparkling water on a daily basis for years to suffer the effect - one or two glasses a week won't hurt. 7. They bombard your liver . Fizzy drinks with high levels of fruit juice have been linked to fatty liver disease. A 2009 Israeli study found that people who have two cans of fizzy fruit drinks a day were five times more likely to develop the condition, a precursor to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. The drinks have high levels of fruit sugar, readily absorbed by the liver and converted into fat. And upmarket fizzy drinks are no healthier as sparkling elderflower and sports drinks can contain up to 13tsp of sugar, compared with around 9tsp in supermarket cola, campaign group Action on Sugar said last year. Although the evidence is inconclusive the study suggests diet drinks have a similar effect by tricking the body into thinking it has had sugar. Fizzy drinks could actually be bad for children with stomach bugs . 8. They can harm a child's tummy . Flat cola or lemonade is a popular remedy for an upset stomach, but it could actually be bad for children with stomach bugs. The lining of the stomach and intestines are often temporarily damaged by stomach bugs, and high-sugar drinks can make this worse, possibly because bacteria feed off sugar, says Dr Stephen Murphy, who chaired the committee that wrote the NHS official guidelines on treating children's stomach bugs. These warned parents against giving children these drinks, saying water with oral salt solution, such as Dioralyte, is preferable as it contains the right minerals and sugar. Diet drinks can be problematic because the sweeteners may be difficult to absorb by the stomach, increasing the risk of diarrhoea says Dr Peter Fairclough, consultant gastroenterologist at the London Clinic. Whatever people think, carbonated drinks, fizzy or flat, won't get rid of bacteria causing a bad stomach, adds Alastair Forbes, professor of gastroenterology at the University of East Anglia. 9. They may bring on puberty early . Drinking more than one sugary drink a day could bring on a girl's periods early, suggested U.S. scientists last week. In a study of 6,000 adolescent girls, researchers from Harvard found that those drinking more than 1.5 sugar-sweetened beverages daily had their first period 2.7 months earlier than those who had two a week or fewer. Drinks with added sugar raise levels of insulin - the hormone that mops up glucose from the blood - which in turn may lead to higher concentrations of female sex hormones such as oestrogen. The researchers suggest this also put girls at higher risk of breast cancer, as early oestrogen exposure may increase the risk of certain types of the disease. | More than one sugary drink a day could bring on a girl's periods early .
Two cans of full-sugar cola may make your cells 4.6 years older .
Women who drinks 3+ sugary drinks may have increased risk of cancer .
Fizzy drinks with lots of fruit juice have been linked to fatty liver disease . |
246,830 | cb6fe5cf208e34f2bac73cc0bd91db5bcc9df8dd | (CNN) -- Federal investigators have cleared controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's office of criminal wrongdoing regarding allegations of financial improprieties. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona declined to file charges against the Maricopa County Sheriff's office after an investigation into claims of abuse of county credit cards, misuse of funds and other financial matters. The investigation is separate from a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Arpaio's office of racial profiling. The federal financial probe stems from a 2010 request from Maricopa County officials for help in investigating the claims of misuse of county funds. Federal authorities acted as "special deputy county attorneys" tasked with finding possible state charges. Last year, federal investigators declined to press charges on several of the allegations. In a letter to the Maricopa County officials Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced it will not initiate charges on two remaining claims. "I am very happy with that," Arpaio said at a news conference. Federal investigators "cleared my office of any abuse of power or wrongdoing that has been going on for years, and publicized almost every week for three years by the news media and critics," he said. Arpaio faces civil trial in alleged targeting of Latinos . Arpaio, who calls himself "America's toughest sheriff," has long been a controversial figure for his tough, proactive stance against illegal immigration. But critics say his methods have created a system of racial profiling. The sheriff is on trial stemming from a 2007 class-action lawsuit that alleges that his office "launched a series of massive so-called 'crime suppression sweeps' that show a law enforcement agency operating well beyond the bounds of the law." The U.S. Justice Department has also filed a separate civil rights lawsuit against him. But the allegations that were dismissed by the federal investigators were of a smaller scale. One of the allegations was that the sheriff's office misused county credit cards. The feds found that the office was not properly documenting credit card transactions, but found no evidence of stealing county funds. Another allegation was that the sheriff's office used funds earmarked for a program to pay the salaries of officers working on other projects. Investigators concluded that while the funds indeed where shifted from one law enforcement program to another, there was no "criminal intent." Critics of Arpaio were displeased with the decision not to press charges, saying the sheriff clearly abused his power. "It is a miscarriage of justice," Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network said in a statement. Arpaio said that if he had done something wrong, the federal government wouldn't have hesitated to bring indictments. "I know my people do the right thing, they have a tough job, and because I'm a high-profile guy, sometimes there's more interest given to what we do," he said. Who stands with Arpaio? | Federal investigators looked into allegations of financial misconduct .
They declined to press charges against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office .
Critics are not pleased with the decision .
This case is separate from a pair of racial profiling lawsuits Arpaio faces . |
76,811 | d9e14e255e51c122ddcd454df4b2d3d18857f009 | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 18:16 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:16 EST, 31 July 2013 . A pet's name is the most common online password, researchers say, as they warn our accounts are too easy to hack. A study found that despite half of Britons knowing someone whose online account has been compromised, many are still leaving the door wide open to hackers. One is six Britons admit accessing someone else's account by guessing the password, with partners the most common target, followed by ex’s. As many as one in six people use their pet's name as a password. The next most popular password choice is a significant date such as wedding anniversary . One in ten people has also guessed a work colleague's password, the study by Google Apps found. As many as one in six people uses their pet's name as a password. The next most popular password choice is a significant date such as wedding anniversary. One in ten people uses a child's name, nine per cent the date of birth of a close relative, and eight per cent another family member's name. Three per cent still use 'password' as their password. Despite the comparative ease for hackers, 67 per cent of us only change passwords when we have to. Nearly half of us also write our passwords down, with three per cent opting for a note on their desk . The poll of 2,000 people also found that nearly a half of us have shared a password with someone else. Women are more likely to share their password than men - and over twice as likely to share it with their child. Nearly half of us also write our passwords down, with three per cent opting for a note on their desk. Experts warn that in 2013 one in five people admit to having clicked on spam links, and only 41 per cent have updated their antivirus software. Despite half of Britons knowing someone whose online account has been compromised, many are still leaving the door wide open to hackers . Almost one in five people has left their computer without logging out of a service, with one in seven Brits taking advantage of this lax approach to online security and perusing their partner's emails. Eran Feigenbaum, Director of Security, Google Apps said: ‘People often leave their information open to online security breaches without even realising it. ‘Lax attitudes to online security can lead to serious consequences if strangers access your information. ‘Simple steps such as choosing more complicated passwords, always logging out of services and considering two-factor authentication, which requires more than just a password to access your account, can make a real difference to your security online.’ | A pet's name is the most common online password in the UK .
Next most popular is a significant date such as wedding anniversary .
50% of Britons know someone whose account has been hacked .
One in six admit accessing someone else's account by guessing password .
One in ten Britons has guessed a work colleague's password . |
25,953 | 49862ac060f851cad6c07e1f8582bada74f02e1d | (CNN) -- Israeli soldiers routinely and intentionally put children in harm's way during their 22-day offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza, according to a United Nations report made public Monday. On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive. The report said a working group had documented and verified reports of violations "too numerous to list." For example, on January 15, in a town southwest of Gaza City, Israel Defense Forces soldiers ordered an 11-year-old boy to open Palestinians' packages, presumably so that the soldiers would not be hurt if they turned out to contain explosives, the 43-page report said. They then forced the boy to walk in front of them in the town, it said. When the soldiers came under fire, "the boy remained in front of the group," the report said. It said the boy was later released. Also cited were "credible reports" that accused Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs Gaza, of using human shields and placing civilians at risk. But it singled out the Israelis for more sweeping criticism. A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the report another example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which requested it. The report cited two alleged incidents from January 3. In one, it said, after a tank round struck near a house, a father and his two sons -- both younger than 11 -- emerged to look at the damage. "As they exited their home, IDF soldiers shot and killed them (at the entrance to their house), with the daughter witnessing," the report said. In the second, it said, "Israeli soldiers entered a family house in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Standing at the doorstep, they asked the male head of the household to come out and shot him dead, without warning, while he was holding his ID, hands raised up in the air, and then started to fire indiscriminately and without warning into the room where the rest of the family was huddled together. "The eldest son was shouting in vain the word 'Children' in Hebrew to warn the soldiers. The shooting did not stop until everyone was lying on the floor. The mother and four of the brothers, aged 2-12 years, had been wounded, one of them, aged 4, fatally." The alleged instances occurred during Operation Cast Lead, which was launched December 27 to halt rocket attacks into southern Israel from Gaza and ended January 17 with a cease-fire. The U.N. report called the response by Israel disproportionate. Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children and 114 women, the report said. The 13 Israelis killed included three civilians and six soldiers killed by Hamas, and four soldiers killed by friendly fire, it said. The report said the Israeli operation resulted in "a dramatic deterioration of the living conditions of the civilian population." It cited "targeted and indiscriminate" attacks on hospitals and clinics, water and sewage treatment facilities, government buildings, utilities and farming and said the offensive "intensified the already catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people." It said Israeli strikes damaged more than 200 schools and left more than 70,000 people homeless. "There are strong and credible reports of war crimes and other violations of international norms," it said, adding that many observers have said war crimes investigations should be undertaken. "The alternative is de facto impunity," it said. It called for the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the free passage into the territory of food, medicine, fuel and construction supplies. Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, called the report "another example of the one-sided and unfair attitude of the rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, a council that has been criticized by current and previous secretaries-general for its unbalanced attitudes toward Israel." He added, "The negative fixation on Israel by the council has done a disservice to the issue of human rights internationally as has been attested to by the leading NGO's [nongovernmental organizations] on human rights." Another report issued Monday also was critical of the IDF. The report from Physicians for Human Rights said the Gaza incursion violated IDF's own code of ethics. The report by the medical group, which shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, cited instances where it said IDF forces did not evacuate injured civilians for days and prevented Palestinian teams from reaching the wounded, and said some of them died as a result. It said 16 Palestinian medical personnel were killed by IDF fire and 25 were wounded during the IDF operation, and accused the IDF of attacking 34 medical centers in violation of the IDF's own "ethical code for fighting terror." In response, the IDF accused Hamas of having used medical vehicles, facilities and uniforms to conceal its members' activity. "Hamas used ambulances to 'rescue' terror activists from the battlefield and used hospitals and medical facilities as hiding places," the Israelis said in a written statement. "Despite this, throughout the fighting, IDF forces were instructed to avoid firing at ambulances, even if they were being used by armed fighters. They were instructed only to shoot if there was fire towards our forces emanating from the direction of the ambulance." Regarding the reported delays in casualty evacuations, "there existed real difficulties in evacuating the injured, due to the roadblocks, booby-trapped roads and dirt mounds placed by the Hamas as well as the considerable damage to the infrastructure," the statement said. Nevertheless, it said, an IDF investigation is ongoing and its conclusions will be made public once it is complete. But Dr. Dani Filc, PHR-Israel chairman, was skeptical that the investigation would prove useful. "There are considerable doubts that the IDF is the correct institution to investigate suspicions of these violations," he said. "The IDF's repeated promises to the High Court to look into attacks on medical teams and medical centers have gone unfulfilled, and there are suspicions concerning its seriousness and readiness to carry out the matter." The Israeli military did accept criticism Monday on another matter -- the practice of some Israeli soldiers of wearing T-shirts that appear to condone acts of violence against Palestinians. The Israeli daily Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli soldiers who had finished basic training ordered the shirts, one of which showed a pregnant Arab in the crosshairs of a gun sight with a caption reading "1 Shot 2 Kills." Another showing a small child in a gun's sight was captioned, "The smaller they are, the harder it is." "The examples presented by The Haaretz reporter are not in accordance with IDF values and are simply tasteless," the Israeli military said in a written statement. "This type of humor is unbecoming and should be condemned." Israeli soldiers said last week that Palestinian civilians were killed and Palestinian property intentionally destroyed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to Haaretz. The IDF has said it is investigating the claims, but its top general expressed skepticism Monday. "I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation," Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, said in a speech. "I tell you that this is a moral and ideological army." He blamed Hamas for choosing "to fight in heavily populated areas. "It (was) a complex atmosphere that includes civilians and we took every measure possible to reduce harm of the innocent," he said, according to an IDF statement. | Israel: U.N. Human Rights Council has "one-sided and unfair" attitude .
Report says Israeli soldiers intentionally put children in harm's way during offensive .
U.N. report also said there was credible evidence Hamas used human shields .
Report called the Israeli response to Hamas rocket attacks disproportionate . |
283,239 | fae71848a9df22432c98eeadaa08eb3027db8851 | They had sworn their loyalty to her . father. They risked their necks in his name, too. There was only one . guest of honour they all really wanted to see yesterday. And her bow to . them and to their fallen comrades said it all. If . the protocol and the crowd control fell short (to be honest, at times . it fell apart), it certainly didn’t bother the Queen as she was thronged . by her father’s men yesterday. And . after a day of emotion, frantic diplomacy – enlivened by the presence . of both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders – and some delightfully barmy . French theatricals, the 70th anniversary of D-Day concluded last night . with a forceful and personal speech from the Queen. Cheers: The Queen toasts President Hollande during the state banquet held at Elysee Palace in Paris. In a powerful concluding speech, she said 'Everything we do, we do for the young' Toast: The Royal raised her glass with the French leader at the elaborate venue. She also said: 'Each year has compounded in Europe the benefits of our victory in the Second World War' Tribute: Hollande said HRH 'personified the phrase Keep Calm and Carry On' in a warm toast at the event . Conversation: The Queen listened carefully to Mr Hollande during the banquet - where foie gras was served . ‘The true measure of all our actions . is how long the good in them lasts,’ she declared. ‘Each year has . compounded in Europe the benefits of our victory in the Second World . War. Seen in that light, those heroic deeds will stand out as much in . 700 years as they do after 70.’ Noting . ‘the joy of becoming a great-grandmother’, the 88-year-old Queen added a . telling sentiment that will, no doubt, be much quoted by future . historians: ‘Everything we do, we do for the young.’ To . Normandy’s beaches had come the grandest gathering of world leaders . since the London Olympics. It included seven monarchs and ten . presidents, assorted prime ministers and cheeses of great magnitude from . a couple of dozen governments and armed forces. Yet the true stars of the show were those who had been on these very sands 70 years ago this very dawn. They . ‘marched’ through the streets of Bayeux, feted by flag-waving children . and cries of ‘Merci’ as they made their way to Normandy’s largest . Commonwealth cemetery. There, . they were joined by the one head of state who could well recall every . moment of that longest day; who served in uniform; who heard her father . broadcast to the nation that night; and who has always had a . distinguished war veteran at her side – as he was yesterday. The . arrival of the Queen and Prince Philip was heralded by a full quartet . from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – two Spitfires, a Dakota and . the mighty Lancaster. Tribute: Four-year-old Megan Grey at the grave of her great-grandfather who died on D-Day . Historic: Michel Colas (centre) shows his grandsons Samuel Colas (left) and Rafael Schneider (right) the Normandy American Cemetery before the start of an official event with U.S. President Barack Obama . Respect: A Veteran looks at graves as HM The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attend a service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery . Salute: Former sailor Peter Smoothy aged 89 from Herne Bay, Kent pays his respects to fallen comrades . The . sound of their Merlin engines and the sight of the Monarch, unmissable . in bright green, galvanised several old chaps up and out of their . wheelchairs. Helpers sprung . into action. They were struggling to their feet again as the bugle . sounded the Last Post and the Queen laid the first of many wreaths, . followed by the Prince of Wales, the Prime Ministers of Britain, . Australia and France and the Governor-General of New Zealand. And once the formalities were over, everyone wanted to have a word with the Sovereign. ‘My . Dad’s meeting the Queen!’ shouted a lady from Southend charging through . the crowd with a mobile phone. Don Sheppard, of the Southend branch of . the Normandy vets, was indeed having a word. Display: Thousands of attendees enjoyed a fantastic firework display at the International D-Day commemoration ceremony on Sword Beach . Show: Alpha jets, part of the Patrouille Acrobatique de France, leave trails of smoke in the colors of the French flag during the ceremony . So . was Ronald Elliott, 92, from Yorkshire, who had come ashore on Juno . Beach. Staying on the safe topic of weather, he said: ‘You didn’t order . it did you?’ ‘I might have,’ the Queen replied. Everyone . had a story to tell. I met Jim Booth who sat in a midget sub waiting to . guide the D-Day fleet. French-born Louisette Whitmore sheltered a badly . injured RAF officer after his plane came down; he became her husband. David . Cameron heard Leonard Bloomfield, 93, had served with the Duke of . Edinburgh in Gibraltar and steered him through the crowd to reunite him . with the Duke. Many veterans . wondered if there was something different about the place this year. Indeed there was. A few years ago, the Commonwealth War Graves . Commission noticed many of its Second World War graves were . deteriorating at a much faster pace than those from 1914-18. Group: The Queen and President Hollande stand before sitting at the top table along with Prince Philip, right . Royal welcome: The Queen and Prince Philip arrive at the Parisian venue this evening for a state banquet . Dressed for the occasion: Her Majesty wore an elaborate white gown and her crown for the Paris event . Greet: The Queen shakes hands with President Hollande - tonight's host - while Philip leaves the royal vehicle in the background. Her Majesty requested that Foie Gras was on the menu tonight . It . turned out that as Britain emerged from chaos in 1945, Whitehall – . shamefully – requisitioned all top grade Portland stone to repair . government buildings. The commission ended up with the cast-offs. So it has spent two years and £4million replacing 8,000 of the most vulnerable Normandy graves. Among . those paying their respects at a new headstone was four-year-old Megan . Grey, plus doll, whose great-grandfather died on D-Day. After . meeting the commission team, the Queen went on to lunch with all the . heads of state at the Chateau de Benouville, a wartime hospital. First . came a group photo at which she was glad-handed by new Ukrainian . president Petro Porochenko. Hellos: The royal couple were actually a few minutes late for the state banquet - most likely delayed following a long day of arrangements for the 70th anniversary of D Day . Arrival: Hollande, who is single and so is attending the event alone, steps aside to allow The Queen and Prince Philip to walk up the red carpet towards the elaborate Palace . All . eyes were on Russia’s Vladimir Putin, not least because of the Prince . of Wales’s observations on his foreign policy. To the relief of British . diplomats, the Prince was lunching with veterans elsewhere and Mr Putin . kept a respectful distance. To be on the safe side, the Queen made sure . she was deep in conversation with President Obama as they went through . to lunch. French diplomats . had thought long and hard about where to seat Mr Putin. The solution was . to slot him near the top of the table but in tranquil waters – between . the Queen of Denmark and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. After . lunch, the leaders made the short journey to Sword Beach. Here the . hosts erected a vast arena where the 3rd British Infantry Division came . ashore on D-Day morning. A thousand British troops were killed or . wounded on this spot, although the landings were more successful on . Sword than anywhere else. This . was where Lord Lovat and his commandos came ashore to the sound of Bill . Millin as he marched up and down playing the bagpipes. Smiles: The Queen stops at the top of the steps outside Elysee Palace for photographs. The royals will dine on a menu of saddle of lamb and garden vegetables followed by Bourbon vanilla ice cream . Event: The Queen smiled for cameras outside the Parisian location. Hollande tonight said Her Majesty embodied the phrase 'Keep Calm and Carry On' in a warm toast to the royal . There were pipes once more here yesterday. President Francois Hollande could have staged this ‘spectacle’ anywhere along D-Day’s 50-mile battlefront. But the French made much of the fact that they wanted to arrange things around the Queen. This had been a British beach. And, as by far the longest-serving head of state present, she had the honour of arriving last. It seems pre-ordained that every anniversary of D-Day should turn into a shambles. It happened on the 50th and 60th and yesterday was no different. As 7,000 guests sat baking in 26-degree heat, the world leaders ended up spending an extra hour over lunch. We later learned Presidents Putin and Porochenko had been having a meeting at the chateau. This might have been of great significance in geo-political terms. But it was of little solace to more than 1,000 veterans waiting for the show. Worthy of note: the warm applause for Angela Merkel. No German Chancellor has ever had a welcome like that at one of these events. Also worthy of note: Barack Obama chewing gum throughout. Official: The Queen and Mr Hollande pose for a few pictures before making their way in to the top table . Guests: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his wife Anne Gravoin stop for photographs on the red carpet . It was fabulously French. Black-clad dancers bounced on stage depicting the Nazi conquest while pyrotechnics did the rest. Eventually, they were replaced by D-Day dancers plus much waving of flags. Finally, all the veterans took a bow, to thunderous applause. The Queen’s state visit to France continues this morning. Last night, she was the guest of honour at an Elysee Palace banquet. The day, she said, had left her filled ‘with sorrow and regret, remembering the loss of so many fine young soldiers, sailors and airmen; with pride, at the sheer courage of the men who stormed those beaches, embodied in the veterans among us; and with thankfulness’. D-Day, she observed, reminded us of a great truth: ‘We should weigh our actions not by immediate acclaim, but by their benefit for future generations.’ | Queen arrived at Elysee Palace, Paris, for state banquet hosted by Hollande .
The Queen concluded 70th anniversary memorial with powerful speech .
'Everything we do, we do for the young' she declared yesterday .
Follows day of commemoration for thousands who fell during D-Day landing . |
239,917 | c299407595d713cc963d83c6d41a769baed25e31 | New double yellow lines painted on the ground in Cambridge are the shortest in Britain at just 11 inches long. The road markings on Hamilton Road in Chesterton are designed to separate a residents' parking zone with a pay and display area and motorists who park on the lines will face a £50 or £70 fine. It has taken over the accolade of Britain's shortest double yellow lines from a set also in Cambridge - on Humberside Road - which measure just 13 inches. The road markings are designed to separate a residents' parking zone (left) with a pay and display area (right) The lines have taken over the title as Britain's shortest double yellows from another set in Cambridge . But residents and motorists say the markings, which are about the same length as two iPhone 6's, are a 'ridiculous' waste of time and money and branded them 'pathetic'. Jennie Youce, of Burwell, parked up next to the line and said: 'It is absolutely ridiculous. What a complete waste of time and money. I can't understand why they even bothered with it. It is pathetic. 'And the question is, are they the exact distance between the residents' parking bays and the pay and display signs? Because they look a lot wider than that. 'I just can't believe they have spent money on this and wasted time. They must have better things to do.' But Cambridgeshire County Council chiefs have defended painting the lines. A spokesman said: 'Although we have seen people try and squeeze cars into unusual places such as pedestrians crossings, we don't expect anyone to try and park on these lines. Motorists have branded the lines, which are almost a foot-long, as 'pathetic' and a 'waste of time and money' 'This is a genuine attempt to be helpful to motorists by signalling with other signs the divide between pay and display parking and residents' parking on this street. 'The lines mark the border between the two types of parking and aim to help drivers park in the right bays and avoid a fine for parking in the wrong one.' Norwich claimed to hold the accolade in 2011 with double yellow lines measuring 17 inches in the city's Stafford Street, while Canterbury in Kent came close with its 21 inch lines. Meanwhile, nine inch-long double yellow lines appeared in London last year but Westminster City Council vowed to have them removed from Caxton Street . The council admitted the lines were a 'mistake' by contractors and vowed to make sure they were 'corrected', it was reported. Cambridgeshire County Council has defended the markings saying they are a 'genuine attempt to be helpful' | Road markings designed to separate residents' parking and pay & display .
Motorists who park on lines in Chesteron could face a fine of up to £70 .
It has taken over the accolade of Britain's shortest double yellow lines .
Residents say lines are 'pathetic' and 'ridiculous' waste of time and money . |
229,436 | b51ac953f621fe281897b5512bd90a34180ea4cf | (CNN) -- Hollywood executives love a movie franchise: a series of films with an in-built audience who return time and again to enjoy their favorite characters, stories and themes. Such box-office gold is usually based on pre-existing properties, for example comics ("Iron Man" et al), novels ("The Hunger Games") -- even theme-park rides ("Pirates of The Caribbean"). But the strong interest that followed the death of actor Paul Walker last weekend has been boosted by his crucial role in an unlikely franchise whose appeal has built steadily during the past decade, especially outside the United States. The six "Fast & Furious" films have spawned a globe-trotting, block-busting series, generating $2.4 billion in ticket sales alone since the turn of the century. Back then few predicted that a mid-budget actioner with little-known actors set in the hi-octane world of LA street-racing would still be going strong 12 years later. How did it happen? Released in June 2001, "The Fast And The Furious" was a testosterone-fuelled boys-with-toys movie set around a cat-and-mouse game between an undercover cop (Walker) and his prey (Vin Diesel). "I remember being in Honolulu when Mark Shmuger (former co-chairman of Universal Pictures) called to say they'd just had the most amazing test screening of a film we'd never heard of, called 'The Fast And The Furious,' recalls Andrew Cripps, former president and COO of UIP, the distribution joint-venture between Universal and Paramount which released the first three films internationally. "It seemed pretty domestic at the time," continues Cripps, now president EMEA for IMAX. "It was about L.A. street-racing, it had a relatively unknown cast, but there was a chemistry there between the lead characters and it really worked with young audiences around the world. I was pleasantly surprised by the international box office of the first film." "The Fast And The Furious" raced to an impressive $145 million in the U.S. during the lucrative and crowded summer season. An international release was delayed till fall to market the film as a fresh success that had swept the U.S. while also ensuring it avoided competition from bigger rivals. International grosses were low compared to domestic -- but they were strong for a $38 million movie skewed to an American audience. But the chemistry between Walker and Diesel that engaged audiences was missing from the next two sequels. For the second installment, 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious," Diesel was absent (focusing on two potential franchises that positioned him as the clear star) although Walker remained front and center. While U.S. box office was down on its predecessor, international grosses jumped 75%: a domestic franchise clearly had global appeal. As before, the UK, France, Germany and Australia proved powerful markets, while Mexico saw sales more than double, mirroring the series popularity with Hispanic audiences in the U.S. Universal sat up and took note, setting the third film -- which starred neither Walker nor Diesel -- in Tokyo. At the time it made sense: Japan has its own street-racing scene and in 2006 was the biggest international market. It was also a territory the franchise had yet to crack. "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" worked for the Japanese market, boosting box office by 28% from the previous film. But while Japan grew, other major markets shrank and North American box office halved. Without Walker or Diesel the franchise had lost its spark and seemingly run its course. By 2009, with the careers of the original cast floundering, Diesel -- now a producer -- helped orchestrate the return of all four key players from the original cast for "Fast & Furious." International success had to be the focus if the franchise was to be revived: domestic success was no longer a guarantor of franchise longevity. Nervous executives were still unsure the package would work and skipped a release into the overheated summer market, targeting instead an Easter rollout and building on the success of the first feature (the film's tagline was "New Model. Original Parts."). It worked and audiences returned, with fresh growth in all the franchise's previous key markets and new support in Russia, a traditional haven for action movies. "The relationship between Paul Walker and Vin Diesel's characters was at the heart of the franchise," explains box office analyst Charles Gant of The Guardian. "So as soon as it brought those two guys back together they were on a money train." That chemistry and rivalry between Walker and Diesel needed to be maintained. How? By turning the movies from street-racing series into a globe-trotting action franchise rooted in frenetic auto action. Thus 2011's "Fast Five" became a heist caper set in Brazil with Walker and Diesel working together instead of in opposition: global appeal broadened still further by bringing back multi-national characters from across the franchise. But with Walker and Diesel both on the wrong side of the law the series now needed a new opponent. Enter former wrestler and human mountain Dwayne Johnson aka "The Rock." "We initially designed the role for Tommy Lee Jones," Diesel explained in an April 2011 interview. "One of my fans on Facebook said I would love to see you and The Rock in anything together. It really was the best choice in the world." "Fast Five" became a major international player and from its late April release it landed a knockout blow on superhero slugfest "Thor" across several territories. It was also the first of the franchise to venture into the high-ticket giant-screens owned by IMAX, its bangs and ballistics sitting well with the format's male-heavy audience. By the time the UK-set "Fast & Furious 6" opened in May 2013, expectations were heady: the first film had been a domestic-weighted surprise; the second a solid sequel; the third a flop; the fourth an all-or-nothing reboot; the fifth a take-a-chance change of direction. The sixth was primed to be a guaranteed blockbuster. It didn't disappoint. Grossing $550 million at the international box office alone, "Fast & Furious 6" has become the third highest grossing film of the year worldwide behind "Iron Man 3" and "Despicable Me 2." Seventy percent of its $788m gross has come from overseas: as with its predecessor, China was the top grossing market ($66m). Such heady figures were vital to sustain a movie series whose production costs had ballooned from $38m in 2001 to $160m in 2013. But Walker's death has now left the future of the franchise in question: Universal announced this week that production has shut down on the seventh instalment "so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise," which was due to release on July 11 2014. Many of the cast are already signed up for an eighth episode. "The latest was the biggest yet and the series looked set to grow and grow," says Gant. "The franchise is giddy and fun and I think it will be a real challenge for them to continue in the wake of Paul Walker's death and the manner in which it occurred." Nick Hunt contributed to this report. | "Fast and The Furious" movie franchise has taken more than $2 billion worldwide through ticket sales .
The future of the series is now being considered following the death of star Paul Walker .
More than 60% of its box office has come from international, boosted by China in recent years .
The series floundered for several years when its two leads were absent . |
144,680 | 471b250f546334cfa6ae6bc4b15859c2c07fda9f | Legendary horror writer Clive Barker stands accused of giving his ex-boyfriend HIV then kicking him out on the street years later. Emilian David Armstrong claims in a new lawsuit that British-born Barker gave him HIV sixteen years ago, reported TMZ. After meeting in 1996, the couple quickly moved in together, along with Armstrong’s daughter from a previous heterosexual relationship. Accused: Horror writer Clive Barker stands accused of giving his ex-boyfriend HIV sixteen years ago . The lawsuit claims that Barker urged Armstrong to get tested after he tested positive for HIV. Armstrong says he was diagnosed with the disease in November 1996. According to the suit, Barker confessed to previously having a sexual relationship with his own cousin, who had AIDS, as well as engaging in sadomasochism in prior relationships where syringes were involved. Success story: Barker's fiction has been turned into films, including the popular Hellraiser and Candyman series . Explaining the 16 year delay before filing a lawsuit, Armstrong says that he and Barker attempted to battle HIV together before their relationship started to spiral in 2003. The relationship deteriorated around the same time Barker, now 59, became addicted to prescription painkillers, according to the suit. Armstrong alleges that Barker would mix the drugs with alcohol, cocaine, and, at times, crystal meth. Armstrong accuses his ex-boyfriend of throwing grug-fueled parties with men as young as 19. In 2009, Barker threw Armstrong out of his house – leaving Armstrong and his daughter destitute. Armstrong claims that he was also a business partner to Barker and is entitled to a cut of his profits. He says that he was promised support from life. Barker has made no comment. The revelations came the same day that Amazon Studios announced they had hired Barker to rewrite 'Zombies vs. Gladiators,' an action horror project. Barker is best known for his horror and fantasy novels, and his fiction has been turned into films, including the popular Hellraiser and Candyman series. Disturbing: Barker was the writer behind the Hellraiser series of films . | Emilian David Armstrong makes claims in lawsuit filed against British-born author .
Ex-boyfriend tested positive for the virus in 1996 . |
147,373 | 4a8a29c49b459a28f009ace2efe8ded1ccdd549e | Millions of people - including pensioners and former Armed Services personnel - could find themselves with a backdated tax bill because of errors by HMRC. Unsuspecting taxpayers with more than one income could be landed with a bill of up to £2,000 because HMRC offices are failing to share information on a central database. The people most likely to be affected are couples with two pensions, those who continue to work part-time when they retire and former armed services personnel who now have civilian jobs, but still draw an army pension. Scroll down for video . People could be hit with an extra tax bill after local HMRC offices failed to share their information on a central database . The problems have been caused by people's personal allowance - which means all earnings up to £10,000 are tax free - have been allocated more than once. Often the mistake is only found a year later, when a bill for the unpaid tax is sent. People are being warned to take a close look at their tax returns, due to be submitted by January 31, to ensure no mistake has been made - especially as up to three million people are thought to have multiple incomes. Clive Stevens, the executive chairman of accountancy practice Reeves,described the error rate as 'high'. Clive Stevens, who sits on the council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, described the error rate as 'high' Mr Stevens, who also sits on the council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, told The Telegraph: 'Often when people have two sources of income, two tax codes are issued by separate HMRC offices, each acting on the basis of information given to them by an employer, pension provider or the taxpayer directly. 'Clerical errors are made because the workforce, which has suffered sweeping redundancies, is demoralised and the required attention to detail and care is not there. 'In my experience, up to three out of five PAYE codes that we see in our office are incorrect when first issued. 'In the worst cases, it has taken 10 attempts to get a correct code from HMRC.' But an HMRC spokesman said more than 98 per cent of its tax codes are right, with the cast majority of people paying their tax correctly from the outset and throughout the year. The spokesman added: 'The introduction of our new computer system mean that these kinds of very old underpayment cases would not happen now. 'We introduced the National PAYE Service in July 2009 which merged 12 regional databases into one national system which means that any HMRC office can respond to our customer's enquiries. 'The idea that millions of people will get taxed is just completely wrong.' | Pensioners and former armed services personnel more likely to be hit .
Problem caused because tax-free allowance allocated more than once .
People being urged to check their tax returns for errors closely .
But HMRC say these sorts of problems 'would not happen now' |
237,003 | bec17c0e23e64551b803482a7bd143edd8ada997 | Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- French rescue workers pulled a 24-year-old man alive from the rubble of a hotel in Haiti on Saturday, 11 days after an earthquake devastated much of the country. Wismond Jean-Pierre, who had no visible injuries but was severely dehydrated, was immediately loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital for treatment. Lt. Col. Christophe Renou, a rescuer with the French team, called the three-hour effort "a miracle" as he was briefly overcome with emotion. Other members of the team -- assisted by American and Greek workers -- were seen weeping with joy following the rescue. "This is God," Frank Louvier, the chief of the French rescue team, said as he pointed to the sky. Full coverage | Twitter updates . The man's brothers said they reported hearing tapping from within the ruins of the Hotel Napoli Inn for several days but struggled to get authorities to the scene. A Greek journalist said he alerted Greek rescue workers after hearing the tapping for himself. Jean-Pierre was a clerk at a store in the hotel. After the building collapsed, he searched in the dark and found some soda that sustained him, his brother said. His rescuers told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that cookies and beer were also found in the pocket after Jean-Pierre was rescued. In video shot by French Civil Protection, Jean-Pierre is seen wriggling out of an opening in the rubble no wider than his shoulders, a big smile on his face as he sees his rescuers for the first time. Renou said Jean-Pierre was found in a pocket in the rubble and was able to move all of his extremities. A doctor who examined him said Jean-Pierre was protected by a desk. Renou said Jean-Pierre did not say much when he was pulled out but indicated that there were three or four people around him when the building collapsed. However, Jean-Pierre told rescuers he had not heard any sounds around him for a couple of days. Workers were going into the rubble with radar equipment to check for any other possible survivors. The emotional rescue came a day after the Haitian government said that more than 111,000 people died in last week's earthquake. It is the worst death toll from an earthquake since the 2004 Asian tsunami and the second-highest death toll from an earthquake in more than three decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Meanwhile Saturday, much of Haiti was mourning as rescue operations turned into recovery missions and the country's president attended the funeral of an archbishop who was one of the victims. A Mexican rescue team pulled the body of 63-year-old Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot from ruins near the national cathedral, which he oversaw as archbishop of Port-au-Prince. The cathedral was destroyed. Read more about the funeral . At the funeral, President Rene Preval was asked to respond to criticism that he has not shown strong public leadership and been largely unseen in the aftermath. "This is not about politics today," he said. Friday night's star-studded "Hope for Haiti" telethon raised a record-breaking $58 million, with more donations continuing to pour in from around the world, the benefit's organizers announced Saturday. Additionally, the "Hope for Haiti Now" album, a compilation of the night's musical performances made available on Apple's iTunes, was the No. 1 album in 18 countries Saturday. Read more about the telethon . Before the search-and-rescue effort ended Friday afternoon, the U.N. office said, rescuers had managed to pull more than 130 people alive from the rubble. "Rescue teams continue to work in Port-au-Prince. We continue to hope that they will be able to find people still alive, but as time passes, we must gradually shift our resources from rescue to recovery," Nick Birnback, spokesman for U.N. peacekeeping operations, said Saturday. Some families of Americans who were staying at the collapsed Hotel Montana started an online petition Saturday in an effort to continue search efforts there "until all the survivors are accounted for." As of Saturday night, the petition had generated nearly 1,400 signatures and 3,600 messages to U.S. government officials, according to Sue Keller, a friend of a family whose relative is among the missing. Keller said the families hope to have at least 5,000 signatures by Monday. Meanwhile, 120 to 140 flights a day are regularly arriving at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport, compared with 25 the day after the quake struck January 12, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. To relieve congestion at the airport, humanitarian cargo is being moved to a forward dispatch area at one end of the runway. The Las Americas airport in Santo Domingo, in the neighboring Dominican Republic, is starting to report congestion as it becomes increasingly useful as an alternative airport, the U.N. office said. It will now be open overnight to accommodate the extra traffic. The U.S. military has obtained landing rights at the Dominican Republic's air base at San Isidro, about 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Port-au-Prince. Port-au-Prince's main port is now working at 30 percent capacity, which should increase in the coming days, the U.N. agency said. The port is handling only humanitarian cargo and is still closed to commercial traffic. See where aid is available . Haiti is negotiating with the Dominican Republic to use the port at Barahona, about midway between the two countries' capitals, for more humanitarian deliveries. Those managing the land transport of supplies will need fuel, and the U.N. agency said there is enough in Haiti to last an additional 18 to 19 days. But it expects no shortage of fuel because supplies of fuel will be able to enter the port during that time. iReport: List of missing, found | Are you there? One concern with cross-border traffic is the unauthorized departure of Haitian children. Charities and aid groups have said in recent days that they are concerned about the danger of child trafficking after the earthquake. Groups including Save the Children and World Vision have called for a halt to adoptions, saying many children may appear to be orphaned but in fact have simply been separated from their families. "If children must be evacuated from Haiti because their protection needs cannot be met in country, the evacuation must be carefully documented, the children must be registered with the proper authorities, and all efforts must be made to reunify them with family before any adoption proceedings are considered," the U.S.-based Women's Refugee Commission said. The number of unaccompanied children needing support is greater than the capacity to respond, the U.N. office said. Authorities are working with unaccompanied children who are being released from hospitals, it said. There are now 47 hospitals, 11 mobile clinics and two floating hospitals -- from the United States and Mexico -- in and around Port-au-Prince. One of those floating hospitals is the USNS Comfort, a U.S. Navy ship just off the Haitian coast. Capt. James Ware, the commanding officer, oversees a team of 80 doctors, including 24 surgeons and 140 nurses. Ware said Friday that the hospital had received about 240 patients over 36 hours. In the next few days, he said, he expected the ship to treat about 150 patients a day. About 609,000 people have also been left homeless in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. CNN's Hala Gorani, Lisa Desjardins and Edvige Jean-Francois contributed to this report. | "Hope for Haiti" telethon raised record $58 million; more donations roll in .
Rescue of Wismond Jean-Pierre, 24, from rubble of Hotel Napoli called "a miracle"
More than 111,000 people have died in the quake and its aftermath, government reports .
U.N.: Haitian government declares end to search-and-rescue phase . |
39,611 | 6fd97076d3601c64fd553bfc707a660420d0abbe | (CNN) -- Channing Tatum's "Magic Mike" sequel has lost one of its star players. Matthew McConaughey, who played Dallas in 2012's male stripper movie "Magic Mike," isn't returning for the upcoming "Magic Mike XXL," director Gregory Jacobs confirmed in an interview with IndieWire. Tatum, the film's star, producer and co-writer, mentioned in April that he believed the entire cast would return. But McConaughey is currently filming the Gus Van Sant drama "The Sea of Trees," and filming for "XXL" officially begins at the end of the month. According to Jacobs, the absence of McConaughey's Dallas is just one way that "XXL" will be unique from the first film. "It's a road trip movie, and put it this way: It's different enough that once you see it you'll understand why we made a sequel," Jacobs said. "No one will be accusing us of making the same movie twice." Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello will be reprising their roles, and Jacobs noted that there are still new cast members to come. While fans may have their own casting wish lists, so does actor Tatum. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" last week, Tatum said he originally wanted "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt to appear in the first film, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. As for Zac Efron, who's reportedly expressed interest in being in the film, Tatum admitted the younger actor does have the sex appeal. "Of course, who wouldn't (want to see him)? I want to see Zac naked," Tatum quipped. "Magic Mike," which is loosely based on Tatum's own experience as an exotic dancer, performed well in the summer of 2012, earning roughly $113 million domestically. "Magic Mike XXL" is set to release July 1, 2015. | Matthew McConaughey won't appear in the "Magic Mike" sequel .
The director confirmed the news in an interview with IndieWire .
McConaughey has a scheduling conflict that prevents him from joining the movie . |
176,722 | 70c8c6f7cd69dcfb549401d2268c75ca61228cd5 | His turbulent love life and antics in Memphis might have dominated headlines in recent weeks but Prince Harry put high jinks to one side as he laid a wreath honouring Estonian soldiers in Tallinn's Freedom Square. The 29-year-old travelled to Talinn on a £143 easyJet flight - not the first time he has used the budget carrier, but still a highly unusual mode of transport for an official royal visit. Prince Harry's trip coincides with the return home of the last members of the Estonian contingent from Afghanistan, where they fought under British command and nine were killed. Scroll down for video . All smiles: Price Harry wins hearts and minds in Estonia, posing for a selfie with a delighted local lady . Mr Popular: Prince Harry proved a hit with the local ladies, many of whom travelled to Tallinn to meet him . International relations: These admiring glances say Prince Harry could teach the Foreign Office a thing or two . Prince Harry, himself a serving soldier, spent time with the Estonian troops during his two tours of Afghanistan, the most recent of which was in 2012. And it seems his appreciation of all things Estonian is fully reciprocated, after a cheering crowd of more than 300 people turned up to greet him as he arrived at Freedom Square. Mingling with well-wishers, the prince stopped and posed for a number of selfies and earned himself a big smile from one local lady, whose crown-shaped placard he signed. He couldn't resist a cheerful chat with the local ladies and swiftly set about winning hearts and minds as he arrived in Estonia to start a two-day tour. One little girl seemed a bit overcome and snuggled bashfully into her father's chest after presenting a delighted Prince Harry with her Union flag. After meeting the crowds, Prince Harry, who flew in on an EasyJet plane, paused to contemplate the cross-topped memorial dedicated to freedom fighters that dominates Tallinn's central square. Nice to meet you! The prince beamed as he greeted the crowd, many of whom were waving Union flags . Bashful: Slightly overcome, the little girl then turned her face away shyly much to the amusement of the prince . Chat: After his walk about in Tallinn, the prince went on to lay a wreath in honour of Estonia's fallen soldiers . Excited: One little girl with an England plastic hand looked absolutely thrilled as Prince Harry shook her 'hand' Enjoying the day: The prince took his time on the walkabout among cheering locals in Estonian capital Tallinn . The prince, a serving Army officer, wore the all white tropical no 1 dress of the Household Cavalry and watched as two Estonian servicemen carefully placed his wreath at the base of the monument. Built from large glass blocks, it commemorates the 1918-1920 war of independence that saw the fledging country defeat Russian and German forces in its struggle for self-determination. The UK supported Estonia's fight for freedom and was one of the first to answer its call for help, providing naval support, armaments and other equipment - a move that defended the coastline and allowed the new country to build its own navy. The blooms on Harry's wreath featured some of Estonia's national colours, blue and white, and pinned to a ribbon attached to the floral tribute was a handwritten note that said: 'In memory of all those who gave their lives for their country - Harry'. Sombre: After greeting the crowds, Prince Harry paid his respects in a wreath-laying ceremony in Tallinn . Solemn: He was joined for the ceremony by senior members of the Estonian army which fought in Afghanistan . Salute: The prince saluted as he and the crowd observed a minute's silence in honour of Estonia's fallen . The prince bent down to adjust the wreath then took a few steps back and paused in a mark of respect as a bugler played the last post before saluting the monument during a minute's silence. After paying his respects, the prince was driven off to a military hospital where he met wounded Afghanistan victims - some of whom will compete in the Invictus Games in September - before addressing the Parliament of Estonia. Tomorrow, the prince is due to meet Estonia's president, Toomas Hendrik, and military leaders in Kevadtorm before observing NATO's Spring Storm military exercise. On Sunday, the 29-year-old will travel to Italy for the first time since visiting on a family holiday in 1985, where he will attend a number of events commemorating the Allied campaign during World War Two. His trip to Italy will include a visit to Monte Cassino, where he will attend the New Zealand service at the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery, and a trip to Rome. Prince Harry has travelled with easyJet in the past, but always for private holidays - such as his summer visit to Scotland in 2011. In August 2012 the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also used easyJet for a private visit to the Alps - even waiting in line with all the other passengers during security checks. It remains highly unusual, however, for a senior member of the Royal Family to use a budget carrier for an official visit. Ceremonial: Two Estonian soldiers carefully carried Prince Harry's wreath to the monument in Freedom Square . Heartfelt: The wreath bore a message from Prince Harry dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died fighting . Address: After the wreath-laying ceremony, Prince Harry addressed the Parliament of Estonia in Tallinn . Enjoying himself: Prince Harry smiles as he meets dignitaries after his speech at the Parliament of Estonia . Meeting: Estonian troops in Afghanistan are greeted by former PM Tony Blair during a visit to Camp Bastion . Favourite: Prince Harry has twice served in Afghanistan and proved a hit with British and Estonian comrades . Work: Captain Wales, as he's known in the Army, served as an Apache pilot during his last tour of duty . | The 29-year-old arrived in Tallinn this morning for a two-day Estonian tour .
Paid his respects to Estonia's war dead during a visit to Freedom Square .
Was greeted by a cheering crowd and happily stopped to pose for selfies .
Later met wounded Estonian troops and will meet the president tomorrow .
Nine Estonian soldiers were killed in action during Afghanistan campaign .
The last members of Estonia's Afghanistan contingent returned this week .
Estonians fought alongside British Army and were based at Camp Bastion .
They served alongside Prince Harry during his two tours of the country .
Travelled to Estonia on a flight operated by budget carrier EasyJet . |
236,733 | be693d6f30a0e433fb0e284c6bdc26425e1b8e8f | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 09:09 EST, 26 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:07 EST, 29 November 2012 . A new permanent exhibition at the Natural History Museum will showcase some of its collection's most significant and valuable objects from 4.5billion years of our planet's past. Visitors will be able to view specimens which inspired breakthroughs in the fields of botany, mineralogy, zoology and palaeontology, and delve deep into the backgrounds of the world’s most famous naturalists. Charles Darwin, Hans Sloane, Alfred Russel Wallace and Richard Owen are among the celebrated characters that have populated the Museum with some of its 70million treasures. Guy the Gorilla: Guy was a western lowland gorilla who lived at London Zoo from 1946 to 1978. He was one of the most popular animals in the zoo's history and millions of visitors fell in love with his gentle nature . Inspirational exhibits: This glass anatomical study, left, made by the Blaschka family between 1886 and 1889 using techniques which are now lost is one of 187 such models that will go on display at some point. Right, a Dodo skeleton constructed from bones that are around 1,000 years old . William Smith's ammonites: William Smith, known as the 'father of English geology', used . these 200million-year-old fossils to prove that the rocks beneath our . feet are layered through time launching the new science of geology, the . study of Earth's structure . Left, an illustration from Audubon’s The Birds of America, which is the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. Right, A stuffed great auk - which became extinct shortly after 1852, following centuries of intense exploitation by people . On the Origin of Species, first edition: A rare copy of the book that changed the way we look at the world around us. Considered the most important book in biology, it describes Darwin¿s theory of evolution by natural selection . Charles Darwin's pigeons: These rock dove . speciments provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of . evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an . experiment and donated them to the Museum in 1867 . Ancient: The Wold Cottage meteorite, left, the earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK, which was formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6billion years ago. Right, An adult female Neanderthal skull that was the first Neanderthal skull ever discovered and is about 50,000 years old . Each exhibit in the new gallery has its own story to tell and reveals a fascinating, and sometimes surprising, aspect of the Museum’s scientific or cultural heritage, a spokesman said. Dr Michael Dixon, director of the museum, said: 'The opening of Treasures in the Cadogan Gallery represents an exciting future for the Natural History Museum. 'By inviting the world to explore the highlights of our world famous collection in this permanent gallery, many generations of visitors will capture their own unique insight into our natural world.' Specimens include Guy the Gorilla, who was one of London Zoo's best loved animals during his time at the zoo from 1946 to 1978. Overlooking Dippy, the museum's much-loved Diplodocus skeleton, the new exhibition is located on the upper mezzanine of the Central Hall and has been made possible thanks to a £2million donation from The Cadogan Charity. It opens to the public on Friday, November 30. Moa bone fragment: the first fragment of moa bone to be discovered, unearthed in the 1830s by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Natural History Museum. It was the first evidence that the moa existed and will be displayed in Treasures alongside a full moa skeleton . Botanical breakthroughs: Left, George Clifford's herbarium sheet, which helped young Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus to devise a structure for naming specimens. Right, Joseph Banks’s herbarium sheet, which consists of plants collected by the pioneering scientist on Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia in 1770 . Iguanodon teeth that are around 137 million years old: These teeth were discovered by Mary Ann Mantell in 1822. The first dinosaur teeth found, they provided evidence to support the theory that giant reptiles had once walked the Earth . Sacrifices for science: This Emperor penguin egg was one of only three fresh eggs collected during Captain Scott¿s ill-fated last expedition to the Antarctic in 1910. The expedition team hoped that the embryos inside would confirm the suspected link between reptiles and birds . Dwarf elephant tooth: This fossil tooth and jaw bone were discovered in Cyprus by palaeontologist Dorothea Bate. Between 10,000 and 800,000 years old, they were one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that miniature elephants once lived in the island . From far and wide: Left, around 3.7billion years old, this ilmenite basalt fragment is the only piece of moon rock owned by the UK. Right, a 147million-year-old rock slab contains a fossil of an Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird which combines both bird and dinosaur characteristics . Hans Sloane¿s nautilus shell: Beautifully carved, it is easy to imagine why this shell was one of Hans Sloane¿s favourite specimens. It was made in the seventeenth century and was part of Sloane¿s vast collection, which later formed the core of the British and Natural History museums . Alfred Russel Wallace¿s insects: A rare personal collection, assembled in Southeast Asia, 1854¿1862. Wallace, who is credited with the co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection, kept very few of the specimens he collected . The skull of a north African Barbary lion thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280¿1385: This lion would have been the jewel of the King¿s menagerie and, after the ancient native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. | Specimens appear in major new exhibit which opens on Friday thanks to £2million charitable donation .
Among the specimens are a dodo skeleton and stuffed 'Guy the Gorilla' |
281,576 | f8c27f61f42ab0724d0c223407d2690c34c47684 | By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 15:37 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:42 EST, 16 May 2013 . The parents of two young children who were allegedly stabbed to death by their nanny in their Upper West Side apartment last year have revealed they are expecting a baby boy. Marina and Kevin Krim shared the happy news on a Facebook page set up in the memory of their two slain children, two-year-old Leo and six-year-old Lulu. The baby boy will join the Krims' surviving daughter, four-year-old Nessie, and will be born almost a year after the horrific murders last October. Happy news: Marina and Kevin Krim, whose son and daughter were allegedly stabbed to death by their nanny last year, have revealed that they are expecting a baby boy this fall . 'Hello everyone, We are very happy to let you know that Marina is expecting a baby in the fall,' read the message on the Lulu & Leo Fund. 'Nessie can’t wait to welcome her new baby brother. We are filled with many emotions as we look to the future, but the most important one is hope. We are very grateful to you all for your amazing support.' The message has already received more than 2,000 'likes'. Leo and Lulu, whose full name was Lucia, were murdered at the family's Upper West Side home on October 26 in an horrific crime that shocked the country. Mrs Krim arrived home at the family apartment to find two of her two children dead in the bath-tub next to nanny Yoselyn Ortega who had slit her own throat in an alleged suicide attempt. Loss: Two-year-old Leo and his big sister Lulu, six, were found in a pool of blood in the family's home . Victims: Only Nessie, whose picture has been pixelated, escaped harm as she was with her mother . Nessie escaped injury as she was with her mother at the time. In January, Mr Krim, an executive at America's CNBC television station, said that they are drawing strength from their remaining child. He said: 'Marina and I couldn't be more proud of her - she is very smart, beautiful and tough. And she's grown so much over the past two months. She saves us every day.' In April, the Krim's nanny Yoseyln Ortega, 50, was . ruled fit to stand trial and will now face a jury for two counts of . first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. Cause for celebration: The Krims shared the happy news on a Facebook page set up for the children . She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. When questioned by police after awaking from the coma, the nanny attempted to paint Mrs Krim in a bad light, shifting part of the blame for the tragedy on her. Ortega, who had told neighbors and family that she was short of money, revealed she resented her employers because they kept telling her what to do and asked her to do the housework, it was reported after the murders. Fit for trial: Yoselyn Ortega, 50, pictured in court in March, was deemed mentally fit to stand trial over the murders of the two Krim children . | Marina Krim, 36, found her daughter Lulu, 6,and son Leo, 2, stabbed to death at family's Manhattan apartment last October .
Family's nanny Yoseyln Ortega has been charged with their murders .
The Krims have said their surviving daughter Nessie 'saves us every day' |
203,875 | 93f3f14ae61cf7395185b2cbce53a3395ae7fa41 | This lion has shown the world exactly who's king of the pride after he delighted visitors to his safari park with several almighty roars which echoed across the grounds - before he got bored and retired for a nap. In scenes strikingly similar to animated children's film 'Madagascar', the African lion prowled out onto a rocky plateau and made a series of impressive deep growling noises before launching into a roar. Visitors to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park were clearly delighted and in footage filmed during the spectacle much oohing and aahing can be heard as they watch the alpha male make the spine-tingling sounds. The lion at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (pictured) showed off his vocal range during his recent performance . At one point it sounded almost as if the big cat was barking at the crowd with a rhythmic and guttural growl which reverberated around the enclosure. Clearly satisfied with a job well done, the lion then appears to tire of his efforts and turns his back on the crowd, presumably to go back to sleep. It is unclear if the lion was warning someone off or simply stretching his vocal chords. The video, which was uploaded yesterday on YouTube, has already garnered more than 88,500 views. The incident resembles a scene from hit movie Madagascar in which Alex, a sheltered and spoiled zoo lion, roars for his doting fans as part of a nightly show. The male African lion appeared to lose interest with the crowd following his spine-tingling display . The incident resembles a scene from hit movie Madagascar in which Alex roars for his doting fans . It is not clear which of San Diego's three male African lions gave the impressive performance. The video sparked a number of comments on social media. Jack T wrote on YouTube: 'Hello everyone, cat expert and lion translator here. His accent sounds a bit thick but this is the gist of it, "To all delicious humans seeing me this day. I, Leonid (unintelligible) want to let you all know it's perfectly safe to come over the fence. I have a nice place here and love visitors."' But others were more concerned by the unusual sounds the lion made. Anonymous wrote: 'This is sad. The King of the jungle trapped in a small enclosure. He's probably crying for help.' On Reddit, sarcastifrey wrote: 'I have only experienced a lions roar once and it was so amazing and terrifying all at the same time. You could feel the sound vibrating in your chest.' The incident was similar to Alex the Lion's nightly show of roaring in children's film 'Madagascar' (pictured) EV0LUTIONX, who witnessed the event, said: 'I'm pretty sure the reason the little kids around quieted down was because of the reverberations. I had no idea an animal could make that kind of sound.' Hairless_Talking_Ape added: 'When you hear a lion roar in real life, you can feel it go through your body. I was at the zoo and my buddy thought it was some loudspeaker before we saw the lion actually roaring. He thought there was no way that an animal could make that sound. I don't blame him though, it really is monstrous in person.' The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has continuously had lions on show since it opened in 1972. In 2004 the Safari Park’s Lion Camp opened with the arrival of six six-month-old lion cubs from a facility in Africa. Lion Camp is currently home to three of those original six cubs: male Izu and his two female companions, Oshana and Mina. Many of their 18 surviving cubs from over the years are now residing in other zoos, but six are still at the park, including a litter of four born in July 2014. Lions vary in colour but typically sport light yellow-brown coats. Mature male lions are unique among big cats due the thick brown or black manes that encircle their necks and protect them while fighting. In the wild lions consume a wide variety of prey, from wildebeest, impala,zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild hogs to sometimes even rhinos and hippos. They will also feed on smaller animals such as hares, birds and reptiles. Lions are also known to attack elephants when food is scarce. The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s. Today, less than 21,000 remain in all of Africa. The only social member of the cat family, lions live in large groups called prides, consisting of about 15 lions. Related females and their young make up the majority of the pride. A single male, or sometimes a small group of two or three males, will join a pride for an indefinite period, usually about three years or until another group of males takes over. Males defend the pride's territory, which may include some 100 square miles of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands. Female lions are the pride's primary hunters and often work together to catch their prey. Source: Defenders.org and National Geographic . | Male African lion put on quite the display at San Diego Zoo Safari Park .
Big cat prowled out on to rocky outcrop and began a deep guttural roar .
In a video sound can be heard reverberating across the enclosure .
Awe-stuck audience were clearly delighted with the unusual performance .
Incident similar to Alex the Lion's show in children's film 'Madagascar' |
181,562 | 7710fb3d97ffa83e199dc5b4e7cd87ce6f2d3bb3 | By . Fiona Macrae . A chocolate that is good for the heart has been developed and could be on sale in months . A chocolate that is good for the heart has been developed – and could be on sale in months. Acticoa, a dark chocolate containing health-boosting plant chemicals called flavanols, is made by Swiss company Barry Callebaut. Tests show that it increases the elasticity of blood vessels by 1 to 2 per cent, making it easier for blood to flow. Research shows that an improvement of 1 . per cent cuts the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart . attacks, by 8 per cent. Cocoa . beans are naturally high in flavanols but they are normally stripped . out during processing. Barry Callebaut has made adjustments to its . processing technique, to preserve the flavanols. Spokesman . Marijke De Brouwer said: ‘This is not about artificially adding a . nutrient – it is about preserving what is already present in cocoa.’ A . Chocolate Industry Network conference heard recently that interest in . Acticoa is high, as the European Commission has given permission to . carry a health claim. Wrappers will be able to state that . ‘cocoa flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which . contributes to normal blood flow’. But . Angus Kennedy, of trade magazine Kennedy’s Confection, questioned . whether Britons will embrace a healthy version of something meant to be a . treat. He said: ‘We must always remember that chocolate is more or less 50 per cent sugar and 50 per cent fat. ‘If you wanted to increase your blood flow, you’d probably go for a jog or take a walk in the park.’ Healthy: Cocoa beans are naturally high in flavanols but they are normally stripped out during processing . Studies also credit Acticoa chocolate with a host of other health benefits, from fighting wrinkles to sharpening the mind. Cocoa beans are naturally high in flavanols but they are normally destroyed or stripped out during processing. Although you may never have heard of Barry Callebaut, it is likely to have made one in five of the squares of chocolate that pass your lips. The 1,400,000 tonnes of chocolate made by the firm each year help supply household names including Cadbury’s and Thorntons, as well as caters and chefs and it has British factories in Banbury and St Helen’s. | Acticoa contains health-boosting plant chemicals called flavanols .
It is made by Swiss company Barry Callebaut .
Tests show it increases elasticity of blood vessels by 1 to 2 per cent . |
170,811 | 691232ea0615f204b9cd7a4b1261d19d53a69ee0 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 9:19 AM on 28th October 2011 . Screened: Ayesha Niles, now 18, was arrested at Miami International Airport after allegedly trying to smuggle 30lbs of cocaine in her luggage . A British teenager is facing 15 years in prison after being caught smuggling 30lb of cocaine into America. Ayesha Olivia Niles was picked out by customs officers at Miami Airport in Florida. Agents found the packs of cocaine stuffed into 24 boxes of cake mix. Niles, who turned 18 while being held in a juvenile detention centre, flew in from Jamaica last Friday. In Florida, drug-traffickers can get sentenced to life in jail, which means a minimum tariff of 15 years. Niles, a student from London, told police she did not know what she was carrying but suspected she was involved in illegal activity. Police said the teen, who is from London, was picked for screening by customs agents. As they searched her two suitcases they found the class A drug hidden in the boxes of cake mix. It is not known if Niles was planning to continue with the drugs back to London are drop them off in Florida. A police source said: 'She is a classic drug mule who thought she could easily bring the drugs through an airport undetected.' Prosecutors said Niles was a 'poster child' for how easily drug smugglers can corrupt young people. 'This young woman had her 18th birthday in a foreign jail, far from her home and her family, because she thought she could smuggle almost 30 pounds of cocaine through Miami,' said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. 'Sadly, she almost becomes a poster child for how easily the drug trade can corrupt our youth.' Arrest: Customs agents found the Class A drug hidden inside cake mix boxes after she had got off a flight from Jamaica . Miami-Dade Police Major Charles . Nanney said it was rare to find people transporting such a large amount . of drugs at the airport, especially a young girl. He said she was chosen to be searched . due to enhanced security screening at the airport, one of Amerca’s . busiest and gateway to the Caribbean islands. Niles faces charges of trafficking cocaine and importation of a controlled substance. She was arrested on October 21 and has been held at juvenile detention centre. | Ayesha Olivia Niles hid the drug 'in boxes of cake mix' |
119,902 | 26fb1b7cdb5785aedd044507594dcab3af717092 | Police in Calais have staged a protest at insufficient funds needed to cope with the estimated 2,000 British-bound migrants massed in their town. Up to 500 officers blocked a road near the port, triggering long delays for cars and lorries trying to board ferries to Britain. The police union is complaining they do not have the manpower to handle the frequent outbursts of violence between rival gangs of refugees in the northern French port. Scroll down for video . Police in Calais have staged a protest at insufficient funds needed to cope with the estimated 2,000 British-bound migrants massed in their town . Up to 500 officers blocked a road near the port, triggering long delays for cars and lorries trying to board ferries to Britain . The police union is complaining they do not have the manpower to handle the frequent outbursts of violence between rival gangs of refugees in the northern French port . The police were joined by farmers and landlords also angered at their property being occupied by migrants waiting to sneak aboard lorries and ferries to the UK . They were joined by farmers and landlords also angered at their property being occupied by migrants waiting to sneak aboard lorries and ferries to the UK. A statement from the police union Syndicat General de la Police said: 'In the space of a few months, the migrant numbers have quadrupled in Calais. 'The police have had no choice but to abandon their public service mission, as a result of the lack of resources and above all staff. 'The continued flow of migrants traps the local economy in an unprecedented crisis, and businesses are threatened.' French authorities estimate that there are around 2,000 illegal migrants, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, waiting in Calais to seek asylum in Britain. Tensions have been mounting in recent months as hundreds more refugees fleeing war zones in the Middle East and poverty in Africa flood into the town. Mass brawls between rival gangs have left more than 70 people injured during July and August. Two weeks ago, Home Secretary Theresa May promised to give France £12million tighten security in Calais after 250 illegal immigrants stormed the ferry terminal hoping to make it across the Channel. Scores of migrants were turned back after storming a P&O ferry to Britain earlier this year . Migrants have been known to make breaks for ferries and lorries in attempts to make it across the Channel, but are usually unsuccesful . French truckers have also threatened to blockade the port of Calais in protest at steep fines imposed for migrants found hiding in their lorries. Haulage firms are fined £2,000 for each illegal immigrant they bring across the Channel from France. Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart also recently threatened to block the ferry port to all traffic unless Britain did more to help her town tackle the crisis. Ms Bouchart wants the UK border to be moved from Calais to Britain, and for British Prime Minister David Cameron to visit her town. She recently blamed the UK's 'generous' state benefits for refugees for the squalid migrant camps in her town. She said: 'Calais is a hostage to the British. That's enough. It's no longer tenable. It's necessary to renegotiate these accords. We're not here to do their job.' Police union chief Gilles Debove said of yesterday's police protest on RMC radio today: 'Our message is clear, it's a pacifist and republican demonstration, because the situation is changing. 'The number of migrants is increasing, but we are still working with the same number of staff. 'We have on average 20 or 22 police on duty. But at certain times, such as Saturday and Sunday mornings, there are only four, and four is not enough.' One unnamed officer phoned the station to add: 'These are not the conditions in which we can best provide security for the town. 'When I am called to intervene, sometimes I'm scared because there are 200 people in front of us, and we're only four or five - what can we do?' | Police officers in Calais block road in protest over refugee crisis in town .
Strike caused long delays for cars trying to board ferries to Britain .
There are not enough officers to deal with the 2,000 migrants near the port .
Police union says it cannot cope with violence between rival refugee gangs . |
160,288 | 5b34b28774ee16ce600715d8a5a42022aa8851d4 | A bizarre video has emerged from China of a game held in Shanghai where people compete to stay still and silent for the longest - the biggest prize being an iPhone 6. According to reports there were 282 participants involved the weekend before Christmas - sitting together without trying to move, laugh or leave for the bathroom. Half the contestants failed to hold for an hour while the winner, a young pre-school teacher called Ms Yan, made it to the end after three hours and six minutes. Nearly 300 people competed to win an iPhone 6 by trying to stay as still and silent as possible . Some believed the best way to win the competition was to close your eyes and drift off . The game reportedly first came from from South Korea; aiming to encourage the public to release the heavy pressure of living. It also took place in another three cities around the country. Locals and visitors alike descended on a Shanghai mall to try and win an iPhone 6 . Children joined in the game too alongside their parents in an attempt to win Apple's top software . China was expected to be one of the first countries to have the iPhone 6 launched in their country. However, despite 20 million online orders, Apple's hi-tech product wasn't launched until October 17. This led to those desperate to purchase the iPhone 6 to turn to the black market: a 128GB iPhone 6 could sell for upwards of £1,600 ($2,440), a mark-up of around £850 on the recommended retail price. | Contestants were not allowed to laugh or leave for the bathroom .
Crowd assembled in Shanghai mall to try and win an iPhone 6 .
Winner was pre-school teacher Ms Yan, who lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes . |
163,199 | 5f07fc4ea6624dedc85712af500436838979ee8e | For the third consecutive quarter, Samsung's profits have taken a hit. And the smartphone maker has reported its lowest quarterly earnings in three years, after profits plummeted by 60 per cent compared to this time last year. Compared to a record-high of £6 billion ($9.5 billion) in 2013, the company achieved £2.5 billion ($3.8 billion) profits for July to September. Scroll down for video . Samsung (headquarters in Seoul pictured) has reported its lowest quarterly earnings in more than three years. Compared to a record-high of £6 billion ($9.5 billion) in 2013, the company achieved £2.5 billion ($3.8 billion) profits for July to September this year . These figures are in line with what Samsung predicted earlier this month, and the firm is blaming the drop on weak sales of its new Galaxy model. The South Korean electronics giant became the biggest smartphone brand thanks to the popularity of earlier Galaxy models. But the larger screen on Apple's new iPhone 6 has been linked with luring customers away from the larger Galaxy range. While in China, local brands are making inroads into Samsung's business. Despite a drop in profits, Samsung has retained its leading position in the global smartphone market during the last quarter. But, it was the only top five manufacturer to record a sales decline. Apple, Xiaomi, Lenovo and LG all posted more than 15 per cent growth in their smartphone shipments, according to market research firm IDC. Samsung's shipments fell 8 per cent to 78.1 million smartphones in the third quarter, and its market share eroded to 24 per cent from 33 per cent this time last year. Samsung's rise to the world's top smartphone maker was helped by its partnership with Google's Android operating system. But other Android handset makers are matching Samsung in terms of performance, features and design. Shares of Samsung Electronics did rise 4 per cent, however, in Seoul. Although the earnings were weak, they were better than some forecasts. Plus Samsung said it is expecting a strong fourth quarter in the run up to Christmas. In response to the dramatic drop, Samsung has vowed to revamp its smartphone range to win back customers. Executives at the South Korean firm said it would overhaul its lower-tier line-up to boost price competitiveness, and use higher-quality components to set its devices apart. 'The mid-to-low end market is growing rapidly, and we plan to respond actively in order to capitalise on that growth,' said Samsung Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon during a conference call with analysts. In a rare acknowledgement, the company's head of investor relations added that Samsung had lagged behind changing market conditions. The company's response 'was not quick enough,' said Robert Yi. It plans a significant change in smartphone strategy for next year to seek more 'efficiency,' suggesting that the number of new handsets might be reduced. This would allow the company to focus more on each product. The earnings are below the median of analysts' expectations of £3 billion ($4.9 billion), according to FactSet, a financial data provider. The decline in Galaxy sales has also hurt demand for Samsung components such as an advanced display called OLED. 'The operating margin declined due to increased marketing expenditure and lowered average selling price,' Samsung said. The company said it 'cautiously expects increased shipments of new smartphones and strong seasonal demand for TV products'. Analysts claim the bigger iPhones released last month (shown) will likely take away customers who favoured the Galaxy's larger screens. In emerging markets, such as India and China, Samsung's smartphone sales have been overtaken by local rivals . The latest news comes despite the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5 (pictured) earlier this year, which was received by mostly rave reviews. The Galaxy S5 handpicked features from its competitors and put them all into a single handset, with some calling it a 'superphone' In emerging markets, such as India and China, Samsung's smartphone sales were overtaken by local rivals. 'Rather than seeking stability, Samsung should seek to distinguish [its phones] with Galaxy's design policies,' Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Securities said. The company moved the launch of the Galaxy Note 4, a large smartphone with a stylus, to late September from October after Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It also began sales of the Galaxy Note 4 in China last month, getting an early start in the world's most populous country before Apple. Last month, Samsung also received upbeat initial responses to its Galaxy Note Edge smartphone (shown), a smartphone with a curved side screen that can display weather, news, apps and other information. But the supply volume for the Edge smartphone will be limited, not giving a big boost to its earnings, analysts said . Last month, Samsung also received upbeat initial responses to its Galaxy Note Edge smartphone, a smartphone with a curved side screen that can display weather, news, apps and other information. But the supply volume for the Edge smartphone will be limited, likely not giving a big boost to its earnings, analysts added. With growth momentum in smartphones sagging, Samsung is moving to step up its presence in the semiconductor business. This week, Samsung announced a £9 billion ($15 billion) investment plan to build a new semi-conductor fabrication plant in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek. The construction will begin before the summer next year and begin operations during the second half of 2017. | Samsung has reported its lowest quarterly earnings in three years .
Profits fell 60% to £2.5 billion ($3.8 billion) in the three months to September .
Firm blamed slowing smartphone sales of its latest Galaxy models .
It comes as the bigger screen on Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus has been linked with luring customers away from the large Galaxy range .
Samsung has vowed to revamp its phone range to win back customers . |
252,452 | d2be95226cdde0d4fcc8bfd403dac4dac0b1084f | In 1928 motoring pioneer Henry Ford said: 'Mark my word. A combination airplane and motor car is coming. You may smile. But it will come.' Now an incredible flying car that will allow drivers skip traffic jams and take to the skies has been unveiled. The vehicle can be driven on normal roads as well as being flown as a two-seater airplane, as it is able take off and land at any airport, 'opening the door to real door-to-door travel,' according to the Slovakian company behind it. Named the AeroMobil 3,the hybrid invention was unveiled at a technology conference in Vienna. Video of the car in flight below... Up, Up and away: The AeroMobil 3 has a top speed of 124mph when it is airborne and can accommodate two passengers . The company claims the vehicle can be parked in a standard parking space and can be driven on normal roads . The vehicle has a maximum speed of 100mph when driven as a car, but in airplane mode can soar through the skies at 124mph. The prototype is part of an ongoing project by the AeroMobil Team led by co-founders Stefan Klein and Jurak Vaculik, who are based in Bratislava, in Slokavia. Roadworthy: The vehicle can be driven on normal roads as well as being flown as a two-seater airplane, as it is able take off and land at any airport, 'opening the door to real door-to-door travel' according to the Slovakian company . Tatiana Veber, AeroMobil spokesman said: 'We have been developing the concept of a flying car since 1990. 'Our first model looked quite bizarre and it would have problems in the regular use. 'That was a signal to improve the concept of the flying car in a way to become an integral part of the regular road traffic. 'We . got a positive feedback from several experts in avionics, which . appreciated design and the technical solution of the process of . transformation. The vehicle, which weighs 450kg, has a take-off speed of 90mph and a range of 430 miles as an airplane . The flying car is powered by a large propeller at its rear. The company has been working on the concept to try and develop a vehicle that could become an 'integral part' of the regular ways that people travel . Top speed: 124mph as a plane and 100mph as a car . Take-off speed: 90mph . Engine: Rotax 912 . Wings: Collapsible . Construction: steel framework and carbon coating . Dimensions: The car measures 6m long, 1.6m wide as a car and 8.2m wide as a plane . Weight: 450kg . Capacity: 2kg . 'The car is constructed to be fuelled at regular gas stations using the fuel for Rotax 912 ULS engine.' The company claims the vehicle can be parked in a standard parking space and can be driven on normal roads. When used as a car, the vehicle has a range of 540 miles and measures just over two metres wide. Built from light-weight steel framework and carbon coating, when converted into a plane, the vehicle measures just over eight metres wide and six metres long to accommodate two people. The increase in width is due to the unfurling of its collapsible wings. The vehicle, which weighs 450kg, has a take-off speed of 90mph and a range of 430 miles as an airplane. AeroMobil has been developing the concept of a flying car since 1990. This image is a pre-prototype illustration . | The AeroMobil 3 has a maximum speed of 100mph when driven as a car but in airplane mode can soar through the skies at 124mph .
The hybrid vehicle is the brainchild of designers Stefan Klein and Jurak Vaculik based in Bratislava, in the Slovak Republic .
The vehicle can be driven on normal roads and fit into a standard parking space when its wings are tucked in, according to the designers . |
133,845 | 3910e492d4f14698ba4f33e944c93c6656c99458 | A grieving Afghan mother took bloody revenge on the Taliban militants who gunned down her son, killing 25 and injuring five of them during a seven hour gun battle. Reza Gul watched helplessly as her son died while he manned a village checkpoint with his small team of police officers in the lawless Farah province. But flanked by her daughter and daughter-in-law, she led a counter strike on his attackers killing 25 militants and wounding another five during a ferocious seven hour gun battle. Scroll down for video . Reza Gul (center), her daughter Fatima (left) and daughter-in-law Seema, killed 25 members of of the Taliban after watching them gun down her son . Fatima Gul, who also took up arms against the Taliban after her brother was killed during a Taliban raid on his police checkpoint in the Farah province . From left to right, Fatima, Seema and Reza Gul battled for seven hours against Taliban forces after they attacked a police checkpoint, manned by Reza's son . 'I couldn't stop myself and picked up a weapon,' Gul told TOLO News. 'I went to the check post and began shooting back.' Her daughter-in-law Seema added: 'The fighting was intensified when we reached the battlefield along with light and heavy weapons. We were committed to fight until the last bullet.' She added that the combats zone was strewn with Taliban bodies when the fighting was over. A spokesman for the Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior told the agency it was a symbol of a public uprising. The Taliban is yet to comment about the incident. Alongside other insurgent groups, the Taliban have escalated attacks across the country since the withdrawal of most of the US led forces from the country last month. Targeting, government, security and foreign installations, especially in the country's capital Kabul, members of the public have also been caught in the crossfire. At least 50 people were injured earlier this week, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest in a crowd watching a volleyball tournament at an inter-district competition in Yahyakahil, Paktika province. The attacks have prompted Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani to order a comprehensive review of the country's defense forces. He is also rethinking Afghan policy towards controversial night raids, banned by his predecessor Hamid Karzai. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered a top-to-bottom inspection of his country's military forces after a rise in Taliban attacks . Ghani is considering whether night raids, barred by his predecessor Hamid Karzai, should be reintroduced . The latest attacks come as it was revealed US President Barack Obama signed a 'secret' order allowing the Pentagon to continue to target Taliban fighters even after the military withdrawal. The president's decision, made during a White House meeting with national security advisers, also gives the military the green light to conduct air support for Afghan operations when needed. Obama issued the guidelines in recent weeks, as the American combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, thousands of troops return home, and the military prepares for narrower counter terrorism and training mission for the next two years. Afghan lawmakers have also approved agreements with the US and NATO allowing Western soldiers to remain in the country. The international combat mission in Afghanistan, which began after the 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, was due to conclude at the end of this year . | Reza Gul looked on as the militants attacked her son's police checkpoint .
Flanked by her daughter and daughter in law she led the fightback .
The Taliban remain tight lipped about the attack . |
181,825 | 776e0b7c6adc677bb74a3efa10f8557a73eab7a9 | (CNN) -- I knew there had to be a reason my family and I went through tough days together. I didn't understand why then, but the past couple of weeks have put so much into perspective. The lonely days of pacing around my kitchen seemed like some of the longest days of my life. If anyone had told me then that I would be wearing a crown, an evening gown, heels and a swimsuit in front of a live audience with bright lights and television cameras hovering around, I'd have been the first one to dismiss it. I realize now that even my toughest days pale in comparison to the toughest days of others living with an autism spectrum disorder. I've been given this opportunity to use my voice for those who don't have one or have yet to find theirs. My path may not be one that another person would choose, but I challenged myself to enter the Miss America competition because it seemed like the peak to my own personal Everest. It also seemed kind of ironic: a girl who was told she was different and considered an outcast by many, in the nation's biggest beauty pageant. I knew I would face challenges and even some skepticism, but I never expected the outpouring of support that continues to come in. Winning the America's Choice title during the competition was the highest honor for me. The fact that so many people, to whom I am a total stranger, took the time to elect me as their contestant of choice is something I am still trying to comprehend. The glitz and the glamour may have faded from the wonderful experience of Miss America, but my commitment to raising awareness about autism and building bridges of acceptance grows stronger each day -- especially after I read e-mails, Facebook posts or tweets from the people who have supported my journey. I will be successful if just one person encounters a child who is overstimulated without staring, if one teenager invites an "outcast" to lunch or just smiles at him or her, or if one employer gives a job to someone who might not be able to look the interviewer in the eye. I also hope that families reading my story who feel isolated or have concerns and questions about their children know they are not alone -- there is a wonderfully loving community with people just waiting to be your friend and mentor. One thing I have learned in partnering with organizations like AbilityPath.org and Generation Rescue is that the special needs community is one of the most loyal and supportive groups anyone could join. I'm honored to be a part of this new circle of friends, and have no doubt that it was the people who found me relatable and believed in me that helped me become America's Choice. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know there is a lot for me to do to make sure people really get that "Normal is just a dryer setting." | Alexis Wineman was diagnosed with a form of autism at 11 .
She won the Miss Montana competition last year .
Wineman says the Miss America pageant was "my own personal Everest" |
166,381 | 63256b1f78af94fbe106c8aa2cf3db5aa1a5abbc | By . Daniel Martin . The Conservatives could consider all-women shortlists if the next election does not result in more female MPs, one of the party’s rising stars has said. Nicky Morgan, who was recently appointed women’s minister and is tipped for promotion to the Cabinet, said no option is ‘off the table’. But almost as soon as she made the comments on the Mumsnet parenting website, a senior Tory source said the idea was ‘categorically not an option’. Nicky Morgan was recently appointed women's minister made the comments to parenting website Mumsnet . Mrs Morgan’s suggestion will be controversial with many among the Tory grassroots, who have strongly resisted all-women shortlists, saying local associations should be allowed to choose candidates freely. David Cameron’s critics say he has a ‘women problem’ which intensified when he was pictured in the Commons with only men on his front bench. Only three out of 27 members of the Cabinet are women despite a pre-election pledge that a third would be. Only 16 per cent of Conservative MPs are women whereas for Labour – the only major party with all-women shortlists – the tally is 33 per cent. The Liberal Democrats have the worst record. Only 13 per cent of their MPs are female. Last month Nick Clegg suggested he would consider all-women shortlists unless things improved after 2015. But Mrs Morgan’s comments are an indication that the plan is being considered by some senior Tories. It is the first time she has set out her position on the issue since she became women’s minister in April. Asked about all-women shortlists by a Mumsnet user, Mrs Morgan said the party was taking the issue of women’s representation very seriously but too few female candidates were coming forward. ‘I think we need to see where we end up in 2015 and if we are still struggling to get more women MPs then no option is off the table,’ she said. For the 2010 election Mr Cameron introduced an A-list of priority candidates for the most winnable seats which was roughly equally split between men and women, helping the party’s number of female MPs to rise from 17 to 48. That system was dropped after the election and only around a third of candidates selected to stand in 2015 are women. Mr Cameron has been taunted by Labour for having a ‘women problem’ and was once accused of sexism for telling a female Labour frontbencher to ‘calm down, dear’. His government has also been accused of failing to support stay-at-home mums. He is under increasing pressure from some Conservatives to consider all-women shortlists. Earlier this year ex-Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman, a former party chairman, said she wasn’t opposed to the idea. | All-women shortlists, already slammed at 'not an option'
Only three out of 27 members of the Cabinet are women .
And only 13 per cent of Liberal Democrat MPs are female . |
19,581 | 379fb46257da9c247a13e6ddc27be96db4422cc2 | By . Louise Eccles for the Daily Mail . A £25 million penthouse flat overlooking Buckingham Palace has become the most expensive London home per square foot – before it has even been built. Property developer British Land said the top-floor apartment had sold for ‘materially above’ the previous record of £5,000 per square foot. It measures 5,000 square foot in total, suggesting it has sold for over £25million. A penthouse flat which will overlook Buckingham Palace and Green Park (above) has become the most expensive property in London per square foot at £25million . This is an artists impression of what the building on Clarges Street in Mayfair, will look like when it is completed. It is close to Bond Street and The Ritz hotel . The previous record holder was also in Mayfair in central London. British Land confirmed it has also exchanged contracts on 18 of the 34 flats at the site for an average price of £4,750 per sq ft. The site is close to Bond Street and overlooks Buckingham Palace, The Ritz hotel and Green Park. The 10-storey building includes a cinema, spa and 25-metre swimming pool. Tim Roberts, of British Land, told City AM that at least half the building’s new residents are ‘British-based’ and half are foreign, predominantly Indian. The developers said the sale of the apartments was ‘targeted at an exclusive list of known potential buyers’. British Land confirmed it has also exchanged contracts on 18 of the 34 flats at the site for an average price of £4,750 per sq ft . The 10-storey building comes with a cinema, spa and 25-metre swimming pool. At least half of new residents are 'British-based' and half are foreign - mainly Indian . The huge prices paid for the flats will raise fears of a housing bubble in prime London, with some wealthy foreign investors willing to pay above market value for property in prestigious locations. Prospective buyers were approached by estate agents Knight Frank and Wetherell. Peter Wetherell, founder of the Mayfair estate agent, said: ‘It will be what One Hyde Park is to Knightsbridge. ‘It will be a legacy building made with Portland stone and overlooking Buckingham Palace. It will be very special.’ British Land bought the mews development on Clarges Street, off Piccadilly, for £130million in 2012. It was the former home of the Kennel Club and rehoming the organisation for dog owners was a condition of its planning permission. British Land bought the mews development, formerly the Kennel Club, on Clarges Street, off Piccadilly, for £130million in 2012 and is due to be completed in 2017 . | Top-floor apartment sold for 'materially above' previous record of £5,000 per sq ft and is 5,000 sq ft in total .
10-storey building comes with a cinema, spa and 25-metre swimming pool and is close to Bond St and The Ritz .
At least half of new residents are 'British-based' and half are foreign and sales were targeted at exclusive list . |
102,926 | 10a804806ccb2efb9a3e818d455185adf5e652be | By . Lawrence Booth . Follow @@the_topspin . Sportsmail cricket writer Lawrence Booth's view of day one of the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford in which the tourists were bowled over by Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, ending their first innings on 152. England, meanwhile, were 113-3 at stumps. BEWARE HISTORY . England were jubilant at reducing India to 8 for 4. But the last three times they took four wickets in the first innings before the score reached 25, they have lost: against Pakistan (21 for 4) in Dubai in 2011-12; South Africa (21 for 4) at Headingley in 2003; and New Zealand (19 for 4) at Auckland in 2001-02. Explosive start: Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook celebrate the wicket of India opener Gautam Gambhir . FRED DID FOR INDIA . Only twice before have India lost their first four wickets in a Test innings for fewer runs than this. In 1952, Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser reduced them to 0 for 4 at Headingley. Later in the same series at The Oval, the pair were at it again, having India 6 for 4. BROAD’S BIG LEAP . Stuart Broad took a giant leap up the all-time Test wicket-taking list with his 6 for 25, from 255 to 261. He passed his old friend and team-mate Graeme Swann (255), West Indies giant Joel Garner and Australian quick Jason Gillespie (both 259). Broad smile: The England bowler was marvellous on day one, taking six wickets for 25 runs against India . | Last three times England took four wickets in first innings before the score reached 25 they lost on each occasion .
Only twice before have India lost four Test wickets for fewer runs .
Stuart Broad took a huge leap up the all-time Test wicket-taking list . |
1,483 | 044a9ce43e766804918b056502de087f41d162b6 | (CNN) -- Jefferson Thomas, one of the so-called "Little Rock Nine," the nine students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, has died, according to Carlotta Walls LaNier, president of the group's foundation. He was 67. Thomas died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday, the Little Rock Nine Foundation said in a statement. He was living in Columbus, Ohio. As a 15-year-old, Thomas was one of the nine African-American students who braved segregationist mobs to integrate the all-white school under the protection of military forces. A retired federal accountant for the Department of Defense, Thomas "had spent the last decade of his life doing community service, traveling to promote racial harmony and supporting young people in seeking higher education," the foundation said. In 1999, he and the others received a Congressional Gold Medal from President Bill Clinton. Thomas' oldest sister, Alma Hildreth, told CNN she believes God protected Thomas so that he could accomplish a mission that God had given him: "To stand up and do what he thought was right, [and to show] that education belonged to him and all the children." "He did a lot of good that he really enjoyed doing and wanted to do. He did a lot of speaking and encouraging young people to reach for the stars. That was his mission, to do that," Hildreth said. President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to Thomas' family in a statement issued Monday, and praised Thomas' bravery in entering Central High School. "Mr. Thomas was just a teenager when he became one of the first African-American students to enroll in Little Rock Central High School. Yet even at such a young age, he had the courage to risk his own safety, to defy a governor and a mob, and to walk proudly into that school even though it would have been far easier to give up and turn back," the Obama statement said. Obama said the action "helped open the doors of opportunity for their generation and for those that followed." The surviving members of the Little Rock Nine "expressed their heartfelt sadness at the passing of the man they called their brother in a unique group for the past 53 years," the foundation's statement said. The nine have remained close, and through their foundation they provided college scholarships and mentoring to students. "I will miss his calculated sense of humor," said LaNier, another member of the nine. "He had a way of asking a question and ending it with a joke, probably to ease the pain during our teenage years at Central. He was a Christian who sincerely promoted racial harmony and took his responsibilities seriously." "Jefferson has always been, to us, a brother," said Melba Pattillo Beals, another one of the nine. "He's funny and very strong, like when we would have a very difficult day, things were absolutely at their worst, he would say, 'Smile, you're on Candid Camera,' or, you know, 'Look at what you're wearing!' He was just really, really funny." She said Thomas sent other members of the group funny e-mails almost until the day of his death. On September 4, 1957, a national furor erupted as the nine students attempted to enter Central High. Then-Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus, in defiance of a federal court order desegregating schools, called out the Arkansas National Guard to prevent them from entering. "The nine students, chosen by Little Rock school system administrators for their excellent grades and records of good behavior, were stunned by the presence of hundreds of rioting segregationists and the Arkansas National Guard, the foundation said. The group was turned away. For two weeks, the group remained at home, attempting to keep up with their schoolwork. The federal court ordered Faubus to stop interfering with the court order, so he removed the guardsmen from the front of the school. On September 23, the nine entered the school for the first time, but an angry crowd outside beat African-American reporters who were covering the events, according to the encyclopedia. Little Rock police, who feared they could not control the mob, pulled the nine from the school that day, and they returned home. President Dwight D. Eisenhower then mobilized the Army's 101st Airborne Division to escort the nine into the school, calling the mob's actions "disgraceful," according to the encyclopedia. The nine entered on September 25. The military presence remained for the entire school year, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. However, the harassment did not end after the nine integrated the school. Military guards were assigned to escort the nine students to classes, according to the encyclopedia, but could not go everywhere, and name-calling, kicking and shoving continued in restrooms and locker rooms. "I do remember [the family] got a call that he had been knocked out -- someone had hit him on the back of head while he was at a locker in hallway," said Jessie Agee, another sister of Thomas'. "But he wanted to continue on with it." When it was time to leave school, he'd run home, and one of his older brothers -- armed with a tire iron -- would wait around a corner to escort him the rest of the way, Agee said. The following year, Faubus closed all the Little Rock high schools to avoid integration, the foundation said. When the high schools reopened for the 1959-60 school year, Thomas and LaNier returned to Central High and graduated in May 1960. "We're very sad," Minnijean Brown Trickey, also a member of the nine, told CNN Monday. "We were friends before the Little Rock Central crisis, and we've been very close over the years, so it's a great tragedy for us." Thomas was a track athlete at the African-American Dunbar Junior High School in Little Rock when he volunteered to attend Central High as a sophomore, according to his biography on the Little Rock Nine Foundation website. Hildreth said one of the reasons Thomas was inspired to volunteer came to him in biology class. At his old school, the class and the teacher had to share one frog when it came time to dissecting an animal. "But he heard at Central, all the students had their own frog to dissect. And he said he wanted to go to Central High because he would be in a class where each student had their own frog," Hildreth recalled. "We would laugh about it [later]. He said, 'I just want my own frog.'" "He found out about the wonderful education they were getting there, and that's what he wanted to experience," Hildreth said. Agee told CNN that everyone in their family, except their mother, thought Thomas' attempt to go to Central was a good idea. "She wasn't too keen on it, but she went along with it. His father wanted him to do it. She finally gave in. Him being the youngest, she was very protective of him. And he managed to do it," Agee said. After graduating from Central, he entered Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, but joined his family after they relocated to Los Angeles in 1961. He attended Los Angeles State College, where he was a member of the student government and president of the Associated Engineers. He was inducted into the Army in 1966, and was assigned to duty in south Vietnam with the 9th Infantry Division, the biography said. "He served as an infantry squad leader and directed numerous field campaigns as they confronted enemy troops." He returned to civilian life in 1968, where he helped his father run the family business and obtained his bachelor's degree from Los Angeles State College. He went to work as an accounting clerk and later a supervisor for Mobil Oil Corporation's Los Angeles Credit Card Center, while still working with the family business. When Mobile moved its operations to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1978, Thomas chose to stay in Los Angeles and went to work for the Defense Department. When the department relocated some of its Los Angeles operations in 1989, he sold the family business and moved to Columbus. In Columbus, he was active in education and community service. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ohio Dominican University "in recognition of his life-long efforts in human rights and equality," the biography said. Thomas was a recipient of the NAACP's Springarn Medal. "Date and time are pending for a celebration of Thomas' life in Columbus, Ohio, and Los Angeles, California," the foundation said. Thomas is survived by his wife, Mary; a son, Jefferson Thomas Jr.; and two stepchildren, identified as Frank and Marilyn by the foundation. "We volunteered to go to Central, not anticipating the opposition that we would face," Trickey told CNN. It was only after Eisenhower sent in the 1,200 troops that the group was able to enter, she said. "We stay in contact because we had that experience, and we grew up together in Little Rock," she said. "... we cared so much about each other and felt that, that common experience bonded us in an amazing way." In 1999, the group formed the Little Rock Nine Foundation, which according to its website aims "to promote the ideals of justice and equality of opportunity for all." CNN's Jason Hanna and CNN Radio's Michelle Wright contributed to this report. | NEW: President Obama praises Thomas' bravery .
Thomas died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday .
He was 15 when he and others integrated Arkansas schools in 1957 .
Other Little Rock Nine members remember Thomas as being able to keep them laughing . |
203,377 | 934245098a14309e9e54d6840466eb89c2b7bf28 | Sir Chris Hoy today proudly tweeted his first picture of baby son Callum who was born 11 weeks early. The six-time Olympic champion became a dad for the first time when his wife Sarra, 33, gave birth to Callum last month. The 38-year-old sportsman delighted his Twitter followers by uploading a snap of baby Callum in his hospital cot. Proud father Sir Chris tweeted this picture of baby Callum David Robert Hoy, who was born 11 weeks early . Sir Chris wrote: 'Thanks for all your messages for Callum. He's doing well so far and says hi!' Mrs Hoy retweeted the photograph and told her followers: 'The messages of support we've received about Callum mean so much. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. They have really, truly helped.' Sir Chris had previously shared a picture just showing Callum's tiny hand clutching his finger and alongside it he wrote: 'Although v. early days for wee Callum, he's doing well as is Sarra. Huge thanks to incredible medical staff.' Fellow Olympic gold-medallist Rebecca Adlington was one of the first to respond when Sir Chris uploaded the touching photo. She tweeted: 'awww so tiny but so cute. Glad he's doing well x' Sir Chris married Sarra, a lawyer, (both pictured) in 2010 and announced they were expecting their first child on June 25 . Sir Chris previously tweeted this touching picture of baby Callum's tiny hand holding his finger . Racing driver and British GT champion Marino Franchitti wrote: 'That's mega mate! Glad to see he's making such good progress... #dude' Scottish Sports Association said: 'Congratulations and very best wishes to you all #currentandfuturelegends' Sir Chris today delighted his Twitter followers by uploading a snap of baby Callum in his hospital cot . Other well wishers also sent messages of congratulations and encouragement to the star and his family. Jude wrote: 'Aw what a cutie! Gorgeous lil lad, keep going Callum! You've work to do at home...stopping mum n dad sleeping! Best wishes guys.' Lynda Williams said: 'Great news. My sons were 9 & 8 weeks prem and are both healthy 8 and 6 year olds now. Hopefully you'll have him home soon.' Sir Chris had taken to Twitter to confirm the birth of his 'beautiful baby son' on October 15 and admitted he was 'a little shocked' with the early arrival who was born 11 weeks early. He said: 'Amazed, delighted & a little shocked to announce the birth of our beautiful baby son, Callum David Robert Hoy! Born at 29weeks, today at 2pm.' The sporting pro recently spoke of his excitement about becoming a father for the first time. He said: 'I think maybe I'm just blindly optimistic that it's going to be great fun and dead easy. I'm sure it won't be, I'm sure there'll be lots of tough things but I'm just very excited. It all seems to have happened at the right time.' Sir Chris married lawyer Sarra in 2010 and announced on Twitter that they were expecting their first child on June 25. Since retiring from cycling last year, the star has taken up motorsport with plans to compete at the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2016. He has also started his own bicycle company and is acting as an ambassador with various charities including the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. | Sir Chris proudly tweeted a snap of baby Callum in his hospital cot today .
Olympic champion and wife became parents for the first time last month .
Baby Callum remains in hospital after being born 11 weeks early .
Friends and fans responded in their hundreds to the touching picture .
Fellow Olympic gold-medallist Rebecca Adlington also congratulated him . |
284,997 | fd4b7245d0e94884228b1ee3c120c65a4be59c22 | By . Elliott Bretland . Follow @@EllBretland . Al Arabi manager Dan Petrescu has claimed Barcelona star Xavi has agreed to join his side. The former Chelsea defender insists the Spain international has already signed a pre-contract agreement with the Qatari club. According to reports in Romania, the 34-year-old could earn just over £6million a season should the move go through. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Xavi hit the bar in a recent Spain training session . On the move? Barcelona star Xavi (right) has agreed to join Qatari club Al Arabi according to Dan Petrescu . Claims: Former Chelsea man Petrescu, pictured during his time with Dinamo Moscow, is managing in Qatar . Speaking to Digisport, the former Romanian international said: 'Xavi signed a pre-contract with Al Arabi. There were probably other offers from other teams.' The midfielder has spent his entire career with the Catalan giants but it seems his time at the Nou Camp is coming to an end with Al Arabi seemingly in the driving seat to sign him. | Xavi has agreed to join Qatari side Al Arabi, according to manager Dan Petrescu .
The former Chelsea defender insists he has personally spoken to the Spain international .
Reports in Romania suggest Xavi could earn around £6million a season . |
92,250 | 02a34412e47182ae428e9937c6a9f8ba83f465c7 | By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 08:01 EST, 5 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:55 EST, 5 December 2012 . It might look like a winter wonderland but this image is actually a microscopic close-up - inside a human intestine. Every year the University of Bristol challenges researchers to create 'labstract art' to make their work more accessible to the public. And one of the winning creations was this impression of the intestinal wall which has an uncanny resemblance for a number of Christmas trees. Scroll down for video . The amazing image was captured by Alexander Greenhough and Paloma Ordonez Moran from the University of Bristol who are researching the development of colorectal cancer. The image was created by Dr Alex Greenhough and Paloma Ordonez Moran from the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Dr Greenhough said: 'The image is of cells that make up intestinal tissue. 'The organised crypt-villus structures in the image reminded me of Christmas trees. 'When I heard about the competition I remembered the image we had captured during our research so I quickly decorated the trees with snow and baubles using Photoshop software as a bit of fun.'He named it 'Wnter wonderland' after the 'Wnt pathway' proteins he is studying. Dr Alexander Greenhough, who created the image using a confocal microscope and green dye. The image, generated using a confocal . microscope to study intestinal tissue, was one of 12 winning entries . into the Art of Science Competition. Dr Greenhough works in the Cancer Research UK colorectal tumour biology laboratory at the university. He added: 'It shows that although we scientists are very serious about our research and committed to understanding cancer, we also have a sense of humour - and are normal humans beings.' There were more than entries in the competition with the 12 winning shots ranging from abstract-like images of fluorescent tissue cells to a heart-shaped cervical lymph node and an invasion of cancer cells. Nicole Antonio, a researcher from the University's School of Biochemistry and co-ordinator of the competition, said: 'The high quality found in the images received this year highlights how scientists are not the stereotypical eccentrics in white coats, but in fact highly creative and artistic. 'The aesthetic beauty that the researchers have found within their work, taken whilst studying medical problems that affect us all, such as cancer and arthritis, is something that we hope everyone can relate to.' | Image shows cells on the intestinal walls (although the snowflakes were added with Photoshop)
Created to make science more accessible to the public . |
226,797 | b1acea06264dc755989e1d9579fc49cf50de4450 | By . Associated Press . Will plead guilty: Scott Dekraai, pictured, has agreed to plead guilty after being accused of killing his ex-wife and seven others . A California man charged with shooting and killing his ex-wife and seven others at a hair salon has agreed to plead guilty, his defense attorney said on Monday. Scott Dekraai, 44, had been locked in a custody dispute with his ex-wife over their-8-year-old son before he strapped on a bulletproof vest, took three guns and entered Salon Meritage in 2011, police said. He is accused of shooting his ex-wife Michelle Fournier, a 48-year-old hairdresser, before killing the Seal Beach salon's owner Randy Fannin, 62, and six others: Victoria Buzzo, 54, Michele Fast, 47, Lucia Kondas, 65, Laura Webb, 46, Christy Wilson, 47, and Hattie Stretz, 73. Eight people were shot inside the salon, and all but Stretz died. A man sitting in his car in the parking lot, 64-year-old David Caouette, was also gunned down. Minutes later, Dekraai was stopped by police and arrested. He said 'I know what I did,' according to police. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a 2011 press conference that Dekraai's son was waiting at school for his parents to pick him up at the time of the rampage, KTLA notes. 'While Dekraai rampaged through a hair salon shooting at innocent victims, the son he supposedly "loved" was sitting alone in the principal’s office at school waiting for his mom or dad to pick him up,' he said at the time. 'That little boy is also a victim. He is now left to mourn the murder of his mother, and grow up with the knowledge that his father committed a mass murder.' Defense lawyer Scott Sanders told an Orange County court during a hearing on Monday that his client is willing to enter the plea although he faces a possible death sentence. Dekraai, a former tugboat operator, had previously offered to plead guilty in exchange for multiple life sentences but prosecutors refused to drop the death penalty from consideration. Dekraai's trial was scheduled to start June 9. Although it appears Dekraai is getting no leniency in return for his plea, Lawrence Rosenthal, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at Chapman University, said it's not unheard of for defense attorneys to make such a move. Victim: Dekraai reportedly killed ex-wife Michelle Fournier, pictured, with whom he was engaged in a bitter custody dispute . Custody: Dekraai was in a custody dispute at the time over son Dominic, seen dressed as Spiderman in this photograph . Grief: Witnesses are seen in this 2011 photo on the day of the killings in shock . Shock: a police officer is seen talking to people after the shooting in this 2011 photo . Often, Rosenthal said, attorneys worry that jurors have lost faith in the defense team after they've issued a guilty verdict. Attorneys may also worry that jurors become irritated after they've sat through a trial, issued a verdict and then learn they have to sit through a penalty phase and issue another verdict. By entering a guilty plea, Rosenthal said, Dekraai is taking a calculated risk that the jury may be go easier on him because he's owned up to his crimes. 'This is the kind of tactical judgment that defense lawyers make all the time,' he said. Dekraai, a former tugboat operator who lived in nearby Huntington Beach, had previously offered to plead guilty in exchange for multiple life sentences but prosecutors refused to drop the death penalty from consideration. Dekraai's trial was scheduled to start June 9. Sorrow: Mourners are seen at a vigil the night after the 2011 shooting . The salon reopened about a year after the shootings that rocked the sleepy beach city. Six of the original employees, including the owner's widow, returned to work . Sanders, an assistant public defender, still wants to have the death penalty tossed out and to have the district attorney's office recuse itself because of recordings made by a fellow inmate that prosecutors characterized as Dekraai bragging about the killings. The district attorney's office agreed last week to drop efforts to use the recordings in court proceedings. The salon reopened about a year after the shootings that rocked the sleepy beach city. Six of the original employees, including the owner's widow, returned to work. For more than two years, relatives of the victims have trekked to the Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana for hearings on the case. Paul Caoette of Costa Mesa, whose father David was gunned down as he sat in his car outside the salon, welcomed the idea of a plea. 'I think he should admit his guilt,' Caouette said. 'Every single thing he has done is cowardly. 'We're a capital punishment state. If anybody deserves the death penalty, it's Dekraai.' | Scott Dekkrai was involved in a custody battle with his ex-wife when he allegedly shot her and seven other people at a Seal Beach hair salon .
Said 'I know what I did,' according to police . |
82,047 | e8861f93db9ae17e217660e00a5eb90ed77a6b23 | Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- Following their retreat in Virginia, House Republicans voted for an unusual budget plan, which the White House has given some indications it would accept. The GOP decided to temporarily extend the debt ceiling, the federal law that authorizes the government to borrow the money it needs to pay for its expenditures for three months. This would give President Barack Obama and Congress time to deal with the pending budget cuts that were left unresolved by the fiscal cliff deal, and then Congress will take up the debt ceiling again in three months. The deal also imposes a pay freeze, starting on April 15, on legislators if they fail to reach a budget agreement. Although some observers are breathing a sigh of relief that the Republicans won't use the debt ceiling to hold the administration hostage as it deliberates over the spending cut, the decision represents one more example of the kind of Band-Aid budgeting that has become normalized in Washington over the past few years. It just postpones the debt ceiling fight a few more months. The last time Congress actually passed a budget was in 2009. In 1974, Congress tried to reform the budget by creating budget committees and requiring Congress to put together an overall budget. But that system has fallen apart. Rather than a coherent approach to taxing and spending, Congress has relied on stopgap measures called "continuing resolutions" to keep the government working. Federal money is allocated but without any long-term plan. The budget process has become so polarized that neither party is enthusiastic about laying out a long-term plan. Senate Democrats have refused to propose a budget for fear that Republicans will attach amendments meant to embarrass moderate Democrats by forcing them to vote them down. Senate Democrats also know that House Republicans won't vote for what they put together. Rather than dealing with the budget in a rational and thoughtful manner, the entire process has become so politicized that Congress simply offers short-term budget fixes and leaves agencies in a state of constant uncertainty. The ongoing threat of massive spending cuts tied to raising the debt ceiling causes even greater uncertainty than the new normal of short-term budgets. Not only is there an absence of long-term planning, but the possibility of debilitating cuts in the future is something that has become very real. This dysfunctional approach to budgeting has terrible long-term effects on the capacity of the government to do its business. One of the main functions of the federal government has been to make long-term investments in areas where private markets are lagging. But if Congress and the White House don't adopt a budget, the nation winds up postponing decisions about making such investments. Historically, some of the most successful initiatives in our nation's capital have come when politicians were able to devote resources to structural challenges that had festered. During the 1940s and 1950s, the federal government devoted substantial amounts of money to higher education, bolstering the quality of our research universities and opening access to millions of Americans who were the first in their families to receive this level of education. Federal investment also produced our modern computing and Internet system as well as advances in military technology that have curtailed the need for using large numbers of ground troops. For all the fiscal challenges faced by Social Security and Medicare, through both of those programs the federal government made long-term commitments that substantially reduced poverty rates and inadequate health care among the elderly. Our most successful agencies have depended on some kind of stability and normality in the budget process. The most effective leaders, such as David Lilienthal at the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s or James Webb at NASA in the 1960s, were given some budgetary cover from Congress so they could engage in long-term planning that improved the infrastructure of rural areas or allowed us to make huge advances in our understanding of space. In an era when conservatives and liberals often lambast bureaucrats as the prime example of inefficient and useless workers, it would be worth looking back at an era when a steady and predictable flow of funding allowed government leaders to do their job well, focusing on the long-term problems, not each short term political crisis. Those conditions no longer exist. Over the past few years Congress has engaged in a type of budgeting in which legislators simply pass temporary, quick fixes each year, leaving agencies in limbo about what their status will be in the near future and preventing policymakers from really engaging in deliberations about how the resources of government could best be used. One employee at the Federal Aviation Administration told The Washington Post, "I still have a lot of uncertainty about the sequester (across-the-board spending cuts that are scheduled to start on March 1). We don't know where it is going to lead us as far as furloughs. It's kind of unnerving." Appointed officials and civil servants literally can't predict what will come next. Indeed, everyone connected with an agency is left scrambling. Since the buildup to the fiscal cliff deal, military contractors have been left in a state of great uncertainty about what to expect for their businesses, which are dependent on federal funds. United Technologies Corp., the Connecticut-based company with units that work on defense programs, could not even come up with a general number to predict how many jobs were at risk in the coming year because of the current state of affairs. Back in 2011, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that using continuing resolutions to deal with the budget resulted in "inefficient, start-and-stop management" through short-term contacts. This kind of budgeting process makes the warnings of conservatives a self-fulfilling prophesy. It makes it impossible for the federal government to work well, as the right claims it never will. But in fact the budgeting process is the problem here, not government as an entity. The result is that in all realms of policy, from domestic programs to defense, we suffer as a nation. As the new Congress begins, legislators need to take stock and rethink the way budgeting is handled. Otherwise they will severely erode the capacity of a federal government that was once responsible for some of our most important advances. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer. | Julian Zelizer says Congress' repeated failure to pass a budget is harmful .
He says the constant series of short-term votes and debt-ceiling extensions extracts a cost .
The government never grapples with key decisions about long-term investments, he says .
Zelizer: Failure to pass a budget makes GOP criticisms of government seem justified . |
260,901 | dde518b9883a66986f56523ae3cf00fa3be6fe00 | (CNN) -- The Shabiha militia fighters working hand in hand with Syria's military to repress the 15-month-long uprising are President Bashar al-Assad's "shock troops," observers say. "The regime uses them for the real dirty work, killing and violent action, especially where it has to go into an urban area and repress resistance," said Jeff White, defense fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Civil war imminent in Syria, U.N. warns . Blamed for their participation in the Houla and Qubeir massacres and other assaults, there may be tens of thousands of them, mostly but not all members of the Alawite sect that dominates the government, analysts say. U.N. observers come under fire . The Shabiha emerged in the 1970s as Alawite gangsters from the coastal region with ties to the al-Assad family. They were involved in drug- and weapons-smuggling from Lebanon, where they moved those and more benign products from the more robust economy next door into the closed Syrian society. The name Shabiha is thought to be taken from the Arabic word for "ghost." Photos: In Syria, families flee and rebels fight . One Syrian writer, Yassin al-Haj Shalih, says it refers to people operating "outside the law and living in the shadows." He and others also think it might be taken from "shabah," the name of a Mercedes model that Shabiha members drove. After the uprising started last year, the Shabiha were enlisted as regime fighters, and the meaning of the term is widely regarded as "thug." The name fits, said Michael Weiss, a Syria expert at the UK-based Henry Jackson Society. They used to smuggle drugs and weapons, Weiss said, but "now they are being used as butchers." Weiss said the government has been blaming the violence across Syria on anti-regime forces. But he said the Shabiha, in fact, "are the armed gangs" terrorizing the populace. Sometimes Shabiha wear fatigue pants and T-shirts and have been seen on army tanks. They drive around in white pickups brandishing weapons, Weiss said, and they look like "muscleheads with bulging physiques." Many have shaved heads and sport thick black beards. Syria: How a year of horror unfolded . The beards are a confusing touch, Weiss said, because they "want to look like Salafists" so people will think they are the fundamentalist Sunnis they dislike and blame for violence. Shabiha have broken up demonstrations and harassed diplomats, said Andrew Tabler, Syria expert for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He also said people have come under international sanctions for directing Shabiha activities. Opinion: The only glimmer of hope for Syria . Calling them the "black market" version of the Syrian security forces, Weiss said they spy for the regime and keep weapons away from resistance fighters by purchasing as many as they can on the black market. Weiss said they also plunder property, gang rape and engage in summary executions. "Houla was the global recognition of what they'd been up to," he said. The regime uses Shabiha for "plausible deniability," Weiss said. For example, the government can say the military wasn't involved in house-to-house raids actually conducted by Syrian security forces. Massacre in Syrian town feels eerily familiar . Analysts say the Shabiha also operate in other parts of the country, such as Deir Ezzor in the east. Weiss said there are reports of other pro-government proxies, such as Kurdish militants, Shiite militants from Lebanon and Iraq, and Iranian forces. The Alawite region is largely along the coast, with Latakia at its center. Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oklahoma, said Alawites live "cheek by jowl" near Sunnis in Homs, Hama and Idlib province in the west. He describes that as a "poor band of countryside" that's the "center of the revolution." "Not good fences," he said. In a recent essay, Landis wrote that "since the start of the uprising, many Syrian tribesmen have supported the state's security apparatus, controlled by the Assad family. This is not a new practice, and Syrian tribes have been used as enforcers for the Syrian government for decades. In many restive regions of Syria, tribesmen are deployed by the Syrian military as paramilitary forces called Shabiha." He wrote they have also been referred to as "jahaaz, which means 'apparatus,' as in a security apparatus, but has the connotation of 'political tools.'" Landis notes that in the 1970s, the "feared" Shabiha also played an important role in providing Syrians' goods, from mayonnaise to toothpaste. "They became this super-regime dedicated element, whose livelihood and future were dependent on the regime," Landis said. When the troubles started, the regime turned to its indigenous muscle for help, mobilized their networks and "turned them into special forces and shock troops." "This was necessary because the multi-ethnic army became undependable," Landis said of the huge army with a strong Sunni presence. "They are defecting and don't want to shoot. They won't shoot at other Sunnis." Russia, China call for non-intervention . As a result, the regime cycled in "tons of shabiha who are going to do the heavy lifting," and tit-for-tat sectarian blood vendettas have unfolded. He said the recent massacres indicate that the Shabiha are gaining power and influence while the regime is "flailing around" and "losing control of the Syrian army." "Irregular or special forces are increasingly calling the shots," he said. Landis likened the situation to Iraq, where minority Sunnis who prevailed during the Saddam Hussein regime lost their clout after a populace dominated by Shiites and Kurds took power. Some Shabiha might hail from other communities, such as the Sunni or Christian. But the mostly Alawite membership join up for money and because they believe they will be persecuted by a Sunni-dominated opposition if al-Assad's regime is toppled, analysts say. The Alawites, who dominate state ministries and have more jobs than other ethnic groups, are clinging to the top and know they will face a "bleak future." "All the incentives are to back the regime. They got their backs against the wall. There's going to be hell to pay when they lose power," Landis said. For now, White said, the resistance has learned to spot the pro-regime fighters. The Free Syrian Army opposition fighters have been attacking the Shabiha and getting their weapons. "It looks like the FSA has a lot more guns," he said. "I'm not seeing a lot of reports of them running low." | The Shabiha emerged in the '70s as a criminal gang .
The word might be derived from the name of a Mercedes .
Special forces like the Shabiha are gaining in influence, an analyst says .
They used to smuggle drugs and weapons, but "now they are being used as butchers" |
225,944 | b0950fa2553c3793e6ade933494c3298794a41c9 | Manchester United midfield prospect Ben Pearson is in talks to join Barnsley on loan. The youngster joined United in 2004 and has worked his way through the ranks. Pearson had hoped to break into Louis van Gaal's senior squad from the Under-21 side this season following the example set by James Wilson. Manchester United midfield prospect Ben Pearson is in talks to join Barnsley on loan . In September, Pearson said: 'The manager has played a few youngsters already. Tyler (Blackett) has been playing regularly and Reece James has played. 'A few of the lads were involved against MK Dons and, hopefully, all of us can come through. The manager has done it previously at Ajax and Barcelona and I hope he can do it here.' Pearson was named United's Young Player of the Year in 2013 and could be set to get first team opportunities at Barnsley. Pearson (left) had hoped to break into Louis van Gaal's senior squad from the Under-21 side this season . | Ben Pearson is in talks to join Barnsley on loan from Manchester United .
The youngster joined United in 2004 and is working his way up .
Pearson had hoped to break through to Louis van Gaal's first team .
'The manager has done it previously at Ajax and Barcelona and I hope he can do it here,' Pearson said . |
228,608 | b400bcfa5d46acc7a33c9733328eb5120239d3df | It's Christmas time - and that song is back. The Band Aid one I mean, originally (and brilliantly) released to bring relief to the terrible Ethiopian famine of 1984. They've changed the lyrics this time, mainly to focus on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, but also to spare a few blushes. In the original, Geldof's stars sang of 'no snow in Africa… where no rain nor rivers flow'. That didn't quite key with the geography of the continent, still less so Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates, half the country gets more rain than London, and higher mountains are snow-capped all year round. Green and pleasant land: The Simien Mountains present a different side to Ethiopia than many expect . Ironically perhaps, one enduring legacy of the Band Aid song is that, even 30 years on, Ethiopia feels like a distinctly odd place for a holiday. You think of it as a country in need of aid rather than visitors. I'm not sure I would have gone there myself if I hadn't been a supporter of the charity Camara, which takes in unwanted computers and gives them a second life in East Africa. Camara has set up computer rooms in more than 200 Ethiopian schools. Come and see how it works, said the charity's UK chairman John Brown, and then we'll go for a trek in the Simien mountains. A few weeks later I was on a minibus being shuttled to Camara's HQ in Addis Ababa, a city of three million that feels like a small town. A visit to Camara in Addis is something I'd recommend to anyone going to Ethiopia, partly because the work it does is so good. Its HQ also happens to be next to the St George brewery, where waiters in bright blue jackets heft around trays of frothing Ethiopian lager. It is a fun place to start your travels. Hidden treasures: Ethiopia is home to the staggering rock-cut church of Bet Giyorgis, at Lalibela . If you're on a short trip, you'll want to move on pretty soon to the countryside. At the crack of dawn on day two, we were on a plane to Gondar, one of Ethiopia's medieval capitals. The town is most famous for its compound of royal palaces, outside one of which stands a lion cage where Haile Selassie kept the last living emblems of his imperial rule. But its modern life proved just as compelling. Ethiopia, as is swiftly evident, is a strange place. And the oddness begins with its staple food, injera. This is a kind of bread, disarmingly flannel-like in texture, which is laid out as a tablecloth before mounds of hot curried beef and vegetables are piled on top. You tear off bits of injera to mop them up. Even odder, though, was the nightlife. We stumbled upon a strip of basement bars, and ventured into one rather jolly venue where locals danced in traditional fashion with rapid-fire jerks of their shoulders, before slithering to the floor. Travelling by minibus from Gondar towards the Simien mountains is one of the great journeys in Africa. A few miles out of town you are in a countryside that seems utterly of another era, one where people still harvest and thresh by hand. Into the heart of the matter: The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are among the country's greatest wonders . And then you start climbing into the highlands, where mountain vistas open up for hundreds of miles across the rift valley. It is literally breathtaking as you climb to an altitude of about 11,500ft and the air visibly chills. A trek in the Simiens is an Ethiopian highlight. Its core is a national park, sparsely populated except by troupes of sandwich-stealing monkeys. We walked along the edge of a ridge, gasping in the thin air and at the endless ripple of peaks and valleys visible all the way to the Tigray - the area where the worst of the famine took place in the 1980s. Above us wheeled vultures, kites and eagles, and in the morning, after a night spent in a sub-zero camp, we emerged to frosty meadows and a mountaintop white with hailstones. A helping hand: Geaeteleawlmesai (right) has been a beneficiary of Camara's recycled computers programme . I thought it would be hard to beat the Simien experience but Lalibela, our next stop, did so. This isolated town, perched amid craggy mountains, is one of the more obscure wonders of the world. It was transformed in the 12th Century into a subterranean 'New Jerusalem' as its rulers set tens of thousands of builders to work, cutting chapels and churches into the rock. It sounds straightforward enough until you realise that they are cut vertically down into the stone, each one a perfect basilica. You wander around this extraordinary complex to be greeted by monks and priests dressed in white robes and guarding their innermost sanctums, in which are housed replicas of the Ark of the Covenant. It was at Lalibela, too, that I had my most memorable charity experience while visiting the local secondary school. We were greeted by a girl called Geaeteleawlmesai (par for the course in Ethiopian names). 'Welcome,' she said. 'My favourite subject is physics. One day I want to be prime minister of Ethiopia. We have very few books and not many teachers but now, thanks to Camara, we have computers. I want to thank you, but can you please send more?' A final note: another of the oddities of Ethiopia is its calendar. The country follows the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar (Britain changed to the latter in 1752), so Christmas Day will this year be celebrated in Ethiopia on January 7, 2015. Food for thought: Mark tried several Ethiopian delicacies, including wat and injera . And that's not the end of the matter. The current year in Ethiopia, which began on our September 11, is 2007. So if you fancy reliving Christmas 2007, there's still time to make plans… . Mark Ellingham travelled with Wild Frontiers (www.wildfrontierstravel.com, 020 7736 3968), which offers small-group and personalised tours of Ethiopia. Camara (www.camara.org, 020 8265 7681) welcomes visitors to its centres in East Africa and, by arrangement, to the schools it equips. If the company you work for has spare computers, Camara would love to send them to Geaeteleawlmesai. Ethiopia: Bradt Travel Guide (Bradt, £17.99) is a terrific guidebook, worth its weight in birr (the local currency). | For many people, Ethiopia is is still remembered for its terrible famines .
But the country is a fascinating and safe destination for intrepid travellers .
The rock churches of Lalibela are among the country's greatest wonders . |
189,905 | 81e48e83751b5696b9a7d09c07fb6abfac948a9e | (EW.com) -- Henry Winkler is often called the Nicest Man in Hollywood, but now he's also known as an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was awarded the honor from the Queen this week in recognition of his services to children with dyslexia and special educational needs. According to the British Embassy in Washington, he's spent much of the last two years touring the U.K. to educate about dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Winkler, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult, is also the author of 17 children's books centered on Hank Zipzer, a boy with dyslexia who overcomes his struggles at school and with bullies. There are two things I love about the press release: One, that "Happy Days" the show is never actually mentioned, although Sheinwald sneaks in a reference ("Henry Winkler is living proof that difficulties can be overcome and that for those suffering disability and self-doubt, happy days can nevertheless lie ahead"). And two, the sense of formality that insures you will also not see the words "the Fonz" or "Fonzie" ("Mr. Winkler's portrayal of Arthur Fonzarelli garnered him two Golden Globes and three Primetime Emmy nominations"). What I love about this in general is that it's just another wonderful, unexpected line on Winkler's résumé. It's kinda like the first time you read that he was an executive producer on "MacGyver" or heard that he saw the short film that "Better Off Dead"... writer/director Savage Steve Holland had made about having suicidal thoughts after his high school girlfriend dumped him for the captain of the ski team and gave him an office so he could write it as a feature. It's easy to just think of Winkler as "The Fonz" instead of as a man who's also done multiple Adam Sandler movies, "Arrested Development," and "Childrens Hospital" among other things (like wear orange shirts on "Royal Pains"). Every now and then we like to stop and remember. See the full story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Henry Winkler was awarded the honor from the Queen this week .
He's spent much of the last two years touring the U.K. to educate about dyslexia .
Winkler was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult . |
67,188 | be95612de4089d4f5cb9488483d9f8446c9d3747 | By . Daily Mail . PUBLISHED: . 17:56 EST, 28 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:40 EST, 28 August 2012 . Comfort: Amanda Medek (left), whose sister Micayla was killed in the Aurora shooting, is hugged by her grandmother during the press conference . Families of the Colorado theater shooting victims have come together to voice their pain and anger at the way the millions of dollars raised since the tragedy are being distributed. At an emotional news conference Tuesday in Aurora, group spokesman Tom Teves, whose son was killed, criticized fundraisers for not giving victims a voice in how the money is distributed, even though it was raised using the pictures and names of 'our murdered loved ones'. So far, just over $5 million has been raised and $450,000 distributed. Of that, $350,000 went to the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance in order to provide $5,000 each going to the families of 70 victims to meet their immediate financial needs. The other $100,000 has gone to 10 non-profit groups, according to the Community First Foundation website. Teves accused fundraising groups of . being unresponsive and unsympathetic to victims' needs. He also . questioned the commitment of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to helping . the victims, noting that the governor had attended the funerals of those . who died in the shooting. 'You pledged 12 times that "We will remember". Are you a man who is true to his words, or were they just words?' Hickenlooper's spokesman, Eric Brown, . said the governor understands the families' frustration and is . advocating for them to have more say. He also praised the generosity of donors and said the victims would get more money. Scroll down for video . Outrage: The families voiced their pain and suffering, led by Tom Teves, right, angry at how funds are being distributed . Comfort: Thomas Teves, right, kisses his wife Caren Teves, center, at the press conference . 'Everyone involved is trying to do the right thing in a very difficult situation,' Brown said. Victims . and their families crowded on the platform behind Teves, some dabbing . their eyes. Joshua Nowlan, who was wounded in the attack, used a cane . and had a splint up to his knee. Teves . said anyone in the theater or in the suspect's apartment building who . was affected by the 'coward's acts' should be eligible to receive help. 'I am certain that the public intended 100 per cent of those donations to go to the families of victims, and to use that money to help the healing process,' Teves said. 'Unfortunately that does not appear to be the case.' Emotional: Deidra Brooks, whose son Jarell was shot in the leg, joined the families calling on Colorado governor John Hickenlooper to make sure the families themselves saw more of the donated funds . He added that he was 'humbled by the generosity of the American public', the Denver Post reported, but outraged that the money had been 'solicited using the names and faces of our loved ones'. Teves' own family has not received any money. Chantel Blunk, whose husband was shot and killed, told ABC News she received a check for $5,000 and told she would not be getting any more. She said that COVA refused to pay for plane tickets for her young children to travel with her to Colorado from Reno, Nevada. Joker: James Eagan Holmes is accused in the shooting which took place at an Aurora movie theatre during a Batman screening . The suspect in the July 20 shooting, . 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes, is charged with multiple counts of . murder and attempted murder. Only . a handful of family members of the slain victims have spoken publicly, . and most of their comments came in the first few days after the . shooting. Marla J. Williams, president the Community First Foundation, charged by . Hickenlooper to operate the relief fund, said a gag order imposed by . Arapahoe County District Judge William Blair Sylvester made it difficult . to find all the victims and their families. She said a group has been set up to recommend how to spend the donations but no victims' representatives had been chosen yet. 'I don't know who represents the victims. There are a number of people who were involved,' she said, adding that the group at Tuesday's news conference did not represent all the victims. Nancy Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, said the victims and the agencies involved want the same thing: 'They want healing for all the crime victims.' She said Sylvester's gag order prevented her from commenting further. Sylvester issued the order on August 16 barring the organization from releasing names and contact information for the victims. The order does not appear to place any other restrictions on the group. Police said Holmes was heavily armed and wearing body armor and a gas mask when he opened fire on the audience in a packed theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora during a showing of the latest Batman movie. In addition to the 12 killed, 58 were injured. Holmes is being held without bail and has not entered a plea. Defense lawyers have said he is mentally ill. Remembrance: 12 people were killed and 58 others wounded in the July shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater . Shocking: Bloody footprints line the pavement outside the movie theatre, telling of the grisly slaying . Grisly: Crime scene investigators collect evidence at the movie theatre, where 12 people were murdered . Holmes was a first-year Ph.D. student in a neuroscience program at the University of Colorado, Denver. He told university officials about six weeks before the shootings that he was withdrawing. Prosecutors have said Holmes failed an oral board exam on June 7, at about the same time he began buying weapons and ammunition. Prosecutors are seeking the university's records on Holmes and also want to see a notebook that Holmes reportedly sent to university psychiatrist Lynne Fenton. Fenton is expected to testify at a hearing Thursday. Defense lawyers are fighting prosecution attempts to see the material. Investigators, attorneys on both sides and the university have said little about the case outside court hearings, citing the gag order. Many court documents have been kept secret as well. Watch the video here: . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player . | Just over $5 million has been raised and $450,000 distributed .
$350,000 went to the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance in order to provide $5,000 each going to the families of 70 victims .
The other $100,000 has gone to 10 non-profit groups . |
38,911 | 6df56cf5d4907d5d02fa50563cbba891a9259b1c | By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 1:54 PM on 24th September 2011 . Almost three years ago millions of Americans were marking a supposed new dawn as they celebrated voting in their first black president. But Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman claims racism in the U.S. has actually got worse since Barack Obama took office in January 2009. The film star, who played Nelson Mandela in 2009 film Invictus, told CNN the President has become a target for the Tea Party's ‘racist’ aggression. Scroll down for video . Film star: Actor Morgan Freeman claims racism in the U.S. has actually got worse since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009 . Not happy: Mr Freeman, who played Nelson Mandela in Invictus, told Piers Morgan the President has become a target for the Tea Party's 'racist' aggression . He backed President Obama during his election campaign and said the Tea Party’s anti-Obama stance is racist, reported the Huffinton Post. ‘Their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term,’ he told Piers Morgan on CNN. Is America more racist under Obama? ‘What underlines that? “Screw the country. We're going to do whatever we can to get this black man out of here”.’ Mr Morgan is concerned by the rise of the Tea Party, a right-wing Republican arm that supports presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. ‘It just shows the weak, dark, underside of America,’ he told CNN. ‘We're supposed to be better than that. We really are. Famous appearance: Mr Freeman starred as anti-apartheid South African President Nelson Mandela alongside Matt Damon in 2009 film Invictus . Under-fire: More than 50 per cent of Americans say President Obama, pictured today, is at fault for the dismal state of their economy, a poll revealed this week . ‘That's why all those people were in tears when Obama was elected president. "Ah, look at what we are. Look at how this is America." 'Their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term. What underlines that? “Screw the country. We're going to do whatever we can to get this black man out of here”' Morgan Freeman . ‘And then it just sort of started turning because these people surfaced like stirring up muddy water.’ Mr Morgan said that Americans would be ‘shooting themselves in the head’ if they get rid of President Obama next year after just one term at the White House. More than 50 per cent of Americans say President Obama is at fault for the dismal state of their economy, a poll revealed on Thursday. This was a majority for the first time since he took office and will be another concern to a President with an ever-growing list of problems. See video here . | Says Obama is 'target for Tea Party's racist aggression'
Film star backed Obama in run for White House in 2008 .
Claims Tea Party shows 'weak, dark, underside of U.S.'
Piers Morgan's full interview with Morgan Freeman will be broadcast at 9pm Eastern and Pacific Time tonight on CNN . |
34,242 | 614e361d75e281f8e2b9d05678248331c33cce0a | The mother of a Mississippi teen who was burned alive in her car has revealed the final words she spoke to her daughter as she lay dying in a hospital bed. Lisa Daugherty rushed to her daughter Jessica Chambers' bedside in December 7 she lay dying with 98 percent of her body covered in burns. Knowing their time together was short, Daughterty told 19-year-old Jessica to let go. 'I just looked at her and said, 'I know you're in pain, Baby, if you want to go, you can go.' Horrific: Jessica Chambers, 19, was burned alive in December by an unknown assailant. Her mother has since revealed her last moments with her daughter as she lay dying with burns on 98 percent of her body . Moments before she died: 'I just looked at her and said, 'I know you're in pain, Baby, if you want to go, you can go,' said Jessica's mom Lisa Daugherty . Then, says Daugherty, 'she took her last breath.' Daugherty had also told Jessica her dad was there, too, though he was too stricken to see his daughter bandaged and dying. 'Jessica, it's OK, Baby, Mama's here, and Daddy's in the waiting room. You know your daddy — he's a big, old baby and he can't come in here, but he's here. And we love you,'" Daugherty recalled to the Jackson Clarion Ledger. Months after her daughter's death, the gruesome crime remains unsolved. And Daugherty remains both haunted and comforted by Jessica's memory. 'The last words she said to me was, "I'm cleaning my car and getting something to eat and I'll be home." That was at 7 something that night, and I keep waiting on her to come home.' Mystery: Two months after Jessica's gruesome murder, authorities still have no clue who burned her alive in her Kia Rio sedan . Jessica was still alive when a passing motorist saw her lying near her burning Kia about 8:15pm December 7. She managed to tell paramedics something, but authorities won't say what . She was still alive when a passing motorist saw her lying near her burning Kia Rio sedan about 8:15pm December 7, and she spoke to rescue workers, District Attorney John Champion has said. 'We're not releasing what she said, but we're acting on it,' he said. Authorities had as of January spoken to over 100 people without identifying a prime suspect the Clarion Ledger. State and federal law enforcement agencies are working together on the case. Until there's a break in the case--which Daugherty firmly believes will come--the grieving mother says her daughter 'cannot rest.' 'She knows who did this. She has told who did this,' Daugherty told WMC. Before she died, Jessica Chambers went to a gas station and in surveillance video a person off-camera gestured toward her. She is seen here . | Jessica Chambers of Courtland, Mississippi was found burned everywhere but the soles of her feet in her car last December .
The 19-year-old died December 7 after she was found alongside her car on a rural road and airlifted to a hospital .
Her parents rushed to her bedside, where her mother told her dying daughter, 'I know you're in pain, Baby, if you want to go, you can go'
Chambers then slipped away. Over two months later, authorities are still struggling to find her ruthless killer . |
182,880 | 78d81e2f8fb9e41123082b549c7157b7d17db077 | (CNN) -- Cautious American travelers have long avoided travel to North Africa and the Middle East, and the recent attacks on U.S. consulates aren't likely to make the risk-averse reconsider. Yet seasoned travelers say a lack of familiarity with those regions creates generalization and confusion among travelers that could work against tourism to the United States, if the tables were turned. "I was in Tunisia when ... people were killed at the theater in Colorado, and I was in Tunisia when there was a shootout at the Empire State Building. What people think over there when they hear this, you would think no one would ever come to the United States," said Jerry Sorkin, owner of TunisUSA, a tour operator that organizes trips to destinations including Tunisia and Algeria and had recently been weighing resuming tours of Libya, which the company suspended last year. Veterans of travel to tense or unstable areas aren't easily deterred, despite shocking acts of violence like the attack that killed U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. Still, acts of terrorism obviously give many travelers (and their parents) pause. One New York City-based father was trying Wednesday to touch base with his son, who is spending a junior semester abroad in Jordan. "Jordan is of course much safer and more stable," said the father, who declined to be identified out of concern for his son's safety. "But of course I am concerned and have tried to Skype him (left a message) and will talk to him later. The fact is that life goes on for the vast majority of people in these countries despite the 'big' events." Pathik "Tik" Root won't let the recent attacks alter his plans to travel to Yemen in two weeks for a new job at a start-up news agency. Root was just starting a semester abroad in Damascus, Syria, last year when he stumbled onto what he thinks may have been an anti-government protest in the Old City. He was arrested and held for two weeks in a Syrian prison before being released. U.S. increases embassy security worldwide after Libya attack . "Attacks like these are meant to change behavior, and if I were to drastically change my plans or my routine it could, in their eyes, justify their use of violence," he wrote in an e-mail. "The attacks were intended to be a provocation, but we shouldn't take the bait." "Yes I will likely be a bit more cautious about what I do and how I do it in Yemen as a result -- especially on potential flash-point days like 9/11 -- but I'm still going there," Root said. Despite the violence and cautions from the State Department and U.S. embassies to Americans living or traveling abroad, Root and other expatriates say they will carry on with their plans in politically volatile parts of the world, taking the precautions they would advise for any American. Ask lots of questions . If you're visiting someplace for the first time, talk to experienced travel agents and well-traveled friends and ask lots of questions. The violence in a particular country may not be occurring in a nearby country. The violence in Libya "certainly will inhibit people from wanting to go to that part of the world and many of them are already inhibited rightly or wrongly, misunderstanding or not misunderstanding, they're already feeling that they should stay away from the region," said Sorkin, owner of TunisUSA. The company had been planning to launch a marketing campaign as part of its efforts to resume tours in Libya, but he said that any campaign "would surely fall on deaf ears" over the next couple of months. The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning Wednesday against all travel to Libya by U.S. citizens. "We're constantly feeling the pulse (across the region), not only on a personal level, but constantly with our people on the ground," he said. "Whether it's drivers, guides, lecturers -- we never want to put anyone in harm's way. But generally these regions are very safe." Daily life not reflected in the news . Raven Smith lives in Mali with her husband and 15-month-old son and pays attention to the political unrest there. "I can see that the information that is publicized is not reflective of the day-to-day life here," she wrote in an e-mail from the capital city of Bamako, where she works on a project strengthening agricultural systems in villages. The situation in Mali doesn't capture the whole picture, Smith said. "Weddings are still going on, holidays are being celebrated, fields are being tended." She's not naïve, however. "My plan with my family is that if Bamako seems that it is flaring up, that they will go and spend a few weeks visiting (my husband's) family in Guinea until we see where everything settles," she wrote. "I truly hope it doesn't come to that, but it is never a bad idea to have a backup plan." Pay attention to cultural mores . Whether you're visiting for a short time or booking an extended stay, pay attention to cultural norms. "I do try and respect the general cultural norms," wrote Smith. "No showing knees is a big one. Not drinking heavily in public, not inviting men into my house. I'm married now, but even before." "I will always stand out, and I have to realize that," she wrote. "But I am also responsible for being a face of America. I am the one who can break stereotypes ... about Americans, and I take that pretty seriously, especially relating to the stereotypes about American women." What do the locals say? Just as New Yorkers or Los Angelenos might warn you to stay away from particular parts of their beloved cities, residents in other countries might tell you areas to avoid at night or during some events. Pay attention. "Common sense that is necessary in any foreign country is still enough to get by here," wrote Bradley Williams, an undergraduate at the American University in Beirut, via e-mail. "Beirut is more or less safe despite the occasional burning tires (but) I would exercise caution when going to the Bekaa Valley or the South," he wrote. "Due to the kidnapping, it's not a good idea to go by oneself, for fear of appearing a lone foreign spy, (and it's) not a good idea to travel there at night. However, I think this applies to all people in those areas, not just foreigners." Get to know people . American-born Chadwick Van Vasa lives in Tunisia in North Africa and is fluent in Arabic, the result of his mother moving to Morocco when he was a child and marrying a Moroccan. Yet he still stands out as a blond-haired, blue-eyed American in the capital city of Tunis, where he lives with his wife and three children and works as a business consultant. His solution? The same notion that keeps people safe in their neighborhoods in Charlotte, Omaha and Seattle: "I take interest in my neighbors," said Van Vasa, speaking on his cell phone from Tunis. "Our social life and work is very much integrated here. We make meals together. Our kids play together. Because of that, I don't feel threatened. In my day-to-day life, I don't see hostility in my personal interactions with friends." Look at a map . If you are determined to avoid any part of the world where violence has recently flared, there are still African, Middle Eastern and other countries to visit. Moroccan tourism often suffers when violence escalates in the region. Travel writer Zora O'Neill says she feels perfectly safe right now studying Arabic at a language school in Morocco for an upcoming book. "Fortunately it's Morocco, which is generally known for being stable, secure and thousands of miles from Libya." How do you feel about global travel amid anti-American protests? What do you do to stay safe? CNN's Marnie Hunter contributed to this report. | Two weeks in a Syrian prison isn't keeping Pathik Root from traveling abroad .
A tour operator is keeping a close eye on political instability in North Africa .
Morocco often sees a drop in tourism when there's violence in neighboring countries .
Daily life in Mali continues, despite political instability . |
91,179 | 014512f912715c8362fb61916157dc82d4128e2f | When James Lusted walked into a restaurant for a romantic meal with his fiancee he expected to be handed a menu. He didn’t think the waitress would also try to give him a children’s colouring book and some crayons. Unfortunately the well-meaning Harvester employee had mistaken him for a child – because while 26-year-old Mr Lusted, who has dwarfism, is just 3ft 7in tall, his 20-year-old fiancee Chloe Roberts towers over him at 5ft 7in. James Lusted, a 3ft 7in dwarf, took his fiance Chloe Roberts, to a posh restaurant when he was given a children's colouring book and crayons . The waitress was left red faced after realising her mistake when she handed Mr Lusted the children's colouring book and crayons on his meal out with his fiancée . It was only when the waitress heard Mr Lusted’s deep voice that she realised her mistake. While she was covered in embarrassment, her gaffe was the highlight of the night for the couple who have been laughing about it ever since. Mr Lusted said: ‘As I said thank you to the waitress for the menu she heard my voice and knew I wasn’t a child. ‘She immediately put the colouring book behind her back in shock. But I am man enough to see the funny side – I would never take offence.’ The couple who have been together for 18 months, had been enjoying a romantic meal out when the embarrassing blunder took place . They did not complain to the Harvester in Cardiff city centre and will visit again with no hard feelings . He and Miss Roberts did not complain to the Harvester in Cardiff city centre and will visit again with no hard feelings. The couple realise they make an unusual sight when they are out together in Cardiff, where she is a third-year education student. But they say their mis-matched heights make no difference to them and they are getting married in the summer of 2016. Mr Lusted, of Colwyn Bay, North Wales, said: ‘Life has not been easy – when I was young I had a lot of surgery and went through a time of being bullied in school. ‘I have often thought from an early age, who would want to marry me, a dwarf? But then I met Chloe and everything just fell into place.’ A rare genetic condition called diastrophic dysplasia caused Mr Lusted’s dwarfism. Both his parents are of average height. He works as a TV presenter, actor and motivational speaker. He also competed in the World Dwarf Games twice and played badminton at a national level. Miss Roberts, also from Colwyn Bay, said: ‘All little girls dream about having their tall, dark and handsome Prince Charming. Never in my life did I think I’d date someone like James. ‘People sometimes get a bit confused when they see us for the first time but we always laugh it off. I felt a bit sorry for the waitress – she felt very uncomfortable.’ She added that she didn’t hesitate when Mr Lusted got down on one knee to propose. ‘There may be a two-foot height difference between us but when you are in love little things like that don’t matter,’ she said. A spokesman for Harvester said: ‘We can’t apologise enough to James and Chloe, and are happy they have taken the error in good faith.’ Diastrophic dysplasia is a rare type of dwarfism. The congenital disorder is often characterised by short stature and with short arms and legs. It can also be associated with abnormal bone and joint development, curvature of the spine, clubfoot, cleft palate and swelling of the ear tissue. It is an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning both mother and father must carry the defective gene for a child to inherit the condition. Parents are not normally affected by the disorder. Diastrophic dysplasia is caused by mutations in the SLC26A2 gene which alters the structure of developing cartilage, preventing bones from forming properly. | James Lusted suffers from rare diastrophic dysplasia and stands at 3ft 7in .
The 26-year-old had been on a romantic date with partner Chloe Roberts .
Waitress had brought over book and crayons, mistaking him for a child .
The embarrassed member of staff quickly realised her blunder .
But the couple saw the funny side and said it was highlight of the night .
TV presenter James and student Chloe are planning marry next summer .
The pair said their mismatched heights had never been an issue . |
184,235 | 7aa4c1042e86066f27af3f9627db0f0d14571b5b | By . Hayley Peterson . and Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 05:57 EST, 13 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:24 EST, 13 June 2013 . Revelations: A concerning number of law-enforcement agents have criminal records, according to a memo addressed to State Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel . A concerning number of State Department law-enforcement agents have criminal records or checkered backgrounds, according to memo. Around two thousands agents in State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security can play only limited . roles in the agency due to their previous form, reported the New York Post. The revelation is the latest disclosure in a series of scandals which are threatening to to engulf the bureau. The whistleblower's memo, obtained by the New York Post, was written to State Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel from a team leader in the IG’s Office. The person asserts that the hiring process is flawed and holds implications for the bureau. 'Department intakes of new . . . officers since the hiring surge a decade ago have reportedly been flawed, with ‘mitigation’ of troubling histories including criminal matters, wrote the team leader. The damning memo adds that some Diplomatic Security field offices 'have major problems just waiting to be discovered.' Yesterday an internal memo claimed the State Department called off an investigation into allegations that U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman repeatedly trawled overseas public parks in search of prostitutes, including minors. Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy ordered the investigation closed shortly after it was opened, according to the memo, which was written by the State Department Inspector General's office. Gutman, who has not been charged with any crimes, said the allegations are 'baseless.' 'I am angered and saddened by the baseless allegations that have appeared in the press and to watch the four years I have proudly served in Belgium smeared is devastating,' Gutman, 56, told MailOnline in an e-mailed statement. 'I live on a beautiful park in Brussels that you walk through to get to many locations and at no point have I ever engaged in any improper activity.' United States Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman is pictured with his wife, Michelle Loewinger, in April 2013. An internal State Department memo claims that he was investigated on allegations that he solicited prostitutes . The case against Gutman, a top Obama donor, was being investigated by the Special Investigations Division, an independent investigative arm of the Diplomatic Security Service. The investigating agent 'had . determined that the ambassador routinely ditched his protective security . detail in order to solicit sexual favors from both prostitutes and . minor children,' states the memo obtained by MailOnline. 'As the agent began to plan . surveillance on the ambassador to obtain corroboration, the agent . reportedly received notification that [Kennedy] had directed [the State Department's IG] to . cease the investigation and have the agent return to Washington.' Gutman is a top donor to President Obama, having raised a total of $775,000 for his 2008 campaign and inauguration committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. A native New Yorker and son of a Holocaust survivor, he has been married to his wife, Michelle Loewinger, since 1981. He is adored by Belgians, who dubbed him . in 2011 'the Ambassador who makes us love America again.' One Belgian . newspaper has even claimed that he could handily win an election if he . ran for office there. The case against Gutman is just one . in a series of supposed State Department coverups outlined in the memo, which was first reported by CBS News' John Miller. Gutman (center) is adored by Belgians, who dubbed him in 2011 'the Ambassador who makes us love America again' Secretary of State John Kerry is puctured with Gutman and his wife at their residence in Brussels, Belgium, on April 22, 2013 . The U.S. embassy in Brussels (left) sits on a 32-acre park (right) that is also the site of the Royal Palace of Brussels and the Belgian parliament . The incidents were also cited in a November 2012 draft of a report by the Office of the Inspector General on the performance of the Diplomatic Security Service. The report obtained by MailOnline stated that senior government officials were 'protecting favored [Diplomatic Security] rising stars from criminal charges or from embarrassing revelations that could harm a promising career.' July 8, 1956: Howard Gutman is born in New York, New York . 1977: Graduates Columbia University . 1980: Graduates magna cum laude from Harvard Law School . Oct. 3, 1981: Marries Michelle Phyllis Loewinger in Long Island . 1982: Joins Washington, D.C. law firm Williams & Connolly LLP . 1985: Becomes special assistant to FBI Director William H. Webster . 1988: Becomes a partner at Williams & Connolly and practices law there for the next two decades . June 2009: Nominated by President Obama to serve as ambassador to Belgium . Aug. 14, 2009: Sworn in as ambassador to Belgium . May 2011: Accused by a Diplomatic Security investigator of having 'ditched' his private security detail on a regular basis to pursue sexual favors from prostitutes and minors . 'Such interventions take place often enough that several sources in the Department who regularly see [Special Investigations Division] cases summed the situation up with almost identical words: DS should never investigate DS,' the report continued. But those sentences, as well as all . references to the investigations that were detailed in the memo, were removed from . a final draft of the report - which was issued in March 2013 - at the . request of Diplomatic Security's top brass. At a December 14, 2012 meeting, . Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell . requested that the information be omitted from the final report, . according to notes from the meeting obtained by MailOnline. 'He proposed that the subject "should . be withheld" from the inspection report until INV's process determines . if "there is something there,"' the meeting notes stated. 'Boswell . said putting the subject in the report would "generally damage DS," would "probably damage the Department," and would be used by "every . defense lawyer around."' In addition to the Gutman case, State Department officials also reportedly manipulated an investigation into . the 'endemic' hiring of prostitutes among agents belonging to former . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's security detail. The memo states that seven . security agents were accused of paying for sex while traveling with Clinton . overseas. Two agents confessed to the deeds while a third 'stated he . paid for services that were ultimately not received.' An internal memo has revealed that members of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's security detail were investigated for engaging prostitutes while on official trips in foreign countries . In . one instance, State Department superiors allowed an offending agent to . continue his role in securing a Moscow hotel 'despite obvious . counterintelligence issues.' Investigators . later uncovered evidence against four more agents and concluded that . the prostitution problem within Clinton's security detail was 'endemic.' As punishment, three agents were removed from the security detail and reassigned elsewhere. But further investigation into the remaining four agents was stopped by senior officials, 'despite the possibility of counterintelligence issues,' according to the memo. The document also references an 'underground drug ring' operating near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad may have been providing drugs to U.S. security contractors, including one who died of a methadone overdose. The memo was brought to light by Aurelia Fedenisn, a former investigator for the State Department Inspector General. She says is sharing the memo with the media to shed light on how internal investigations are influenced by the State Department. She told CBS that investigators . expect some influence but that 'the degree to which that influence . existed and how high up it went, was very disturbing.' Secretary of State John Kerry pauses during a joint news conference with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Monday, June 3, 2013, at the State Department in Washington . State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki pushed back against the allegations in the memo during a press briefing on Monday. The 'notion that we would not vigorously pursue criminal misconduct in a case, any case, is preposterous,' she said. 'We take allegations of misconduct seriously and we investigate thoroughly. All cases mentioned in the CBS report were thoroughly investigated or under investigation.' Psaki added that the State Department has responded specifically to the Inspector General's claims that its investigations are being influenced. 'The department has responded to the recommendations in the [Inspector General's] report,' she added. 'Diplomatic Security has taken the further step of requesting additional review by outside experience law enforcement officers on top of the [Inspector General's] inspection so that officers with law enforcement experience can make expert assessments about our current procedures.' | Revelations made in memo to State Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel .
The 2012 memo was written by a team leader in the IG’s Office .
The person asserts that the hiring process is flawed .
Previous memo revealed State Department called off investigation into U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman that alleged he courted prostitutes . |
176,627 | 70ab097d66118aa143aeac28c9dbdeb1396146c1 | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . Imagine a miniature robo-surgeon sliding into your body through an incision in your stomach. Once inside, the robot can expertly manoeuvre its way around the abdominal cavity, which has been filled with gas to make more room for work. It can then perform procedures such as an emergency appendectomy or perforate a gastric ulcer. Scroll down for video . This is the scenario being explored by . Nasa in the hope that risky surgical operations in space will someday . become a routine matter. Working in collaboration with Virtual Incision in Lincoln, Nebraska, the space agency has developed a prototype of a remotely-operated fist-sized robot doctor. The robot is due to have its first zero-gravity test in the coming months to prove its dexterity and ability to manipulate objects, according to a report New Scientist. The 0.9lb (0.4kg) has two arms fitted with tools to hold, cauterise and suture tissue, while its head is a small video camera. Would you trust a robot with surgical tools? Working in collaboration with Virtual Incision in Lincoln, Nebraska, the space agency has developed a prototype of a remotely-operated fist-sized robot doctor . The 0.9lb (0.4kg) has two arms fitted with tools to hold, cauterise and suture tissue, while its head is a small video camera. The camera feed is sent to a control station, where a human surgeon operates it using joysticks. The . robot would be remote-controlled, although controlling it from as far . away as Earth would mean impracticable delays in communication. Instead, the plan is to train astronauts to use the robot to perform select surgeries on each other. The camera feed is sent to a control station, where a human surgeon operates it using joysticks. 'While this work is in an early phase, the minimal invasiveness of this approach could enable its use in remote locations such as on a moon or Mars colony,' researchers wrote in a technical paper on the prototype. The robot would be remote-controlled, although controlling it from as far away as Earth would mean impracticable delays in communication. Instead, Nasa plans to train astronauts to use the robot to perform select surgeries on each other. Currently, astronauts on the International Space Station who face medical emergencies can be sent back to Earth in an escape capsule within a matter of hours. But for longer missions, such to Mars, coming home quickly won’t be possible. So far, tests using the prototype have performed on pigs. The next step, said Nasa, is to work in human cadavers. Escape plan: Currently, astronauts on the International Space Station who face medical emergencies can be sent back to Earth in an escape capsule within a matter of hours . A recent study of 12 astronauts show the heart becomes more spherical when exposed to long periods of microgravity in space. The change could lead to significant cardiac problems, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session. With implications for an eventual manned mission to Mars, the findings represent an important step toward understanding how a spaceflight of 18 months or more could affect astronauts’ heart health. 'The heart doesn’t work as hard in space, which can cause a loss of muscle mass,' said James Thomas, managing director of, Moore Chair of Cardiovascular Imaging and Lead Scientist for Ultrasound at Nasa. 'That can have serious consequences after the return to Earth, so we’re looking into whether there are measures that can be taken to prevent or counteract that loss.' Nasa said exercise regimens developed for astronauts could also be used to help maintain heart health in people on Earth who have severe physical limitations. | Prototype has been created by Nebraska-based Virtual Incision and Nasa .
0.9lb (0.4kg) device has tools that can grab, cauterise and suture tissue .
Its head is fitted with a camera which sends a feed back to control station .
Nasa said astronauts could be trained to use the robot to perform select surgeries on each other . |
75,774 | d6e3d014b6e1a4eb214837d093602b7d7e25a535 | (CNN) -- The Developing Communities Project is a faith-based, nonprofit organization formed when area churches wanted to help people hurt by the 1970s steel plant closings on the South Side of Chicago. It offers job training and literacy programs. It's working with Loyola University and area municipalities on an infrastructure project designed to address the region's growing population and create jobs. And its first executive director was Barack Obama. Obama: My vision for America . That's right, the man often accused of being a Muslim spent years working for a Christian organization. The man who supposedly only wants to give handouts to people spent years empowering them through education. The man Republicans accuse of only caring about himself spent his entire adult life helping those less fortunate. True, his first term as president has not come without its disappointments. He said he would cut the deficit -- he hasn't. He said his administration would not be politics as usual and then he played politics with immigration reform and gay rights. And Gitmo is still open. But before he was president or senator or even an Illinois state representative, Obama was a young man with a degree from Columbia University who could have done just about anything he wanted, and he chose to go back to his adopted home of Chicago and help poor people. Politics: If Obama wins... A politician's record is not confined to what he or she does in office. That's important, but it's an abbreviated version co-authored by consultants and edited by poll numbers. To really understand a candidate, voters have to look at the original, unabridged manuscript, the record he or she began writing before realizing someone else might read it. I didn't vote for Obama in 2008 because he wasn't George W. Bush. I didn't vote for him out of racial solidarity or because he gives pretty speeches. I voted for Obama in 2008 for the same reason why I voted for him in 2012 -- his record. And his time as a community organizer is part of that of record. Sure, I could rely on numbers to present a strong argument for a second term. About this time four years ago, the country lost 159,000 jobs, the country's ninth consecutive month of job loss. Last week we learned we created 171,000 jobs, the 25th consecutive month of job growth. Regardless of party, I would think that would be seen as a good thing. Our housing prices have rebounded to where they were nine years ago, and the Dow Jones Index recently closed at its highest mark in five years. I could also point to the death of Osama bin Laden or the currency collapse in Iran because of the sanctions that he's led. But to fully understand why I voted for Obama, one only needs to look at this quote from author H. Jackson Brown Jr.: "Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking." Opinion: What's really at stake in election 2012 . When no one was looking, Obama was a humble community organizer fighting for poor Americans who had lost their jobs. Four years ago, his critics mocked him for that. Today, we see a lot has changed about him ... but not that. He is still fighting for those Americans who are hurting, and it gives me a measure of peace knowing that the person in charge of making tough budget cuts has a record of working with people who are hurting. I'm sure Mitt Romney is a decent man, and he's given millions to his church. But I can't shake the fact the self-proclaimed "son of Detroit" did not come around the city when it began to struggle in the 1980s. The great "job creator" did nothing for the city when it was hemorrhaging jobs in the 1990s and to this day he only seems to come around Detroit during election time. If this is how the "son" treats family, I can only imagine the disregard he holds for strangers. Actually I don't have to imagine. I watched the 47% video. The one that was taped when he thought no one outside of the room would be listening. This is why he's trailing in Michigan and Massachusetts, the two states to which he's most closely tied. It's not because he's Republican. The three Massachusetts governors before Romney were Republican, while four of the past six governors in Michigan were Republicans, including his father. He trails because the people there know him. They know his record. His real record. Not the manicured version he presents on the campaign trail, but the unabridged version he began writing before his life in politics began. The version all future politicians script with the decisions that they make. I'm not wearing blinders. I know Obama is just as flawed as Romney. He's a politician. How can he not be? But at the end of the day I'd rather have President Barack Obama in the White House, someone with a record of being about the work of helping others before he was in office, than Mitt Romney, someone who has a record of talking about it once he got there. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson. | LZ Granderson: In Chicago, Obama directed faith-based group to help displaced workers .
He says Obama not perfect, but his early choices showed will to help those in need .
He says there are good reasons for another term: Jobs numbers, housing prices .
LZ: Romney shows up in home states in election; Obama has record of helping others . |
31,183 | 58a6e62bbf57b74853edf83c7b0c9020de6a0d05 | By . Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:57 EST, 1 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:58 EST, 1 March 2013 . Decision: Bruce Davis, a former Charles Manson follower who has spent more than 40 years in prison . One of cult leader Charles Manson’s follower was denied parole and will continue to serve his jail sentence after the California governor stepped in and stopped him from being released. The state’s parole board had recently approved the release of 70-year-old Bruce Davis, who was convicted in two Manson-related murders, since he has served more than four decades in prison. Governor Jerry Brown reversed that decision and ordered Davis to remain in jail after having a meeting with the Los Angeles district attorney. 'I find the evidence ... shows why he currently poses a danger to society if released from prison. Therefore, I reverse the decision to parole Mr. Davis,' the written decision said. Davis would have been only the second Manson-related murder defendant to be granted parole since the killing spree began in 1969. Davis was not involved in the notorious Sharon Tate-LaBianca killings but was convicted with Manson and others in the murders of a musician and a stuntman. Brown's six-page decision focused on Davis' role in the murderous Manson Family in the late 1960s. 'The record indicates that Davis fully embraced and championed the family's distorted values and goals, and was willing to protect the family's interests at all costs,' the decision said. Brown said that Davis' refusal to fully acknowledge his responsibility for two killings was central to his decision. Behind bars: Charles Manson orchestrated the murders of eight people and is serving life at Corcoran State Prison in California . Infamous: Charles Manson is escorted by a deputy sheriff and his lawyer from a Santa Monica courthouse following a hearing in the Gary Hinman murder case . 'I do not believe that Davis was just a . reluctant follower who passively went along with the violence,' he . said. 'Davis was older, more experienced, he knew what the Manson Family . was capable of, and he knowingly and willingly took part in these . crimes.' The decision outlined in gruesome . detail the killings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman ranch hand . Donald 'Shorty' Shea. Manson was a direct participant in both killings, . according to witnesses. Steve Grogan, another participant in . those murders, was released many years ago after he agreed to lead . police to where the bodies were buried on a remote movie ranch in the . San Fernando Valley. The decision relied heavily on trial . testimony of Barbara Hoyt, a former Manson Family member who has become a . constant attendee at parole hearing and an advocate for keeping all . members of the cult in prison. Captured: Steve Grogan (left) and Bruce Davis (right) enter court to be tried for murder in 1970 . Many of the details she gave were . proven wrong when the bodies were exhumed. She had spoken of dismembered . bodies but both men's bodies were found intact. Killed: Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson and his cult followers in 1969 but Davis was not involved in that murder . 'Until Davis can acknowledge and . explain why he actively championed the family's interests and shed more . light on the nature of his involvement, I am not prepared to release . him,' Brown said. Davis was 30 when he was sentenced to . life in prison in 1972 in the case that was a postscript to Manson's . notorious reign as leader of the murderous communal cult. Davis long maintained that he was a . bystander in the killing of the two men. But in recent years, he has . acknowledged his shared responsibility. He said his presence may have . emboldened others to take action because he was an elder of the group. Davis became a born-again Christian in . prison and ministered to other inmates, married a woman he met through . the prison ministry, and has a grown daughter. The couple recently . divorced. Davis also earned a master's degree and a doctorate in philosophy of religion. Brown commended him for his self-help efforts but said the work was outweighed by other factors. 'After 42 years of incarceration, it . is encouraging that Davis is beginning to reveal the actual details of . what happened. But it is clear that he continues to withhold information . about these events,' Brown said. Terrorizing: Manson family murderers Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkle and Leslie van Houton . The governor's decision echoed that of . his predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also reversed a parole board . that found Davis suitable for parole. Manson and three of his followers, . Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles 'Tex' Watson, remain . in prison for life in the Tate killings. Their co-defendant, Susan . Atkins, died of cancer behind bars in 2009. | Bruce Davis, 70, was sentenced to life in a Californian prison in 1972 .
Convicted in the murders of a musician and a stuntman .
Was not involved in the infamous Sharon Tate murders in 1969 . |
250,076 | cfa12bddea5919de4b5dccdabc0accdda39e7099 | One of the nation's most prestigious teams of flying aerobats dive-bombed into the depths of sexual harassment and stayed there for at least a year, a new Navy study says. Under the command of Capt. Gregory McWherter, members of the Blue Angels openly passed around pornography and flew with it in their cockpits during airshows. They cursed gays and spread dirty talk about women. Their chauvinistic behavior turned the squadron into a hostile workplace, a Navy investigation into the shenanigans said. And McWherter not only tolerated them; he set examples of bad behavior and animated those under his command. McWherter was reprimanded after a disciplinary proceeding this week and was previously relieved of his duties as an executive officer. The 63-page document reads like a cross between the burlesque B movies "Hot Shot" and "Animal House," as it describes how the squad's Ready Room took on the atmosphere of a college fraternity. The Blue Angels are the friendly face of the U.S. Navy and Marines and put on aerial stunt shows before live audiences across the country most every week. The scandal has sullied their reputation and that of the military branches they represent, Navy investigators said. Giant genital graffiti . At one point during McWherter's stint, an oversized penis painted in the blue and gold colors of the Blue Angels adorned the roof of an airplane hangar. The image was so large that it could be seen by satellites and appeared on Google Maps images. A member of the squadron painted over the graffiti, and the satellite map image has since disappeared. McWherter has not always had a reputation for raunch. He led the Blue Angels twice, and the first time around, he snuffed out such risque stunts as a matter of maintaining professional order, the investigation said. He completed a "successful and unmarred tour as the Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels from 2008 to 2010," the Navy said. Once that tour was over, he handed over the reins, but his successor committed a safety violation in May 2011. The Angels had to cancel a show and go through a safety stand-down. The commander stepped down, and McWherter returned. He received a "hero's welcome" and decided he'd do something to cheer the Angels up: throw out some protocol and crank up camaraderie. Tolerating chauvinism . McWherter was not the first to introduce lewd practices to the squadron, but he no longer clamped down as much and sometimes participated. Pornography had made its way into the squadron around the time the captain's first command ended, the investigation said. "Both male and female crew chiefs cut out and placed the pornography in the cockpits," it said. During the investigation, the practice was cited by some witnesses as "motivational." It was seen as a way of building trust among team members. Most of the pictures were depictions of naked women. Crew members who objected could complain and opt out, but some felt under pressure not to do so, the review said. Eventually, tensions over the pictures rose, and McWherter asked two female team members for their opinion, the investigation said. They told him they would feel more comfortable if the photos used were of women in bikinis and not nudes. McWherter complied. But eventually, he received an anonymous letter complaining about that practice, too, and he canned it -- but reportedly not without complaining to team members about someone having sent the letter. Online porn and scorn . But porn crept into more than just the cockpits and the Ready Room. The group set up a site on the online service GroupMe for scheduling purposes, and profanity and porn dotted the posts. McWherter saw them and joined in. "His initial post after joining the forum was "f*** you," the investigation said. When pornographic images didn't show up in the feed for a while, the captain called for members to post more of them. And he joined in raucous commenting on the lewd images. A Facebook photo of a female enlisted member of the squadron in a bikini turned up in the Ready Room, and McWherter did not object to it. Juvenile to hostile . When investigators showed officers who had served during the captain's first stint as commanding officer examples of the homophobic humor on maps, raunchy jokes and pornography that became common during his second stint, they were shocked. "These officers unanimously indicated that such material would not have been tolerated during their time under Captain McWherter at the Blue Angels," the investigation said. In November 2012, the captain's command ended; he moved on, and his successor inherited a cleanup job. The Navy set up awareness training from various equal opportunity programs to rid the Blue Angels of the smut. In 2014, a service member filed a complaint against McWherter for his lax handling of the harassing atmosphere during his command. Navy investigators concluded that the former commander had allowed what may have seemed like juvenile behavior descend into a "toxic" atmosphere. Ex-Blue Angels commander reassigned during sexual harassment inquiry . | Porn, homophobic jokes and dirty talk about women became common, Navy review finds .
It says the team's commander called for more porn postings in squadron scheduling service .
Raunchy practices were viewed as a way of building trust among Blue Angels, the study says .
The Navy reprimanded the commander and gave anti-harassment training to team . |
161,530 | 5cd53f80b12b35eff027ec57fa9f2aeac2c94c00 | (CNN) -- It was the late 1960s and Tom Repasky was in a fog. H. Michael Karshis owns thousands of albums but Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill" holds a special place in his heart. "I was trying to discover who I was, what I was and what I was doing here," he said. In 1963, at age 14, Repasky was on a field trip with his seminary when he and another student accidentally fell down a steep ledge while throwing rocks at upperclassmen. A tree broke his friend's fall, but Repasky was not so lucky. Repasky awoke in the hospital, but says he was unable to remember even the smallest detail of his past. "It was as if I didn't exist before that time," he said. This experience scarred him, to the point that he was asked to leave the seminary by the end of the year. "I clearly was not the same person," he said. "After my near-death experience, there was this prolonged period of not being able to relate to reality very well." Several years after his accident, Repasky first heard the Moody Blues song "Nights in White Satin." "After I heard these lyrics, I thought, 'They know what I'm feeling.' " He sought out their album "Days of Future Passed." He was particularly drawn to the lyrics from their song "Dawn is a Feeling:" "You are here today; no future fears; this day will last 1,000 years, if you want it to." Repasky, who now lives in Danville, Pennsylvania, and is an artist, often goes back to this album. "When I hear the music, it brings me to the point of realizing that I had experienced life and I could be alive, and it brings me great joy in knowing that." The part of "Nights in White Satin" where the words "I love you" are repeated always moves Repasky, even 40 years later. iReport.com: Watch Repasky tell his story . Repasky is one of many iReporters who shared the album that first hooked them and has stayed with them throughout their lives. H. Michael Karshis owns about 3,200 albums, but one holds a special place in his heart: "Can't Buy a Thrill" by Steely Dan. Even though his mother worked in a record store in 1973 (which helps explain the number of albums he owns), "Can't Buy a Thrill" was the first one he bought with his own money, at the age of 12. "Reelin' in the Years" was the song that hooked him. "It's almost an ode to a distant past," he said. "I remember listening to that before I was 17 and thinking about how old 17 was. It has a different connotation and meaning the older you get, but it's still a poignant, relevant song." Whenever Karshis moves into a new home, one of the first things he does is to crank up the stereo and play the album. "It's just one of those timeless albums and it's hard to describe how it affects me." Karshis, who works as a graphic artist in San Antonio, Texas, thinks the cover of the album has influenced his artwork. "I'm not saying I got it all from the Steely Dan cover, but it's amazing how it permeates everything I do now." iReport.com: Karshis talks about one album in his massive collection . Sal Steels of Denver, Colorado, first rocked out to Van Halen's album "1984" about 20 years ago, and hasn't stopped since. In fact, he demonstrated the way he feels when the song "Panama" starts in a video for iReport.com. For Steels, "1984" is "one of those you have in the car. It's one you make a backup CD for." He listens to it constantly and considers "Panama" his favorite song of all time. iReport.com: Sal Steels rocks out to Van Halen . Not all iReporters listen to their most influential album regularly. Diane Holder of Ann Arbor, Michigan, had fond memories of Pink Floyd's "The Wall," but it had been a while since she had heard it. "Twice before, I went back and looked at something that I cherished as a memory from my childhood, [and] the results were not very good," she said. Despite her hesitation, she listened to the album online. In this case, she was pleasantly surprised by how well it stood the test of time, and she ended up downloading the whole thing. "For me, that is remarkable. I can count on my fingers the albums I have bought." Jill Pearson of Atlanta, Georgia, is such a fan of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" that she created a video quiz for the iReport.com community. Pearson has been going back to the album off and on for years. "It takes me back to my college days and he's just one of my favorite performers," she said. iReport.com: Take the Elton John quiz . For some iReporters, one album opened their eyes to something new. Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" was not the first album Tony Bernez bought, but he considers it an important work, not just for himself, but for his generation. He considers it "one of the most ground-breaking, consciousness-raising and inspiring concept albums of its time, or any other time, for that matter." "It marked a transcendent change from the Motown R&B songs that Marvin had previously released, and it spoke to the pain, injustice, and uncertainty of the turbulent 1960s and early 1970s," he said. "I just listened to it yesterday, and it still moves me in a very special way." For Lulis Leal, one album completely changed her philosophy of life. She had not been exposed to Rush's music before their ninth album, "Signals," was released, but when she heard the song "Subdivisions," Neal Peart's drumming had her hooked. Leal listened to more of Rush's music and soon learned that the band was influenced by author Ayn Rand. After reading her novels, Leal began to adapt Rand's philosophy into her own life. Fred Thorne was a big fan of much of the popular music of the 1980s when he was 14, but the moment he heard R.E.M.'s song "Fall on Me" on alternative radio, he was determined to own the album "Life's Rich Pageant." After buying not just one, but three R.E.M. albums, his musical tastes changed forever. Thorne went on to play in bands for 18 years. "If you ask me, R.E.M. is the godfather of indie sound." iReport.com: Fred Thorne pays tribute to R.E.M. Whether it's nostalgia, an appreciation of great songwriting, or even a life-changing experience, music has certainly done a lot to help these iReporters throughout their lives. "Music can be that one thing that can bring a bright spot to anyone's life," said iReporter Crystal Dickson. "Where would we be without it?" | iReporters share the albums that stayed with them throughout their lives .
The Moody Blues got one iReporter through a near-death experience .
H. Michael Karshis owns thousands of albums, but loves Steely Dan the most .
iReport.com: What album had a lasting impact on you? |
16,710 | 2f5c359dab31c238544a21cc0209555742e7c35a | (CNN) -- Who among us hasn't fantasized about flying like a bird? We've created hot air balloons, planes and spacecraft to replicate what birds can already do naturally. CNN recently invited readers to share their best photos of birds in action. The National Audubon Society helped identify the bird species in the above gallery. "Their ability to fly is a work of art in itself," said birdwatcher Michele Hancock, who is always on the lookout for unusual avian species to photograph. Doug Whidby enjoys photographing birds near his home in Langley, Washington, and says they are the perfect subjects. "Their ability to fly is always a point of curiosity, and the details in their markings are stunning if you can capture them." Scroll through the gallery and imagine yourself soaring through the sky. And yes, we know not all of these birds are flying, but they are too beautiful not to share. 10 things we didn't know about lighthouses . 20 stunning cliffside beaches . | Is there anything more majestic than a bird in flight?
CNN iReporters shared their best photos of feathered friends in action .
"Their ability to fly is a work of art," one iReporter said . |
251,483 | d1843c85cc63c912f05b70bbd454dd7a9343bf64 | The launch of the Apple Watch had the internet’s army of jokers in full flow as they rushed to post pictures of their own version of the gadget. The real thing syncs with an iPhone to show notifications and can track the wearer’s heart rate – and it’s set to cost $349 when it goes on sale early next year. But for those who just couldn’t wait until then, or afford the official version, a common theme quickly developed in which a plain old apple was strapped to the user’s wrist. Scroll down for video . Following the unveiling of Apple’s smartwatch in California last night, internet jokers rushed to post pictures of their own version of the gadget. These included a red apple carved into a classic wristwatch design with a rounded face (pictured), created by Japanese Twitter user Hiromichi Shoji . But a few more inventive souls were able to take the joke a bit further - either by eating the apple, having it tell the time or, as one more creative type managed, actually carving a watch out of the fruit. The carved version was created by Japanese Twitter user Hiromichi Shoji, who goes by the username @sinomoritsukasa. The watch has a completely new user interface, different from the iPhone, and the 'crown' on the Apple Watch is a dial called the 'digital crown.' Users can turn the crown to zoom in and out on a map, or scroll a list. The crown can also be pressed to take the user to the home screen. The Glances feature shows information users would like to see, similar to Google Now. Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch. It understands questions in messages and then offers pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone. There is no keyboard on the watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji. The Apple Watch goes on sale early 2015 and prices will start at $349. He carved a red apple into a classic wristwatch design with a rounded face – although Apple’s version was rectangular and less sticky to the touch. Twitter user @christonation strapped a red apple to his wrist using tape before writing the time in digital format on the ‘face’. @findwin simply placed an apple on top of his existing watch, while maverick Firanglani on Instagram placed his watch around the apple. Instagram user Calumdilieto even ate the apple and placed the remains on his watch, making reference to the watch’s ‘core’ processor. The Apple Watch has a completely new user interface, different from the iPhone, and the 'crown' on the Apple Watch is a dial called the 'digital crown.' Users can turn the crown to zoom in and out on a map, or scroll through a list. The crown can also be pressed to take the user back to the home screen. The watch syncs with the iPhone 5C, 5S as well as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and it lets users dictate messages via a microphone on the device. Its screen is a touchscreen, but it also senses force, and can tell the difference between 'a tap and a press.' For example, pressing down will recognise as a right click. All the electronics are packed onto a tiny board, sealed up to protect against water. The Apple Watch comes in three finishes - Apple Watch, which comes in silver, the Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition, which will be available in 18-karat gold. It was unveiled alongside two new, larger and thinner iPhone handsets – the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. | Apple unveiled its first smartwatch at an event in California last night .
The Apple Watch syncs with an iPhone to show notifications and will cost $349 when it launches early next year .
Internet jokers rushed to post photos of their own version of the gadget .
This included apples placed on top of watches, or apples taped to wrists .
One Twitter user carved a red apple into a fitted watch with rounded face . |
272,137 | ec7d52305240ff29f8ca5420e3aa467f0f4203a1 | By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 11:07 EST, 25 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:17 EST, 25 August 2012 . Usually limited to the confines of a bedroom, playing the air guitar means flailing arms and energetic miming but when it comes to the world championships the most important trait is ‘no shame’. That was what helped Justin Howard aka ‘Nordic Thunder’ out-mime ‘Airistotle’ and win the title of Air Guitar World Champion at the 17th annual competition in Oulu, Finland. From all over the world they came, dressed to impress in leather straps, bright pants and fake blood, for their 60 second solo performance, imaginary guitar in hand. Scroll down for video . Rock star act: Raphael 'Willy Wantmore' Monnanteuil from Belgium was one of 18 competitors who performed in the 17th annual Air Guitar World Championship in Finland yesterday . Nordic Thunder from Chicago won over 18 finalists from countries including Japan, Britain, Russia and Czech Republic. He said before his winning performance: ‘My strength is that I have absolutely no shame. ‘I’m not concerned by looking like a fool. I embrace that and I plan to look like that today.’ Claiming his title he said: 'I feel amazing, I feel loved, I feel like crying and laughing and hugging.' International competitors: Air guitarists came from all over the world including pictured performer Vincent 'V-Snyder' from France, Japan and Britain . For world peace: In third place was Theun 'Tremelo Theun' de Jong in the competition that promotes 'world peace' with the ideology that 'all bad things disappear if all the people in the world play the air guitar' The competition aims to promote world peace. On the championship website it says: ‘According to Air Guitar ideology, wars will end, climate change stops and all bad things disappear if all the people in the world play the air guitar.’ Following air guitar tradition, after the champion was announced all competitors took to the stage once more to encourage the whole world to play air guitar to Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’. He narrowly beat Matt ‘Airistotle’ Burns from New York and Dutchman Theun de Jong who came in second and third. No shame: Winner Justin 'Nordic Thunder' Howard now holds the title of air guitar champion. He said his greatest strength was that he has 'absolutely no shame' Former world champion Aline 'The Devil's Niece' Westphal from Germany came in eighth. She said of her solo: 'The performance this year is very different from the performance last year, it's more girlie style, it's wild, it's rock n roll style and it's not so dramatic as last year and yeah, a little bit more crazy, I think.' Competitors . are marked on their technical expertise and stage presence with air . guitarists jumping, sliding and crowd diving to impress the judges. The judges include Finnish guitarist . Juha Torvinen, TV host Heikki Paasonen and Air Guitar World Champion . 2000 Markus ‘Black Raven’ Vainionpää. Torvinen said: 'I for myself, I like improvisations. That is the main thing for me, but of course you have to look at the whole performance and I think my heart decides who is the best one. 'It's that simple and difficult at the same time.' Finland . is known to host various unusual events including an international . mobile phone throwing contest and a wife carrying competition. All out performing: Aline 'Devil's Niece' Westphal from Germany, left, and Andro 'The Void' Urb from Estonia, right, used their technical air guitar expertise and striking costumes in an attempt to impress the judges . Down and dirty: Jan 'Geeky Gisbert' Fischer from Germany took to the stage floor in the 60 second solo final performance . Now watch the video . | The air guitar world championships was held in Finland yesterday .
Eighteen competitors from all over the world took the stage for the annual competition .
Justin 'Nordic Thunder' Howard from Chicago won the title .
The competition promotes world peace . |
28,173 | 4fda073a39c0467b35653bfb56a7095b261f5a5d | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 10:46 EST, 15 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:28 EST, 15 October 2013 . Wearing high heels can be more of an endurance test than a pleasure, especially during the a hectic party season. A recent survey even revealed that more than a third of women said their feet had been so sore on a night out that they danced shoeless and walked home barefoot. But one High Street store thinks it has the answer to our vertiginous stiletto woes. Marks and Spencer has introduced Hi Heel Hosiery – tights with built-in pads which aim to alleviate the pain caused by stacked shoes. Comfort first: M&S has unveiled a new range of tights called Hi Heel Hosiery which have built-in pads to alleviate pain in the balls of your feet . These clever new tights aim to make tired feet a thing of the past by eliminating pain on the ball of the foot leaving women free to wear their favourite heels all night long. Speaking about the new hosiery, Paschal Little, Head of Lingerie Innovations, said: ‘The pads built into the bottom of the feet act as a cushion to relieve pain on the ball of the foot. ‘For additional comfort we have developed a shaped toe design which keeps the cushion in place.’ The . tights come in a variety of styles from classic opaque and natural to . leopard print and sparkling diamante (perfect for the more . fashion-forward women). The tights, which are available in store this month, are priced between £6 and £15. Dance all night long: As well as the pads M&S has developed a shaped toe design which aims to keep the cushion in place so women can wear their favourite heels for longer . But will they actually help? Kam Panesar, an osteopath at Adamina Spa, said: 'It sounds like the tights are just providing what Scholl and other foot specialists already do. 'They will make no difference to the rotation in the pelvis (that causes back and leg pain). 'If you tend to wear heels, however, they will allow you to wear high heels for a longer time with more comfort. 'So if you have no musculoskeletal problems and wear heels sporadically - they're a great buy!'. Stylish: The range comes in a variety of designs . including spotted, £9.50 (left) animal, £12.50 (centre) and opaque, . £9.50 (right) | Hi Heel Hosiery are tights with built-in pads which aim to alleviate pain .
Priced between £6 and £15 .
Come in opaque, animal print and sparkly designs . |
93,869 | 04b3fe3f595d864fdc7ef3d3fba53552c81b8999 | By . Richard Shears . Last updated at 8:36 PM on 8th January 2012 . Seven passengers on a Qantas superjet flying from London to Sydney were injured today when the aircraft struck severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean. Many of the passengers on board the A380 were Britons heading for the sun in the Australian summer. Four of the seven who received cuts and bruises were taken to hospital in Singapore for treatment, while the other three were treated at the medical centre in Changi airport. Injured: Seven passengers on the Qantas A380 flight required medical treatment . Qantas said the turbulence was the result of severe thunderstorms over the Indian Ocean, in Indian air space, three hours before the jet was due to land in Singapore for refuelling. A spokeswoman said the seatbelt sign went on immediately the aircraft hit the turbulence but some passengers were still standing or making their way back to their seats. 'Striking bad weather is not unusual,' she said. The aircraft was struck by severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean. File picture . 'The aircraft diverted around most of it but it was the initial part of the storm that had the impact.' She described the injuries as minor cuts and bruises. Engineers carried out a thorough inspection of the jet, named after Australian aviation pioneer Charles Kingsford Smith, and declared that no damage had been caused and it was fit to return to the skies. The jet was due to arrive in Sydney late on Sunday. Emergency: Three of those injured were treated at the medical centre in Changi airport, pictured . Qantas has received 12 of the 20 A380 'double decker' supersets it has ordered. Just last week the airline reassured passengers there was no risk to safety after cracks were found on the wings of several A380 jets owned by a number of airlines around the world. The airline said that minuscule cracking had been found in the wing ribs on one of its A380s but no immediate action was required because it presented no risk to flight safety. | Four of those suffering cuts and bruises taken to hospital in Singapore for treatment .
Other three were treated at the medical centre in Changi airport . |
65,519 | ba0b807e4f18d449d6a2e91702f670d0da289322 | Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia on Sunday released an Australian teen convicted of marijuana possession on the resort island of Bali after the boy spent two months in detention, a local prosecutor said. The 14-year-old was sentenced in late November to two months for marijuana use in a case that has drawn international attention. The sentence included time already served, local prosecutors said. He will leave Indonesia and will be blacklisted from re-entering the nation for six months, prosecutor Gusti Gede Putu Atmaja said. After he has arrested in October, the teen was moved from a prison to an immigration center because the latter is more favorable for a teenager, the prosecutor said. Authorities arrested him while he was on holiday with his parents in Bali. After the arrest, the boy's attorney, Mohammad Rifan, said he had hoped to avoid a prison sentence and have him released to undergo drug rehabilitation. Indonesia's drug laws are among the strictest in the world. But they have a provision, article 128, under which those arrested with small amounts of drugs can be released to rehabilitation if they can prove they are an addict. In the case of underage offenders, that requires a declaration from the youth's parents, officials have said. Visitors to the country are warned on arrival that some drug crimes carry a maximum penalty of death. Still, many have been arrested and convicted for various drug offenses. Two Australians are on death row in a Bali prison while six others are serving life sentences. | The teen's sentence included time already served .
He is expected to leave Indonesia, the prosecutor says .
He is blacklisted from re-entering Indonesia for six months . |
154,427 | 53911b19d5fa144d20bd04f632a4d13550754ca7 | This is the incredible moment a 16-tonne transporter truck jumped 83 feet over a speeding F1 car in a record-breaking stunt. Hollywood stuntman Mike Ryan, who has worked on the Fast and Furious and Terminator 2, hurtled towards the ramp at 70mph before clearing the Lotus race car. Martin Ivanov - who has driven cars in both James Bond and Bourne films – was the man brave enough to be behind the wheel of the F1 car at Bentwaters Park in Suffolk. Scroll down for video . A 16-tonne transporter truck jumped 83 feet over a speeding F1 car in a record-breaking stunt . Martin Ivanov was behind the wheel of the F1 Lotus as it sped underneath the 16-tonne truck . The record-breaking stunt comes as Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win the Formula One World Championship for the Mercedes team. It is the first time the jump has ever been attempted with a lorry and trailer and the drivers risked death all in the name of a commercial for data company EMC Corporation. Jonathan Martin, chief marketing officer for EMC and Lotus F1 said: 'The world record-breaking video has been far more successful than we could have ever imagined. 'We have been extremely fortunate to partner with Lotus F1 Team, a team that values innovation and new approaches to marketing. Both vehicles raced side by side, reaching speeds of up to 70mph before the death-defying jump . Hollywood stuntman Mike Ryan drove the truck and trailer over the jump at Bentwaters Park in Suffolk . The height that Mr Ryan reached with the truck was a new world record, which makes the achievement even more impressive . 'We at EMC are looking forward to continuing the technology partnership and redefining records in the coming years.' Guinness measured the distance from where the back of the truck touched down - although the front actually landed at 137ft and seven inches. Both vehicles then race side by side until the lorry speeds up the ramp and jumps over the F1 car which swerves below. As the truck smashed down into the ground, debris and smoke flew out of the bottom as the car raced off safely into the distance. The height that Mr Ryan reached with the truck was a new world record, which makes the achievement even more impressive. Guinness measured the distance from where the back of the truck touched down - although the front actually landed at 137ft and seven inches . As the truck smashed down into the ground, debris and smoke flew out of the bottom as the car raced off safely into the distance . Experienced stuntman Mr Ivanov has driven cars in both James Bond and Bourne films . The commercial for EMC Corporation shows a suited up driver ready to participate in the stunt . | Stuntman Mike Ryan jumped the truck a record 83 feet and 7 inches .
He hurtled towards the ramp at 70mph before clearing the Lotus F1 car .
Martin Ivanov who has driven in Bond films was the behind wheel of Lotus .
It is the first time the jump has ever been attempted with a lorry and trailer . |
245,223 | c965a637d375434f2a5cd3846c5b50973835b14a | A handyman who sliced his hand to the bone with a machete claims he was turned away from a GP surgery - because he was not a registered patient. Glenn Box, 54, accidentally hacked into his hand while cutting back bushes and stumbled into the local surgery begging for help. But despite dripping with blood Mr Box was turned away by staff who refused to help him because it was not his usual clinic. Glenn Box accidentally hacked into his hand with a machete while cutting back bushes. He stumbled into the local surgery begging for help but claims he was denied help because he wasn't a registered patient . He claims he was forced to drive himself eight miles to hospital where medics told him he had cut though his tendons and gave him 14 stitches. He said: 'I’m disgusted at the way I was treated. I had been cutting through twigs and branches with my jungle knife when I cut straight through my hand. 'I’m a bit of a Rambo and I’m not squeamish, but was shocked to see I had cut through to the white tendons. 'I have never seen that much blood in all my life so I knew I had to get help straight away. 'Everyone I have told has said they think it is wrong that trained medical staff refuse to help in an emergency. 'I left the surgery in shock and I was losing so much blood I worried I would collapse. 'I decided to try to drive to the hospital, thinking if I started to feel faint I would pull over and call an ambulance.' Mr Box, from Radstock, Somerset, went to St Mary’s Surgery in nearby Timsbury, but was turned away because he wasn't a registered patient. He added: 'I had hoped being a local they would bandage me up to stop the flow of blood - but they just pretty much told me to go away. 'Everyone I have told has said they think it is wrong that trained medical staff refuse to help in an emergency.' Mr Box claims he was forced to drive himself eight miles to hospital where medics told him he had cut though his tendons and gave him 14 stitches (file picture) Mr Box, whose registered GP is in a village three miles away - eventually drove to the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where he was treated and given 14 stitches. Jackie Yeates, practice manager at St Mary’s, said: 'I cannot comment on the individual case but the general rule is that you should go to your own surgery if it is within the local area as they are best placed to treat you as they have your medical records. 'If someone has minor injuries the best option is to go to Paulton Hospital but this again depends on the individual situation.' She added she was unaware of the situation at the surgery at the time of Mr Box's visit on September 9. But she added it may have been the case there were no doctors or nurses at the surgery at the time due to afternoon home visits. | Glenn Box, 54, accidentally hacked into his hand while cutting back bushes .
Stumbled into the local surgery begging for help, covered in blood .
But was turned away by staff as he was not registered there .
Claims he was forced to drive himself eight miles to hospital in Bath .
There, medics said he had cut though his tendons and gave him 14 stitches .
Said: 'I'm disgusted at the way I was treated - I needed to be bandaged up. How can trained medical staff refuse to help in an emergency?' |
119,874 | 26f0c577889c521a9ae3efa626afd4fa864efed7 | Steven Smith struck a superb century as Australia fought back from the brink to beat South Africa by three wickets in Melbourne and in the process clinch the one-day international series 3-1. South Africa had looked well on course to set up a winner-takes-all decider in Sydney this weekend when, after making 267 for eight, they reduced Australia to 98 for five in the 25th over. However, Smith had other ideas and his 104 off 112 balls - his second ODI hundred - turned the match on its head and took Australia to within touching distance of victory. Australia's Steven Smith hit a second century of the series to complete a comeback victory . Australia players congratulate Pat Cummins after his single run secured a 3-1 ODI series win over S Africa . Australian batsmen James Faulkner (L) and Cummins celebrate the victory on home soil . Smith was unable to see the job through, bowled by Robin Peterson in the penultimate over with the scores level, but new batsman Pat Cummins got the single Australia needed to claim the match - and series - off the next ball, although not without more drama. South Africa thought they had claimed two wickets in two balls when David Miller appeared to take a stunning one-handed catch off Peterson to snare Cummins. But, after checking replays, it was confirmed the ball had not carried on the full and Cummins and James Faulkner were able to celebrate victory, with the pair having crossed. Faulkner's 34 not out off 19 balls was another significant reason for Australia's recovery, as was the 52 from Matthew Wade - the wicketkeeper putting on 121 for the sixth wicket with Smith. That came after South Africa's bowlers had ripped out half of Australia's side for less than 100 as the visitors looked certain to level up the series at 2-2. Smith (L) was bowled out in the penultimate over after hitting 104 runs from 112 balls for Australia . David Miller (L) is comforted by Hashim Amla after his catch off Cummins was ruled out to concede defeat . Earlier, captain AB de Villiers had come close to a 20th ODI century to give South Africa a commanding lead . Earlier, it was another fine batting display from AB de Villiers that guided South Africa to a challenging total after winning the toss. The Proteas skipper made it to within nine runs of a 20th ODI ton when he was caught by Smith looking to hit a Cummins slower ball. Aside from De Villiers, Miller contributed 45 and Faf du Plessis 28, with South Africa's total ultimately proving just not enough thanks to Smith's determined century. | Australia defeated South Africa 3-1 in their one-day international series .
Steven Smith prevented a decider by hitting 104 off 112 balls in Melbourne .
Pat Cummins secured victory after David Miller's catch was ruled out . |
191,323 | 83bffc6bf7d31e46293145b425c5f7bd955303d1 | Virginia state Senator Creigh Deeds has come forward to reveal his final moments with his son Gus, nearly a year after the mentally-ill young man tried to kill him in a knife attack. On November 18, 2013 Deeds obtained an emergency custody order to admit his suicidal son to a psychiatric ward, but that order expired before they could find him a bed at any hospital . The following morning, Deeds was feeding his horses when his 21-year-old son approached and suddenly started stabbing him with a knife. Deeds, now 56, says his last words to Gus were 'I love you so much' and that after uttering the statement, Gus let up and he was able to make his escape. Happier times: Creigh Deeds (right) was nearly killed by his bi-polar son Gus (left) last year in a violent attack that ended with his son committing suicide. Pictured with his musically-talented son on the campaign trail during his failed gubernatorial run . Turned away: Gus was attacked by his son after failing to commit him to a hospital the night before. Deeds took out an emergency custody order for his son, but couldn't find a bed for his son in a psychiatric ward. Pictured above in October speaking at a mental health symposium in Richmond, Virginia . Deeds ran away from the house where he was rescued and taken to the hospital. Police later found Gus dead from a self-inflicted gun shot wound. His daughter Susannah and second wife Siobahn believe it was those words of compassion that saved Deeds' life. 'I like to believe what Susannah said - that when I said "I love you," that broke through,' Deeds told the Washington Post. 'That he was still delusional, but that did break through, and the old Gus heard that. Not the old Gus — Gus. That those things that had taken over Gus were defeated.' Still, Deeds admits he may never know the real truth behind his son's motivations that day and he's still haunted by what he could have done differently to prevent Gus' suicide. Gus first started showing signs of mental illness after his first year at the College of William and Mary, when he got dumped by a girlfriend after visiting her in her native Colombia. But he continued to do well in school, making the Dean's List. He took the fall of his junior year off to help on his dad's gubernatorial campaign. When that campaign failed, and his parent's broke up, Gus went on a cross-country road trip, writing bad checks along the way and getting baptized in Oregon. Scene: Deeds was attacked the morning of November 19, 2013. He escaped after telling his son how much he loved him, and ran to the main road where he was rescued by a neighbor and taken to the hospital. He suffered 10 stab wounds in the attack . His father found the trip strange, but figured it wasn't altogether unusual for a young person. Gus' parents became more concerned when he took of another semester in the spring of 2010 to work in Gary, Indiana. His mother took him for a psychological evaluation and Gus was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. However, doctors were optimistic and believed he wouldn't need to be medicated his whole life. 'I believed in Gus,' Deeds said. 'I believed he would snap out of it.' 'I’m not sure I’ve met anybody like him,' Deeds remembers. 'He was all the things I wanted to be. I’m not smart, not good at anything, not coordinated, can’t sing, no musical-instrument ability, no gift for languages, and he had all that. I don’t have any of the confidence he displayed at every moment.' But Gus didn't get better, and eventually started talking about suicide with his dad. 'He’d say, "I just feel like I’m going to end it,"' Deeds said. 'He’d say, "Dad, I feel like I want to die."' While Gus had supported his dad on previous occasions when he was committed to a hospital, Deeds could tell something had changed the night before the stabbing when he took out an emergency order again. Father and son: Gus Deeds started showing signs of mental illness after his first year at the College of William and Mary. Pictured above with his dad in 2010 . At the hospital, where Deeds failed to find his son a bed, Gus paced back and forth. And in the car ride home, he was completely silent. 'I know he felt I betrayed him when I went and got the order,' Deeds says. 'I don’t feel I had a choice. I did what I did to try to save him.' Deeds' wife told him to leave the house for the night, but Deeds decided he wanted to stay with his son. However, for the first time ever, he locked his bedroom door at night and even heard Gus rattling the door knob trying to get in. Still, Deeds never thought his son would actually kill him. The next morning, Deeds got up to shower before Gus woke up and started his day as usual, feeding the horses. When he saw his son approaching, Deeds asked him how he slept and Gus responded 'fine'. 'I turned my back and... had this feed thing in my hands and he was just on me... He got me twice,' Deeds recalled in a 60 Minutes interview earlier this year. Deeds doesn't remember much from the frenzied attack, in which he suffered 10 stab wounds all over his body. Life's work: Deeds is still a state senator, and has made mental health care reform his top priority, Pictured above last March speaking about mental health reform at the National Press Club in Washington DC . Shortly after telling his son how much he loved him, Gus eased up. Deeds still isn't certain that those words impacted his son. 'Maybe he figured he did the damage he needed to do to kill me,' he said. 'Maybe he’d seen enough blood.' Either way, Deeds escaped and ran down to the road where he was found by a neighbor and taken to the hospital. His son returned to the house and shot himself dead with a gun Deeds never feared he would use since he couldn't find ammunition to buy for it. He's still not sure how Gus was able to source the hard-to-find bullets. Still a state senator, Deeds has now made mental health reform his top priority, and has already extended the window of emergency custody orders from six hours to 12. | The Virginia state senator's son Gus attacked him with a knife on November 19, 2013, hours after he tried to get him committed to a psychiatric ward .
Deeds, 56, took out an emergency custody order for his son the day before, but wasn't able to find him a bed at a hospital before the order expired .
Son Gus was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder after displaying increasingly worrying behavior during his college years .
After Deeds escaped, his son went back to the house and shot himself dead . |
262,790 | e0624fa196f9bcd256991af8414ef34e232a5930 | United Airlines says a computer outage that caused the cancellation of nine flights and delayed 580 others was the result of an equipment failure. "United's operations are running normally today following yesterday's network outage," said a statement sent to CNN Wednesday by airline spokeswoman Mary Ryan. During the more than two-hour-long outage Tuesday, United's website redirected to a message that said, "We are experiencing technical difficulties. This will temporarily affect our ability to serve you online." At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, a United hub, check-in kiosks were dark and passengers stood in long lines. At the gates, people boarded planes while United agents checked them off on a hand-drawn seating chart. United passengers in San Francisco recounted being unable to get boarding passes, and some Newark passengers took to social media to share pictures of long lines and handwritten boarding passes they say they were given. "The outage was caused when a piece of communication equipment in one of our data centers failed and disabled communications with our airports and website," the airline said. "We have fully redundant systems and we are working with the manufacturers to determine why the backup equipment did not work as it was supposed to." Passengers on affected flights can cancel or rebook their flights without penalty, according an earlier statement from the airline. "United apologizes for the disruption caused to travelers at affected airports and is re-accommodating customers as quickly as possible." United Airlines flight returns to Newark after engine problem . | "A piece of communication equipment in one of our data centers failed," United says .
It cut connections with airports and the website, United says .
The outage resulted in the cancellation of nine flights and the delay of 580 . |
152,181 | 50b2018e211e24e755558ca80cf839e690ddc019 | By . Damien Gayle for MailOnline . Revellers who urinate in public in the Czech Republic face being named and shamed around the world - after a businessman threatened to post their antics on YouTube. This picture, which was posted to Twitter and has quickly gone viral, shows men what they can expect if they decide to baptise the streets with their own holy water. Beneath the illustration of a stick man spraying the ground has been added an extra message in the universal language of pictograms - threatening to video-record the act and publish the clip on YouTube. Scroll down for video . Innovative: A sign in the universal language of pictograms issues an innovative threat to men who wee in public . Marek Sotak posted the image to Twitter last week after finding it on a Czech-language discussion forum, and it has been retweeted more than 5,000 times and chosen as a 'favourite' by more than 3,000 users. The sign is in Mikulov, a wine-making tourist town sitting on the southern border of the Czech Republic and Austria. The three-stage pictographic message presents a stark message to anyone thinking of relieving themselves away from designated (preferably plumbed-in) areas. Whip out the old fella and start to spray, it warns, and your act will be caught on closed-circuit television camera. This footage will then be taken and uploaded to YouTube for the world's amusement. Mr Sotak's Tweet suggests that the approach is typically Czech. He writes: 'In Czech Republic, this is how you threat people (sic), so they don't to bad things...' The innovative deterrent has caught the imagination of people across the world, with news websites from London to Boston reporting it and calling for the policy to be adopted in their own home towns. Beautiful: Marek Sotak says the sign was put up by an irate hotelier in Mikulov, pictured, Czech Republic . But responding to a Tweet from MailOnline, Mr Sotak admitted the initiative was not official public policy in Mikulov. Asked if the sign was genuine, he responded: 'Yes it is, but it is not the government who put that up, an upset hotel owner did.' iDNES.cz quotes Petr Marcinčák, the hotelier in question, as saying: 'If I wanted to, I could argue with someone every day [about peeing against his walls], so I came up with the warning.' No videos have yet emerged on YouTube of people peeing outside Hotel Marcinčák, But Mr Sotak added that he thought the hotelier was willing to carry through on the threat. 'I think the owner meant it. It was not a joke,' he said. | Sign is outside a hotel in a picturesque town near the border with Austria .
It has gone viral on Twitter after it was spotted online by Marek Sotak .
But it's not public policy, the sign was put up by hotelier Petr Marcinčák . |
121,754 | 295de30e0f9fd51de3040de6a39dcfa0f0335742 | A pair of thieving Grinches were caught red handed stealing holiday packages from the porch of a San Francisco home. Now the victim—who captured detailed surveillance of the Thursday incident—is seeking help from his neighbors and the Internet to find the criminals. 'These two grinches stole a Christmas package from our front porch,' explained victim Larry Gutierrez, who lives in the Noe Valley neighborhood, on his YouTube video of the incident. 'From the looks of it, we weren't the first victims that day.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Caught on surveillance camera, this brazen thief begins to scout around his victim's house to see if there are any packages . The thief walks through the victim's gate nonchalantly, as if he owns the place (left) while his accomplice stays on the sidewalk as his lookout (right) In the video, the couple walk by the victim's house nonchalantly: a bearded, black-haired man carrying a backpack and a woman with several bags in her hands. The man approaches the house's gate and opens it calmly, as if he lives there. He steps inside while his accomplice serves as a lookout. A few seconds later, the man comes out with a box and the two walk away briskly without causing alarm. Once the prize is at hand, the thief and his accomplice walk out and down the street as calmly as possible without exchanging any words . Do you recognize this duo? Neighbors ask anyone with information call this anonymous tip line: (415) 575-4444 . Victim Gutierrez was left seething at the thieves' audacity. 'It's pretty rude,' he fumed to KTVU. 'It's not just happening in this neighborhood, it's happening all over the city.' Neighbor Mark O'Neill says the bearded man in Gutierrez's video has been seen around their Noe Valley block before. Once, he told KTVU, he was outside of O'Neill's house with several boxes in hand as rushed out. 'He grabs his bike and is about to take off and I said, "You forgot a box," he told the station. 'He said, "It's not mine, it's not mine," and he took off.' O'Neill says the stolen box was filled with children's toys for his neighbor's kids. Anonymous tips on the identity of the thieves should be forwarded to (415) 575-4444. A Detroit homeowner photographed Brandon Ancell, 19, running with this Macy's box after he lifted it moments after a UPS van dropped it off . Porch thefts often increase at the height of the holiday season. Earlier this month, two Michigan package thieves who trailed a UPS van, picking up its deliveries as they went, were caught by an eagle-eyed neighbor who pictured them in the act. Brandon Ancell, 19, and Brandon Chait, 18, stole boxes of clothing, computer speakers, make-up and dog food from 26 doorsteps in Detroit. But their spree on December 4 was foiled by a homeowner who spotted them outside his window and called 911. He used his cell phone to photograph Ancell running gleefully from a property in broad daylight — with a Macy's box in his grasp. Ancell (left) and accomplice Brandon Chait, 18, are charged with theft and have been released on bail . Deputies say the teens were opening the boxes, throwing the packages away and keeping the goods. Police located the suspects' 2010 Nissan Ultima within minutes of the call. The vehicle, which has since been impounded, had the contents of at least 26 stolen packages. Lt. John Michalke, of the local sheriff's office, warned residents: 'If you are expected to receive packages through the mail, use tracking software that's available. 'If you're expecting packages, be aware, be on the lookout for your neighbors.' | A pair of thieves has been striking the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco .
Victim Larry Gutierrez, who had a box of presents stolen, caught clear surveillance photo of the pair and is seeking help finding them .
One neighbor says he's seen the thieves before, and the last time they were swiping children's toys from neighborhood porches . |
171,562 | 6a0fdec575bea61606aa8b2de18edac3f4f76b6a | By . Chris Greenwood . PUBLISHED: . 04:18 EST, 11 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:23 EST, 11 December 2013 . The thief worked with ‘ninja-like’ speed and precision...and an audacity that suggests he perhaps did not know he was on camera. These pictures show how a masked raider prised the door of an art gallery open with a crowbar, snatched two Damien Hirst paintings and was gone again in under a minute. The pieces, worth £33,000, had only just gone up in the shop in Notting Hill, West London. Thief in the night: This is the moment two signed Damian Hirst works of art worth £33,000 were stolen from the gallery . Out the door: The robber used a crow-bar to break into the Notting Hill gallery before driving off at around 3am on Monday . Stolen art: This signed Damien Hirst piece, Pyronin Y, has been taken in the night from a west London gallery and is said to be worth £15,000 . The heist in the early hours of Monday . morning has left police mystified as the thief picked the pieces over . more valuable works by the award-winning artist. He . took two similar paintings, Pyronin Y, which was completed in 2005 and . is worth £15,000, and Oleoylsarcosine, from 2008 and worth £18,000. Hirst’s series of spot paintings, categorised by colourful dots in . different patterns, are among his most widely recognised works. Snatched: The smaller but more valuable piece, Oleoylsarcosine, on the left, was also taken in the early hours of Monday morning . Last . night, investigators were studying CCTV footage captured over the past . week to see if the thief made an earlier reconnaissance trip to the . gallery. One line of inquiry is he was working for a criminal who wanted to add the distinctive pieces to his collection. Gallery manager Nathan Engelbrecht, 31, said: ‘The police think it might have been stolen to order. ‘It . is also possible they targeted the Hirst spot pieces because he knew . they would be easier to sell. There are more expensive items here. There . is also another Hirst painting – not a spot one – but he left that . behind even though it was right next to one of them.’ The Exhibition Gallery, which opened in September, has a burglar alarm but it didn’t go off. The . gallery manager said the paintings had only gone up a few days ago . after weeks of negotiation with Hirst’s team. ‘We are a small gallery . and we had to convince them we could sell them and keep them safe,’ said . Mr Engelbrecht. ‘Looks like we failed at both.’ The CCTV shows that at . the same time as the raid, delivery men were outside a restaurant across . the road. Mr Engelbrecht said from the footage it is clear the thief . knew what he was looking for. ‘He was in and out within a minute,’ he . said. Scene of crime: The incident happened at around 3am on Monday where this gallery was broken into and the art taken. Manager Nathan Engelbrecht (pictured) has said it was without a working alarm . Upset: Mr Engelbrecht said the thieves had crow-barred open the front door before ripping the art off the walls . High profile: Damien Hirst at the Tracey Emin dinner in Florida last week. His works are regularly among the most valuable produced by a British artist . ‘If you watch it on . CCTV he knows exactly what he’s doing. He was completely covered up – . balaclava, hood, goggles, gloves. It was clearly a professional job. It . was all done with ninja-like speed and precision. ‘It is quite unbelievable how brazen he was because this is a busy street, even in the middle of night.’ The . glass-fronted shop is two doors down from Notting Hill Book Shop – the . inspiration for Richard Curtis’s hit film Notting Hill. Det . Sgt Jon Lightfoot of the Met said: ‘It appears the suspect has . specifically targeted the two pieces. They would have been visible in . the back of the car and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward.’ A spokesman for Hirst said: ‘This is a police matter and I’m afraid we cannot comment.’ Anyone with information is asked to contact the Serious Acquisitive Crime Unit at Notting Hill Police Station on 020 8246 0230 or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Long considered the bad boy of British art, Bristol born Damien Hirst's rise to the top has been remarkable. Despite achieving only a grade E in his art A-Level, the 48-year-old was at the forefront of the Young British Artists movement in the nineties. After setting up an art factory producing work that made him famous, he is the world’s wealthiest living artist, with a reported fortune of £215million. Prices for Hirst’s works, which include animal carcasses preserved in formaldehyde, spot paintings and medicine cabinet sculptures, have fallen sharply recently - down by 30 per cent since their 2008 peak. One in three of his pieces has failed to sell at all. Hirst, who is worth more than £200milliom, poses in front of one of the joint pieces he created with photographer David Bailey . Celebrated work: Hirst's Medicine cabinets on view at the Gagosian Gallery in Kings Cross, London in 2006 . In 2008, Mr Hirst sold sell 218 works through auctioneers Sotheby's, reportedly raising £111m. His most famous work is the 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' from 1991, a shark in formaldehyde, which sold for $12m in 2005. Another controversial piece is 'For the Love of God', consisting of a real human skull studded with 8,601 diamonds. It was put up for sale at £50m in 2007 and acquired by a consortium. Art dealer and collector Charles Saatchi was an early fan and offered Hirst a £50,000 commission to do whatever he liked, resulting in the famous shark in formaldehyde. The emperor is naked:: Visitors look at Damien Hirst's 'The Kingdom' featuring a tiger shark in formaldehyde at Sotheby's auction . Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God' which sold for £50 million at auction is . a platinum cast of an 18th century human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds . There was a setback when a fin fell off, the liquid went murky and the shark turned green and wrinkled. But his curators skinned it, got rid of the decomposing body and stretched the skin over a fibreglass mould and it was sold to an American collector for around $12 million. Other works using formaldehyde include a dead cow and calf split in two and exhibited in separate glass containers and dead sheep. A series of 'spin' paintings were criticised as childish with even Hirst himself admitting to having seen the technique demonstrated on Blue Peter. He is unmarried and has three children with long-term girlfriend Maia Norman. | Thieves took Pyronin Y and Oleoylsarcosine from building in west London .
Detectives say gallery's doors were forced open and art ripped from walls .
Hooded robber shown in CCTV crow-barring open door of London gallery .
Manager says the art was on loan and taken at 'ninja like speed' |
247,472 | cc3b8757579cb7b66c03e63f5d808ee857273500 | By . Associated Press . A jury on Friday found a man guilty of murder after his pit bulls mauled a woman to death in a high desert town in California where residents said they carried rocks and guns for protection against packs of dogs. Alex Donald Jackson, 31, was convicted of second-degree murder and could get 24 years to life in prison at his sentencing scheduled for October 3. Jackson owned four pit bulls that mauled 63-year-old Pamela Devitt during her morning walk in Littlerock on May 9, 2013. Dog-owner: Alex Jackson was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Pamela Devitt, who was mauled by four of his pit bulls . Devitt died from blood loss after being bitten 200 times, the coroner's office said. Gashes in her flesh were so deep that bone was exposed. Prosecutors argued that Jackson was not just negligent but also knew that his animals could endanger someone's life. They presented evidence that the dogs were involved in at least seven other altercations in the 18 months before the fatal attack. In Littlerock, an Antelope Valley town of about 1,400 people, residents told the Los Angeles Times that they were often cornered by packs of dogs. Some have forbid their children from playing outside and have taken to carrying sticks, rocks and guns for protection. Vincent Jackson said his brother Alex has accepted some responsibility in the case and wrote a letter to the victim's husband that was never sent. Still, Vincent Jackson thinks the murder charge is a knee-jerk reaction to the community's disdain for pit bulls. 'It feels like they're trying to make an example of him,' Vincent Jackson said about his brother. Defense attorney Al Kim echoed that sentiment, saying his client was taking the brunt of the rural area's growing frustration over abandoned animals. 'At some point, something needs to be done about these stray dogs, and I think an unfair amount of responsibility is being directed at my client,' Kim said before the verdict was returned. 'Does that mean he's a murderer? Absolutely not.' The National Canine Research Council estimates about 30 people are killed by dogs each year. Murder charges are rare because prosecutors must prove that the defendant knew the dogs were dangerous before the killing. In trial testimony, several horseback riders said they had been chased or bitten by Alex Jackson's dogs. Neighbors said the dogs jumped over a fence and made it difficult to retrieve mail. A mail carrier testified that he was unable to make a delivery to Alex Jackson's residence because of a threatening dog that eventually chased his vehicle for half a mile. Brutal death: Ben Devitt (right) holds a picture of his wife of 43 years, Pamela Devitt (left) who died of blood loss after being bitten 200 times by a pack of pit bulls while on a morning walk . Savage: Jackson's dogs had previously chased and bitten others in the months and years before Devitt's death . Jackson testified that he was unaware of most of the incidents. He said he would have gotten rid of the dogs if he thought they were capable of killing someone. At the time of his arrest, Jackson had eight dogs living at the home he shared with his mother. He had placed the four involved in the attack in his garage. 'I feel terrible about it. This isn't anything that I orchestrated or planned, that I wanted to have happen,' he said. Animal control officers testified that an inebriated Jackson told them shortly after the attack: 'If you mess with me, you're coming into the lions' den.' The victim's husband, Ben Devitt, said he wanted a guilty verdict to set a precedent and make people aware that their dogs can create a dangerous situation. | Alex Donald Jackson, 31, was found guilty of second-degree murder Friday .
Four of his pit bulls attacked and killed Pamela Devitt, 63, during a morning walk in 2013 .
She was bitten 200 times and some of the gashes were so deep they exposed the bone .
The dogs had attacked others in the months preceding Devitt's death .
Jackson faces 24 years to life in prison . |
191,391 | 83d826d6b935383f3325eae72e5a5a3d14db1897 | A cocoa buyer examines bean in Ivory Coast, which borders Ebola-hit Liberia . Chocolate prices could soar by up to 20 per cent as a result of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, experts have warned. The cost of cocoa beans is already up 18.5 per cent year on year and there are fears the health crisis could spark further increases over the coming weeks. Manufacturers of chocolate will decide how much of the price hike they pass on to the consumer, but it is inevitable that prices of products on shop shelves in Britain will rise. The problem is the fear factor, according to analysts as the crop is good, supply is high and the countries which produce most of the world's beans have not been hit by Ebola. But these nations - Ghana and Ivory Coast mainly - do have borders with countries like Liberia where most of the 4,000 deaths to date have been recorded, said analysts Mintec. This affects transportation links in the area, migrant workers from disease affected countries but, mainly, the fear that Ebola could spread to cocoa producting nations. Around 60 per cent of the world's cocoa is farmed Ivory Coast and Ghana. Already the international market price of cocoa beans has risen 18.5 per cent in the last 12 months to £1,891 a tonne, Mintec told trade journal The Grocer. Some of that is a result of growing demand from countries like China whose consumers are fast developing Western-style tastes for chocolate that they never used to have. But signs that traders fear further increases have been shown with falling share prices for companies like Nestle in recent weeks. Cocoa butter, a key ingredient for some chocolate products, is also up year on year but only by 7 per cent so far. This all comes when good weather has produced a bumper crop, up 10 per cent this year on last to 4.3 million tonnes. Around 60 per cent of the world's cocoa is farmed in Ivory Coast and Ghana - prices of the crop have soared amid fears that Ebola could spread to the countries . Manufacturers of chocolate will decide how much of the price hike they pass on to the consumer, but it is inevitable that prices of products on shop shelves in Britain will rise . Mintec analyst Yuliya Nam-Wright said: 'Prices have been pushed up in recent weeks despite better than expected supply due to good demand and concerns the (Ebola) outbreak may spread. 'With the main harvest in progress, concerns have risen that the spread of Ebola will disrupt ban shipments as West African regions have already seen some transportation disruption.' West African countries supply around three quarters of the world's cocoa for chocolate production and for them it is also their major export. It means the crisis could affect hundreds of thousands of livelihoods in the region. Cases of Ebola have been emerging in developed countries around the world in recent weeks. Around 60 per cent of the world's cocoa is farmed in Ivory Coast and Ghana . Today, there were mixed reports that two possible Ebola patients have been quarantined at New York City's Bellevue Hospital after falling ill following their return from an Africa trip. The pair, who are believed to be adults, both have symptoms consistent with the virus, and were transported to the hospital from a New York City address, according to the New York Daily News. A US nurse has also contracted Ebola while treating 'patient zero' Thomas Eric Duncan – the man who brought the deadly virus to America. Nina Pham, 26, from Fort Worth, Texas, was one of the team of medical staff who treated Mr Duncan at the Dallas Presbyterian Hospital before he died from the dreaded virus last week. The nurse, who had been monitoring her condition following her contact with the Ebola patient, admitted herself to hospital on Friday after her temperature spiked – one of the first symptoms of the deadly virus. Her condition was described as 'clincally stable' on Monday. The price of chocolate has already risen dramatically in the last year and the Ebola crisis is set to cause another surge upwards (Graph shows market price of cocoa, per metric tonne, in the last ten years . | Ghana and Ivory Coast farm 60 per cent of the world's cocoa beans .
Ivory Coast borders Liberia - where Ebola has already killed thousands .
Despite healthy crop, fear that the disease will spread is driving up prices .
Chocolate on UK shelves may see 20 per cent price surge in coming months . |
257,576 | d95dfe07a3a9f5686c131bd48f11677e62ae8479 | By . Cindy Tran for Daily Mail Australia . Police are investigating a suspicious death after a body was found in a burnt-out car on the side of a road in regional South Australia. South Australian police were called to the scene at around 8.20am after a member of the public reported seeing a charred vehicle on Wednesday. Scroll down for video . South Australian police were called to the scene at around 8.20am after a member of the public reported seeing a charred vehicle on Wednesday . The police statement said the investigation was in its early stage and are treating the death as suspicious . The vehicle was spotted near the intersection of Parrakie North Road and Mosgiel Road, approximately 26 kilometres west of Lameroo, east of Adelaide near the Victorian border. The police statement said the investigation was in its early stage and are treating the death as suspicious. Murray Mallee Superintendent Les Buckley attended the scene and stated, 'following the discovery of the body in the car earlier this morning we are following certain lines of enquiry. 'A post mortem examination will be conducted to determine the identity of the deceased and the cause of death,' he said. The vehicle was spotted near the intersection of Parrakie North Road and Mosgiel Road, approximately 26 kilometres west of Lameroo, east of Adelaide near the Victorian border . Forensic investigators and detectives are currently investigating the incident. Anyone with information are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. More to come. | A body was found in a burnt-out car on the side of a road in regional South Australia .
Police are treating the death as suspicious .
Forensic investigators and detectives are currently investigating the scene . |
147,703 | 4afeb4a0378a8c7e2a791431093a1b6b03eef112 | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 14:10 EST, 27 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:10 EST, 27 December 2012 . A mother-of-12 has lost everything in a blaze which destroyed her home, killed her pets and engulfed the ashes of her dead child on her birthday just three days before Christmas. The port of Brixham in Devon is rallying to help Heidi Barton and her family after the devastating fire. She was at the hospital bedside of one of her young children when she was told about the blaze and rushed back to Brixham to find her house, which was not insured, wrecked by the flames. Mother-of-12 Heidi Barton, from Brixham, Devon, who lost everything in a blaze which destroyed her home just three days before Christmas . The burnt-out house in Devon where a mother-of-12 lost everything just three days before Christmas . Single mother Mrs Barton, who was meant to be celebrating her 43rd birthday on the day of the disaster, is just hoping the ashes of another of her children, who died at birth, can be recovered from the home after the fire, which also killed three of the family's pet dogs and a tortoise. Mrs Barton, whose children are aged from 23 to seven months, was at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children with seven-month-old daughter Phoebe after the Down's syndrome girl, who was born with a hole in the heart, had to undergo an operation to insert feeding tubes into her stomach, when her son called her to say her home was in flames. It is believed an electrical fault in a fridge freezer may have started the fire. There were no smoke alarms in the property. The 43-year-old dinner lady rushed back in the middle of the night to discover her terraced house destroyed. The house was empty at the time. The five children who still live with her were staying at their older siblings' homes in Brixham and Newton Abbot. Two miniature Yorkies died in the fire and a Bichon Frise was taken to the vet and put in an oxygen tank after suffering from severe smoke inhalation, but did not survive. Mrs Barton said from the scene: 'At least everyone is OK. That's the main thing, but I've lost everything. Heidi Barton was at the hospital bedside of one of her young children when she was told about the blaze and rushed back to find her house, which was not insured, wrecked by the flames . The port of Brixham in Devon is rallying to help Heidi Barton and her family after the devastating fire . At the peak of the incident in the early hours of Saturday, December 22, 50 firefighters attended the scene . 'All I want now is for the firefighters to get back in and rescue my son Jesse's ashes. If I could recover pictures of my late mother, too, that would be great. Everything else I don't care about right now.' Jesse was born prematurely and did not survive. Mrs Barton's children are Robbie, 23, Ashley, 21, Jami, 18, Dani, 18, Corrie, 16, Kasey, 15, Cody, 14, Harry, 13, Hollie, 11, Eve 10, Phoebe, seven months. Jesse died four years ago. Mrs Barton said she will have live at her son's house across the road for the time being. She said: 'I went into labour with Phoebe the day after my mum died of a heart attack. Phoebe had two holes in the heart and needed surgery. 'Now this just before Christmas and on my birthday. It really hasn't been a good year for me.' Mrs Barton said the children's Christmas presents, Phoebe's oxygen bottles and her medication were all destroyed. 'At least everyone is OK. That's the main thing, but I've lost everything.' Mrs Barton . At the peak of the incident in the early hours of Saturday, December 22, 50 firefighters from Brixham's retained fire station, Paignton and Torquay attended along with the water bowser and bronto platform from Torquay and the incident command unit from Totnes. Ashley Barton, Mrs Barton's son who lives opposite her house, raised the alarm after neighbours knocked on his door to say his mum's home was on fire. The 21-year-old carer said: 'When I saw the flames I started panicking thinking my mum and the five children were in the house. I came out, but I couldn't see anything at first. 'Then the wind cleared and I could see the flames shooting through the roof. The oxygen tanks then blew up inside the house and it all went up in flames. 'The house is completely destroyed, but I'm pleased everyone was out of the house and is OK.' Alan Gilson, incident commander from Torquay fire station, was in charge of the six crews at the scene. He said: 'We were told that one adult and five children were possibly inside the house. That was our first consideration. 'We soon found out that the house was empty, but the fire was well alight and threatened to take hold in the adjacent houses. 'We evacuated them as a precaution, but thanks to the hard work and effort of our crews, the houses on either side only suffered smoke damage in the loft space. 'It was a difficult job and flames were coming out of the roof through the windows. It was like a jet engine. 'At one point we thought it might even spread to the whole block, but we managed to keep it under control.' Watch manager Gary Judge, from Torquay's green watch, was also at the scene. He said: 'It was a serious fire. It was a very big incident.' Fire investigator George Setter said: 'I believe the fire started in the fridge freezer. They have various components within them which can catch fire. 'There wasn't a working smoke detector in the house. Although there wasn't anybody in the property at the time some sometimes a smoke detector can alert neighbours or passers by. 'When crews arrived it was already a fully developed fire.' | Heidi Barton was at hospital with her baby daughter who had to undergo an operation when fire took hold .
The 43-year-old lost everything in the home including three of the family's pet dogs and a tortoise . |
246,276 | cabec3cf0086eb3dbfa806306c24b249c472373a | By . Sara Smyth . PUBLISHED: . 13:34 EST, 11 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:34 EST, 12 August 2013 . Unaware: Leanne Atherton said she didn't understand the serious risks involved when she started using tanning beds regularly at the age of 17 . A 25-year-old woman is fighting skin cancer after using sunbeds for eight years in an effort to 'look good'. Leanne Atherton said she was not fully aware of the risks of using tanning beds and was spending up to 20 minutes a week on them. She was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in June and has had a lymph node biopsy to find out if the cancer has spread. Ms Atherton started using sunbeds when she was 17 because she didn't like the look of her pale skin. Since then, she has been topping up her colour with regular trips to tanning salons, which she said became an addiction, . 'A tan is part of looking good. And I . think it's addictive as well. You get used to seeing yourself with a tan . and when it starts to fade you go and top it up. 'There would be times I would pay for a 42-minute course and you would have to use them within the month. 'I . now know that is a lot of time to spend on a sunbed in just four weeks. And having my skin type, with fair skin, blue eyes and having a lot of . moles means I should not have been using them at all.' Research has shown using sunbeds increases your risk of skin cancer by up to 75 per cent. The Health and Safety Executive advise people with fair skin and moles . not to use them at all because of the risks involved. It is illegal for anyone under the age of . 18 to use sunbeds, but Ms Atherton says checks aren't made to ensure people know about the risks involved. 'I had heard that sunbeds posed a risk of skin cancer, but I didn't really understand just how much. 'In eight years of using them I was never once asked to fill any forms in or questioned about my skin type or my age. Appearances: Ms Atherton said she topped up her tan because it is part of 'looking good' and she didn't like being fair-skinned. At no point was she asked about her pale skin or moles when she visited tanning salons . Killer: Using sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancer by up to 75per cent. People like Ms Atherton - fair, with blue eyes and some moles, are advised to avoid tanning beds entirely . 'I just wish that I had been told more about the risks associated with them.' Leanne has urged other visitors to . tanning salons to research the dangers involved before they choose to use sunbeds. 'I would just urge people to read up . on skin cancer and make sure they're informed about the risks before . they make a decision. I think salons have a responsibility in that . regard as well. 'For me, no . tan is worth the pain of an operation, scarred skin and the constant . feeling of 'what if' while waiting for my results.' | Leanne Atherton used sunbeds for up to 20 minutes a week .
Wanted to transform her fair skin and became addicted to topping up her tan .
Was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and waits to hear if the cancer had spread . |
279,139 | f5a93a28274a19ba1f2deb5ca5c9ad2bc29a2ed2 | Just the thought of you partner cheating may make you feel queasy. But a new study has found that men and women fear different scenarios more. Most men would be more upset if their other half had a sexual affair, but women would be more hurt by emotional infidelity, researchers have claimed. The fear: A new study has found that most men would be more upset if their other half had a sexual affair (illustrated with a stock image), but women would be more hurt by emotional infidelity, researchers have claimed, citing evolutionary reasons . Scientists asked 64,000 people what would upset them more: their partners having sex with someone else - but not falling in love with them – or their partners falling in love – but not having sex with them. They found that 54 per cent of heterosexual men were more likely to be more hurt by sexual infidelity than emotional infidelity, whereas just 35 per cent of women would be more hurt by sex than if their partner fell in love with another person. The gender differences emerged across age groups, income levels, history of being cheated on, history of being unfaithful as well as the length of relationships. But gay men and women did not differ significantly in how they felt, according to the study of people aged from 18-65. Men fear sexual infidelity more because if his partner becomes pregnant, he cannot be sure the baby will be his, the researchers said . The results, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour, were consistent with the evolutionary perspective of paternal uncertainty, the researchers said. That is, if a man is in a relationship with a woman and she becomes pregnant, he can never be sure if that child is his, or has been fathered by someone else - barring a paternity test - and will therefore fear sexual infidelity more. In contrast, women never face the problem of maternal uncertainty, because they can be sure that the child they are carrying is theirs. So while it is expected that both men and women will experience sexual jealousy, ‘men may exhibit particularly heightened responses compared with women’, according to the researchers at Chapman University in Orange, California. ‘While women do not face maternal uncertainty, they risk the potential loss of resources and commitment from partners [as they are left with a child to care for] if their partner channels their investment to another mate.’ The researchers explained that men are brought up to be masculine, which includes having great sexual prowess. ‘If a man’s partner commits sexual infidelity, this brings into question his sexual prowess and therefore threatens his masculinity, which leads him to react more negatively to his partner committing sexual rather than emotional infidelity,’ they said. ‘In contrast, women are taught to think relationally and to be emotional nurturers in a relationship. ‘If their partner commits emotional infidelity, this may threaten her sense of self more so than if her partner commits sexual infidelity.’ People who are 29, 39, 49 or 59 are more likely to cheat and make life-changing decisions as they approach a milestone birthday, a study published in November revealed. Researchers analysed the responses of 42,000 adults from more than 100 countries who completed a survey about their values between 2010 and 2014. They found that people with an age ending in nine were more likely to make changes ‘that suggest a search for meaning’ such as taking up marathon running or joining an extramarital dating site. Lead author Adam Alter, from New York University, said: ‘People audit the meaningfulness of their lives as they approach a new decade. 'People tend to either conclude happily that their lives are meaningful or they decide their lives lack meaning. '...some people might struggle to come to terms with the conclusion that their lives lack meaning. They might seek a socially damaging extramarital affair.' The researchers obtained data from an online dating site that targets people who are already in a relationship and found that there were far more 9-ender men - 18 per cent more - than would be expected by chance. Further analysis found a similar, though less-pronounced, pattern of results for women. | Study by Chapman University, California, found 54 per cent of heterosexual men were more likely to be more hurt by sexual infidelity .
But 65 per cent of women would be more hurt if their partner fell in love .
Experts claim this is because of evolutionary differences where men fear they may not be the father of their partner's baby . |
57,503 | a2fc5afffa25419a65462e6d1048104de8af65c9 | (CNN) -- "Great Gatsby" director Baz Luhrmann isn't the type to be cowed by literary pedigree, not even that of F. Scott Fitzgerald. His movies, including "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," are like watching a three-ring circus. They revel in surface, spectacle and sensory overload. They're audaciously, passionately artificial and at the same time unabashedly romantic -- post-modern pop medleys aimed at the heart, not the brain. Perhaps Luhrmann even identifies with Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby; after all, they're both decadents. But Fitzgerald wasn't Gatsby, and Gatsby could never have written such a novel. It takes an observer like Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) to distill the finer sentiments from this sorry tale of the super-rich, and Luhrmann isn't that. He's an extrovert who wants to thrill us and immerse us in his giddy daring. The last thing he wants to do is sit back and watch. There are no two ways about it: "The Great Gatsby" is misconceived and misjudged, a crude burlesque on what's probably American literature's most precious jewel. Shopping Gatsby: 15 items you'll love . Warning bells go off right from the first shots of a CGI version of New York's Long Island. The camera is in a state of constant agitation, while the actors -- and they're good actors -- seem to have been instructed to vamp. Either that, or they decided it was the only way to compete with the film's garish hot deco. But let's give Luhrmann his due: The man does cut a good teaser. The idea to swap Scott Joplin for Jay-Z and ragtime for rap was a bold and brilliant choice. Casting Leonardo DiCaprio as the glamorous, elusive billionaire Gatsby and Maguire as his modest, admiring neighbor was right on. Carey Mulligan as Daisy wasn't as inspired. She gets the sadness of the character but not the flip side of her personality, and she's just not a bright enough spark to keep Gatsby's torch burning for so long. And shooting in 3-D? Look at "Hugo" and "Life of Pi": It could have worked. Yet Luhrmann seems utterly bamboozled by the technique, as if it's thrown off his rhythm. The early scenes especially are likely to induce motion sickness, and not just because Nick is getting drunk on New York's high society. We know Luhrmann can throw a wild party, but the movie doesn't build or grow; it just keeps hitting the same high notes until we go numb to the din. And if he's lost in the loud revelry, Luhrmann is completely out of his element in the more intimate scenes. The reunion between Jay and Daisy is played for laughs (and it gets a couple, too), but Luhrmann shortchanges whatever it is that pulls these lovers together. For such an elaborate display of courtship, it's a remarkably unsensual affair. Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" will endure this indignity as surely as it outlasted previous versions with Alan Ladd and Robert Redford. It's a shame, though, since the novel's depiction of a society dancing on the edge of a precipice is so timely. It's hard not to feel angry at the waste. | Baz Luhrmann is known for sensory overload with his movies .
"Gatsby" needs an observant storyteller, which Luhrmann isn't .
The adaptation is misconceived and misjudged .
Nevertheless, the novel will endure this indignity . |
120,007 | 2719c428b6692ad65bdb975d09a7bca9e03d43e6 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:08 EST, 3 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:12 EST, 3 December 2013 . Amazon’s plan to let self-guided drones deliver packages has run in to regulatory turbulence. Jeff Bezos, the CEO of the online giant, is working on a way to use small aircraft to get parcels to customers in 30 minutes or less. While flight technology makes it feasible, U.S. law and society's attitude toward drones haven't caught up with Bezos' vision. The company says it's working on the so-called Prime Air unmanned aircraft project but it will take years to advance the technology and for the Federal Aviation Administration to create the necessary rules and regulations. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos says that he wants to use octocoptors (pictured) to replace postmen and cut delivery times to just 30 minutes - and now has plans to begin sending orders before customers even click buy . The project was first reported by CBS' '60 Minutes' Sunday night, where Bezos said that while his octocopters look like something out of science fiction, there's no reason they can't be used as delivery vehicles. Bezos said the drones can carry packages that weigh up to five pounds, which covers about 86 per cent of the items Amazon delivers. The drones the company is testing have a range of about 10 miles, which Bezos noted could cover a significant portion of the population in urban areas. Bezos told '60 Minutes' the project could become a working service in four or five years. Unlike the drones used by the military, Bezos' proposed flying machines won't need humans to control them remotely. Amazon's drones would receive a set of GPS coordinates and automatically fly to them, presumably avoiding buildings, power lines and other obstacles. Delivery drones raise a host of concerns, from air traffic safety to homeland security and privacy. There . are technological and legal obstacles, too —similar to Google's . experimental driverless car. How do you design a machine that safely . navigates the roads or skies without hitting anything? And, if an . accident occurs, who's legally liable? Delivering packages by drone might be impossible in a city like Washington D.C. which has many no-fly zones. To the door: The drones will be programmed with the specific GPS coordinates of an address . Most items: 86 per cent of the shipments made by Amazon way less than five pounds, which is the amount of weight that the drones would be able to carry . 'It's fascinating as an idea and probably very hard to execute,' says Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies who sees Bezos as an unconventional thinker. 'If he could really deliver something you order within 30 minutes, he would rewrite the rules of online retail.' Amazon spends heavily on growing its business, improving order fulfillment and expanding into new areas. Those investments have come at the expense of consistent profitability, but investors have been largely forgiving, focusing on the company's long-term promise and double-digit revenue growth. Headed to Washington: U.S. law forbid the commercial use of unmanned drones so negotiations with the FAA will be important to allow the Amazon initiative to be permitted . The company spent almost $2.9billion in shipping last year, accounting for 4.7 per cent of its net sales. There is no prohibition on flying drones for recreational use, but since 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration has said they can't be used for commercial purposes. 'The technology has moved forward faster than the law has kept pace,' says Brendan Schulman, special counsel at the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Schulman is currently challenging that regulation before a federal administrative law judge on behalf of a client who was using a radio-controlled aircraft to shoot video for an advertising agency. Autonomous flights like Amazon is proposing, without somebody at the controls, are also prohibited. The . FAA is slowly moving forward with guidelines on commercial drone use. Last year, Congress directed the agency to grant drones access to U.S. skies by September 2015, but the agency already has missed several key . deadlines and said the process would take longer than Congress expected. The . FAA plans to propose rules next year that could allow limited use of . drones weighing up to 55 pounds, but those rules are also expected to . include major restrictions on where drones can fly, posing significant . limits on what Amazon could do. Many of the commercial advances in drone use have come out of Europe, Australia, and Japan. In Australia, for instance, an electric company is using drones to check on remote power lines. 'The delay has really been to the disadvantage of companies here,' Schulman says. 'Generally, the government wants to promote the advancement of science and technology. In this case, the government has done exactly the opposite and thwarted the ability of small, startup companies to develop commercial applications for this revolutionary technology.' Man with a plan: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the controversial drones during an interview with 60 Minutes . Amazon isn't the only company awaiting guidelines. A Domino's franchise in the United Kingdom released a test flight video in June of the 'DomiCopter,' a drone used to deliver hot pizza. The FAA said Monday that it is moving forward with 'regulations and standards for the safe integration of remote piloted (drones) to meet increased demand.' The agency reiterated that 'autonomous (drone) operation is not currently allowed in the United States.' Given the slow pace at which the FAA typically approves regulations, Bezos' prediction of four or five years for approval seems unrealistic to many. Safety concerns could be the real obstacle in delaying drones for widespread commercial use. 'You're putting a device with eight rapidly spinning blades into areas where people are assumed to be,' says Matt Waite, a journalism professor at the University of Nebraska and head of the university's Drone Journalism Lab. 'The threat to people on the ground is significant.' According to Amazon's website, the goal of the new delivery system is to get packages into customers' hands in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles . It's not hard to imagine that the world's biggest online retailer has some significant lobbying muscle and might be able to persuade the FAA to alter the rules. Amazon spokeswoman Mary Osako says the company has been in contact with the FAA 'as they are actively working on necessary regulation.' One of the biggest promises for civilian drone use is in agriculture because of the industry's largely unpopulated, wide open spaces. Delivering Amazon packages in midtown Manhattan will be much trickier. But the savings of such a delivery system only come in large, urban areas. Besides regulatory approval, Amazon's biggest challenge will be to develop a collision avoidance system, says Darryl Jenkins, a consultant who gave up on the commercial airline industry and now focuses on drones. Who is to blame, Jenkins asked, if the drone hits a bird, crashes into a building? Who is going to insure the deliveries? There are also technical questions. Who will recharge the drone batteries? How many deliveries can the machines make before needing service? Spanning the country: The drones are being tested over a 10-mile radius at the moment but Bezos says that will work for most urban areas . 'Jeff Bezos might be the single person in the universe who could make something like this happen,' Jenkins says. 'For what it worth, this is a guy who's totally changed retailing.' If Amazon gets its way, others might follow. United Parcel Service Co. executives heard a presentation from a drone vendor earlier this year, says Alan Gershenhorn, UPS' chief sales, marketing and strategy officer. 'Commercial use of drones is an interesting technology, and we're certainly going to continue to evaluate it,' Gershenhorn says. The U.S. Postal Service and FedEx wouldn't speculate about using drones for delivery. | Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has announced the online retailer has secretly been testing drones that will delivery packages directly to people's doors .
Project is at least five years from reality due to still-to-be-determined FAA regulations .
Legal questions about who would be responsible if the drones crashed are causing concern since they could injure people on the ground . |
173,500 | 6c853cce8daebefdbeb9a0e092d75f9e37ce725d | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A United Nations court has found that the United States violated an international treaty and the court's own order when a Mexican national was executed last year in a Texas prison. Jose Ernesto Medellin was executed by lethal injection for raping and murdering two girls aged 14 and 16. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling Monday in an unusual case that pitted President Bush against his home state in a dispute over federal authority, local sovereignty and foreign treaties. Mexico had filed a formal complaint against U.S. state and federal officials . "The United States of America has breached the obligation incumbent upon it" to stop the execution, the ICJ announced in a unanimous opinion. Jose Ernesto Medellin's death by lethal injection in August followed a 15-year legal dispute after his conviction for two brutal slayings. At issue was whether Texas and other states had to give in to a demand by the president that the prisoner be allowed new hearings and resentencing. Bush made that request reluctantly after the international court in 2004 concluded that Medellin and about 50 other Mexicans on various states' death rows were improperly denied access to their consulate upon arrest, a violation of a treaty signed by the United States decades ago. Their home countries could have provided legal and other assistance to the men had they been notified, the court said. In a separate judgment, the ICJ declined Mexico's demand that the United States provide guarantees against executing other foreign inmates in the future. The U.S. Supreme Court last March ruled for Texas, allowing the Medellin execution to proceed. Efforts stalled in Congress last summer over legislation that would have given foreign death row inmates like Medellin a new hearing before any punishment could be carried out. State Department officials have said the international ruling will not help other foreign inmates in U.S. prisons, because federal officials cannot force states to comply. Administration officials also said that the president did all he could to force state compliance and that Congress now needs to intervene with specific legislation. Medellin was 18 when he participated in the June 1993 gang rape and murder of two Harris County girls: Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16. He was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death. The prisoner's lawyers argued that Mexican consular officials were never able to meet with the man until after his conviction. Only Oklahoma has commuted a capital inmate's sentence to life in prison in response to the international judgment. Days after Medellin died by lethal injection, Texas executed Honduran native Heliberto Chi Acheituno, who also said his treaty rights were violated. The ICJ in 2004 ordered the United States to provide "review and reconsideration" of the sentences and convictions of the Mexican prisoners. That world court again in July mandated that the United States do everything within its federal authority to stop Medellin's execution until his case could be further reviewed by American courts. Based in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ resolves disputes between nations over treaty obligations. The 15-judge panel is the principal judicial organization of the United Nations, laying out rights of people detained in other nations. The Supreme Court appeal turned on what role each branch of government plays to give force to international treaty obligations. After the ICJ ruling, the United States pulled out of that international court's jurisdiction in matters arising from the Vienna Convention. In allowing the Medellin execution to proceed, the Supreme Court majority noted congressional "inaction" on the issue, efforts that had "not progressed beyond the bare introduction of a bill in the four years since the ICJ ruling." | Jose Ernesto Medellin executed in Texas by lethal injection last year .
State Department says ruling won't aid other foreign inmates .
U.S. Supreme Court ruling had allowed execution to proceed . |
102,045 | 0f83b5f3dd0871efbdc6f6cae59f210c7b1bf1a7 | (CNN) -- Attorneys for 16 Indiana National Guard soldiers on Wednesday sued the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, alleging the company knowingly exposed the soldiers to a cancer-causing toxic chemical. 16 Indiana National Guardsmen have sued the Houston-based company Kellogg Brown and Root, known as KBR. The lawsuit against Houston-based KBR, which seeks an unspecified amount, alleges that the soldiers were exposed to sodium dichromate, an inorganic compound containing a highly toxic form of chromium known as hexavalent chromium. The soldiers say that they, along with other American civilian contractors, were exposed to the chemical at the Qarmat Ali water pumping plant in southern Iraq shortly after the U.S. invasion in 2003. KBR was tasked with getting the plant up and running using civilian contractors. The National Guardsmen were assigned to protect the civilian workers. The Guardsmen and civilian contractors who worked there have described walking on and sitting near the bright orange powder that was widely dispersed throughout the grounds of the water plant. The chemical was believed to have been left behind by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein. Some of the Guardsmen already suffer from nasal tumors or respiratory system problems and other health problems, according to the lawsuit. One of the guardsmen may have died from the exposure, though the exact cause of his death earlier this year is still not clear. The odorless sodium dichromate was used at the plant as an anti-corrosive, the lawsuit says. The chemical contained nearly pure hexavalent chromium, the toxic substance that poisoned homeowners in Hinkley, California, and was made famous by activist Erin Brockovich, according to the suit. For the Guardsmen, KBR's "knowing acts and omissions" resulted in "months and months of unprotected, unknowing, direct exposure to one of the most potent carcinogens and mutagenic substances known to man," the lawsuit alleges. A spokeswoman for KBR said the company was still reviewing the lawsuit, but denied responsibility for creating unsafe conditions at the plant. "We are not providing comment on the suit at this time. The company does intend to vigorously defend itself," KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne said. The Guardsmen say the company knew about the dangers of exposure to the chemical as far back as 2003, but did not act to protect the soldiers. "KBR managers knew full well long ago that this stuff was incredibly dangerous. But there was no information about it for years. And now these soldiers are facing some pretty serious health concerns. They're going to be stuck with this the rest of their lives," said Doyle. "The most frustrating thing is that these guys are finding out years later that they were exposed to something," said Mike Doyle, one of the Houston attorneys representing the Guardsmen. KBR took issue with the allegation that the company knowingly exposed the soldiers or anyone else and did nothing to help. "KBR's commitment to the safety and security of all employees, the troops and those we serve is the company's top priority," the statement read. "KBR appropriately notified the Army Corps of Engineers upon discovery of the existence of the substance on the site and the Corps of Engineers concluded that KBR's efforts to remediate the situation were effective. Further, the company in no way condones any action that would compromise the safety of those we serve or employ." Mark McManaway, a father and grandfather, was an Indiana National Guard sergeant at the water plant from May through September 2003, when the worst exposures are believed to have occurred. He is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. "The worst part is that the military has only just recently advised us that the stuff we were exposed to was much worse than they thought while we were out there," said McManaway. "It's in our bodies, but we don't know how bad it is. Maybe within the next five years cancers could start showing up. You've got a ticking time bomb in you -- and when's it going to go off?" The U.S. military is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The toxic chemical made famous by Brockovich in California was a diluted form of hexavalent chromium that caused serious illnesses after being ingested by homeowners through their water. The chemical the Guardsmen were exposed to in Iraq was a nearly pure form of the chemical and could have been inhaled directly by anyone working at the plant. The U.S. Senate held hearings in August on emerging concerns about the exposure to the toxic chemicals after reports of civilian contractors and their exposure to the chemicals at the water plant. But officials of the National Guard -- and most of the Guardsmen who worked at the plant -- were not even aware of the possible dangers at the time of the hearing. Some heard about for the first time during the televised hearings. Only then did the National Guard begin efforts to find the men, some of whom had already been back in the United States for four years. An estimated 275 American soldiers may have been exposed to the chemical at the water plant, over a period of months through mid- to late-2003. | Suit says Guardsman, contractors exposed to cancer-causing chemical at Iraq plant .
Suit alleges KBR knew of contamination threat and did nothing to protect soldiers .
Some Guardsmen suffer from nasal tumors, respiratory problems .
KBR says it's not to blame for creating unsafe conditions at plant . |
32,595 | 5ca7f4c585d5437475de6bec018161e712b9e2fc | (CNN) -- Human remains found buried under recently added concrete at a home in Plant City, Florida, are likely those of missing lottery millionaire Abraham Shakespeare, police said Thursday. Deputies made the discovery after a tip came in, suggesting investigators would find a body near a home in Plant City, according to CNN affiliate WFTV. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said the body was slowly being uncovered. They are awaiting positive identification. However, Gee said their investigation and information specifically led them to the area after they began to believe he might be dead because of "sinister means and motives." "Our indications were it would be there," Gee said during a news conference Thursday night. Police on Wednesday had scanned the newly finished concrete slabs near the home on Wednesday and removed it. On Thursday, Gee said they discovered the remains buried five feet below the surface, and it appeared the remains had been there for awhile. Shakespeare, a 43-year-old truck driver, won a $31 million Florida lottery prize in 2006. A year later, he won a court challenge from a fellow trucker who accused Shakespeare of snatching the winning ticket out of his wallet while the two were delivering meat to Miami restaurants. Shakespeare's family reported him missing on November 9, telling the Polk County sheriff's office they hadn't seen him since April. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said when their investigation began, they had hoped to find Shakespeare alive "and he truly had just wanted to hide from those who were asking him for money." "As our investigation continued, the information we developed led us to believe he may very well have ended up with an untimely death," Judd said. Both Judd and Gee said they would not comment on whether anything else was found inside the manmade grave, or whether a previous person of interest was connected to the area. The home, according to WFTV, belongs to the boyfriend of a person of interest in the disappearance of Shakespeare. While they await identification of the remains, police said they would begin to shift their focus to a murder investigation. "It's painfully obvious he didn't get there by himself," Judd said. Gee said police from Polk and Hillsborough counties were already working with prosecutors on the case and hope to bring to justice the person responsible for what they believe is clearly cold-blooded murder. "Somebody put that body in that hole," Gee said. "This isn't by any means just where we find someone on the side of the road. Somebody has obviously put him there." | Remains buried five feet below recently added concrete in Plant City, Florida .
Police: Leads in missing lottery winner case led them to area they expected body to be .
Abraham Shakespeare disappeared two years after he won $31 million .
"It's painfully obvious he didn't get there by himself," sheriff says . |
249,589 | cf061646a00856d9774c8046112fc33d4861afc2 | NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- The most "far-flung and exotic fugitive investigation ever conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service" ended early Sunday with convicted child molester Alan Horowitz in custody on U.S. soil. Alan Horowitz was convicted in 1991 on 34 counts of child molestation. Officers from the U.S. Marshals service arrested the 60-year-old at Newark Liberty International Airport after a 15-hour flight from New Delhi, India. The ordained Orthodox rabbi and former child psychologist was arrested on May 22 at a seaside resort in Mahabalipuram, India, according to parole officer Robert Georgia. An agent from the Diplomatic Security Service escorted him aboard the Continental Airlines flight, authorities said. He is being held at a correctional facility in New Jersey and will appear before an extradition judge on July 16th before being taken to New York to face a parole violation charge there. He also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Watch Horowitz in custody at Newark airport » . A number of Internet tipsters in India were responsible for alerting the Marshal's service to Horowitz's whereabouts, said U.S. Marshal Gary Mattison, who was assigned to track down Horowitz last year. Horowitz served 13 years of a 10-20 year sentence for child molestation and was released on parole in 2004, authorities said. In June 2006, he fled the country shortly after meeting with his parole officer, setting off the manhunt that involved the Indian police, agents from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Marshals, U.S. Marshals told CNN. Horowitz's 1991 conviction was on 34 counts of child molestation in Schenectady, New York. A dual citizen of the United States and Israel, Horowitz has also been convicted of "perverted sexual practices" in Maryland, where he was found guilty of abusing one of his patients, federal marshals said. During the 1980s, while he was living in Israel, he was the subject of a police investigation into charges he was sexually abusing his second wife's children, according to the U.S. Marshal service. He also faced another sexual misconduct investigation while living in North Carolina, authorities say. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Katia Porzecanski contributed to this report. | Horowitz is an ordained Orthodox rabbi and a former child psychologist .
He was escorted aboard the U.S.-bound flight by a U.S. agent, authorities say .
Horowitz was subject of investigations in U.S., Israel; had multiple convictions . |
70,708 | c876188fb2b9ed6b133e10f150791c86e28ef115 | CLICK HERE to catch up on all the stats from the big game, including the patient build up to Raheem Sterling's strike . They played with pace, subtlety and panache. At times they threatened to overwhelm the opposition. And some of their football was a delight to behold. But, no, it was not the team of Raheem Sterling, Mario Balotelli and Steven Gerrard that so pleased the eye at Upton Park. Rather it was Sam Allardyce’s West Ham. At times they looked scintillating. Granted, the opening ten minutes of the game was the period in which they were most devastating. And they had to endure a more uncomfortable second half when Liverpool, after a change of formation, finally hit their stride. But when, on 88 minutes, Stewart Downing found Morgan Amalfitano and the Frenchman, on his home debut, simply prodded the ball past Simon Mignolet to seal the victory it felt like a fitting finale. Teammates congratulate Winston Reid after the defender scored his first goal for a year to put West Ham 1-0 up after only two minutes . Reid gets West Ham off to a dream start after heading in from James Tomkins' cross in only the second minute of the game . Diafra Sakho doubled West Ham's lead within five minutes of the opener after his delicately floated cross-shot found the back of the net . Mario Balotelli (R) jumps out of the way to allow Raheem Sterling to bring Liverpool back into the game with a superb first-half strike . New signing Morgan Amalfitano broke away in the the closing minutes to score his first goal at Upton Park and complete a 3-1 victory . West Ham: Adrian 6.5, Demel 6.5 (Jenkinson 61, 6), Tomkins 7, Reid 7.5, Cresswell 7, Noble 7.5, Kouyate 8, Song 7.5 (Amalfitano 69, 6.5), Sakho 7, Downing 7, Valencia 7 (Collins 76). Subs Not Used: Zarate, Vaz Te, Jaaskelainen, Cole. Booked: Reid, Adrian, Kouyate, Jenkinson. Goals: Reid 2, Sakho 7, Amalfitano 88. Liverpool: Mignolet 5, Manquillo 4 (Sakho 22, 5), Skrtel 5, Lovren 5, Moreno 5.5, Gerrard 5, Lucas 5 (Lallana 46, 7), Henderson 6, Sterling 7, Borini 5.5 (Lambert 75, 5), Balotelli 6. Subs Not Used: Brad Jones, Jose Enrique, Toure, Markovic. Booked: Balotelli. Goals: Sterling 26. Att: 34, 977 . Ref: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire). Ratings by Sami Mokbel at Upton Park . Alex Song had just been named man of the match and it was as though every signing made this summer was playing his part. In Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate, Allardyce has assembled a front-three with enough speed and craft to thrill home supporters, who for so long have shown discontent with the attacking verve of their team. In playing Downing behind those three, Allardyce has added guile to his line-up and rejuvenated the man best known for his ability on wing. The manager has remodelled West Ham. They are, as Liverpool discovered, an entirely different proposition to last season. The Hammers, without a home win this season and cast as the perennial ugly sisters at the Premier League Ball, started with such verve and incision that it seemed even to surprise themselves. Certainly Allardyce will have been purring. Asked to employ an attacking coach and with a chairman, in David Sullivan, who used his programme column to remark favourably on how many more passes the team are now making, the manager bears the inferences with seemingly good grace. So to see his side tearing apart the darlings of last season in those opening exchanges must have been particularly satisfying. Downing was at the heart of most of it, playing centrally, just behind Sakho and causing Liverpool a host of problems. The first came after just two minutes, Downing’s delightful inswinging free-kick inducing panic in the Liverpool back four. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet failed to come and no defender dealt with it so James Tomkins headed it back across goal for Winston Reid to nod over the line. Upton Park erupted but the excitement had yet to reach its peak. Just five minutes later, the home side worked the ball crisply to Sakho on the right. The Senegal forward sprinted away, took a touch and then simply dinked the most delightful of chips over Mignolet. Now the stadium truly roared. New Zealand defender Reid wheels away after opening the scoring while Steven Gerrard (R) looks on with disbelief . Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers cannot believe his eyes as West Ham take the lead in the opening minutes . Sakho (front) celebrates after doubling West Ham's lead after only seven minutes on the clock . Balotelli and West Ham keeper Adrian were involved in a first-half clash after the Liverpool striker went in for a late challenge . West Ham keeper Adrian goes head to head with Balotelli to show his frustration at the Liverpool striker's challenge . Balotelli and Adrian are both cautioned by referee Craig Pawson for losing their heads in the heat of the battle . Mario Balotelli's heat map showed he covered plenty of ground without really threatening in the danger areas... for stats more go to our brilliant Match Zone . Liverpool's new signing Balotelli moved around most of the pitch without making too much impact in the areas that mattered . Ecuador forward Enner Valencia tests Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet as West Ham surge forward during the first-half . Brazilian midfielder Lucas tries to make inroads before being replaced by Adam Lallana after the Reds fell behind . MINS KM MILES . Everton total 107.2 66.6 . Steven Naismith 90 11.9 7.4 . Gareth Barry 90 11.4 7.1 . James McCarthy 90 10.9 6.8 . Arsenal total 110.3 68.5 . Mathieu Flamini 90 12.5 7.8 . Aaron Ramsey 90 11.9 7.4 . Mathieu Debuchy 90 11.0 6.8 . Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League . The Belgian keeper looked exposed on both goals but recovered enough to push away Aaron Cresswell’s shot on 13 minutes while Adrian incurred the wrath of Mark Noble when he kicked out at Mario Balotelli after the Italian had made a late challenge on the goalkeeper. Both Balotelli and Adrian were cautioned, the Spaniard fortunate not to have been handed a more severe punishment by referee Craig Pawson. Liverpool looked increasingly shambolic and manager Brendan Rodgers intervened, making a 25th-minute switch to a back three by taking off right-back Javier Manquillo for centre half Mamadou Sakho. It sparked a reaction as Liverpool had a brief period in which they established some midfield control and within that they scored. Balotelli somehow brought down a cross that seemed beyond him and, though the Italian forward’s shot was deflected away, Sterling followed up to hit a superb strike past Adrian with Valencia failing to track his man. Yet it was a brief respite for Liverpool and West Ham continued to threaten. Valencia had two further chances to restore a two-goal advantage and Mignolet needed to be alert to parry away the danger. As it was, Liverpool would have been relieved to regroup at half time just the one goal down. Sterling takes on former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song during another electrifying performance from the England international . Balotelli produced a neat turn and shot in the lead up to Sterling's goal, which could have earned Liverpool a penalty for handball . Sterling strikes an unstoppable shot through West Ham's defence to bring Liverpool back to 2-1 in the first half . Raheem Sterling offered Liverpool a lifeline with a superb first-half strike following a patient build up... for more stats go to our brilliant Match Zone . Liverpool played the ball out from then back and waited patiently until the ball fell for Sterling to fire home . Sterling is congratulated by Jordan Henderson as Liverpool start moving up through the gears after a slow start . MINS KM MILES . West Ham total 109.4 68.0 . Mark Noble 90 11.9 7.4 . Diafra Sakho 90 10.8 7.1 . Cheikhou Koyate 90 10.7 6.8 . Liverpool total 110.3 68.5 . Jordan Henderson 90 10.5 6.5 . Steven Gerrard 90 10.4 6.4 . Alberto Moreno 90 10.2 6.4 . Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League . Rodgers brought on a summer signing of his own in Adam Lallana at half time to play behind the front two for another change of shape, this time more subtle. And amid the steady east London drizzle Liverpool finally began to demonstrate some genuine attacking creativity. Sterling was starting to find space in which to run at defenders and Balotelli at last got a chance to show some of his undoubted quality: a curling, crossfield ball on 53 minutes, nicely weighted to run into the path of Fabio Borini, was one such moment. Borini opted for a shot, which Adrian saved comfortably, when he might have pulled the ball back for oncoming team-mates. Then, in the 59th minute Balotelli curled a shot at Adrian which the Spaniard saved. Borini’s strike on 64 minutes caught a deflection and almost wrong-footed Adrian, the goalkeeper scrambling to recover as he failed to take the ball. He did so, but with his foot up, managed to take out a late arriving Borini as well. West Ham, with Valencia, Sakho and Kouyate offering genuine pace and attacking intent, remained a considerable threat, Sakho shooting just over on 69 minutes. But Liverpool’s back three were much more alive to the threat than previously as the midfield in front of them slowly established some dominance. West Ham’s attacking threat never disappeared, however, and it was fitting that the home side ended the match as they started it by putting the ball into stunned Liverpool’s net. Former England winger Stewart Downing provided plenty of attacking threat for West ham down the left flank . New signing Dejan Lovren (floor) suffered an horrific clash of heads with his Liverpool teammate Mamadou Sakho . Liverpool teammates look on as Lovren is treated for a head injury, which caused a six-minute delay in the game . West Ham manager Sam Allardyce shows his frustration as Liverpool start their second-half resurgence . Lovren challenges Valencia in the air after being patched up following his clash of heads with Sakho . Rodgers gives Gerrard instructions as Liverpool chase the game in the second-half without success . Amalfitano celebrates after scoring a late goal that helped take West Ham above Liverpool to 8th in the Premier League table . VIDEO We dominated Liverpool - Allardyce . | West Ham defeated Liverpool 3-1 in their Premier League clash at Upton Park .
Hammers took an early lead when Winston Reid headed in after only two minutes .
Diafra Sakho doubled the lead only five minutes later with a beautifully floated chip .
Mario Balotelli was cautioned after an unsavoury incident with goalkeeper Adrian .
Raheem Sterling brought the Reds back into the game with a superb strike in the first-half .
Dejan Lovren suffered a nasty clash of heads with teammate Mamadou Sakho .
New signing Morgan Amalfitano scored on his home debut after a late breakaway . |
82,577 | ea211567ca8def581a460150038847d248eb17a8 | By . William Turvill . These black-and-white photographs show the residents of a long-isolated island off the east coast of the United States. Inhabited by the descendants of slaves, Daufuskie Island is just three miles from the U.S. mainland, but the island has no bridge and had no electricity until the 1950s. The pictures were taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the wife of the late tennis player Arthur Ashe, during visits to the island between 1977 and 1981. This is one of the photos taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe on visits to the long-isolated Daufuskie Island . The 'time capsule' of 61 photographs has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institution . The isolated island, which does not have a bridge to the mainland, had no electricity until 1953 and telephones came to the island in 1972 . The ‘time capsule’ of 61 photographs has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institution, where they will sit in the African-American history museum. At the time the photographs were taken, 84 Gullah/Geechee people lived in isolation on Daufuskie Island near Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. The island had a co-op store, a two-room schoolhouse and a church, and inhabitants supported themselves by catching oysters and growing cotton. Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe said she observed a pure and simple life. At first, she didn't pick up her camera because she wanted to get to know the people, and she developed a strong connection with them at a time before new development began to creep in. ‘My intent at 25 was to photograph what I saw as a dying culture, but at 62 now, I really see it was probably quite presumptuous of me to think that people wanted that,’ she said. It was an honour, she said, to give these direct descendants of slaves a place in an African-American museum. 'A shrimper and his son' is one of the photographs included in the collection, taken between 1977 and 1981 . The island, inhabited by the descendants of slaves, has no bridge to the mainland and did not have electricity until the 1950s. There were 84 people living on the island when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited . This photograph shows a modern-day Daufuskie Island located just three miles off the U.S. mainland . Prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 16th century, native Indians lived on Daufuskie Island. The island was occupied by Union soldiers during the civil war and freed slaves (Gullah people) then inhabited the island. The isolated island, which does not have a bridge to the mainland, had no electricity until 1953 and telephones came to the island in 1972. According to the island’s museum, the population shrank to below 100. In the 1980s, land facing the Atlantic was purchased and development began on the island. ‘To give this just incredible, warm, giving, nurturing community of people recognition that they were able to thrive as long as they did, that to me is a testament to them and to our culture,’ she said. Museum director Lonnie Bunch said the donation, from the Bank of America, builds on a growing collection of photographs in the museum's collection, which also includes early images of Frederick Douglass and the work of South African photographer Gordon Clark. ‘Daufuskie Island is one of those places that was almost a time capsule,’ Mr Bunch said. ‘It was very important to capture that. That's what these photographs do.’ Merrill Lynch, now part of Bank of America, purchased the Daufuskie Island collection in 2007, and the images have been exhibited at museums in New York, Atlanta, Houston, Charleston, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. ‘This is a very special culture, one that has kind of stayed intact, captured by Jeanne as it was in the '70s,' said Rena DeSisto, the bank's head of global arts and culture. ‘But what she's captured is what it also looked like in the 1870s.’ The island had a co-op store, a two-room schoolhouse and a church, and inhabitants supported themselves by catching oysters and growing cotton when these black-and-white photographs were taken . Daufuskie Island, pictured here in modern times, had fewer than 100 inhabitants when Ms Moutoussamy-Ashe visited . The bank has an art collection of about 10,000 works and lends items free of charge to museums for about ten to 12 shows a year. The bank has been supporting the Smithsonian's black history museum since its earliest stages of development, Ms DeSisto said. After years of planning, about 30 per cent of the museum building is now completed on the National Mall. Exhibits have been designed, and curators are narrowing down what will be put on display first. The museum is also working to create about 130 media pieces, including video installations. So far, $410 million has been raised for the $500 million project, with Congress contributing half the funds. Oprah Winfrey is the project's largest individual donor, contributing $13 million. The Smithsonian's goal is to open the museum in November 2015. But trouble with water in an underground structure took additional time and could push the completion date into early 2016, Smithsonian officials have said. The photographer said it was an honour to give these direct descendants of slaves a place in an African-American museum . This photograph shows the union baptist church as it stood between 1977 and 1981 . | Daufuskie Island is just three miles from U.S. mainland, but there is no bridge and the island did not have electricity until the 1950s .
The photos were taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the wife of late tennis player Arthur Ashe, who visited the island between 1977 and 1981 .
The 'time capsule' of photos has now been donated to the Smithsonian Institute, where they will sit in the African-American history museum . |
243,425 | c70f14c5834aca01a15efbd4a26c949ac153ca72 | A young mother who loved the TV show The Only Way is Essex has run away to Syria with her baby son after becoming obsessed with extremist propaganda she found online. Tareena Shakil, 25 – a one-time Spice Girls fan, school prefect and Girl Guide – was so fascinated with the ITV reality show that she travelled 150 miles to buy clothes at a shop run by one of its stars. Yesterday her parents said she was wearing items she bought there when she set off for Syria, lying to her family that she was taking her 14-month-old son on holiday to Spain. 'We can't come back': Tareena Shakil, 25, pictured with 14-month-old Zaheem, has run away to Syria after becoming obsessed with extremist propaganda she found online . In terrifying messages home, she told them ‘so many people died’ when they ‘got shot at the border’ but that she and her son Zaheem made it because she ‘ran across’. It is feared Miss Shakil plans to marry a jihadi in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, in the latest case of a British Muslim woman joining the group that murdered UK hostages Alan Henning and David Haines. Her father Mohammed Shakil, 42, said: ‘We are absolutely distraught that our beautiful, bright, intelligent daughter has chosen this path. I have never cried so much in my life and would do anything to have her and our grandson back in our arms.’ It is feared Miss Shakil plans to marry a jihadi in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa . Miss Shakil grew up in Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire. ‘Tareena did drama and was in the Guides,’ her father told The Sun. ‘She loved the Spice Girls and TOWIE.’ Mr Shakil said she did a psychology degree and got married, although she later divorced. But around four months ago she set up a Facebook page under the name Tameena al Amirah and started posting extremist messages, including images of Islamist fighters and the IS black flag, and calling herself a ‘slave to Allah’. Last week she set off with Zaheem, telling her family she was going to Spain. In reality she bought a ticket to Turkey, from where she crossed the porous border into Syria. ‘There was no reason to suspect,’ her father said. ‘She left wearing jeans and a top she bought in a shop owned by one of the TOWIE stars. My little grandson shouldn’t be going through this.’ Miss Shakil has told her family she is in Raqqa and can never return. One message reads: ‘I can’t come back there now … we can’t. Tell her don’t cry. Read the Koran, I love you mummy!’ Of her journey, she wrote: ‘So many people died coming. They got shot at the border. But we made it. We ran across the border in the blazing sun.’ At their housing association home in Burton-on-Trent yesterday, Mr Shakil and his wife Mandy, 47, were too upset to discuss the news. But in a statement, her father said: ‘We brought Tareena up in a Western environment, while respecting the culture of Islam, and hoped that she would take the best of both worlds.’ The 25-year-old grew up in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire (pictured) and loved Towie and the Spice Girls . Mr Shakil, who has served a prison sentence for dealing drugs, said: ‘I, myself, have made mistakes in the past but it never affected that close, deep bond that exists in special father-and-his-daughter relationships. Like any father, I just want the best for my daughter. ‘We want her to know how much we love her and want her back safely as soon as possible.’ Mr Shakil was jailed for 28 months in 2011 after police stopped his car and found crack cocaine, heroin and mobile phones he used to deal drugs. He admitted possessing a knife. His son Tazeem, 22, featured regularly in a local paper which dubbed him ‘Burton’s most prolific persistent young offender’, with 20 convictions and an Asbo by age 14. Around four months ago, Tareena Shakil set up a Facebook page under the name Tameena al Amirah and started posting extremist messages . One of the posts featured on the Facebook page featuring the chilling black flag of terror group ISIS . This photo of a sunset was also posted onto the young mother's Facebook site . Aged 17, it reported he had ‘turned over a new leaf’ and started work at a local firm, but three years later he was jailed for crashing a car into a house and fleeing the scene while banned from driving. The couple have two younger children. Local MP Andrew Griffiths said he would do ‘whatever he could’ to help the family. ‘I think this news will have shocked everyone across Burton,’ he said. ‘We now need to ensure this does not happen to others.’ Miss Shakil’s disappearance is being investigated by West Midlands Police as she is thought to have been living in Birmingham. Yusra Hussein, 15, who left her home to join ISIS in Syria. Right, police leave Yusra's home in Bristol, where she fled telling her parents she was off on a school trip . Salma (left) and Zahra Halane (right), have reportedly married ISIS fighters. They left their parents’ home in the middle of the night and caught a flight to Turkey, before crossing the border . A spokesman said: ‘A 25-year-old woman from Sparkbrook was reported missing by a member of her family on October 24. 'We have since been working to establish the woman’s whereabouts and that she is safe and well. One of our lines of enquiry is that she may have travelled to Syria via Turkey.’ She is the latest young woman to travel to Syria to join Islamic State, apparently as a ‘jihadi bride’. X-Factor fan Yusra Hussien, 15, flew to Turkey in September with a 17-year-old girl she met online. They are thought to be in Syria. Twins Salma and Zahra Halane, 16, who hoped to become doctors, also ran away from their home in Manchester to Syria, where social media posts show them learning to use assault rifles. | Tareena Shakil, of Burton, crossed into strife-hit country from Turkey .
Her father said former Girl Guide was a fan of the Spice Girls and Towie .
She reportedly became radicalised over the internet in just four months .
She set up Facebook page under fake name and posted extremist messages .
It is feared Ms Shakil plans to marry a jihadi in ISIS stronghold of Raqqa .
25-year-old is the latest young British woman to head to strife-hit region .
Her father said: ‘We are distraught that our daughter has chosen this path' |
280,894 | f7e1da396193b50c0029826bb04aa8026e4b852a | By . Sam Cunningham . Follow @@samcunningham . Mario Balotelli has already written off England’s chances of winning the World Cup. Italy face England in Manaus on June 14 in the opening game of their tournament. And Balotelli has already begun to fan the flames ahead of the fixture by questioning the big-tournament mentality of England’s players. No sweat: Mario Balotelli says England won't win the World Cup this summer, and are not Italy's rivals . Cracking up: The two teams face each other in their first game in Brazil, but Balotelli isn't worried . ‘I don’t look at England as a team that can win the World Cup,’ he said. ‘They have some good players, but they are no real rivals for Italy. ‘I am not saying that Italy are favourites, but we have the mentality and experienced players to surprise people — I don’t think England have that. ‘We have players who have won the World Cup, I don’t think England have a player who knows what it is like to play past the quarter-final.’ The former Manchester City striker will be aiming to damage England’s chances of progressing through a tough group with Uruguay and Costa Rica. Balotelli was notorious for his erratic off-field antics during three years in England, after he joined City from Inter Milan for £24million in 2010. He scored 30 goals in 49 starts for City, helping them win the Barclays Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield. Blow: Balotelli says England don't have a player who knows what it's like to get past a quarter-final . Joking around: Balotelli plays a prank on team-mate Andrea Pirlo during training on Wednesday . And the 23-year-old is confident that Italy will kick off their campaign with a victory over England. ‘In the opening game we have to respect England because it is important to get off to a good start,’ he said. ‘They have maybe two or three players who can hurt us, but we feel well prepared for the tournament and expect to start off with a win.’ | Balotelli confident of beating England in first World Cup game .
Three Lions don't have players that are used to getting past quarter-final . |
7,330 | 14c2c3ad384f2b414ff367b968f3ee5633c36421 | (CNN) -- Chris Lighty, who managed several of hip hop's biggest artists, apparently shot himself to death in his Bronx, New York, apartment Thursday morning, a New York police spokesman said. Lighty, 44, was found with a gunshot wound to his head and a semi-automatic firearm next to his body at 11:30 a.m., the police spokesman said. While the death appears to be a suicide, police investigators will wait until the medical examiner's report before closing their investigation, the spokesman said. Lighty founded Violator Records & Management, which counts Mariah Carey, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, and Diddy among their artist. Rapper 50 Cent, in a statement sent to CNN, said he was "deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and business partner." "Chris has been an important part of my business and personal growth for a decade," 50 Cent said. "He was a good friend and advisor who helped me develop as an artist and businessman. My prayers are with his family. He will be greatly missed." CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report. | Lighty, 44, was found with a gunshot wound to his head and a gun near by .
Investigators will wait until the medical examiner's report before concluding it was suicide .
Rapper 50 Cent says he's "deeply saddened" by word Lighty is dead . |
243,464 | c71cbde476e5f169d8426bec21e9677b042532fd | By . Anna Hodgekiss . A man who was so fat he had to use a seat belt designed for pregnant women on an aeroplane has lost 17 stone. David Hudson, 43, steadily crept up to 34 stone after years of late night fast food, pies, pasties and binge drinking. He was so overweight he had already been approved for gastric band surgery. Success: David Hudson, 43, lost 17st after the humilation of needing a pregnant woman's seat belt on a flight . But after the mortifying incident on a flight to Turkey in 2010 - and bumping into an old friend who had just lost weight - he decided to try and shed the pounds himself. He has now reached his target weight of 17 stone and at 6ft 8ins, his GP has deemed him fit and healthy for a man of his age. Mr Hudson, a CCTV engineer who lives in Wallsend, North Tyneside, said: 'I bumped into a friend in a supermarket who had lost a lot of weight and I thought if he can do it - so can I.' His work shift patterns, and his wife Alison’s late nights managing a pub, meant that the couple often didn't eat until midnight or 1am. He said: 'I was just eating daft rubbish and slowly the weight crept on. On a flight to Turkey the stewardess gave me a seatbelt for a pregnant woman and I got wedged in the seat so there was no leg room for the guy behind me. Transformed: Mr Hudson and his wife Alison. Because of their shift patterns, they piled on the pounds eating late at night. They now eat healthier meals . 'That was the worst. You are aware of looks and you are aware that even though people politely say nothing, you can see them looking at you out the corner of your eye.' In his 20s, Mr Hudon had been a keen runner - but over the years had piled on the pounds. 'I was a runner and people used called me Rodney Trotter I was so lanky, but by my late 20s I was starting to put on weight.' By the time he started dieting in 2010, he was 34 stone. After losing five stone by himself, over seven months, he felt he had hit a brick wall. Determined to keep going, last year he signed up to a Slimming World class, regularly losing half a stone a week. Over eight months, he lost 10 stone. Joint effort: Mr Hudson's success also inspired his wife Alison to join the group - she has lost 2st . He also learned how to cook meals from scratch, was given healthy recipes to try and has become a regular at the gym - going up to 12 times a week. Mr Hudson said: 'The first time I did three minutes . on the treadmill I thought I was going to die. But I went back the next . day and did 10 minutes and now I can do an hour’s cardio session. Over 36 weeks he lost more than 10 stone and now weighs 17st 10lb. His Slimming World leader has declared it is the highest weight loss she has ever seen. Mr Hudson's success also inspired his wife Alison to join the group. She has now lost two stone, going from 11 st 8lb to 9st 4lb. He said: 'The Slimming World sessions were just the focus I needed each week to keep the number on the scales going down.' | David Hudson, 43, binged late at night on takeways, pies and alcohol .
Decided he had to lose weight after the humiliating aeroplane incident .
Lost 5st by himself and then joined Slimming World, losing 1/2 stone a week .
Now weighs 17st and goes to the gym up to 12 times a week . |
71,725 | cb4dbc3417313ea99d0e6326bf83644d3f04097b | By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 06:33 EST, 26 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:09 EST, 26 October 2013 . It's the sort of drug scandal you might expect to engulf sports like athletics and cycling - but certainly not pigeon racing. The sport has been rocked by doping shame after tests revealed that a number of pigeons in Belgium were found with traces of cocaine and painkillers in their system. Five birds tested were found to have Mobistix - a painkiller used to combat fever and inflammation - in their blood. Scandal: Six Belgian racing pigeons have been found with traces of drugs including cocaine in their system (file picture) Doping: One of the pigeons tested was found with traces of cocaine in its blood . Even more shockingly, a sixth bird showed traces of cocaine, according to the tests carried out by a South African drugs laboratory. Despite the findings of the tests, the Pigeon Fanciers' Association will not be able to take any disciplinary action against the owners of the birds because the samples were submitted anonymously. According to the Independent, the 20 samples tested in total had already been checked in Belgium, but no traces of drugs were found. The Association's chairman Stefaan Van Bockstaele and chairman of sport Dirk Schreel were said to be shocked at the findings which will likely lead to new doping rules been introduced to the sport ahead of the 2014 racing season. Popular sport: Pigeon racing is big business in Belgium where birds are released from a specific location and must race back to their nest . Pigeon racing is big business in Belgium where specially bred birds are released from a specific location and race back to their loft. The sport - which often sees pigeons race over 600 miles - sees around 60 per cent of competitors in any given race not make it home. They fall victim to exhaustion, get lost or are killed by predators or power cables. It is so lucrative that a Belgian pigeon called Bolt was bought by a Chinese businessman for a staggering £260,000 earlier this year. It is thought that the buyer wanted to use Bolt - named after Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt - to breed more racing pigeons. | Tests found that five pigeons had been given painkiller Mobistix .
A sixth Belgian bird was found with traces of cocaine in its blood .
Test results have led to renewed calls for new doping rules for the sport . |
41,820 | 75e7c72b142f3634728447e095f38576cddbb79a | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 06:48 EST, 16 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:52 EST, 16 April 2013 . Women in the UK know more about intimate beauty treatments than they do about serious sexual health conditions, a new survey suggests. While 67 per cent claim to have heard of Brazilian bikini waxing and 48 had heard of vajazzles - made famous by The Only Way is Essex - just 39 per cent know about Bacterial vaginosis (BV). This is a condition that can lead to fertility problems, miscarriage and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. BV affects one in three women, making it twice as common as thrush, and if untreated during pregnancy it can lead to serious complications. Women in the UK know more about intimate beauty treatments than they do about serious sexual health conditions . The condition can put women at risk of contracting STIs such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia . Pregnant women with the condition are six times more likely to miscarry and twice as likely to give birth prematurely. BV occurs when the balance of internal bacteria is disrupted, leading to an unpleasant odour. It can be treated with antibiotics. The survey, carried out by Balance Activ – producers of a BV treatment – also revealed that the condition often goes undiagnosed as 38 per cent of women only feel comfortable getting intimate health advice from online forums while 19 per cent are too embarrassed to talk to their GP. The research comes shortly after experts warned that women who use shower gels and soaps in intimate areas are putting themselves at higher risk of developing sexually transmitted infections. Researchers at the University of . California, Los Angeles, said that soaps and lubricants can damage . sensitive tissues and raise a woman’s chance of becoming infected with . herpes, chlamydia and HIV. Women who use soaps in intimate areas are putting themselves at higher risk of developing sexually transmitted infections . Study leader Joelle Brown said there is ‘mounting evidence’ that using these products internally can also increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis. Dr Brown's team recruited 141 women in Los Angeles who agreed to answer questionnaires about their product use and undergo lab tests for vaginal infections. The researchers found that 66 per cent of the women reported using lubricants and cleansers internally. The most commonly used products were sexual lubricants - 70 per cent of the product-using group used commercial lubricants, while 17 per cent reported using petroleum jelly and 13 per cent used oils. Test results showed that the women who used products not intended for internal use, such as oils and Vaseline, were more likely to have yeast and bacterial infections. For instance, 40 per cent of the women who used petroleum jelly as a lubricant had bacterial vaginosis - an infection that can be caused by a number of common bacterial species - compared to 18 per cent of women who did not insert petroleum jelly. | 67% of women polled had heard of Brazilian bikini waxes, but only 39% knew of bacterial vaginosis (BV)
BV affects 1 in 3 women and can cause miscarriages and premature birth if untreated during pregnancy .
Also increases the risk of developing STIs . |
263,284 | e104f6a5972056b2f979f5ecdef61005bce9a2b7 | A nine month old baby is fighting for his life after he was hit by a forklift that his father was driving. The heartbreaking incident occurred at about 6.20pm on Saturday night at Blackley Automotive on the Bellarine Highway in Geelong - one hour south of Melbourne. The infant was rushed to Geelong Hospital before being airlifted to The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition. Scroll down for video . A nine month old baby was hit by a forklift that his father was driving at Blackley Automotive in Geelong . Police confirmed the baby was crawling on the floor of the factory at the time of the incident . Geelong Sergeant Pete Chamberlain said the father was behind the wheel of the forklift in a warehouse and had not seen his son who was crawling on the floor at the time of the incident. 'Anyone would be beside themselves, wouldn’t you?' Sergeant Chamberlain told the Herald Sun. He added that it was still not known why the young boy was on the floor at the time as the family were by the baby's bedside in hospital. Sergeant Chamberlain said police will work with the Victorian WorkCover Authority during the investigation which is being treated as an industrial incident. Victoria Police spokeswoman Creina O’Grady told the Herald Sun that the child was not hit by the wheels or the forks, but possibly the front of the machine. The Royal Children's Hospital spokeswoman said Daily Mail Australia that the boy went into surgery last night for head and chest injuries and was expected to remain in a critical condition in intensive care for at least the rest of the day. Police will work with the Victorian WorkCover Authority during the investigation which is being treated as an industrial incident . The infant was rushed to Geelong Hospital before being airlifted to The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition . | A nine month old baby was hit by a forklift that his father was driving .
Boy is in a critical condition in The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne .
The young child underwent surgery for head and chest injuries .
Infant was crawling on floor at the time of the tragedy on Saturday night .
Incident occurred at automotive shop in Geelong - south of Melbourne . |
102,312 | 0fdc5e3e4f5d2c0bb2b7a9ab98f19d603b8e6247 | A cathedral organist who has been embroiled in a string of sex scandals has been jailed for sexually abusing a teenage pupil. Ian Ball, 46, has had a series of inappropriate relationships and once had a pint poured over his head by a married lover’s husband. But the Oxford graduate has now been jailed for two-and-a-half years for molesting a 14-year-old boy who visited his cathedral for organ lessons. Jailed: Ian Ball, 46, has had a series of inappropriate relationships and once had a pint poured over his head by a married lover's husband . He was also found to have dozens of illegal images of children on his home computer. Ball was forced to resign from his position at Gloucester Cathedral in 2002 after he admitted acting “inappropriately” with a 17-year-old sixth former. He had previously had an affair with choir member Ruth Harper, which was made public after her ex-husband threw a pint over Ball’s head in a local pub. Cathedral organist and choirmaster Ian Ball who has been jailed for sexually abusing a boy . The father-of-two was also investigated in connection with allegations involving a relationship with a male minor; however police took no further action. But Ball has now been put behind bars for two-and-a-half years after it was revealed he sexually assaulted a teenage boy at a different cathedral. Ball, who now lives in Worcester, pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault on a 14 year-old boy. He also pleaded guilty to seven charges of downloading indecent photographs of children after 84 pictures of girls aged between ten and 13 were found on his computer. Kenneth Ball, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court how the victim, who is now an adult, had been attending the cathedral for organ lessons. He said: “He had lots and lots of attention from the defendant who showered him with art books and poetry books and showed him love letters between him and his ex-girlfriend. “The youngster was incredibly stressed. He was still very keen to learn the organ and he didn’t not want to have lessons. “He continued lessons with the defendant on the organ at the cathedral.” Ian Ball was forced to resign from his position at Gloucester Cathedral in 2002 after he admitted acting 'inappropriately' with a 17-year-old sixth former . Ball, who is originally from Lancashire, was assistant organist at Bristol Cathedral from 1991-1994 before moving to be organist of Clifton Cathedral from 1994 until 1998. He then became acting director of music at Gloucester Cathedral from 1998 and was promoted to acting director in September 2001. The following year he was forced to resign from the position in 2002 after he was criticised for having an “inappropriate” friendship with a sixth form choir girl. He then began the role of director of music for the Gloucester parishes of St Mary de Lode and St Mark, much to the anger of many local parishioners. Ball has faced a vast amount of criticism in the past for a number of inappropriate relationships. Whilst at Gloucester Cathedral he struck up a close relationship with two teenage girls in the choir. He also had an affair with an older woman from the church, which resulted in the breakdown of his marriage to wife Elizabeth. Though Ball faced no legal action for his behaviour, as the women were over the age of 16, he was criticised by churchgoers and asked to leave this cathedral. Now, more than ten years on, an underage victim of the organist was persuaded to tell police what had happened. Ball admitted he had acted inappropriately but claimed it was a one off because he was going through a tough time at home. Bristol Cathedral. Ball, who is originally from Lancashire, was assistant organist here from 1991 until 1994 before moving to be organist of Clifton Cathedral . Robert Duval, defending at Bristol Crown Court, said the incident happened when Ball had become depressed after being overworked and exhausted. He said: “He was lonely. He was not himself. He fully accepts that he found intimacy with a child that he should not have done. “He acted in this profoundly reprehensible and selfish way. It is a unique stain on his otherwise unblemished character. “A short sentence will be an enormous punishment for him.” Sentencing Judge Michael Roach said: “What you did not only blighted the remainder of his adolescent years but it led to a blight of his adult years as well.” He handed him a two-and-a-half year sentence yesterday, a five year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and ordered him to register as a sex offender indefinitely. | Ian Ball, 46, had a pint tipped over head by ex-husband of one of his lovers .
Oxford graduate Bell had dozens of illegal images of children on his PC .
Forced to resign from his position at .
Gloucester Cathedral in 2002 after acting “inappropriately”
with a 17-year-old sixth former .
At Gloucester Cathedral he struck up a close relationship with two teenage girls in the choir .
Had an affair with an older woman from church, resulting in breakdown of marriage to Elizabeth . |
205,473 | 95fdafe7e6d639ebb584c7aaabf8f9dbc28b232e | The presents may have been well and truly opened, but the footballers are wrapping up. With the temperature in Britain beginning its inevitable decline as we frostily shuffle into the new year, some of the Premier League's biggest stars kept themselves safe from the cold winter air by donning football's old familiar friend - the snood. Concluding their final session for this year, the Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City players made their way out to the training pitches to prepare themselves for the second half of the Premier League season. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jose Mourinho clearly not bothered by a busy festive period! Arsenal's Joel Campbell took it to a new level by donning the double-snood in training on New Year's Eve . Laurent Koscielny sports a beanie and snood combo during the session at London Colney on Wednesday . Alexis Sanchez (left) and Chuba Akpom are wrapped up warm as they smile for the camera . In London Colney, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny lead a cluster of his Arsenal team-mates out, bearing a stark resemblance to when a certain steely-eyed Bruce Willis did that slow-motion walk in Armageddon. With his side heading into 2015 just outside of a Champions League place, Arsene Wenger's men were in high spirits as the Frenchman took them through their paces. Manchester City also braved the cold at their new £200million Etihad Campus training complex, with Argentinian duo Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta both sporting a lovely stripey number... in blue and white, of course. Pick of the bunch was Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who, unlike that all-too-familiar scene with Mario Balotelli and an unforgiving bib, had no struggle putting on his kit while his team got ready for their clash with Tottenham on Thursday. The Blues have it all to lose as they march on into next year, proudly perched at the top of the table three points ahead of Manchester City. A group of snood-cladden Arsenal players are lead out by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny . Manchester City's Martin Demichelis (left) and Pablo Zabaleta make their way out to the training pitches . Jose Mourinho slips on his thermal neck warmer whilst Chelsea prepared for their match with Tottenham . The Blues are still top of the Premier League, where they have sat since the opening game of the season . | Premier League stars wrap up warm for the final training session of 2014 .
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City teams all trained on New Year's Eve .
As the winter temperatures plummet we are again greeted by the snood . |
49,758 | 8ca9548c4005541a81c89a2a3a992d6463da0527 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:39 EST, 29 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:44 EST, 29 May 2013 . With less than two weeks until George Zimmerman goes on trial in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, has defense fund has been revealed to be almost depleted. Zimmerman's attorneys posted on their website on Wednesday that the fund has less than $5,000 left. Back in January the fund had almost $315,000. The attorneys say they calculate that Zimmerman needs another $120,000 to put on a good defense or even another $75,000 to give him a fighting chance. Scroll down for video . George Zimmerman's lead counsel Mark O'Mara, left, has revealed that the defense fund for his client is down to $5,000 from $314,099 at the start of the year . Attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West say they haven't been paid a cent and many interns are working on the case without pay. They say they will need the money in the coming weeks to pay experts and for transcripts of depositions. It hasn't been a good week for Zimmerman's defense team. A judge ruled on Tuesday that they won't be able to mention Trayvon Martin's drug use, suspension from school and past fighting during opening statements in the trial. Circuit Judge Debra Nelson also refused to allow jurors to travel to the shooting scene during trial, and rejected a defense request to delay the trial set to begin June 10. The judge called the request to let jurors see the crime scene 'a logistical nightmare.' George Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the 17-year-old's killing and has pleaded not guilty, saying he acted in self-defense. He did not attend Tuesday's hearing. Despite attempts by his legal team to have the date postponed, Zimmerman's trail for the second-degree murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, right, will begin June 10 . Holding firm: Circuit Judge Debra Nelson refused to allow jurors to travel to the shooting scene during trial, and rejected a defense request to delay the trial set to begin June 10 . The judge also ruled that some of the Martin's texts and other social media statements won't be allowed in opening statements, though some of the teen's personal history could be allowed later with a ruling from the judge depending on how the case progresses. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, had argued that text messages . sent by the 17-year-old - in which he describes being 'angry' following . a fight with another teen on the night he was fatally shot by Zimmerman - . should be heard by a potential jury because it's 'relevant to [Martin's] . emotional state,' and would strengthen the defense's claim that Martin . was the aggressor in the struggle that ultimately took his life. 'He got mo hits cause in da 1st round,' Martin says in a November 2011 . text message, apparently in reference to a fight he'd been in prior to his run-in with Zimmerman. 'He had me on da ground nd I . couldn’t do ntn.' Defense: Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara, left, has told the judge that Martin's marijuana use and past fighting was central to the argument that Zimmerman used self-defense when he confronted Martin last year . With the photos and text messages, . Zimmerman's attorneys hope to show that Martin wasn't the 'angel' he's . been made out to be by his family, attorneys, and the media, but rather . an experienced fighter who used drugs. O'Mara also told the judge that Martin's marijuana use and past fighting was central to the argument that Zimmerman used self-defense when he confronted Martin last year at a gated community in Sanford, Florida. 'We have a lot of evidence that marijuana use had something to do with the event,' O'Mara said. 'It could have affected his behavior.' An attorney for Martin's family, Benjamin Crump, said the teen's parents were pleased with the judge's rulings. 'Trayvon Martin is not on trial,' Crump said. Zimmerman . himself is no 'angel,' critics say, and the evidence his attorneys are . hoping to have admitted could be an attempt to keep prosecutors from . introducing some less-than-flattering details about his past, including . an ex-fiance who filed an injunction order against Zimmerman following . an altercation, and some disparaging comments about Mexicans found on . Zimmerman's MySpace page. 'No angel': attorneys for alleged murderer George Zimmerman were denied a request for photos of Trayvon Martin smoking marijuana to be included as evidence in Zimmerman's murder trial . The judge ruled against a defense request that the pool of jury candidates be sequestered during jury selection. She said jurors will be referred to by their jury numbers and prohibited their faces from being photographed. Nelson denied a prosecution request for a gag order that would prohibit attorneys from talking about the case. O'Mara said he is concerned potential jurors could be affected by publicity the case is receiving. The . defense attorney had asked to push back the trial date because he said . prosecutors had delayed turning over evidence as required. O'Mara is seeking sanctions against prosecutors, but a hearing on those sanctions was delayed until next week. Self-defense: George Zimmerman claims that Trayvon Martin punched him repeatedly before he fatally shot him in February 2012 . Before the judge decided to postpone the hearing on sanctions, a former prosecutor who used to work in the same office as the attorneys prosecuting Zimmerman testified he had told O'Mara about photos and text messages from Martin's cell phone that hadn't yet been turned over to the defense. Former Assistant State Attorney Wesley White resigned last year from the State Attorney's Office that covers northeast Florida. Zimmerman . has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin . on February 26, 2012, after he followed the unarmed teen through a . neighborhood park because he looked like he was 'up to no good.' Zimmerman, a volunteer . neighborhood watchman, claims he shot Martin in self-defense, and that . the teen punched him repeatedly before Zimmerman decided to use lethal . force. The shooting of . Martin, who is African-American, by Zimmerman, who is not, has fueled . new debates about racial profiling, gun-control, and self-defense laws. | Lawyers for George Zimmerman have revealed his defense budget has just $5,000 left, down from $315,000 in January .
They are begging for donations and say their client needs at least $75,000 to have a fighting chance in court .
On Tuesday a judge denied their request to allow mention of Trayvon Martin's drug use, suspension from school and past fighting .
A request to delay the trial was also denied .
Zimmerman's murder trial is slated to begin on June 10 . |
123,084 | 2b1ec62bcfe3d9bb6581f963404684c32276a573 | Held: Carl Singleton, 41, from Cumbria, was arrested on suspicion of murdering 22-year-old Ashley Agumbi, a University of Nairobi student . A British man is behind bars in Kenya accused of murdering the girlfriend he met on Facebook by flushing her diabetic medicine down the toilet. Carl Singleton, 41, from Millom, Cumbria, was on Sunday arrested on suspicion of murdering 22-year-old Peris Ashley Agumbi Mumtah, a student at the University of Nairobi. Miss Agumbi died in hospital of diabetic hypertension and respiratory failure days after making a report to police accusing Singleton of flushing her life-saving medicine down the toilet. Singleton appeared in court on Monday. He was remanded in custody for seven days after police asked for time to file a murder charge. He made no plea. Singleton's mother Elaine Singleton, 63, who lives in Millom, last night said she felt she was living her 'worst nightmare' when her son called her from Gigiri police station in Nairobi on Monday. 'I was absolutely devastated. It's my worst nightmare come true,' she said of the news of his arrest. 'He was really upset, he really was, I could tell by his voice. He just said he was in the police station locked up and that they thought he had killed his girlfriend. He just kept saying he didn't do it. 'It's really difficult because he's so far away. I can't get it out my head. I feel terrible. It's awful, it really is.' Singleton met Miss Agumbi online through Facebook two years ago. Six months ago he flew out to Kenya on a tourist visa to spend time with her in person. 'He fell in love and went out there,' his mother said. Dominic Wabala, crime reporter on Kenyan daily The Star, told MailOnline that Singleton was living with Miss Agumbi and her family in Gachie, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi. Miss Agumbi had reported Singleton to police for allegedly assaulting her on November 19, telling officers he had flushed her diabetes drugs down the toilet. Days later, on November 21, she fell ill and was taken to Nairobi's private Aga Khan University Hospital, but was later transferred to Ladnan hospital where she was diagnosed with diabetic hypertension and respiratory failure. She died while undergoing treatment, Mr Wabala reported. 'He was really upset, he really was, I could tell by his voice': Singleton's mother Elaine, 63,said she felt she was living her 'worst nightmare' when her son called her from Gigiri police station in Nairobi on Monday . Tragic: Miss Agumbi, shown in a Facebook picture, died in hospital of diabetic hypertension and respiratory failure days after making a report to police accusing Singleton of flushing her medicine down the toilet . Miss Agumbi's death and Singleton's arrest came days after he messaged his younger brother Steven, 21, over Facebook to say he had extended his trip by a further six months and would be home in February. 'I thought he must be smitten to be flying out there to meet her. I'm just completely shocked by it all. I'm trying not to think about it,' Steven said. Mrs Singleton described her son, a former Bargain Booze employee, as 'kind-hearted and shy'. 'He's a quiet man. I think the size of him frightens people because he's very tall,' she said. 'To look at him you'd think he was really robust but deep down he's quiet, soft and shy. 'He's quiet and has always kept himself to himself.' Singleton's father Norman, 66, was walking the family dog, Josie, when his wife called him to say what happened. Mr Singleton said: 'She rang me and she was in a mess. I was absolutely speechless.' The family said Singleton was 'bubbly' and happy during a Skype conversation in October. Mr Singleton said: 'He said he was having a great time and we even got Josie up on camera for him to see.' The family said the embassy had been keeping them abreast of the situation but they have not been able to speak to him since Monday. The Foreign Office said: 'We can confirm the arrest of a British national in Kenya on November 23. We are providing consular assistance.' | Carl Singleton flew to Kenya to be with Ashley Agumbi six months ago .
Last week she reported him to police for allegedly assaulting her .
She told police in Nairobi Singleton had flushed her diabetes drugs away .
Days later she died of diabetic hypertension and respiratory failure . |
2,505 | 074e60ffb9d889861da08d56a036f5382c5ff9b1 | By . Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 07:35 EST, 29 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:09 EST, 29 June 2012 . Mistake: Toby Donachie, 19, was supposed to be . flying to Biarritz with Ryanair, but ended up boarding a flight with the . same airline to Malmo, Sweden . A professional surfer who thought he was flying to the south of France to go training was shocked when he discovered he had touched down in Sweden. Toby Donachie, 19, was supposed to be flying to Biarritz with Ryanair, but ended up boarding a flight with the same airline to Malmo, in southern Sweden. The mistake came after a last-minute gate change and Mr Donachie only realised he was in the wrong aircraft when he heard an in-flight announcement. The teenager, from Padstow, Cornwall, said his tickets were checked twice before he got on board, once by the staff at the gate and again on the plane. He said: 'Half-way there, there was a call saying we’re flying over Denmark. 'The tickets were looked at. My boarding pass said Biarritz, and yet I was on a plane to Malmo, Sweden. 'The cabin crew just felt really bad for me when I told them. They were worried about me and super helpful.' Mr Donachie added: 'The cabin crew told me that when they did the head count, a child was hiding on the plane; so the crew didn’t notice that there was an extra passenger.' Once he arrived in Sweden, he was put on another flight back to the UK. The airline paid for a hotel and gave him a new ticket to Biarritz the following day. 'All my family and friends cried with laughter when I told them I had arrived in the wrong country,' he added. Questions: A Ryanair plane pictured at Stansted airport. Staff checked Mr Donachie's tickets twice but no one picked up on the error which has raised questions over how secure Ryanair's boarding procedures are . Change: The mistake came because of a last-minute gate change at Stansted Airport in Essex, pictured . But he said the incident raised questions over how secure Ryanair’s boarding procedures were. Stansted Airport said the responsibility for checking passengers at the gate and on to planes lay with airlines. Ryanair . said: 'While the primary responsibility for boarding the correct . aircraft lies with each passenger, we have asked our handling agent in . Stansted to investigate this error and ensure that whatever procedural . breakdown happened in this case will not recur.' Mr Donachie began to be noticed for his talent in 2006 and that year came 4th place in the European Championships. Professional surfer Toby Donachie, 19, found himself in Malmo in Sweden, more than 1,000 miles away from his intended destination of Biarritz in the south of France, after a flight check in mix-up . Wrong airport: The terminal of Sturup Airport at Malmo, Sweden where Mr Donachie ended up . Mix-up: Mr Donachie was supposed to be going to Biarritz in France for training - not Malmo in Sweden . | Toby Donachie said staff checked his ticket at the gate and on the plane but the error was STILL not spotted .
Cabin crew told him they didn't know there was an extra passenger when they did a head count as a child was hiding . |
127,722 | 3118ded52379e92d47e5ec92596ff7c5f8117ee4 | British families could be facing a shortage of Brussels sprouts this Christmas after a period of wet weather in October left vegetables at the bottom of stalks wrecked. A hot summer had actually produced larger than average sprouts - but mid-Autumn downpours meant much of the early crop stalks had to be cut due to water damage. The news will cause concern among those hoping to cook the perfect Christmas dinner next week. Concern: British families could be facing a shortage of Christmas favourite Brussels sprouts . A memo by Morrisons trading director Andrew Garton read: 'Much of the early crop stalks had to be cut higher up the stem due to water damage,' The Sun reports. 'Farmers require a period of cold, dry weather to finish the sprouts and maintain a healthy appearance.' Approximately 30 per cent of the Brussels sprout harvest appears on shop shelves in the ten days before Christmas. Morrisons has promised not to raise its prices as a result of the shortage - which is believed to have effected the whole industry. And farmers are hoping for good weather in the lead up to Christmas so that families will not be disappointed on December 25. Despite the shortage of sprouts, experts claim that good conditions in 2014 have seen other vegetables enjoy the best produce for years - meaning Christmas favourites such as parsnips, carrots and potatoes will be in plenty of supply. Panic: Farmers say a period of wet weather in October left vegetables at the bottom of stalks wrecked . | Christmas favourite may be in short supply due to mid-Autumn downpour .
The hot summer had actually produced bigger than average sprouts .
But farmer says early crop stalks had to be cut because of water damage . |
270,375 | ea2c0702736ab118cd1814cf20f5c884b6596479 | By . Nick Enoch . Last updated at 5:26 PM on 10th January 2012 . Convicted child sex offender David Marker, 75, vanished from a hospital unit in Taunton, Somerset, yesterday morning . A . paedophile who has been held in secure hospital units for more than 45 years . has gone missing - for the third time. Convicted . child sex offender David Marker, 75, vanished from a hospital unit in Taunton, . Somerset, yesterday morning. Marker was . detained indefinitely in April 1965 for an indecent assault on a seven-year-old . girl. He has been detained ever since. Officers . from Avon and Somerset Police are now appealing for information to trace Marker - who is considered a risk due to his previous offending history. Police . believe he may be in Weston-super-Mare following a sighting yesterday. Marker . also gave two guards the slip in May 1998 on an escorted visit to a swimming . pool at Abraham Moss Leisure Centre in Crumpsall, Manchester. The trip was part of a rehabilitation programme preparing him to be released back into the community. Police believe Marker may be in Weston-super-Mare following a sighting yesterday . At the time, the Department of Health . said a Mental Health Tribunal had sanctioned his conditional discharge . after hearing evidence that he was of no threat to the public. He was on the run . for almost 48 hours. Marker was originally a patient at Broadmoor hospital. In 1993, he was transferred to Stockton Hall psychiatric hospital in North Yorkshire. He had only recently been put into a . special care unit in Manchester to see whether he was ready to move into . a more relaxed regime. After his capture, he was sent back to Stockton Hall - and would later be moved to the Taunton unit. Marker was originally a patient at Broadmoor (above). In 1993, he was transferred to Stockton Hall psychiatric hospital in North Yorkshire . It was . revealed he had escaped just months before the Manchester incident when he was on the run . for ten days, hiding out in a town 30 miles from York. He was . able to create a false identity and had attempted to claim benefit payments . before he was discovered by chance by a member of the hospital staff. Detective . Chief Inspector Nicholas Papucka said: 'David Marker is considered a risk . due to his previous offending history. 'If . you see David Marker, dial 999 immediately so that he can be returned to the . facility as soon as possible.' Marker is . described as a white man, 5ft 9in tall, of stocky build with short cropped . dark to greying hair. He has . grey stubble and wears glasses. He was wearing a navy blue coat with yellow . patches around the collar and dark trousers and a white shirt. | David Marker gave two guards the slip in 1998 while on trip to swimming pool in Manchester .
Months earlier, he escaped and hid out near York .
Police believe he may be in Weston-super-Mare . |
180,252 | 755ffceb7819bf33c736452334f4c95cdb1a2b9b | (CNN) -- Surprise! Jodie Foster's now a married woman. The actress and filmmaker quietly tied the knot with her girlfriend Alexandra Hedison over the weekend, a rep for Foster confirmed to CNN. According to E! Online, which first reported the news, Foster and Hedison had been dating for almost a year. The entertainment site took note of the relationship last September after photos surfaced of Foster spending time with Hedison, a photographer/actress and an ex-girlfriend of Ellen DeGeneres. No other details are yet available about Hedison and Foster's nuptials, although we won't hold our breath: Foster is notoriously private about her personal life. At the 2013 Golden Globes, she declined to give a "big coming out speech" as she accepted her Cecil B. DeMille award, saying that she'd already come out to those close to her. "I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the stone age," Foster said. "If you had been a public figure from the time that you were a toddler, if you had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe then you too might value privacy above all else." In that speech, Foster expressed gratitude to her former partner Cydney Bernard, with whom she has two sons. CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report. | Jodie Foster quietly married her girlfriend over the weekend .
According to reports, they'd been dating for almost a year .
No other details were immediately available .
Foster is notoriously private about her personal life . |
84,540 | efd3d12e1a735182d737f2f6903244b59b87984b | A flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, was consumed in a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National Park Service said Saturday. Friday's fire in Shanksville destroyed the park's headquarters complex. State police and the park service are conducting a joint investigation into the blaze, whose cause hasn't been determined, the park service said. Park staff completed an initial inventory on Saturday and said that, in addition to the flag, the losses included a handful of personal items of passengers and crew, DVD copies of the annual commemoration ceremony and meetings of the Flight 93 National Memorial Federal Advisory Commission, and about 100 tribute items left by visitors since 2001. Scroll down for video . Before the flames: Visitors walk along the wall of names of passengers who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the attacks at the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center . Tragic fire: Smoke rises in the background as firefighters respond to a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial headquarters on Friday . Park staff saved hundreds of oral histories and a photo collection. The buildings comprised the park's headquarters, with conference facilities, storage space and the superintendent's office. The under-construction memorial and visitors center are about 2 miles away and were unaffected by the fire. The memorial in Shanksville marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed during the Sept. 11 attacks. The plane, which was traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, went down in a reclaimed strip mine after passengers fought back against its hijackers. All 33 passengers and seven crew members were killed along with the hijackers. A memorial plaza was completed in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011. There are plans for a 93-foot-tall tower with 40 wind chimes. Officials have said they hope construction of the visitors center will be finished by June. Lost in smoke: A flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, was consumed in a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National Park Service said on Saturday . Came to the rescue: Emergency personnel respond to a structure fire that leveled administrative buildings at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Pennsylvania . | A flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, was consumed in a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania .
In addition to the flag, the losses included a handful of personal items of passengers and crew and various tribute items left by visitors .
The memorial in Shanksville marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed during the September 11 attacks . |
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