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117,579 | 23d18ad6b0a2e2e60ab8b1a804e12dbabc7f7af4 | Aliens are real - not little green men visiting Earth as depicted in movies, but rather microbial life in our own solar system and intelligent life beyond. That’s according to two leading Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) researchers, who yesterday took part in a hearing at the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in Washington DC. During the talk dubbed ‘Astrobiology and the Search for Life in the Universe’, the scientists laid out the evidence and reasoning for believing we are not alone. Dr Seth Shostak (stock image shown) and Dr Dan Werthimer of the Seti Institute yesterday laid out their research to Congress regarding the search for alien life. They say with adequate funding it is almost a certainty we will find alien life in 20 years, be it intelligent or microbial . The hearing was arranged to review the current state of the science related to the search for life in the universe. Dr Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the Seti Institute in California, and Dr Dan Wethimer, Directory of Seti Research at the University of California Berkeley, both laid out the science and requested more funding to continue the search. In 1959, . Cornell physicists Gieuseppi Cocconi and Philip Morrison published an . article discussing the potential to use microwave radio to communicate . between stars. A . year later in 1960, astronomer Frank Drake conducted the first hunt for . alien life with an 85-foot (25 metres) antenna in West Virgina, but . after two months concedes defeat.In the 1960s, Soviet Union performs extensive searches for ET, again with no success. In the 1970s Nasa began to take an interest in Seti, with the chances of success seemingly growing as technology advanced. In 1988, Nasa began sweeping surveys of the night sky for signals, but Congress terminated funding a few years later. The independent Seti Institute, established in 1984, took over the job. In 1992 the first planet outside the solar system is confirmed, an almost certainly uninhabitable world orbiting a pulsar. In 2009 Nasa’s Kepler telescope launches and, over the next few years, finds hundreds of planets. And . just last month, the first planet of a similar size to Earth and at the . correct distance from its parent star to host water, called Kepler . 186-f, was found. It is the most likely place that has been found that could host life as we know it. And, they add, with adequate support it is likely we will find alien life in some form or another within 20 years. ‘In the last two decades, astronomers have uncovered one so-called exoplanet after another,’ Dr Seth Shostak said in his written testimony. ‘The current tally is approximately two thousand, and many more are in the offing thanks to continued analysis of data from NASA’s enormously successful Kepler space telescope. ‘Estimates are that at least 70 per cent of all stars are accompanied by planets, and since the latter can occur in systems rather than as individuals (think of our own solar system), the number of planets in the Milky Way galaxy is of order one trillion. ‘It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of these will have its own complement of planets.’ Dr Shostak goes on to state how Kepler’s primary goal has been to ascertain whether, amongst all these planets, there are habitable worlds like our own. ‘The usual metric for whether a planet is habitable or not is to ascertain whether liquid water could exist on its surface,’ he continues. ‘Most worlds will either be too cold, too hot or of a type (like Jupiter) that may have no solid surface and be swaddled in noxious gases. ‘Recent analyses of Kepler data suggest that as many as one star in five will have a habitable, Earth-size planet in orbit around it. ‘This number could be too large by perhaps a factor of two or three, but even so it implies that the Milky Way is home to 10 to 80 billion cousins of Earth. ‘There is, in other words, more than adequate cosmic real estate for extraterrestrial life, including intelligent life.’ The two astronomers cite discoveries by Nasa's Kepler telescope as imperative to their research. Most notably, the telescope has found thousands of planets and several could be habitable such as Kepler-186f (pictured). They estimate there are 10 to 80 billion 'Earth cousins' in our Milky Way alone . Using resources such as the Allen Telescope Array (pictured) Seti astronomers hope they will one day detect a signal from an intelligent extraterrestrial race, either a message that has been sent by accident or random 'noise' like what is emitted from Earth . Dr Wethimer, meanwhile, was equally optimistic and echoed Dr Shostak’s views. ‘It would be bizarre if we are alone,’ he told the committee. ‘It would be a cramped mind that didn’t wonder what other life is out there.’ They also both agreed that Earth has never been visited by aliens. ‘I don’t think that that would be something all the governments would have managed to keep a secret,’ Shostak said. ‘If they were really here I think everyone would know that.’ The hearing comes just after a new Nasa book was published that suggested our planet could have been visited by aliens before. The book is titled Archaeology, Anthropology and Interstellar Communication and was edited by Dr Douglas Vakoch, Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the Seti Institute. With . the help of other experts he tackles a number of topics including the . prospect of life on other planets and the means through which we might . send or receive a message. In . one section Dr William Edmondson from the University of . Birmingham considers the possibility that rock art on Earth is of . extraterrestrial origin. ‘We . can say little, if anything, about what these patterns signify, why . they were cut into rocks, or who created them,’ he writes. ‘For all intents and purposes, they might have been made by aliens.’ | Congress has discussed the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti)
Dr Shostak and Dr Wethimer described the science of looking for aliens .
They say with adequate funding life will be found within two decades .
This could be microbial life in the solar system or intelligent life outside .
And they have asked for more support in their continued search . |
224,816 | af19eb8898bd3de2f58424d13a554fb0f6d53342 | Washington (CNN) -- The fire that crippled the Carnival cruise ship Triumph started with a leak in a fuel-oil return line running from one of the ship's engines, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday. Leaking oil hit a hot surface, starting the fire, said Teresa Hatfield, the lead investigator for the Coast Guard. Hatfield said there was no indication the leak in a flexible hose section was intentional. "Fire suppression was immediately activated by the crew, first by waterfog and then by (carbon dioxide). They did a very good job," Hatfield said. "We are looking at the cause of the fire and why the ship was disabled for so long, and we are also looking at the crew response to the fire as well." Hatfield said the investigation will last for several months. The Coast Guard said it has conducted 21 interviews with passengers and crew members since Thursday, when investigators boarded the ship while it was still at sea. Hatfield said the oil return line is one of the items that is routinely inspected, but she did not say when it was last inspected or describe its condition at that time. Vance Gulliksen, a spokesman with Carnival Cruise Lines, told CNN Monday that the ship's last scheduled Coast Guard inspection was on November 15. Gulliksen also said the cruise line agreed with the Coast Guard's determination of the origin of the fire. Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Diaz said the line ran from the ship's "number-6 engine" to a fuel tank. The Triumph was on the third day of a planned four-day cruise from Galveston, Texas, to Mexico when the fire broke out and brought the trip to a halt. It was carrying more than 4,200 people, including 3,100 passengers. The Triumph was eventually towed into port in Mobile, Alabama, Thursday night, and the last passengers disembarked Friday. Stranded on the crippled ship, passengers and crew lived with worsening conditions, as toilets stopped working, and waste spilled onto floors and into hallways. Passengers had to use plastic bags to collect their waste. Passenger Cassie Terry described the ship as "a floating toilet, a floating Petri dish, a floating hell" in a lawsuit filed Friday against Carnival for unspecified damages related to the cruise. Passengers reported long lines for food, shortages of fresh water and widespread boredom. Many passengers slept in hallways or outside to escape the odors and heat below decks. Patrick Cuty, a senior marine investigator for the Coast Guard, told CNN Sunday that investigators had located the area where flames erupted in the engine room. "We know that the fire originated in front of a generator," Cuty said. "You can see the ignition marks on the wall." There are three generators in the engine room where the fire broke out. Three other generators are in a second engine room that wasn't involved in the fire, Cuty said. The same ship encountered a problem in January with its propulsion system, according to a notice posted on the website of Carnival senior cruise director John Heald. On Saturday, Carnival crew members were bused to and from the ship to help with the clean-up. One housekeeper told CNN it wasn't pleasant work but said it had to be done, and the crew was willing to do it. Passengers have praised the crew for its response during the ordeal. Because the Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian-flagged vessel, the Bahamas Maritime Authority is the primary investigative agency and will work with the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators pulled the voyage data recorder, a device that records alarms, voice communications on the bridge, engine speed, navigation information and rudder angle, Cuty said. It appears that the fire suppression worked as designed, Cuty said Friday. The engineer who was on watch around dawn February 10 saw the fire ignite over a video feed and immediately notified the bridge, Cuty said. On crippled cruise ship, icky jobs fell to 'amazing' crew . Lawsuit filed over 'floating hell' cruise . CNN's Jim Barnett contributed to this report. | NEW: Coast Guard: The fuel line ran from an engine to a fuel tank .
There is no indication the leak was intentional, a Coast Guard official says .
The crew is praised for doing a "very good job" containing the fire . |
246,717 | cb4d11a3258f8b6bd6163a222af4f338598506df | (CNN) -- A bus carrying Togo's national soccer team to a tournament in Angola came under fire Friday, and Togolese officials said they were weighing whether to pull out of the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations, which starts Sunday. There were conflicting reports on the casualties. Angola's official press agency, ANGOP, reported nine people were wounded -- eight Togolese and one Angolan. Earlier, Togo striker Thomas Dossevi, who was on the bus, said the bus driver was killed in the attack and three others were injured. An armed wing of a separatist group -- the Forces for Liberation of the State of Cabinda -- claimed responsibility for the attack. CNN cannot independently verify the claim. Dossevi, 30, who plays for French league side Nantes, told CNN "armed rebels" with AK-47s had opened fire. "We were attacked by armed rebels who used Kalashnikovs. We had just passed the border and a couple of minutes later we were attacked from both sides. "We hid below the seats -- we had police protection in front and behind but we were attacked from both sides. As soon as I heard the bullets I went to the floor ... the attack lasted for 10 to 15 minutes. "Everyone is at the hospital, the whole team, as everybody wants to be with the injured players. We're waiting to get police protection so we can go to the hotel and sleep," Dossevi said. The team was headed to Angola for the competition when it was attacked near the border between Angola and the Republic of Congo, according to the Manchester City Football Club in Britain, who had one of its star players on the bus. "Manchester City can confirm that striker Emmanuel Adebayor is uninjured after this afternoon's attack on the Togo team bus in Angola," a statement on the club's Web site said. "Club officials have spoken with Adebayor and though shaken by the terrible events, he is unharmed." "We are currently in talks with the Football Association over what may happen next," the club said. Togo is scheduled to play Ghana on Monday in Cabinda, which is one of the tournament venues. Cabinda is a disputed, oil-rich enclave located within the Democratic Republic of Congo. A strip of that nation separates it from Angola, one of the world's largest energy producers and a major supplier of petroleum and liquefied natural gas to the U.S. market. Angola, which was wracked by civil war for nearly three decades, brokered a peace deal in 2006 with separatists seeking an independent republic of Cabinda. Manchester City Manager Roberto Mancini expressed condolences for the injured players and their families. "Our thoughts are with the Togo team, their Football Association and the people. We send them our best wishes at this traumatic time," he said. Togo is a strip of a nation that averages about 60 miles wide, nestled between Benin and Ghana in West Africa. It is smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia. | Bus carrying Togo national soccer team fired on with machine guns .
Separatist group in Angola claims responsibility .
Togo striker Thomas Dossevi: We were attacked by rebels with Kalashnikovs .
Togo team is in Angola for the African Cup of Nations tournament . |
170,861 | 69249a8659a916e82bd8bac4fa83579f59551dba | By . Simon Jones for the Daily Mail . QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar is in discussions over a severance payment from the Loftus Road club ahead of formalising a free transfer move to Benfica. Cesar, 34, is on around £100,000 a week and QPR are keen to shift the Brazil international off their wage bill. Cesar, who played in all seven of Brazil's matches at this summer's World Cup, joined Toronto in February and made seven appearances while on loan with the Canadian outfit. In talks: Julio Cesar is in discussions over a severance payment from QPR ahead of a move to Benfica . On the move: Benfica are hoping to agree a deal to take Cesar to the Stadium of Light . Pedigree: Cesar played in all seven of Brazil's World Cup matches earlier this summer . He is now set to move to the Portuguese champions after being deemed surplus to requirements at the west London outfit. Manager Harry Redknapp is also hopeful QPR can conclude an £8million deal for Norwich midfielder Leroy Fer over the next few days. The Dutch international made 28 league appearances for the Canaries last season as they failed to avoid relegation. Wanted man: QPR are hoping to conclude an £8million deal for Norwich midfielder Leroy Fer . | Julio Cesar is in discussions over a severance payment with QPR .
QPR want to offload goalkeeper who's on around £100,000 a week .
34-year-old is set to formalise a free transfer to Benfica .
Cesar played in all seven of Brazil's matches at the World Cup this summer .
QPR hopeful of concluding £8million transfer of Norwich's Leroy Fer also . |
181,251 | 76a53c4ded8fd418c53078584be0a63182d17d5a | By . Kerry Mcqueeney . PUBLISHED: . 09:39 EST, 14 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:49 EST, 14 March 2012 . Many people are subjected to their neighbours' noisy attempts at DIY. However, most of us might only have to endure it on the weekends or on Bank Holidays. So spare a thought for the residents in this London road whose lives were made a misery for ten years while their noisy neighbour built a microlight plane and a boat - in his one-bedroom flat. Mad mechanic David Cameron - who shares his name with the Prime Minister - transformed the block of flats he lived at in exclusive West Kensington into his own personal workshop for a decade. Scroll down to see what Mr Cameron's neighbours experienced!... His own personal workshop: Huge chunks of Cameron's contraptions were built in his flat then taken outside and assembled . The end of their tether: Neighbours said they had enough of him operating heavy machinery, tinkering with engines and sawing and hacking at wood on the doorstep of their apartment block . First he built his own full-sized . microlight - fitted with a cockpit and propellers - at the property and . then spent two years constructing his own 12ft by 10ft speed boat. Now the housing association tenant is to be evicted from his home. Huge chunks of Cameron’s contraptions were built in his flat then taken outside and assembled. However . both were dismantled when neighbours complained to housing association . chiefs - about the incessant banging, crashing, sawing and . angle-grinding which has gone on for a decade. Neighbours said they had reached the . end of their tether with him operating heavy machinery, tinkering with . engines and sawing and hacking at wood on the doorstep of their . apartment block. On one occasion Cameron was caught single-handedly lowering a 12ft metal girder from his bedroom window on a piece of old rope. On . another occasion he was filmed with sparks flying on to the street as . he recklessly operated an angle grinder on his front garden wall. Housing bosses confirmed they had lost patience with Cameron and were giving him the boot. Mad mechanic: He first built his own full-sized microlight fitted with a cockpit and propellers at the property and then spent two years constructing his own 12ft by 10ft speed boat . Quite the handyman: At one point Cameron built a microlight aircraft in his one bedroom flat . Constant and incessant noise... but Cameron's contraptions were dismantled when neighbours complained to housing association chiefs . The pensioner is being evicted after . he was finally ruled to have breached his tenancy agreement and ignored . an injunction he was served with last year. Stephen Meinhold, 55, a father of two, who lives below Cameron said his life had been made a 'living hell'. The former computer engineer said: 'There is constant crashing, sawing and chopping, which goes on for hours. 'It started when I moved in and he built a plane. He then spent years repairing bike engines in his little one bedroom flat. 'Then about two years ago he started building a boat. I have asked him to stop dozens of times but he just threatens me. 'He caused flooding on Christmas morning and even lowered a massive steel girder from his bedroom window entirely on his own. 'It's amazing he can do all this in his flat but he has caused havoc for the rest of us. Causing havoc: Cameron's work left neighbours so distressed that housing officers are now in the process of evicting him . On one occasion Cameron was caught single-handedly lowering a 12ft metal girder from his bedroom window on a piece of old rope . 'I have been trying to get him stop and he has been taken to court but he just doesn’t listen. All I have ever wanted is peace and he has not allowed me to have that.' In September last year Genesis sought a court injunction preventing Cameron from undertaking large building work in his second floor flat, which is in a converted town house with three other apartments. But at the start on February 10 housing officers were forced to visit Cameron after receiving more complaints from distressed neighbours. He failed to comply with a final warning and a notice to possess his property was sent last week. A spokesman for housing association Genesis, said: 'Following repeated complaints about Mr Cameron we sought a court injunction to prevent further work from taking place. 'As the resident has consistently ignored the previous warnings and the injunction, Genesis has been left with no other alternative but to seek possession of the property. 'In terms of how Mr Cameron was building the plane and boat, he was constructing various bits in his flat. He claimed that the full thing was then being constructed away from his flat.' VIDEO: David Cameron worked on the microlight plane and boat for TEN years . | Mechanic - called David Cameron - drove his neighbours crazy with noise .
He is being kicked out of his home in London's West Hampstead . |
75,308 | d58343ffee330bccc950d373e8e642011f510a63 | David Haigh, the former Leeds United managing director who has now spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell, has issued an explosive statement protesting his innocence while revealing no criminal charges have yet been brought against him. Haigh has been accused by his former employers and former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him. The figures that have been reported amount to around £4million. But Haigh, who is still waiting to even be questioned by the authorities in Dubai despite having shared a cell with two or three other prisoners at the Bur Dubai Police Station Jail since May 18, has enlisted the services of forensic investigators at Price Waterhouse Coopers in a bid to clear his name. David Haigh (centre) has issued an explosive statement protesting his innocence . Haigh, who is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities, was the frontman and deputy CEO of Dubai-based bankers GFH when they bought Leeds from Ken Bates in December 2012. He then became managing director of the football club and introduced current owner Massimo Cellino to GFH. Once the takeover had occurred the controversial Italian dispensed with the services of Haigh, who had resigned from GFH and as managing director of the club. In May GFH released a statement confirming 36-year-old Haigh had been arrested ‘on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering while he was employed at the bank.’ Since then a High Court Judge has imposed an interim asset freezing order on Haigh, with Mr Justice Males pointing to the fact that Haigh was facing allegations of ‘false invoice fraud’ in criminal and civil proceedings in Dubai. The Judge said he was satisfied that GFH had a ‘good arguable case’ and said there was evidence of a ‘risk of a dissipation of assets’. But Haigh claims he is the victim and in a detailed statement issued through his representatives on Thursday he said: ‘I have now been held in jail for 130 days during which time no criminal charges have been brought against me. Nor have I been questioned or examined in any way about any criminal matters. ‘Under the cynical guise of what I believe is essentially a vindictive commercial dispute, my former employers Gulf Finance House GFH Capital (GFH) through their lawyers, Gibson Dunn, have publicly accused me of illegally and deliberately diverting money to bank accounts they claim I controlled. Haigh has spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell and is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities . ‘GFH bases most of its allegations against me on a report commissioned by them from a Gulf-based accountant called Sajjad Haider. I have instructed internationally renowned accountancy and forensic investigators from Price Waterhouse Coopers to examine what purport to be the findings of that report. ‘PWC’s conclusions which I have now received are unequivocal. They say the Haider report on which the GFH allegations are based provides no evidence that I either created false invoices or diverted GFH money into accounts controlled by me. ‘The PWC conclusions also specifically state that there is no evidence provided to support any allegation “that Mr Haigh created fake invoices to illegally divert funds for his own personal benefit from client/escrow accounts held on behalf of GFH by Gibson Dunn”. ‘Both the handwriting report and the PWC findings confirm my belief that vindictive and personal attacks have been mounted against me in order to secure my incarceration in Dubai. Indeed, it has already been admitted in court by GFH that they used subterfuge to lure me to Dubai from the UK. ‘While I do not blame the Dubai system or its authorities for what has happened, GFH knew full well that they had no grounds to have me detained in the UK. I have to remain confident that the Dubai judicial system, which I believe to be fair and just, will do a thorough job which will result in my name being cleared. ‘In the meantime however I believe that GFH are exploiting the Dubai system in having me locked up for more than four months without trial, never having been questioned about any criminality and guilty of no wrongdoing. Justice will prevail; of that I am confident.’ Haigh (right) has enlisted the services of forensic investigators in a bid to clear his name . Haigh said he is now in danger of losing his home. ‘The freezing by GFH and Gibson Dunn of my bank accounts and assets has prevented me from spending even a penny on my living expenses, such as food or medicine,’ he said. ‘The GFH actions are also calculated to cause me maximum problems in Dubai where debt is a criminal offence. In a few days my house may be foreclosed of which GFH are well aware. ‘I can only speculate as to motives for this conduct which, in taking away my freedom and seeking to destroy my reputation and character, is clearly in breach of my fundamental human rights. ‘Can it be coincidence that the amounts of money GFH falsely claim was diverted illegally and deliberately into accounts controlled by me are remarkably similar to the amounts contained in my outstanding claims against GFH? ‘These include payments long overdue to me for expenses, salary, bonus shares and commission incurred during my time working both for GFH and as Managing Director of Leeds United. ‘I have also volunteered to be transferred to a jail for long term serious drug offenders in order to have greater access to my lawyers. This is in spite of the serious and persistent health problems brought on by my imprisonment and the heavy medication which they have necessitated. ‘Despite all this, GFH has shown no interest in engaging on these matters. They appear to me to be motivated by a strategy of seeking to discredit me by keeping me in jail without charge for as long as possible so that I cannot defend myself. 'At the same time they seek to gain maximum advantage from the fact I am unable properly to defend myself through my inability to access my phone, bank and computer records and files. This attempt to make me a scapegoat is cynical and wrong.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | David Haigh has spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell and is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities .
Haigh has been accused by former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him .
The former Leeds United managing director has enlisted the services of forensic investigators in a bid to clear his name . |
134,022 | 3945e22c503109659c8d463d4674d153a6f5e8ec | The 57-year-old carpenter whose naked body was found strapped to a chair in a Gold Coast residence last month allegedly died after a wild sex romp with a prostitute, in which he was gagged with a sock and punctured with what may have been the woman's stiletto heel. Police allege the prostitute and her driver planned to rob Gregory John Hudson after she saw cash and drugs at his address during a kinky sexual encounter with him the day after he arrived in Queensland from Sydney,the Gold Coast Bulletin reports. Police at first believed Mr Hudson may have died in a sex game gone wrong after a female flatmate found his naked body inside a town house at Varsity Lakes, a southern Gold Coast suburb, on October 23. His hands had been bound and a sock, believed to have been used as a gag, was beside him. Puncture wounds found on his body were consistent with having been inflicted by the heel of a stiletto shoe. Scroll down for video . Wild sex: After the naked body of Gregory Hudson (above, left) was found boundld Coast flat with a gag beside him and his body pucntured with what may have been a stiletto heel, police arrested 24-year-old driver, Benjamin Ghobrial, who appeared in Southport Magistrates Court (above, right) on Friday on charges of armed robbery and manslaughter . Body found: Police officers and forensics workers outside inside the Varsity Lakes unit where Gregory Hudson was found dead just four days after he had arrived by bus from Sydney to the Gold Coast . Benjamin Ghobrial, 24, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday charged with armed robbery in company, enter with intent and manslaughter. He did not appear in the court. Detectives are reportedly planning to lay charges against the woman in connection with Mr Hudson's death. Mr Hudson had just moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney, arriving by bus just before his death. Puzzling evidence: The crime scene that was set up following the discover of Gregory Hudson's body at a Gold Coast property in late October . Taped up: Police taped off several properties while they conducted a forensic examination of the scene . Following Mr Hudson's death, police interviewed a woman believed to be a sex worker, who was reportedly assisting investigators with their investigation. Detectives say the victim Mr Hudson was not known to police. Benjamin Ghobrial was remanded in custody to appear in court on February 11 next year. Crime scene: The Varsity Lakes street on the Gold Coast where the dead man's body was found last month . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Police have charged a man, 24, over the death of Gregory John Hudson .
Mr Hudson was found naked and bound inside a Gold Coast unit .
The 57-year-old carpenter had only just moved from Sydney and was cashed up .
A sock used as a gag was beside his body which was punctured with what might have been a stiletto heel .
Police have now charged Benjamin Ghobrial, 24 with armed robbery and manslaughter .
Mr Ghobrial was the prostitute's driver and police allege they planned to rob Mr Hudson . |
24,213 | 44b338db928de7fd46517875e35527ca05eb301b | Eerie, haunted, sad. Those words are being used in connection with what some workers at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in Lower Manhattan have called the "Angel of 9-11" -- an image some see in wreckage salvaged from the World Trade Center's North Tower. Exposure to the elements over more than a decade sculpted what many viewers say is a human visage. The contorted beams were originally part of the first tower that was hit during the terrorist attacks early September 11, 2001. They have since been moved to the nearby National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Though the museum does not open to the public until spring 2014, pictures of the 30-foot structure have elicited what some, in tweets, called "stunned" reactions. Some posted that it touched their hearts and that they believe it to be sacred. Others consider it a common type of optical illusion. But their skepticism was tempered with thoughtfulness. Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine and author of the book "The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies," is among the skeptics. He cited a phenomenon called "patternicity" -- the human tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise. And he credited the brain's software for allowing to see a face on the metal. Anything that looks like it has two eyes and a mouth "stimulates the area that recognizes faces," he told CNN in a telephone interview, citing such common examples as the man in the moon or a face in a cloud. A spokesman for the museum said he is aware of the symbolism of what some have detected. "People often find meaning in tragedy, particularly in one as widely felt as the September 11 attacks," said Anthony Guido, communications manager for the museum, in a written statement. "This impact steel is historically important to include in the museum as it will help tell the story of 9/11 to visitors from around the world." And the reactions of some of the workers add to that story. | Some people see an image in a piece of 9-11 wreckage at a yet-to-open museum .
It is being called the "Angel of 9-11"
"People often find meaning in tragedy," says museum spokesman . |
6,274 | 11d01fa3ce775219509a3dfc12d9fcecb488909b | By . Emily Allen and Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 11:06 EST, 13 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:08 EST, 14 August 2012 . Comrades of missing sailor Timmy MacColl left a space on deck where he should have stood as their ship returned to port in the UK yesterday. The 27-year-old father-of-two, originally from Killin, Scotland, vanished on a night out socialising when the ship was docked in Dubai more than 12 weeks ago. Despite a large media campaign in the Emirate, there has not been an update on the case from Dubai police for weeks. It is feared he may have been kidnapped. Touching tribute: A space is left on deck where missing Leading Seaman Timmy MacColl should have been standing as HMS Westminster returns to port in Southampton yesterday morning . There were tears yesterday as sailors lined the deck of HMS Westminster as it arrived at Portsmouth. In tribute to their missing comrade the ship's company left a space where he should have been standing. On land, the family of Leading Seaman MacColl stood at the shoreline as the vessel made its way to dock at 10am, unfurling a banner that read, simply: 'Bring Timmy Home'. Leading Seaman MacColl’s pregnant wife Rachael, 25, watched the ship arrive from the privacy of the dockyard. The return comes as an anonymous benefactor put up a 'substantial cash reward' for any information . Missing: Timothy MacColl, 27, from Gosport in Hampshire, with one of his two children. He vanished more than 12 weeks ago . Mrs MacColl - who married her husband . seven years ago after they met at HMS Collingwood - hopes the reward . will lead to a development in the case. 'The . reward will be paid if information given actually leads to Timmy being . physically located,' she said. 'If someone knows something please come . forward. 'My life can’t move . forward until I find him. It’s not just emotionally, it’s financially, . my children, his family. Our family deserves answers. That’s the main . thing, we just need to find him.' Timmy went missing after being put into a taxi by two shipmates outside the Rock Bottom Cafe nightclub at 2am on May 27. He had no ID and only a Nokia phone, which has never been found. The cab was told to go back to Port Rashid where Westminster was docked, but the sailor never arrived. The . driver has told Dubai police the sailor got out of the car when he got . lost inside the port and pulled over to ask for directions. Mrs . MacColl, who is expecting their third child in October, made a trip to . Dubai and retraced her husband’s last-known steps last month. She fears he has been kidnapped. Land and sea searches around Port Rashid failed to find any clues. 'We are told Timmy gets in the taxi, he gets out of the taxi at the tea shack and that’s it,' she said. 'We’ve . not been told how they know this information is true. And we’ve not . been told about forensics on the vehicle or anything like that, so we . don’t even know if it was Timmy in the taxi. 'It’s . assumed it was Timmy in the cab. It has been ascertained now that there . were other members of the ship’s company in Rock Bottom. 'They would have left at some point and got a taxi back. There’s nothing after he is seen on CCTV leaving the bar. 'The . description of his clothing given to the police by shipmates was wrong, . he was wearing blue and white checked shorts with a red T-shirt and . dark-blue canvas shoes.' Mixed emotions: Friends and relatives of Timmy lined the shoreline to . release yellow balloons and unfurled a banner as the ship returned to its . home port of Portsmouth, Hampshire . Difficult time: Timmy's friends and family hug as HMS Westminster returns to Portsmouth. They are calling on the British police to become involved in the search after hearing nothing from the Dubai police for weeks . Tearful crowds shouted 'Welcome home . Westminster' as the ship passed yesterday and 50 yellow balloons were . released in tribute to the missing sailor. The Captain of HMS Westminster said he was 'desperately disappointed' to be returning home without Leading Seaman MacColl. Mrs . MacColl's uncle Neil Cunningham - who flew out to Dubai to help with . the search in June - joined her mother, aunt and grandfather yesterday . at Portsmouth's Round Tower fort to watch the Westminster's arrival. He said: 'Not knowing what happened to Timmy has been hard for Rachael but she has been amazingly strong and resilient. 'She has shown immense strength of character and will never give up searching for him. 'Outwardly . she displays such strong emotions. When she is with people she is fine - . she has the comfort and support of family and a good network of . friends. 'But when she is alone with the children - particularly early in the morning - things are more difficult. 'We will go on searching for Timmy forever.' Family man: His wife Rachael, who is expecting their third child in . October, has vowed to find her husband . Mr . Cunningham, 42, added: 'We are also here to support the ship’s company . who have gone through the same awful 77 days as us, missing a ship . mate.' Mrs MacColl’s . grandfather Jim Cunningham said: 'It has been a very, very fraught time . for us. We never realised it was going to continue for this long without . a positive outcome. 'I have . wanted Hampshire Constabulary to be involved in this case from the . start. They have experience of dealing with other forces and a good . track record with murder enquiries.' Mrs MacColl’s mother Jacqui Brien also vowed to never give up hope. But she said the couple’s son Cameron, seven, and daughter Skye, four, are struggling to understand what’s going on. Cameron thinks his dad has been kidnapped - 'like in the film Pirates of the Caribbean'. Mrs Brien, 46, added: 'Someone knows something. Whatever has happened we need to find Timmy or we’ll always be wondering. 'We have shed more tears this last week than any other - I think it was knowing the ship was coming back without Timmy. 'The closer my daughter gets to her due date the harder it gets. It is really hard for her. We feel empty and numb.' Departed: Routine checks were carried out by the Navy before the HMS Westminster sailed, but they could not locate the leading seaman and local authorities were alerted . Concerning: The sailor, right, has not been seen since getting into a taxi at around 2am on May 27. It is known that he had just left the Rock Bottom Bar, left, which is at the Regent Hotel in the area of Deira . Neil . Cunningham said the family is struggling to gather information and . added: 'I keep trying to get the Dubai police to speak to me but they . won’t unless I’m out there in person. 'I’m . requesting information from the home secretary and speaking to the . Royal Navy’s investigation branch, which is doing a sterling job in very . trying circumstances.' The Royal Navy has continued to express its 'concern' for Timmy’s safety. A . spokesman said: 'The matter is being treated as a missing person case. The MoD and Royal Navy continue to liaise with and provide assistance to . the Dubai authorities. 'The Foreign Office also remains in contact with the Emirati police about their ongoing investigation.' Captain . Nick Hine, Leading Seaman MacColl's commanding officer, said: 'Clearly . we are all desperately disappointed that Leading Seaman MacColl remains . missing. 'Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family at this particularly difficult time.' | Father-of-two Timothy MacColl, 27, has not been seen since May 27 when he got into a taxi after a night out .
There has been no update on the case from the Dubai police for weeks and his family have called on the British police to get involved .
Captain of the ship said he was 'desperately disappointed' to be returning without the sailor . |
78,943 | dfc23986a93d1c9e53feb48e1ee764879167136b | Wesley Sneijder showed Manchester United what they're missing by scoring two stunning goals for Galatasaray on Thursday night. The 30-year-old midfielder was a target for the Red Devils and Premier League rivals Southampton during the January transfer window. Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder scored two stunning goals for Galatasaray on Thursday night . And how United manager Louis van Gaal could do with the magic touch of Sneijder to help spark his misfiring side as they chase a top four finish in the Premier League. Sneijder's first goal was a 25-yard rocket which flew past the stranded goalkeeper in the first half. And he followed it with a delightful chip which floated into the top corner as Galatasaray secured a 4-1 victory over Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup. Sneijder scored his first with a 25-yard rocket and followed up with a delightful chip . | Wesley Sneijder scored twice for Galatasaray in Turkish Cup tie .
The Dutch midfielder had been target for Red Devils in January . |
147,986 | 4b5f4c1f69cbca605af7f62bfc92716a83e9195f | By . Kieran Corcoran for MailOnline . and Reuters . Thousands of eco-activists piled into Wall Street today in protest over links between financial institutions and climate change. The environmental campaigners dressed in blue and hoped to 'flood' the lower Manhattan financial district with their message, the day after more than 100,000 joined a climate change march through New York City. Three of their number were arrested by the NYPD, and officers had to use pepper spray on the crowds to stop them pushing past metal barricades to keep them away from traders at the New York Stock Exchange. Scroll down for video . Protest: Hundreds gathered on Wall Street today to hit out at financial institutions' involvement in climate change - they are pictured here surrounding the iconic Charging Bull statue . Crowd control: NYPD officers used pepper spray to hold back protesters trying to get near the New York Stock Exchange . Under arrest: This protester was dragged away by the NYPD at the event in Manhattan's financial district . Some protesters were pictured clashing with officers over the barricades, and later being dragged off - while many others sat down in the street and waved banners to get their message across. The 'Flood Wall Street' protest has roots in the Occupy movements that started in a downtown Manhattan park in 2011 to protest what it called unfair banking practices that served the wealthiest in America, leaving behind 'the 99 per cent'. 'Flood': Many of those protesting wore blue to make a visual statement while marching on the stronghold of capitalism . Concern: An activist dressed as a polar bear to warn of the dangers to some species from rising temperatures . 'Fossil fools': Protesters, some of whom wore makes, attacked fossil fuel industries such as oil and fracking . Kai Sanburn, a nurse from Los Angeles, 60, said she had traveled to New York for Sunday's march and wanted to do more. She said: 'Marching is wonderful but to really change things we really need to change things'. 'The action here against Wall Street is really expressive of the feeling that corporations and capitalism no longer serve people.' Urban farmer Ben Shapiro from Youngstown, Ohio, says he came to 'confront the system.' March: Protesters began in Battery Park, NYC, and continued along Broadway in the financial district . Standing guard: Hundreds of police were posted to Wall St to keep the financial centers working as usual . Getting steamed: NYPD officers stand at the barricades and await the protesters . Scuffles: Three activists were arrested during the day, while others clashed with police trying to force back metal barricades . Flood Wall Street organizers said they hope Monday's action will draw a link between economic policies and the environment. They accused top financial institutions of 'exploiting frontline communities, workers and natural resources' for financial gain. The event is part of Climate Week, which seeks to draw attention to carbon emissions and their link to global warming, and it comes ahead of a United Nations Climate Summit tomorrow. Shall not be moved: One protester lay down in the street with an Occupy-style mask placed on his body . 'Carbon bubble': The organizers brought along props - including a metaphorical 'Carbon bubble' - to make their point . Bubble burst: Police seized the bubble and deflated it during the protest today, in which 2,600 are thought to have marched . | Environmentalists dressed in blue and tried to 'flood' Wall Street .
Gathered with banners and clashed with police over metal barricades .
Hoped to highlight links between big finance and climate change .
Three were arrested and dragged away from the New York City protest .
When protesters made a push for the New York Stock Exchange, they were forced back by the NYPD with pepper spray . |
92,196 | 02955a9a853e75f6447246a892f52caeeeeef4ac | By . Simon Tomlinson . PUBLISHED: . 04:27 EST, 15 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:45 EST, 15 January 2014 . 'My life is destroyed': Fourteen-year-old Hanifa Amar is being forced to marry a 44-year-old landlord in exchange for her family's safe refuge in Lebanon after fleeing the civil war in Syria . A 14-year-old girl who escaped the bloody fighting in Syria is being forced to marry a 44-year-old stranger in exchange for her family's safe refuge across the border. Hanifa Amar's parents say they can no longer afford the $250 (£150) monthly rent at a house they fled to in neighbouring Lebanon. The landlord has agreed to let them stay, but only if Hanifa becomes his second wife. Wiping away tears, Hanifa told Al Jazeera: 'My whole life is destroyed. I don't want to marry him, but if I do my family can stay in this house.' The teenager had hoped to marry her 22-year-old cousin, but he died fighting in Syria last year. Instead, she now has to take desperate measures to help her family survive after they were threatened with eviction. Her mother, Mysa, says they cannot risk moving into a tent because her husband suffers from heart problems and she fears her asthmatic son could die in the bitter cold. Her other son, who is 12, earns the little money they have by helping a mechanic, but this is barely enough to pay for food. Mrs Amar said: 'No mother wants to hurt her child, but we have no choice.' Their plight emerged as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told yesterday how fear, confusion and a lack of information are preventing many Syrian refugees in Lebanon from knowing where to turn for aid. With a constant surge of refugees now fighting the bitter winter cold, humanitarian organisations are struggling to find ways to reach them with the information they need to survive - and are recruiting some refugees to help out. Desperate measures: Hanifa's parents can't afford the $250 monthly rent at this house they fled to in Lebanon . Fight for survival: Hanifa's mother, Mysa (right), says they cannot risk moving into a tent because her husband suffers from heart problems and she fears her asthmatic son could die in the bitter cold . In Lebanon, where displaced Syrians . now equal one-third of the population, the problem is made worse by the . government's refusal to establish official refugee camps, leading to a . chaotic, fractured operation with major gaps in coordination. Many . distrust a Lebanese government they deem sympathetic to President . Bashar Assad and are suspicious of international aid organisations, . making them hesitant to register with the U.N. refugee agency to become . eligible for assistance. 'Everyone, . who comes here is confused and afraid,' said Elyse Maalouf, a UNHCR . worker in Zahleh, one of two registration centers in Lebanon's Bekaa . Valley, where hundreds of informal refugee settlements have sprung up. 'Many refugees are reluctant to register because they fear their names would be shared with the Syrian government.' Dreams shattered: Hanifa had hoped to marry her 22-year-old cousin (right), but he died fighting in Syria . Of all of Syria's neighbours, Lebanon has been the hardest hit by the exodus of Syrians fleeing their country's violence. Close to 1.5 million Syrians are now in Lebanon, scattered across the volatile country often in makeshift substandard accommodation. Unlike in neighboring Turkey and Jordan, there are no official refugee camps. From immunisation and other health services, to education and even basic aid to survive outside their war-stricken homeland, most Syrians in Lebanon feel lost in a world of rumors and misinformation. The conflict in Syria has left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced as many as two million. | Hanifa Amar's family escaped bloody fighting to neighbouring Lebanon .
Landlord has threatened to evict them unless she becomes second wife .
Crying teenager says: 'My life is destroyed. I don't want to marry him' |
13,840 | 273f249054a5711b730b972b9c562ca916fbb1a6 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:57 EST, 25 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:10 EST, 25 September 2013 . A Real Housewife has come under fire for promoting 'marital rape' in her book about how to 'keep the romance alive and the home fires burning'. Melissa Gorga who came to fame for her role on Real Housewives of New Jersey has penned a book about her marriage and one portion that her husband Joe contributed is causing outrage. 'Men, I know you think your woman isn't the type who wants to be taken. But trust me, she is. Every girl wants to get her hair pulled once in a while. If your wife says "no," turn her around, and rip her clothes off. She wants to be dominated,' he wrote. 'Women don't realize how easy men are. Just give us what we want.' Outrage: Melissa Gorga's new book talks at length about her sex life with her husband and she says that wives should do everything to please their husband and avoid fights . The couple's sex life is discussed at length in the book by both of the Gorgas, and Melissa advocates both 'real passionate sex and maintenance sex'. 'Maintenance sex keeps the wheels greased, the lines of communication open, and the fights to a minimum,' she wrote, according to Jezebel. Her frequent mentions of fights that are avoided using sex has raised some eyebrows about their tempestuous relationship. 'In the beginning, Joe wanted to have sex every single day, at least once, if not twice or three times…If I didn't give it to him once a day, he'd get upset,' she wrote. Weighing in: Joe Gorga says that even if the woman says no, men should dominate them and force them to have sex . Family values: Gorga (left) is Teresa Guidice's (right) sister-in-law . 'I can do something that pisses him off on a Monday, but if we had sex on Sunday night, it blows over more easily. But if we haven't done it for two days and I give him attitude? It could be a huge fight.' Joe Gorga is the brother of Teresa Giudice, who is another one of the stars on the New Jersey-based reality show. In spite of her tips about how she has to be home when her husband gets home and how she dresses to impress him, Gorga maintains that the book- like their marriage- is all about 'mutual respect'. 'I think it's controversial in many ways because we do really live an old school type of marriage but with a modern twist,' she said in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. The Gorgas have three children- two boys and a girl- and Gorga has said that she will be happy to give the book to her daughter when she gets married someday so that she knows how to approach her own marriage. Though her marriage is said to be 'hot and happy', her continual fights with Teresa remain a regular storyline on the reality show. In the beginning, Joe wanted to have sex every single day, at least once, if not twice or three times…If I didn't give it to him once a day, he'd get upset.I can do something that pisses him off on a Monday, but if we had sex on Sunday night, it blows over more easily. But if we haven't done it for two days and I give him attitude? It could be a huge fight. Love: Joe has been at Melissa's side during a number of book appearances . There's real passionate sex and maintenance sex. You need them both for a healthy marriage. Maintenance sex keeps the wheels greased, the lines of communication open, and the fights to a minimum.The way I see it, if a wife is a puttana, her husband will never feel the urge to go outside the marriage to actual whores, or strip clubs. He won't hit on women in bars, or drool over his friend's girlfriends or the secretary. He'll rush home to his wife, who makes sure he'll have a good time (the best time) in the comfort of his own home.Back in our early years, we'd go to the bar, and I'd make the rounds and talk to everyone. When we got home, Joe would say, "I feel like we didn't hang out. Like you talked to everyone else more." Now, you might think, "Why is he so needy?" He's not. Joe doesn't need me to hold his hand at a party. It's about respect and loyalty…We arrive together. We stay near each other. We leave together. JOE GORGA'S QUOTES FROM THE BOOK: . Men, . I know you think your woman isn't the type who wants to be taken. But . trust me, she is. Every girl wants to get her hair pulled once in a . while. If your wife says "no," turn her around, and rip her clothes off. She wants to be dominated. Women don't realize how easy men are. Just give us what we want. To . be on the same level, everyone has to get off the high horse. I don't . care if the woman makes more money than the man, if he's a janitor and . she's the president. After a fourteen-hour workday, if a man comes home . and there's no dinner on the table, and his wife is on the phone, . watching TV, or on the computer ignoring him, he won't feel respected. | Melissa Gorga, 34, published a book last week about her 'hot' marriage .
She is on Real Housewives of New Jersey and her husband Joe is Teresa Guidice's brother .
Talks about how she has sex with her husband almost every day and how that helps avoid fights between the two .
He writes portions, including one where he says that women like 'to be dominated' |
26,925 | 4c68a46924cd90444854fd30eb1b83ba49f4a3f0 | By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 03:29 EST, 24 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:22 EST, 24 June 2013 . An influential group of doctors and surgeons will declare today that the NHS must accept the 'unpalatable truth' and start charging patients for services it can no longer afford. The group will demand that a list is drawn . up to tell patients what 'core' services they can expect from the NHS and what 'extras' they will have to pay for. Under proposals due to be put before the British Medical Association's annual meeting in Edinburgh, members will be told that the service can no longer be 'free-at-the-point-of-contact'. (File picture) Surgeons performing operation in operating room. Doctors will demand that a list is drawn up to tell patients what 'core' services they can expect from the NHS . A motion due to be put forward by the organisation's Buckinghamshire division will say: 'This meeting requests the BMA to launch a debate with the public . and the health professions about what type of health service they wish . for in the future and how it could be delivered in a climate of . shrinking resources.' A further motion by the Conference of LMCs agenda committee, the body that represents local NHS GPs, adds: 'This meeting believes that the government has a full and frank discussion with the public on how to fund the NHS if it is to remain free at the point of care.' It goes on to say: 'It is time for conference to face the unpalatable truth that free at the point of contact can no longer be sustained.' The Yorkshire Regional Council also warned: 'New NHS services must be fully priced before introduction and a recommendation made about what is stopped to pay for this new work, unless additional money is made available.' But unions and patients' groups warned that top-up payments were 'contrary to the whole ethos of the NHS' and could be the start of a slippery slope towards privatisation of health services. Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, told The Times that means-testing and top-up charges were contrary to the ethos of the NHS. Members of the BMA will be told that the service can no longer be 'free-at-the-point-of-contact' Under pressure: Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne is due to release his spending review on Wednesday . Opposition: Unions and patients' groups have warned that top-up payments were 'contrary to the whole ethos of the NHS' She said: 'Do you ask people to pay for hospital food? What happens to people who can't pay for it? Who is in a position to say, "You can't have this operation unless you pay for it yourself". 'We do have to have a grown-up conversation with regard to co-payments and top-ups. But with scandal after scandal in the NHS the public wants us to address those now. 'Unless care is made better, we cut down on waste and the public sees the NHS putting its house in order I don't think it is the time for that conversation.' Rehana Azam, of the GMB union, added: 'The NHS should stick with the principle that access should be available to all and should not be on the ability to pay. If you start going down the route of what you can't have and what you have to top up then where do you stop?' It comes two days before the government's spending review is due to be published with Chancellor George Osborne under pressure to make cuts. He has promised to ring-fence the £110billion health budget and promised to 'prioritise' spending on the NHS. In a video warning of 'tough choices' in the spending review which will set out £11.5billion of cuts for . 2015-16, Mr Osborne said: 'We will look after those who need our help . but make sure benefits do not go up faster than wages. 'We have already decided to spend an . extra £3billion on the country's infrastructure. Things like roads, . bridges, railways and HS2. These are key for future jobs. 'And we will prioritise spending on the NHS and schools - vital public services that we depend on.' | British Medical Association will be told 'extras' should be paid for .
Motion claims service can no longer be 'free-at-the-point-of-contact'
But unions warn top-up payments are 'contrary to ethos of the NHS' |
77,686 | dc3bed288405d26b5b8b55dc3fd73cb2dac86ac7 | (CNN) -- After two years of a virtual stalemate of progress in Washington, members of Congress are headed home for five weeks during August. The pressure is on for both parties to tell two very different stories to voters with only a short time before the election. So who will have the better narrative? And will Americans listen? Voters are unhappy with everyone, which includes President Barack Obama, Democrats and Republicans. According to Real Clear Politics polling average, President Obama's approval rating stands at 41.6% while Congressional approval is in the tank at 12.3%. Partisan warfare is a clear culprit to these low ratings. During August, voters should be prepared to take plenty of Advil, because their headaches are about to get worse. Expect to hear Democrats complain loudly that Republicans are going to try to impeach Obama, that an attempt to sue the President is a useless partisan exercise designed to fundraise from conservatives across the country and that women should be very afraid of the Supreme Court decision on contraceptives. Republicans will shout that Democrats are driving the impeachment story to fundraise off their liberal base, that the Senate is obstructing progress to protect their vulnerable members in red states from having to take tough votes and that suing Obama is necessary because he isn't doing his real job of working with Congress. The polarization merry-go-round in Washington can be very attractive for a member of Congress to fall into selling a partisan only message to their constituents. But, when Americans run into a TV show they don't like, they turn the channel. Voters are desperate to know about what can be accomplished to help them. Climate change isn't going to cut it for Democrats and abortion isn't going to work for Republicans. They simply don't connect to the average voter concerns. The issues that matter are front and center in everyday American life. Both sides are going to have to address the border crisis and their solutions to the problem. We are dealing with innocent children who are caught up in this mess. The news has saturated America and is a common topic around dinner tables and water coolers across the country. People are concerned and frustrated that Washington has spent too much time finger-pointing at each other. How do our elected officials plan to help create the conditions for more jobs, more money in their wallets and more food on the table? How can their lives be made better for themselves and their children? The Democrats will likely point to some positive economic indicators and rising consumer confidence to show that it is turning around. But they lack an overall agenda to demonstrate there is a future method toward achieving economic stability. Republicans can show they have a plan to turn around the economy faster, but rightfully point out the inaction by the Senate Democrats to address Republican plans. The House of Representatives, run by Republicans, has passed myriad bills dealing with job creation, gas prices and small business issues. These bills can be used as basis for a forward-looking agenda. The battle over the female voter will continue through August, with Democrats pointing to the Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision on female contraception coverage as a threat to women's rights. The Democrats have also tried to push through votes appealing to the middle class on the minimum wage and the gender gap in pay. House Republicans finally wised up and recently offered a female agenda of their own right before the August break that would increase job training, incentivize flexible work schedules, provide tax breaks for children and families, and strengthens charter schools. The package also includes new legislation to prevent retaliation when women ask about equal pay. Beyond this rhetoric, there is a better opportunity for Republicans in this election cycle to sell a positive message to voters because Democrats are being forced to defend the White House and its handling of the crises at home and abroad. It's more difficult for a Democrat to have to answer questions about the missing e-mail scandal at the Internal Revenue Service or President Obama's handling of Israel or the Ukraine and then pivot to a positive message on female gender pay. Mad people vote. And people are mad at Washington. Republicans can blame the President for his failure of leadership, but the bulk of their arguments must be centered on positive solutions that connect with people who are tired of the finger pointing. This means that Americans could lean toward the GOP when they vote this November, if the focus is kept on what people are demanding to know, which is, "How we get out of this mess?" Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion. | Ron Bonjean: As Congress leaves for recess, members face an angry electorate .
The approval ratings for Congress are at a dismal 12.3% .
Bonjean: Voters will be looking for solutions, not just spin . |
30,877 | 57bb410d8857fe23a4ce7da5bd6f3164fb481e38 | Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham's fighting spirit evident in their backs-to-the-wall win at Swansea is proof that Spurs players are buying into his philosophy. Spurs had to defend for long periods at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday but Christian Eriksen's 89th-minute winner secured a 2-1 victory which took Pochettino's men into seventh place in the Barclays Premier League. Danish midfielder Eriksen also claimed a 90th-minute winner at Hull last month, which came just weeks after Spurs had struck twice in the final six minutes to win 2-1 at Aston Villa. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino (right) was delighted with the character his team showed . Tottenham's Harry Kane (left), Eriksen (centre) and Jan Vertonghen (right) celebrate their 89th-minute winner . 'The character is very important, to show and fight in every action,' Tottenham manager Pochettino said after Sunday's game. 'We are playing the right way and when you arrive in a different club with different players you always need time to try and put your philosophy on the squad. 'I am happy with the players, we are showing the character we want and we got the reaction we want. Eriksen scores a late winner for Spurs as they took all three points away from the Liberty Stadium . Kane (centre) leaps above the Swansea defence to power a header into the back of the net early on . 'We have a lot of good players and young talent and players like Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane are very important to us.' Kane's header had given Spurs a fourth-minute lead but Swansea created plenty of chances either side of Wilfried Bony's 48th-minute equaliser - the Ivorian's 20th Premier League goal in 2014 - without managing to make them count. However, even though Swansea had the opportunities to get something out of the match, Pochettino felt Spurs were good value for the three points which takes them above their opponents in the table. 'In football you need to score and we deserved to win because we scored. In the last few games we deserve more and didn't score,' he said. Bony (left) slots the ball past Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal as the Tottenham defence can only look on . 'We deserved more in the first half but then we conceded a goal and Swansea pushed us. 'We defended deep and maybe Swansea played better in this period, but in the last 10 minutes we were always alive.' Swansea manager Garry Monk pinned the blame for a second consecutive defeat on individual errors. Poor marking gave Kane the chance to profit from a corner before substitute Jazz Richards' careless clearance allowed former Swansea defender Ben Davies to set up Eriksen's low drive from 20 yards. Garry Monk (left) gestures towards the pitch as Pochettino holds his arms out and expresses his surprise . Ashley Williams, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng look devastated after conceding late on . 'It is sickening, two individual errors have cost us and we were not clinical enough,' Monk said. 'We could have scored a number of goals and didn't. The second half was one-way traffic and if it had been a boxing match it would have been called off. 'We lost it more than they won it and I do not know how we did not win it. It is very hard to take. 'It is an injustice, but football can be cruel at times and we have to learn from that.' Monk was unhappy that Spurs forward Erik Lamela went unpunished for what he saw as several poor challenges, including a swinging arm which left Swansea's Jefferson Montero prostrate on the floor in the first half. 'Lamela had six or seven fouls and was not punished for any of them, which is strange,' Monk said. 'I asked the fourth official did their player touch the ball at any time? 'I don't think he did but that is not the reason we lost.' | Late Christian Eriksen goal earns Tottenham all three points .
Swansea had better of the game, but Kane and Eriksen strikes secure win .
Pochettino says 'we got the reaction we want' after Bony equaliser .
But Swansea boss Garry Monk called the result 'an injustice' |
8,420 | 17c2e038633fb4d3524348b796c5d960b3b0b4a9 | One of Britain’s best teenage sailors has been found dead a day after celebrating her birthday. The body of Jessica Eales was discovered in woodland near her home in the New Forest, just weeks after she represented Great Britain in a youth world championships. The straight-A student, who lived near Lymington in Hampshire, had spent her 17th birthday with friends from her sailing club. Talented: Jess Eales, 17, from Lymington, Hampshire, was found dead in woodland weeks after representing Great Britain in the World Youth Sailing Championships . She had posted messages on Facebook the day before, saying how she was looking forward to seeing them. The group hired a rigid inflatable boat, which they took out on the Solent. Jessica . also uploaded a smiling photograph of herself the day she died, which . has now been ‘liked’ by 157 people on the social media site. The teenager’s cousin, Misty Eales, 24, who lives nearby, said: ‘It looks like she had a lovely day out. ‘She . posted photos online and was laughing in every one – she looked really . happy. Jess was just a lovely person and she did so well, representing . Britain in the sailing in Portugal. Accolades: The teenager was hugely successful on the British sailing circuit, winning gold at the Youth National Championships in Weymouth earlier this year . ‘She was good at art, at school … just really clever.’ Her body was discovered in Sway, near the family home, at around 9.30am last Thursday. Friends and family yesterday refused to discuss the circumstances surrounding her death. Quick progress: She was a student at Brockenhurst College in the New Forest and only learned to sail in 2009 . But . a Hampshire Police spokesman confirmed it was not being treated as . suspicious and they are not looking to speak to anyone else in relation . to it. Jessica, a . student at Brockenhurst College in the New Forest, learned to sail in . 2009 before becoming a member of Hayling Island Sailing Club. In . April she won a gold medal at the Royal Yachting Association Youth . National Championships in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, and last month . competed at the Isaf Youth Sailing World Championships in Tavira, . Portugal, finishing 11th. An RYA spokesman said: ‘She was a young sailor who showed promising talent which can now unfortunately never be fulfilled. ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this sad and difficult time.’ The . teenager’s parents, Nicholas and Annette Eales, both also keen sailors, . run a marine breakdown assistance company called Sea Start. She has a . brother, James, 14. Jessica’s . aunt Donna Chase, 48, said: ‘She was very clever and very talented. 'She . had a lovely personality and was a beautiful girl. Her parents were . very proud of her, and her mother Annette loved to talk about how well . she was doing.’ A number of her friends and teammates also paid tribute to the teenager on social media. Anna . Prescott wrote: ‘The four years I spent sailing with you were . definitely the best four years of my life. We made so many great . memories together and I would not have wanted to with anyone else.’ Scene: Her body was found near a car park in Sway, the New Forest, Hampshire . | Jess Eales discovered at Sway in the New Forest, Hampshire, last week .
Represented Great Britain in the World Sailing Championships last month .
The teenager finished 11th at the competition in Tavira, Portugal .
Had recently won gold in the National Championships in Weymouth, Dorset .
Hampshire Police confirmed her death is not being treated as suspicious . |
140,370 | 41819dddabddbc8a92660938f1d7df36179e87c6 | By . Paul Revoir . Last updated at 7:02 PM on 24th January 2012 . Old favourite: Figures show more than 90 per cent of TV watched in the UK last year was viewed live . The British public's appetite for conventional TV viewing appears to have levelled out at four hours a day, new figures have revealed. The average viewing figure last year was four hours and two minutes a day via the traditional method of watching programmes, live or recorded, on a TV set. This was exactly the same as the record high figures from 2010, sparking suggestions that the steady growth in time spent watching the box has plateaued. Thinkbox predicted that traditional TV viewing levels would now 'stabilise after a sustained period of record growth' - but accept that some of us may now be getting our fix via smartphone, laptop or tablet computer. In addition, the increase in the number of adverts we are bombarded with has also slowed down. According to research published by commercial TV marketing body Thinkbox, viewers were subjected to 47 adverts a day last year, up by one per day from the previous year. The rapid increase of viewing in recent years has been fuelled by more homes getting digital TV which offers increased choice, easy to use digital video recorders such as Sky+ and popular commercial hits Downton Abbey and X Factor. But the marketing body pointed out that the figures on levels of viewing, which are taken from audience measurement body Barb, do not include the viewing of TV on lap-tops, smartphones and tablet computers, which is increasing rapidly. The organisation said data suggested that there is an additional 1.2 per cent of viewing via other devices, on top of normal TV sets. Viewing figures from Barb show that we're each watching nearly 30 hours of TV a week and BBC1 remains a favourite . The growth of satellite, cable and digital TV over the last 20 years . The figures revealed 90.6 per cent of the TV watched in the UK during 2011 was watched live and 9.4 per cent was watched on time-shifted viewing, which includes technology such as BBC iPlayer or Sky+, up from 7.6 per cent in 2010. Sources suggested that it was wrong to think that the increase in traditional TV viewing would break records every year. It was also added that the increase of 'on-demand' services built into people's main TVs, would also help consolidate TV's viewing levels. Lindsey Clay, from Thinkbox, said: 'It is obvious that people want to watch TV programmes on the best screen in the home if they can and 2012 will bring more opportunities to do that with the sale of connected TVs and more catch-up TV services to the TV set. 'And alongside that there is now a wide variety of personal screens to watch TV on which make TV even more convenient. Tablets are really delivering an excellent mobile TV experience. 'TV continues to be the most effective form of advertising.' Pioneering: On demand services such as Sky+ (pictured) and BBC iPlayer had been hailed as a revolutionary way to watch television . | Figures show 90.6 per cent of the TV watched in the UK last year was viewed when it was broadcast .
Number of adverts we see on TV goes up by one a day .
Figures don't take into account time we spend watching TV on laptops . |
94,311 | 05384c680ee4c3397f7db8331f4b53db64d41d58 | By . Luke Salkeld . Last updated at 7:56 AM on 3rd January 2012 . They are widely regarded as ‘healthy’ options, guilt-free alternatives to snacks such as crisps and chocolate. But most of us are unaware that many of . the dips and spreads, such as hummus, that we believe are better for us . are in fact very high in calories, a survey has shown. The World Cancer Research Fund study revealed a ‘troubling’ lack of knowledge regarding the calorie content of foods. High energy: Hummus, which is made from chickpeas, pictured has a surprisingly high calorie content . A survey conducted for the charity found two thirds of Britons underestimate the number of calories in hummus. The dip, made from chickpeas, contains . on average 332 calories per 100g – more than 10 per cent of the . recommended daily intake for women. But, despite exceeding the ‘high’ level . of ‘energy density’ as defined by the WCRF, which applies to food . containing more than about 225 calories per 100g, it is widely . considered to be ‘healthy’. The YouGov poll of 2,000 people also . found that only 29 per cent knew that even reduced-fat mayonnaise was . high in calories. It has an average of 259 per 100g. And while many . underestimated the energy content of less healthy snacks, a fifth of . those polled overestimated the calorie count in bananas. They described the fruit as high in calories, when it in fact contains only 95 per 100g. The WCRF said the lack of calorie . awareness was a concern because of the many diseases associated with . being overweight or obese, which include cancer. A spokesman said: ‘It seems a lot of people are still confused about the calorie content of everyday foods. ‘This troubling lack of understanding is . perhaps not helped by labels such as 'light' and 'reduced fat' when . these are applied to foods which still have a high calorie content. ‘At this time of year many people make . New Year’s resolutions to lose weight but to do this it is important . that they understand how to determine whether a food is high in . calories.' | World Cancer Research Fund study reveals ‘troubling’ lack of knowledge regarding calorie content of foods . |
184,708 | 7b401fe3d8ef56eaefb35c94cb92282603d626a5 | By . Lizzie Edmonds . PUBLISHED: . 09:53 EST, 18 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:27 EST, 18 September 2013 . Convicted: Brendan Harris, pictured at 15, has been given four months on top of his life sentence after assaulting a nurse at a psychiatric unit . A notorious killer serving life for murdering teenager Sophie Lancaster has been jailed for a further four months after he punched a nurse in a secure psychiatric unit. Brendan Harris, 21, threatened to kill one member of staff after he . became angry over a fellow inmate being restrained. He also punched another in the face leaving him with a broken nose. Preston Crown Court was told the assault . on nurse David Timson occurred on January 10 after Harris was diagnosed . with paranoid schizophrenia and transferred from a young offender . institution to the Guild Lodge, Whittingham, Lancashire. Harris was given a further four months on top of his life sentence after he was convicted of wounding. Harris was only 15 when he battered to death the 18-year-old gap year student Sophie Lancaster in 2007, simply because of the alternative clothes she was wearing. Miss Lancaster died as she tried to protect . her then boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, as they walked through Stubbylee . Park in Bacup, Lancashire. Harris and friend Ryan Herbert, then 16, had just a month earlier been found . guilty of affray over a similar attack on another boy close to the same . park. They walked free from court with community service . orders. Both youngsters . had drunk at least four pints of strong cider and downed shots of . schnapps when they and their five man gang ambushed Miss Lancaster and Mr Maltby in . August 2007. Initially . Sophie handed out cigarettes to placate the yobs but they suddenly . turned on Mr Maltby, a university art student. One of the gang was heard . to shout 'let’s bang him,' before Harris attacked Mr Maltby with a flying kick to the head. Miss . Lancaster, who was due to start an English degree at university a month . later, cradled her boyfriend’s head in her lap and begged his laughing . attackers to leave him alone after they battered him unconscious. Attack: Harris was in a fit of rage when he attacked a nurse and broke their nose at Guild Lodge psychiatric unit . But . instead the group, 'acting like a pack of wild animals', ignored her . pleas. Instead, Herbert and Harris began 'savagely and mercilessly' raining . down blows on her head 'as though it was a football' until she fell into . a coma. The youths then left the couple for dead, . before boasting to friends: 'We’ve just beaten someone up. There’s two . moshers nearly dead up Bacup Park. You wanna see them, they’re a right . mess.' One 14-year-old . girl, who witnessed the attack, dialled 999 in an effort to get help. Her hysterical call was played to the jury during the trial. When . paramedics arrived they found the couple lying side by side covered in . blood. Their injuries were so severe they were unable to establish . whether the victims were male or female. The . couple, who had been together for six months but had already talked . about getting married, were both taken to hospital in comas. Senseless: Goth Sophie Lancaster, then 18, was beaten to death by Harris and his gang in 2007 . Although . Mr Maltby survived, he has suffered lasting injuries and has virtually . no memory of the attack. Miss Lancaster never regained consciousness and . died 13 days later. Harris later claimed to police he punched Mr Maltby because he was 'drunk and showing off'. He was later jailed for . life with a recommendation he serve 17 years after a judge described . Sophie’s killing as an act of ‘feral thuggery.' During the latest trial, held last month, Harris’s murder conviction was kept a secret from the jury for legal reasons. The . panel was given only brief details of Harris’s criminal past - being . told of a GBH conviction “dating back to August 2007” which unbeknown to . them related to the assault on Mr Maltby. But . upon delivering the guilty verdict Judge Christopher Cornwall then . revealed to the horrified members of the jury details of Harris’s attack . on Sophie and admitting he was 'no ordinary patient in a psychiatric . unit.' Horrific: Sophie Lancaster in hospital following Harris' 'savage and merciless' attack . Today Harris appeared by video link wearing a black long sleeved Tshirt with a shaved head and showed no emotion as Judge Cornwall sentenced him for wounding the nurse. Judge Cornwall said: 'Another patient behaved badly and had to be restrained and put in the seclusion room immediately adjacent to your room. because the staff did not like the patients gathering round when someone has to be restrained you were asked not to approach your room. 'Although you complied with it when a member of staff came to speak you rebuked him for the way he looked at you and started to verbally abuse him and make repeated threats to kill him. You were left on your own to calm down. 'Matters went from bad to worse and other members of staff become involved to try and persuade you to move from where you were standing. There was no alternative but to physically restrain you as a last resort and with great reluctance. Life sentence: Harris' accomplice Ryan Herbert, pictured at 16, was also jailed for life . 'Staff continue to try and persuade you to do what they wanted you to do, to withdraw threats made, but without success. for a good half hour staff members were exclusively involved in trying to persuade you to cooperate. 'It was utterly clear you had not the slightest intention of cooperating. Staff were prevented of making their quarter hourly checks on other patients to ensure their wellbeing. 'They exhausted every possibility and an arrowhead formation was formed. David Timson approached you with raised hands in a gesture made to reassure you. You knew what was going to happen, you had given your understanding to this handling. 'They behaved entirely properly and in accordance with methods but all to no avail. David Timson advanced and you struck a single blow, a very substantial blow that fractured his nose. It was a painful and unpleasant injury but could not be said to be serious in the context of a really serious injury.” 'The violence used against David Timson was unlawful violence and the court has a clear public duty as well as to other patients who may think that they have little to lose by behaving badly. 'Staff who care for you are often at some risk themselves of being attacked. It is important for you to understand they exercise the very greatest patience and restraint and are wholly conscious of difficulties you suffer from but you cannot be permitted to use unlawful violence against them and expect that to have no consequences.' | Brendan Harris, 21, threatened to kill one member of staff before breaking nurse David Timson's nose at Guild Lodge unit in Lancashire .
Harris was 15 when he and Ryan Herbert, 16, were jailed for the murder of gap year student Sophie Lancaster, 18 in 2007 .
Gang attacked Miss Lancaster and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, in a park because they were dressed in gothic clothing .
Harris will now serve another four months on top life sentence . |
100,034 | 0ce5c9b4fa606394cf56ffc7dd67c010176e25c8 | Reverend Al Sharpton has blasted his former attorney collaborator in the wake of accusations he raped an adviser to Sharpton's National Action Network. Sharpton's highly visible move Tuesday to distance himself from Sanford Rubenstein came a day after police combed the 70-year-old civil rights attorney's apartment for evidence that could paint a picture of what happened in the hours after Sharpton's birthday bash Saturday. Among the potential evidence hauled from Rubenstein's Upper East penthouse on Monday were two bloody condoms and a sex toy. Accused: A file photo shows civil rights power attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who's been accused of raping another trusted ally of Al Sharpton after the reverend's 60th birthday bash on Saturday . Search and seizure: Detectives carried away several bags of evidence from Rubenstein's penthouse apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The evidence reportedly included bloody condoms found near Rubenstein's bed and a sex toy . 'Even if it was consensual, why would he take a key leader of our organization back to his apartment right after a fund-raiser,' outraged Sharpton asked the Daily News. 'It's disrespectful to our movement, and the women in our network are absolutely outraged.' Sharpton told the News that Rubenstein, who's stood with the reverend at events dating back to 1997, 'has no future' at the National Action Network. Kenneth Montgomery, one of the accuser's lawyers, told the News: 'She’s fighting to keep her life together, keep her dignity, and not fall apart.' Neighbors and friends, meanwhile, detailed Rubenstein's seedy lifestyle of frequenting strip clubs and using his limousine to pick up much younger women, according to the New York Post. Sanford Rubenstein maintains that he had consensual sex with the 42-year-old retail executive whom he took home after the civil rights leader's birthday party at the Four Seasons last Wednesday. He has not been charged with a crime. However, the woman has told NYPD detectives that Rubenstein took advantage of her when she was passed out drunk and incapable of telling him no. Rubenstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman issued a statement to MailOnline refusing to comment on the Post's claims, 'even those I know to be patently false.' He also reiterated an earlier assertion that Rubenstein will be cleared by the police investigation and that he did not commit a crime. NYPD detectives searched the attorney's $7million penthouse apartment on East 63rd Street in Manhattan on Tuesday and reportedly collected 'biological evidence,' according to the Post. Rubenstein lives in the $7million penthouse apartment at the top of this East 63rd Street highrise on the Upper East Side . Cops also hauled away bedding, a mattress and a sex toy. The Post, quoting 'sources close to Rubenstein,' alleges a tawdry personal life that revolved around the constant pursuit of sex. One source told the newspaper: 'The guy’s hung like a cashew.' Another said: 'Every time I see him, he wants to tell me about his latest ménage à trois. It’s all about sex with this guy.' Neighbors say they often seen the septuagenarian lawyer with young women 'barely out of their teens,' according to the Post. One source says the Rubenstein is a regular at strip clubs. He reportedly spent to much time at high-end club Scores that all the strippers greeted him by name when he came in. He also reportedly paid an artist to paint a series of canvasses depicting the club - including a scene showing him getting a rub-down, the Post claims. Sanford Rubenstein (left), seen here at a 2005 party in Miami, is accused of raping a 42-year-old woman. The woman pictured here is not his accuser . He currently haunts at a strip club in Hell's Kitchen that features muscled, tattooed strippers who are black or Hispanic and prefers women who are 5-foot-11 or taller, the Post claims. Meanwhile, attorneys representing the alleged victim said Monday they have 'devastating' information about the alleged crime. Sources familiar with the case have claimed that the 42-year-old woman, who works for Sharpton’s National Action Network, went home with the 70-year-old attorney willingly last week, and even had sex with him a second time the following morning. But attorney Keith White who represents the alleged victim has challenged these assertions, insisting that a crime had been committed. ‘There’s a lot of new information that will be devastating to Mr. Rubenstein,’ White told New York Daily News. ‘We want to give the district attorney a chance to take this information and do the right thing.‘ . White's partner, Kenneth Montgomery, accused Rubenstein and his legal team headed by Benjamin Brafman of trying to 'demonize' his client. Describing the 42-year-old as a mother and a pillar of the community, Montgomery said her 'world has been turned upside down.' Investigators suspect Rubenstein may have used an object to penetrate the 42-year-old woman during the alleged attack in his $7million Manhattan penthouse, making her bleed, sources told the New York Daily News. The anonymous accusation, which emerged Sunday, is at odds with the source close to Rubenstein, who said the alleged attack that night was in fact consensual, and that more sex followed in the morning. The claims came as investigators spent hours searching Rubenstein's apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side for evidence. On Monday afternoon, police removed a dozen evidence bags, among them one marked 'biological evidence.' They also carried a mattress out of Rubenstein's apartment. Close: The Rev Al Sharpton, center with Rubenstein to the left, has said there is no place for the alleged behavior - but avoided jumping to the conclusion that he is guilty . As part of the investigation, police reportedly set up a call between the alleged victim and Rubenstein, during which the woman asked the 70-year-old attorney, 'What happened last night?' The lawyer replied that they had sex but did not incriminate himself, a police source told the paper. He has not been charged with anything, though law enforcement sources suggested to the paper that are considering a third-degree rape charge, which means the victim was incapable of consent. Rubenstein is a well-known society figure in New York and has fought high-profile cases linked to the National Action Network, often over the actions of the NYPD. Sharpton also found himself drawn into commenting on the accusations today, telling a crowd: 'I don't care how close we are - if he's wrong, he's wrong.' Although he avoided choosing one side over the other, Sharpton said there is 'no place' for the alleged behavior, the New York Post reported. He said: 'We do not justify disrespecting women. Doesn’t mean you’re guilty, but it does mean if you are, ain’t no place for that in our community.' Rubenstein and his alleged victim were both at Sharpton's lavish 60th birthday party at the Four Seasons restaurant before they went home together, along with a third person, who later left. Other guests at the bash included New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, singer Aretha Franklin and director Spike Lee. A police source described the case as 'a classic he said, she said'. Law enforcement sources also described how Rubenstein was allegedly called by the victim, with police listening in, in an attempt to trick him into describing the encounter. Defense: Benjamin Brafman has been taken on as Rubenstein's attorney. Above he denies all allegations to waiting reporters . But, the source said, the call passed without incident and Rubenstein simply said that they two of them had sex. Rubenstein hit back at the claims Monday through a lawyer of his own - top New York attorney Benjamin Brafman. Brafman spoke to waiting reporters outside Rubenstein's apartment today denying any wrongdoing. He said: 'We do not believe he committed any crime whatsoever and are confident that when the investigation is completed no criminal charges will be filed'. The media-savvy Rubenstein currently represents the family of Eric Garner, who died after a police chokehold during an arrest in July. The case sparked protests and calls for change within the police department. He also represented the family of Sean Bell, killed in 2008 in a hail of police bullets. The city eventually settled with Bell's family for $7.5million. High-profile case: Rev. Herbert Daughtry, far left, Rev. Al Sharpton, second from left, and attorney Sanford Rubenstein, far right, escort Esaw Garner, second from right, the wife of fatal police chokehold victim Eric Garner, after a press conference August 21, 2014 . Rubenstein is a member of the National Action Network and has often stood arm-in-arm with Sharpton at protests. On Monday, Sharpton met with Garner's family and said he would discuss the Garner investigation at a rally on Saturday. Sharpton issued a statement on Sunday saying he was aware of the allegations. 'National Action Network and Rev. Al Sharpton has not been notified or advised by any official investigating authorities,' the statement read. 'The allegations as reported occurred at a private residence after a NAN event and had nothing to do with NAN nor Rev. Al Sharpton, therefore we have no comment at this time.' | Sanford Rubenstein, 70, accused of raping 42-year-old last week in his Manhattan apartment .
The longtime civil rights collaborator of Sharpton's is accused of raping a National Action Network adviser at his penthouse apartment .
Went home with her after Sharpton's 60th birthday party in Manhattan .
But a source claimed sex was consensual - and happened again next day .
Investigators searched Rubenstein's Upper East Side penthouse Monday, removing dozens of evidence bags and a mattress . |
65,468 | b9e823d99a986aafba11e95497c748d14096f4e7 | By . Alun Rees . Petrol thieves have drilled into an underground pipeline and caused a leak of thousands of litres of fuel next to a popular fishing river, sparking a major environmental alert. About 150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River Kennet, just upstream from top public school Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Police are investigating the attack on the Esso refinery pipeline, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. 150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River Kennet, pictured, in Wiltshire . A Wiltshire Police source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We’re used to fuel being stolen from farms by rural criminals but this is quite a step further. Two men have been detained in the Somerset area with a large amount of illicit fuel but at this stage we don’t know if the two incidents are linked.’ The theft was from the Midline pipeline, which carries fuel from the Fawley Refinery near Southampton to the Birmingham Fuels Terminal. Using a technique more common in Iraq, the thieves dug down about 8ft to get to the pipeline, then drilled a small hole in it. They connected a hose to the pipe which they ran to a road nearby and then covered with soil. After putting a tap on the end of the hose and covering their tracks, it is believed they returned at night to fill containers. The pipeline alternates between carrying petrol and diesel fuel. About 150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River Kennet, just upstream from top public school Marlborough College, pictured, in Wiltshire . But three weeks ago a plough tore the illicit hose from its shallow trench and ripped it out of the pipeline, causing the leak. John Hounslow, who operates a trout farm on the river, said: ‘The big fear is that this fuel will get into the river and destroy the food chain. It’s very worrying.’ Esso is leading the efforts to contain the spill and is drilling at the site to try to discover what is happening to the fuel beneath the surface. However it is unclear whether it will be washed into the river or sink into the chalk below. A spokesman said: ‘It’s very unfortunate and technical work is going on to try to establish whether this will affect the water table and the river.’ Charlotte Hitchmough, spokeswoman for environmental group Action for the River Kennet, said: ‘It is worrying and we hope the river won’t be badly impacted but no one can predict where the fuel will end up.’ | 150,000 litres of fuel contaminated soil close to River Kennet in Wiltshire .
Thieves drilled underground pipeline causing the leak near fishing spot .
Attack on Esso refinery pipe believed to be first of its kind in Britain . |
137,169 | 3d70642fca3789c38b4f1efc7bd744f7f6518ca4 | Atlanta (CNN) -- The man chosen to lead the Atlanta Public School system wasted no time making changes in the wake of a cheating scandal that could lead to criminal charges against some principals and teachers. Interim Superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr. replaced four area superintendents and a school principal at a board meeting Monday night. Hours later, he told CNN's Randi Kaye that children had been failed, and "we can't allow that to happen, and we can't allow anyone who was involved with that remain in our system." It's the first step taken by Davis to right the alleged wrongs of nearly 200 educators. The personnel changes were announced less than a week after an investigation revealed that dozens of educators had falsified standardized tests. "I don't know why it went on," Davis told Kaye, but, he said, the district must "make it clear what our values are." Davis placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of the administration. "I believe that all failures in any industry are leadership failures," Davis said. "Leadership is accountable for every outcome that takes place under their watch." The school board has given Davis approval to mandate ethics training for employees and provide remedial help to perhaps thousands of Atlanta Public Schools students who may have improperly advanced because of the cheating. "We will identify those children, and we will make the requisite investments to remediate the wrongs that were done against them," Davis told CNN. Dozens of Atlanta public school educators falsified standardized tests or failed to address such misconduct in their schools, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said a week ago. He was unveiling the results of a state investigation that confirmed widespread cheating in city schools dating as far back as 2001. Investigators said 178 teachers and principals working at 44 schools were involved in the cheating scandal. The educators, including 38 principals, were either directly involved in erasing wrong answers on a key standardized test or they knew -- or should have known -- what was going on, according to the governor's office. Deal's office said 82 of the educators acknowledged involvement, according to the report. Six principals declined to answer investigators' questions and invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Deal said. The investigation's findings have been forwarded to the state teacher licensing board, Deal said. That agency could take disciplinary action against the educators involved. Whether to bring criminal charges will be up to prosecutors, Deal said. The state's report indicated there was a climate of cheating and performance-at-all-costs during the tenure of former Superintendent Beverly Hall. It's a charge Hall has denied. But Davis said there was "a culture of fear and intimidation" that needed to be changed. "People felt that it was easier to cheat than to miss their goals and objective," he said. But he also agreed with board members who said it was important to remember that many Atlanta teachers did their jobs well. "There were so many teachers who have not made ethical compromises who were doing wonderful things on a daily basis," Davis said. The cheating was brought to light after marked improvements in the district's performance on the 2009 statewide Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) revealed a pattern of incorrect test answers being erased and replaced with correct answers. Investigators compared the results with test results from other Georgia schools and found that such patterns did not occur normally, Deal said. That the district's CRCT results fell in 2010 further confirmed the findings, according to the report. Former board chairman Khaatim Sherrer El resigned his District 2 seat at a Monday night meeting. He said he was leaving to accept an out-of-state position, according to the district. The scandal followed a former Atlanta administrator to her new job in Texas. A Texas school district placed its new superintendent, Kathy Augustine, on paid leave effective Tuesday, according to a statement from Augustine. She had served as a deputy superintendent for the Atlanta Public Schools. Augustine has denied any role in the reported cheating. "I've read the investigative report from cover to cover, and nowhere does it identify anyone as saying I encouraged, directed or condoned cheating," Augustine said last week. "That's because I did not." She will be on leave while the DeSoto Independent School District considers what to do about her appointment. Davis said the nature and extent of any charges against educators involved in the scandal will be determined by the district attorney's office. The principals and teachers accused of cheating will also be referred to the Professional Standards Commission to determine whether they will be allowed to keep their credentials, according to Davis. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the scandal proves there are no shortcuts to success. "This unfortunate incident highlights the need for transparency and accountability throughout our education system," Duncan said in a statement last week. "Having good information to measure student progress is an absolute bedrock requirement in ensuring that schools are preparing our children for success." In a bid to increase stability as it seeks to overcome the scandal and receive full reaccreditation, the board extended Davis' contract through June 2012. Davis recently retired as chancellor of the University System of Georgia. | "There was a culture of fear and intimidation," said Interim Superintendent Erroll B. Davis .
Children who need remedial help will get it, he said .
A report confirms widespread cheating in Atlanta Public Schools on a state test .
The local district attorney's office will determine the nature and extent of charges . |
97,784 | 09e543d02a493af48475629399038544afd51783 | New technology is allowing people who are paralysed to walk again. Michael Gore, 42, suffered a serious work accident 11 years ago and damaged his spine which left him unable to walk. Yet today he is able to get out of his chair, stand six foot two inches tall and walk across the room. This is all thanks to a lightweight robot he wears, referred to as 'electronic legs' or a 'powered exoskelton'. Michael Gore, 42, injured his spine and was left unable to walk. But thanks to new 'wearable robots' being developed, he is now able to stand up and walk on his own . Michael's model is called Indego, and is among several competing products being used and tested in U.S. rehabilitation hospitals that hold promise not only for people with spinal injuries, but also those recovering from strokes or suffering with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. The technology is thought to be at least a year away from the market, and at two stone, the Indego is the lightest of the powered exoskeletons. It snaps together from pieces that fit into a backpack. The goal is for the user to be able to carry it on a wheelchair, put it together, strap it on and walk independently. None of the products, including the Indego, are yet approved for personal use, meaning they must be used under the supervision of a physical therapist. Michael, from North Carolina, demonstrated the device this week at the American Spinal Injury Association meeting in Chicago, and successfully negotiated a noisy, crowded hallway of medical professionals and people with spinal injuries in wheelchairs. Write caption here . When he leaned forward, the device took a first step. When he tilted from side to side, it walked. When Michael wanted to stop, he leaned back and the robotic leg braces came to a halt. Gore used forearm crutches for balance. A battery in the hip piece powers the motors in the robotic legs. 'Being able to speak eye-to-eye [with a person] is just a big emotional boost,' Gore said. 'Being able to walk up to you and say hello is not a big thing until you cannot do it.' The devices will not replace wheelchairs, which are faster. 'None of the devices are speedy enough for a paralysed person to walk across a street before the light changes,' said Arun Jayaraman of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, who is testing a number of similar devices. 'None of them have fall prevention technology either. If the person falls, they can hurt themselves badly. 'If you fall down, how do you get off a robot that is strapped into you?' The technology needs to become even lighter and have longer-lasting batteries, he said. It is hoped the devices might help prevent pressure sores from sitting too long in a wheelchair, improve heart health, develop muscle strength, lift depression and ultimately bring down medical costs by keeping healthier patients out of the hospital. Companies in Israel, New Zealand and California make competing devices, and all the products are becoming less bulky as they are refined. The Indego was invented at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and tested at the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta. It's unclear exactly how much the devices will cost if they become available for personal use. Some technology news media reports have said $50,000 to $75,000. | The Indego 'powered exoskeleton' can be strapped to leg but weighs 2 stone .
Not available to public yet but hoped to be available within 'a few years'
Michael Gore, 42, lost ability to walk after work accident damaged his spine but now he can stand up and walk across the room without a wheelchair . |
131,762 | 365aa4cff667550f91c70b57907265bca7bd081c | By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 14:20 EST, 5 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:14 EST, 6 October 2013 . Education officials in the nation's second-largest school district are working to reboot a $1 billion plan to put an iPad in the hands of each of their 650,000 students after an embarrassing glitch emerged when the first round of tablets went out. Instead of solving math problems or doing English homework, as administrators envisioned, more than 300 Los Angeles Unified School District students promptly cracked the security settings and started tweeting, posting to Facebook and playing video games. '`Temple Run.' `Subway Surfing.' Oh, and some car racing game I can't remember the name of,' said freshman Stephany Romero, laughing as she described the games she saw fellow Roosevelt High School students playing in class last week. Rollout on pause: The tampered iPads could access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Pandora. Workers at the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) have started confiscating iPads that bypassed the devices' security measures . That incident, and related problems, had both critics and supporters questioning this week whether LAUSD officials were being hasty or overreaching in their attempt to distribute an iPad to every student and teacher at the district's more than 1,000 campuses by next year. 'It doesn't seem like there was much planning that went into this strategy,' said Renee Hobbs, director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island. 'That's where the debacle began.' It's crucial, she said, to spend extensive time drawing students into a discussion on using iPads responsibly before handing them out. And, of course, installing a firewall that can't be easily breached. At Roosevelt High, it was the unanimous opinion of more than a dozen students that the school district's security setup was so weak that even the most tech-challenged parent could have gotten past it. Stealing students: Despite the disappearance of 71 iPads so far, 640,000 students in California will eventually receive free Apple tablets for educational purposes. 'It was so easy!' said freshman Carlos Espinoza. He explained that all one needed to do was access the tablet's settings, delete the profile established by the school district and set up an Internet connection. He did it, he said, because he wanted to go on Facebook. 'They kind of should have known this would happen,' said Espinoza's friend Maria Aguilera. 'We're high school students after all. I mean, come on,' she added. Golden deal: The Los Angeles Unified School District embarked on a $1 billion initiative to place an iPad in the hands of each of the more than 600,000 students in the nation's second largest school district . As word spread, with the speed of a microprocessor, that anyone could crack the firewall, officials quickly confiscated the devices and put a freeze on using them off campus. In the meantime, they promised to improve the security settings. When they started distributing the iPads at 47 district schools in August, administrators touted the move as a means of leveling the academic playing field in a public school system where 80 percent of the students come from low-income families. Now, they said, everyone would have equal access to the most cutting-edge educational software programs, not just the children of parents with deep pockets. But after the first shot in that digital revolution led to a flood of tweets, other concerns arose. Among them: . - Who pays if a kid drops one of these $678 gadgets into a toilet or leaves it on a bus? - Is it realistic to tell a student she can use it to do her homework, then not allow the device to connect to the Internet from home? (Schools will be wired.) - And since the tablet without Web access is only as good as the educational software placed on it, how good is that software? A parent, Scott Folsom, said he heard from one source that families would have to pay for broken iPads and from another that the school would. District officials have said there was confusion over that issue but that it's been decided schools will cover the cost of an iPad accidentally broken, lost or stolen, while families are on the hook for one negligently damaged. Of more serious concern to Folsom is the software. He sampled one of the new iPads, he said, and found no program to adequately support English-as-a-second-language students. That would seemingly be crucial for a district whose students are 73 percent Hispanic and where only 14 percent of English learners can speak the language fluently, according to a 2011 Department of Education study. As a parent representative to the district's bond oversight committee, Folsom voted to recommend spending $30 million last June to buy the first batch of iPads. He says he still supports the program but worries that maybe educators are trying to implement it too quickly. 'This is the future,' he said. 'But whether LAUSD is stepping too quickly into the future - based on the fact that it's so big, and we seem to be in such a hurry - those are questions to consider.' Although the scheme to distribute iPads is well intentioned, at least 71 iPads went missing last year from the Los Angeles Unified School District. The lost devices, worth a total of just over $48k, are among the iPads used in a 13-school trial run of a $1 billion program designed to improve education. . The bulk of the 71 missing devices worth $678 each, disappeared from one school called Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences in Granada Hills, California. Approximately 1,200 iPads were distributed to the school last year. By year's end, 69 were unaccounted for . | LA school system will spend $1b on program that supplies nation's second-largest school system with free iPads .
Nearly 300 students figured out how to alter school supplied iPad's security settings to surf the Web and access social media sites .
640,000 Southern California students, K-12, will have free iPads by 2014 . |
244,067 | c7e536e500ffca493615ad8cf6b18570a6572bbc | Besiktas are interested in signing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech if Jose Mourinho makes him available. The Turkish club are hoping to take advantage of their partnership with the Blues if they allow Cech to find a new side during the January transfer window. The 32-year-old has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and is yet to start a Premier League match this season. Besiktas president Fikret Orman has admitted his interest in Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech . Cech (left) comes off the bench to make his only Premier League appearance of the season - against Arsenal . Besiktas club president, Fikret Orman, told the Evening Standard: 'We are working together with Chelsea to sign a player. We have not held talks yet, however Chelsea have recently made an agreement with Besiktas. 'If Cech does become available I would support such a move.' However, Cech's agent, Viktor Kolar, has played down the chances of his client moving in January. Cech, pictured in action against Bolton in the Capital One Cup, could leave in search of regular football . Cech has fallen behind Belgium international Thibaut Courtois (left) at Stamford Bridge . He said: 'In the football world you can never rule out anything definitively, however, if you put together the facts with Petr's ambitions of a top-class goalkeeper, you will not be left with too many options. 'If we add to this the actual little need of these few clubs to search a new goalkeeper in the winter's transfer window, then you will find out that the chance of a transfer in the next weeks or months is not very high.' | Petr Cech has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge .
Besiktas want to take advantage of their partnership with Chelsea .
But Cech's agent has played down the chances of his client leaving . |
169,915 | 67e61e3b58532a49a4bc358eb684c859e6e7743b | By . Francesca Chambers . A third of Americans think Congress should impeach President Barack Obama, polls released today show. Left-leaning publication the Huffington Post along with polling partner YouGov and right-leaning polling company Rasmussen Reports came up with roughly the same percent of Americans who think Congress should bring formal charges against the president in separate polls that were released this morning. The poll-takers also found that 68 and 58 percent of Republicans, respectively, think the president should be impeached. Give him the boot: A third of Americans think Congress should formally bring charges against President Barack Obama . A third of Americans who took the Huffpost/YouGov poll said Congress should impeach President Obama . Congressional leadership has no intention . of drawing up articles of impeachment for Obama, but a lawsuit the . House plans to bring against the president for 'making his own laws' has stirred up impeachment talk. House Speaker John Boehner has repeatedly said the lower chamber's lawsuit, which is centered on Obamacare, is about reigning in the president, not kicking him out of office. However, far-right Republicans - including former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, have argued that impeachment would send a clearer message to nation's executive. 'You don’t bring a lawsuit to a gunfight and there’s no room for lawyers on our front lines,' Palin told Fox News last Tuesday. 'Washington is broken. If people are about the future of this country . and defense of our republic, they will join this cause of articles of . impeachment against Obama because enough is enough,' she continued. Boehner and other congressional Republicans who have been asked about impeachment say the House's lawsuit is a better long-term strategy to preventing presidents moving forward - not just Obama - from going around Congress to enact their own laws. 'The path that we're going is the right one to defend our institution against the encroachment from the Executive Branch and to preserve the Constitution of our country as it was written and as it was intended,' Boehner told reporters last Thursday. A total of 26 percent of respondents to the Huffpost/YouGov poll who said they were not Republicans said Congress should impeach the president . While the battle cry for impeachment is coming primarily from Republicans, some Democrats and more than a third of independents took the HuffPost/YouGov poll also think Obama has gone too far and needs be punished by Congress. Overall, 26 percent of people who do not self-identify as Republicans said Obama should be impeached. Rasmussen found that 87 percent of Democrats think Congress shouldn't bring charges against the president. Americans who didn't identify with either of the two major political parties were split, with 52 percent giving impeachment a thumbs down. The conservative polling company also found that respondents were divided on whether it would be bad for the country if some members of Congress tried to impeach the president, 52 percent, and that only a third of Republicans, 32 percent, thought it would be bad for their political party if it pursued impeachment. | Two separate polls released today found that a third of Americans think Congress should impeach the president .
The polls also found that the majority of Republicans, 58 percent and 68 percent, respectively, think President Obama should be impeached .
Congress has no plans to impeach the president but a lawsuit House Republicans are bringing against Obama has fueled discussion about impeachment . |
105,546 | 141dfa4ed750559c1c411b97ecb38687de167bf3 | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 11:10 EST, 9 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:13 EST, 9 August 2013 . Scientists have found a way of creating alcohol from coffee grounds. A team of Spanish and Portuguese researchers made alcohol that was 80-proof - the equivalent of 40 per cent alcohol - making it the same strength as vodka and tequila. In a study, published in LWT – Food Science and Technology, they explained how they made the drink from ‘spent ground coffee’. Scientists have found a way of creating alcohol from used coffee grounds. The spirit is said to smell and taste of coffee but some tasters say it tastes 'bitter and pungent' The scientists say that the spirit is ‘pleasant’ and that it both smells and tastes of coffee, The Huffington Post reports. The creators used dried coffee grounds from a roasting company in Portugal to make the drink. They heated the coffee in water at 162.8ºC for 45 minutes. They then added sugar and yeast to the mixture before allowing it to ferment. This raised the alcohol content. However, in the process of making the drink alcoholic, most of the caffeine was removed. The alcohol is 80-proof, the equivalent of 40 per cent alcohol - this is the same as vodka and tequila . Once the drink was ready for consumption, the scientists employed eight trained testers to try it out. However, many said that it had a ‘bitter and pungent’ taste. This is believed to be the first time that coffee has been used to make alcohol. However, it has previously been used to create biofuel. | Spanish and Portuguese researchers made a 40% ethanol drink which was created by heating coffee grounds in water to 162.8ºC .
The researchers then added sugar and yeast and allowed it to ferment .
Most of the caffeine was filtered out in the process .
It smells and tastes like coffee and some tasters said it tasted 'bitter and pungent' |
59,842 | a9fd96c2af9e8ce02624cb3ce1316b2640808364 | (CNN) -- The sea is a demanding environment, so people always ask, "How are you able to sail if you can't see?" The answer: I have an acute "spacial" awareness and directional ability, and I use the wind's varying pressure and patterns of waves to determine the direction I'm headed. The truth of the matter is at night on the sea, everyone is blind. When the darkness takes over, it can be the most frightening or peaceful of times. A time when you can be at one with the ocean and your vessel, whether a totally blind sailor like me or blessed with 20/20 vision. When I became completely blind in 1984, I first thought sailing would no longer be possible. Then I was introduced to a program called "Challenged America," which is designed to teach people with disabilities of all kinds how to sail. I realized it was something I had to be a part of, and I welcomed one of my truest passions back into my life. Having logged thousands of coastal and offshore sailing miles in my youth, I've been able to add to my experience by sailing and racing on the West Coast with "Challenged America." This includes being the captain on two trans-Pacific races from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Ultimately, my blindness isn't my biggest challenge when I take to the open sea -- it's my type 1 diabetes. Many people don't realize the daily, if not hourly requirements that people with diabetes face. But it's a disease that when properly managed can be nothing more than something you live with, rather than something that determines how you live. I didn't discover that I had diabetes until 1968, when I awoke from a diabetic coma in a military hospital in South Vietnam. As an infantry sergeant, I went unconscious during battle, was presumed dead and placed in a body bag. Fortunately, two days later, an alert medic who was putting toe tags on dead soldiers felt my pulse still beating and immediately rushed me to the hospital. I credit diabetes with saving my life, as I later learned that many soldiers in my outfit were killed or wounded. Advances in diabetes have come a long way since then. It's technology like my waterproof Animas insulin pump and new therapies and treatment that have made my journey to this point possible. Even when you are at sea, controlling your diabetes is so much easier than just a few short years ago. Today I'm grateful for the life I've been given. I hope that how I've lived and what I've accomplished serves as inspiration for the disabled and the millions of Americans touched by type 1 diabetes every day. Through the "Challenged America" program, I vow to strive for more. I am proud to say that this program not only introduces adaptive sailing to people living with disabilities, but also goes far beyond and has led to opportunities for further education and employment for many individuals. I hope that in sharing my story I motivate others to find a way to make their dreams and passions a reality. My next goal: to sail around the world either solo or with a crew of sailors with disabilities. | Urban Miyares has been legally blind since the 1970s .
Miyares teaches people with disabilities to sail with the Challenged America program .
Miyares also has type 1 diabetes, and has to control his disease while at sea . |
125,672 | 2e779208de9d0e1155057b3c04248ed1eb9693e1 | Seoul, South Korea (CNN)A South Korean military court has sentenced a sergeant to death for killing five members of his unit last year, authorities said Tuesday. The sergeant, surnamed Lim, threw a grenade and shot at his fellow soldiers at a base in a remote area near the heavily fortified border with North Korea in June. Two days later, surrounded by military forces, he was captured after shooting himself in the shoulder. "Lim committed a tenacious and premeditated crime by killing even unarmed colleagues at the barracks," the chief judge of the military court said in the verdict Tuesday, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. "Capital punishment is inevitable for such a hideous crime." Military prosecutors had demanded the death penalty for Lim on charges of murder and desertion, Yonhap reported. A death sentence is effectively the equivalent of life in prison without parole in South Korea, where no executions have been carried out since 1997. Around 60 convicts are on death row in the country. Lim's case will go to appeal at a higher military court, Defense Ministry spokesman Kwon Ki-hyun told CNN. The soldier's defense lawyer said the court had ignored a lot of testimony about the bullying of his client at the barracks, according to Yonhap. Lim was three months from the end of his compulsory military service when he carried out the attack on his unit. He had been categorized as a soldier in need of special attention, according to the Defense Ministry. CNN's Paula Hancocks reported from Seoul, and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. | The sergeant threw a grenade and shot at his fellow soldiers last year .
The death penalty is effectively life in prison without parole in South Korea . |
279,503 | f614c1cd5be78910b2d54b26d2f0871c9e3aefb6 | A terrified woman was forced to make a desperate 999 call while locked in a bathroom as neighbours fatally stabbed her cousin to death in the next room. Half-brothers Gavin Harris, 39, an ex-soldier, and Raymond Ball, 33, both of Risca, Caerphilly, stabbed epileptic neighbour Stephen 'Lammy' Lambert with kitchen knives leaving blood 'bubbling' from their victim's chest, a court heard. Today they were jailed for life for hacking their neighbour to death 'like a piece of meat' following the drunken row. Raymond Ball (pictured right) lived on the same street as victim Stephen Lambert - he and his brother Gavin Harris (left) fatally stabbed their epileptic neighbour to death following a row at Mr Lambert's home in Risca . A court heard Mr Lambert had fallen out with the half-brothers and asked them to leave his flat. The pair then grabbed knives, stabbing him five times and leaving him with fatal wound . When police arrived they found Mr Lambert, 36, lying on a settee saturated in his blood. He told them, 'I can't breathe,' as they fought to save his life. Prosecutor Peter Rouch QC told Cardiff Crown Court: 'The blood was bubbling from a stab wound to his chest as they went in.' Cardiff Crown Court heard how the trio had been drinking together and listening to music shortly before the brutal attack. During the attack, on August 27 last year at the victim's home in Risca, Mr Lambert's terrified cousin Louise Whatley told an operator in a harrowing 999 call: 'Two men are stabbing him with knives and I've locked myself in the bathroom.' Stephen Lambert, 36, (pictured) died after being fatally stabbed by the brothers at his home in Risca . She watched the pair 'hacking at Stephen Lambert like a piece of meat' before locking herself in the toilet and phoning 999. Prosecutor Peter Rouch QC said: 'The call was taped and it's a harrowing call . 'Mr Lambert could be heard coughing, groaning and crying out in the background. 'She went back out when the two left and tried to stop the bleeding and comfort him, saying to the operator, "He sounds as if he is really hurting." Mr Lambert was unresponsive and unconscious when he arrived at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport with stab wounds to his chest, right arm and thigh. Doctors attempted a major 'clamshell' surgical procedure, used only in extreme emergencies, and opened up his body through skin, muscle, rib cage and diaphragm, but he could not be saved. The fatal chest wound was 10cm deep and had gone through his ribs and an artery while a second 11cm-deep wound in his leg had partially severed a vein, the prosecutor said. Violence started after the group indulged in an evening of drinking from three-litre bottles of cider. Harris and Ball, who told police Mr Lambert had been his best friend, had earlier been seen with knives tucked into their waistbands after a separate incident. They were seen putting the weapons behind cushions when they went to Mr Lambert's home. One witness said Ball was 'drunk, hyper and acting macho'. The court heard Mr Lambert told Ball to leave before a struggle began between Mr Lambert and Ball, as Harris tried pull them apart. Mr Rouch said Ball then ran to the kitchen and searched the drawers before grabbing a blade from the draining board. 'When he returned screaming, 'I'm going to stab you,' Ms Whatley went into shock and froze as she saw the knife 'ramming down' towards her cousin's leg,' said Mr Rouch. 'As he shouted, 'Stop it,' she saw blood on the blade.' Cardiff Crown Court (pictured) heard Mr Lambert was left with blood 'bubbling' from a chest stab wound . Harris was then said to have gone to the cushion where he had hidden his knife and picked it up. 'Both of them, then with knives, were stabbing at him', Mr Rouch said. 'Louise Whatley locked herself in the bathroom and dialled 999.' Ms Whatley told police Mr Lambert was 'like a brother' to her. In a victim impact statement she said: 'It was horrific. I have horrible flashbacks and nightmares.' After the attack the brothers were at another flat where Ball told a man: 'I've just stabbed Lambert.' Harris and Ball both admitted murder. Judge Mrs Justice Nicola Davies DBE said: 'This was a frenzied attack on a defenceless man. 'Nothing Stephen Lambert said or did should have led to this vicious and senseless stabbing. 'The victim was in his own home where he was entitled to feel safe. 'The horrific attack was witnessed by his cousin.' Harris was jailed for 21 years and eight months, Ball was jailed for 22 years and six months. | Half-brothers Gavin Harris, 25, and Raymond Ball, 33, stabbed neighbour .
Stephen 'Lammy' Lambert was fatally injured by brothers following a row .
Group had been drinking in Mr Lambert's home when he told Ball to leave .
Brothers then turned on Mr Lambert and began stabbing him .
Mr Lambert's terrified cousin locked herself in bathroom to call police .
Ball and Mr Lambert lived on the same street and were 'best friends'
Brothers have been jailed for life for hacking Mr Lambert to death 'like a piece of meat' |
56,671 | a097d77f9737f6859ea586343e5f6a7bf6e64318 | When it comes to making public apologies, politicians have often been criticised for lacking sincerity. But one politician in Japan has taken things to the other extreme after breaking down and wailing hysterically on live TV while apologising over claims he wasted public money. Ryutaro Nonomura, 47, burst into tears and began banging on his desk and jabbering nonsensical phrases during a news conference on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . A Japanese politician has broken down on live TV while apologising over claims he wasted public money . Ryutaro Nonomura, 47, was forced to apologise at a press conference following claims he used public money to travel to hot springs 106 times in one year . 'To change Japan and society, I'm putting my life on the line,' the Hyogo Prefectural assemblyman said in a choked voice. The conference followed a Kobe Shimbun newspaper report that raised questions about Mr Nonomura visiting the hot springs 106 times last year, using public money. Such visits were not illegal and had been reported to the assembly office, but cost three million yen (£17,500). Hyogo legislators get 500,000 yen (£3,000) a month for expenses, including travel, but the spending is supposed to be for official travel, research and other costs related to the activities of elected office. During the apology Nonomura wailed hysterically, banging his desk and shouting nonsensical phrases . The apology has caused controversy in conservative Japan where outbursts of emotion are frowned upon . Mr Nonomura, who does not belong to a major political party, was found to have gone to other day trips, racking up expenses, including visits to Tokyo and the south-western city of Fukuoka. Of his 195 day trips, ones to the 'onsen' hot-springs resort town of Kinosaki, which lies outside his precinct, were the most frequent. The video of his apology has since become an online hit, with nearly 2million views so far on YouTube. However people in Japan have reacted with anger to the apology as public outbursts of emotion are generally frowned upon in the conservative country. Shame: At another point during the broadcast, Nonomura took a deep breath before bowing his head . While the visits to the hot springs were not illegal, they did cost three million yen (£17,500) Last month a Tokyo assemblyman was forced into a humiliating public apology after shouting a sexist remark at a female colleague. Ayaka Shiomura was making a presentation on issues such as infertility and maternal support when hecklers called out 'You are the one who should get married first', 'She must be single' and 'Can't you even have babies?'. Akihiro Suzuki, 51, admitted making the first comment and bowed to Shiomura at a press conference, though insisted he had not meant to offend her. | Ryutaro Nonomura, 47, accused of wasting money on visits to hot springs .
Spent three million yen (£17,500) visiting them 106 times in a year .
Forced to apologise during press conference broadcast live on television .
During conference he wept hysterically, shouting nonsensical phrases .
Banged his hands on the desk and cried before bowing his head in shame . |
99,794 | 0c920703047ac24b9f62ede5b76fe72ad5f816be | One restaurant has launched a 'hate us on Yelp' campaign, rewarding diners who've left negative reviews with a discount. Botto Bistro in Richmond, California, which is in protest of Yelp's alleged practice of manipulating ratings, is hoping to prove that nasty reviews won't impact its success. The Italian eatery is offering a 25per cent discount on its pizzas to anyone who gives it just one star, and plans to share the funniest insults in its newsletter at the end of the month. Humble pie: Botto Bistro in Richmond, California, is offering a 25per cent discount on its pizzas in exchange for a one-star rating on Yelp . The author of the winning review will also receive a free ticket for its cooking classes. 'You can lie or tell the truth, make it hilarious, tell the world how horrible our establishment is, talk about the toilet seat temperature, the aliens in our bathrooms, how much you hate our food, and so on,' Botto Bistro's website advises. One tongue-in-cheek Yelp review reads: '1. They don't deliver to Los Angeles. It's only 6-8 hours away depending on traffic. 2. Brad Pitt doesn't work there :( was hoping to see him. 3. They asked what I wanted, I said "world peace" and they didn't deliver.' Funny business: The Italian restaurant is challenging customers to come up with tongue-in-cheek complaints to protest Yelp's alleged practice of manipulating reviews . Another complaint says: 'My boyfriend took me here for dinner the other night, and I totally thought he was going to propose... but he DIDN'T. Obviously this is the restaurant's fault, and not the fact that I purposefully killed his pet goldfish the other day and frequently read his emails in order to find out if he's cheating on me.' A third one reads: ‘My food arrived before I wanted it to come. It was too hot to eat. It brought back all kinds of terrible memories of eating in Italy.’ The restaurant explains its reason for encouraging the hilariously absurd feedback on its website. 'Our goal? We want to be the restaurant with the lowest score on Yelp, we want to be the worst! Why? We want to prove that low score and bad reviews don't impact us and any other successful restaurants,' it says. Feeding frenzy: The restaurant's Yelp page is now full of sarcastic grievances, such as 'It brought back all kinds of terrible memories of eating in Italy’ 'We have heard many stories about Yelp threatening businesses and forcing them to advertise with them. Over the last few years we have received some of those phone calls too. Botto Bistro's owner, Davide Cerretini, told ABC News that Yelp emailed him on Monday with the following message: . 'If you are offering incentives in exchange for reviews, we ask that you immediately discontinue such activity. If we learn that this type of behavior has continued, we may take action on your Business Account which could include suspending access to your listing. It may also result in a Consumer Alert being placed on your listing.' Cerretini said he sarcastically responded: 'I'm contacting you from the Botto User Support Team because we've received complaints from the community that you may be removing reviews in exchange of vague explanations to loyal customers.' Yelp has denied claims by small business owners that it manipulates ratings based on whether businesses are advertisers. Two weeks ago, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that even if the site did manipulate reviews to penalize businesses, it would not constitute extortion. The court said that Yelp has no obligation to publish positive reviews, and that the company can seek payments for its advertising. | Botto Bistro in Richmond, California, is protesting Yelp's alleged practice of manipulating ratings . |
34,678 | 628ebd496ac2636ab4cc778bcf8575036f4e3f12 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . So, you think you can dance? Well it can't be as good as William Stokkebroe. At just two, the little guy has become something of a dancing sensation, after a video of him jiving quickly went viral. Grabbing the attention of a hall full of adults, he grooves and shakes to Jailhouse Rock by Elvis. Scroll down for video . Shaking his groove thing: Two-year-old William Stokkebroe has become an online dancing sensation, with a video of him jiving getting over 21 million views on Youtube . The little guy from Germany dances along to Jailhouse Rock by Elvis, much to the delight of the crowd . William's parents own a dance studio, and after watching them practice he has naturally picked up some cool moves . William's parents, Kristina and Peter Stokkebroe, own the Studie43 dance studio chain in Germany. The talented toddler has seen his parents practice so many times he has naturally picked up their craft. The video of his jive has received an astonishing 21 million views on YouTube. | Video of William Stokkebroe, from Germany, has recieved over 21 million views .
His parents own a dance studio and he has naturally picked up some moves watching them . |
186,475 | 7d8c3c35ca126eb8d178734a475d6a4910cbc09c | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 14:49 EST, 1 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:55 EST, 1 August 2013 . The former Goldman Sachs trader known as 'Fabulous Fab' is liable in a massive mortgage securities fraud case, a New York City jury found today. The Securities and Exchange Commission had accused Fabrice Tourre of scheming to sell investors subprime mortgage securities that he knew would fail. Authorities said the maneuver allowed a hedge fund and its billionaire president, John A. Paulson, to make $1 billion by betting against the investment. Tourre, a known party lover who grew up in France and moved to the U.S. in 2000 to study at Stanford, insisted at the trial that he never misled anyone. His attorneys portrayed him as a scapegoat in the economic downturn which they said was caused by larger economic forces. Scroll down for video . Verdict: Former Goldman Sachs vice president Fabrice Tourre, center, leaves Manhattan federal court with his attorneys on Thursday after he was found liable in a massive mortgages fraud case . Tourre, 34, found liable in six of seven SEC fraud claims. He faces potential fines and a possible ban from the financial industry. The exact punishment will be determined at a future proceeding. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Tourre said that he knew the case would haunt him. 'I'm . not naive,' he said. 'It's going to stay with me forever... You cannot . erase Google searches. You will forever get the same articles, forever . get the fabulous Fab.' The SEC had accused Tourre of misleading institutional investors about subprime mortgage securities that he knew were doomed to fail, setting the stage for a valued Goldman hedge fund client, Paulson & Co. Inc., to secretly bet against the investment. The maneuver ended up making $1 billion for the hedge fund and its wealthy president, John A. Paulson, and millions of dollars in fees for Goldman. Liable: French-born Tourre, 34, now faces potential fines and a possible ban from the financial industry . The SEC also sought to show that it helped earn Tourre a bonus that boosted his salary to $1.7 million in 2007. SEC lawyer Matthew . Martens told the jury in the trial, which kicked off two weeks ago in New York, the deal Tourre put . together was 'secretly designed to maximize the potential it would fail' to the benefit of the hedge fund. 'In the end, Wall Street greed drove Mr. Tourre to lie and deceive,' Martens said. On the witness stand, the SEC lawyers confronted Tourre with a January 2007 email it said deliberately misled another institutional investor about Paulson's short position in the investment called Abacus 2007-AC1. Asked repeatedly if the information in the email was 'false,' Tourre responded, 'It was not accurate.' Under fire: Fabrice Tourre (3rd from L), is shown in this courtroom sketch in Manhattan Federal court . He added: 'I wasn't trying to confuse anybody; it just wasn't accurate at the time.' Leaving . the courtroom on Thursday, SEC lawyer Matthew Martens said, 'We're . obviously gratified by the jury's verdict and appreciate their hard . work.' Satisfied: After the verdict, litigator Matthew Martens said he was 'gratified' by the result . Tourre left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. His attorney also had no immediate comment. In . closing arguments, Martens called Tourre's testimony 'surreal, . imaginary, unreal, dream-like' and told jurors that the defendant wanted . them 'to live in his imaginary land ... to live in a fantasy world.' 'Only if you close your eyes to the facts, you can find Mr. Tourre not liable for his actions,' the SEC lawyer said. Tourre's attorney, John Coffey, countered that the government had 'unjustly accused him of wrongdoing.' Coffey urged jurors to put the investment's failure in perspective, noting that all similarly packaged securities "went off the cliff as well" after 2007. Pamela Chepiga, a lawyer for Tourre, said the SEC was trying to turn her client into a 'scapegoat'. 'This is not a case about whether you approve or disapprove of Wall Street,' she had said. The civil case had been called the most significant legal action related to the mortgage securities meltdown, but it lacked the drama and high stakes of white-collar criminal cases. Much of the testimony was devoted to the intricacies of synthetic collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs - a complex type of investment central to the case. Some of the testimony focused on a personal email Tourre sent to his girlfriend in France. Bourgeoisie: Fabrice Tourre reportedly 'loved to party' and claimed to be from a prominent French family . The SEC lawyers said the missive proved the hubris of a man at the center of a massive fraud, while the defense claimed was "an old-fashioned love letter" penned by a young trader who was full of self-doubt and angst over upheaval in the financial world. Writing in French, Tourre said of the financial markets: 'The whole building is about to collapse anytime now.' 'Only potential survivor, the fabulous Fab ... Standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!' Pressed by Marten on what he meant, Tourre said, 'I didn't create any monstrosities.' Goldman settled with the SEC in 2010 by paying a $550 million fine without admitting or denying wrongdoing. Tourre left the firm in 2012. Workplace: Tourre started working for Goldman Sachs in New York, pictured, in 2001 but is now pursing a PhD . Tourre told the Journal that he had never intended to work on Wall Street but moved up the ranks after landing the job at Goldman in 2001. In 2009, he was called to meet with the SEC about a deal he'd helped structure and a year later, a colleague told him there was a news story about the SEC filing a complaint against him and Goldman. 'It was a shock,' he said. Before he testified to a U.S. Senate subcommittee, he learned Goldman had released his emails to the public. 'They took certain steps that immediately didn't make me look good,' he said. 'But did I understand why they took those steps? Of course I did.' He said he is now looking forward to returning to the University of Chicago, where he is working towards a degree in economics. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Former Goldman Sachs trader Fabrice Tourre was charged with fraud for allegedly selling toxic mortgage investments deliberately designed to fail .
Prosecutors said 'Fabulous Fab' epitomized 'Wall St greed'
Tourre's lawyers said he did not deliberately mislead investors . |
173,435 | 6c728f4783ec2137e428f8e5822c879afc24648f | (CNN) -- Wayman Tisdale, who became a successful jazz musician after retiring from pro basketball, died Friday morning after a two-year battle with cancer, his agent said. Wayman Tisdale greets Shaquille O'Neal during a game November 1, 1996. Tisdale, 44, died in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital, where his wife took him when he had trouble breathing early Friday, agent Scott Pang said. Tisdale's death was "a complete shock" and came as he prepared to return to the recording studio next week to work on a project with jazz guitarist Norman Brown, Pang said. "He was a real testament to the power of positive thinking," Pang said. "Even after the cancer and amputating his leg above his knee, he never lost that smile on his face." Doctors discovered Tisdale's bone cancer after he broke his leg in a fall down a flight of stairs, according to the official biography on his Web site. "It really showed me what's important in life, man," he said in his bio. "It's not getting as many houses as I can, not driving the biggest cars. What's important is family and being healthy." Tisdale averaged 15 points and six rebounds a game over a 12-year NBA career, during which he played with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, according to the NBA Web site. "He was the nicest man in the world with the biggest heart and an even bigger smile," Reggie Miller, Tisdale's teammate with the Pacers in the late 1980s, said in a statement to the Indianapolis Star. "I thank him for befriending me and showing me there is more to life than just basketball." Sam Perkins, also a former Indiana Pacer and best man at Tisdale's wedding, told the Indianapolis Star that Tisdale's enthusiasm went beyond the court. "That's a real friend who's got your back and would do just about anything for you," Perkins said. "That smile just gets you. He was upbeat all the time." Former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson told the Indianapolis Star Tisdale was always smiling and had an unbelievably upbeat attitude. "Every time he came in a room or before a game, he always had that smile," Johnson said. "Now, he would elbow you afterward, but he always had that smile." Tisdale was also considered a Sooner superstar during his stint at Oklahoma University. "Wayman's one of the biggest reasons why I chose Oklahoma," said Stacey King, Tisdale's Oklahoma teammate and a former Chicago Bulls player. "I wanted to be part of something special, and it made logical sense to go to OU, because I wanted to pattern my game after him. I wanted to be like him. People used to talk about 'Be like Mike [Jordan],' but I wanted to be like Wayman. We've lost a special person. I don't think there will ever be another Wayman Tisdale." His jazz recording career began in 1995, two years before his 1997 NBA retirement, with a debut CD that rose to No. 4 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart and crossed over onto the R&B charts, the bio said. Subsequent songs -- including "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," "Can't Hide Love" and "Don't Take Your Love Away" -- were top radio hits. Singer and actor Jamie Foxx praised the basketball star's music career, telling Rolling Stone magazine in 2005 that his all-time backup band would be "Sheila E on the drums; Herbie Hancock on the keys; Earth, Wind and Fire singing backup vocals; Prince and Slash on guitar; Randy Jackson on percussion; Wayman Tisdale on bass; Kenny G on the sax with Branford Marsalis; and Wynton Marsalis on trumpet." Tisdale is survived by his wife, four children and one granddaughter. | NEW: Former teammates and friends mourn "the nicest man in the world"
Wayman Tisdale was college and pro basketball star, later jazz bassist .
Tisdale had two-year battle with cancer; he was 44 when he died Friday .
Death called "a complete shock"; Tisdale was about to record with Norman Brown . |
266,745 | e581a0f34c97ee1768f4133210511fb735c82303 | By . Sara Nathan . Nigella Lawson was seen at Heathrow airport last night before the decree nisi was granted today . Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi will divorce tomorrow - just weeks after the multi-millionaire was pictured choking his estranged wife. Nigella, 53, is the applicant in the case at London's High Court to be heard before District Judge Aitken, MailOnline can reveal. The 'quickie divorce' will be heard at 10.30am - and means the couple's 10-year-marriage could be over in a matter of minutes. The pair, who are said to be worth an estimated $228 million and shared an $18 million home in Chelsea, are believed to have agreed never to publicly disclose the terms of the divorce or financial settlements. They are also understood to have signed a pre-nuptial agreement when they wed in 2003. It is understood Mr Saatchi dispensed with lawyers to deal directly with Nigella's high profile lawyer Fiona Shackleton in an attempt to keep his multi-million-dollar art collection intact. The couple are not required to attend . the hearing and Nigella is expected to seek the divorce on the . grounds of her husband's unreasonable behaviour. They will have to wait for at least six weeks after the decree nisi is pronounced before their divorce can be legally finalised with a decree absolute. Their marriage ended after Mr Saatchi, 70, was pictured choking his wife, who has made her fortune as TV's Domestic Goddess, at their favourite London haunt, Scott's restaurant, last month. Nigella was then left reeling by Mr Saatchi’s ‘cruelty’ after he announced in The Mail on Sunday that he would be seeking a divorce. In a final, crushing act of emotional control, he released an extraordinary statement to say that the marriage was over — without giving her any warning of his intentions. Nigella has now moved out of their home and has rented an apartment with her son Bruno. She is soon planning to head to Los Angeles where she is filming the new season of her ABC show The Taste. Earlier this month, friends of Mr Saatchi told the Mail:‘He and Nigella agreed – via Fiona Shackleton – to a speedy divorce. Fiona Shackleton is Nigella’s first cousin and Charles highly respects her. ‘He did not hire a lawyer himself and he has not even spoken to Helen Ward, whom a Sunday paper claimed he has hired. ‘Fiona prepared a full court document, every detail of every asset was listed, and an agreement was reached with no dispute. ‘They have agreed never to make public the terms of the divorce or financial settlements. Fiona lodged the divorce document with the court last Friday.’ Proceedings: After the decree nisi is announced today Nigella and soon-to-be-ex-husband Charles Saatchi will be formally divorced in six weeks . The end of a marriage: The photo of Charles Saatchi with his hands round the throat of his wife Nigella Lawson led to their divorce . 'Heartbroken': Although Charles Saatchi announced he was divorcing Nigella Lawson - it was the TV star who was in the fact the applicant for the divorce . Baroness Shackleton, who advised the Prince of Wales in his divorce and represented Sir Paul McCartney, has been nicknamed the Steel Magnolia for her charm and determination. The former advertising tycoon initially brushed off the incident as nothing more than a ‘playful tiff’, but further images revealed Miss Lawson suffered 27 minutes of anguish and had her nose repeatedly tweaked and twisted by Mr Saatchi. At one point he even put his finger up her nose as they dined outside Scott’s restaurant in London. Distraught: Nigella Lawson has now moved out of her marital home and into a rented apartment with her children Cosima and Bruno . Mr Saatchi later accepted a police caution for assault. Friends say Nigella was willing right up until the end to give their marriage another chance and was left ‘floored’ and ‘blindsided’ by his decision to begin divorce proceedings against her. They were reportedly arguing over Miss Lawson’s son Bruno, 17, and daughter Cosima, 19, from her marriage to journalist John Diamond, who died in 2001 from throat cancer. Both children have been seen comforting their mother during the past few tense weeks at her new rented home and will join her in Los Angeles this summer. Nigella is also said by friends to have invited Phoebe Saatchi, 19, Mr Saatchi's daughter from his second marriage to Kay Hartenstein , to stay at her rented home, although it is unclear as of yet whether she take her step-mother up on her offer. Mr Saatchi appeared to blame Nigella for the end of the marriage, claiming he decided to divorce her after she refused to defend him in public. He also alleged that she had held him by the throat during arguments at home. Mr Saatchi said in his statement he had ‘clearly been a disappointment’ to his wife over the past year, and that they had been drifting apart. The tycoon's millions were amassed from the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, which he founded with his brother Maurice, now Lord Saatchi, and various astute business deals. Distress: Charles . Saatchi announced he was divorcing Nigella in a lengthy statement - . although her friends said she had hoped to repair their marriage . He has traded art over the years, making large profits on works by Damien Hirst and other British artists. His collection is reported to be worth £200million. The Saatchi Gallery, which Mr Saatchi opened in 1985, has included some of the UK’s most controversial and talked-about artworks. The current exhibition includes work from Jessica Jackson Hutchins, who makes papier-maché sculptures of household objects, and a piece by Jose Lerma and Hector Madera of a giant bust of a man made from paper. Mr Saatchi also famously bought Tracey Emin’s work My Bed for £150,000, for which he got an unmade bed littered with condoms, cigarette packets and underwear. It was later installed in a dedicated room in his own home. | Charles Saatchi announced he was to divorce Nigella Lawson in statement .
Said he made 'heartbreaking' decision after she refused to defend him .
Friends say she was always willing to try to rebuild the marriage .
Saatchi was pictured clutching the TV chef's throat and tweaking her nose . |
56,695 | a0a2c9aa9a5e34127e914629ea8c94fc33501515 | By . Lee Moran . PUBLISHED: . 04:36 EST, 9 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:36 EST, 9 May 2012 . A Spanish firm is courting controversy with its professional course in prostitution which it says 'guarantees a job offer on graduation'. For just €100, students will be taught the history of the world's oldest profession, how to use erotic toys and the most popular positions contained within the Kama Sutra. What they learn in the series of theory and practical classes will enable them to 'earn a lot of money, very easily and quickly', according to the ABC newspaper. Aspirational? The Spanish advertisement promoting courses in prostitution . 'They know what they are getting into': Tutor Brandon has been running the one-week course for eight years . The venture has attracted much criticism in the predominantly Catholic country, with many saying it is the wrong way to tempt cash-strapped Spaniads back into work. But the Valencian firm, which has flooded the city's university campus with promotional flyers, says it will make the trade safer. It will also ensure budding sex-workers will not fall foul of the law, with in depth descriptions of the industry's laws and how to work around them. Brandon, who has run the one-week course for eight years, said: 'They will know what they are getting in to. Old pros: Notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss (left) and hooker Divine Brown, who was famously caught in a clinch with actor Hugh Grant . 'Prostitution is a career that many people live off from day to day, whether they are single or have a partner.' He added that 95 people, from the age of 19 to 45, had signed up to the diploma - which takes up two hours each day. And, once they graduate, they receive their first job offer - to become a teacher in the 'school' where they can help in practical classes. | For €100 students are taught the world's oldest profession in a series of theory and practical classes .
Course includes tips on how to use sex toys and the most popular positions in the Kama Sutra . |
105,350 | 13d91865b2c5d19890155fb17dec885b7210551a | Sandwich chain Subway may market itself as the healthy fast-food option, but its customers are not as fit as you might expect. New research has found that the more branches of Subway a country has, the more likely its population is to be obese. Nations with a high density of Subways - such as the U.S., Canada and Australia - have more people classified as being extremely overweight. By contrast, countries like Norway and Japan where there are few of the sandwich franchises also have relatively low obesity rates. Popular: But countries with many branches of Subway tend to have higher rates of obesity . The study, published in the journal Critical Public Health, blames global free trade for allowing international fast-food chains to dominate cuisine around the world. It was revealed last week that despite its healthier image, Subway meals contain more salt and nearly as many calories as those from McDonald's. However, the research published today does not single out Subway as particularly unhealthy, but instead uses it as a stand-in for all fast food, owing to its status as the world's largest restaurant chain. Scientists found the country with by far the highest concentration of the sandwich restaurants was Australia with 21.65 per 100,000 residents, followed by the U.S. with 7.52 and Canada with 7.43. These countries also had some of the highest rates of obesity, even after adjusting for other factors such as income, inequality, urbanisation, and motor-vehicle and internet use. Healthy? Researchers blame trade liberalisation for the global spread of fast food such as Subway . However, the authors admitted they could not say for sure that the density of fast-food restaurants caused obesity, but merely that it was associated with it. They also acknowledged their research did not take into account the time lag between the appearance of such restaurants and a given country's obesity epidemic, while the study was also limited to just 26 advanced economies and one fast-food chain. Nevertheless, they insist the research is an important contribution to the understanding of obesity as a global problem. They accuse groups such as the World Trade Organisation of contributing to obesity by encouraging exports of domestic goods, imports of foreign products and the opening of markets to foreign investment. The researchers dub this process 'globesization', and claim it is linked to the increasing power of international food companies, supermarkets and fast-food restaurants. | U.S., Canada and Australia have most Subways and highest obesity rates .
Norway and Japan have slim population and few sandwich shops . |
71,395 | ca5a89d05fd880d11d894b327359dbbccd973c81 | (CNN)When the Dalai Lama attends the National Prayer Breakfast this Thursday, it will not only be an implicit endorsement of the Tibetan Buddhist leader's stand against China in the name of religious freedom, but also an acknowledgment that Buddhism is firmly established as one strand among many in the tapestry of American spiritual diversity. Yet it might also serve as a reminder that a religion now considered universally benign once endured suspicion, vocal protest and even government surveillance -- much as Islam has in recent years. Already, 2015 has seen threats of violence canceling a call to prayer in North Carolina, anti-Muslim demonstrations in Texas and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal comparing non-assimilating Muslims to an "invasion." All of this would have been familiar to some Buddhists not so long ago. Today, Buddhism is the model of a minority religious tradition that exerts an influence far beyond what its numbers would suggest. While the Buddhist population of the United States is not much larger than a million -- less than 1% of the population -- the number of Americans inspired by the Buddha is estimated to be more than 10 times that size. The cultural position of Buddhism 73 years ago could not have been more different. When Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, authorizing the evacuation of all those of Japanese descent from the West Coast to war relocation centers, the Buddhist faith practiced by many Japanese Americans was itself regarded as a potential threat. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the formal entry of the United States into World War II, the FBI compiled a list of suspected collaborators that included not only members of groups with political ties to Japan, but the leaders of Buddhist temples. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's Custodial Detention List used a classification system designating the supposed risk of individuals on an A-B-C scale, with an "A" assigned to those deserving greatest suspicion. In Hoover's system, Buddhist priests were designated "A-1": "dangerous enemy aliens" whose arrest was considered a matter of urgent concern. Even before the war, Japanese Buddhists were thought to be less "Americanized" than their countrymen who had converted to Christianity, and in some ways this was true. Within the Japanese immigrant community, Buddhists were more likely than Christians to maintain their native language, as well as their facility with customs and rituals performed in that language. They were also more likely than Japanese Christians to read publications concerned with political affairs in the country they left behind. Subscription rolls of such publications provided the FBI with a starting point for building its "A" list of suspects. Because of the connections and traditional knowledge Buddhist temples helped maintain, to be a Japanese Buddhist in America was to be considered a risk to national security. Facing such scrutiny, many Buddhists enlisted for military service to prove their loyalty and patriotism. The famous 442nd Combat Regiment was not only entirely Japanese, but it was largely Buddhist. It became the most decorated infantry regiment in Europe. In the Pacific theater, 6,000 American servicemen of Japanese descent -- again, many Buddhists among them -- worked as linguists and code breakers, hastening the end of the war. In the wake of these accomplishments, Japanese American veterans petitioned the military throughout the late 1940s to add a Buddhist designation to dog tags and grave markers, which before had offered only markings signifying Protestant, Catholic, Hebrew and Other. Their eventual victory opened up the U.S. armed forces to recognition of all other faiths. Coming during a time of increasing anti-Muslim rhetoric, and during the month in which the internment of Buddhists and other Japanese Americans is commemorated, the Dalai Lama's presence at the National Prayer Breakfast offers an opportunity for the politicians and faith leaders in attendance to reaffirm a basic truth too often forgotten in our history: In a nation that cherishes religious freedom and hopes to see it spread across the globe, targeting one spiritual tradition diminishes them all. | The Dalai Lama will attend the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday with President Obama .
Buddhists were viewed with suspicious by the U.S. government during World War II . |
74,174 | d25703483c98e934062d3ef12e746ea7034b7fcf | By . Luke Augustus . Follow @@Luke_Augustus29 . He could have played a part in England's third Test win against India at the Ageas Bowl, but instead Kevin Pietersen showcased his hand-eye co-ordination in a different sport. The controversial cricketer enjoyed a round of golf with friend and journalist Piers Morgan at Wentworth golf course on Friday. The South African-born talents on the Surrey resort were evident with Morgan tweeting that Pietersen scored an 120-yard eagle whilst playing. Eye of the tiger: Kevin Pietersen celebrates hitting a 120-yard eagle at Wentworth on Friday . All smiles: Kevin Pietersen posted an Instagram picture about to play golf at the Wentworth golf course . Tagged . with the caption: 'BOOM! Pietersen holes a 120yd wedge for an eagle. #ShowPony #Wentworth ps Morgan & @KP24 go 4 up after 4,' Pietersen . can be seen celebrating his feat. After his round with Morgan, Pietersen tweeted Sportsmail to inform us that fellow playing partners Dave Clark and QPR co-owner and vice-chairman Amit Bhatia embarrassed themselves in comparison. Earlier in the day, the Surrey batsman uploaded a picture of him via his Instagram account with the caption 'Don't hate the player, hate the game,' whilst posing in an-all white buggy at a swanky golf resort. The 34-year-old is currently in England exile having was dropped in the aftermath of the winter Ashes series whitewash in Australia. England's all-time leading run scorer is due to set to feature for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, which has already started, and on Monday he signed a two-year deal with Australia Twenty20 franchise the Melbourne Stars. Despite his exclusion from the ECB setup, the right-handed batsman recently revealed his desire to be recalled. 'I'd love to play for England again but we might to have for a few things to change before that could possibly happen,' he told BT Sport. 'Over the next 12 months there's an opportunity to win a World Cup in Australia and to get the Ashes back. 'To pick up a trophy with the England team would be sensational and to avenge what has happened over the past 12 months would be what dreams are made of.' Exile: Pietersen was dropped from England selection after the winter series whitewash to Australia . | Kevin Pietersen hit a 120-yard eagle whilst playing golf at Wentworth .
Pietersen's moment was captured by playing partner Piers Morgan .
England's all-time record run scorer is in exile after being dropped following their Ashes whitewash . |
100,388 | 0d55df984bf0946b446f1ba8735de2cd80ad9001 | (CNN) -- If you find yourself asking "where's the beef?" you may have a case of the Mondays. Meatless Monday is an increasingly popular movement in which carnivores cut out meat one day a week for health and environmental reasons. The campaign started in 2003 as a nonprofit public health initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future in Baltimore, Maryland. But aside from the alliteration, why meatless and why Monday? "Studies suggest we are more likely to maintain behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week," according to the Healthy Monday public health campaign. Research compiled by the initiative suggests going meatless conserves water, reduces carbon footprints and lowers intake of saturated fats. "You certainly don't need to eat meat to get protein. Meat is an important part of your diet, but you don't need to eat it every day of the week," Ralph Logiscli, director of the Healthy Monday Project, told CNN. On April 12, Johns Hopkins Hospital's cafeteria began offering only vegetarian options in its Wellness Corner on Mondays. "If you think chili needs meat, you don't know beans," touts a promotional poster featuring the cafeteria's chef, Shawn Fields. There are vocal critics. When Baltimore City Public Schools adopted Meatless Mondays last year as a way to cut costs, conservative commentator Glenn Beck deemed it an indoctrination of children to vegetarianism and veganism and decried it as an over-extension of governmental control. "Americans love our steaks, we love our chops, we love our burgers, and you'll throw me in jail, my last meal will be a giant steak," Beck said. J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the American Meat Institute, wrote the movement was "depriving children and their parents of the ability to determine what is appropriate for their diets and their own personal circumstances." The concept of Meatless Monday is not new. During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration called for "Meatless Mondays" and "Wheatless Wednesdays" to aid war effort. It told the public that "Food Will Win the War" though the effort to reserve food to be shipped to American servicemen abroad. The rise of the meatless movement during the past year is speculated to be part of the "Oprah Effect" and has drawn some major celebrity supporters. Food activist and author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," Michael Pollan, announced on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in April 2009 that he participates in the phenomenon and urged viewers to do so. "To the extent we push meat a little bit to the side and move vegetables to the center of our diet, we're also going to be a lot healthier," he said. Celebrity chef and cookbook author Katie Lee publicly participates in Meatless Mondays, often offering up her meat-free eats on her Twitter (@katieleekitchen) account. "Delicious lunch on a meat-free Monday at Sant Ambroeus ... arugula salad w/ shaved parmesan and spaghettino arrabiata," she wrote in a recent Tweet, and Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP newsletter shared vegetarian recipes from the perennially star-studded Mr. Chow restaurant. In June 2009, even a Beatle got in on the "all you need is vegetables" action. Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters, Stella and Mary, launched Meat Free Monday in the United Kingdom to raise awareness about the climate-changing effects of meat production and consumption. "Having one designated meat-free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once," Paul McCartney, a long-outspoken vegetarian, said. "For instance it not only addresses pollution, but better health, the ethical treatment of animals, global hunger and community and political activism." It's not just the glitterati getting in on the action; entire cities are promoting a weekly meat hiatus. San Francisco, the home of local food evangelists such as chef Alice Waters, became the first official Meatless Monday city in the United States on April 7. The city's Board of Supervisors approved a resolution pushing for more vegetarian offerings on Mondays, without requiring them. Whether Meatless Mondays prove in the long run to have any palpable effect on the environment or individual health as Earth Day celebrates its 40th anniversary, it's certainly food for thought. | A growing movement encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays .
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is associated with the project .
Michael Pollan, Katie Lee and Paul McCartney are big supporters of Meatless Mondays . |
177,625 | 71f5489be1df0afb4cb4e22df5333e5ef8985caf | (CNN) -- Even by Bubba Watson's unpredictable standards, his decision to pull out of this month's Players Championship to spend more time with his family is an unusual one. The Masters champion revealed he is skipping one of golf's biggest tournaments -- often referred to as the fifth major, with $9.5 million total prize money -- to spend quality time with wife Angie and their recently adopted two-month-old son. "I've decided to pull out of the Players. I need to spend more time with Caleb and Angie, plan to take at least a month off. The Players is one of the best weeks of the year but bonding with my son and wife is what it is all about right now," he wrote on Twitter. "Sorry to disappoint fans but the Players has one of the best fields all year, tourney is more than fine without me," Watson said in another tweet. It seems the prestigious PGA Tour event -- boasting a whopping $1.7 million prize for its winner -- wasn't enough to tear Bubba away from baby. "I feel blessed and excited that I get to spend quality time with Caleb and Angie in the next few weeks. I am lucky to play golf for a living, it allows me to pick my own schedule," he tweeted. Wells Fargo Championship leaderboard . The 33-year-old, who earned the nickname "Wacky Watson" for his oddball home videos on YouTube, will miss the Players for the first time since his debut in 2007. The American has missed the cut in three out of five trips to TPC Sawgrass, and recorded his best finish back in 2009 when he tied for 37th. Watson's decision has been backed by the U.S. circuit's governing body. "We respect Bubba's decision in light of the unique and life-changing circumstances of the past month," said PGA Tour executive vice-president of communications Ty Votaw. "His focus on his family is admirable, as was his decision to honor his commitment to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as defending champion. We look forward to having him back on the tour soon." Watson admitted ahead of last month's Zurich Classic that he'd rather be at home than defending his New Orleans title. It has been his only tournament since winning the Masters with a miraculous shot from the woods and onto the green in a playoff against South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen. Fresh from the media whirlwind that surrounded him since winning his first major at Augusta, Bubba failed to live up to the hype, finishing 18th at TPC Louisiana. He decided to miss this week's $6.5 million Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina, where some of golf's biggest names returned to action on Thursday. Former world No. 1 Tiger Woods was tied for 56th after the opening round, having shot one-under-par 71. The American, who won the tournament in 2001, was six shots off the lead shared by his playing partner Webb Simpson. Ryan Moore and Stewart Cink also carded seven-under 65 to be a shot ahead of a group of five players. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy's tactic of taking a long holiday before the tournament did not yield immediate results. The Northern Irishman, who will defend his U.S. Open title next month, finished the opening day at Quail Hollow equal 39th after a 70. Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson recovered from an early triple bogey to join Woods on 71. | Bubba Watson pulls out of Players Championship to spend more time with young family .
Masters champion will take a month off to concentrate on wife Angie and adopted son Caleb .
The 33-year-old couldn't be swayed by tournament's $9.5 million prize purse .
He also skips this week's Quail Hollow event, where Webb Simpson leads after day one . |
105,236 | 13ba0ce45e4e6ad0304fb4555c321bc41ba5163c | Editor's note: CNN affiliates report on where job seekers are finding work across the country and how those looking for employment are coping with the situation. Job fairs are becoming more popular and are seeing record attendance. (CNN) -- A record number of senior citizens attended a job fair this week in Loveland, Colorado. The fair, which targeted people 50 and older, drew the biggest crowd -- about 900 people -- for the annual event. Nan Cooper, a job seeker, said applicants have to do more these days than just walk into a prospective employer's office with a resume. "[Times] have changed radically," she told KMGH in Denver. "I've spent countless, countless hours on the Internet and filling out applications." iReport.com: Share your job hunt story . She said she had even applied for jobs through the online auction site eBay. Read the full report on KMGH . Northeast: Job week seeks to solve 'disconnect' between employers, job hunters . Employers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area say they are having a difficult time filling 22,000 available positions. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said this week the city would increase its participation in a job placement program, both monetarily and through city organizations. The mayor made his remarks as part of a kickoff event for Imagine Career Week, which links high school students and employers. A spokesman for one of the groups sponsoring the week's events said there shouldn't be so many employers with open spots. "At the same time, we have young people walking around famously saying that they can't find a job. There's a big disconnect there someplace," Paul Leger of the Allegheny Conference told WTAE. During the career week, students will visit businesses and prospective employers will visit classrooms. Read the full report on WTAE . Southeast: Wal-Mart to increase its N.C. workforce by nearly 6 percent . Wal-Mart said Wednesday it plans to add 3,000 jobs in North Carolina. The retail chain currently employs 51,000 people at 155 locations in the state. "In a time when many are suffering, we want North Carolinians to know that we are here to stay," David Cameron, general manager for the Carolinas, told WRAL of Raleigh. He did not say where the jobs would be located. North Carolina is one of eight states with unemployment above 10 percent. Read the report on WRAL . Southeast: Military recruiter sees more potential airmen . Technical Sgt. Greg O'Conner is staying very busy these days. He is an Air Force recruiter in Bradenton, Florida. "With the way the economy is, recruitment is up," he told Bay News 9. "I get dozens of calls every day and walk-ins from young men and women interested in joining the Air Force." One of his recruits was 20-year-old Dakota Slentz, who cannot afford to go to law enforcement training school. He said the Air Force offers a chance for great experiences as well as a great salary. In statistics provided by the Department of Defense, the Air Force has reported meeting its recruiting goals each month of the fiscal year, which began in October. Read the full report on Bay News 9 . West: Sacramento project to bring thousands of jobs . A building developer in Sacramento, California, says plans to turn rail yards into a residential and commercial district will require thousands of workers over the next 20 years. Suheil Totah of Thomas Enterprises told KCRA that initial projects like building roads will mean jobs for 3,000 people. The company said more than 56,000 people will be needed for the project in the next two decades. The 244 acres will be converted into a mix of homes, businesses, entertainment venues and government offices. Read the report on KCRA . Around the nation . Tennessee will use federal stimulus money to hire 12,000 people ages 24 and younger, WSMV reports. A food company is converting a North Carolina textile plant and bringing 172 jobs, WXII reports. | Job fair aimed at people 50 and older draws big crowd .
Pittsburgh area business executives meeting with high school students .
Wal-Mart adding 3,000 jobs in North Carolina .
Air Force recruiter in Florida has seen increase in interest . |
193,778 | 86d7d13c53d0b8455aedc2edfb1cf16c6e49e574 | By . Katy Winter . A mother has taken a photo of her daughter every day for a year to document her baby girl growing up. Starting when her daughter was just four months old, Mary Potsig, 43, has now taken a picture of baby Arwen for 365 consecutive days. The mother-of-three from Allendale, Northumberland, did not want her youngest daughter to be neglected when it came to the family album so started the project to document her early life. Arwen, Mary's third child, sleeping just after birth swaddled in a white blanket. Wednesday 31 October 2012: Mary started the project as did not want her youngest daughter to be neglected. Here a tiny baby Arwen lies between two carved pumpkins on her first Halloween . Wednesday 27 March 3013: Even at a few months old it is obvious how much Arwen, here in an adorable pink onsie, has grown . Wednesday 6 March 2013: Little Arwen clearly already knows she is a princess . Sunday 7 April 2013: Arwen looking elfin during a family day out at Hadrian's Wall . April 2013: Clearly developing diverse interests early on in life, Arwen is both stormtrooper and DJ . Before long she found herself taking a picture a day of Arwen and uploading them to a photo-sharing site. Mary, an advisory teacher for children with autism, said: 'When you have a third child, recording their milestones can sometimes be forgotten about, and I realised I wasn’t taking as many pictures of Arwen as I had been with Grace, six, and Ophelia, four. 'It was quite difficult to keep up with the pictures. Some days I had to just grab a picture when I saw her, and some days it was just a screen grab off my phone. Thursday 6 June 2013: Peekaboo is one of Arwen's favourite games . Wednesday 7 August 2013: Mary snaps a selfie with Arwen, who is clearly fascinated by the process . 'It’s proved a really nice way to document some of her ‘firsts’ - her first steps are in there and her first time in a swimming pool. 'Life gets busy and just stopping to take a picture you capture things you would normally miss. Children grow up so quickly and it’s great to have a record of that.' Mary uploaded the pictures to the photo journal site Blipfoto.com. It is the second journal she has created on the site with the encouragement of her husband Colin, a professional photographer. Monday 26 August 2013: As she grows up, more and more of Arwen's cheerful personality begins to emerge in the photographs . Monday 21 October 2013: Happy Birthday Arwen! Mary marked her youngest daughter's first birthday with a truly massive cake . Thursday 31 October 2013: Just 10 days old at her first Halloween, Arwen is able to celebrate her second in considerably more style . December 2013: Arwen's growing awareness of herself and the world around her leads to both shyness (left) and increased inquisitiveness (right) Sunday 12 January 2014: Arwen is now independently mobile and eager to explore . Monday 27 January 2014: Arwen and big sister and Ophelia have a great time on the trampoline . Friday 21 February 2014: Arwen enjoys the splash pools while her older sisters have their swimming lessons, insisting on wearing her wellies for the outing . She said: 'My first project I took a picture a day for 500 days. 'I’m an amateur photographer so most of the photos are taken on my phone, but it doesn’t stop me. 'Taking a photo a day is more of a challenge than people realise, but I didn’t intend for my project with Arwen to be a daily thing - I thought it would just be a nice record of her growing up. 'It’s been a great thing to do and it’s lovely looking back on it.' Arwen has become so used to having her picture taken she has even started taking them herself. Mary said: 'If I leave Arwen with the iPad then she can open the app and take a picture of herself. 'Her selfies aren’t great - mainly of the tops of her head or her tummy but she’s getting there. 'Maybe one day she’ll grow up to be a photographer like her dad.' To see more of Mary’s journal go to www.blipfoto.com/Arwen . March 15 2014: An artist in the making, Arwen, now aged 1 year 5 months, shows off her talents at colouring in . Wednesday 19 March 2014: Arwen is fascinated with the sight of herself in the newspaper as the story of Mary's project begins to hit the press . Sunday 30 March 2014: Arwen wasn't so keen on taking part in the Harry Potter broomstick training at Alnwick Castle... | Mary started to take daily pictures when Arwen was four months old .
Began project as she was worried her third child would be missed out .
Has now taken 365 pictures of Arwen who is 18 months old .
Together they create an endearing look at a child's first year . |
20,090 | 3907cb3b780899e4030e1f9c49a79b8c9326f0e8 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:13 EST, 24 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:47 EST, 24 December 2013 . Delighted: Carla Hodgson, 40, from Gosfort, Hampshire, was distraught when her pet Snowflake went missing . Police officers spent three days searching for a chicken that fled its pen after being chased by a cat. Snowflake, an 18-month-old Bantam hen, had last been seen by neighbours running for its life around the family garden in Gosport, Hampshire. When Carla Hodgson, 40, arrived home there was no trace of her, and she made a desperate call to the police. At first, officers at Hampshire Constabulary thought it was a prank. But eventually, they conceded, and deployed a team to trace the family pet. Ms Hodgson, from Gosport, Hampshire, said: 'When I realised she was missing, I phoned the police and they thought it was a prank call at first. 'They must have thought: 'Is this lady for real?' but I then told I was. 'They then sent some officers round who helped me with the search.' Neighbours joined in the hunt for . the Bantam chicken, which lives with Ms Hodgson, her three sons and two . Staffordshire bull terriers in Gosport, Hampshire. Eventually, 72 hours later, they found her in the care of some children who had seen her sitting on top of a car. Bantams can fly a short distance if they . are startled, and after her escapade with the cat, Snowflake had flown over the wall and onto the nearest roof for safety. Ms Hodgson was delighted. She said: 'It was all down to community spirit. I sent out posters and knocked on doors, I had people calling me saying they had seen her. 'Two or three people told me they had seen her being taken in a house. Desperate to find the Bantam chicken, mother-of-three Ms Hodgson called police to ask for support . 'I went round there and spoke to them. They said they had found her and were not sure what to do and had taken her in. 'We live on such a large, busy road but the sheer volume of people that responded was amazing. 'She's such a pretty little chicken, I'm so relieved to get her back.' She added: 'Snowflake is incredibly domesticated, I've taken care of her since she was a chick. 'If you bring them up from such a young age, they regard you as the mother.' | Snowflake, an 18-month-old Bantam hen, was last seen running for its life .
Officers ran 72-hour hunt in Gosfort, Hampshire, with neighbours' help .
Found chicken in care of children who saw her on roof of a car . |
5,409 | 0f55968de3670db0263b3cf2ab5369d66366d7d9 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 5:13 PM on 12th October 2011 . Burma began to free prominent dissidents today at the start of a general amnesty for more than six thousand prisoners. It was not clear how many of the . country's estimated 2,000 political detainees were included in the . amnesty - one estimate said 155 of them were freed. But the . released included ailing Shan Army commander Hso Hten and comedian . Zarganar, who was imprisoned after criticising the government's response . to Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Amnesty: Women walk free from Insein Prison near Rangoon after President Thein Sein issued an amnesty for 6,359 prisoners yesterday . Zarganar said after his release: 'I will be happy and I will thank the . government only when all of my friends are freed.' Those still held include student leaders . from the failed 1988 democracy uprising in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Western governments, the UN and Burma's opposition have eagerly awaited a broad political amnesty as a gesture of liberalisation by the elected government after decades of harsh military rule. Free at last: Comedian and political prisoner Zaganar, who was freed from Myitkyina prison in northern Burma, at Rangoon airport after his release today . Jubilant: Released prisoners make their way through the crowd as they leave Insein Prison near Rangoon . A failure to follow through could hamper the country's efforts to improve its human rights record and have Western economic and political sanctions lifted. Relatives and freed prisoners held emotional reunions with loved ones around the country a day after the new civilian president declared an amnesty for 6,359 inmates - many of them ordinary criminals - on humanitarian grounds, but without disclosing any names. Joyful: Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the families of political prisoners in Rangoon as 155 dissidents are released. Right, a freed prisoner embraces his weeping mother outside Insein prison . Pro-democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, herself released from 15 years of house arrest last November, said: 'The freedom of each individual is invaluable, but I wish that all political prisoners would be released.' Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy confirmed the release of 155 political detainees, including members of her party, spokesman Nyan Win said. But other dissidents could have been freed from remote prisons without having contacted anyone yet. President Thein Sein, a retired senior army officer who took office in March, has launched a series of economic reforms and eased limits on freedom of speech by relaxing censorship and unblocking banned websites. He also has started a dialogue with Suu Kyi, made calls for peace with Shan ethnic minority rebel groups and suspended a controversial China-backed hydropower dam project after a public outcry. Amnesty International called the prisoner release a 'minimum first step'. Hso Hten, the released Shan Army commander, was serving a 106-year prison sentence for high treason following his arrest in 2005. The Shan are a repressed minority within Burma who have been enganged in conflict with the Burmese government for decades. It was initially thought that Ashin Gambira, a young charismatic Buddhist monk who was among the leaders of the September 2007 anti-government uprising, had been freed but it transpired that he was still in prison. Walk to freedom: Women clutching their possessions leave the gates of Insein Prison, many were held for years without hope of release . Family joy: Relatives of prisoners wait outside Insein Prison following the announcement that inmates were set to be released . U.S. Secretary of State Hillary . Clinton, speaking to Reuters, said she was encouraged by 'promising . signals' of political reform but it was too early to announce any steps . Washington might take in response. The . United States, Europe and Australia have said freeing an estimated . 2,100 political prisoners in Burma is essential to even considering . lifting sanctions that have crippled the pariah state and, over years, . driven it closer to China. Free at last: Prisoners take their first steps of freedom today from the men's jail at Insein near Rangoon . Relief: Prisoners show their emotion as they are let out from the gated prison . Day they never thought would come: Men are marched out of Insein prison, just 24 hours after the announcement that more than 6,000 prisoners would be given amnesty . Mrs Clinton said: 'We're encouraged by the steps we see the . government taking... we're going to take them at their word. 'But we want to see actions. And if they are going to release political prisoners that would be a very positive sign.' Previous general amnesties have . included only a token number of political prisoners but there was optimism this time as the Burmese government seeks to . distance itself from China and makes overtures to the West. The army nominally handed over power . in March to civilians after elections in November, a process ridiculed . at the time as a sham to cement authoritarian rule behind a democratic . facade. Nevertheless, President Thein Sein, the first civilian head of state in half a century, . has initiated overtures including calls to win over ethnic . minorities. The new national human rights . commission called on the president in an open letter published in state . media on Tuesday to free prisoners who did not pose 'a threat to the . stability of state and public tranquillity'. Zarganar , 49, was imprisoned after speaking out against the official response to cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left more than 140,000 people dead. He is celebrated for his films, plays and poetry and even dubbed the comedy Dalai Lama. But even though he was imprisoned 900 miles away from his family in Myitkyina prison in Rangoon in 2010 a brief poem penned by him was passed to a friend. It read: 'It's lucky my forehead is flat/Since my arm must often rest there/Beneath it shines a light I must invite/From a moon I cannot see/In Myitkyina.' This was the forth time the comedian had been imprisoned . He had always insisted humour would prevail: 'Burmese people love to laugh. If I can’t speak, jokes will still spread. People will make them up themselves.' The . open letter marks a significant shift in the former British colony where authorities have long refused to recognise . the existence of political prisoners, usually dismissing such detainees . as common criminals. The government has faced pressure for . change on multiple fronts, from the need . to find alternatives to China in the face of popular resentment of its . influence, to growing frustration in Southeast Asia over Burma's . isolation as the region approaches an EU-style Asian community in 2015. Diplomats . say other factors play into its desire to open up, include a need . for technical assistance from the World Bank and other multilateral . institutions which cut off ties years ago in response to abuses of human rights. Nestled . strategically between the powerhouses of India and China, Burma has been one . of the world's most difficult destinations for investors, restricted by . sanctions, blighted by half a century of oppressive military rule and . starved of capital despite rich natural resources, from gems to timber . to oil. The country's infrastructure is in . shambles and its economy has few sources of growth beyond investment . from China and Thailand. About 30 per cent of its 50 million people live . in poverty, according to UN data. Some analysts say Burma also wants to show the United States that it is independent of China. Last week, the government suspended a £2.3billion Chinese-led dam project, a victory for . supporters of Suu Kyi and a sign the country was willing to yield to . popular resentment over China's growing influence. These . moves have fuelled hopes the new parliament will slowly open the . country that just over 50 years ago was one of Southeast Asia's . wealthiest as the world's biggest rice exporter and a major energy . producer. In Tokyo, a foreign ministry official . said Japan had resumed some aid to Burma in June after the release of . Suu Kyi and other signs of reform. 'We may continue with this stance if . there are more releases of political prisoners,' the official said. 'Work still needs to be done in terms of democracy but we think they are . moving in the right direction.' | 155 political prisoners freed, says Aung San Suu Kyi .
Comedian Zarganar and Shan general among those released .
6,359 prisoners to be freed in total . |
124,691 | 2d28f394935a9558db38c069ebdd68187233a506 | (CNN) Washington -- The nationwide retail pharmacy chain CVS has agreed to pay the federal and several state governments more than $17 million to settle claims the pharmacy overcharged Medicaid. CVS, with 7,000 pharmacies in 41 states, allegedly submitted inflated prescription claims in 10 states. The case against CVS was originally brought by a CVS whistleblower pharmacist in Minnesota. The government said that pharmacist will receive more than $2.5 million, which will come from what the states and the federal government recover from CVS. The federal government will receive nearly $8 million, and the 10 states will receive a total of $9.5 million. Those states are California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Rhode Island, Alabama and Minnesota. Officials said CVS was paid a higher amount by Medicaid than it would have been paid if the company had followed correct billing procedures and submitted the claims to third-party insurers. "Medicaid covers the poorest, most vulnerable people in American society. This needed government program for prescriptions is a disservice to everyone and won't be tolerated," said Daniel Levinson, inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CVS issued no immediate comment, but the Justice Department said the retailer agreed to three years of government monitoring as it implements correct billing procedures. | Pharmacy chain accused of inflating prescription claims in 10 states .
Case was brought by a whistleblower pharmacist, who will get more than $2.5 million .
States will receive a total of $9.5 million; federal government to get nearly $8 million .
Justice Department says CVS has agreed to monitoring as it corrects its billing procedures . |
779 | 023fc2139b843df3d0c390c5d51912673b53aa2b | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 11:51 PM on 21st October 2011 . No love for familiarity: Judge John Foster has been accused of discrimination . To most in the county, it is a term of endearment. But one Yorkshire judge takes such offence at the use of the word 'love' as a term of address, he has banned it from his courtroom. Barnsley Magistrates' Court Judge John Foster has ruled that defendants should no longer be permitted to reply 'yes, love' when confirming their details with the court clerk or legal adviser. Instead, they have been ordered to answer: 'Yes, ma'am.' Judge Foster claims the word 'love' is 'disrespectful' and has ordered all defendants in his court to abide by the new rules. The district judge imposed the ban after his legal adviser Pam Bower asked a 42-year-old defendant if he would confirm his identity during a recent hearing and got the reply: ‘Yes, love.’ The man, who was on remand and appearing on a video link, was later freed from custody on conditional bail. Judge Foster, 64, said courts ‘have to maintain proper standards’, adding: ‘Courts are solemn places and serious. 'They are not places for chatty discussions.’ But regional campaign groups condemned the move. Graeme Garvey, from the Yorkshire Dialect Society, said: ‘The judge is, himself, being discriminatory in insisting on Standard English usage over traditional Yorkshire dialect. 'Love' is a non-sexual term which has been and is used by people of both . genders to people of both genders. It is a term of endearment. Love-free zone: From now on, defendants appearing at Barnsley . Magistrates Court, above, are to address female court staff as . 'ma'am' 'The . key issue regarding the current case is if the usage is patronising and . that is a value judgement not susceptible to objective proof. 'If it is not used patronisingly then . the judge, himself, is in error. If the plaintiff were to arraign the . judge for linguistic discrimination, I feel he would have a strong . case.' Keith Madeley, from the Yorkshire . Society, an organisation which encourages business and all things . Yorkshire, added: 'I think that you've got to be careful that you don't . lose the affectionate terms that we use for each other as part of our . regional dialects. 'If the . term is used in the right way I see nothing wrong with it, in other . parts of the country I believe they refer to one another as "duck", are we . going to stop that as well?' Defending against the cries of foul against the Yorkshire dialect the Judicial Office on behalf of Judge Foster said: 'He simply asked the defendant to observe ordinary courtesy and respect towards an officer of the court. 'And that the standards demanded upon this occasion were no different to those applied in every other court in the land on every day upon which they sit.' CHUCK: A favourite in the north west of the country . KIDDA: Originally used in Liverpool but now also used in parts of North Wales . OUR KID: Often used to refer to a brother or close friend in Manchester . BABBA: Meaning 'baby' or 'friend' and originated in Bristol . MY LOVER: Another term originating from Bristol but is now heard throughout the south west of the country . BOYO: Out of date, but can occasionally still be heard in the Welsh Valleys . OLD BEAN: Originating in the south east, this is a jocular form of addressing a man, dating from the 1910s. TREACLE: Out-and-out Cockney. Used by men to describe women, derived from the 'treacle tart' rhyming slang meaning of sweetheart. GEEZER: Used in the south east as slang for man, but it actually dates from the 15th century word for actor - which was 'guiser' PET: The popular Geordie expression for women, originates from the notion that pets need looking after . PETAL: Another term for women, which can be heard all over the North East . HEN: Scottish slang for woman or girl . DOLL: An affectionate term for women, used by men in Scotland . CHICKEN: The tables turn with this term, for it is mainly used by women about men in the North East. LASS: Term for a young woman or girl, widely used across Yorkshire . FLOWER: Another well-used phrase in Yorkshire - again for women . BAB: A variation on the word 'babe' and used to greet Brummie women . ME DUCK: Heard in Derbyshire, but dates back to the 1500s when Shakespeare used the phrase 'dainty duck' for sweetheart. | Defendants must now call women 'ma'am'
Dialect group claim judge discriminates against people from Yorkshire . |
281,883 | f925806303002fb2f9600c02ff45605f258e5be5 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:29 EST, 26 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:22 EST, 26 November 2013 . The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to direct airlines to avoid flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 747-8 jumbo jets with General Electric engines near thunderstorms after some planes experienced ice buildup in their engines. The U.S. regulator said it would issue an airworthiness directive (AD) this week for the airplanes powered by GE's GEnx engines. 'The AD is an interim action to make sure pilots avoid icing conditions that could affect engine power and possibly damage the engine,' said FAA. Warning: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is set to tell airlines to avoid flying new Boeing Dreamliners near thunderstorms after some planes experience an ice build-up on the engine including Japan Airlines . The FAA also said it has been working . closely with Boeing and GE to monitor and understand these events as . the companies develop a permanent solution. The . 787 can be powered by either GEnx engines or rival Trent 1000 engines . made by Rolls-Royce Plc, while the 747-8 is powered exclusively by the . GE engine model. Took action: Japan Airlines pulled Boeing 787s from two international routes amid concerns about ice . Boeing . advised airlines on Friday about a risk of engine icing problems on . 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner planes with GE engines, urging 15 carriers to . avoid flying them near high-altitude thunderstorms. July 28 2012: A fan shaft fails during runway tests in South Carolina . December 2012: A Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans . January 7 2013: An unoccupied Dreamliner flight bursts into flames at Boston airport . January 15 2013: . A flight made an emergency landing in Japan after a smoke alarm went . off. The string of incidents led to regulators ordering a global . grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet, which lasted for four months . June 2 2013: Battery-related problems were reported on a Japan Airlines aircraft forcing the airline to use an alternative plane . June 12 2013: A flight in Japan was cancelled after one of the engines failed to start . June 18 2013: A United Airlines flight was diverted to Seattle due to an oil-filter problem . June 24 2013: A Dreamliner operated by United Airlines had to make an emergency landing in Denver due to a brake problem . July 3 2013: Polish airline LOT cancelled a Dreamliner flight to Chicago because the aircraft had ‘problems with the power supply' July 12 2013: Ethiopian Airlines plane catches fire on the runway at Heathrow, forcing the closure of the whole airport . July 18 2013: . Japan Airlines plane bound for Tokyo had to return to Boston's Logan . airport after take-off because of a possible issue with the fuel pumps . November 2013: Japan Airlines pulls 787s from two international routes amid concerns about ice forming on the planes . The problem was caused by a build-up of ice crystals - initially just behind the front fan - which spread through the engine. Airlines . affected by the warning included Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, United . Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings and Cathay Pacific . Airlines. The warning even led Japan Airlines to pull 787 Dreamliners . from two international routes. Boeing . spokesman Marc Birtel said the company has already alerted its . customers who operate some GE-powered engines on 747-8 and 787 models. 'To . reduce chances of ice crystal conditions, Boeing recommends that . operators fly at least 50 nautical miles from thunderstorms that may . contain ice crystals,' said Birtel. So far, Boeing has delivered 57 747-8s and 58 787s with GEnx engines, Birtel said. A GE spokesman said: 'The aviation . industry is experiencing a growing number of ice-crystal icing . encounters in recent years as the population of large commercial . airliners has grown, particularly in tropical regions of the world.' He added that GE and Boeing are attempting to modify the engine control system software in a bid to eliminate the problem. It is the latest in a spate of mishaps . for the 787, which has previously experienced issues with power supply, . brakes, oil and fan shaft, as well as plane fires. The 787 - the first passenger jet built mainly from lightweight carbon-composites.- incorporates a raft of changes in the . way passenger jets are designed, including greater use of electrical . systems that save weight compared with older hydraulics. It has suffered a spate of disasters since it was introduced to commercial airlines in 2011. In . July, a 787 jet operated by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire on the . runway at Heathrow - forcing the closure of the entire airport. Disaster: Earlier this year, a parked Ethiopian Boeing 787 Dreamliner caught fire at Heathrow airport . Closure: The fire kept the airport shut for 90 minutes and was caused by a fault in the lithium battery powering the plane's emergency beacon . | The regulator said it will issue an airworthiness directive this week .
It is also working with GE and Boeing to come up with a solution .
Ice could affect 747-8 and 787 planes powered by General Electric .
Japan Airlines has pulled Dreamliners from two international routes .
It is the latest in a spate of mishaps for Boeing's new 787 plane . |
214,903 | a238c8c61fa0faa7c14bfdcbc3179a654193ede9 | Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has again said Australia has no plans to send ground troops into Iraq. Ms Bishop is in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials about Australia's involvement in the fight against Islamic State extremists, and in a press conference with her counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari again ruled out boots on the ground. 'We've not been asked and we've not offered to, so I do not envisage that being part of our arrangements with Iraq,' she told reporters overnight in Baghdad. Scroll down for video . Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari (right) welcomes his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop (left) in Baghdad . Ms Bishop (pictured with Mr al-Jaafari right) insists there are no plans for Australian troops on the ground in Iraq . Ms Bishop (left) and Mr al-Jaafari (right) in Baghdad . 'We will only provide assistance at the invitation of and with the consent of the Iraqi government.' Australia has taken part in airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq but is still awaiting legal agreement with the new Iraqi government over the deployment of 200 special forces advisers. Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday that Australian special forces sent to Iraq haven't been able to enter the country yet because the Iraqi government has not provided the necessary legal guarantees. Mr Abbott said he wanted the same indemnity from prosecution under Iraqi law for 200 Australian special operations troops as American troops already had in Iraq. The soldiers are being sent to advise and assist Iraqi security forces. They were sent a month ago to the United Arab Emirates at the request of the United States. At the same time, Australia also sent six F/A-18F Super Hornet jet fighters. The fighter jets were now flying almost daily combat missions against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq, Mr Abbott said. Iraqi officials have repeatedly said that while the warplanes were welcome, foreign troops on the ground in their country were not. Abbott said that objection to foreign troops was not an obstacle to the Australian military playing an advising and assisting role for Iraqi security forces. Ms Bishop said at the press conference in Baghdad (pictured) that Australia had not offered or been invited to bring in ground troops to Iraq . | Foreign minister Julie Bishop met with Iraq officials in Baghdad to discuss Australian involvement in fight against Islamic State extremists .
In a press conference with her counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Ms Bishop again ruled out Australian boots on the ground .
This comes as Australia is still awaiting legal agreement with the new Iraqi government over the deployment of 200 special forces advisers . |
202,200 | 91c4d81540d2067a8c9a588234ef00328891a8a1 | By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 12:29 EST, 20 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:58 EST, 20 July 2012 . A teenager who stabbed his father to death and injured his mother in their bedhad been detained indefinitely after it emerged that drugs and violent video games had 'contributed' to his mental illness. Jordan Ryan from Blackburn, . Lancashire, who is was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, had been playing a violent video game and also smoked cannabis and taken ‘bubble’ – a street nickname for mephedrone - on the night he fatally . knifed Neil Ryan, 46, and injured his mother Deborah, 41. The 19-year-old TA soldier was made subject of an indefinite . hospital order after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of . diminished responsibility in what the serving judge called the 'saddest . case' in his time at Preston Crown Court. Tragedy: Jordan Ryan, centre, with his parents Neil and Deborah whom he attacked with a kitchen knife last autumn after smoking cannabis and taking mephedrone . Jordan fatally stabbed his father Neil in the neck after his parents had allowed him in their bed in a bid to calm him down after he had run away from home complaining about 'voices'. He then turned the knife on his mother - claiming the ‘voices in his head’ told him do it. Police were called to the house of horror in Blackburn, Lancshire to find Mr Ryan, a chief steward at a St Paul's Working Men's Club in Blackburn, already dead at the scene. Mrs Ryan was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital for stab injuries to her breast area but recovered following emergency surgery. Today . she attended Preston Crown Court with friends and family to support her . mentally disturbed son as he was ordered to be kept in a secure mental . health facility. Support: Jordan's mother Deborah attended Preston Crown Court today alongside family and friends to show their support for the teen . His not guilty plea to murdering his father was accepted and a charge of attempted murder upon Mrs Ryan was allowed to lie on file after she said she would not testify against her son. In a statement she said: 'Whilst I grieve for a wonderful husband and soulmate, I also pine for my son who I long to be at home, The pain is heart breaking.’ Mr and Mrs Ryan had been married for 19 years and had a younger son who was not at home at the time of the attack. In Mrs Ryan’s statement she pledged her ‘unconditional love’ to her son and also said the family had always believed that Jordan was not responsible for his actions during the attack and that the family will continue to support him throughout his recovery. She added: ‘Neil's loss was devastating enough but Jordan's illness and detainment has been just as traumatic for us all. ‘As a family we need to try and rebuild our lives and continue to support Jordan who is also grieving the loss of his father.’ Although . described as a typical teenager who was not known for violence or . aggression Jordan, who had been studying a joinery and carpentry course . at Blackburn, had recently become obsessed with violent video games and . military shows – even joining the local Territorial Army. The tragedy occurred last October . after Jordan spent the evening smoking cannabis and playing a violent . video game with one of his pals. The following day he was found walking . along the road by his grandparents and saying he was ‘hearing voices.’ The . youngster was taken home but could not settle and as his parents . comforted him in their bedroom they noticed his ‘altering behaviour . between laughing and tears, shivering and feeling clammy.’ At 5.50am, before he attacked his parents, Ryan dialled 999 and asked for an ambulance. ‘He . informed an operator that someone had broken into the house and that . his father had been stabbed in the stomach,’ said Mr Lasker. ‘In fact, there had been no violence at all. These details were completely false.’ A police patrol was sent to the house and a search of Ryan confirmed he had no weapons on him. Police outside the Ryan family home in Blackburn after the then 18-year-old Jordan Ryan attacked his parents Neil and Deborah in October last year . The youngster then got into the bed of his parents where, the court heard, Mrs Ryan had urged . her husband to try and get some sleep and that her son was lying behind . her husband when Jordan stabbed him in the neck without any prior . warning. Mrs Ryan . immediately dialled emergency services but Mr Lasker told the court that . by the time the 999 call was picked up at 7.50am she too had been . stabbed. Jordan, who left . the house before emergency services arrived, later turned up at his . grandparents home asking for a change of clothes and a photograph of his . parents which he could ‘take to prison.’ He said, 'I'm sorry grandma, I . didn't want to but they told me to do it. ‘ . Passing sentence Judge Anthony Russell . QC said: ‘This is one of the saddest cases in the six and a half years . that I have been sitting in this court room. ‘This . is a shocking case and a terrible tragedy to your family. I'm quite . satisfied that at the time of the killing, you were suffering from a . psychotic schizophrenia and this abnormality of mind, from the Crown . accepts diminished responsibility. ‘The . symptoms became apparent after smoking cannabis and taking bubble. Anyone who thinks that these drugs are harmless should reflect on the . disastrous effect on you, and the viewing of violent video games. ‘It is clear because of your mental state, you remain a danger to the public and the complete mental illness remains severe. Preston Crown Court where Jordan Ryan was subjected to a mental health order for the knife attack on his family . Prosecuting, Jeremy Lasker QC: ‘He had a loving caring relationship with his family and the family unit were happy and stable.’ Defence counsel Peter Wright QC said: "He has a strong and supportive family who recognise his condition and are working with the authorities to help him. They are an unassuming, loving family who are devastated by this terrible family tragedy." Jordan was made subject to a hospital order under Mental Health Act and cannot be released without the approval of the Secretary of State. Passing sentence Judge Anthony Russell QC said: ‘I wish to pay tribute to the dignity and courage and fortified to Deborah and her family, no one can even begin to understand, The compassion and understanding from them that I have seen is remarkable. This family has suffered terribly.’ | Jordan Ryan stabbed his father to death and injured his mother in the chest last October .
It emerged he had been playing violent video games and taking drugs cannabis and mephedrone on the night of the attack .
The 19-year-old was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attack . |
184,281 | 7ab2779c31700c11d3fdf28af1600c69b9b01647 | Louis van Gaal was 'shocked' by Manchester United's poor first-half performance against Burnley according to Chris Smalling, who labelled the display as their worst of the season. Smalling scored a brace and Robin van Persie converted an 82nd minute penalty on Wednesday as United beat Burnley to move up to third in the Barclays Premier League. Van Gaal's team have lost just once in 18 matches but a section of United's fan base is becoming dissatisfied with the team's style of play, which is often laboured and unproductive. Chris Smalling scored twice as Manchester United beat Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening . But United were hugely disappointing for vast swathes of the Premier League encounter . That was certainly the case against the Clarets, who passed the ball better and looked more incisive at Old Trafford in the first half even though their team cost a fraction of Van Gaal's expensively-assembled starting XI. Van Gaal was unhappy with his team at half-time and the United boss made his players acutely aware of his feelings in the dressing room. 'I think the manager was shocked at half-time,' Smalling said. 'The manager said in the dressing room that the first half was unacceptable and all the players know that. 'It wasn't a 3-1 scoreline game. Especially in that first half, we all let ourselves down. We could have played much better. 'That the first half was probably the worst we've had all season, we were lucky to go into the break with a lead. 'We knew that it wasn't good enough in the first half. We were lucky to get away with it, and we had to stand up and fight in the second-half.' Smalling said Louis van Gaal was shocked by how badly United played in the first half . The Dutch manager chats to coach Albert Stuivenberg during the match against Burnley on Wednesday . Over the next 24 hours, Van Gaal is set to meet with the club's co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer, who were at the Burnley match, to discuss plans for the summer. With United 12 points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea, the FA Cup looks to be the only chance the Dutchman has of ending his first season at Old Trafford with a trophy. As such, United cannot afford another repeat performance on Monday when they travel to League One side Preston in the fifth round. 'We need to make sure that we come out of the blocks quickly against Preston,' Smalling added. 'There is [more to come from us]. But If we can win games playing that badly, then it shows that if we do play well and it all clicks, then there will be a lot better performances at Old Trafford, that's for sure.' The two positives for Smalling were the improvement of United's play in the second half and the fact that he managed to get on the scoresheet twice. Chris Smalling rises above the Burnley defence to score United's second goal on Wednesday night . Robin van Persie sealed victory from the spot after Angel di Maria had been upended by Scott Arfield . The defender is not used to scoring so much - this was his first career brace - but he was happy to find the net just 22 seconds after replacing Phil Jones, who hobbled off with a knee injury, and head United into 2-1 lead after Danny Ings' equaliser. 'It's not something I'm used to, but because of our first-half performance I couldn't get too overjoyed at half-time,' the United defender added. 'From one to 11, I don't think we were good enough, but it's always nice to score. 'It was great to get the (second) goal before half-time because I think that settled us, and we were more composed after the break. It was a lot better, and a bit more like Manchester United.' Van Gaal said he was worried that Jones is set for another lengthy layoff but the good news for United is that the head injury Daley Blind suffered in the first half was only minor and he looks set to feature against Preston. 'In the last couple of games we've been able to have a fully-fit squad, so it's unfortunate that we've picked up a couple of injuries,' Smalling said. 'It seems that whenever someone comes back, another drops out. It's been unfortunate, but hopefully they [Blind and Jones] won't be out for long.' | Manchester United beat Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford on Wednesday .
Chris Smalling scored a brace before Robin van Persie sealed the win .
But United were poor overall and some supporters were even booing .
Louis van Gaal was shocked with how badly they played in the first half . |
3,288 | 097fd46c61c876c930a09750e9af2a79c13e2004 | The chef behind 'the world's greatest restaurant' has launched a pop-up version in Japan, with a tasting menu priced £440 - complete with a surprisingly delicious starter of still-twitching prawns... and ants. Chef Rene Redzepi's two-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen has been voted the best in the world several times and now he has taken his talent to Tokyo. Noma Tokyo recently opened to great fanfare on the 37th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Japan's capital for just five weeks - with two sittings per day. Scroll down for video . Chef Rene Redzepi has taken his talent to Japan, with his pop-up Noma Tokyo offering a 15-course tasting menu that starts with a starter of prawns and ants (pictured) The three-hour and 15-course tasting menu costs 78,529 yen (£440) a head, including wine, taxes and service charge. And due to its success, it is now staying open a further two weeks until Valentine's Day. Perhaps this is thanks to the show-stopping starter, which critics have raved about - live jumbo shrimp served atop a platter of ice 'with a dozen or so tiny wild black ants'. Noma has used ants in dishes before, serving them with beef tartare at the Copenhagen restaurant, and diners in Japan are used to eating live seafood. Adam Pasick, writing for QZ, described the dish as 'jumbo shrimp, so recently killed that they are still twitching, served with about a dozen tiny black ants for seasoning.' Chef Rene Redzepi's (pictured left) restaurant in Copenhagen has been voted the best in the world several times and now he is offering Japanese diners a taste at Noma at the Mandarin Oriental (right) And writing in The Japan Times, reviewer Robbie Swinnerton said: 'They are superb, premium sashimi quality and so fresh they’re still dancing their final quivers. 'But it is the seasoning — “flavors of the Nagano forest” the menu calls it — that defines this dish. 'A dozen tiny wild black ants are carefully arranged on the shrimp, their little pinpricks of sharp acidity acting as a perfect accent for the sweet, pink flesh.' But it's not just the first course that proved a hit - as the reviewer adds that every dish 'is the product of intense, intricate preparation' and a 'radical combination of ingredients'. He adds of the 'prettiest' dishes features slivers of simmered pumpkin paired with salted cherry blossoms' and even the tofu course is a 'revelation'. A reviewer called one dish - slivers of the pumpkin paired with salted cherry blossoms - the prettiest . Danish Chef Rene Redzepi, who won the title World's Best Restaurant with Noma two years in a row, has moved to Japan for a five week stint in Tokyo . Foodies across the planet have been raving about Noma for years - with more than one dubbing it 'the world's best restaurant'. The restaurant, which is based in Copenhagen, serves Nordic food reimagined under the watchful eye of head chef René Redzepi. Noma's website boasts it is 'hoping to rediscover our history and shape our future' through its food. Diners are offered a 20-course menu, including unusual dishes such as beef tartare and ants, radish and yeast and reindeer moss and cep mushrooms. A meal at the two Michelin-starred restaurant costs around about £166, with wine pairing costing an extra £104. But it is worth it, according to the restaurant critics. Writing for the Daily Mail in 2010, Tom Parker Bowles concluded: 'Noma is utterly and gloriously unique. And quite, quite brilliant.' The Tokyo pop-up is the first time Redzepi and his team have ventured outside Denmark. It opened last Friday, and so far reviews trickling out suggest it will be just as successful in the east. | Rene Redzepi's Copenhagen eatery has been voted the best in the world .
Now the Michelin-starred chef has taken his talent to Tokyo with a pop-up .
The three-hour 15-course tasting menu costs £440 a head, including wine .
It kicks off with a starter of jumbo shrimp served on ice with black ants . |
3,858 | 0b1f8463fcfbf55d3f49190a835d66931fc1c550 | (CNN) -- Urban exploration is an edgy pastime. But give it a Japanese name and this underground community, known for seeking out derelict and often inaccessible environments, sounds even more hardcore. Haikyo is the Japanese word for ruins and is the term used to describe urban exploration ("urbex"), a growing trend for people to track down and often photograph society's crumbling edifices. Urbex in Japan plays out in much the same way it does in the rest of the world -- explorers are recreational trespassers who seek out abandoned, man-made structures, where they have a good poke around as they soak up the atmosphere. There are few hard and fast rules aside from the oft-quoted mantra -- "Take nothing but photographs, leave only footprints" -- but there are a few aspects that are unique to urban exploration in Japan. Among these, abandoned amusement parks and sex museums. German Florian Seidel, a translator, has lived in Japan more than seven years and been a dedicated urbexer for almost five. He says he's seen the hobby take off in Japan since he started. Although there are no official numbers -- urbexers tend to be a low key, scattered community not least of all because of the potentially illegal aspects of the business, such as trespassing -- he says the number of urbex blogs has exploded from a dozen when he started to about 100 today, most of which are in Japanese. "There are tons of abandoned places in Japan, the problem is you have to find them," says Seidel. That's the part he most enjoys. He's proud of the fact that more than 90% of the places on his site, Abandonedkansai.com, he has researched and found himself. As with most urbexers, he doesn't give away exact locations, largely because he doesn't want to see them overrun. 'Very, very weird' The detective work doesn't end when he's found and explored a site. Seidel likes to find out about the history of place. Take those abandoned sex museums -- there are two in Japan, both of which have been deserted for more than 10 years. "In the 1960s, Europe had the sexual revolution, but that didn't happen in Japan -- they had sex museums, especially in onsen [hot spring] towns," says Seidel. "There were 20 to 30 sex museums all over Japan, pretty much one in every prefecture. Most of them closed from the beginning of the 1990s -- I guess the Internet killed them." Seidel has visited two abandoned Japanese sex museums and although both have clearly been picked over and pilfered from, enough remains to make it clear what they were all about. The one in Hokkaido he remembers best for the bizarre shooting games and taxidermy animals in sexual positions -- horses and monkeys. "You could say it was partly educational and very, very weird," says Seidel. The other museum, in southern Japan, is filled with crumbling erotic statues and sculptures and an eerie naked mannequin in a white casket, her mutated nipples pointing in all directions. He found old advertising pamphlets that boasted of wax dolls of Marilyn Monroe and a 1970s erotic star, but these were long gone when he visited. Other amusements . The current hot haikyo site is an abandoned amusement park, Nara Dreamland, says Seidel. It's so popular that a security guard has been posted at the gate to try and keep out the curious. "Technically, if there's a security guard there it's not abandoned, but it makes it onto all the lists and blogs," says Seidel. Nara Dreamland, built in 1961 and closed in 2006, does make for dramatic images -- the abandoned, rusting rollercoaster set amid the desolate ruins of the theme park. If you're after atmosphere, it's got plenty. But what about the danger factor? "I'm a conservative explorer, I've never been injured, but it's definitely dangerous," says Seidel. "There are all sorts of rusty things where you could get tetanus, there's barbed wire and some military areas could still have ammunition -- a mine could go off." For a sample of Seidel's haikyo images, you can check out the above gallery or visit his site, Abandonedkansai.com. | Around the world, urban explorers hunt down and often photograph society's crumbling edifices .
In Japan, urban exploration is referred to as "haikyo," the Japanese word for "ruins"
Japan-based Florian Seidel documents his derelict findings on his blog, Abandonedkansai.com . |
142,072 | 43b989b699c5a2b8897823ec1ee7e71e91077160 | Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said a quarter of Premier League players were black — but not a single manager . Premiership football clubs should be forced to interview at least one black candidate every time they appoint a new manager, a Labour MP has said. Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said a quarter of Premier League players were black — but not a single manager. Across English football's four professional divisions there are just two black managers. Mr Umunna said it was time to introduce the 'Rooney rule' – first introduced in American Football in 2003 to boost the number of black and ethnic minority coaches. The principle was introduced by Dan Rooney – not Wayne, the Manchester United player – an NFL club owner who introduced a rule where at least one non-white candidate must be interviewed when a manager's job comes up. Mr Umunna said: 'It's made a real difference in American football. Voices from both inside and outside the game, including PFA Chief Gordon Taylor, have said there is a strong case for examining this proposal and whether it can be introduced in English football. 'Personally, I have a lot of sympathy for this and would think it deserves consideration.' Mr Umunna made the remarks in a speech in Brixton to mark Black History Week. The Streatham MP said: 'We can't carry on like this — this has to change. Can we really say to our young people that we rate their physical ability more than their other talents?' He also called for more action to boost the number of black and Asian people in university management and company boardrooms, suggesting there should be compulsory reporting by firms on their diversity, just as they have to reveal how many women get directorships. Mr Umunna's father was on the board at Crystal Palace and was the only African director of any Premier League club when the league was launched in 1992. But he said: 'Things haven't changed much in 22 years. Look at Premier League clubs now and you'll see most have no people of colour on their boards or in any senior roles. 'Out of 92 professional league clubs, there are currently only two black managers.' Sport was often held up as 'an arena in which barriers have been broken' but the MP said: 'We rightly cheer the success of our many black footballers ... But take a look off the pitch, where a lot of power is wielded, and you see a different story.' Television and newspapers also failed to reflect their audience, he said, pointing out that Amol Rajan, the editor of the Independent, is currently the only BME journalist to run a newspaper. 'How can you present an accurate portrait and reflect the experience of people of colour in our country, if those very people do not sit at your top table?' he asked. Carlisle United's Keith Curle (right) and Huddersfield Town's Chris Powell (left) are the only two black managers throughout the 92 professional clubs in England . Chris Hughton has managed Newcastle and Norwich in the Premier League but was sacked from the East Anglian club last year . Carlisle United's Keith Curle and Huddersfield Town's Chris Powell are the only two black managers throughout the 92 professional clubs in the Premier and Football Leagues. Huddersfield are in the Championship and Carlisle in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was asked last week whether the Rooney Rule should be ntroduced to the Premier League but the Portuguese denied more needed to be done, saying: 'There is no racism in football. Football is not so stupid to close doors to people.' | Labour's Chuka Umunna said it was time to introduce the 'Rooney rule'
Principle first introduced in NFL in 2003 to encourage more black coaches .
A quarter of Premier League players are black — but not a single manager .
Carlisle's Keith Curle and Huddersfield's Chris Powell only black managers . |
215,282 | a2af2a09a9887d675fa77706a91367194def6733 | John Bellamy, 72, indecently assaulted five boys aged 11 to 14 over a five-year period in the 1970s . A choirmaster who forced boys to strip before spanking them during private singing lessons at his home has been jailed for two years. John Bellamy, 72, indecently assaulted five boys aged 11 to 14 over a five-year period in the 1970s. The offences happened while he was choirmaster at St James the Greater Church in Leicester. Bellamy, from Knighton, Leicester, assaulted the boys after inviting them to his home to help them with breathing exercises to improve their singing. Earlier in the trial one of his victims told how he was abused by Bellamy when he was aged 13. He told the jury: 'I was taken into a backroom where Bellamy told me to take my trousers and pants off. He said I needed to be punished. 'He spanked me about six to ten times. Then he started stroking me on the backside. 'He said he was sorry that he was having to do this again and he hoped he would not have to do this again. 'I remember at the time I was being spanked I thought this was punishment. When he started to stroke me and the tone of his voice change I thought 'this is not right"'. At Worcester Crown Court, a jury convicted him of six charges of indecent assault and two of gross indecency. Judge Michael Cullum told Bellamy: 'You are a man who has given a lot to the community, been an organist for many years, a choirmaster running camps for the children and also teaching for over 40 years. Judge Michael Cullum told Bellamy: 'Seeing men reduced to tears by the memories of your hands on them would be difficult to forget.'You gravely affected many lives' 'However it was clear you had a fondness for these boys that was inappropriate and that developed into the sexual. 'You hurt the children everyone thought you were looking after and teaching. 'What was remarkable in this case was how much it hurt those individuals. 'Seeing men reduced to tears by the memories of your hands on them would be difficult to forget. 'You gravely affected many lives.' | John Bellamy, 72, indecently assaulted five boys aged 11 to 14 .
The offences happened over a five-year period in the 1970s .
He forced boys to strip before spanking them during private singing lessons .
He was jailed for two years at Worcester Crown Court . |
111,639 | 1bf6e32525d68bd847fe60fe2d92b768c8ea09d3 | By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 13:16 EST, 10 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:01 EST, 10 October 2012 . A woman who was brutally beaten and raped on a first date has spoken about her brave refusal to hand over details of what she looked up on Google to be used against her by the defense. Jennifer Bennett was 23 when she was . attacked in the Bend, Oregon apartment of Thomas Bray, a 37-year-old anesthesiologist . after setting up a date with him through Match.com. She spoke about her decision to defy the defense's subpoena for her Google searches, Facebook profile and even the journals she wrote in counseling to help her deal with the horrific assault. Scroll down for video . Courage: Jennifer Bennett, who was raped and beaten by a man she met on Match.com, refused to hand over a list of her Google searches to the defense, saying 'I am not on trial' The decision is one that could have landed Ms Bennett in jail for contempt of court. She told the Today show that she was shocked to have been asked for the personal material. She said: 'I was not the criminal. investigating me and my life, it didn't seem right, it didn't seem just.' Ms Bennett decided to go public following the attack in hopes of encouraging other sexual assault victims to report their attacks and not feel 're-victimized' by the system. Though she expected to be questioned by police and interrogated by Bray's prominent attorney, she did not expect that they would try to use her own Google searches against her in an attempt to diminish the seriousness of the attack. Ms Bennett added: 'You make internet searches all the time but you never think that anyone is going to be looking in and using that as a reason as a defense over something horrific that happened to you.' Bray's lawyers ordered Ms Bennett to turn over her Google searches . because they wanted to show that around the time of the February 2011 . attack, Ms Bennett searched for the definition of rape. Defense . attorneys believed that this would help support Bray's story that their . sexual was rough but consensual, and Ms Bennett regretted it after the . fact so she was looking for a way to argue her way out of it. Guilty: Thomas Bray (right) was sentenced to 25 years in jail after raping Miss Bennett after his lawyer Stephen Douze (left) attempted to subpoena her Google searches . Victim: Jennifer Bennett, pictured, was raped and beaten by Thomas Bray after meeting him on Match.com . Victims . advocates, however, decried the move. Meg Garvin, director of the . National Crime Victim Law Institute said 'it's subjecting them to . re-victimization by the system'. The filing for the search results was the first of its kind in Oregon, and though the both the county judge ruled that the order was justified and the state supreme court ruled that too much time had passed to appeal, the district attorney did not comply with the order. Google also refused to turn over their . user’s information as protected by the federal Electronic . Communications Privacy Act unless she agreed, which she did not. In . the end, Ms Bennett didn’t turn over her searches or her journals, but . the sympathetic judge did not react with a contempt of court charge. ‘I chose not to because I didn't think it was fair or correct,’ Ms Bennett said. Instead of penalizing the victim, the . jury sentenced Bray to spend the next 25 years in jail as he was found . guilty of rape, sodomy, strangulation and assault. Case didn't work: Bray's lawyer tried to have the victim's Google searches submitted as evidence in order to suggest she did not really know what rape was . He was also facing charges that stem back to an alleged sexual assault of a prior girlfriend, but her claims were dismissed since the judge found them to be less valid because she continued to date him after the incident took place. He will also have to pay a $112,000 . fine, and $50,000 of that money will go the Ms Bennett, who moved to . Oregon just months before the attack after accepting a job as a research . chemist at Western Washington University. She is now training to become a high school chemistry teacher. Aside . from the unusual invasion into Ms Bennett’s privacy, the story of the . attack is becoming a disturbingly familiar trend as there have been many . instances of sexual assaults during dates that came to fruition via . online dating sites. In Ms Bennett’s case, she met Bray at a . drink at a bistro in downtown Bend, and they then went together to . Bray’s condo which was directly across the street for a glass of wine. Smirking: Bray, who is a licensed anesthesiologist, also faced charges over sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend but those charges were dropped . Very soon after entering the condo, Ms Bennett was beaten, raped, and strangled until she passed out. She said that the abuse took place over the course of several hours. After reporting the crime to police, she suffered scrutiny from both internet trolls and local news reporters, who published the police report and highlighted her bra size. She has since moved to Seattle. ‘Yes, I was raped. It doesn't make me a bad person. I didn't make poor choices. I was not the criminal,’ she told The Oregonian. ‘(Bray’s sentencing is) the one nugget that I could hold on to through all of this-- that a dangerous criminal will be off the streets.’ Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy . | Jennifer Bennett was 23 when she was raped by 37-year-old anesthesiologist Thomas Bray at his apartment in Bend, Oregon .
Bray's defense team ordered her to hand over list of Google searches, Facebook profile and journals from therapy sessions .
She said: 'You make internet searches .
but you never think that anyone is going to use that .
as a reason something horrific happened to you' |
272,291 | ecb0adb966db7fb61b25006d2bc1a16d22bb8a7d | By . James Tozer . A Christian family threatened with legal action for refusing to bake a cake in support of gay rights yesterday hit back, saying they should be able to run their business in line with their religious beliefs. Ashers Baking Company – named after a verse in the Bible – turned down an order for a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie and the slogan ‘Support gay marriage’. They were threatened with legal action after the gay rights activist who placed the order complained that equality laws had been breached. But yesterday general manager Daniel McArthur said he was determined to make a stand. Scroll down for video . Ashers Baking Company - named after a verse in the Bible - turned down an order for a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie and the slogan 'Support gay marriage' ‘I would like the outcome of this to be that any Christians running a business could be allowed to follow their Christian beliefs and principles in the day-to-day running of the business and that they are allowed to make decisions based on that,’ he said. ‘I feel if we don’t take our stand with this case then how can we stand up against it further down the line, certainly from an equality point of view?’ Gareth Lee placed the order several weeks ago at a branch of Ashers in Belfast, one of six shops run by the Northern Ireland-based business. It is named after one of the 12 tribes of Israel. According to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, ‘Bread from Asher shall be rich and he shall yield royal dainties.’ Campaign: Andrew Muir cuts the cake, produced by another bakery, with the Sesame Street puppets and 'Support gay marriage' slogan . Mr . Lee wanted a ‘celebration cake’ decorated with an image of Sesame . Street puppets Bert and Ernie, who have been adopted as unofficial . mascots by same-sex marriage campaigners in the US based on an urban . myth that they are gay couple. It . was to have featured the slogan ‘Support gay marriage’ – Northern . Ireland is the only part of the UK where it has not been made legal – . and the logo of Mr Lee’s campaign group, QueerSpace. The . request was passed to 24-year-old Mr McArthur’s parents, Colin and . Karen, the firm’s founders, who declined to fulfil the order as it went . against their religious beliefs, offering a refund instead. ‘It . was in contradiction with what the Bible teaches and on the following . Monday we rang up the customer to let him know that we could not take . his order,’ he said. It was to have featured the slogan 'Support gay marriage' - Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where it has not been made legal - and the logo of campaign group, QueerSpace. The request was refused by the firm's founders, who said it went against their religious beliefs, offering a refund instead . Mr Lee is understood to have complained to the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland, which wrote to Ashers warning of legal action in the county court for breaching the law by discriminating against the customer on the grounds of his sexual orientation. Mr McArthur said the commission had asked how it proposed to ‘recompense’ Mr Lee, but he pledged to resist its demand. ‘Although we have found this experience unsettling and disruptive to our business we are convinced that we have made the right decision,’ he said. ‘We continue to take the stand and stance that we take. Marriage in Northern Ireland has not been redefined. It still is defined as being a union between one man and one woman.’ Sesame Street viewers have long speculated lovable roomates Bert and Ernie are gay, although creators have never confirmed it. In 2011, an online campaign was launched to make the rumoured relationship official. 'Let Bert & Ernie Get Married On Sesame Street', a petition at change.org as started by Illinois resident Lair Scott. Responding to pressure at the time, a spokesman for Sesame Workshop wrote in a statement: '(Bert and Ernie) were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. 'Even though the Sesame Street Muppets… possess many human traits and characteristics, they have no sexual orientation.' Gay marriage is a highly divisive issue in Northern Ireland where the devolved assembly at Stormont has rejected several attempts to change the law on the issue. The cake had been ordered for an event at the town hall in Bangor, County Down, hosted by the mayor, Alliance Party member Andrew Muir, to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. Another bakery ended up making the cake. Yesterday Mr Muir said: ‘I fully support the action taken against this bakery. Businesses should not be able to pick and choose who they serve. There would not be any debate if the cake had depicted an anti-racism or anti-ageism slogan.’ But Colin Hart, of the Christian Institute, which is backing Ashers, said: ‘All the McArthurs want is to run their bakery according to their Christian beliefs. ‘Imbalanced equality laws are making it increasingly hard for people, especially Christians.’ The case is the latest in which Christians have faced the threat of court over their beliefs. Judges have ruled that it is wrong for businesses to refuse to serve gay people on grounds of religious conviction. The Equality Commission said it would consider Ashers’ response ‘before taking further action’. | Ashers Baking Company turned down order for cake featuring Sesame .
Street puppets Bert and Ernie and the slogan ‘Support gay marriage’
Now threatened with legal action after gay rights activist who placed order complained that .
equality laws had been breached .
Manager Daniel McArthur has said he should be allowed to follow beliefs . |
250,290 | cfeeec7498ca7b2274f982a4e1147ef8d44f609a | Harry Redknapp believes England could win Euro 2016 and insists 'we might as well all give up' if tournament victory eludes the Three Lions next year. Roy Hodgson's side could not progress beyond the 2014 World Cup group stages, but Redknapp believes it should be a different story next summer in France with the current crop of young players at England's disposal. 'There are some really talented players and Roy's squad for the Euros is going to the best we've had for some time,' the former QPR and Tottenham manager told talkSPORT. Former QPR manager Harry Redknapp believes England are capable of winning Euro 2016 . He said Roy Hodgson's squad ought to give up if they don't as it is the best chance England will get . He singled out Liverpool duo Daniel Sturridge (left) and Raheem Sterling (right) as important individuals . 'If we don't win the Euros we ought to give up because it's the best opportunity we're going to have. It's a really good group at the moment.' Redknapp, who stepped down as QPR boss earlier this month, singled out the likes of Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane and Ross Barkley for special praise and believes they could help England claim their first piece of major silverware since the 1966 World Cup. He added: 'England has got three or four young players emerging now in time for Euro 2016. Roy will have a team that can really compete. 'I would be disappointed if we don't at least get to the semi-finals and then I could see us having a real go at winning it.' The candid interview also saw Redknapp describe his 2012 tax evasion court case as 'absolute nonsense', claim that Tottenham's board had 'blown the chance' to sign Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, refer to Joey Barton as 'high-maintenance' and also criticise Adel Taarabt. Ross Barkley (left) was added to that list, as was Harry Kane (right), who will be in Roy Hodgson's next squad . The 67-year-old Redknapp also described his 2012 tax evasion court case as 'absolute nonsense' | Harry Redknapp believes England are capable of winning Euro 2016 .
The former QPR manager says Roy Hodgson's squad is talented enough .
He said England ought to give up if they don't win the competition .
The 67-year-old singled out Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane and Ross Barkley as particularly important talents for England success .
Redknapp also described his tax evasion case as 'absolute nonsense' |
160,970 | 5c1affa24cdc3cb89356d8c03d3c70aa73e0aa4a | Blyth Spartans captain Robbie Dale will head straight back to his bar job after coming so close to serving up another FA Cup fairytale for the non-league side against Championship Birmingham at Croft Park. Dale scored twice in the first half to give his side a dream advantage before three goals in 12 minutes after the break helped Gary Rowett's men narrowly avoid embarrassment. Dale works at the Blacksmith's pub in nearby Gosforth and revealed: 'I am due to open up at half past eleven on Sunday morning. Robbie Dale celebrates after putting his team 1-0 up before going on to double the lead later in the half . Dale scores his side's first goal after the 35th minute to take a surprise lead against Birmingham City . 'I asked the gaffer if I could do a shorter shift because I don't know what mood I will be in today and after a couple of goals I am planning to have a good night.' Spartans recent cup run suggested they would fancy their chances against their illustrious opponents and after surviving two early chances for Blues' striker Nikola Zigic they seized control of the game. Dale swept home a 35th minute opener after a cross by second round hero Jarrett Rivers, then belted the second from the edge of the box to send the majority in the 4,400-capacity crowd wild with delight. Spartans boss Tom Wade said: 'It's a proud day for Blyth as a club and a town and days like today just underline to me how much of a pleasure it is being manager of such a great club. 'Obviously we're disappointed but if someone had said before the game we were going to lose 3-2 and have a chance in the final minute we might have taken it. Dale salutes the Blyth fans after he got the side on their way to a giant killing, before Birmingham hit back . Birmingham players celebrate as they took a 3-2 lead through Wes Thomas (left) against Blyth Spartans . 'I thought we deserved to win it but they had 12 minutes of total dominance and that made the difference in the end.' Lee Novak sparked Birmingham's revival before two goals in as many minutes by Wesley Thomas turned the game on its head. Blues boss Gary Rowett paid tribute to Blyth, saying: 'I thought they were absolutely brilliant and this is what the FA Cup is about - a team from down the non-league pyramid having a day like this. 'We had a goal chalked off and Zigic missed a simple chance so you could argue we might have been two goals ahead but their goals were good goals from their point of view. 'I hoped our experience would tell and I didn't need to give them a rocket at half time. I didn't throw anything and I was quite placid. To be honest, the players gave themselves a rocket and you saw the result.' Thomas celebrates as Birmingham City came back from two goals down to win 3-2 . Stephen Turnbull (centre) and Jarrett Rivers (right) after the full-time whistle confirmed their FA Cup defeat . | Blyth Spartans lost 3-2 to Birmingham City in the FA Cup third round .
Robbie Dale scored twice to give his side a 2-0 lead in the first half .
But City scored three times in 12 second-half minutes to seal the win .
Dale is now heading back to his job at a pub in Gosforth .
Blyth's captain revealed he is due at work on Sunday morning . |
282,645 | fa17caa4dce33cd5f36a7ca63aede184d0c154f3 | Cairo (CNN) -- Hussein Gomaa Hussein was only 31 when he died. It was 2 in the afternoon on a late January day. A bullet pierced his chest as he protested the regime of Hosni Mubarak on the streets of Cairo. Hussein's brother Mohamed has no doubts as to Mubarak's complicity. He wishes the harshest punishment for the longtime Egyptian dictator when a trial verdict is pronounced Saturday. Execution. That is the only sentence that will satisfy the families of all those who died or were injured in Egypt's revolution last year, Hussein says. "That is the only verdict we will accept." In what Egyptians have dubbed the trial of the century, Mubarak will face a judge Saturday to find out his fate in a long-awaited decision that is sure to make a definitive mark on the Arab nation's future. Gallery: Arab leaders -- where are they now? The verdict comes after a notorious emergency law expired Friday, ending 31 years of sweeping police powers. And it comes ahead of a polarizing mid-June runoff in the presidential election that pits the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi against the more secularist Ahmed Shafiq, a former official in Mubarak's regime. Mubarak could receive the death penalty. Or a prison term. Or be acquitted altogether. The latter could send angry crowds back to Cairo's Tahrir Square and deal a heavy blow to Egypt's unfinished revolution. The last days of Mubarak's regime . Mubarak became president in October 1981, ruling Egypt with an iron hand as a staunch ally of the United States. But all those years in power were shattered by 18 days of uprising. On February 11 of last year, he stood down, defeated by popular will. He was charged with corruption, misappropriation of funds and, most seriously, issuing orders to kill demonstrators calling for the downfall of his regime. About 840 people died and more than 6,000 others were wounded in the Egyptian uprising, according to Amnesty International. "As president, Mubarak was responsible for protecting all Egyptian citizens," said prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman. "He didn't take the appropriate measures to carry out his duty to stop the bloodshed and the acts of violence against the Egyptian people." Also on trial were Mubarak's two sons and other members of his regime. Mubarak was the first former Arab head of state in many decades to appear in an ordinary court of law. Tunisia's Zine el Abidine Ben Ali was tried in absentia. Mubarak's trial, said Human Rights Watch, has the potential to set a meaningful regional precedent for accountability for human rights abuses and for upholding international fair trial standards. When the trial opened, it was a spectacle few Egyptians thought they would ever see. Images broadcast around the world showed the former leader in a defendant's cage, trapped like an animal. January 2012: Mubarak arrives at court via stretcher . Within a matter of six months, he had fallen from the pinnacle of power to the depths of humiliation. The trial proceeded in chaotic manner. Outside the heavily guarded court, Mubarak's foes clashed with loyalists. Magdi Fouda is one such loyalist; he leads a group of Mubarak supporters. He said he hopes the court finds the former president innocent Saturday. Fouda collected 750,000 signatures on a petition calling for Mubarak's pardon. Others have set up a Facebook page called "Sorry, Mr President," which boasts more than 240,000 "likes." When Mubarak's trial began in August . The ousted leader should be honored, not humiliated, for his decades of work for Egypt, Fouda said. "We believe President Mubarak has been terribly mistreated recently," he said. "We will stand faithfully by him, to honor him for his 62 years of service to Egypt. Lawyer Khalid Abu Bakr attended every session of the trial, representing some of the families of those killed in the uprising. "I am proud of the transparency and objectivity of this historical trial regardless of the verdict," he said in February. "It has met all the standards of judicial due process in comparison with court proceedings in Europe and the United States of America." Now, on the eve of the verdict, Bakr said the ailing Mubarak maintained a certain regal disdain for the proceedings, spending much of his time on a mobile bed, his hair jet black, odd on a man well into his 80s. Never did he show regret, Bakr said. No words of remorse ever left his lips, though some expected him to say he was sorry for the blood that was spilled. Or perhaps, that he made a mistake. For journalist Mona Eltahawy, Mubarak's trial is not about revenge. It's about justice in a land where the courts and legal system have been rife with corruption. To hope for justice to prevail is very difficult for Egyptians, she said, pointing out that members of the police and security forces have never been put on trial. "Egyptians are very angry," she said. Still, people protested non-violently on the streets last year. They achieved what was the unthinkable -- they toppled Mubarak. Whatever happens Saturday, Eltahawy said, Egyptians will oppose injustice. Peacefully. CNN's Bed Wedeman reported from Cairo and Moni Basu, from Atlanta. | In Egypt's 'trial of the century,' Hosni Mubarak will find out his fate Saturday .
Some relatives of those who were killed in protests want Mubarak to be executed .
Loyalists say the former leader was mistreated . |
236,649 | be4b03719f903afc29bfdc7c50faee70e9b8f9ab | Chelsea youngster Islam Feruz is set for a season-long loan move to FC Kryli Sovetov. The 18-year-old, who is highly rated at Stamford Bridge, is expected to complete a move to Russia today. Feruz, who is a Scotland Under-21 international, signed a new long-term deal with the Blues in January. Talented: Islam Feruz in action during the NextGen series match between Chelsea U19 and Ajax U19 in Aldershot . Experience: Jose Mourinho wanted the forward to experience senior football . But the club want him to get a season of senior football under his belt before considering him for the first-team. Feruz is yet to make his senior bow for the Blues but has featured in various pre-season matches. Loan list: Lucas Piazon (left) has spent the last three seasons out on loan, and Christian Atsu (right) was loaned out to Everton for this season . Experienced: Neither Victor Moses (left, on loan at Liverpool last season) or Ryan Bertrand (right) have managed to break into Mourinho's first team . Cardiff City, Reading, Brighton and Derby had shown interest in the Somalia-born teenager before the youngster opted for the Russian side. Chelsea list of players out on loan now increases to eighteen. | Islam Feruz, 18, is expected to complete move to the Russian club today .
The forward signed a new deal at Chelsea in January .
Jose Mourinho wanted the youngster to experience senior football .
The Stamford Bridge club now have eighteen players out on loan . |
157,761 | 57fecc2b0eb955b3db2b79e677810a73df02d60d | The wife of Google tycoon Sergey Brin had their unborn daughter DNA tested to discover the girl’s risk of developing breast cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s later in life. Anne Wojcicki, founder of DNA screening service 23andMe, also had the couple’s son gene-tested in the first few months of his life to obtain a ‘road map’ of future risks to his health, and advocates British parents using her company to do the same for their own children. As a result of the tests, Ms Wojcicki discovered that her son is lactose-intolerant. She believes parents should know the genetic flaws of their offspring so they can better care for them, arguing: ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’ She also predicts that within a decade, all babies born in the UK and US will have a DNA test at birth. Scroll down for video . Anne Wojcicki (right), the wife of Google tycoon Sergey Brin (left), had their unborn daughter DNA tested to discover the girl’s risk of developing diseases in later life . But watchdogs have fiercely criticised such ‘fishing expeditions’. ‘You are imposing this information on the child at a time when they have no say about whether they would ever want it,’ says Oxford University genetics professor Dagan Wells. ‘And once you have the test done, you’ve got it. You can’t undo it – the information is out there.’ Ms Wojcicki revealed that with her daughter, now three, she sent her amniotic fluid – the liquid that protects the unborn baby inside the womb – to be checked. Amniotic fluid tests are often carried out on mothers over 35 to determine the risk of their unborn child having Down’s syndrome. Mr Brin's son was also DNA tested in the early stages of his life . ‘I couldn’t wait,’ Ms Wojcicki says. ‘If you have a road map, if you know what certain risks are [as a parent], you can alter behaviour accordingly.’ She declined to say if either of her children carry genes that put them at high risk of any particular hereditary disease. For £125, 23andMe will analyse DNA in saliva samples for genes linked to dozens of inherited conditions, including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Among the genes it looks for are BRCA1 and BRCA2, which greatly increase the chance of breast and ovarian cancer. In 2013, actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy after finding out she had the BRCA1 gene. Yet Dr Helen Wallace, of think-tank GeneWatch UK, warns: ‘The link between genes and many diseases are poorly understood. These tests should not be on the market at all, let alone offered for use on children.’ Ms Wojcicki flew to Britain last month to launch the testing service here. Giving children the DNA test is entirely legal in the UK – but official guidelines advise against it unless there is a pressing medical reason. In 2013, 23andMe was barred from giving health advice to American customers after the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cited concerns over the accuracy of the health interpretations. The test searches for genes that can cause serious diseases in later life, including the BRCA1 gene which can cause breast cancer. Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy after discovering she had the gene . While European laws have deemed testing kits safe, the EU has yet to legislate on the offering of such services. ‘They [23andMe] have pressed ahead in Europe despite being banned in America,’ says Dr Wallace. ‘In effect, they are exploiting a loophole.’ Despite the FDA action, the company has struck a deal with drugs giant Pfizer to share its database of genetic information to be used for research. Customers can consent for the results of their children’s genetic testing to be included in the research. Dr Wallace argues: ‘A baby wouldn’t be able to consent to this. You don’t know how that information is going to affect them when they are older, so it’s a huge step to take.’ But Ms Wojcicki stresses: ‘If we are not doing a great job, then you can download your data and delete your account.’ | Wife of Google tycoon Sergey Brin had her unborn daughter DNA tested .
Couple wanted to know her chances of developing diseases in later life .
DNA screening tests risks of breast cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's .
Anne Wojcicki also had her son tested when he was just a few months old .
Health watchdogs have fiercely criticised the DNA ‘fishing expeditions’ |
138,185 | 3eb3750c210bd737dfb2099e7233941fb167207f | By . Australian Associated Press . and Ryan Lipman . Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended Australia's policy of turning back asylum seeker boats after the High Court granted an interim injunction to prevent the government handing 153 asylum seekers to the Sri Lankan authorities. On Tuesday, Mr Abbott said what his government does at sea is in line with its international obligations and safety protocols. He also took a swipe at Opposition and Greens 'activists', accusing them of trying to disrupt the Government's policies. Scroll down for video . Prime Minister Tony Abbott said what his government does at sea is in line with its international obligations and safety protocols . 'The person who brought this injunction is a former Labor candidate,' he told the Seven Network, referring to George Newhouse, who was among the group of barristers who brought the claim before the High Court. The Prime Minister added: 'What I'm focused on is stopping the boats. That is what we are absolutely and constantly focused on, because as long as the boats keeping coming, we will keep having deaths at sea. 'So the most decent, humane and compassionate thing you can do is to stop the boats.' The United Nations has criticised Australia's decision to return 41 asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, as the High Court considers the future of 153 others who could face the same fate. But Mr Abbott dodged questions about the asylum seeker group and the court's decision. 'I'm just not going to comment at all on operational matters,' he told the Seven Network. 'Any commentary by government members about operational matters just gives aid and comfort to the people smugglers.' This comes as the father of a three-year-old girl named Febrina, who is among 37 children in the group of 153, has appealed for the government to protect his daughter. It is claimed that Febrina was travelling on a vessel which left the Indian city of Pondicherry on June 13. There has been no word from the boat since June 28. Sri Lankan girl Febrina, 3, is claimed to be a passenger on the missing boat of asylum seekers . Speaking to the Tamil Refugee Council, the unidentified man appealed directly to Immigration Minister Scott Morrison for information . 'I am desperate to know where my family is. I can’t function at all not knowing. I know all of them would be in very big trouble if sent back to Sri Lanka,' he said. 'I want to plead with the Australian minister to stop our pain and let us know what he has done with all the kids and families on the boat. I ask him to be kind to these people. They are all very frightened. 'They cannot be sent back to Sri Lanka. Many of them will be tortured again and even killed.' The man wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. 'I cannot understand why a country like Australia would send people back to Sri Lanka, knowing they have been tortured there. Why would they do it?' he said. An image believed to be his daughter has appeared on the Tamil Fightback website. It was impossible to verify if the girl in the picture was on the refugee ship. A late sitting of the High Court in Sydney on Monday barred the return of the 153 asylum seekers, 48 of whom are Tamil, until 4pm Tuesday or further order of the court. Their case will be heard at the High Court in Melbourne at 2pm today. The injunction is a major blow the the government's turnback policy. Pictured is an example of type of vessel used by asylum seekers trying to enter Australia by boat . Prime Minister Tony Abbott defended the government's actions at sea saying the government had met its international obligations. But he said he was not going to comment on 'operational matters'. 'Any commentary by government members about operational matters just gives aid and comfort to the people smugglers,' he said. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also criticised Australia's decision to return the 41 asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, saying it doubted the government's brief interviews on board the boat to assess refugee claims complied with international law. The agency said its experience with shipboard processing has generally not been positive. 'Such an environment would rarely afford an appropriate venue for a fair procedure,' it said in a statement. Amid reports that 41 Tamils from another boat of asylum seekers were facing criminal charges following their handover to Sri Lankan police, lawyer George Newhouse says the 153 asylum seekers are 'entitled to have their claims for protection processed in accordance with Australian law'. 'The [immigration] minister cannot simply intercept their vessel in the middle of the night and "disappear' them,"' Mr Newhouse told AAP on Monday night. 'The asylum seekers claim that they are fleeing persecution and that they're at risk of death, torture or significant harm at the hands of Sri Lankan authorities,' Mr Newhouse said. '[There's] a need for ongoing protection.' Forty-one Sri Lankan asylum seekers from a second boat already returned by the Australian authorities reportedly face jail despite assurances from the Abbott government they were in no danger of persecution. But Mr Newhouse argues there are serious concerns for the safety of the asylum seekers if they are handed over, and is worried they will also be charged and potentially jailed. 'In Sri Lankan jails, detainees are often subjected to torture and sometimes they never reappear,' he said. 'We're talking about a boat load of women and children, and I would have thought that the minister needs to think very clearly before he sends them into Sri Lankan jail.' The group already handed over will face court in the port of Galle at an unspecified date, charged under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, a Sri Lankan police spokesman reportedly said. A High Court injunction is preventing the return of 153 asylum seekers to Sri Lankan authorities over concerns about their safety and relatives of those reportedly on a missing boat are appealing for information . The asylum seekers were transferred in mild sea conditions off the coast of Sri Lanka after the boat was stopped west of the Cocos Islands in late June. 'The sentence for those who are proved to have left illegally is two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine,' the spokesman said, according to Reuters. The Australian government says none of the Tamils, who were screened via video link, are in danger of persecution. 'All were screened in terms of any potential protection obligation and none were found to be owed that protection,' Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. Refugee lawyer David Manne said it was difficult to track the fate of returned asylum seekers. 'This is part of the problem that we've seen in Sri Lanka, with people being essentially summarily expelled there without proper due process,' he told ABC TV. Opposition frontbencher Penny Wong says Labor has 'serious concerns' about the treatment of the asylum seekers.Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the government seems to believe it is 'above the law'. 'The Australian people are becoming sick and tired of the spin, the secrecy, and the danger we're putting these people's lives in.' The court's injunction ends at 4pm on Tuesday unless it makes an order to extend it. | An interim High Court injunction is preventing the return of 153 asylum seekers to Sri Lanka .
Lawyer says the asylum seekers are entitled to be processed in Australia .
The father of a three-year-old girl claimed to be on a missing boat is appealing for information about the whereabouts of those on board .
A group of 41 asylum seekers were transferred at sea to Sri Lankan authorities and twill reportedly face court for illegally leaving the country .
But PM Tony Abbott defended the government's handover and claimed it was 'in line with its international obligations and safety protocols'
The United Nations has released a statement saying the government's action did not comply with international law . |
40,368 | 71e9f81fb8c37edbea5103f8263d645902332629 | At least 39 people were killed on Sunday when an Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane crashed after take-off from Tehran's Mehrabad airport on a flight to Tabas in northeast Iran, state media reported. Initial reports said that all of the 48 passengers and crew had been killed, but state media later reported that some passengers had been injured and transferred to hospital. Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said that eight or nine had survived and quoted a doctor as saying that one of the injured had regained consciousness. Iranian security forces next to the wreckage of the plane as they secure the scene of the crash . Iranian rescue personnel inspect the site of a passenger plane crash near the capital Tehran, Iran . Bodies of victims of the passenger plane crash near the capital Tehran, Iran, side-by-side . Iran's airlines have been plagued by crashes, which Iranian politicians blame on international sanctions that block the airlines from replacing their ageing fleets. About 14 crashes involving Iranian planes were reported in the decade to January 2011. President Hassan Rouhani ordered a halt to all flights of the Iran-140 pending full investigation, IRNA said. The pilot detected technical issues four minutes after takeoff and tried to return to the airport, state television said, but the twin-engine turboprop crashed on a road at 9.18 am local time. One eyewitness said the plane crashed into a wall. State television said 37 people died instantly, two died on the way to hospital and nine others were undergoing medical treatment. Iranian police officers and soldiers inspect the tail of the crashed airplane in Tehran, Iran . Relatives of victims stand near the tail of a crashed airplane in Tehran this morning after the crash . Officials and relatives of victims stand at the crash site of a passenger airplane in Tehran . The aircraft, an Iran-140 used for short domestic flights, crashed near Mehrabad airport, west of Tehran . The Civil Aviation Authority said the passengers included two infants and three children under the age of 12, IRNA reported. Mashallah Shakibi, 63, a former member of parliament from Tabas was among the fatalities, according to reports from the Iranian state news channel IRINN. One survivor said he was saved by falling through a hole in the plane's body created by a blast. 'The force of the blast threw us out of the plane,' Mohammad Abedzadeh was quoted as saying on IRINN's website. 'Seconds later, I saw the entire plane in flames,' he said through tears. A photograph on IRNA's website showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing over traffic standing at a road intersection. A photograph from the Iranian Student News Agency showed a charred tail fin lying on the ground. The plane that crashed - an Iran-140 - is a locally assembled version of the Antonov-140. Its safety record has come into question in the past. In December 2002, an Iran-140 test flight crashed, killing at least 46 people, including engineers who had helped design it. The government said human error caused the crash, but many expressed worries about the aircraft. More than a dozen large airlines and several fledgling carriers operate in Iran. The state carrier, Iran Air, has a fleet of about 40 planes including nine Boeing 747 jets, some of which were built before the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The safety record for the carriers has led to most Iranian flights being prevented from landing in the EU. Mehrabad is located in a western suburb of Tehran and mainly functions as a domestic airport, although it also serves some international routes. The plane, operated by Sepahan Air, was heading to Tabas, a town in eastern Iran . An Iranian police officer and firefighter stand at the crash site of a passenger airplane in Tehran . Iranian security forces stand next to the remains of a plane as they secure the scene of the crash . The aircraft, an Iran-140 used for short domestic flights, crashed near Mehrabad airport . Iranian onlookers gather at the scene of a plane crash near Tehran's Mehrabad airport . Iranian security forces secure the scene of the plane crash near Tehran's Mehrabad airport . Iranian Revolutionary Guards and security forces stand next to the wreckage of the plane . Iran has suffered a series of plane crashes, blamed on its ageing aircraft and poor maintenance . Many of the Boeing aircraft in Iran Air's fleet were bought before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution . The plane's black box was found according to IRNA reports. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. For years, planes have been kept in service through parts imported on the black market, cannibalised from other planes or reproduced locally, aviation sources say. Iran's four largest carriers - Iran Air, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran Air Tours - all have average fleet ages above 22 years, Iranian media have reported. They serve a market of 76 million people. U.S. companies Boeing Co and General Electric Co have said they are seeking to export parts to Iran under the agreement for sanctions relief. The chief of Iran Air said the airline will need at least 100 passenger jets once sanctions against the country are lifted. Old: The aircraft was an Iran-140 which is usually used for short domestic flights . The plane went down in a residential area after its engine failed near Mehrabad in Tehran . | The aircraft was an Iran-140, normally used for short domestic flights .
It crashed near Mehrabad, west of Tehran in Iran .
The plane went down in a residential area after its engine failed .
Iran has suffered a series of plane crashes blamed on its ageing aircraft .
Iran Air fleet bought before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution .
Nine people survived today's crash . |
207,764 | 98ff293dbef5028be1ab9c04a402f5a4062e75e7 | (CNN) -- Manchester City continued their lavish spending spree by sealing the capture of England international James Milner from Aston Villa in a deal reportedly worth $37 million. Milner put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the English Premier League side as Stephen Ireland traveled in the opposite direction. The 24-year-old is the latest in a long line of big-name players to sign for Roberto Mancini's side, who are bankrolled by Abu Dhabi oil billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Earlier this week City bought striker Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan, to add to the signings of ex-Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure, Germany defender Jerome Boateng, Serbian defender Aleksander Kolarov as well as Spain winger David Silva in deals that amounted to a reported $195 million. Milner's transfer was mooted long before he went to the World Cup with England, but he played his last game for Villa in their 3-0 defeat of West Ham on the opening day of the Premier League season on Saturday. He told City's official website: "It didn't take too much selling by the boss when you see the players who are already here and the plans for the club. "The last thing he said to me was "be ready for the next game," and then he said "be ready to win the Premier League," and that's my ultimate aim - that's what I want to do and why I'm here. "There's a lot of competition to get there, it's where we all want to be. I'm ambitious and I want to win trophies here. I believe this is a great place to do that and I believe we will do it. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. "The move seems to have gone on a long time - now all I want to do is get out on the field and play. I'm ready and raring to go now we've finally got everything done. I can't wait to start a new chapter." Mancini said he was delighted to finally seal the deal for Milner: "I am very happy to have James with us, everybody knows we have admired him for some time. "He is an excellent midfielder, who can play in a number of positions. This is important for the team, and I am looking forward to seeing him play for us. We have a very strong squad, and this signing is a very important one for us. "James is already a very good player, who has proved he can play at the very top level. But he is also young and a good character." As for Ireland, the 23-year-old ended his five-year association with City to move to Villa Park, after slipping down the pecking order at Eastlands. He told Villa's official website: "For me, my number one target is to work hard for my team-mates, show them what I can bring to the table, show them they can rely on me and that I am going to work hard for them week in, week out." | Manchester City complete the signing of James Milner .
England international Milner signs five-year deal with City .
Stephen Ireland joins Aston Villa as part of Milner deal . |
186,163 | 7d1ae1a3369e6649e9b37c57428f2f85c76632fe | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 12:51 EST, 4 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:51 EST, 4 June 2013 . The 61-year-old has accused the FCO of 'destroying his career' A former diplomat has won £320,000 damages after the Foreign Office suspended him when he was wrongly accused of touching the bottom of a senior politician's wife. John Yapp was 'our man in Belize' until he was suspended in 2008 after his superiors confronted him with the allegation made by an opposition politician from the commonwealth state. Last month, the High Court ruled that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was wrong to suspend him from his post as High Commissioner with immediate effect - a decision that ultimately cost him his ambassadorial role and destroyed his working life. The 61-year-old today accused the FCO of 'destroying his career' after the government agreed to pay him £320,000 - along with the six-figure legal costs of the case. Mr Yapp accused the FCO of trying to 'outspend' him with taxpayers' cash during the legal battle as he celebrated Mr Justice Cranston's order that he should receive £150,000 up front towards his legal bills. The court heard Mr Yapp was summoned before an FCO mandarin while on leave in June 2008 and hit with accusations that he had a 'bullying' management style and 'displayed inappropriate behaviour towards women at social functions'. It emerged that the claims of inappropriate behaviour arose from a Belize politician who claimed that Mr Yapp touched his wife's rear at a social gathering. The accusation - branded 'unfounded and scurrilous' by Mr Yapp's QC, Jane McNeill - was ultimately rejected after an FCO disciplinary probe. But, by then, it was too late to reinstate Mr Yapp in the Central American state and in subsequent years he found himself increasingly sidelined in professional terms. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (London office pictured) will pay £320,000 in damages and a further £150,000 on account of Mr Yapp's legal costs bills . His lawyers argued the conduct of the FCO showed a complete lack of consideration for the welfare of a loyal employee. The sexual misconduct allegations were eventually found to be baseless; however, the nature of his withdrawal, led to media intrusion and caused immense distress to Mr Yapp and his family. As a result Mr Yapp never returned to work and in due course had to retire after a long period of sick leave. The Prime Minister of Belize, the Hon. Dean Barrow was a witness in the case. He described Mr Yapp as 'one of the best High Commissioners we have had in Belize. I found him to be a consummate diplomat: intelligent, well-informed and an entertaining host'. He added that he and his wife, Kim Simplis Barrow, count Mr Yapp as a personal friend who they were pleased to have at their wedding in 2009. Other senior members of the local and expatriate communities in Belize praised Mr Yapp equally highly and he has been particularly warmly welcomed back to Belize in recent years by his many friends there, including amongst the remaining local staff of the British High Commission. The Prime Minister of Belize and other senior members of the local and expatriate communities in the country praised Mr Yapp highly . Speaking after the hearing, Mr Yapp said: 'It has been a long battle to clear my name and naturally I'm pleased, as are my whole family, that the judgment has gone in my favour and indeed today's orders have gone as we asked. 'I would just say that it seems very unfair that one of the offices of state is using and continuing to use taxpayers' money to outspend an individual. 'It is more than ironic that the Government is abolishing legal aid for civil actions and yet it is using taxpayers' money to try and destroy me and in the full knowledge that my health can not begin to recover until it is over. 'To have my career at its pinnacle and my future prospects destroyed so wrongly and, it seems, on a whim, made me unwell and I have had to go through this for five years now.' Mr Yapp, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said the FCO's failure to back him triggered a major mental breakdown, leaving him depressed and unable to work. He argued that superiors failed to 'hear his side of the story' before imposing the suspension, despite his 40 years' service as a diplomat, including previous tenure at the High Commissioner in the Seychelles. Last month, Mr Justice Cranston ruled that the FCO 'acted in breach of contract and in breach of its duty of care in withdrawing Mr Yapp from his post without affording him fair treatment' and that the ex-diplomat was entitled to compensation for his resulting losses. Today, the judge approved an agreed order whereby Mr Yapp will receive £320,000 damages. The FCO will also pay £150,000 on account of Mr Yapp's legal costs bills, which have yet to be finally assessed and could be much greater than that. Alan Payne, for the FCO, said it planned to challenge the judge's ruling in the Court of Appeal. John Yapp's solicitor, John Kings, said outside court during the case: 'My client is naturally pleased that justice has prevailed after what have been five long and hard - and very costly - years. 'He wishes to thank his wife Anne in particular, for her unswerving love and support throughout; his legal team for seeing at the outset the apparent injustice of his treatment in terms of the law, and for working so hard to address this; each and every one of his witnesses whose belief in justice was very evident; and his many friends and well wishers in Belize, in the UK, and indeed literally across the world. 'I hope that the FCO will be investigating the matter with those responsible for the decisions so wrongly made and taking action in order to ensure that such blatantly unfair and damaging treatment is not repeated.' | John Yapp, 61, accused of touching the bottom of senior politician's wife .
Foreign Office suspended him from post of High Commissioner in Belize .
Government ordered to pay £320,000 and six-figure legal fees .
Sexual misconduct allegations found to be baseless .
Foreign and Commonwealth Office 'plans to appeal ruling' |
229,029 | b48f222a6bbccdd88a678d10b92449e7f9703300 | An aspiring singer who auditioned for Israel's version of the X Factor was placed under house arrest Thursday on suspicion of hacking into international pop star Madonna's computer and stealing and selling unreleased songs, his lawyer said. Police said Israel's cybercrime unit arrested 38-year-old Adi Lederman on Wednesday after an investigation coordinated with the FBI, which confirmed its involvement. Police also accused Lederman of stealing songs from other international artists whom they declined to name. Caught: Israeli authorities arrested a 38-year-old man named Adi Lederman on Wednesday, believed to have carried out a hack on Madonna's (left) computer to release one of her under development songs. He is a former contestant on Israel's 'A Star is Born,' their form of the X Factor, pictured right . Songs from Madonna's upcoming album 'Rebel Heart,' to be released in March, were leaked online in December. At the time, she urged her fans not to listen to the stolen copies that had surfaced, writing on Instagram: 'I have been violated as a human and an artist.' She later released six songs, calling it an 'early Christmas gift' for fans. Madonna welcomed Lederman's initial arrest, writing on her Facebook page that she was 'profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker.' She called the hack 'deeply devastating.' 'The end of Privacy is not something any of us are ready for!' added in an Instagram post on Thursday. Madonna has long claimed a special bond with Israel. The diva has made personal pilgrimages to the country, she practices Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, and she launched her 2012 'MDNA' tour in Israel. The investigation began after Madonna's representative in Israel lodged a complaint, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with protocol. Lederman, a Tel Aviv resident, auditioned for the Israeli reality show 'A Star is Born' in 2012. When asked by one of the judges what he does for a living, he responded: 'Mainly wasting my life away, it seems, because I'm told that I should be on stage.' He sang Stevie Wonder's 'Don't You Worry About a Thing.' Efrat Nahmany-Bar, a lawyer for Lederman said he denies the allegations. She said Lederman has not been charged and believes there was not sufficient evidence for an indictment. She said Lederman has no access to computers under the terms of his house arrest. Invasion: Madonna posted this picture of herself to Instagram on Thursday, writing 'The end of Privacy is not something that any of us are ready for!' | Israeli authorities arrested 38-year-old Adi Lederman on Wednesday for allegedly hacking Madonna's computer .
He is a former contestant of 'A Star is Born' - the Israeli version of X Factor . |
141,772 | 43564447b16fd5791cdd60aaf6974509a05969a5 | London (CNN) -- A teenager has been arrested near London in connection with the hacking of Sony, London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday. The 19-year-old is suspected of hacking into systems and mounting denial of service attacks against "a number of international businesses and intelligence agencies," police said. Naming suspects who have been arrested is illegal in Britain. A police spokesman, who declined to be named in line with custom, said the arrested man's computers will be examined for activities related to hacks against the UK's Serious Organized Crime Agency, the CIA and Sony. Sony's PlayStation Network went down on April 20 after what Sony said was a massive data breach. It had more than 70 million subscribers at the time. It began coming back online in mid-May. The PlayStation Store did not reopen until June 2. The company estimated the cost of that attack will total $171 million. Hackers later broke into Sony Pictures' website, compromising the accounts of over 1 million users, and the gaming company Sega, stealing nearly 1.3 million users' details via a British subsidiary of the Japanese company. Sega makes games for PlayStation and other gaming systems. The suspect's computer will also be examined for links to LulzSec, another police spokesman told CNN, who also declined to be named in line with custom. "This link has not been established yet as it is still early days," the spokesman said. The hacker group LulzSec posted an irreverent denial that its leader was the one arrested. "Seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it's all over now ... wait ... we're all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down?" they said on Twitter several hours after the announcement of the arrest. LulzSec claimed recently to have attacked the CIA website, and took credit for hacking into the website of the American public broadcaster PBS and posting a fake story saying the rapper Tupac Shakur was still alive. He was killed nearly 15 years ago. It's unclear whether LulzSec members played a role in the Sony PlayStation Network breach. But they have posted on their website what they claim is proprietary information from Sony Pictures and other Sony properties' websites. On Friday, on the occasion of their 1,000th tweet, the group posted a manifesto of sorts in which they said people, including their targets and advocates of Internet freedom, should be thankful. "The main anti-LulzSec argument suggests that ... our actions are causing clowns with pens to write new rules for you," the group wrote. "But what if we just hadn't released anything? What if we were silent? That would mean we would be secretly inside FBI affiliates right now, inside PBS, inside Sony ... watching ... abusing ... ." They seemed to suggest that by making their attacks public, they'll push websites to increase security. They said they're sitting on account information for 200,000 players of the online game Brink, but moments later said that releasing people's information is worth doing sometimes because it's fun. "Yes, yes, there's always the argument that releasing everything in full is just as evil, what with accounts being stolen and abused, but welcome to 2011," they wrote. "This is the lulz lizard era, where we do things just because we find it entertaining." Analysts said the group appears to be some sort of spin-off of "Anonymous," the loose coalition of hackers that grew to prominence through their support of the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks. But while Anonymous has its own set of moral codes and is largely politically motivated, LulzSec seems to be random. For every hack like the one on PBS, which the group said came out of anger over a documentary about WikiLeaks, there's the cracking of porn site pron.com -- and a subsequent public list of members' e-mail addresses and passwords. The teen suspect was arrested in Essex, outside London, in a raid that police said was "intelligence-led." The suspect was arrested Monday night and police are now examining a "significant amount of material," they said. CNN's Per Nyberg, Carol Jordan and Doug Gross contributed to this report. | NEW: Hacker's computers to be examined for information related to UK police, CIA and Sony hacks .
Hacker group LulzSec laughingly denies its leader has been arrested .
Police are examining "a significant amount of material" seized with the suspect .
The suspect is linked to attacks on international businesses and intelligence agencies, police say . |
103,069 | 10de6b37b495e034d3404c0a28c17839d9d6a978 | By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 09:14 EST, 10 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:23 EST, 10 December 2012 . The Dallas Cowboys player accused of vehicular manslaughter was released from jail yesterday after posting bond - one day after the car crash that killed a fellow player. As he stepped out of the Irving City Jail, defensive tackle Josh Brent said he was 'just trying to deal' with the death of his teammate and 'very best friend' Jerry Brown. 'Jerry Brown was my very best friend, and I'm just trying to deal with his death right now,' Brent said, stopping briefly when asked if he had anything to say to Brown's family. Scroll down for video . Out of jail: Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent is escorted out of Irving Jail by his attorney George Milner after posting $500,000 bond . He would not answer any other questions. Brent was behind the wheel of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz at about 2:20am on Saturday when the vehicle veered off the road, flipped at least once and slid about 900 feet. Brent has allegedly been speeding before the accident, which occurred hours before the team was due to fly to Cincinnati for Sunday's game against the Bengals. NFL.com reported that the car was on fire when police arrived, and officers spotted Brent pulling Brown out of the mangled car. Brown, a practice-squad linebacker who also was Brent's teammate for three seasons at the University of Illinois - was found unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Attorney George Milner bemoaned the fact that Brent's bond was set '16 times higher than it would have been for . anybody that doesn't play for the Dallas Cowboys.' 'He is torn up,' Milner said. 'It's not a good moment for anyone. I'm going to take him home. He needs family around him.' Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported . that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission would be investigating the . club where several Cowboys may have been before the crash. The agency said it would be interviewing other clubgoers, bartenders and any other witnesses. Deceased: Jerry Brown (in a 2012 file photo) died in the accident at 2:20am on December 7, 2012, in the Dallas suburb of Irving . Release: Brent did not answer questions from reporters as he walked out of the Irving City Jail . If it is found that players were served alcohol while visibly intoxicated, the club could be subject to heavy fines and face the loss of its liquor license. TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck told the Star-Telegram: 'We're establishing where [the players] had been and if they were sold alcohol while they were drunk.' The club was not immediately identified, but reports indicated that it was Privae Dallas, where comedian Shawn Wayans was performing on Friday night. The Cowboys bowed their heads in a moment of silence for Brown before their game against the Bengals yesterday - the second straight weekend that an NFL game was preceded by tragedy. Last week, Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend before committing suicide in front of his coach and general manager at the team's stadium. Second tragedy: Dallas Cowboys players hang their heads during a moment of silence today honoring teammate Jerry Brown who was killed in an accident last night. Lineman Josh Brent has been charged with DUI manslaughter . Crash: Tire skid marks are seen leaving the road where the car driven by Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent crashed on Saturday morning. His teammate Jerry Brown was killed in the accident . Irving police said the accident . happened about 2:20am on Saturday, hours before Brent was to be on a . team flight to Cincinnati. He was reportedly speeding and hit a curb, . flipping the car . Before the game, the Bengals held a . moment of silence before the national anthem. Most Cowboys bowed their . heads, and Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and several other players had . their hands over their hearts. On Fox's NFL Sunday show, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team had focused on Brown's death in the 'last few hours.' He didn't mention Brent. 'First of all we all know, but we remind ourselves that there is something more important than football, and this is life, and certainly the lost life of Jerry,' Jones said on the TV show. 'On the other hand, they know the best way they can honor Jerry, because he was such a hard worker, so conscientious and enthusiastic about his career.' Best friends: Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter that resulted in the death of his passenger and teammate whom he's since called his best friend . Reality check: Brent's charge of intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony that's punishable by two to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000 . Officers conducted a field sobriety . test on Brent and arrested him on suspicion of driving while . intoxicated, Argumaniz said. The charge, a second-degree felony . punishable by two to 20 years in prison, was upgraded after Brown was . pronounced dead. In February 2009, Brent was arrested . in February 2009 near the Illinois campus for driving under the . influence, driving on a suspended license and speeding, according to . Champaign County, Illinois, court records. In June 2009, Brent pleaded guilty to . DUI and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years of probation, 200 . hours of community service and a fine of about $2,000. As part of his . plea deal, prosecutors dropped one count of aggravated DUI/no valid . driver's license. Brent successfully completed his probation in July . 2011, court records show. Support: A fan holds a sign for slain player Jerry Brown on Sunday during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals . Dallas Cowboys' Josh Price- Brent (pictured in Jan. 2012) is facing an intoxication manslaughter charge after a one-vehicle accident that killed linebacker Jerry Brown, a member of the team's practice squad . Brent, a nose tackle, has played in . all 12 games this season and played a bigger role than expected with . starter Jay Ratliff battling injuries. He has 35 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks . and would most likely have started Sunday against the Bengals because Ratliff is . out with a groin injury. The Cowboys signed Brown to their . practice squad on October 24, but he hasn't been on the active roster. He was . released from the Colts' on October 20. Brown was originally from St. Louis. He had been a defensive lineman at the University of Illinois, where Price- Brent had been his teammate. According . to local reports, Brent had been jailed for misdemeanor DUI when he was . a student-athlete at the University of Illinois in 2009. Scene of the crime: Tire ruts mark the area where Brent lost control of the car . Irving Police Department Public Information Officer John Argumaniz said Jerry Brown, 25, was found unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead at a hospital . He was given two years of probation and 60 days in jail as part of a plea deal for the at incident. The Cowboys were preparing to fly to Cincinnati on Saturday for a Sunday game against the . Bengals, when the team was told of the news, according to ESPN. The players were told on the plane just . before takeoff of what happened after non-team personnel were asked to . go outside. This marks a second time that a Cowboys player has been involved in a fatal car crash. In 2003, Dwayne Goodrich, a second-round pick in 2000, was involved in a hit-and-run accident in which two people were killed. Goodrich was convicted of two counts of criminally negligent homicide and was released from prison in October 2011. Cowboys: In 2003, Cowboys player Dwayne Goodrich, was involved in a hit-and-run accident in which two people were killed . Watch video here . | Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown was killed in a car accident Saturday .
Teammate Josh Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter and posted a $500,000 bond .
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission investigating club where players were allegedly drinking before the crash . |
60,691 | ac7db03124e80f0b654b643a54dd934723071101 | By . Stephen Wright, Liz Hull, Paul Bentley and Rob Preece . PUBLISHED: . 07:38 EST, 20 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:14 EST, 21 September 2012 . Unrepentant: Elliot Jackson went on Facebook to say he 'wished' Cregan would come to Wales and 'take out our pigs' A man has been arrested for allegedly setting up a Facebook site praising murder suspect Dale Cregan. Detectives took jobless Neil Swinburne, 22, away for questioning after they traced the website ‘Dale Cregan is a Hero’ to his home in Liverpool. The page contained posts which mocked the deaths of WPCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes. One read: ‘So a pair of coppers got killed who gives a s***?’ Another, making reference to the Hillsborough report which criticised the police for the disaster in which 96 fans died, added: ‘Justice for the 96 not the two.’ Swinburne was arrested under the Communications Act 2003. If found guilty, he faces a six month jail sentence. He was bailed last night. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, of Greater Manchester Police, said: ‘I think [the public] would have wanted us to take positive action and that’s exactly what ourselves and Merseyside Police have done.’ Elsewhere, an internet troll who described Cregan as a ‘legend’ stood by his comments, comparing the murder suspect to crazed killer Raoul Moat. Jobless Elliot Jackson of Newtown, Powys, went on Facebook to say he ‘wished’ Cregan would come to Wales and ‘take out our pigs’. When confronted by the Mail, the 20-year-old said he had no sympathy for the two WPCs because police officers are ‘all dirty scumbags’. Speaking about Cregan, he added: ‘He is a legend. He shot down two police. Move over Raoul Moat, there’s a new guy on the block.’ Jackson, who admits he has been to jail for violent crimes, initially demanded money for an interview, but spoke even though he was assured he would not receive a penny. Later his mother, Alison, said: ‘They are disgusting things to say. Two families are suffering because two policewomen have died. They have all my sympathy.’ The Facebook arrest comes after . Greater Manchester Police thanked the public and said officers took . heart from the huge outpouring of goodwill and public support. The force has received 33,500 messages . on its online book of condolence and more than 21,000 have been posted . on the force's Facebook page. More than 1.3 million people have viewed the tribute to the officers on Facebook. Scroll down for video . Action: Facebook said it had removed tribute pages linked to Dale Cregan's case . Police . officers from across the country have offered to provide cover in . Greater Manchester so that colleagues of PC Hughes and PC Bone can . attend their funerals. Mr . Shewan warned of the threat from a long-standing feud between two . criminal families in the area and has issued Osman warnings - notices . given to people under threat of being murdered or seriously injured - to . 'a large number of individuals'. Tuesday's murders of the officers . were a 'watershed' moment, he said, adding that the force's message was: . 'Enough is enough. This has to end.' He added that despite everything the force has done to tackle gun crime, 'tragedies still do occur'. 'Tuesday's events simply make us spur on to higher and greater efforts,' Mr Shewan said. 'I think what we've seen on Tuesday has had to appeal to everyone in terms of a watershed moment.' 'I . would say the strong message that Greater Manchester Police has been . using over the last six weeks, and perhaps even further back, is, . "Enough is enough. This has to end". 'That's why we've been working with individuals with threats to life notices as part of our investigation. 'That's why we've had such an intensive policing operation in place. 'And that's why Tuesday's events have hit us so hard.' Killed: PC Fiona Bone (left) and PC Nicola Hughes (right) were attacked as they went to investigate a reported burglary in Hattersley, Tameside . Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy lays flowers near to the scene where Pcs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were killed in Hattersley, Tameside . Grief: Police officers fought back tears as they attend the scene of the shooting in Hattersley, Tameside, Greater Manchester . For a second day, police have arrived at the scene of the shootings to leave flowers . A police officer covers his face and is supported by a colleague as he visits the scene where the two policewomen were killed . Police officers pay their respects and read the floral tributes left at the scene . Another police officer struggles to hold back tears as he visits the spot closest to where PC Bone and PC Hughes were shot . He went on: 'We were investigating a . feud between two criminal families, we continue to do that, and the link . between that and Tuesday's events is still part of an ongoing and . active investigation.' Mr . Shewan went on: 'I think anybody who perhaps wishes to take the . opportunity, following such a tragedy, to tastelessly add derogatory . comments, to perhaps think that they're poking fun at such a tragic . situation, will always cause a great deal of emotion. 'I . think police officers - not just police officers, ordinary members of . the public - and I looked at some of these websites and saw ordinary . members of the public alarmed and really distressed at some of the . ridiculous comments that have been put on there. 'I think they would have wanted us to take positive action and that's exactly what ourselves and Merseyside Police have done.' Call: The country's top prosecutor, Keir Starmer QC, said it was time for an 'informed debate about the boundaries of free speech in an age of social media' He . added that the 'heart-warming' public support in the wake of the . murders 'has meant a great deal to Greater Manchester Police, to its . officers, and to all of the partners and also to the communities'. 'I . know the families too have been taking real solace from reading the . positive stories and the positive message of support being expressed by . ordinary members of the public here in Greater Manchester and across the . UK,' he said. A Facebook . spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that tribute pages have been . removed...because they violated Facebook’s statements of rights and . responsibilities.’ Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Jobless Neil Swinburne, 22, set up the website 'Dale Cregan is a Hero' to his home in Liverpool .
Elliot Jackson went on Facebook to say he 'wished' Cregan would come to Wales .
and 'take out our pigs'
Man arrested by Merseyside Police on Wednesday night .
Facebook page lauded murder suspect Dale Cregan, 29, as a 'legend'
Page appeared within hours of the attack which killed PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone .
Police across the country offer to provide cover in Greater Manchester so fallen officers' colleagues can attend funerals . |
152,444 | 510296e9357279efd8f24af4a81c1732aa6422ea | The explanations given by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams about how he came to falsely claim the helicopter he was travelling in Iraq was shot down have emerged in a full transcript. Williams has temporarily stepped down from his position at the broadcaster after the inaccuracies of his reports from Iraq were revealed, casting doubt on his other accounts - including his reporting of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which earned him such acclaim. In an interview with Stars and Stripes magazine Williams said he made a mistake about being in a Chinook helicopter that was shot down in 2003 because he was scared and in a warzone for the first time. Scroll down for video . NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams revealed he incorrectly assumed a helicopter he was travelling in had been shot down after it was part of a convoy that made an unscheduled landing in Iraq in 2003 . He said: 'Because I knew we had all come under fire, I guess I had assumed that all of the airframes took some damage because we all went down.' Williams, 55, had claimed in numerous interviews that he survived the helicopter he was in being shot down by a rocket propelled grenade in 2003. In the most extreme version of the tale, told to David Letterman in March 2013, he said: 'Two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire, including the one I was in, RPG and AK-47.' In fact it was another craft entirely that had been attacked and his inaccuracies were revealed after people in the shot down helicopter challenged his account on Facebook. Some have claimed the helicopter Williams was in was an entire hour behind the shot down craft. The new anchor said he had been scared and because his helicopter made an unscheduled landing he mistakenly assumed they had also suffered a hit. He added: 'I did what a civilian, an untrained civilian, would do in that instance and it was being scared. I think anyone in my shoes would admit that. It could not have been a more foreign environment. All we knew is we had been fired upon. All we knew was we had set down and then with the arrival of the sandstorm, how do we defend our little desert bivouac area.' Williams is Managing Editor of the United States' most watched network news program and announced last week he would be temporarily taking himself off the program because he had become 'too much a part of the news.' He apologised live on air on Wednesday for his inaccurate reporting. He said: 'I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,' he said. 'I want to apologise. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] fire. I was instead in a following aircraft.' Williams reported from Iraq (left) and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (right) but concerns have been raised about the accuracy of his reports after it emerged some of them had been embellished . Brian Williams has announced he is temporarily stepping down from his job as anchor at NBC Nightly News . He said his mind became a 'fog' while he was in the Chinook helicopter in Iraq and asked people to remember he was not a military professional dealing with the situation. Williams said he hoped the attention his inaccuracies have attracted did not reflect negatively on soldiers and veterans involved. He said: 'Anything that ends up not honoring the veterans is a failure on my part. This is about honoring the people I saw over there. As I've said a million times publicly, [they are] the best team we've ever fielded.' New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd previously claimed that news bosses were told last year his claims sometimes did not stack up, and that his tendency to exaggerate had become 'a joke' among NBC staffers. The scandal led to Williams cancelling an appearance on the David Letterman show last week. NBC has launched an official probe into Williams, lead by Richard Esposito, its top investigative journalist. Lester Holt will temporarily take over his role. Currently off the air after he admitted to lying about being hit by enemy fire in Iraq, a number of Williams' other seemingly outlandish claims are currently coming under increased scrutiny . Red Bank, New Jersey, 1970s . In a 2011 interview Brian Williams recalled his time as a teenage volunteer firefighter during which he saved a puppy. However in a 2005 Esquire interview, Williams had claimed to save not one but two puppies. In the same Esquire interview Williams also revealed that he had been mugged at gunpoint while selling Christmas trees in the sleepy New Jersey town in which he grew up. A number of locals have questioned the credibility of his claim that someone ‘stuck a .38-caliber in my face.’ Iraq War, 2003 . Over the years Williams has told multiple versions of a story about being in an army Chinook during the Iraq War in 2003. Last month he claimed his helicopter was hit by ground fire, an allegation he was later forced to admit was false after an outcry from soldiers who were present. Williams issued an on air apology. ‘Nobody's trying to steal anyone's valor,’ he wrote on Facebook. Hurricane Katrina, 2005 . Williams has told several stories about his experiences reporting from New Orleans. He has claimed to have seen a dead body float past the window of his hotel in the city's French Quarter – even though the area wasn't flooded. The accuracy of other Katrina claims, including that he caught dysentery drinking the floodwaters and that his hotel was ‘overrun’ with gangs, have been called into question by others who were there. Israel, 2006 . In a 2007 interview with Fairfield University Student Television, Williams recalled ‘Katyusha rockets passing just underneath the helicopter I was riding in.’ In fact he was nowhere near enemy fire and in a broadcast segment filmed that day he described a helicopter under fire a distance away. Boston, 2006 . A navy vet has accused Williams of lying to skip an event honoring members of the armed forces so that he could appear on Saturday Night Live. On the day of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society event the NBC News anchor told organizers that a 'pressing engagement' meant he wouldn't be able speak at the dinner, but later that evening he appeared in a walk-on role on SNL's Weekend Update. | Brian Williams forced to apologise after inaccurate reports were exposed .
NBC anchor had claimed he was in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq .
But his account was proved false by veterans and he was behind craft .
In interview he said he had assumed all helicopters were shot because they all made an unscheduled landing while in Iraq in 2003, transcript reveals .
Doubts being raised over his other reports, including on Hurricane Katrina . |
63,981 | b5a881838b0e176b03f9a86f2983e53f7fc74e0b | He is the man in charge of making sure the nation’s finances add up. But George Osborne has ducked a simple maths quiz during while being grilled on TV by schoolchildren. The Chancellor refused point blank to say what seven times eight equals, claiming he has ‘a rule in life’ not to answer maths questions. Scroll down for video . The Chancellor was put on the spot by Samuel Reddings, aged 7, as part of a panel of young readers of First News . Sam Raddings of St Hildas' Primary school in Stretford, Manchester showed the Chancellor how it was done . Mr Osborne appeared on Sky News to face questions from a panel of children readers of the First News newspaper. Seven-year-old Samuel Reddings challenged him: ‘What’s seven times eight.’ But the Chancellor responded: 'Look I'm not going to get into a whole string of... I've made it a rule in life not to answer a whole load of maths questions.’ Mr Osborne said he had studied maths at A-Level and often been 'tested at school'. He added: ‘Of course there is a lot of maths in my job but it also about making judgements about where the Government should spend its money.’ With the economy now growing at a faster rate than any major country, Mr Osborne’s reputation has been in the ascendancy. But he admitted that he wishes he had done more to repair the damage caused by the 2007 crash. The Chancellor showed there were no hard feelings as shook Samuel's hand after the grilling . He appeared taken aback when asked what his biggest regret had been from his time in government. He suggested that the scale of the economic challenge Britain faced in 2010 meant he wished he could have doe more to deal to put the country back on track. ‘Wow.... What decision do I regret most? I think what is true is that when you get into office that's your best opportunity to take some really big decisions,’ he said. 'And we did take some big decisions because then you've got a few years to see them played out. 'But actually I look back and think there's even more we could have done to fix some of the economic problems and I want to go on therefore taking decisions that will help create jobs for you and your families and make sure the country is more prosperous. 'If anything, it's like I wish we'd done even more. But that’s aright we are doing more now.' However, he gave no detail of what additional efforts to encourage he wishes he had taken. The Chancellor also revealed he wishes he could have done more to help the economy . One his own family’s finances, he said his children received pocket money without having to help around the house. He revealed he saved his own pocket money for a Scalextric set, adding: ‘I spent it most of the time but I did save up for a Scalextric set. ‘Computers games were only just starting. Scalextric, I think it is still around, this was where you could race cars around an electric track and it was quite expensive. 'I remember I really wanted one and so I asked for money especially for my birthday to get one and saved up some of my pocket money to get this Scalextric set.' The Chancellor, who was this week pictured singing along to the Monty Python live show at the O2, struggled when quizzed about rap music. He said he preferred 'quite cheesy pop songs' including Pharrell Williams who he listens to while jogging in a park. | Chancellor put on the spot in TV interview by 7-year-old Samuel Reddings .
He insists he has a 'rule in life' not to answer maths questions .
Reveals he took an A-Level in maths and was often tested at school .
Says he saved up his pocket money to buy a Scalextric set as a child .
Listens to Pharrell Williams while jogging in London parks to keep fit . |
76,655 | d9761c9e2e22f738a71a81b871eb2cfb11836e3d | A dog had to be rushed to vets for emergency surgery - after he almost killed himself by eating too many pairs of his owner’s silk thongs. Kaye Banks, 47, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was horrified when her pet Brian was unable to digest his food – so she took him to a vets, who found her underwear in his stomach. Staff at Abbey Vets in Barnsley carried out an emergency two-hour operation to save the four-year-old Samoyed’s life - and after four days, he was deemed well enough to return home. Silk thongs: Kaye Banks, 47, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was horrified when her dog Brian was unable to digest his food - so she took him to a vets, who found her underwear in his stomach . Unusual appetite: Mrs Banks (right) said that as soon as Brian (left) returned home following his operation, he raided the washing basket and ate another pair of knickers . But within hours of being back at Mrs Banks’s £250,000 four-bedroom detached home, the dog raided the washing basket and ate another pair of knickers. Mrs Banks rushed him back to Abbey Vets, where employee Tony Duffy was able to give him medication to make him vomit, narrowly avoiding further surgery. The mother said: ‘I’d spotted him nibbling on some of the washing and I got really worried when he wasn’t eating properly and he regurgitated his food undigested. ‘We took him to the vet and they could see a big bulge on the X-ray but they weren’t sure what it was. When they pulled out a black lacy thong everyone had a bit of a shock. Close call: Brian almost killed himself by eating too many pairs of his owner's silk thongs at home in Rotherham . Aid: Abbey Vets employee Tony Duffy (right) helped save the life of four-year-old Brian (left, with Mrs Banks) ‘After a two-hour operation we finally managed to bring him home. He’s a bit cheeky and he often roots through handbags or bags of shopping and he’s occasionally chewed on the odd sock, but nothing like this. I could believe it when we’d just got him home and it happened again. 'We took him to the vet and they could see a big bulge on the X-ray but they weren’t sure what it was. When they pulled out a black lacy thong everyone had a bit of a shock' Kaye Banks . 'We’d seen him go near the washing and my daughter Charlotte came in and said: “I put a pink lace thong in the washing basket earlier and now it’s gone.” So straight away we took him back to the vets to see if they could help and they managed to get it out without more surgery. 'We just couldn’t believe that after an operation and four days at the vets he comes home and does it again. It’s a warning to other pet owners to be really careful, because Brian needed major surgery and he’s lucky to come out okay. As for us, it’s underwear straight into the washing machine where he can’t get at them.’ Vet Mr Duffy said: ‘It never fails to amaze me what dogs will swallow, but swallowing three thongs in such a short space of time must beat them all.’ | Kaye Banks, 47, was horrified when her pet could not digest his food .
Mother took him to a vets, who found her underwear in his stomach .
Emergency two-hour operation saved life of the four-year-old Samoyed .
But within hours of being back home he ate another pair of knickers .
Brian was then made to vomit and narrowly avoided further surgery . |
41,317 | 7484dedf45d2f10de6370dc1dbcab49ebe3dfe34 | The favourite in the race to become Labour’s new leader in Scotland is embroiled in a bitter row with Ed Miliband over who will take charge of the party’s Scottish campaigns. Jim Murphy, tipped to lead Labour’s fightback against the Scottish Nationalists, has told Ed Miliband he will refuse to work with fellow Scots-born Shadow Cabinet heavyweight Douglas Alexander. Allies of Mr Murphy say Mr Alexander is a ‘campaigns flop’ and want him to ‘stop meddling in the Labour Party in Scotland’. Jim Murphy is involved in a bitter row with Labour leader Ed Miliband over who will take charge of the party's Scottish campaigns . Mr Murphy has told Ed Miliband he will refuse to work with fellow Scots-born Shadow Cabinet heavyweight Douglas Alexander (pictured left) Blairite Mr Murphy is a long-time political enemy of Brownite Mr Alexander, who is also Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman. Mr Alexander has been criticised over Labour’s poor performance in recent elections in Scotland and the rows that broke out in the referendum campaign. A senior Labour source and ally of Mr Murphy said: ‘We are clear about how we are going to get Labour back on its feet in Scotland. 'Douglas Alexander has no part in it. Jim is his own man and has made that very clear to Ed (Miliband).’ | Jim Murphy is tipped to lead Labour’s fightback against the Scottish Nationalists .
He has told Ed Miliband he will refuse to work with fellow Scots-born Shadow Cabinet heavyweight Douglas Alexander . |
101,022 | 0e2cf610b83cce280b8a3f5d126f3fb203a87d7a | They've faced gunfire, tear gas and water cannons. And now a man who led them in days of anti-government demonstrations is behind bars after turning himself in to authorities. But Venezuelan protesters were still in the streets after opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez's arrest Tuesday, demanding better security, an end to scarcities and protected freedom of speech. President Nicolas Maduro and his supporters also rallied, blaming the opposition for causing the very problems it protests. Clashes during days of demonstrations have already left three anti-government protesters and one government supporter dead. And the simmering tensions show no signs of letting up. The confrontation took a dramatic turn Tuesday, when Lopez, accused by the government of conspiracy and murder in connection with the recent violence, marched with a crowd of thousands of protesters before surrendering to national guard troops. "The options I had were leave the country, and I will never leave Venezuela!" Lopez told the massive crowd. "The other option was to remain in hiding, but that option could have left doubt among some, including some who are here, and we don't have anything to hide." Hours later at a rally with throngs of supporters, Maduro said the head of Venezuela's National Assembly had helped negotiate Lopez's surrender and was taking him to a prison outside Caracas. Maduro: Opposition leaders are 'fascists' Maduro described opposition leaders as right-wing fascists who plant seeds of fear and violence. He claimed they have U.S. backing and repeatedly tried to assassinate him and overthrow his democratically elected government. And he compared the opposition to an illness plaguing the South American country. "The only way to fight fascism in a society is like when you have a very bad infection ... you need to take penicillin, or rather the strongest antibiotic, and undergo treatment," he said. "Fascism is an infection in Venezuela and in the world. And the only treatment that exists is justice." Footage from Tuesday's demonstration shows Lopez being led by national guard troops to a military vehicle, waving to the crowd as he is placed inside and even continuing to speak on a megaphone until the door is closed. Charges against him include murder, terrorism and arson in connection with the protests, according to his party, Popular Will. Lopez denies the accusations, the party said in a statement calling for witnesses of the protests to send their own accounts of what happened to be used in his defense. A message on Lopez's Twitter account Tuesday night said he was on the way to a military prison, where party officials said he would be held at least until a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday. The post included a link to an apparently pre-recorded video message, showing the opposition leader seated on a couch next to his wife, calling on Venezuelans to keep pushing for change. "If you are watching this video, it is because the government has carried out one more abuse, full of lies, of falsehoods, of twisting facts and trying to manipulate the reality that we Venezuelans are living," he said. "I want to tell all Venezuelans that I do not regret what we have done up to this moment, in convoking the protests ... The people came out. The people woke up." 'Yankee, go home' Major social and economic problems in Venezuela have fueled the protests. But as the demonstrations gained steam, officials have pointed fingers at other factors, accusing the United States of plotting to destabilize the government. On Monday, Venezuela gave three U.S. diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, accusing them of conspiring to bring down the government. At Tuesday's rally, Maduro shouted, "Yankee, go home" from the stage, drawing cheers from the crowd. 17-year-old dies during Venezuelan protests . The opposition has been defeated over and over again at the polls, and despite this decision by the people, it continues to call for marches and protests, Julio Rafael Chavez, a ruling party lawmaker, told CNN en Español on Tuesday. "The peace-loving Venezuelans feel very, very worried by the irrational, fascist-leaning attitude and actions of a sector of the Venezuelan opposition," he said. This isn't the first time that bitter protests and counter-protests by supporters and opponents of the government have threatened political stability in Venezuela over the past decade. Many of Maduro's claims -- of U.S. intervention, of assassination plots -- were also lobbed by the late President Hugo Chavez. Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup in 2002, but otherwise outlasted the protests and repeatedly won re-election and ruled for 14 years until his death last year after a long battle with cancer. Venezuela: Expelled U.S. diplomats have 48 hours to leave . The U.S. State Department has repeatedly denied Venezuela's accusations. Asked whether the United States backs Lopez, Sen. John McCain told CNN Tuesday that his country "backs the people's right to express their will, to object to corruption, the repression of the media and the arrest of political dissidents." Opposition leader: Government wants confrontation . The current protests are the biggest that the Maduro government has faced in its 11 months in power. The latest death came Monday, when a 17-year-old was hit by a truck and killed at a protest in the northeastern city of Carupano, a government official said. Lopez's party, Popular Will, has accused the government of being responsible for violence during the protests. At Tuesday's rally, Maduro stressed that the socialist revolution he now leads is peaceful and democratic. "What I want is peace, dialogue, understanding, coexistence," Maduro said. "It is what I want and what I am doing." But another opposition leader said that the government's actions paint a different picture. "The latest actions we've seen from the government indicate that far from fomenting a climate of peace, (it) is trying to fortify the climate of confrontation and violence that the world has seen in images," former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles told CNN en Español. Capriles has backed away from calling for massive protests, saying they are ineffective and play into the government's narrative, but he said Lopez has his support. "The protest will continue as long as the government gives no sign of resolving the problems of the Venezuelans," Capriles said. At least seven people were injured when gunfire erupted during a protest Tuesday in the northern city of Valencia on Tuesday, CNN affiliate Globovision reported. One of them, according to two officials who did not wish to be identified, was a local beauty queen. Clashes between protesters, police . | Charges against Leopoldo Lopez include murder, terrorism, arson .
In a video message posted on Twitter, Lopez says he has no regrets .
Maduro compares Venezuela's opposition to an infection that must be cured .
Government blames U.S.-backed opposition; protesters call for freedoms, end to scarcities . |
79,677 | e1edbfddadbc00baec4ccd2132f9809db7a54d67 | By . Stuart Woledge . PUBLISHED: . 06:44 EST, 21 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:20 EST, 21 August 2013 . A student who achieved three A grades in her A'Levels may be forced to move to Romania to study to become a doctor after four universities in the UK turned her applications down. Miriam Bourne, of Bodmin in Cornwall, achieved As in chemistry, biology and geography, but was denied a place at all of the universities she had applied to, including Keele and Manchester. This is despite other students from Bodmin College being offered places to study medicine, even though their grades were not as good as Miriam's. Devastated: Miriam Bourne achieved top marks in her A Levels, but was rejected to study medicine by every university she applied to . Forced overseas: The 18-year-old is hoping to secure a place at Ovidius University in Constanta, Romania . The 18-year-old said: 'Studying medicine is so competitive . and there are only a limited number of places available, I know, but it . has been my dream to become a doctor for quite a few years now. 'I . did have interviews at Manchester University and Keele University but . didn’t get in, which has been really disappointing.' Miriam, who has two GPs within her extended family, now faces the prospect having to move to the Romanian city of Constanta, where she will be able to pursue her ambition at Ovidius University. The qualification they offer is recognised by the General Medical Council and other countries across the world. Counting the cost: Miriam will need to find £60,000 to pay for her course . But if she does decide to move overseas she will need to raise £60,000 to pay for the six-year course at because she will not qualify for the usual student grants or financial help open to other under graduates in the UK. She said: 'I attended a medical student conference at Nottingham University that mentioned the Romanian medical school, and it does appeal to me because it is a very practical course, but with the tuition fees, accommodation, food and travelling expenses it will cost about £10,000 per year. 'Although I do have some savings, I don’t think I will be able to get enough money on my own to go there, but it’s something I am considering.' Miriam originally had ambitions of becoming a midwife or nurse but was encouraged by her teachers to aim higher and become a doctor after they saw her potential. Her mother Jackie said: 'Miriam was devastated to get rejected from the four universities, particularly Keele, where she thought she did well. 'It is so frustrating when some of her friends did get places to study medicine even though their results were not as good as Miriam’s.' A spokesman for UCAS, which handles applications on behalf of universities, said if a student failed to get into the university of their choice this year, they could apply again next year. He added: 'Securing a university place is competitive, and although students may miss out on the place they hoped for, other universities are likely to make them an offer. 'There are still thousands of courses with vacancies in clearing, listed on the UCAS website. If an applicant has their heart set on a particular course that isn’t available, one option is to apply again next year.' Rejected: Manchester University was among the four UK institutions that turned the promising student down . Sadly Miss Bourne is not the first hardworking student to fall of the exacting standards enforced by many top flight universities. Last week Alastair Hernon found himself in the same situation when he was rejected from Oxford despite getting seven A*s in his A-levels. But the teenager from Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland was more than consoled by the flurry of offers received from across the Atlantic. Having secured top grades in biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, Latin and Classical Greek he was offered places at both Harvard and Princeton. But he decided to accept a place at Stanford, one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions in California, where he plans to study chemistry from September. The most famous incident of this kind came in 2000 when northern teenager Laura Spence, hit the headlines. Her rejection from Oxford university ignited a national rows about elitism in the country’s best universities after Magdalen College refused the then 18-year-old a place even though she got five top grades in her A-levels. Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time - dubbed Oxford's decision a 'scandal' and launched a bitter attack on the university's selection procedures. Dr Spence, from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, was offered a £35,000 scholarship to study Biological Sciences at Harvard where she graduated with honours. She subsequently returned to the UK and completed a medicine degree at Cambridge in 2008. | Promising teenager got top grades in chemistry, biology and geography .
But Miriam Bourne failed to secure a place at any of her university choices .
The 18-year-old is planning to move overseas to pursue her doctor dream .
But first she needs £60,000 to pay for her course at Ovidius University . |
45,902 | 81584fed6b1642328c8495c8255ca74ce8ba1bae | Atlanta (CNN) -- An Idaho man accused of slapping a crying 19-month-old boy on a Delta flight pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday in Atlanta. Joe Rickey Hundley is charged with assaulting a minor in connection with the incident last month. Accompanied by his attorney outside the courthouse, Hundley appeared solemn and looked toward the ground. Before Hundley's court appearance, his attorney, Marcia Shein, said that he would be entering a plea of not guilty. Man accused of slapping crying boy on Delta flight is out of a job . After the hearing, Shein issued a statement on Hundley's behalf, saying that the day before the flight on February 8, her client had learned that his son had overdosed on insulin and was in a coma on life support. "Mr. Hundley had been up for 24 hours over this tragic news and was heading to Atlanta to decide, with his son's mother, if they should take him off life support as he had no brain activity. On the flight he was in distress, upset and grieving," Shein said. His son died the next day, she said. According to court documents, the boy's mother, Jessica Bennett, and her son were seated in Row 28, Seat B on Delta Flight 721, which originated in Minneapolis. She spent part of the flight in the rear of the plane to get away from Hundley, who she said smelled like alcohol and was slurring his speech, according to John Thompson, attorney for the child's family. In her statement Wednesday, Shein did not address whether Hundley was drunk. As the plane began its descent into Atlanta, the boy began to cry because of the altitude change, and his mother tried to soothe him. Hundley, who was seated next to the mother and son, allegedly told her to "shut that (N-word) baby up." Hundley then turned around and slapped the child in the face with an open hand, which caused him to scream even louder, an FBI affidavit said. The boy suffered a scratch below his right eye. In her statement Wednesday, Shein acknowledged that Hundley "said something none should say even in their darkest moments" when the boy began crying and that he "deeply regrets saying those words." But she said that Hundley did not "strike the child and believes what happened to Mrs. Bennett's child was an accident." Hundley "had paid a terrible price for his hurtful words but asks only that people understand that he was not doing well that night and spoke hurtful words he would have not otherwise have said," Shein said. Will the slap heard 'round the country have lasting effects? | NEW: Joe Rickey Hundley was distraught over his gravely ill son during the flight, his attorney says .
NEW: Attorney acknowledges that her client used an epithet but denies he hit the child .
He entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of assaulting a minor .
Hundley is accused of slapping a crying 19-month-old on a Delta flight in February . |
256,720 | d8427daea47db1cff94eb39183a99801b3f2f110 | (CNN) -- President Obama and his family are hoping for a chance to unwind during their weeklong getaway to Martha's Vineyard. The Obamas arrive at Martha's Vineyard on Sunday. The first family, along with Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and the first dog Bo, arrived on the Massachusetts island Sunday. The Obamas are staying at a secluded 28-acre private estate. The No. 1 priority on Obama's vacation agenda is "To get a little break," White House spokesman Bill Burton said Monday. "He certainly appreciates the hospitality of the folks who are here. But his desire here is to relax and spend time with the family." The president squeezed in a workout and some tennis with wife Michelle before hitting the golf course Monday. Rep. James Clyburn, D-South Carolina; Robert Wolf, the chief executive of UBS; and White House aide Marvin Nicholson were expected to join the president on the links, although reporters following the game didn't see Clyburn. Close friend Eric Whitaker, however, was spotted on the course. The president waved to the crowd that had gathered to watch him tee off, and a little boy was heard yelling, "Hi, Obama!" On Sunday, Obama dined with senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and her daughter. Burton shot down rumors that the president has plans to golf with Tiger Woods this week, telling reporters that "nothing like that is on the schedule." Burton also said there are no plans for Obama to visit the ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy, who is just across the Nantucket Sound on Cape Cod. In addition to spending time with family and playing golf, Obama's hopes to hit the books, Burton said. The president's reading list includes five books: "The Way Home" by George Pelecanos, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman, "Lush Life" by Richard Price, "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf and "John Adams" by David McCullough. In all, the books on Obama's list total around 2,300 pages, meaning the president would have to read close to 300 pages each day to polish off the list. As for the rest of the week, Burton offered few details, saying the president himself doesn't even have a particular schedule. "He's on vacation, so everything is a little bit loose," he said. "You wake up, you have some breakfast, you workout and then you decide 'What do I feel like doing today?' He's doing that just like anybody else." The president will be getting a daily briefing. A member of the national security staff is on the island, and Obama also will receive briefings by paper. If necessary, he'll have teleconferences with his advisers in Washington, Burton said. Obama's first vacation since taking office comes as voters across the country are jumping in on the emotionally charged debate over health care reform. Burton said the president will talk to his advisers about the issue as needed, but has a lot of faith in his team working at the White House. "So the president thinks that there is still a real possibility of getting a bipartisan plan through. He's going to continue to work towards that end," Burton said. While there are no calls on the schedule, Burton said the president might make calls to individual members of Congress on health care "as appropriate." En route to Martha's Vineyard on Sunday, Burton offered two instructions from Obama to the reporters who are also on the island. "He wants you to relax and have a good time. Take some walks on the beaches. Nobody is looking to make any news, so he's hoping that you guys can enjoy Martha's Vineyard while we're there. "And the second thing I'll say is, of course, the first family would very much appreciate if you respect the privacy of the girls while they're out here on vacation," Burton said. | Obama spends first full day of vacation golfing, playing tennis with wife Michelle .
No plans to visit Sen. Ted Kennedy during vacation, White House says .
Obama receiving daily briefings, might call lawmakers about health care .
Obama's reading list adds up to about 2,300 pages . |
19,009 | 35cf2ca6d91005876db369bf6565ce97c310a8dc | By . Ryan Gorman . and Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 02:02 EST, 17 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:02 EST, 17 December 2013 . Following a petition that gathered more than 160,000 signatures, a Florida school district has finally agreed to rename a high school originally named after a Confederate general and the first 'Grand Wizard' of the Ku Klux Klan. Nathan B. Forrest High School in Jacksonville will change its name to something less controversial after the school board voted unanimously to remove Forrest's name from the school. According to the Washington Post, the school was named Nathan B. Forrest High School when it opened in 1959 after an organization called Daughters of the Confederacy pushed to commemorate the general. The vote: Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti watches as the votes of board members come in on his recommend to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School . The first Grand Wizard: Nathaniel Bedford Forrest was head of the KKK from 1866 until 1869 . Omotayo Richmond, who began the petition, has a daughter who attends school in the district, but told ABC News he would not allow her to set foot inside a school named after a notorious racist. ‘It just wouldn’t happen,’ Mr Richmond said. ‘I believe it’s outrageous that this could even be questioned by anybody… that anybody could even come to the defense of this man.’ He’s not alone, the more than 160,000 people who signed his online petition come from all over the country. ‘I am very encouraged that [people] chose to support this cause and I am humbled by that and excited for change,’ he continued. Today, more than half the school's students are black. At the school board meeting Monday night, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said: . 'If you look at the history of the naming of Nathan B. Forrest High School, the students originally wanted the school to be named Valhalla. Politics reigned and as a response to desegregation and the civil rights movement, the school was named Nathan B. Forrest. That was not the will of the students, and considering the opinion of the students in this process, I think it is an opportunity to give voice to students whose voices were not heard in the beginning and can certainly be heard now. Commemorated elsewhere: The General Forrest Monument that was erected in Memphis, Tennessee in 1906 . Honoring a racist: Nathaniel Bedford Forrest High School was named after the former KKK leader, but residents want that to change . A previous attempt to change the school’s name have somehow failed. Despite a 2007 Florida State College . study that received an overwhelming number of responses in favour of . changing the school’s name, the school board voted against changing the . school’s name, according to ABC. The city of Memphis, TN., earlier this year voted to rename a park . named after the Mr Forrest, who also was a general in the Confederate . Army during the Civil War. The KKK marched on the city, with a . local leader claiming 'the Memphis City Council is basically trying to . eradicate white people out of the history books across America.' Lance Stoll, the college professor who headed up the 2007 effort, is spearheading this one as well. He believes this time the name will change. ‘We don’t want 60 per cent of the kids, black kids, going to a school named for somebody who would’ve killed them and enslaved them if he had the chance,’ Mr Stoll told ABC. Over 90 per cent of respondents in just under 2,000 door to door surveys conducted by Mr Stoll’s Jacksonville Progressive Coalition have responded in favor of changing the school’s name, ABC noted. The Klan: Klan members wear ceremonial robes and carry Confederate flags, in a nod to their past, when marching in protest . A further 36 people showed up to last week’s school board meeting advocating to change the name, according to ABC. Some did speak in favor of the name remaining, arguing for Mr Forrest’s place in history. ‘Forrest, the man, and his association with the KKK is history,’ 1979 graduate Alison Barwick said, according to ABC. ‘The KKK’s function was much different in his time than it is now.’ ‘I think you’d be hard pressed to find any Southern gentleman from that era that didn’t have some association with the Klan,’ she added. | Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, in Jacksonville, is named after the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan .
Over 160,000 people have signed an online petition to change the controversial name .
The school district has agreed to rename the school . |
172,146 | 6ad03dd4e0c0c24ca38f2f38f4c043140ead2648 | By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:31 EST, 30 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:31 EST, 31 January 2013 . Thick smog in China forced airlines to cancel flights, as factories in Beijing were temporarily shut down to ease the pollution. Street lamps and the outlines of buildings were barely visible in the Chinese capital, as pedestrians donned face masks to guard against the smog which has blighted parts of the country for a fortnight. The flight cancellations stranded passengers during the first week of the country's busiest period of travel, due to the Chinese New Year on February 10. Scroll down for video . Smog: The Central TV Tower in Beijing is barely visible after a fourth day of heavy smog . Safety measure: Officials in Beijing told 103 heavy polluting factories to cease operations in an attempt to reduce smog levels . More than 100 flights were canceled in the eastern city of Zhengzhou, 33 in Beijing, 20 in Qingdao and 13 in Jinan. The US Embassy reported an levels of PM2.5 - tiny matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs - was more than 20 times higher than World Health Organization safety levels over a 24-hour period. Liu Peng, an employee at a financial institution in Beijing, said he will keep his newborn baby indoors. He said: 'It's really bad for your health, obviously. I bike to work every day and always wear a mask. The pollution in recent years is probably due to the increase in private cars and government cars.' Visibility was less than 100 meters in some areas of eastern China, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Every year, China's transport system bursts at the seams as tens of millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday, in the world's largest seasonal migration of people. Invisible: Thick smog blankets buildings in Beijing last week, a city that has long had pollution problems . Reduction: Officials in Beijing government departments and state-owned enterprises to reduce their use of cars by a third . Ren Haiqiang, a bank worker said he had booked tickets to fly out of Beijing on Thursday to visit family in the coastal city of Dalian, but was now worried about flight cancellations. 'Traveling over the holiday is already a huge hassle, along with all the gift-giving and family visits. 'We thought flying would be the best way to avoid the crush, but if the weather continues like this we'll be in real trouble,' he said. Beijing's city government ordered 103 heavily polluting factories to suspend production and told government departments and state-owned enterprises to reduce their use of cars by a third, Xinhua said. The measures last until Thursday. Beijing's official readings marked the smog as at a 'severe' level and prompted the city government to advise residents to stay indoors. indoors: Women wearing masks doing their morning exercises in Beijing, China as people were warned to stay indoors as much as possible . Lasting: The government said that because there was no wind, the smog would not dissipate quickly . The government said that because there was no wind, the smog would not dissipate quickly. Patients seeking treatment for respiratory ailments rose by about 30 per cent over the past month at the Jiangong Hospital in downtown Beijing, Emergency Department chief Cui Qifeng said. 'People tend to catch colds or suffer from lung infections during the days with heavily polluted air,' he said. Air pollution has long been a problem in Beijing, with the city hitting its highest reading on January 12. Hospitalised: Patients seeking treatment for respiratory ailments rose by about 30 per cent over the past month at the Jiangong Hospital in downtown Beijing, Emergency Department chief Cui Qifeng said . Celebrity real estate developer Pan Shiyi, who has previously pushed for cities to publish more detailed air quality data and who is a delegate to Beijing's legislature, called for a 'Clean Air Act'. His online poll has received more than 29,000 votes, with 99 percent in favor. On Monday, Wang Anshun was elected Beijing's mayor after telling lawmakers the municipal government should make more efforts to fight air pollution, according to Xinhua. Last week, he announced plans to remove 180,000 older vehicles from the city's roads and promote government cars and heating systems that use clean energy. VIDEO: Beijing smog harming local children's breathing, say parents . VIDEO: Smog surrounds the streets and airport in Beijing . | Visibility was less than 100 metres in certain parts of eastern China .
Beijing officials ordered 103 heavy-polluting factories to suspend production .
Smog levels 20 times higher than World Health Organisation safety level . |
62,817 | b2739f63bf1186783cd9fe93c4719281aa8584ab | By . Joe Ridge . Follow @@JoeRidge87 . The average attendance in the Barclays Premier League last season was the highest recorded in England's top flight since 1950. The average number of tickets sold per game, as revealed by Sporting Intelligence, was 36,695 - just short of the 37,400 recorded 64 years ago in the 1949-50 season. And according to official Premier League figures last season also produced a record seat occupancy rate of 95.9 per cent. Scroll down for full table . Take it like a fan: The Crystal Palace faithful show their support against Liverpool last month . Rolling back the years: Sunderland's Len Shackleton (right) in the 1949-50 season . After reaching a low point in the 1980s, average attendances have been steadily on the rise since the induction of the Premier League in 1992. A total of 13,944,100 fans attended 380 matches in the top flight last season, surpassing the previous Premier League record set in 2007-08. Over 17 million fans watched 462 matches in the record-breaking 1949-50 season. The top flight was reduced from 22 to 20 teams from 1988 until 1991, and then permanently from 1995. The figures emerge despite increasing fans' protests against escalating ticket prices. A Premier League spokesman told Sporting Intelligence: ‘Attendances are of the utmost importance to the Premier League.' Champions: Manchester City fans celebrate winning the Premier League title in May . 1950* . 17,278,625 . 462 . 37,400 . 1960 . 14,391,227 . 462 . 31,150 . 1970 . 14,868,754 . 462 . 32,183 . 1980 . 12,163,002 . 462 . 26,327 . 1984** . 12,163,002 . 462 . 18,856 . 1990 . 7,883,039 . 380 . 20,745 . 1993*** . 9,759,809 . 462 . 21,125 . 1994 . 10,644,551 . 462 . 23,040 . 1995 . 11,213,168 . 462 . 24,271 . 1996 . 10,469,107 . 380 . 27,550 . 1997 . 10,804,762 . 380 . 28,434 . 1998 . 11,092,106 . 380 . 29,190 . 1999 . 11,620,326 . 380 . 30,580 . 2000 . 11,668,497 . 380 . 30,707 . 2001 . 12,472,094 . 380 . 32,821 . 2002 . 13,043,118 . 380 . 34,324 . 2003 . 13,468,965 . 380 . 35,445 . 2004 . 13,303,136 . 380 . 35,008 . 2005 . 12,878,791 . 380 . 33,892 . 2006 . 12,876,182 . 380 . 33,885 . 2007 . 13,094,307 . 380 . 34,459 . 2008 . 13,736,620 . 380 . 36,149 . 2009 . 13,552,002 . 380 . 35,663 . 2010 . 13,001,616 . 380 . 34,215 . 2011 . 13,435,212 . 380 . 35,356 . 2012 . 13,165,416 . 380 . 34,646 . 2013 . 13,643,273 . 380 . 35,903 . 2014 . 13,944,100 . 380 . 36,695 . * record high** record low*** Premier League startsSource: Sporting Intelligence . | Average attendance in Barclays Premier League was 36,695 .
This is despite protests against ticket prices .
Just under 14million fans attended 380 matches in the top flight last season . |
55,243 | 9c831315c00a14800964b87a7bdfb95a5c132c03 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 09:21 EST, 12 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:25 EST, 12 February 2013 . The days when a pair of . beige granny pants was the only option for girls needing a bit of secret support on a night out are long gone. Shapewear . has taken on a whole new identity - and proof of just how alluring it . is to women - and men - comes from Debenhams, who report that sales of comfortable 'shapewear' pants made famous by stars such as Tulisa have surged for Valentine's Day. Smitten males are heading to the high street giant to snap up Valentine's Day lingerie for their partners and Bridget Jones would be proud to know that sales of support lingerie are up 120 per cent on last year. Shapewear surge: Shapewear, as made famous by Tulisa, has been given a sexy revamp and sales are soaring in time for Valentine's Day . According to the retailer, the new range is more 'Bridget Bardot than Bridget Jones', with beige panelled pants replaced by pretty patterns and lace. The most popular design is the black body shaper, which has seen an 86 per cent increase in sales, followed by the 'silky suck me in' slips, up 72 per cent, and the pretty but practical pants, up 70 per cent on last year. Sharon Webb, head of lingerie buying and design at Debenhams, said women should not see this new trend as a 'slap in the face'. She said: 'Debenhams has turned the concept of controlwear on its head by creating lingerie that not only makes women feel fantastic but also looks great. Pretty patterns: Debenhams say their new range is more 'Bridget Bardot than Bridget Jones', with beige panelled pants replaced by pretty patterns and lace (L) is the bestselling body shaper, £28 . Long gone: Bridget Jones would be proud to know that the shapewear she made famous is a hit, but it has had a slightly more sexy update . 'In fact, gone are the days that shapewear is regarded as a faux pas and it's no longer a negative thing for a man to buy it for a woman. It's all about sexy shapewear now. 'Previously, men have admitted they were worried they would offend their partner by buying them products such as shapewear and anti-ageing cream, but this year they just want to get it right.' Famous fans: Princess Beatrice and Kourtney Kardashian are both fans of shapewear . Extra support: Kim Kardashian is often snapped donning control pants under her tight-fitting dresses . Women used to save shapewear for work and 'non sexy days' but nowadays control underwear is a must have of the modern wardrobe, Ms Webb said. According to a survey by the retailer more than four in five women (82 per cent) have worn control garments, with celebrities including Beyonce, Tulisa and Kourtney Kardashian all admitting they aren't afraid to don a pair. Shapewear prices start from £10 and are available in Debenhams' stores and online. | Sales of shapewear in Debenhams has soared by 120% as men rush to purchase lingerie for women on Valentine's Day .
New range .
is more 'Bridget Bardot than Bridget Jones' says retailer .
Celebrity fans of shapewear include Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Tulisa and Princess Beatrice . |
7,804 | 161bdb7ca7a0ffffcda53fdbbb41546e3af07616 | NEW YORK (CNN) -- His was one of the first photos of a missing child to appear on a milk carton. Almost 30 years later, Etan Patz is still missing. Etan Patz, who disappeared in 1979, was the first missing child featured in the milk carton campaigns of the 1980s. Etan was 6 when he disappeared on May 25, 1979, the Friday before Memorial Day. He was on his way to school in what is now the upscale Soho neighborhood of New York. It was the first time he'd walked to the bus stop by himself. It was just a few blocks away. Etan, like any 6-year-old, argued that all of his friends walked to the bus stop alone, and his parents relented. His mother, Julie Patz, learned that Etan hadn't been in classes when he failed to return home. She called the school at 3:30 p.m., then called the homes of all his friends. When no one had seen Etan, she called police and filed a missing person's report. By evening more than 100 police officers and searchers had gathered with bloodhounds. The search continued for weeks, but no clues to Etan's whereabouts were found. Watch an update on the case » . The boy's disappearance was one of the key events that inspired the missing children's movement, which raised awareness of child abductions and led to new ways to search for missing children. Etan's case was the first of the milk carton campaigns of the mid-1980s. "In our minds there were only two possibilities," said Stan Patz, the boy's father. "Either Etan was taken by a stranger and killed or he was taken by a very sad woman desperate for a child of her own, and we hoped that such a woman would at least take care of him and keep him safe." Patz lived with this hope until 1982, when he learned of Jose Antonio Ramos' arrest and the surprising connection between him and a former babysitter of Etan's. Ramos was a drifter who in 1979 lived in Alphabet City, a neighborhood not far from Soho. In 1982 he was arrested after boys in a neighborhood in the Bronx complained that he had stolen their book bags while trying to coax them into a drainpipe under a bridge, where he lived, said the Patzes and federal prosecutor Stuart GraBois, who spent years investigating the case. When police found Ramos in his drainpipe home, they found he had many photographs of small blond boys. They noticed that they looked a lot like Etan Patz, according to author Lisa R Cohen's book about the case, "After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive." Bronx police questioned Ramos, and he denied having anything to do with Etan's disappearance. But he did tell police that his girlfriend used to baby-sit for the boy, GraBois said. Prosecutors in the Bronx and Manhattan pursued this lead, but concluded they did not have enough evidence to connect Ramos to Etan's disappearance, GraBois and a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. Ramos was released when the parents of the Bronx boys chose not to press charges against him, according to published reports. He left town and disappeared for six years -- until GraBois reviewed Etan's case. GraBois said he focused on Ramos as the prime suspect. GraBois said he learned in 1988 that Ramos had been arrested and convicted of child molestation and was serving time in a Pennsylvania prison. GraBois said he brought Ramos to New York for questioning and surprised him with the question: "How many times did you have sex with Etan Patz?" Ramos told GraBois that he'd taken a little boy to an apartment he had on the lower East Side on the same day that Etan went missing. "He was 90 percent sure it was the same he'd seen in the news that was missing," GraBois said. According to GraBois, Ramos claimed he released the boy and brought him to a subway station so the boy could go visit his aunt in Washington Heights. "Etan did not have an aunt in Washington Heights," GraBois said. When questioned further, Ramos refused to say anything more and asked for a lawyer, according to GraBois. Ramos is serving a 10- to 20-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to be released in November 2012, GraBois said. GraBois said he had Ramos transferred to a federal prison, and planted informants as his cell mates. He wouldn't go into detail about what Ramos might have told them, but said he's convinced he's eyeing the right suspect. GraBois turned over his evidence to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, but prosecutors have not brought charges. They say that without a body, they don't have enough evidence. Etan's case is still considered by the NYPD to be a cold case. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Etan Patz or that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for his disappearance is asked to call the FBI/NYPD Etan Patz hotline: 212-384-2200. | Boy, 6, begged his parents to let him walk to school bus stop for first time .
He never showed up at school in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood .
Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979 .
Know something? Call the FBI/NYPD Etan Patz hotline: 212-384-2200 . |
33,902 | 60613fad04402a52477b070f99b6a0a34b300d81 | By . Australian Associated Press . A teenage girl was grabbed from behind, gagged and then sexually assaulted by a man in an early morning attack at a Melbourne park. The 16-year-old was walking along a street near Caulfield Recreation Reserve in Melbourne's south last week when she noticed a man was walking close behind her. 'As she entered the car park at the rear of the reserve, the man has placed both his hands over her mouth,' a Victoria Police statement said. Scroll down for video . The man, captured on CCTV, is alleged to have approached his victim from behind and assaulted her once on the ground at Caulfield, in Melbourne's south-east . Police revealed this artist's depiction of what the attacker may look like and the blue hoodie he was wearing at the time . 'The teen has struggled and the pair has fallen to the ground where he has sexually assaulted her.' A jogger interrupted the attack, which occurred about 8am on July 24. Police say the same man was also seen, about 45 minutes earlier, looking in the female toilets at a nearby shopping centre. He also followed a woman at the shopping centre. The man is described as caucasian, aged his 20s, about 180cm tall with a slim build, pale skin, blue eyes, clean shaven and he has a pointy nose and chin. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded jacket with the word 'EVERLAST' across the front. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Girl near Caulfield Recreation Reserve when she noticed man behind her .
Man placed both hands over the girl's mouth .
Teen struggled and fell to ground before he sexually assaulted her . |
86,080 | f42bbb377c14adf6a77ad29583673d45cf61fe66 | Falcao signs for Manchester United in £12m season-long loan . Follow all the movers and shakers here . Follow the latest on Falcao's move here . Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed Radamel Falcao's loan switch to Manchester United as a 'fantastic buy' for Louis van Gaal. The striker will cost the Old Trafford club £12million and follows Angel di Maria, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo in joining Van Gaal at United, taking the club's total spending to £150m. Scroll down for VIDEOS... Speed demon: Cristiano Ronaldo believes United have done well to land Radamel Falcao . Do the right thing: The Real Madrid superstar refused to accept that Radamel Falcao was wrong for United . You're driving: Ronaldo was speaking at a TAG Heuer event where he appeared alongside Jenson Button . On the move: Radamel Falcao has agreed a deal to join Manchester United on a season-long loan . River Plate (2005-09): 105 apps/45 goals . Porto (2009-12): 87 apps/72 goals . Atletico Madrid (2011-13): 91 apps/70 goals . Monaco (2013-14): 22 apps/13 goals . Colombia: 51 caps/20 goals . The 28-year-old Colombia star will earn around £200,000-a-week after touching down at Manchester Airport in a private jet to complete the deal on transfer deadline day. Ronaldo, speaking at a TAG Heuer event in Madrid, said: 'He is very good player. I think Manchester did very well. I don’t think he is the wrong type of player. He is a top player so I don’t think it is a wrong buy. The main man: Falcao has established himself as one of the most potent strikers in Europe . Driving seat: Ronaldo gets ready to take a spin with former F1 world champio Jenson Button . On the skids: Jenson Button teaches Cristiano Ronaldo how to drift a super car at the promotional event . 'I think he will be a fantastic buy. Manchester have not started well, two points, so they need quality players and Falcao is a quality player.' The potent striker had been expected to join Manchester City, while Arsenal also entered the race late last week. But United threw their hat into the ring amid fears of persistent niggling injuries to Robin van Persie and will offset Falcao's arrival by allowing Danny Welbeck to leave, while Javier Hernandez has joined Real Madrid. In the shade: Ronaldo, chatting to F1 star Button, hailed Falcao's move to United as a 'fantastic buy' Making strides: The 28-year-old is expected to make his debut against Queens Park Rangers in a fortnight . Indeed, Madrid were frontrunners for Falcao and the player himself posted - and later deleted - a tweet on Saturday appearing to confirm the move. But the Spanish giants, who sold Di Maria to United for £60m last week, instead opted to sign Hernandez who had struggled to force his way into Van Gaal's plans. The Mexican joins on loan with a view to a permanent deal next summer. After completing his move, Falcao will join up with his national team ahead of their friendly against Brazil in Miami on Friday night. His first game for United is likely to be at home to Queens Park Rangers on September 14. On the run: Ronaldo spent six seasons at Manchester United before joining Real Madrid in 2009 . VIDEO Falcao completes dramatic Old Trafford move . | Cristiano Ronaldo believes Falcao's arrival at Old Trafford is good business .
Falcao will cost Manchester United £12million and joins on season-long loan .
He has agreed £200,000-a-week wages and will complete deal on Monday .
The Colombian turned down the opportunity to join Arsenal and Man City .
Man Utd signed Falco amid fears over Robin van Persie's fitness . |
25,582 | 48770a7078fae7e564290605c20bb2769ebe83e2 | Thousands of dollars raised for a woman who pretended to have terminal cancer will now be donated to The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Dozens of compassionate Australians learnt this week that a woman who told her friends and family she had terminal cancer had been running a scam to extort money from donations. Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds, 31, had reported that she was diagnosed with stage six ovarian cancer in April, and had been told she had only three years left to live. Scroll down for video . Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds, 31, had reported that she was diagnosed with stage six ovarian cancer in April, and had been told she had only three years left to live . The mother-of-six from Lake Macquarie, NSW, went to great lengths to convince friends, family, and strangers that she had cancer, shaving her head and faking hospital visits for chemotherapy treatments . Jessica McKay, the administrator of the 'Help for Elle' Facebook page, announced that the money raised would be donated to children in need of assistance. 'We hope to help some sick kids in need at Westmead Hospital,' wrote Ms McKay. 'Hopefully over the next few days everyone will see what an evil person she really is.' It's thought nearly $2000 was donated to a bank account set up for Ms Edmunds. Police are investigating the matter but are yet to lay charges. 'What has happend with Elle faking cancer and trying to scam money of people hasn't gone unnoticed and we will be heard. We have people on board,' wrote Ms McKay. The mother-of-six from Lake Macquarie, NSW, went to great lengths to convince friends, family, and strangers that she had cancer, shaving her head and faking hospital visits for chemotherapy treatments. Crowdfunding pages and Facebook charity groups were set up in support for Ms Edmunds, raising significant funds through charity functions and online auctions for her ongoing medical bills. Last week it was revealed by an unnamed man who claimed to be Elle's partner that she had never had cancer, and that she had tricked him into believing she did, reported The Daily Telegraph. Ms McKay wrote a post detailing her fury with Ms Edmunds when she learnt of her deceit. 'With Elle not even having cancer we have had our say and hopefully over the next few days everyone will see what an evil person she really is,' she wrote. 'What has happend with Elle faking cancer and trying to scam money of people hasn't gone unnoticed and we will be heard [sic].' Ms McKay organised a $150-a-head fundraiser for the Lake Macquarie woman, and was just one of many strangers taken in by Ms Edmunds cancer scam. Compassionate Australians have learnt this week that a woman who told her friends and family she had terminal cancer had been running a scam to extort money from donations . Crowdfunding pages and Facebook charity groups were set up in support for Ms Edmunds, raising significant funds through charity functions and online auctions for her ongoing medical bills . The group's page contains several photos of Ms Edmunds with a child, shown in the process of shaving her head and then bald, and detailed efforts to raise money for her, and periodic updates about her health. Members of the group who had contributed financially or had been raising awareness for Ms Edmunds labeled her actions 'disgusting', and called for jail time. One member posted that she hoped Ms Edmunds 'got what she deserved', and labeled her a 'disgrace to humanity, filthy lying cheating human, some will forgive you, many will not, and for someone thats lost loved ones to cancer, I feel no sadness any further for what karma comes your way [sic]'. 'The only truth you have admitted to is being very sick mentally, You are sick mentally, sick, sad and twisted and I feel devastated for your loved ones, let alone mine that were sucked into your evil bull***t.' On Sunday Ms Edmunds was asked to explain her behaviour, and claimed that she had 'serious mental health issues'. | Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds told friends, family, and strangers that she had been diagnosed with stage six ovarian cancer and had only six months left to live .
Crowdfunding pages and Facebook groups were set up to raise money for her living expenses and ongoing medical costs .
The money is now being donated to The Children's Hospital at Westmead .
The mother-of-six shaved her head and faked trips to the hospital for chemotherapy treatment .
A man claiming to be her partner exposed her scam this week, prompting furious responses from those who had supported her . |
139,230 | 4008af016dd174ddc60323ec705830826e8e9dcc | Perugia, Italy (CNN) -- Murder victim Meredith Kercher's family cannot forgive anyone until they know the truth about her killing, Kercher's sister said Tuesday as Amanda Knox flew out of Italy, a free woman after four years. Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were dramatically cleared of the murder Monday, in a jury ruling that left Knox sobbing and almost unable to walk out of the court unaided. The decision stunned the Kercher family, who were visibly downcast Tuesday morning. It sends them "back to square one," Kercher's brother Lyle said. Stephanie Kercher, the victim's sister, demurred when asked if the family is ready to forgive Meredith's killer or killers. "Until the truth comes out, we can't forgive anyone," she said. Analysis: Truth about student's slaying remains elusive . She said the family looked forward to reading the judge's explanation of how the jury reached its decision, which by law must be published within 90 days. Not knowing why one jury two years ago convicted Knox and Sollecito of murder, sexual assault and other crimes related to Kercher's killing, while another said Monday they are innocent is "the greatest disappointment," Stephanie Kercher said. Kercher's mother, meanwhile, did not speak ill of Knox, even when asked what she thought of the American's assertion that her life had been destroyed by the ordeal. "That's probably true in a way," Arline Kercher said. In an interview with CNN, Lyle Kercher said the family accepts the decision, as it accepted the decision in the original trial. "We have the utmost respect, obviously, for the decision and the integrity of the court," he said, adding, "We will abide by that." No end to Knox as pop culture obsession . Knox, who arrived in Seattle to cheers just after 8 p.m. ET, thanked her supporters and those who helped her family in emotional remarks at a brief news conference. "I'm really overwhelmed right now," she said. "I was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything wasn't real." She told her supporters, "Thank you for being there for me." Knox spent Monday night with her mother before leaving Italy, her lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova told CNN. Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said Tuesday that he will appeal the ruling to Italy's High Court. When the appeal reaches the High Court, the hearing will be very short and dependent on key technical issues and arguments, not a review of the actual trial itself, according to Luiss University law professor Nicola Di Mario. Kercher's family said it would support such an appeal, but added it was the state's decision. If Italy's highest court overturns the lower court's decision, it effectively revalidates the trial court's sentence, which means 26 years in prison for Knox. Italy would then have to put in a request to U.S. authorities for extradition, and it would remain to be seen if that would be granted. If the court does not overturn the appeals ruling, Knox could not be tried again for the same crime under the "double jeopardy" rule. How 4-year saga unfolded . Knox and Kercher were students at Perugia's university for foreign students when Kercher's partly clothed body was found stabbed and with her throat slashed in the house they shared. Monday's ruling prompted a wave of euphoria by Knox, her family and supporters, as well as howls of disapproval outside the courtroom. "Perugia is a quiet town. The fact that people came and cry out loud 'shame' on the ruling means something," Mignini said. After the ruling, Knox broke down sobbing and was escorted out of the courtroom by two people. KIRO: Seattle reacts to Knox's release . "We're thankful that Amanda's nightmare is over," Knox's sister, Deanna, said on the courthouse steps. "She suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit." Co-defendant Sollecito: 'My nightmare' Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of murder, sexual assault, possession of a weapon, interfering with a crime and theft. The jury cleared Knox and Sollecito of those charges, freeing them from their respective 26- and 25-year sentences. But the jury Monday upheld Knox's conviction on the charge of defamation against Patrick Lumumba, an early suspect in the case whom Knox accused of killing Kercher. Lumumba was arrested, but released after his alibi checked out. He later sued Knox, winning 40,000 euros ($54,000) in damages. Knox was sentenced Monday to three years on the defamation charge, but received credit for the years she has already spent behind bars, her attorney said. A third person, drifter Rudy Guede, was convicted separately of involvement in the killing and is serving 16 years. Defense teams for Knox and Sollecito have suggested Guede could have been the sole killer. The jury evidently believed Knox's impassioned final statement to the court, delivered in a voice trembling with emotion. "I am not what they say I am -- perverse, violent. ... I haven't murdered. I haven't raped. I haven't stolen," Knox said in the most important speech of her life. Sollecito put his claim simply in his own closing statement. "I have never hurt anybody," he said. As he concluded, he dramatically removed his plastic "Free Amanda and Raffaele" bracelet, saying: "I have never taken it off since it was given to me. ... I think now is the moment to take it off." Following the rulings, Knox returned briefly to the prison and was greeted by cheers and shouts of "well done," said Rocco Girlanda, a member of the Italian parliament who became an advocate for the 24-year-old American. "Her first desire is to lie down on a green field," he said . CNN's Hada Messia, Antonia Mortensen, Matthew Chance, Paula Newton and Peter Wilkinson and journalist Livia Borghese contributed to this report. | NEW: Knox is emotional, "overwhelmed" after arriving in Seattle .
The exoneration of Knox and her ex-boyfriend sends the victim's family "back to square one"
The Kercher family cannot forgive anyone "until the truth is known," the victim's sister says .
Knox and Raffaele Sollecito successfully appealed their convictions of murder . |
145,553 | 48394e91b519a15f166c2c07876c84602c2bbf86 | She admits she used to get through bags of Haribo sweets while filming Big Brother and has even pinched chocolate from her children. So TV presenter Davina McCall was perfectly placed to get on the sugar-free diet bandwagon, with a cookbook detailing how she eventually weaned herself off the sweet stuff. But her book, Davina’s 5 weeks to Sugar-Free, has left readers feeling bitter after several of its recipes were found to be just as sweet as regular treats. Scroll down for video . Bittersweet reaction: Davina McCall, above, released a cookbook detailing how she weaned herself off sugar . Diet experts say several are packed full of sugar – but in the form of natural ingredients such as honey. Reviews on the Amazon website criticised the title as ‘hugely misleading’ with some buyers demanding their money back. Experts at the British Dietetic Association said some of the recipes would warrant a high or a moderate sugar label if they were sold in supermarkets. In the book Miss McCall, 47, advises readers to replace table sugar with honey and maple syrup. She also suggests reducing these over five weeks. One disgruntled buyer wrote on Amazon: ‘Sorry Davina, this is hugely misleading. I am returning this book today.’ Gemma Sampson, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘Some of these recipes are not sugar-free or even low in sugar. Miss McCall’s spokesman said: ‘As the title suggests, Five Weeks To Sugar Free offers a 5 week programme to eliminate refined and processed sugar from your diet. 'The book does not claim to only offer sugar free recipes, as the programme is a weaning exercise and as such it includes some recipes that contain natural sugars. | Davina McCall's cookbook details how she weaned herself off sugar .
But Davina's 5 Weeks to Sugar-Free contains recipes packed full of sugar .
Diet experts said it comes in the form of natural ingredients such as honey . |
116,874 | 22e0ddbd20b2433bf137dbf47514494259426c77 | By . David Kent . Rory McIlroy took to the streets of Liverpool on Sunday night to celebrate his Open victory. The 25-year-old won the Claret Jug at Hoylake in the afternoon, before being seen out a few hours later with his mum and fellow professional Justin Rose as they headed to The Empire Club in Liverpool. And it also appeared as though he was with Irish model Nadia Forde, who he is rumoured to be dating just eight weeks after breaking off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. VIDEO Scroll down for The Open Championship: Final Round . Victor: Rory was seen with a woman believed to be his rumoured new girlfriend Nadia Forde while celebrating his Open victory yesterday . Out and about: Rory McIlroy heads out on Sunday night after his Open victory . Victor: The 25-year-old had won his third major at Hoylake earlier in the day . Embrace: Also in attendance were Rory's mum and fellow golfer and friend Justin Rose . New beau? McIlroy is rumoured to be dating Irish model Nadia Forde . Top flight golfers: A tweet from Justin Rose, who wrote: 'Night out with @rorymcilroyofficial to celebrate his great @the.open win today..... #Liverpool' VIDEO The Open Championship: Final Round . McIlroy secured his first ever Open win after leading from the first round on Thursday to win by two shots. He adds the success to his 2011 US Open victory, and 2012 USPGA triumph, to become only the third man after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in history to win three of the four majors by the age of 25. He is also the first European golfer to win three different majors and now needs to secure a Masters title for a Career Grand Slam. Say cheese: The happy chappy poses for a couple of snaps . Happy crowd: McIlroy clutching his treasured Claret Jug surrounded by friends and family . Night out: The Open champion headed to The Empire Club in Liverpool to celebrate . I'll drink to that: McIlroy's pal, Harry Diamond, and his mum fill the Claret Jug with Jagermeister . | McIlroy celebrates Open victory with night out in Liverpool .
His mum and Justin Rose in attendance as they went to The Empire Club .
It also appeared that Nadia Forde, the Irish model he's rumoured to be dating, was part of the celebrations . |
255,488 | d6b31740c775395e4ec9a795b484d536aa7a3dc6 | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 11:56 EST, 9 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:32 EST, 10 August 2013 . It's in an excellent location, within reach of local schools, has very low maintenance costs and the transport links are to die for. But nevertheless, even the most cunning of estate agents would have trouble selling this Greek Revival brownstone townhouse... because it's not a house at all. In fact, it's just a front - literally. Behind the rustic red-brick facade of 58 Joralemon Street, in the heart of Brooklyn, lies a gaping void of nothing whatsoever. It's a front! Even the most cunning of estate agents would have trouble selling this Greek Revival brownstone townhouse... because it's not a house at all . Through the keyhole: Behind the rustic red-brick facade of 58 Joralemon Street, in the heart of Brooklyn, lies a gaping void of nothing whatsoever . Air vent: It is actually a secret subway exit and ventilation point disguised as a terraced family home which towers above the New York City subway tracks . Historic: But in 1908, as the first underwater subway tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn was dug, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York bought the house, knocked it down and propped up its front with steel girders . It is actually a secret Subway exit and ventilation point disguised as a terraced family home which towers above the New York City subway tracks for lines 4 and 5. It is one of a secret network of fake houses across the world which perform a far more unexpected function. In 58 Joralemon Street's case, it was once a private residence built in 1847, according to the Messy Nessy Chic blog. But in 1908, as the first underwater subway tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn was dug, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York bought the house, knocked it down and propped up its front with steel girders. Fake as houses: It is a similar story at numbers 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London . Hidden treasure: Its white stucco walls hide an entrance to London's Tube train network - the oldest in the world . Upside of the tracks: The two five storey houses had to be demolished in order to dig through the tunnels but, once the finished tunnel was covered, it was decided that the houses wouldn't be rebuilt . From that point on, no longer did the smell of freshly-baked bread or meat pie waft from the windows but vented air that poured into the street, earning it the name among locals as the shaft house. It is s similar story at numbers 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London. Its white stucco walls hide an entrance to London's Tube train network - the oldest in the world. 'The two five story houses had to be demolished in order to dig through the tunnels but once the finished tunnel was covered, it was decided that the houses wouldn’t be rebuilt,' says Messy Nessy. 'Today, you’ll see these rather smart looking townhouses in place next to each other, but if you wander round the back of 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace and look over the wall, you’ll find the buildings are nothing more than 5-ft thick facades that disguise a massive gaping hole into the underground.' In Paris: At 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement, lies another facade concealing nothing much at all . Aerial view: 'The building is only a front. Literally. The balcony is there, the door is there, but no building waits behind it. The false facade is there only to hide a giant ventilation chimney for the metro', says one blogger . Next to Paris, where, at 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement, lies another facade concealing nothing much at all. 'The building is only a front. Literally. The balcony is there, the door is there, but no building waits behind it. The false facade is there only to hide a giant ventilation chimney for the metro,' the blogger behind Paris by Cellphone writes. Also in the French capital, on Rue du Temple and Rue Chapon in the Marais, is a facade that looks like a secret passageway to the Paris metro, but is in fact an artist’s trompe l’oeil. Secret doorway? Also in the French capital, on Rue du Temple and Rue Chapon in the Marais, is a facade that looks like a secret passageway to the Paris metro, but is in fact an artist's trompe l'oeil . From wall to door: The facade was installed by artist Julien Berthier one Saturday morning at 7 in the morning on a ‘blind wall’ Vandalised: The façade, using the local architectural codes, occupying 10 cm of public space, is mounted and glued on in thirty minutes. Almost 4 years later, the address still exists. Regularly graffitied, it is cleaned out by the city service . 'The facade was installed by artist Julien Berthier one Saturday morning at 7 o’clock in the morning on a ‘blind wall’ in the 3rd arrondissement,' writes Messy Nessy. 'The façade, abiding by the local architectural codes, occupies 10 cm of public space, and was simply mounted and glued by Julien and his team. Many years later, the fake address is still there and the city services regularly cleaned off the graffiti.' | It is one of a secret network of fake houses across the world which perform an more unexpected function .
Behind 58 Joralemon Street, in the heart of Brooklyn, is actually a secret Subway exit and ventilation point .
The white walls of 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London, hide an entrance to London's Tube network .
At 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement of Paris there's just a ventilation chimney for the metro .
Also in Paris, on Rue du Temple is a facade that looks like a secret passageway but is in fact an artist’s trompe l’oeil . |
70,812 | c8c605902f07ae5805c3d50a826eae6e870b1e29 | An American male doctor has contracted the Ebola virus while working at a hospital in Liberia, it was confirmed today as the CDC warned that the deadly disease was spiraling out of control. The unnamed doctor had been treating women in the obstetrics ward of a hospital in the Liberian capital, his charity Serving In Mission said on Tuesday. The group doesn't know how the doctor contracted Ebola since the ward is separate from the zone where Ebola patients are being treated. Scroll down for video . Health care workers wearing hazmat suits work at the Elwa hospital in Monrovia, Liberia on Saturday. A U.S. missionary charity confirmed today that another male doctor had contracted the disease and was now being cared for in isolation . The doctor did not work in an Ebola ward. The group did not specify how he contracted Ebola, but it can be spread through vaginal fluids. Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who just returned from West Africa, said today that the world's worst Ebola outbreak is threatening the stability of affected and neighboring countries and a 'massive' response is needed to bring it under control. Dr Frieden said: 'We're likely to see significant increases in cases. Already we have widespread transmission Liberia. In Sierra Leone, we're seeing strong signs that that will happen in the near future.' The group, Doctor Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres - MSF), also warned on Tuesday that the world is losing the battle against the disease and said treatment centers have been 'reduced to places where people go to die alone' as authorities race to contain the disease. Doctors Without Borders President Joanne Liu said her organization is completely overwhelmed by Ebola outbreak in four West African countries - Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. She called on other countries to contribute civilian and military medical personnel familiar with biological disasters. More than 1,500 people have died across West Africa from Ebola. A statement from SIM today read: 'Upon onset of the symptoms, the doctor immediately isolated himself and has since been transferred to the ELWA Ebola isolation unit. 'The doctor is doing well and is in good spirits.' Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, said today: 'My heart was deeply saddened, but my faith was not shaken, when I learned another of our missionary doctors contracted Ebola. Dr Kent Brantly, (pictured right with his wife Amber) who contracted the deadly Ebola virus during a press conference at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on August 21. He recovered from the disease after being flown back to the U.S. from Liberia . Nancy Writebol pictured with children in Liberia. Writebol is one of two Americans working for a missionary group in Liberia that have been diagnosed with Ebola. Plans are underway to bring back the two Americans from Africa for treatment. (AP Photo/Courtesy Jeremy Writebol) 'As a global mission, we are surrounding our missionary with prayer, as well as our Liberian SIM/ELWA colleagues, who continue fighting the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. We have gifted Liberian doctors, medical staff and support staff who are carrying on the fight.' The aid organization plans to hold a press conference at its Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters on Wednesday. Last month, two Americans Dr Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol were released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia after recovering from the deadly virus. An American male doctor has contracted Ebola while working in the obstetrics unit at the ELWA hospital in Monrovia (pictured), his missionary organization confirmed today. He has been transferred to the Ebola isolation unit . The 33-year-old doctor contracted Ebola while working in Liberia, and was flown out of the country along with missionary Mrs Writebol, 59, to be treated. The two received an experimental drug known as ZMapp and recovered. The manufacturer says it has run out of supplies of the drug and it will take months to produce more. World Health Organization Director Margaret Chan warned that the outbreak would 'get worse before it will get better' and would require a larger global response. She thanked countries that have helped but said: 'We need more from you. And we also need those countries that have not come on board.' The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Health workers spray the body of a patient suspected of dying from the Ebola virus with disinfectant, in a busy street in Monrovia, Liberia today. Another American doctor has contracted the disease, the charity Serving In Mission said on Tuesday . Earlier on Tuesday, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned that food in countries hit by Ebola is becoming more expensive and will become scarcer as farmers can't reach their fields. Authorities have cordoned off entire towns in an effort to halt the virus' spread. Surrounding countries have closed land borders, airlines have suspended flights to and from the affected countries and seaports are losing traffic, restricting food imports to the hardest-hit countries. Those countries - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - all rely on grain from abroad to feed their people, according to the U.N. FAO. For instance, the price of cassava root, a staple in many West African diets, has gone up 150 percent in one market in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. 'Even prior to the Ebola outbreak, households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80 percent of their incomes on food,' said Vincent Martin, who is coordinating the food agency's response to the crisis. 'Now these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach.' An estimated 1.3 million people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will soon need help feeding themselves, said the U.N. Chan and other officials at the U.N. forum criticized the border closures because they are preventing supplies from reaching people in desperate need. 'The three worst-hit countries are isolated,' Chan said. 'We cannot fly in our experts for help.' The situation will likely worsen because restrictions on movement are preventing laborers from getting to farms and the harvest of rice and corn is set to begin in just a few weeks, the FAO said. Ivory Coast decided Monday night to keep its borders with Guinea and Liberia closed but said it would open a humanitarian corridor to allow supplies in. A separate Ebola outbreak has hit a remote part of Congo, in Central Africa, the traditional home of the disease. So far, 53 cases consistent with Ebola have been identified there, of whom 31 have died, WHO said today. | The unnamed doctor had been treating women in the obstetrics ward of a Monrovia hospital, the charity Serving in Mission (SIM) said today .
He had not been treating patients in the Ebola ward in Liberian capital .
The doctor has been placed in isolation and is in 'good spirits', according to SIM .
CDC Chief Dr Thomas Frieden said today a 'massive' response was needed to bring Ebola under control after visiting West African region .
Doctors Without Borders president said treatment centers have been 'reduced to places where people go to die alone'
Two other U.S. aid workers, Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were released from Emory in Atlanta last month after recovering from Ebola . |
119,573 | 267a3d97148186fa86640199eec57fecbbb330ab | (CNN) -- In the slums of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, visiting the bathroom usually means one of two things; a trip to the local pit latrine or the 'flying toilet'. The former entails letting nature take its course in a rickety outhouse perched atop a hole in the ground -- a facility also used by hundreds of other people in the neighborhood. The latter meanwhile consists of relieving oneself in a plastic bag before throwing the offending item away in the street. A 2011 report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found that these arrangements led to environmental contamination and the spread of diseases such as typhoid and tuberculosis. See also: How human waste could power Nigeria's slums . But within this primitive sewage system recent MIT graduate, David Auerbach, has spied an opportunity he believes could one day be worth millions of dollars. Alongside a group of fellow MIT alumni and local Kenyan partners, Auerbach has helped found Sanergy -- a start-up that aims to make a business out of cleaning up Nairobi's sanitary mess. It plans to collect human waste in a series of custom-built toilets before transforming it into compost and fertilizer products that can be sold to the local agriculture industry. "In Kenya alone there are 10 million people who live in the slums and 8 million of them don't have access to a clean toilet," says Auerbach. "By providing this service we believe there is tremendous potential to operate a for-profit social business. In terms of agriculture, Mckinsey puts (fertilizer) at a half trillion dollar business in East Africa alone," he adds. The Sanergy model works by first installing a network of low cost sanitation centers, which provide access to clean toilets, at various locations in the slums. These premises -- that trap the waste in air tight containers -- are then franchised out to local entrepreneurs at a cost of 45,000 shillings (roughly $500) a year, with a renewal fee charged to continue after this period. Franchisees are funded primarily by micro-finance loans, explains Auerbach. They charge residents a small fee, usually 5 Kenyan Shillings ($0.06) to use their facilities in order to make their money back. See also: Mobile solutions for better sanitation . The waste is processed and broken down to be transformed into a variety of organic fertilizer products that are then sold on to commercial farms. "Currently we have 25 facilities up and running... we're collecting about three metric tons of waste per week which can all be converted into fertilizer," says Auerbach. "By the end of this year we want to have 250 franchises. We think by the end of the following year we can safely be at 1,000 toilets," he adds. Creating employment opportunities for local residents can also be a benefit of the project and important to its greater success. "Success of the business model like Sanergy depends on creating viable franchise opportunities for local entrepreneurs and attractive services for slum residents," says Austin Beebe of African Medical and Research Foundation. "Projects such as these should hire locally and this is more than a good development principle. It makes business sense too." See also: Elephant poo power electrifies zoo . As it stands, Sanergy employs 42 people -- in facility design, waste collection, plant operation and management positions -- of which 34 are Kenyan. By the end of 2013 Auerbach says Sanergy plans to collect enough waste to power a bio-generator that can sell electricity back into the Kenyan national grid. "The waste of 100,000 people generates about 1 gigawatt of power. So right now when we have 1,200 users every day we're not at a point where we can produce sufficient amounts of electricity," says Auerbach. "This is something we'll be looking to do later this year or next year," he adds. "But we're not quite there yet." | The slums of Nairobi lack efficient and clean sanitation systems .
A new start-up aims to improve these conditions by installing a series of custom built toilets .
Those behind the company believe it could be a multi-million dollar enterprize one day . |
33,414 | 5f0c8cc7c090ef49891496acf8a87d5cb26562f0 | By . Sam Greenhill . PUBLISHED: . 18:29 EST, 5 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:50 EST, 6 May 2013 . The BBC will compensate Stuart Hall's victims, it emerged yesterday as more women came forward claiming they were molested. Lord Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, confirmed the corporation would be liable although he refused to put a figure on the payouts. But taking into account claims from Hall's victims, as well as Jimmy Savile's, the BBC's compensation bill is likely to run into millions of pounds. Lord Patten told The Andrew Marr Show that a review in to the Jimmy Savile scandal would also include questions over how Stuart Hall was able to abuse his victims . Stuart Hall was described as an 'opportunistic predator' at Preston Crown Court on Thursday . It came as a further six alleged victims of Hall contacted lawyers, as police said they had already spoken to a number of associates of Hall and vowed to investigate the fresh claims thoroughly. Several victims have already spoken out about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Hall, including Kim Wright, who sparked the investigation. And yesterday it emerged that in August 1986 – a few weeks after Hall abused an 11-year-old girl – police raided a pool party at the presenter's home after complaints by his neighbours. Officers discovered the presenter naked in the garden as a female guest swam in the nude in his pool. Police warned Hall to keep the noise down and left the party. Yesterday Lord Patten told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: 'Plainly there was something about the celebrity culture in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s which meant people were prepared apparently to turn a blind eye to behaviour that wasn't just eccentric but thoroughly unpleasant.' MPs and Hall's victims have called on the BBC to investigate the former commentator and news presenter after he pleaded guilty to assaulting 13 girls, the youngest of whom was nine, between 1967 and 1986. The review by Dame Janet Smith into Jimmy Savile with also investigate how the former It's A Knockout host gained access to his victims . Hall was awarded an OBE for his services to broadcasting and charity last year . Despite allegations some of Hall's victims were abused on BBC premises, Lord Patten ruled out a separate inquiry, saying the Dame Janet Smith review into the Savile scandal would be widened instead. He added: 'We have to provide answers which will satisfy people that we have been prepared to deal with our own dirty washing.' The National Association for People Abused in Childhood charity said: 'The BBC gave Hall unfettered opportunities to carry out his abuse, and owes it to his victims to open a new inquiry that can scrutinise his behaviour and the colleagues who may have helped him.' Jimmy Savile's time at the BBC is being reviewed by Dame Janet Smith . Conservative MP Rob Wilson said: 'My gut instinct is the BBC are not using the Smith Review to get to the truth and are instead using it to do the minimum necessary to carry on as before.' Yesterday, a former colleague, Linda McDougall, said BBC bosses must have known about his behaviour. She said she was sexually harassed almost every day during the four years she worked with Hall on regional programme Look North in the late 1960s, but was told by watching staff 'not to make such a fuss'. She said: 'If I knew, if others knew, I cannot imagine those who were our bosses did not know. 'Never a day would go by that he did not touch me. 'He tried everything. He could stroke your knee or tweak your stocking top, put his hand on your breast or rub your back. For me – and my female colleagues – Hall was a damned nuisance. 'He was offensive and seemed unable to talk to a woman without touching her.' Lying low at his £2million mansion at the weekend, married Hall, 83, was feeling sorry for himself, saying: 'I feel so rough; I feel like death I am afraid. 'All you can do is wish me the best for the future.' He is being backed by his family, with son Daniel Hall, 50, a solicitor, paying tribute to 'a superb father and grandfather' who was awarded the OBE in 2011 for 'a lifetime of good work [which] should not be whitewashed in one brushstroke'. | Lord Patten, BBC Trust chairman, refused to put figure on payouts .
But BBC's compensation bill likely to run into millions of pounds . |
175,555 | 6f3d3608c9cdcba480c2999e739c32d44d73ac3a | By . Mark Duell . UPDATED: . 16:08 EST, 3 October 2011 . American Airlines could be heading for bankruptcy protection as its parent company’s share price today plummeted 33 per cent to an eight-year low. The only way American Airlines can now return to profitability is to use the bankruptcy court to cut its huge costs, some Wall Street analysts warned. It comes amid a gloomy outlook for the airline industry worldwide and a concerning announcement last week that 129 American pilots had retired. Stormy outlook: Some Wall Street analysts said the only way American Airlines can now return to profitability is to use the bankruptcy court to cut its costs . Shares of parent company AMR tumbled 33 per cent on Monday to close at $1.98 and the stock price is down more than 75 per cent this year. AMR shares have not closed below the $2 mark since 2003. Stocks for the entire U.S. airline industry have fallen 40 per cent for the year. ‘For a long time, I've thought that the company has been at a disadvantage,’ Morningstar airline analyst Basili Alukos said. He said American must go through bankruptcy to bring its labour or debt in line with the lower costs of competitors. American is the only major airline that has lost money this year, losing a whopping $286million in the second quarter alone. But Maxim Group airline specialist Ray Neidl countered: ‘It's been a tremendous overreaction today in my opinion. Monday: AMR shares have not closed below the $2 mark since 2003 . Five-day: Shares of American Airlines parent company AMR tumbled 33 per cent on Monday to close at $1.98 after a terrible five-day spell in New York . 2011: The AMR stock price is down more than 75 per cent since this year began . ‘American does have big problems to solve, but they have plenty of time to do it.’ The airline said bankruptcy is ‘certainly not our goal or our preference’. 'For a long time, I've thought that the company has been at a disadvantage' Basili AlukosMorningstar airline analyst . ‘We know we need to improve our results, and we have a sense of urgency as we work to achieve that,’ it added. The airline is expected to end the third quarter with a healthy $4.3billion in cash reserves. As of late June, AMR had about $9.77 billion in liabilities. But Mr Alukos said the airline still ‘may not be able to satisfy all of its future commitments on its current fiscal trajectory'. ‘We are placing AMR under review as we reassess the company's ability to remain solvent,' he added. Falling: Shares of parent firm AMR tumbled 30 per cent on Monday afternoon and the stock price is down more than 75 per cent this year . Some on Wall Street viewed high numbers of American pilot retirements as a sign that senior employees are fearful for the company's health. At the start of the weekend 129 pilots . put in their retirement papers. The prior month saw 111 pilots retire. During a typical month 10 pilots retire. 'We know we need to improve our results, and we have a sense of urgency as we work to achieve that' American Airlines . But David J. Bates, president of the pilots union for American said the retirements have nothing to do with the health of the airline. ‘A lot of it is pure economics,’ Mr Bates said. A provision in the pilots' retirement benefits allows them to lock in the value of some of their investments going back 60 to 90 days. Pilots who retire now can therefore avoid the summer stock market slump. Travel down: The International Air Transport Association said airline traffic slowed in August compared with July, with the total passenger market down 1.6 per cent . Mr Bates reiterated his confidence in the company's finances saying, ‘I don't see any immediate liquidity concerns.’ Stocks slumped in heavy volume to a 13-month low on Monday as investors dumped bank shares on fears that Greece's worsening financial crisis could cause a large European lender to fail. Markets have feared European officials will be unable to prevent Greece's fiscal crisis from turning into a global banking crisis. The Dow dropped 258 points, or 2.36 per cent, to 10,655; the S&P 500 fell 32 points, or 2.85 per cent, to 1,099; and the Nasdaq lost 80 points, or 3.29 per cent, to 2,336. Not everybody sees the airline heading to bankruptcy court. ‘Management has indicated time and time again that they have no interest in filing,’ said Helane Becker, an analyst with Dahlman Rose. While most major U.S. airlines filed for bankruptcy protection early last decade, American chose to avoid restructuring. It also avoided a reorganisation when fuel prices spiked and travel declined in 2008 and 2009. Meanwhile, experts warn that an economic downturn could hit travel demand just as airlines are beginning to recover. The International Air Transport Association said airline traffic slowed in August on July, with the total passenger market down 1.6 per cent. | Parent company AMR's price drops 33 per cent in a day .
Analysts say AA needs bankruptcy court to cut costs .
AA trying to improve results and does not want to file . |
101,710 | 0f1873887e310631b3f5614fe10e5d737bad7a1c | (CNN) -- The husband of former Florida congresswoman and Secretary of State Katherine Harris was found dead Tuesday morning, apparently by his own hand, Sarasota police and the family's pastor said. Anders Ebbesen, 68, had been ill, "but it is unknown if that is why he took his own life," Pastor William Hild, of the First Baptist Church of Sarasota, said in a statement released by Sarasota police. "The family is asking for privacy, prayers, thoughts and love from the community." The nature of Ebbesen's illness was not disclosed, but Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino added that Harris "wanted the community, her family and friends to know that her husband is no longer suffering." Police were called to the couple's bayfront home around 7:30 a.m. to investigate a reported suicide, Sarasota police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said. Hild said Ebbeson died of a self-inflicted gunshot. Harris became a national lightning rod during the bitterly fought Florida recount that capped the 2000 presidential race. She was the co-chair of George W. Bush's campaign in Florida and oversaw the state's vote tally as secretary of state, eventually certifying the Republican as the winner by 537 votes over his Democratic rival, Vice President Al Gore. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a statewide recount of disputed ballots, but the U.S. Supreme Court brought a halt to further recounts, paving the way for Bush to become president. Harris won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2002, serving two terms before running unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2006. Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds stabbed at home . | Anders Ebbeson, 68, had been ill .
He died of a self-inflicted gunshot, pastor says .
Harris says "her husband is no longer suffering," police chief says . |
144,429 | 46c79f15ecb512e7cd823af6f588563c6fd84947 | By . Christopher Stevens . PUBLISHED: . 20:15 EST, 21 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:16 EST, 21 July 2013 . Television presenters have to be passionate these days. ‘I am passionate about treacle sponge,’ they burble, on shows called Britain’s Best Puddings, or some such. ‘I am so passionate about blancmange!’ They’re certainly bright-eyed and breathless over the dessert dishes, but do we really believe they race home to make more steaming treacly sponges? Do they dream every night of pink wobbly blancmanges? Arthur Williams showed us, in The Plane That Saved Britain (C4), what passionate TV really looks like. The former Royal Marines Commando was giggling, weeping, gasping, squealing, roaring and punching the air as he inspected a De Havilland Mosquito, the forgotten weapon in the RAF’s wartime strikeforce — and then he got to fly it. Forgotten hero: The de Havilland Mosquito ('The Wooden Wonder', also known as 'The Timber Terror') is believed by some to have been more important to the RAF than the Spitfire . It was all the more poignant that Williams, best known for his coverage of last year’s Paralympics, has been unable to walk since a car crash six years ago. He plainly wasn’t going to let a detail like that keep him on the ground. When he hauled himself up into the cockpit by his arms, you could see the veins standing out on his neck. Williams didn’t just love this plane, he worshipped it, and the men who flew it. And though they were in their 90s, the airmen who piloted the Mosquito in strikes against the Nazis had lost none of their affection for this 400mph wooden marvel. ‘The plane would take an awful lot of punishment,’ reminisced Bud Badley, 93, over a pint of bitter. ‘One time, I came back from a mission flying a lot of holes held together by bits of aeroplane.’ During World War II, Bud flew the fighter version, which had four cannon mounted under the pilot’s seat and bristling from the Mosquito’s nose. When he opened fire, with the guns thumping under his thighs, it was, Bud said, ‘a very erotic feeling’. John Trotman, another wartime pilot and, at 93, still flying, remembered piloting the Mosquito along German railway tracks, releasing his delayed-action bombs at the mouth of tunnels to block the lines. ‘You don’t train for that,’ he shrugged. ‘You just do it.’ Tired: After 15 years on the air, the jokes in Family Guy are wearing a bit thin . Hero worship shone in Arthur Williams’s eyes, and no wonder. But his deepest passion was for the plane itself. The prototype was first offered to the RAF in the late Thirties, but top brass could not see the advantages of a plane made from wood. Designer Geoffrey de Havilland, then aged 57, would not be deterred. He built it in secret, then showed it again to the RAF — at a time when Britain was desperate for a bomber that could outrun the German Messerschmidt and attack fast enough not to be stopped by anti-aircraft guns. Some historians believe the ‘Mossie’ was . even more important in winning the war than the Spitfire. But its . wooden frames soon rotted in peacetime, and the plane was forgotten. Ikea’s psychotic garden gnomes were bad enough. But the scowling, grimacing dolls in the furniture company’s latest advert are downright nightmarish. Every time that plastic hand whisks back a shower curtain, I expect to see a carving knife come stabbing down. Williams, who first heard of the Mosquito as an eight-year-old making Airfix models of warplanes, tracked down the only one still flying, a recently rebuilt plane owned by a U.S. billionaire. His sheer cheek, demanding to fly in it despite health-and-safety protests, made winning TV. And his euphoria as he took the controls was contagious: ‘The power . . . this is just insane. The most thrilling adrenaline junkie ride you will ever experience in your life. Man!’ Most TV shows, even the ones shown at odd times on little-watched channels, have a cadre of passionate fans. The crudely drawn and crudely comic American sitcom Family Guy began its latest series on BBC3 at 11pm last night with a double bill, and that was cause for euphoria for some. Creator Seth MacFarlane has always denied the show is just a Simpsons clone, and he’s right. Bart, Lisa and Marge Simpson are great characters, but the wife and kids in Family Guy are anodyne and devoid of personality. The dog, Brian, and Baby Stewie get all the best lines, which have become fewer and thinner as this 15-year-old show has slogged on. Some can still raise a laugh, others are so racist or misogynist that they wouldn’t be out of place in a Bernard Manning sitcom. Still, there’s a time and a place for this kind of stuff, and 11pm on BBC3 is probably it. | The Plane That Saved Britain (C4) ***** .
Family Guy (BBC3) ** . |
107,688 | 16d64d3750f18912d9a39f218b68e60eab5b77b4 | United Nations (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday issued a statement condemning the Syrian government's crackdown on protesters and calling for an immediate end to violence by all parties. "The Security Council condemns the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities," the eight-paragraph statement says. It further calls for "all sides to act with utmost restraint, and to refrain from reprisals, including attacks against state institutions." The statement says those responsible for the violence should be held accountable but offers no suggestion that foreign intervention is being considered. "The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria," it says. "It stresses that the only solution to the current crisis in Syria is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, with the aim of effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population which will allow the full exercise of fundamental freedoms for its entire population, including that of expression and peaceful assembly." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is to update the council on the situation in Syria within seven days, welcomed the statement. "The world has watched the deteriorating situation in Syria with the most profound concern, but the events of the past few days have been brutally shocking," he told reporters. "Once again, I call on President (Bashar al-) Assad and the Syrian authorities to immediately cease all violence against their people, to fully respect human rights and implement reforms that they have already announced." He further urged Damascus to comply with the Security Council's demand that international humanitarian organizations be granted unimpeded access to affected areas. "Those responsible should be held to account," he said. He praised the 15-nation Security Council for speaking out "with one voice and condemning all this violence and asking them to take necessary measures" after long discussions on the matter. But Lebanon's ambassador, Caroline Ziade, said her country, which is Syria's neighbor, dissociated itself from the statement. However, Lebanon chose not to block the measure, as it could have done. Resolutions usually carry with them some sort of action. Presidential statements are simply unanimous on-the-record positions. Though a resolution would have been more significant than the presidential statement, U.S. diplomats said they were glad the United Nations had taken a stance. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice called the statement "long overdue." She added that she hoped Damascus will "be chastened by the strength and the unity of the condemnation." About Lebanon's reaction, she said, "The Lebanese allowed this council to speak with one voice. It was a unanimous statement by the Security Council and we don't view their statement after the fact as in any way undermining that unity." The statement came on the third consecutive day of talks in New York to address the crisis, which a White House spokesman called "grotesque and appalling." Conflict continued Wednesday in Syria, where residents of the western city of Hama said security forces were brazenly advancing into the heart of the city, a center of discontent and a bastion of anti-government protest, where violence has persisted for days. The city, which has seen massive demonstrations by anti-government protesters in Friday demonstrations, was the site of the 1982 bloody crackdown by the Alawite-dominated government against a Muslim Brotherhood uprising. Hama is under siege by security forces amid a military offensive, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and witnesses said communications have been shut off amid the military push. "There is a big, ongoing military operation," said the observatory's Rami Abdul-Rahman. His group monitors the unrest in Syria through many contacts on the ground, and his sources report hearing explosions and seeing plumes of smoke. "There are great concerns of a massacre in the city." "The human situation is very bad," said a witness from an opposition movement who said he was in the center of Hama and asked not to be named for security reasons. Security forces killed four people after evening prayers on Wednesday, according to the observatory group. One death occurred in the southwestern town of Nawa, in Daraa province, one in the central city of Palmyra, and two in Damascus, the group said. Wednesday's death toll could rise. Corpses were seen on the ground after tanks occupied parts of central Hama amid heavy shelling, said a resident who fled the city. Dozens more people have been killed in Hama and other Syrian cities in recent days, rights groups have said. Residents said the city is running short on food. Power and water are scarce and residents said they fear a humanitarian crisis. Across Hama, intermittent gunfire and shelling rang out, helicopters whirled overhead and government snipers took positions, making it difficult for people to venture out, residents said. Security forces also have launched a series of raids and detentions in the Khaldiyeh neighborhood of Homs, another western city, and dozens of people have been detained in the area, the scene of marches by anti-government protesters. In the coastal city of Latakia, a 9-year-old girl was killed by sniper fire as she was getting off a bus with her mother, the observatory said. Security forces had been dispersing a demonstration at the time. The girl's uncle was killed by security forces at the beginning of the crisis. Syria's parliament plans to meet Sunday to discuss "issues related to the homeland and citizens' interests," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Wednesday. CNN is unable to independently confirm death tolls or events in Syria, which has restricted access to the country by international journalists, including CNN's. Since mid-March, anti-government protesters have taken to the streets across the whole country to demand reforms from or an end to the al-Assad's regime. The death toll in Syria since its uprising began in mid-March has reached 2,003, the observatory's Abdul-Rahman said. The dead include 1,629 civilians and 374 Syrian security forces. The figure doesn't include tolls from the Wednesday unrest in the city of Hama, where it is difficult confirming information because of the ongoing military offensive there. Activists blame the deaths of demonstrators on security forces, but the government has consistently attributed the violence to "armed groups." The violence has outraged world powers. Italy urged other European Union nations to follow its lead after recalling its ambassador in Damascus in light of the "horrible repression of the civilian population," the country's foreign ministry said Tuesday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said al-Assad is "completely incapable of dealing with" meeting the aspirations of his people and the administration views him as "the cause of instability" and what he termed the "grotesque and appalling" situation in Syria. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is "exploring broader sanctions that will isolate the Assad regime politically and deny it revenue with which to sustain its brutality." Three U.S. senators plan to introduce legislation that would set down sanctions targeting Syria's energy sector. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, and Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who caucuses with the Democrats, say they plan to introduce the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011 this week. "Under this bill, the president would be called on to block access to the U.S. financial system, markets, and federal contracts for companies that invest in Syria's energy sector, purchase the country's oil, and sell gasoline to Syria," the lawmakers said in a news release. CNN's Richard Roth, Amir Ahmed, Yasmin Amer, Arwa Damon, Nada Husseini, Elise Labott and Joe Vaccarello contributed to this report. | Four deaths are reported Wednesday in Syria .
"The Security Council condemns the widespread violations of human rights"
More than 2,000 people have died, an activist group says .
A White House spokesman calls the situation "grotesque" |
136,688 | 3cd51dd9959a46fc8fcb3525c39002a0953fe54b | Tammy Lynn Hankins has four children and works as a physician's assistant . A mother of four has been jailed for three and half years for having sex with a friend of her teenage children. Tammy Lynn Hankins had sex dozens of times with a 16-year-old student - leading to him being nicknamed 'Legend' by his friends. The teen told police he slept with the 43-year-old Tammy Lynn Hankins at various homes in the Lake Havasu area of Arizona near the California state line. He also said she bought him alcohol, a water bong and a video game and told him to deny they had sex if they were ever caught. Hankins is a physician's assistant who used to be married to a plastic surgeon - though the couple have since divorced. When he jailed her for three and half years, Judge Derek Carlisle told her most of the sentence was for violating probation for a previous drug conviction by having sex with the teen. Judge Carlisle added on another year for the sexual relations, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Carlisle said society might apply a double standard when comparing men having sex with girls to women having sex with boys, but he said the prison sentence reflects that the law makes no such distinction. According to a police report the boy's father was puzzled why his son's friends referred to him as 'Legend,' the Arizona Independent reports. It was only after the arrest of Hankins that he understood why his son was given the moniker by his school friends. Gossip about Hankins and the teen circulated among other teens at Lake Havasu High School, where authorities heard about the relationship. Hankins was on probation for prescription medication fraud at the time of the affair with the student. Most of her three-and-a-half-year prison sentence was a result of violating her probation . Hankins is a physician's assistant and was married to a plastic surgeon for several years . Detective Tom Gray investigated the rumors and conducted interviews with the victim and Hankins last December. The teen said he had sex with Hankins in three different homes between late July and early November, 2013. 'He does not remember specifics about each time but he had sexual intercourse with Tammy between two dozen and three dozen times,' Gray wrote in an arrest report. Hankins also told him to deny everything if anybody asked about what was happening, the boy said. Hankins, a physician's assistant, admitted having sex with the teen eight to ten times. She told the detective she initially resisted the boy's advances but after a row with her boyfriend gave in and had sex. Hankins told Gray she did not know the boy was 16 years old until there was police involvement. Hankins also admitted purchasing a $200 bong and a Grand Theft Auto 5 game for her alleged teen lover. The items cannot legally be purchased by anyone under 18. Hankins admitted buying alcohol for the teen. Shewas found guilty of four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of furnishing obscene or harmful items to a minor. | Tammy Lynn Hankins had sex with the teenage boy dozens of times before the affair was discovered .
Most of the prison sentence was the result of Hankins violating her probation for a previous drug charge .
They boy's father says he was puzzled by his sons friends calling him 'Legend' |
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