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266,367 | e5024d36d5f8797e8f0a851748cf8fc7c51c5b35 | By . Deni Kirkova . PUBLISHED: . 05:50 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:50 EST, 15 November 2013 . Poundland is partnering on a new range of bakeware with celebrity baker, author and actress Jane Asher. Launching in spring 2014, the exclusive collection of £1 items marks the first celebrity range for the discount retailer. Jane, 67, has helped design the range of bakeware for . Europe's biggest single price discount retailer. The range will be sold across its . 490 shops in the UK and Ireland. Pots, jugs and stands are all part of Jane Asher's collection of bakeware for Poundland - all £1 each . Full details of the collection will be revealed in February. Jane has acted since childhood and is well-known for her many roles on stage and screen since making waves in Alfie opposite Michael Caine in 1966. More recently she has been heavily involved in charitable work with the National Autistic Society and Autistica, raising funds for autism research. A passionate baker with her own party cakes business and shop, she also has several books on baking to her name. She said: 'I'm delighted to be working with Poundland on developing this fantastic new bakeware range and have designed, tested and worked with every single product. Budget store Poundland mark their first celebrity collaboration with Jane Asher's bakeware . 'Home baking can give such enormous . pleasure - both to those who bake and those who eat it! It is also an . economical way of making great quality breads, cakes and pies but of . course the cost of all the equipment can be an issue for some. Jane Asher's bakeware collection with Poundland is their first celebrity collaboration . 'In my new . Poundland range this will no longer be a problem as all the baking . essentials are covered and offer amazing value for money. 'The range is very pretty, and comes in four pastel colours which can be mixed and matched. I've also included six quick, easy and delicious cake mixes.' CEO of Poundland, Jim McCarthy, said: 'We're very proud that we're the first discount retailer to launch a celebrity range and very excited to be working with Jane Asher. 'We're extremely pleased to be offering our customers an affordable entry point into the hugely popular home baking trend. 'For well under £10 they will be ready to bake with Poundland - and we're confident that combining the excitement of a bargain with the enthusiasm of baking is going to be a recipe for success!' Poundland's debut celebrity . collaboration comes off the back of the rising popularity in baking in . the UK, which now sees one in seven Britons baking more than twice a . week. | Poundland partner with actress, author and celebrity baker Jane Asher, 67 .
Bakeware range will be sold for £1 per piece in 490 UK and Ireland stores .
Range described as 'very pretty' and comes in four pastel colours .
Collection will also include 'six quick, easy and delicious cake mixes'
More details come out in February ahead of spring launch . |
243,692 | c76d6a150b17100d1d1218b4f0d497334b0cb6d2 | (CNN) -- Rotterdam is home to Europe's largest international port. But as countless vessels pass through the bustling shipping hub each day, the environmental toll is far from light. In fact, Rotterdam emits a whopping 29.8 tonnes of carbon per capita, one of the highest in the world. In comparison, the Dutch city beats London's carbon emissions at 9.6 tonnes per capita and Shanghai at 11.7 tonnes per capita. To put that into perspective, the global average is about 4.6 tonnes per capita. Now Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb has plans to make Rotterdam the most sustainable port city in the world by cutting its carbon footprint by 50 percent. With a greener future ahead, CNN takes a look at five sustainable initiatives planned for the Dutch port city. 1. Floating homes . To cope with rising sea levels, Rotterdam plans to build floating urban districts calling for 13,000 climate-proof floating homes in by 2040 -- of which around 1,200 would be built on top of the water. To showcase how this might work, the Rotterdam Climate Initiative commissioned the "Floating Pavilion". Constructed by Dura Vermeer, the three transparent interconnected domes are perfectly positioned in the Rotterdam City Harbor, Rijnhaven. Not only is the structure almost entirely self sufficient due to the solar powered heating and air conditioning, it's also built with a special plastic material, which is 100 times lighter than glass. 2 .Water plazas . Rotterdam's waterways may be responsible for a bulk of the city's prosperity -- but that's not to say that the day to day living below sea level is easy for its residents. To combat the heavy rainfall, urban design and planning company De Urbanisten came up with the concept of constructing water plazas that serve as the perfect solution to holding excess water and take the pressure off the sewerage system. When the city's water system has enough capacity, the rainwater in the plaza can be diverted to the nearest open water. What's more is the water plazas can also be used as a playground when dry. Read more: One thing you'd change in your city . 3. Green rooftop revolution . Nothing paints a more sustainable urban picture than green rooftops. While Rotterdam already has some 100,000 square meters of sprawling green across its skyline, the city expects to cover 160,000 square meters by the end of 2014. To spur the green rooftop movement, Rotterdam kicked off a scheme to help residents fund the installments. Not only do green patches provide a buffer to help absorb excess rainwater, but they also clear the atmosphere and slow down roof erosion, according to Rotterdam Climate Initiative. So far, you can find the greenery on top of a slew of the city's buildings including the Municipal Archives, the Central Library, the head office of Unilever Nederland, the Maasstad Hospital, the Sophia Children's Hospital and the museum Villa Zebra. 4. Sustainable port . Rotterdam's Port Authority says it wants to become the most sustainable port city in the world by 2015 and it has also committed to cutting its carbon emissions by half of 1990s levels by 2025. One way it hopes to reach this goal is by allocating 80 hectars of land around the port to biobased companies. While Rotterdam has more than 45 chemical companies, five oil refineries and several power plants, the port also houses 10 production companies that use renewable energy as their raw material. Dutch scientists have also examined how to better capture and store CO2 emissions by developing a new ship coating that will lower algae growth. Another proposition in the works is to examine the usage of new collapsible containers that could save space and in turn cut trips. Read more: Rise of London's pedal culture . 5. Public transport for nature . A sustainable city is one that looks after not only its human population, but also its wildlife, plants and insects. That's why Rotterdam's landscape architecture firm Openfabric has proposed a way to utilize the city's public transport network to "make them suitable for both humans and the biodiversity". Dubbed "Diverse Networks", the initiative would allow them to link up some of the hotspots for the city's wildlife. Rotterdam's public transportation could be transformed into green corridors that could bring butterflies, dragonflies, crickets and grasshoppers into the city center. If implemented, bus stops and metro stations could provide shelter for the people and foraging for the birds and insects. | Rotterdam's population totals 615,000 .
90% of the city is below sea level and is therefore facing a high risk of flooding.
Rotterdam aims to become the most sustainable port city in the world. |
122,432 | 2a3d55736b6e65ec513e66b0dc9b5221d126cab8 | By . Emily Payne . The change in weather has led to a significant rise in the amount of people visiting their GP with hay fever complaints . The recent warm weather snap has seen a massive rise in the number of hay fever complaints. The number of suffers visiting GP surgeries in England and Wales during the week before last stood at 11,873 compared to 5,560 in the same period last year, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said. The college said the number of cases in the last fortnight had increased five-fold compared with the start of this month. Experts . have already warned that the condition is set to strike thousands more . older people - even those who were never sufferers in the past. Late-onset . hay fever affects people in their 30s, 40s, 50s and older, and can be . triggered by pollution, stress and even moving home. These . triggers can cause symptoms in people with a genetic predisposition to . hay fever whose immune systems have reached a ‘tipping point’. Professor . Jean Emberlin, scientific director of the charity Allergy UK, said: . ‘They have to become sensitised and more people will reach this . threshold because of the interaction between pollen and traffic . pollution.' Hayfever is caused by allergy to pollens and symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes. Sometimes the sinuses and throat can be affected. Children aged five to 14 years are most affected, followed by people aged between 15 and 24 years old. Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: 'Each year, seasonal hay fever causes untold misery to thousands of people across the country, especially when we all want to enjoy the warm weather. 'Hay fever is awful but the discomfort should only be temporary and there should be no long-term effects. High pollen count: The number of hay fever sufferers in this country increases every year . 'Whilst in some cases it may be necessary to see a doctor, especially if the symptoms persist, there are many anti-histamine medications that can be bought over the counter at your pharmacist that should provide effective relief. 'Patients that suffer from hay fever can also take simple steps to help minimise their exposure to pollen, such as wearing a hat with a wide brim and sunglasses, and applying Vaseline to nostrils to help trap pollen particles.' Up to 18 million Britons suffer hay fever, with their numbers increasing by almost one per cent a year. | Doctors report seeing almost double the amount of patients than last year .
Complaints of hay fever have increased by five times since early June .
Up to 18 million Britons suffer hay fever, with numbers increasing every year . |
267,720 | e6b9b47cb5f99cb0e52f274ea8a11e4f03b925a8 | Former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mike Carlton has hit out at Attorney General George Brandis after he claimed the columnist was 'sacked' for 'anti-Semitic journalism' during a Senate estimates hearing. Carlton said he would sue Senator Brandis if he repeated the claim that the journalist was fired over outside the Senate, where he is not protected by parliamentary privilege. 'Brandis says I was 'sacked' by the SMH for "anti-Semitic journalism.' Say that outside the Senate, Soapy, and I'll sue your smug a*** off,' he wrote on Twitter. Scroll down for video . Former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mike Carlton (left) has hit out at Senator George Brandis (right) On Thursday during a hearing of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Senator Brandis made the claims when he hit out at Carlton for criticising the winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award in the history category. Carlton has been very vocal about his disapproval of joint winner Hal G.P. Colebatch's book Australia's Secret War - which he labelled a 'right-wing rant against Australian trade unions' in a column published in Crikey. Senator Brandis said he encouraged controversy over art prizes but labelled Carlton's statements 'rather mean-spirited controversy'. 'One of the unsuccessful shortlisted candidates for the Australian History Award, Mike Carlton, who was earlier this year sacked by The Sydney Morning Herald for his anti-Semitic journalism, took to Twitter to denounce one of the joint winners of the prize,' he said, . The columnist denied the Attorney-General's claims he was 'sacked' for 'anti-Semitic journalism' Carlton said he would sue Senator Brandis if he repeated the claim that the journalist was fired over outside the Senate, where he is not protected by parliamentary privilege . Mr Brandis also said Carlton made 'some very, very unpleasant and really despicable personal attacks' on the chair of the panel Gerard Henderson. 'So, from all the dozens of entrants into that category, it had put him as one of the five shortlisted candidates and already awarded him a prize of $5,000,' he continued. 'But, because he did not win the award or was not named as one of the joint winners, he took to Twitter to attack Gerard Henderson and attack one of the joint winners of the prize, which I thought was pretty poor form.' On Friday, Carlton hit back saying Senator Brandis was 'completely wrong'. 'I was not sacked by the Herald, I resigned, and there was no hint of anti-Semitic journalism,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'But I do not expect a fool like Brandis to get those small, important details right. 'Just as we all have a right to be a bigot, I suppose the Attorney General has a right to be a nincompoop.' Senator Brandis made the claims when he hit out at Carlton for criticising the winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award in the history category . Carlton sensationally quit the Sydney Morning Herald in August after coming under fire for using abusive language in response to reader feedback about his column on the Gaza-Israel conflict. The column was run alongside a cartoon showing a Jewish man watching Gaza be bombed from his armchair, which the newspaper later apologised for. Sydney Morning Herald Editor-in-Chief Darren Goodsir also apologised for Carlton's behaviour, calling it 'completely unacceptable'. 'I have asked Mike to apologise for these actions. Mike regrets his behaviour and will be contacting affected readers to apologise,' Mr Goodsir said. 'On behalf of the Herald, I too apologise for any offence caused.' At the time Carlton said he ended his long career at the paper when representatives rang to tell him they were suspending him for 'four to six weeks'. The move came as he was slammed for using abusive language towards readers, including calling one a 'Jewish bigot' and telling them to 'f*** off'. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Senator Brandis for comment. | Former SMH journalist Mike Carlton hit out at the Attorney General Brandis .
Senator Brandis said columnist was 'sacked' for 'anti-Semitic journalism'
Carlton said this was 'wrong' and that he resigned and was not sacked .
He also dared Brandis to repeat the claims outside the Senate .
Carlton quit the SMH in August after coming under fire for sending abusive emails to readers after a column about the Israel-Gaza conflict . |
4,897 | 0e07e9a5e2670b05362390115dca09929598be70 | Jose Mourinho will wait until after the final game of the . season to hand his report to Chelsea on the futures of club legends Frank . Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole. The whereabouts of the long-serving trio next season . remains in doubt with all three out of contract in the summer. 'I don't know but I don't . think so,' said Mourinho when asked if Terry, Lampard and Cole would play their final game for the club at Cardiff City on Sunday. 'The club knows my opinion. The players . Centre of attention: Jose Mourinho answers questions during his pre-match press conference . Uncertain future: Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry are all out of contract this summer . Terry is in negotiations with the club and it is likely that after a formidable season he will be retained. But Cole's future, after limited action this term, is looking more likely to be away from Stamford Bridge. It is possible Lampard, who is 36 in June, may have played his final match for Chelsea already. 'Frank . Lampard is ill, he is in bed,' Mourinho said. Asked to reflect on . Lampard's distinguished career at Stamford Bridge, he added: 'Maybe in a . few years he will have a statue where Peter Osgood is. He's one of the . biggest players (in the history) of this club.' Crowd favourite: Mourinho believes Lampard deserves a statue in his honour when he leaves Chelsea . Mourinho . strangely described the defeat to Sunderland as the 'highlight' of his . first season back at Chelsea as he again hinted at where he felt his . team's Barclays Premier League title chances had been extinguished. Mourinho . was fined £10,000 on Thursday for his sarcastic appraisal of officials . following the loss to the Black Cats, and also failed in an appeal . against an £8,000 penalty imposed after the defeat at Aston Villa. Asked . his standout moment of the campaign, he chose the penalty awarded by . Mike Dean and converted by Fabio Borini which earned Sunderland a 2-1 . win on April 19 and ended Mourinho's 77-match unbeaten home league run. Case for the defence: Mourinho oversees Chelsea training as Cole runs through his paces . On the ball: Tomas Kallas tussles for possession with Demba Ba as Chelsea train at their Cobham base . 'This . season I lost a match at Stamford Bridge for the first time,' Mourinho . said. 'I lost with the second goal (against Sunderland) and for me . that's the highlight.' Mourinho . declined to comment fully on Football Association matters - his . disciplinary sanctions or the findings of Greg Dyke's commission - but . insisted he was happy to be back after a near six-year absence, despite . his disciplinary troubles. 'I . like to be back,' Mourinho added. 'I don't enjoy defeats, but I have to . say that to lose at Crystal Palace is English football. 'To . lose like we did against Sunderland or Aston Villa is not English . football and I like English football, I don't like what isn't English . football.' | John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashely Cole are out of contract this summer .
England star Lampard could miss Chelsea's game against Cardiff City through illness .
Jose Mourinho believes midfielder deserves a statue at Stamford Bridge . |
3,959 | 0b6d5cf34240aea1a6c8c6ff09ff5c91d0de6cfb | (CNN) -- Old and new diplomacy clashed in the flare-up between Egypt and the United States over the arrest and interrogation of Bassem Youssef -- considered the "Jon Stewart of Egypt" -- who skewers politicians of all stripes on his popular TV show, El Bernameg. In the world of traditional diplomacy, governments had more control over what was said about them and by whom. As the Egyptian and U.S. governments discovered the hard way, that control is long gone in the world of 21st century diplomacy with its 24/7 social media and powerful nongovernmental voices. When Youssef, accused of insulting President Mohamed Morsy and Islam, was summoned for questioning by the Morsy-appointed prosecutor general, this latest repressive action by the Muslim Brotherhood government sparked an international outcry. The response from the United States came in two forms. First, the State Department expressed "concern" about Youssef's detention, citing it as "evidence of a disturbing trend of growing restrictions on the freedom of expression" in Egypt. Then, Jon Stewart mounted an eloquent -- and humorous -- defense of Bassem Youssef and freedom of expression through that well-known diplomatic channel, "The Daily Show." In a commendable act of public diplomacy, i.e., engaging with the people and not just governments, someone from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo tweeted a link to "The Daily show." After all, the program addressed a current issue in Egyptian politics, with a humorous message about shared values between Egypt and America, such as freedom of expression. Failing to see the humor in the situation, the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood struck back. The presidential office tweeted a stern reprimand to the U.S. Embassy: "It's inappropriate for a diplomatic mission to engage in such negative political propaganda." Faced with the choice of appeasing the Egyptian government or defending freedom of speech and dissent -- as practiced by Bassem Youssef and Jon Stewart -- the U.S. Embassy in Cairo chose the former, and shut down its Twitter feed. This decision, reportedly made by Ambassador Anne Patterson, not only violated what the United States allegedly stands for -- the rights of citizens to criticize and hold their governments accountable -- but also displayed a stunning ignorance of how Twitter and, well, the Internet work. Once something is out on Twitter, it's out. Shutting it down will not expunge it, and will only blow up into a negative story. That is exactly what happened. Within minutes of the shutdown, Twitter was flooded with condemnation of the U.S. government for caving to Muslim Brotherhood pressure and failing to defend basic freedoms. Although the embassy feed was reactivated within an hour, reportedly at Washington's request, the stories and tweets about the shutdown lingered. That the reinstated embassy feed deleted all tweets about the Youssef case reinforced the sentiment already prevalent in Egypt that the United States sides with Morsy over the Egyptian people. In one act of traditional diplomacy, trying to appease the host government, the U.S. Embassy undermined the good will earned by the nontraditional diplomacy of Jon Stewart. As a television host, Youssef exemplifies "soft power," or the power to influence others through attraction. Other spinoffs of "The Daily Show" in Afghanistan and Iran, among other places, are adopting not only Stewart's smart and biting humor, but also core American values such as free speech. In our brave new world, where governments and citizens alike are held up to scrutiny of 24/7 media and social media, and where private-sector television shows can wield more influence than governments, walking the walk as well as talking the talk has never been more important. The United States cannot present itself as the defender of free speech when it suppresses free speech. In removing the tweets about Bassem Youssef and Jon Stewart, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo undercut its own soft power. Who in Egypt will listen the next time an embassy official talks about the importance of free speech or free media? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cynthia Schneider. | Bassem Youssef, the "Jon Stewart of Egypt," was arrested for mocking Egypt's president .
Cynthia Schneider: In the world of 24/7 social media, old and new diplomacy clashed .
She says U.S. Embassy should not have closed its Twitter feed after a rebuke from Egypt .
Schneider: The U.S. must defend free speech, including its actions on the Internet . |
214,899 | a2383c02fead0a2d87432cbc638fdcc2e0de30dd | Furious fish shop owners have slammed a council after it spent £3,000 of taxpayers' cash on a guide on how to make their chips. The six-page document goes into minute detail on how thick each chip should be, as well as recommending exact temperatures for frying and informing workers that fries should be 'golden' in colour. Chippie owners criticised Cheltenham Borough Council bureaucrats for the guide, calling it patronising and unnecessary. A council spent £3,000 on the guides on how to cook chips, which advises chippie owners to cut chips to at least 14mm, slightly more than half an inch, in width . Chip shop owners are advised that chips should be served when they are a 'pale, golden colour' The detailed document, written by the Food Standards Agency, explains to workers how they can 'make the food they serve healthier' while saving money. The initiative, launched by Cheltenham's local authority, then explains that the best chips are made 'using a cutter with at least a 14mm (just more than half an inch) cross section'. Chip shop workers are then told to heat their fryer to 175C before putting potatoes in, cooking them for 5-6 minutes until they are a 'pale, golden colour'. Despite the lengthy description on how long a chip should be cooked for - 5-6 minutes - the guide says it is sometimes better just to follow instructions on the packet. The guidance reads: 'Frozen chips may only take 2-3 minutes – businesses should follow the manufacturer’s instructions.' They should also make sure they wash their fryers and change their oil often. The council document also suggests using rapeseed or sunflower oils, which are 'high oleic' - or high in unsaturated fats. The guide also recommends using salt shakers with fewer holes in and asking customers whether they want salt on their fries. Andreo Michael, who owns Norwood Fish Bar in Cheltenham, said: 'If you've been in the business like me since 1980 you don't need to be told how to do chips. 'Some people might need telling, but I don't need them telling me what to do.' Chips tips: Banging and shaking chips before serving them can reduce oil for customers, the advice says . Chips should be fried on their own to ensure oil quality is not affected, according to the document . The document also advises on the correct oils to be used to fry chips, suggesting 'high oleic' oils . The six-page document, branded as patronising by chip shop workers, suggests using salt shakers with fewer holes and asking customers whether they want salt . James Ritchie, 28, who owns Simpsons Fish and Chips in the Gloucestershire town, said: 'We try really hard to make sure we know these things anyway. 'We have our food nutritionally tested so for us this would not be a good experience for us. 'I would go to the National Federation of Fish Friers for advice and not the council. They couldn't tell us anything. There is nothing they could tell us that we don't already know.' Gloucestershire County Council has allocated £40,000 to Cheltenham Borough Council to fund health improvement schemes in 2013/14 and 2014/15. The guide says: 'By shaking the chips and banging the wire scoop several times, you can reduce fat absorption by 20% and make your chips crisper. 'This is because chips carry on absorbing fat after they come out of the fryer. 'If you bang and shake you’ll use less oil, need to top up less often, and need to empty the drain in the chip box less often.' Just over £20,000 has been awarded to five projects in the town this year - including the so-called 'healthy chip' scheme, which costs £3,000. It is hoped that the scheme will help reduce the amount of oil absorbed into deep fried foods, consequently reducing obesity levels in low-income areas. A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance branded the guide a 'ludicrous' move. He said: 'When we're trying to make savings it beggars belief the council is doing takeaway training. 'The idea that it's appropriate to spend taxpayers' money telling chip shop owners how to cut chips is just ludicrous. 'They must think again - even the beneficiaries of this bizarre scheme don't seem particularly keen on it. 'If the Council wants people in low-income areas to be able to buy healthier, but often more expensive, food it should think about cutting council tax.' Jamie Ritchie, owner of Simpsons Fish and Chips in Cheltenham, said the council could not tell him anything he did not already know . Chips should be served when they are a 'pale, golden colour', the document says (file picture) But Councillor Rowena Hay, cabinet member for healthy lifestyles on Cheltenham Borough Council, defended the policy. She said: 'The project is about encouraging and supporting takeaways in low-income communities to serve healthier food. 'Its aim is to encourage small takeaway businesses to implement simple procedural changes to the way they fry food so as to produce a healthier product. 'We want to actively encourage healthier eating in any community in order to reduce obesity and long term illness and this project will help in doing this.' According to the guidance, shops should use liquid oils, such as sunflower and rapeseed, heated to 175C before each batch, for 'crispier, more appealing chips'. The document's advice on cutting down on salt reads: . 'Lots of people are trying to cut down on the amount of salt they eat. You can help your customers to do this by doing these things. • 'Use a salt shaker with fewer holes – just ask your supplier if they provide five-hole tops. • 'Ask your customers if they want salt before adding it. • 'Don’t add salt to batter mix. If you buy batter mix, check the ingredients and try to choose one that doesn’t contain salt or sodium. • 'Read the label on foods like sauces, sausages and pies and choose the one with less salt (or it might say ‘sodium’). If there’s no information on salt, ask your supplier.' The advice on cooking healthy chips was also condensed into a two-page document, pictured here . Researchers claim the oil is essential when it comes to frying and it should be sieved and reheated at the end of every batch. The guide adds that 'the ratio of food to oil should be 1:6' and 'baskets shouldn't look more than half full'. Research suggests that most retailers complete a full oil change every 2-4 weeks, but this should actually be done after 20 frying hours, it explains. Chips must be cooked in a fryer without any other food contact and the chef should shake them and bang them with a wire scoop several times after cooking. Research suggests this simple movement can reduce fat absorption by 20 per cent, making the chips crisper. They are also advised to offer smaller portion sizes, 'for people with smaller appetites'. | Chippie owners slam council for guide which tells them how to fry chips .
Six-page document tells chip shops exactly what size their fries should be .
Chips should be at least 14mm wide and are best cooked at 175C .
Cook fries for 5-6 minutes until they are 'golden' in colour, guidance adds .
Takeaways should get salt shakers with fewer holes, according to guide . |
255,200 | d6557ebac5bd0240f66ff3155ef44b2509465e07 | A senior Pentagon official ordered an emergency review of the military's use of an anti-malaria drug known to have severe psychiatric side effects - nine days after the Afghan massacre in which a U.S. solider allegedly shot dead 17 civilians including nine children, it has been alleged. The notorious drug Mefloquine, also known as Lariam, has been implicated in a number of suicides and homicides in the military spanning back more than ten years, with side effects including paranoia, hallucinations and psychotic behaviour. It is now being suggested that Staff Sgt Robert Bales, who is accused of the shooting, may have taken the drug before the March 11 massacre. Claim: It is now being suggested that Sgt Robert Bales was given the anti-malaria drug Mefloquin before the Afghan massacre which should not be administered to soldiers with prior brain injuries . Tragic loss: Anar Gul gestures to the body of her grandchild, who was allegedly killed by Robert Bales in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, on March 11. The White House has since given $50,000 compensation for every victim . The military has used the drug for years despite its known side effects and in 2009, they almost banned it due to its dangers. But a subsequent order suggested its use should be restricted and not given to soldiers who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Mefloquin is used to treat malaria and was developed by Army researchers towards the end of the Vietnam War. It gained support among the fighting forces because it works in areas where mosquitoes developed resistance to an earlier treatment, chloroquine, and requires just one tablet a week, not the daily dose needed with other medications. Side effects include seizures, depression, hallucinations, violent behaviour, feeling that others want to harm you, thoughts of hurting or killing yourself and many others. Almost four decades after inventing it, the U.S. Army pushed it to the back of its medicine cabinet. The about-face followed years of complaints and concerns that mefloquine caused psychiatric and physical side effects. Over the past four years, the Army . slashed by almost 75 per cent the amount of mefloquine it prescribes, even as it . sent thousands more soldiers to malaria-prone Afghanistan. Soldiers who had suffered from traumatic brain injuries were particularly advised against using it. 'Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago,' said Dr. Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. When Bales was in Iraq in 2010, he . sustained a massive brain injury. No one has been able to confirm . whether he had been given the drug or not, citing privacy rules. On March 11, it is alleged that the father-of-two sneaked out of his base before dawn and crept into houses in two nearby villages, opening fire on sleeping families within. Bales allegedly used his 9mm pistol and M-4 rifle, which was outfitted with a grenade launcher, to kill four men, four women, two boys and seven girls, then burning some of the bodies. The Huffington Post obtained a task order issued by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson on March 20 which called for a review to ensure the drug was being administered appropriately. The website claims he called for an immediate 'review of Mefloquine prescribing practices' to be completed by the following . Monday, six days later. The order said: 'Some deployed service members may be . prescribed Mefloquine for malaria prophylaxis without appropriate . documentation in their medical records and without proper screening for . contraindications.' It also notes that this review must . include troops at 'deployed locations'. Spokeswoman for the Department of Defense Cynthia Smith issued a statement saying: 'The department wide review of Mefloquine prescription practices has no connection to the Staff Sgt Robert Bales investigation. 'Assistant Secretary of Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson requested this review in January to ensure each service conducts proper screening, patient education, and medical documentation.' In response to the Huffington Post's claims the email was sent on March 20, she said it was an army issue. Late last year, almost four decades after inventing a potent anti-malarial drug, the U.S. Army pushed it to the back of its medicine cabinet. The dramatic about-face followed years of complaints and concerns that mefloquine caused psychiatric and physical side effects even as it was used around the globe as a front-line defense against the mosquito-borne disease that kills about 800,000 people a year. 'Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago,' said Dr Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. He called it 'probably the worst-suited drug for the military' and noted that its side effects can closely mirror symptoms of stress disorders related to combat, making diagnosis of neurological problems difficult. Over the past three years, the Army slashed by almost 75 per cent the amount of mefloquine it prescribes, even as it sent thousands more soldiers to malaria-prone Afghanistan. Order: Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson allegedly ordered a review of the anti-malaria drug on March 20, though the DoD claim it was made in January . Accusations: Men stand next to blood stains and charred remains, left, inside a home where witnesses say Afghans were killed by Staff Sgt Robert Bales, right, who may have taken a dangerous anti malaria drug . The decrease in dose followed two . orders from military and Pentagon leaders in 2009. One, from the Army's . surgeon general, ordered the branch to limit its use to specific . circumstances. Other branches, however, continue to favor mefloquine. It gained support among the fighting . forces because it works in areas where mosquitoes developed resistance . to an earlier treatment, chloroquine, and requires just one tablet a . week, not the daily dose needed with other medications. In a case which has parallels with the massacre, in 2003 the army dropped the case against Staff Sgt Georg-Andreas Pogany, who also faced the death penalty, after he was charged with cowardly conduct as a result of fear. It came after he saw the shredded body of a gunned-down Iraqi and had what he thought was a panic attack - vomiting and hallucinations. A psychologist diagnosed a normal combat stress reaction and told him to rest and then return to duty. Defiant: The wife of Robert Bales defended her husband in an interview with Matt Lauer saying she finds the accusations against him unbelievable and claiming he would never do such a thing . Standing by her man: In the first interview since her husband was charged with the March 11 shootings, she revealed she has spoken to her husband twice and that he seemed confused . Instead, Pogany was shipped back to Fort Carson and charged with the crime, which is punishable by death under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The last such conviction in the Army occurred during the Vietnam War. The charges were dropped after doctors later determined that Pogany suffered from Lariam toxicity, which affected his behaviour when he was deployed in Iraq. Former Army Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany had charges dropped against him due to the use of the drug and is now a post traumatic stress disorder advocate and spokesman . He is now a post traumatic stress disorder advocate and spokesman. Former army psychiatrist Elspeth Cameron Ritchie highlighted the continued use of the drug in the military and its connections with psychotic episodes. In her Time blog, she wrote: 'One obvious question to consider is whether he was on mefloquine, an anti-malarial medication. 'This medication has been increasingly associated with neuro-psychiatric side effects, including depression, psychosis, and suicidal ideation. 'The U.S. military has been avoiding the use of Mefloquine for some years. Yet it is still prescribed in some cases, since it is effective and needs only once a week dosing. It is still used in Afghanistan.' Bales' wife Karilyn spoke out for the first time about the accusations against her husband and said she found them 'unbelievable' and claimed they were not the actions of her husband. She also told NBC's Matt Lauer that Bales showed no signs of PTSD and wasn't having any difficulties sleeping. Questions to Bales' lawyer John Henry Browne were not immediately returned. But he has previously claimed his client has apparent mental health issues and is suffering with memory loss, among other things. Many family members of U.S. soldiers have blamed the drug on their loved ones' suicides. Retired Navy Capt Gary Foster said he cut his career short in part because of the effects of taking mefloquine in 2008 and 2009. 'I began to suffer short term memory loss, not able to recall what I had done earlier,' he said. 'I also had more bouts of anxiety, and I cannot for the life of me tell you why.' In February 2009, Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker sent a policy memo to doctors saying it should be used only if soldiers could not tolerate doxycycline, a general antibiotic effective at preventing malaria. In September 2009, Ellen P. Embrey, who at the time was deputy assistant secretary of defense overseeing health affairs, sent a letter similar to Schoomaker's. This time, it was directed across all military branches. A small but vocal group of anti-mefloquine campaigners seized on the memos as vindication. 'I was stunned,' said retired Navy commander Bill Manofsky, who said he sustained permanent damage to his sense of balance after taking Lariam in Kuwait in 2002 and has been a persistent critic of the drug. In 2008, the Army dispensed 8,574 courses of the drug. In 2010, it fell to 2,054. At the same time, the Army increased fivefold the number of doxycycline prescriptions — to more than 80,000 — reflecting the increasing number of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. Spending followed a similar pattern, with the Pentagon buying almost $1.8 million of mefloquine in 2009, enough for about 10,000 yearlong courses. The amount dropped to $1.5 million last year. So far this year, the military has spent only about $50,000. It's not clear how many of the tablets have been dispensed. In August, Sen Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, wrote to the secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, urging them to strengthen safeguards for the use of the drug. | Order issued in 2009 saying soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries - like Bales - should not be given the drug Mefloquine .
Side effects include paranoia, hallucinations and psychotic behaviour .
Army will not confirm if Bales had taken the drug prior to March 11 incident . |
277,969 | f419959e39bd73d7148f0001ba5a2d49262a4583 | (CNN) -- Four years since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake spawned massive walls of water that swept across the Indian Ocean, leaving more than 230,000 dead according to a United Nations estimate, improvements can be seen in many of the devastated areas, humanitarian groups said. Laborers work on a construction site in a fishing village in Indonesia's Aceh on December 21. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless and jobless after the tsunami, and poor and isolated communities were left even worse off. Today, new schools have been constructed, and armies of workers -- many of them volunteers -- have cleared and rebuilt homes and towns, and helped get people back to work. "The tsunami, despite being a horrific event, also provided a lot of opportunities for those countries," said Jonathan Cauldwell, chief of UNICEF's Tsunami Transition Support. "It brought a peace dividend within Banda Aceh (Indonesia) where you still see peace in an area which had long term localized conflict in place. It allowed those areas to be built up as well, to have investments in the infrastructure in the social sectors ...," he added. Agencies such as UNICEF said that while the immediate emergency was over, they remain committed to improving the lives of millions of children across the region. "The lessons of the tsunami will never end. The funding will end, we can complete the construction, we can complete the project, but the intervention never ends ...," Cauldwell said. Oxfam International, which said it will close its response to the tsunami at the end of December, said it has provided housing to tsunami survivors in Aceh, helped restore the livelihoods of people in India and Sri Lanka, and funded the reconstruction of eight tsunami-affected secondary schools. "The money we received allowed us not only to help meet the immediate emergency needs of tsunami-affected populations, but also to try to address the factors that made them vulnerable: not least poverty and a lack of influence over their own lives," Barbara Stocking, chair of the Oxfam International Tsunami Fund Board, said in a statement. "What has been achieved is astounding. Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in better conditions than they were in before the tsunami ...," she added. UNICEF said the basic needs of children affected by the tsunami have been met -- more children are going to school as a result of improved facilities, and better nutrition, post-natal care and other life-saving interventions are helping those countries worst hit transition to developing regular services and programs. But long-term improvement of water and sanitation is critical, the agency said, and so is building new schools that are better able to withstand earthquakes. According to UNICEF and Oxfam, the response to the tsunami and the lessons learned have changed the way they deal with such emergencies. It highlighted the need for better coordination among partners and other organizations, and contributed to reforms in the way humanitarian relief is delivered. | The devastation of the 2004 tsunami stretched across the Indian Ocean .
Hundreds of thousands left homeless, and poor and isolated communities worse off .
Humanitarian groups have helped rebuild schools, homes, and get people working .
Groups say long-term improvement of water and sanitation is critical . |
27,355 | 4d8973d0dfc62b12912ef15b0228d058bf609a3f | Christina Regusters, 21, is on trial on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and rape . A 19-year-old daycare worker has been charged with the kidnapping and rape of a 5-year-old girl who was abducted from her elementary school after the woman allegedly claimed to be the girl's mother. Police say Christina Regusters covered herself in a black Muslim veil, similar to one the girl’s mother wears, when she pulled the child from her Philadelphia classroom last month and walked her to a nearby home. Regusters, who worked at an after-school care program the girl attended, is charged with kidnapping, rape, conspiracy, aggravated assault and several related offenses according to police. The girl was discovered shivering . half-naked on a playground about a mile from the school the morning . after her abduction on January 14. The . girl told a passerby, 'I've been stolen' and repeatedly spoke of a . talking bird inside the home that would 'peck her eyes out' if she . didn't stay hiding under a bed, philly.com reports. That talking bird proved crucial in police’s investigation, said Attorney Tom Kline who's representing the girl and her mother. Regusters, . who told the child her name was Tiffany, was one of four residents . questioned on Thursday at the home several blocks from Bryant Elementary . School in west Philadelphia. The other three were released. The 5-year-old victim was signed out at this Philadelphia school by a woman claiming to be her mother. She was missing for the next 20 hours . 'The investigation is very much active and ongoing,' said Special Victims Unit Capt. John Darby at a news conference on Thursday. The girl retraced her steps with police, leading them to the home with the bird according to authorities. 'This brave, innocent precious little . girl was instrumental in leading police literally to the door of the . crime,' said Kline in an interview on Friday. 'She told them that there was a bird in the house. The bird became one of the many focal points of the investigation,' he added. Kline . said the girl suffered 'terrible, horrible injuries' and that the . family was 'grateful' for the arrest, but knows it isn't the end of the . line. The child was discovered the next day, about 4:40am, after a man walking by heard her screams from this playground . Investigators believe after the suspect and victim successfully walked a few blocks to the home a man was waiting. The child was blindfolded, told to remove her clothes and put on a black, adult-sized T-shirt, and then ordered to hide under a bed, authorities said. DNA on that shirt is said to have been found connected to something in the house. 'There is still more work to be done,' Kline said adding that there were clearly additional people involved. 'We are watching anxiously the next developments because this is not the end of the line.' Regusters' attorney, W. Fred Harrison Jr., told WCAU-TV Regusters had 'no involvement' in the crime. Authorities believe she was dumped about 18 hours later at the park before found by a passerby who hear her screaming. Fear: The child told police that she was taken to a nearby house with a talking bird whose owner said would peck her eyes out if she didn't stay hiding under a bed . The child was hiding under a jungle . gym play set around 4.40am and it was unclear how long she had been outside. She was . freezing, as it was about 37 degrees outside and damp from rain the . night before. Nelson Mandela Myers who found her that morning said he asked where her parents were. 'She said, "I don't know. Somebody . was chasing me. I ran," Myers said. 'She said she came from South . Philly. I knew something was wrong, because I knew she couldn't have run . from South Philly.' 'As he . starts to walk to where the screams are, a little girls runs out,' Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told Philly.com. 'She said, "I ran away, I ran away from the people who took me."' The child was immediately taken to a nearby hospital to get checked out. News of the girl’s abduction sent waves through both the community and the school where the girl was successfully released to the woman without photo ID shown. About a week after the principal at the school was removed among four people held responsible for the horrific ordeal. The girl had been abducted from her school around 8:50am by a woman dressed in a burkha who called herself 'Tiffany' District officials . said the incident violated school procedure, which requires anyone . signing a child out of school to show ID and be on a list of as a . verified parent or guardian. Allowing . the girl to leave school with an unknown adult was a 'serious break in . procedure,' District spokesman Fernando Gallard said. The . woman didn't wait at the school's front office, as is policy, but went . to Robinson's classroom and told a teacher that the child had already . been 'checked out' of school. Robinson was not reported as missing until 3 p.m., when a caretaker from the child's after-school program came to pick her up. Her mother appeared on local media tearfully pleading for her safe return, and explaining how . she also wears the traditional chador and niqab - the type of clothing . that Robinson's abductor was wearing. The playground where the girl was found is adjacent to a baseball field and a residential neighborhood, where police focused their search for her abductors . | Police say Christina Regusters covered herself in a black Muslim veil similar to the girl’s mother when she signed the girl out of school .
The child was discovered 20 hours later half-naked in a park .
Regusters is charged with kidnapping, rape, conspiracy, aggravated assault and several related offenses . |
36,013 | 6638fd0a93a059b811fc7e0f489d9981f52d1cdc | Plastic bank-notes will arrive in Britain within three years, ending 160 years of tradition. The Bank of England has this morning announced that the next £5 and £10 notes will be printed on polymer. Since 1853, bank-notes have been made from cotton paper but the Bank has carried out three years of research on switching to polymer notes. Scroll down for video . Polymer: The current cotton paper notes will be replaced with more resilient plastic versions, such as the one shown here . Tough: The new notes can survive a wash at 90 degrees and are more difficult to counterfeit . These can be wiped clean and survive a hot washing machine cycle at 90 degrees. The new polymer notes will retain the familiar look of Bank of England banknotes, including the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen and a historical character. The first polymer note will be the £5 note featuring Sir Winston Churchill and will be issued in 2016. It will be followed around a year later by a polymer £10 note featuring Jane Austen. Announcing the decision Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, said: 'Ensuring trust and confidence in money is at the heart of what central banks do. 'Polymer notes are the next step in the evolution of banknote design to meet that objective. 'The quality of polymer notes is higher, they are more secure from counterfeiting, and they can be produced at lower cost to the taxpayer and the environment.' Echoing the sentiment John Sheridan, who leads on counterfeit currency for the National Crime Agency, welcomed the move. First up: The earliest plastic note to be issued will be the £5, featuring Winston Churchill, in 2016 . He said while no banknote is ever completely safe from counterfeiting, polymer notes will make life harder for those those trying to fake it. Polymer notes allow for security features including transparent windows. Criminals trying to replicate plastic banknotes will also face challenges copying the metallic strip on the notes. Mr Sheridan, added: 'The NCA welcomes the introduction of polymer banks notes which represent a significant improvement over cotton based technologies, with improved options for countermeasures and intervention opportunities for law enforcement.' Announcement: Bank of England governor Mark Carney made a speech introducing the new breed of bank note . In September, the Bank said it would . initially look only at changing the £5 and £10 notes, with the first one . being the new £5 featuring Sir Winston Churchill in 2016. At the time, . it promised to do nothing unless the public approved. If the feedback was overwhelmingly . negative, the Bank promised to scrap the idea. But the response to that consultation was overwhelmingly supportive of polymer notes. Over the course of two months, the Bank hosted events across the country to give the public the opportunity to learn more about polymer banknotes, to handle the notes, and to provide feedback. Nearly 13,000 individuals gave their views during the public consultation programme, with 87per cent of those who responded, being in favour of polymer, and only six per cent were opposed with seven per cent remaining were neutral. The decision follows a three-year research programme by the Bank looking at the materials on which banknotes are printed, and which concluded that there were compelling reasons to move to printing on polymer. The Bank's research found the plastic notes are resistant to dirt and moisture so stay cleaner for longer than the traditional paper notes. Current bank-notes are made from ‘cotton paper’, produced using tough, long-lasting cotton fibres rather than wood pulp. Polymer bank-notes would be made from a transparent, flexible polypropylene film coated with layers of special ink, usually white. This would be cut into sheets, with notes printed using standard equipment. The notes are very difficult to tear at first, but will rip easily once they have a nick in them. More than 20 countries use polymer notes, none of them in Europe. The Bank of New Zealand claims they last four times as long as paper notes. They can cope with going through a washing machine, but not being ironed at high temperatures. They start to ‘shrink and melt’ at 120C, the Bank’s report found. The Bank of England has accepted notes in some form – originally hand-written – since its creation in 1694. The polymer bank-notes are secure and incorporate advanced security features making them harder to copy. And . the notes are more durable, lasting at least 2.5 times longer than . paper banknotes currently in circulation. As such the notes are more . environmentally friendly, and because they last longer, over time they . are cheater than paper notes. The switch is expected to save the Bank more than £100million over a ten-year period. A typical £5 note currently lasts for . just two years. The new ones would last for just under six years, . according to its research published in the autumn. Polymer notes are already . used in more than 20 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, . Mexico, Singapore and Mauritius as well as Canada. They can also be recycled, a move . which is likely to please the Governor of the Bank of England Mark . Carney's wife Diana, a committed environmentalist. The mother-of-four is well known as a green activist with a pet hate of individually-wrapped tea bags and as an advocate of pencils which last a lifetime. The polymer notes could be recycled in different ways, from producing household energy to being used to create garden furniture and plant pots. The new notes will be smaller than those already in circulation and while cash machines will be largely unaffected, the cassettes which hold £5 notes will have to be changed. A spokesman for LINK, which operates the UK cash machine network, said it is not known at this stage what the cost of adapting the country's cash machines will be. CEO John Howells welcomed the move to plastic, adding it proves 'cash still plays a vital role in our lives'. He said LINK will work closely with the Bank of England and the cash services industry to ensure a smooth transition to polymer notes, adding they will liase with counterparts in Canada and other countries where plastic notes are already in circulation. 'We are . always working hard to ensure the UK’s estate of ATMs is fit for the . 21st century and beyond, but this will also give our bank notes the . chance to continue to play their part in the future,' he said. 'While . the detailed planning is in the early stages and the full specification . of the new notes has still has to be announced LINK understand that the . changes required will involve at least modification of the cash . cassettes to accommodate the new note size and in some cases at least, . an engineer visit to each affected ATM to adjust various sensors. (L - R) Mary Macleod, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, Stella Creasy and Caroline Criado-Perez, co-founder of the Women's Room, at the presentation of the concept design for the new Bank of England ten pound note, featuring Jane Austen . New notes: The new £5 and £10 notes which will be introduced in 2016 and will feature Winston Churchill and Jane Austen respectively will be the first to be transferred to the plastic polymer . 'Experience from other countries suggests that in most cases ATMs will be . able to cope with new polymer note denominations (£5s and in time £10s) and older style paper denominations (£20 notess) at the same time however . both paper and polymer of the same denomination are unlikely. 'Therefore . once an individual machine has been swapped to polymer for that . denomination then it will dispense them from that point onwards.' The Bank has said it understands the importance of notes in ‘everyone’s day-to-day lives’ and has held meetings in shopping centres and focus groups to test opinion. Consultation ended on November 15. The new notes would still feature the Queen as well as a famous person, such as the naturalist Charles Darwin. However, they would be slightly smaller than the cotton paper version. The current £5 note is 135mm by 70mm. If the switch to plastic goes ahead, the new one will be 125mm by 65mm. But they would continue ‘the existing format of tiered-sizing’, that is, the higher the denomination, the bigger the note. For those who frequently forget to take cash out of their pockets before washing their clothes, a shift to plastic would be a big benefit. Tests on the polymer notes in a 90-degree cycle had only ‘a minimal effect’ but paper notes can be ‘substantially degraded’. The Bank also tested the polymer notes by submerging them in liquids, including red wine, and found they could be ‘wiped clean’. Normal notes stain or disintegrate. In Canada, some users detected an aroma of maple on the plastic version, forcing the national bank to deny that any scent was added. | Since 1853, Britain's bank-notes have been made from cotton paper .
Bank has carried out three years of research on switching to polymer notes .
They can be wiped clean and survive a washing machine cycle at 90 degrees .
Polymer notes are already used in more than 20 countries .
First polymer £5 note, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, will be issued in 2016 .
In the fight against counterfeit notes National Crime Agency welcomes move .
Cash machine operators LINK say modifications will be needed . |
172,994 | 6be19c4d512119e733c463030b9cd723f16589bb | Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has accused the Football League of attempting to 'kill' the beleaguered Championship side. The Italian had his appeal against being disqualified as a director dismissed on Monday after a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) rejected Cellino's appeal after deciding his tax evasion conviction in Italy was an offence of dishonesty. As a result the 58-year-old has to step down as director, cut ties with Leeds and not partake in any significant influence over the club until April 10, when his conviction becomes spent under UK law. Massimo Cellino (centre) watches Leeds play Brentford at Griffin Park with the away fans back in September . 'They cheated. We got there and we were not able to fight,' Cellino told the Sun. 'We did not expect it to be arbitration. We expected a court, where you can challenge and put in your case. 'This was an ambush. It was a three-man panel, all three from the League,' added Cellino. 'The League are trying to hurt the club, that's my only conclusion. The club will not fall apart because I'm stepping away.' Cellino is evidently furious that he failed the Football League's fit and proper person test in December due to his conviction for tax evasion in Italy: . 'They say I am not fit and proper but I have put more than £30million of my own money into this club and I'm not here to make quick money for myself. When I arrived we were more than £55m in debt. Now the debt is £13m, I have cleaned this club.' Massimo Cellino's appeal against the decision to disqualify him from owning Leeds has been rejected . Cellino (right, pictured in April 2014) and Leeds said they were 'surprised and disappointed' with the decision . In its judgement the PCC stated on Monday: 'We consider that the judge's findings of fact and her description of Mr Cellino's state of mind based on them, is of conduct which would reasonably be considered to be dishonest. 'We therefore conclude that Mr Cellino has been convicted of an offence involving a 'Dishonest Act' within the meaning of the rules, and that he is accordingly subject to a 'Disqualifying Condition'. 'As a result of this decision, Massimo Cellino is disqualified from acting as a 'Relevant Person', as defined by Football League regulations until 10th April 2015.' On the pitch, Leeds have not won since December, despite a late equaliser against Birmingham on Saturday . In a statement on the Leeds United website, Cellino and the club made a short comment on Monday's decision: . 'Mr Cellino would like to thank the fans, sponsors and members of the wider footballing community that have given him overwhelming support, not just since the disqualifying order was issued but since he arrived at the club. 'We are surprised and disappointed by the verdict, however we are continuing to take legal advice. 'We will release further statements in due course.' A Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) chaired by Tim Kerr QC has rejected an appeal by Leeds United President Massimo Cellino against the recent decision by the Board of The Football League that he is subject to a disqualifying condition under its Owners' and Directors' Test. The PCC found that the reasoned judgment of the Italian Court, once it had become available, was for an act involving dishonesty as determined by the Board in its original ruling in March 2014. Mr. Cellino's appeal against that original decision had been upheld on the basis that it could not be concluded that the offence necessarily involved a 'Dishonest Act' for the purposes of the Test. Once the reasoned judgment became available, the Board considered the matter again and concluded that it clearly demonstrated that Mr. Cellino's offence did indeed involve acts that would reasonably be considered to be dishonest. In its judgment, dismissing Mr Cellino's appeal against the decision, the PCC states: 'We consider that the judge's findings of fact and her description of Mr. Cellino's state of mind based on them, is of conduct which would reasonably be considered to be dishonest. We therefore conclude that Mr.Cellino has been convicted of an offence involving a 'Dishonest Act' within the meaning of the rules, and that he is accordingly subject to a 'Disqualifying Condition'. As are result of this decision, Massimo Cellino is disqualified from acting as a 'Relevant Person', as defined by Football League regulations until 10th April 2015. The Football League will provide any assistance requested by Leeds United to help it minimise, as far as possible, the effect this decision has on the Club while Mr. Cellino serves his period of disqualification. A Football League spokesman said: 'The Football League's sole objective throughout this process has been to ensure that our regulations, as democratically approved by our member clubs, are complied with. These regulations uphold principles relating to club ownership that are widely recognised to be in the interests of the game and have the support of the other football authorities, the Government and football supporters generally.' The constitution of the PCC was agreed between the two parties ahead of last week's hearing and The Football League would like to thank Tim Kerr QC and the other members of the panel for their time. In addition, a further misconduct charge against Mr. Cellino and the Club for failing to supply the Italian Court judgment to The Football League when it first became available will be heard by a Football Disciplinary Commission in line with League regulations in due course. | Massimo Cellino had been disqualified from being allowed to run Leeds United after a tax evasion conviction in Italy .
Cellino and Leeds United appealed the decision but it has been rejected .
The Leeds owner will now have to step down as director, cut ties with Leeds and agree not to have a significant influence until April 10 .
Cellino claims to have invested £30million of his own money into the club . |
137,317 | 3d9c2baaf8080e5d9a04fc37750d9b5a3c610738 | By . Helen Lawson . PUBLISHED: . 05:08 EST, 10 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:31 EST, 10 June 2013 . Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes as the River Elbe burst through a dam and flooded parts of eastern Germany. Today the Elbe breached another levee on its relentless march towards the North Sea, forcing Germany to evacuate ten villages and close one of the country's main railway routes. Upstream there was some relief as the river slipped back from record levels in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt state. At least 21 flood-related deaths have been in reported in central Europe following a week of heavy rain, leading to rivers swelling and extensive damage. Scroll down for video . Only the swimming pool of this garden in Magdeburg was visible as the River Elbe flooded the east German city . In east Germany, people walked through flooded streets in the Rothensee district of Magdeburg after the River Elbe burst its banks . About 23,000 residents in Magdeburg were forced to leave their homes at the city flooded and lost power . Residents piled on to tanks, trucks and buses to get away from the rising water . The latest confirmed death was an . 80-year-old man in Austria who died of a heart attack yesterday during . the clean-up operation in the wake of floods. Magdeburg had water levels more than 16ft above normal over the weekend, although the Elbe has now retreated by about a foot. More than 23,000 people had to leave their homes in the city when the electricity was cut off and streets flooded. But further downstream, a levee at Fischbeck, west of Berlin, was breached overnight, prompting officials to evacuate ten villages in the area. Germany's national railway had to close a bridge near Fischbeck on the line from Berlin to Cologne, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Residents in the Rothensee neighbourhood of Magdeburg were evacuated with tanks, trucks and buses. 'Rothensee is filling up like a bathtub,' army spokesman Andre Sabzog told news agency dpa. Around 700 soldiers were trying to build a dam of sandbags around a power substation to protect it from the Elbe. Sandbags did little to stop the advancing water in Rothensee district . At least 21 flood-related deaths have been reported in central Europe following a week of heavy rain . Volunteers tried to protect Magdeburg from the Elbe with sandbags . If the substation floods, thousands . of households would be left without water and it would lead to a . breakdown of the neighborhood's dewatering pumps. Another 8,000 people were evacuated . from the town of Aken and its neighbouring villages after a dam on the . Elbe river broke Saturday, police spokesman Uwe Holz said. Further north on the Elbe river, . residents were trying to protect themselves from flooding by building . levees along the banks of the rising waterway. Officials in Saxony-Anhalt state also were investigating what appeared to be a threat to destroy dams. Several . media outlets said they had received a letter threatening to blow up . dams on the Elbe river, Holger Stahlknecht, the state's interior . minister, said Sunday. Streets flooded and electricity was cut off in Magdeburg, forcing residents to leave . Members of the German armed forces helped with the efforts to protect the city . In front of Hungary's parliament buildings volunteers joined together to protect Budapest by making sandbags . 'We . are taking the letter seriously,' he told dpa. He said authorities have . stepped up their surveillance of dams and urged residents to remain . calm. Stahlknecht said: 'We should accept . that we humans should be humble, that even in the 21st century we don't . completely control nature - that is one lesson from this situation.' He said it was too early to analyze what, if anything, might have been done to prepare better for flooding. Central Europe has seen a week of torrential rain and perilous flooding . Men, women and children joining together to protect their city, making sandbags themselves . In Nagymaros, 32 miles north of Budapest, water was pumped back after the River Danube breached a sandbag dam . In Budapest the River Danube . threatened to burst its banks as parts of the city's north and south . were already underwater, but began to ease back overnight. The city escaped significant damage, . and Prime Minister Viktor Orban said soldiers and rescue workers would . shift their focus further south. The river peaked at record highs of nearly 30ft last night as . desperate homeowners, hotel staff and military reservists piled sandbags . in front of their buildings to protect the Hungarian capital. No roads were left visible in the partially submerged village of Nagymaros, 37 miles west of Budapest . In Budapest the government is reportedly planning a crisis meeting with the other countries affected to see how the cost of the disaster can be shared . More . than 7,000 soldiers and volunteers laid out a million sandbags to . strengthen flood defences on the river bank, where some flood walls . stand at 30.5ft. Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland . and the Czech Republic have all been affected by the worst floods in . central Europe in a decade. The Danube – Europe’s second longest . river which flows through four capital cities and ten countries – . started rising rapidly in Hungary last Friday. Military reservists were joined by locals who filled sandbags and packed them on top of walls along the river . Tens of thousands have been forced to leave their homes in central Europe but residents in Budapest are still trying to protect their city . Volunteers stack sandbags near Tahitotfalu, 19 miles north of Budapest . The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said dykes had been strengthened at critical points in Budapest. However, authorities have said that river defences designed to withstand floods would be high enough to protect the city. 'The flood is now approaching Budapest, the heart of the country,' Orban told reporters in Esztergom, which is 30 miles north of Budapest. The deluge reached Hungary on Friday but Prime Minister Viktor Orban said 'the next two days will be decisive' An aerial view of the swollen Danube River in Esztergom, 43 miles west of Budapest showed what the capital had in store on Sunday . Twenty people reportedly have died in the floods across central Europe after several days of heavy rains . 'Two decisive days are ahead of us because the danger will be where most people live and where most things of value are at risk. It is now when we have to gather all our strength. 'In Budapest ... it is not simply the flood which is the problem ... but . the complicated public works system through which all kinds of problems . can arise.' At least 1,400 people have been evacuated from towns and villages along the Danube and 44 roads have been closed. More than 200 people in Budapest had already left their homes. A resident paddles his kayak in the main street in Nagymaros, 32 miles north of Budapest . A resident looks out from her window after making her house as secure as she can 19 miles from Budapest . Residents pumping back flood water through a sandbag dam in Nagymaros . | Elbe floods Magdeburg, state capital of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany .
About 23,000 people left their homes in the city after losing power .
At least 21 flood-related deaths have been reported in central Europe .
River Danube has reached highest level in 500 years after days of rain .
Thousands of volunteers are helping to shore up Budapest's flood defences . |
183,162 | 793ec3ff30c242c570c9a9e8c95d78b05c7489ed | By . Chris Brooke . Last updated at 5:02 PM on 14th October 2011 . WHSmith is to sell a range of eReaders as it battles to counter the shift away from real books. The chain has signed a deal to stock two eReaders made by Canadian tech firm Kobo, with a starting price of £89. The deal will give users access to the largest eBook catalogue in the UK, with more than 2.2million titles and one million free books. The growth of Kindle and iPad poses a huge threat to traditional book sales, which at WHSmith are down by around 4 per cent on last year. Kobo's eReader - available through WHSmith stores from next week - is £110, offers 2.2 million books and is the first widely available touchscreen wi-fi reader in the UK. A non-touch version is available for £89 . Bosses have apparently taken the view . that the only way to counter the threat is to move into the business of . virtual books themselves. Chief executive Kate Swann said the . move would complement the chain’s existing real book sales rather than . just encouraging shoppers to swap formats. ‘If e-books are ultimately . successful they will be incremental for us given our physical-books . customer base tend to be lighter book readers,’ she said. At £89, the Kobo eReader is the same . price as the latest basic Kindle. It weighs 221g and can store up to . 10,000 eBooks. There is a touchscreen version at £109.99. The readers will be available via WH Smith's 750 outlets. British book chain Waterstones has also said it plans to launch its own eBook reader . Books can be . transferred between devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Despite the fall in book sales, WHSmith reported a 4 per cent rise in profits to £93million in the year to August 31. The eBook launch comes as part of a revamp at . the chain and follows a strategy of cutting out products with low margins, . such as CDs and DVDs, to focus on core areas of news, magazines, books . and stationery, a move that impacted sales but boosted profits. Kobo already has five million customers worldwide and is the biggest eBook company in both Canada and Australia. Profits from stores at airports and stations rose by eight per cent to a record £57million, though like-for-like sales fell as passenger numbers were hit by the tough economic climate. In the United States, retailers such as Barnes and Nobles already sell successful eBook readers. British book chain Waterstone's recently announced it was to launch its own eBook reader . Amazon's Kindle . £896in screen213g1,400 books750,000 . DEVICE . PriceSizeWeightCapacityNumber of titles . WH Smith's Kobo . | Newsagent announces tie-up with Canadian firm .
Follows High Street chain's successful business revamp in wake of recession . |
215,128 | a27f73033de4814787ccc398ea96ac148c11827f | (CNN) -- When Karl-Heinz Rummenigge speaks, you listen. And his advice, if you want to be the best club in the world, is: Never, ever sell your best players. "I believe a very important point in our history came in 2008," Rummenigge, a legend in German football and executive board chairman of the all-conquering Bayern Munich, told CNN. "We received big offers from England and Spain for the transfer of Franck Ribery to big clubs and we decided not to accept," added the 58-year-old, referring to an official bid from Chelsea and an inquiry from Real Madrid for the player who had cost Bayern $40 million in 2007. "That was very important. I believe because from that point onwards all clubs in Europe understood that Bayern Munich was not a selling club. It's a buying club and that's it." Rummenigge is all too conscious that it could have been so very different for his beloved Bayern, where he spent the first decade of his senior playing career and won numerous honors. Back in 2004, the Bavarians finished second in the German Bundesliga behind Werder Bremen and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the last-16 by Real Madrid. Not since 2001 had Bayern lifted Europe's most coveted trophy, as teams from the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga dominated. For a club that enjoyed such glorious years in European Cup football between 1974-76, winning the title on three consecutive occasions, the prospect of being left behind by the continent's elite was frightening. Rummenigge -- who played in the 1976 success and was an unused substitute in the previous year's final -- was all too aware of Bayern's precarious position. It wasn't just the interest other more avaricious clubs had in Bayern's leading players; the new money flooding into European football also potentially threatened the Germans' status. "About 10 years ago I thought we had no chance when gentlemen from Russia and from the Arab countries came into the business," said Rummenigge, referring to the various takeovers of major European clubs by Middle East groups and also Roman Abramovich's investment in England's Chelsea. "Then we found a very good philosophy at the club -- being a bit patient, and buying good players. "The story began in 2007 when we bought Ribery, Luca Toni ... and we continue this story to today." A buying club indeed -- Bayern has become a European power to rival Barcelona and Real Madrid by attracting some of the world's top players. That it is able to do so owes much to the commercial model Rummenigge has created along with club president Uli Hoeness. Helped by the presence of so many of its great players on the board, Bayern is a club which understands not just what happens on the pitch, but off it too. According to the Deloitte money report, Bayern is the third richest club in the world, with its revenue growing by 17% over the past year to $592 million. It is the first time in 11 years that Bayern has been in the top three of the Money League and comes following a Champions League triumph from which it gained a 31% increase in broadcast revenue. Its average home attendances of 71,000 led to matchday revenue of $4.6 million -- more than any other Bundesliga club and less than only four others in Europe. Commercial revenue, merchandise, sponsorship and advertising have all increased markedly, while deals with partners have also boosted the coffers. Extensions to deals with Coca-Cola and Lufthansa, on top of the club's longstanding partnerships with Adidas and Allianz, which holds the naming rights to the stadium, have put Bayern miles ahead of its domestic rivals. That is part of the reason why it has been able to raid the likes of Borussia Dortmund for talents such as Mario Gotze, who joined at the start of this season, and Robert Lewandowski, who will arrive in Munich when it finishes. "That is not our will," Rummenigge says when asked about poaching from rival clubs. "Our will is where you find the best players in the German Bundesliga. In England it's not different that the big clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United are interested especially in players from Arsenal, from Liverpool and so on. I believe that is the normality of the business." Such is the talent at Bayern that Pep Guardiola, who took over from treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes at the end of last season, was able to name Germany internationals such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller as substitutes for last week's 2-0 win at Arsenal in the Champions League. Already 19 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, unbeaten in 47 league games, Bayern looks set to win a record 24th championship without much hassle. Sunday's 4-0 victory over Hannover -- its 14th successive league win -- means only an absolute disaster can prevent Bayern from coasting to a successful title defense, making Dortmund's two-season reign seem long ago. Even more impressive is that Bayern's fans can enjoy this success while paying prices which English Premier League counterparts could only dream of. Bayern's 225,000 members hold an 82% share of the club, and Rumenigge has made football accessible to all supporters with some season tickets available for just over $200. Indeed, the low-cost deals offered by all Bundesliga teams are the envy of many within the European game. Bayern, the 2013 Club World Cup champion, is seeking to extend its dominance and will reportedly open the club's first overseas office in New York from April 1 to help break into the North American market. Guardiola's team will begin a U.S. tour in late July, including a match against the Major League Soccer All-Star lineup. Under the guidance of the Spaniard, the possibilities appear endless for Bayern -- a heavy favorite to become the first team to retain the European title since the advent of the Champions League in 1992. It makes Bayern's acquisition of the former Barcelona coach even more frightening for those who are trying to compete within the same sphere. "From the very first meeting, I had a feeling that he was something special," Rummenigge said of Guardiola. "He's different. Obsessed by football in a very, very nice and good way. When I talked to our players six months ago they said this guy doesn't stop our success story. This guy brings us ahead." If they move any further ahead, then the others will only look on with fear. | Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge opens up to CNN .
Reveals his fears that German team would slip from football elite .
He says club's refusal to sell Franck Ribery was pivotal moment .
Bayern on course for record 24th Bundesliga title and European defense . |
230,745 | b6cc0fba35fef53ba214ec3e83094a2b59f1b1ea | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:29 EST, 29 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:04 EST, 29 September 2013 . The rate of Americans picking up and moving each year is near a record low despite indications last year that the recession-era trend might be improving. Census data showed an improvement last year in people moving from one house to another. The important indicator of economic strength saw record highs during the boom years and the improvement was cause for optimism in the country’s besieged housing sector. But the bump now appears to have been short-lived as 2013 data sinks back to near 2011’s lows. Downward trend: Americans move far less than they did in the years leading up to and during the housing bubble and the trend is improving only sluggishly . According to data assembled by Trulia, post-housing bubble lows came in 2011 when 11.6 percent of Americans picked up and moved. Back during the 1950s and 1960s—as families moved en masse to booming cities in California and elsewhere in the West—the rate hovered around 20 percent each year. Leading up to and during the housing bubble of the early 2000s, that number had surged back to around 17 percent each year. But in 2013, that number was a meager 11.7 percent. Higher than 2011 stats, though not by much. Golden years: In the 1950s and 1960s, some 20 percent of Americans moved each year, but those rates no longer break 12 percent . Improvement? Moving for all reasons is down from pre-housing bubble numbers, while moving for a job is slightly up from the 2010-2011 data . Data from 2012 indicated a rise with 12 percent of people moving, making 2013’s poor showing all the more depressing for Americans hopeful for an accelerating economic recovery. Though, the data has not been all bad in 2013. While short-distance, intra-county moves are at an all-time low of 7.5 percent this year, longer distance moves are slightly up from 2011 and 2010. However, the explanation for this could be disheartening. While short-distance moves are for people looking for new or better homes—a leading force behind the American economy—longer-distance moves across counties and states tend to be more for those in search of work. While this suggests that the job market is picking up ahead of the housing market, both indicate a sluggish recovery. The rates of longer-distance moves, while improved from 2010-2011, are still far lower than pre-housing bubble levels. Recovery? A 2011 map shows state-to-state moves, a trend that indicates moves for better jobs. Moves for better housing are at all-time lows, which indicates a continued sluggish housing recovery . | In the 1950s and 1960s, 20 percent of Americans moved each year -- in 2013, only 11.7 percent moved . |
248,789 | cdeb6b9e74f7214693f620af2480c894ddc9f0aa | United Nations (CNN) -- The Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations was effectively stalled Friday after the Security Council approved a report stating its inability "to make a unanimous recommendation." "We knew from the beginning ... that we might not be able to succeed in the Security Council because there is a powerful country that has the veto power," said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations. He said that he believed the report was "objective." The United States has been vocal about its intention to veto any Palestinian bid for statehood. Last week, France and the United Kingdom said they would abstain from the vote. Those three nations, along with China and Russia, have veto power in the Security Council. "We thought that with diligent diplomatic efforts, with success at the UNESCO, of being admitted in the U.N. system as the state of Palestine ... that Palestine would be admitted as a member state," Mansour said. UNESCO is the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which recently granted the Palestinian Authority full membership . The report, written by a special Security Council committee and obtained by CNN, was the result of seven weeks of meetings. It details myriad disagreements between the council members on whether Palestine fulfills the requirements set forth in the U.N. charter for members countries. By contrast, when the committee met to discuss the application of South Sudan -- a territory and now country involved in no small dispute of its own -- it came to an agreement after a single 10-minute meeting. According to the charter, countries seeking membership must be "peace-loving," "accept the obligations" of the U.N. charter, and "willing and able to carry out" those obligations. According to the report, the 15 council members fall into three categories: those countries that support Palestinian membership, those that can't support it at this time (for whom abstention was envisaged in the event of a vote), and those countries that say the requirements were not met and couldn't vote for recommendation. In order for a vote to take place, one of the 15 council members must request it. Diplomats say, however, that the ball is largely in the Palestinians' court to push for a vote. Were a council resolution to pass, the membership bid would be forwarded to the General Assembly, where passage is all but assured. A vote in the near term does not seem likely. But should it take place, diplomats say that the Palestinians are unlikely to get even the nine votes necessary for a resolution to pass, because of a large number of abstentions. The U.S. veto would effectively be moot. "The Palestinians have to make their own choice as to how to proceed," said Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "The United States has made its own views quite clear, both directly to the Palestinians and to the larger international community and the council membership. We'll look to see what they choose to do." The next step for the Palestinians remains unclear. They could sidestep the Security Council and go straight to the General Assembly, where they would get an upgraded observer status, matching that of the Vatican, but not full membership. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, however, has said that they will not pursue that option. Abbas is set to meet with the leadership of the Arab League next week. U.N. diplomats say that the Palestinians' next step may become more clear after that meeting. | A report details myriad disagreements between the council members .
Many question Palestinians' ability to meet U.N. charter obligations .
A country must be a "peace-loving" country, says the charter . |
165,768 | 62626a0cbb356094c68e2d3f636b19f61e14c822 | Anti-gay hackers have reportedly shut down more than 70,000 accounts on a Russian gay dating app and threatened its users with arrest. The founder of Hunters - which resembles the global hook-up app Grindr - claimed vigilantes brought the service to its knees just days before Olympic dignitaries arrived in Sochi. 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VIDEO Scroll down for . as activists go inside Sochi's most popular GAY bar. Hunters become hunted: Users of the Russian equivalent of Grindr received these threatening messages . Russia has faced global pressure over its law banning gay 'propaganda', which makes it illegal to tell children homosexuality is acceptable, and a surge of vigilante attacks that have accompanied it. Groups with names like Occupy Paedophilia hunt down gay men, abduct them, film themselves torturing them and post the footage on YouTube, with campaigners saying police are unwilling to act. The founder of the app - whose advertising claims its users have sex every seven seconds - sent veteran gay culture journalist Andy Towle evidence of the mass attack. The threatening message was sent at 11.52pm on February 1, he said - then the next morning, users trying to open the app in Sochi and the nearby district of Adler found themselves locked out. They were faced with a message saying they had entered the wrong password and would be blocked for 55,260 minutes - or 38 days. Account locked: More apparent screenshots from the app, provided to MailOnline by its anonymous founder . The app's founder, who asked his full name to be kept anonymous, told MailOnline: 'The app came under an attack by hackers, resulting in users from Sochi receiving threats of arrest and their profiles being blocked. Several hours later some 72,000 user profiles were deleted in Russia. 'I'm sure that this provocation against the gay community was initiated by the Russian authorities and was an attempt to eliminate any gay interaction during the Olympic Games in Sochi, including any between athletes, tourists and locals. 'The hackers didn't leave any traces, but it is clear from an obvious spelling mistake that they were not native English speakers. I'm sure that the attackers were acting in the interest of Russian authorities. 'I urge the entire gay community and all of those who consider the Internet to be a free zone to boycott not only Russian vodka but also everything that is linked to the Olympics and not to buy any Olympic souvenirs.' The app claims to have more than a million users worldwide, 100,000 of whom are in Russia. Popular: The Hunters website claims one of its users has sex every 20 seconds - but more than 70,000 profiles were shut down and users were sent threatening messages. The servers are being moved out of Russia . Hook-ups: The app bears close similarities to the U.S.-based gay hook-up app Grindr (file photos) Engineers managed to restore about a quarter of the deleted profiles, but the rest were lost permanently, he claimed. The firm reacted by immediately moving its servers from Russia to elsewhere in Europe. The app, similarly to Grindr, gives users a 'grid' of other members who are nearby, listing them in the order of their proximity. Grindr chiefs have insisted the service is not just for sex, preferring to describe it as a 'location-based social networking application'. Friday's Winter Olympics opening ceremony featured a performance by 'faux-lesbian' singers tATu, who sang a song about love between two teenage girls - despite gay rights protesters being arrested hours later. Russian authorities said the duo were chosen because they were one of the few Russian pop acts known worldwide. Gay rights have been top of the agenda in Sochi, with Barack Obama not attending the ceremony and sending a delegation which included openly gay athletes instead. Strange choice: Faux-lesbian act tATu performed at the opening ceremony despite a crackdown on gay rights . Anger: A gay rights activist is detained in Moscow's Red Square hours after the end of the opening ceremony . Swamped: Andrey Tanichev (centre), who owns Sochi's only gay club Mayak, has given 200 interviews . Such is the attention that Sochi's only gay club has been beset by journalists trying to get a taste of the underbelly of Russian gay culture. According to New Republic, the catchphrase among those posted to cover the Olympics is 'Have you been to Mayak yet?'. Club owner Andrey Tanichev said he has given more than 200 interviews to reporters from almost every country in the world - 'except the Spanish, God bless them'. Rejected: Music festival organisers were left hanging on the telephone for Eighties legends Blondie . Eighties pop-rock icons Blondie refused the offer of a gig at the Sochi Olympics because of Russia's record on gay rights. Singer Debbie Harry posted a photo of the original offer on Twitter (right) with the words 'PASS, HUMAN RIGHTS' scrawled across it in black ink. The band, famous for their hits Atomic, Heart of Glass, One Way or Another and Rapture, were invited to play the Red Rocks music festival in Sochi on February 13 for a five-figure fee. The free gig would have had an audience of up to 25,000 people on the Olympic main stage, preceded by a medal ceremony. It would have been sponsored by SberBank Russia, the largest in Eastern Europe and the third-largest in Europe. But the outspoken singer flatly rejected the offer, joining the likes of Lady Gaga and Madonna in attacking Russia's 'gay propaganda' law. She wrote: 'Share if you agree... #pass4humanrights #sochi2014'. Outspoken: Blondie singer Debbie Harry, pictured, told Twitter users to spread the Russian boycott . | 72,000 Hunters profiles were deleted and users were sent stern messages .
Members of the smartphone app in Sochi were locked out for 38 days .
'Hook-up' app is similar to the U.S.-based gay dating phenomenon Grindr .
Blondie reveal they rejected Winter Olympics gig on human rights grounds . |
158,888 | 596ad8d4a77f81176fb50f8a0d5801012d7c4778 | Premier League attendance levels last season were the highest in England's top division for 64 years, and more people attend Premier League games each season than in any league in the world, at almost 14 million. As MailSport’s groundbreaking study of the world's major leagues shows, only Germany's Bundesliga can top the Premier League in any measure of turnstile success - fans attending per game. The Bundesliga's figure of 42,609 fans per game is the biggest average in world football and the second biggest average in global professional sport - after American’s NFL. Scroll down for a FULL list of average attendances per game last season . The Premier League averaged 36,695 fans per game last season to be the second best attended football league per game by some margin ahead of La Liga in third (26,955 fans per game), then Italy’s Serie A (23,385), with Mexico's LigaMX (22,271) pushing France's Ligue 1 (21,155) out of the top five. The Dutch Eredivisie and MLS in the USA and Canada are the seventh and eighth best attended leagues with more than 19,000 fans per game each. In terms of total fans through the turnstiles, the Premier League, with 20 teams and 380 matches had 13.94 million fans coming through the turnstiles last season, or almost a million more than in the Bundesliga, where the 18 teams played 306 games. With an average fan attendance of 42,609 the Bundesliga boasts the highest amount in world football . The English Premier League came second in the standings from the study taken from 34 leagues worldwide . The MLS had an average attendance of 19,000 fans per match, increasing by 2.9% on the 2013-14 season . The study looked at 34 leagues around the world, including the top divisions from 33 nations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia - plus the Championship from England as well. The Premier League has the biggest aggregate attendance in the study (13.94m) then the Bundesliga (13m) and La Liga (10.2m) followed by the Championship, where the 552 games between the 24 teams were watched by 9.2m last season. The Scottish Premiership is 21st on the list of 34 with 10,228 fans per game last season but that is down considerably since Rangers were demoted. It will be down again this season without either Hearts or Hibs in the top flight. Barcelona recorded the highest average in the Spanish top flight, which sits third in the attendance league . Without having Rangers to add to the tally, the Scottish Premiership has seen a fall in average attendances . | Study looks at the top leagues in Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia .
Sportsmail reveals the Bundesliga has the highest average fan attendance .
England's Premier League is second, although plays 74 more games . |
186,635 | 7dbe9e5e40dbbab1be4f7e0231fda7e6ae39952c | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If your organization has the right stuff, it could display one of the U.S. shuttles that NASA plans to retire from service in 2010. Space Shuttle Endeavour comes in for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California last month. The space agency sent a notice this week to museums, schools and similar institutions to gauge their interest and qualifications for properly housing Discovery, Atlantis or Endeavour. The shuttles are to be retired by September 30, 2010, but they won't be available until about a year later, NASA spokesman Michael Curie said Thursday. "These are national assets, national treasures and something that NASA feels the public would want to see displayed publicly for years to come," Curie said. Space shuttle Discovery already has been offered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. "We have the information, and of course, we're thrilled to be considered for this artifact," said Claire Brown, director of communications for the museum. But no action has been taken at this point, and the institution doesn't have a plan for incurring the cost, she added. The privilege of showing off a shuttle won't be cheap -- about $42 million. This figure will include $28.2 million for the removal of hazardous chemicals -- such as ammonia, used as a coolant, and nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine, used as fuel; $5.8 million for moving the shuttle via a carrier aircraft to its new location; and $8 million for preparing the shuttle for display, Curie said. A carrier aircraft will be the only way to deliver a shuttle to a landlocked location, and such aircraft will no longer be in NASA's budget once the shuttle program ends. After chemicals are drained from the shuttle, its estimated weight will be about 170,000 pounds, Curie said. Whatever facility receives a shuttle must have experience in displaying space hardware and major historical artifacts, NASA said. The shuttles will be released without their engines, which, along with other components, will be offered separately. The deadline for responding to NASA is March 17. NASA emphasizes that it will pay special attention to ensuring that the shuttles will retire to "appropriate places." The agency wants them to remain in the United States, and private collectors likely would not meet NASA's goal to have the orbiters and engines displayed publicly, Curie said. "We really feel that these are artifacts that are important to the history of the country and that as many people as possible should have the opportunity to see them if they can," Curie said. Asked whether NASA had considered trying to sell the shuttles on eBay, he laughed: "No, that probably wouldn't be the prudent thing to do with something paid for by taxpayers' money." In January 2004, President Bush called for an eventual shift in focus from the space shuttle program to the new Vision for Space Exploration program, which NASA describes as "a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system." Bush has said he wants astronauts to return to the moon by 2020. However, President-elect Barack Obama has a team reviewing options for the direction of space exploration. CNN's A. Pawlowski contributed to this report. | NASA gauges interest of museums and schools for properly housing shuttles .
Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour will be retired by 2010 .
Discovery has been offered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum .
The privilege of showing off a shuttle won't be cheap -- about $42 million . |
61,675 | af2d712599be471d1ba0b91fa18c347220ca595d | Hamburg SV have sacked coach Mirko Slomka after the former European champions' bad start to the Bundesliga season, the club said on Tuesday. The 47-year-old Slomka, who took over at Hamburg in February, was informed of the decision on Monday, club officials told reporters. Hamburg director Dietmar Beiersdorfer said under-23 coach Joe Zinnbauer would take temporary charge of the first team. Mirko Sloma only arrived at Hamburg in February this year but he has already been sacked after a slow start . Despite signing the likes of Lewis Holtby (left) Hamburg have not scored a single goal yet this season . Slomka was tasked with lifting Hamburg away from relegation last season but they still needed a playoff to stay up and protect their perfect record of having played in the Bundesliga every season since its creation in 1963. The northern German club have made a bad start this season, losing two of their three games and drawing the other to sit in last place on one point, despite spending big in the transfer market. Newcomers Lewis Holtby, U.S. international Julian Green and winger Nicolai Mueller have so far failed to deliver with Hamburg having failed to score yet while Swiss international Valon Behrami and centre back Cleber have failed to plug a leaky defence. Hamburg, who lost 2-0 to Slomka's former club Hanover 96 on Sunday, take on champions Bayern Munich next weekend. Leon Andreasen scores the first goal in the defeat by Hannover, the final nail in Mirko Slomka's coffin . | Hamburg have yet to score after three league games .
Slomka took over in February and saved club from relegation .
But defeat to former club Hannover 96 on Sunday sealed his fate . |
56,083 | 9ef6f62fe4cee6fe67b297fff040d18b95d036e9 | Two new immigrants have arrived in the United States for every new job created nationwide, during the years stretching from 2000 and 2014, according to government statistics. The pressures on America's labor market could be extreme in coming years as wave after wave of immigrants – both legal and illegal – crowd into the U.S. and compete for increasingly scarce paying positions. The Center for Immigration Studies, a center-right group that opposes expanding opportunities for illegal immigrants, compiled numbers that show the massive disparity between an influx of human capital and the employment opportunities availabe to them. About 18 million people moved to the United States from other countries between 2000 and 2014. But only 9.3 million new jobs were created during that same period. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . President Barack Obama met in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4 with illegal immigrants wh owere brought to the US as children; his 'Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals' (DACA) program, implemented without Congress, allows them to stay and receive work permits without fear of deportation . Protesters gathered last June near the Mexican Consulate in Austin, Texas represent a growing number of Americans who believe immigration overload is costing native-born Americans jobs . The total number of new immigrants since 2000 (2nd bar) and the net gain in working-age Americans who are in the country legally (4th bar) together dwarf the number of new jobs (1st bar) Adding greater concern for Americans who are looking for work, the pool of eligible workers who were born in the U.S. is also expanding at a record pace. The native-born population age 16 and older grew by 25.2 million in the same 15 years. 'There is no labor shortage,' CIS research director Dr. Steven Camorata writes in a brief report issued Wednesday. 'Despite this, Congress is considering proposals to increase legal immigration even further. ... Congress's disregard for the absorption capacity of the U.S. labor market has profound consequences for American workers.' Republicans on Capitol Hill are already brandishing the report as new firepower in this week's slugfest over President Barack Obama's plan to mainstream millions of illegal immigrants and give them work permits. The White House's plan is Exhibit A in a contentious squabble over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. immigration. 'The president's policies are systematically displacing Americans from the workforce,' Stephen Miller, spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, told Daily Mail Online. JOBS AMERICANS WON'T DO? Missing in the Center for Immigration Studies report is a sense of what kind of jobs new immigrants – including illegals – are taking in the US . Illegal immigrant entries in the US have trended up since the beginning of the century, adding millions more to their numbers since 2000 . IMPACT: SInce 2006 the percentage of immigrants in the US who have jobs has been larger than the same percentage of native-born Americans . 'A record influx of low-paid labor is holding pay down and making jobs harder to come by,' he added. 'Real weekly earnings are lower now than they were in 1979. The American wage-earner is on the losing end of a policy designed by and for the special interests.' Sessions chairs the subcommittee and has emerged as one of the Senate's leading immigration hawks. 'We must be taking steps to curb the flow of unskilled labor,' Sessions said on Tuesday. 'and help families already living here – whether past immigrants or U.S.-born – find good jobs, good schools, and thriving communities.' Varying estimates from the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center indicate that of the 18 million immigrants who entered the U.S. between 2000 and 2014, between 4.5 million and 6.0 million did so illegally. One result, CIS said Wednesday, is that 'the number of working-age natives not in the labor force (neither working nor looking for work) increased by 13 million.' | US created 9.3 million new jobs since 2000 .
But 18 million immigrants came to the US in those years .
Native-born American population of working age grew by 25.2 million .
The result is a low labor-participation rate, a job shortage, and grist for the mill of Republicans who are trying to stop illegal immigration . |
41,166 | 742243700d1ad8052a3fec1ed5f29e765f54b3f9 | The Danish royals are about to be given a Hollywood makeover - two films are being made about the Crown Prince Of Denmark and his colourful love life. The first biopic, called Frederik's Young Years, will cover the Crown Prince Frederik's past as a prolific playboy. The second, called Mary: The Making of A Princess, will focus on his fairy tale romance with his now-wife, the Australian 'commoner' Mary Donaldson, who he met in a pub in Sydney 14 years ago. Scroll down for video . Two films are to be made about Crown Prince Of Denmark's colourful love life. The first charts his younger years as a playboy in the 1990s. The second focuses on his fairy tale romance with his now-wife, the Australian 'commoner' Mary Donaldson, who he met in a pub in Sydney 14 years ago. The couple are pictured here with two of their four children, Princess Isabella and Prince Christian . Both projects are expected to air on television by the end of the year, with the first funded partially by the Danish government and the latter produced by Australian company Fremantle Media. The royals have been bracing themselves for Frederik's Young Years for the last couple of months, with movie producers expected to lift the lid on the prince's past as an eligible bachelor. He dated the former Danish MP Malou Aamund and a string of glamorous models in the 1990s, including Katja Storkholm, to whom he allegedly proposed, before finally settling down with Mary. The Danish actor-director Christian Tafdrup is casting for the biopic and has been given a grant of €27,000 (£21,183) towards the project by the Danish Film Institute. Mary and Fredrik married on May 14, 2004, in a lavish ceremony in Copenhagen Cathedral . He has spent a year researching and interviewing those close to the royals and is also rumoured to have had several conversations with Katja Storkholm about her relationship with Frederik. But despite the film's subject, Christian has insisted that he is not looking to sensationalise the prince's love life. He is also planning on fictionalising a large part of the film. He told Danish film magazine Ekko: 'It's a fictional film about the royal family built on facts, inspired by the international wave of biopics about living people, it can be a dangerous area, but that is also part of the motivation. 'Royals are good characters in films – they have a god-like status and at the same time they must face the same challenges as everyone else.' Mary Donaldson from Tasmania first met Frederik in the bar of Sydney's Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics . The film by Fremantle Media called Mary: The Making of A Princess is less likely to contain any clangers that could embarrass the royal family, as it focuses on the romance between Frederik and the now-Crown Princess of Denmark Mary. The script details the hurdles that 'commoner' Mary faced in adapting her normal and carefree life to that of a royal who is known globally for her great sense of style, much like Britain's Duchess Of Cambridge. Mary Donaldson from Tasmania first met Frederik in the bar of Sydney's Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics. Hobart-born Mary, who is the youngest daughter of a maths professor and a university secretary, was working at an advertising company as a marketing manager at the time, when the royal introduced himself to her as 'Fred'. Prince Frederik proposed to Mary during a holiday to Rome in September 2003, three years after they met . According to Hello magazine, she later said of the incident: 'The first time we met we shook hands. I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, "Do you know who these people are?"' Prince Frederik returned to his homeland after the games but made several visits back to Australia to visit Mary and the couple went on short trips around the continent together. But it wasn't until April 2003 that Denmark's Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged their relationship. Frederik proposed a few months later during a holiday to Rome and the couple were married on May 14, 2004, in a lavish ceremony attended by royals - and media - from across the globe in Copenhagen Cathedral in the Danish capital. From left to right: The Danish Crown Princess Mary, the Danish Crown Prince Frederik, his father Prince Henrik and mother, Queen Margrethe of Denmark at a party in 2004 at Christiansborg castle in Copenhagen . It was described as the ultimate happy fairy tale ending with the Prince marrying the beautiful commoner; . The guest list included the kings and queens of Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium and The Netherlands as well as Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Frederik and Mary's first child Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John was born in October 2005 and the couple have since had another son called Prince Vincent and two daughters, Princess Josephine and Princess Isabella. Actresses Margot Robbie, 34, and Rose Byrne, 35, are both in the running to play Mary, but Fremantle's publicity manager Adrian Motte told The Guardian that no decision has been made on roles yet. He said: 'We haven’t cast yet or shot a frame and we don’t have a director that we can announce at this stage but the project is being overseen by Fremantle Media Australia’s Head of Drama, Jo Porter.' | Two films to be made about Crown Prince Of Denmark's colourful love life .
The first charts his younger years as a playboy in the 1990s .
The second focuses on his fairy tale romance with his 'commoner' wife . |
128,999 | 32af339940f716e681ac6cb60518df95142d9e9f | By . Lucy Waterlow . Model Poppy Delevingne was joined by a host of her showbiz pals as she tied the knot to long-term partner James Cook today. The bride wore an unusual white custom-made Chanel gown which looked like a lacy, mini dress with sheer fabric attached to make it full-length. Sticking with tradition, she wore a veil in her blonde, curled hair. After getting ready at Claridge's Hotel in London's Mayfair, she was helped into a car to be taken to her nearby church venue by her supermodel sister, Cara, who also wore a white Chanel gown. Scroll down for video . Newly weds: Poppy and new husband James emerge from the church as the shone shone in their favour . You may kiss the bride: The couple puckering up for the cameras . Princesses for the day: Chief bridesmaid Cara looks on with the little girls in the wedding party who looked pretty in white dresses with flowers in their hair . Feeling shy: Cara, who must be used to having her photo taken, hid behind her bunch of flowers . Celebration: The bride and groom were waved off from the church by their friends and family . Mr and Mrs: The couple were all smiles as they made their way to their reception . Let's party! Sisters Cara and Chloe are driven from the ceremony . What has brought that on? The supermodel pulled a series of funny faces as she sat in the vehicle . Here comes the bride: Poppy Delevingne pictured on her way to the church in her custom-made Chanel gown . One of the 17 bridesmaids: Supermodel sister Cara also wore a white Chanel gown . Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and TV . presenter Trinny Woodall were among the guests seen arriving at St . Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London, this afternoon. Earlier . this week, Sebastian Shakespeare revealed in the Daily Mail that the . 27-year-old had selected 17 bridesmaids to join her walk up the aisle. Her . sisters Cara, 21, and Chloe, 29, were undoubtedly among them, as well . as a number of little girls who arrived in pretty white dresses with . pale blue sashes and flowers in their hair. Special moment: Cara looked deep in thought as she crossed the road towards the venue . Floating gown: Cara looked incredible in her Chanel number . Helping hand: Cara piled back into the car after the ceremony holding onto her bouquet of flowers . Last journey as a single lady: Poppy is driven to the church in Knightsbridge . Bridesmaid duties: Cara marvels at her sister's dress - also Chanel - as she helps her with her train into the church . The groom: James looked dapper in a Oliver Brown suit as he posed on the church steps before heading inside to await his bride . Support: James (centre) surrounded by his male friends and family . Round of applause: The men looked to be in high spirits as they congratulated James . There were also a number of page boys dressed in white and blue and one little boy who appeared to be dressed as a teddy bear. Pregnant Chloe wore a pale blue dress from Victoria Beckham's spring/summer collection over her blossoming baby bump. Although the bridal party wore white or blue, Geri also appeared to be in bridesmaid attire in her choice of a long, sleevesless gown in a shade of pastel pink. Walking tall: The bride wore white shoes with a transparent high heel as Chloe made sure she looked pristine on the day . Cara was on hand to help Poppy with her long veil and repositioned it ahead of the ceremony . Beautiful day: The sun shone as the family arrived at the Knightsbridge church . Cara wore her hair in a bun which exposed the tattoo on the back of her neck . Family affair: A number of children were in the wedding party including this little boy in a bear costume . Special occasion: The bridesmaids make their way to the church . There were a number of page boys in the wedding party . Cara looked bridal herself in her white gown with a bouquet but her black and white heels weren't as dainty as her dress . Sister act: Cara and Chloe share a car on their way to the service . Trinny wore a different style dress in the same pink shade. The . groom, wearing a bespoke morning suit by Oliver Brown beamed on the church steps as he posed for photographers before . heading in for the ceremony. Poppy has reportedly banned guests from posting pictures on social media as glossy magazine Porter is said to have secured exclusive coverage of the wedding, on which it seems no expense has been spared. Baby on board: Chloe wore a Victoria Beckham blue dress while Cara contrasted to her expectant sister in Chanel . Pink ladies: Trinny Woodall, left, and Geri Halliwell wore a similar shade . Made the cut? Poppy is reported to have 17 bridesmaids and Geri's dress was in a bridesmaid style . Geri was accompanied by her daughter and partner, Red Bull boss Christian Horner . Spicy guest: Geri and Christan pictured after the service . Coupled up: Geri looked close to her new man as they cosied up to one another . Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was among the well-known guests . James, who works for his family's aerospace company, proposed in October 2012 with a bespoke jewellery box by Anya Hindmarch. It contained an engagement ring alongside pictures of the couple and the words 'will you marry me?' embossed in gold. Poppy has had three different . elaborate hen parties around the globe with her celebrity friends . including Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley and Sienna Miller. The . bride's blue blood parents, who live in Chelsea, can certainly afford . to foot the bill. Quirky: Some of the wedding party arrived in a decorated VW camper can . Camper van convoy: The vehicles added a vintage touch . Poppy's grandfather is the former English Heritage . chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens, founder of the 1960s pirate radio station . Radio Caroline. Meanwhile . her father Charles, a property-developer, had a grandfather who was a . politician (Hamar, 1st Viscount Greenwood) and his aunt, Doris . Delevingne, was a society beauty who was friends with Winston Churchill. Her mother, Pandora, is one of the Duchess of York's best friends and . her grandmother was a lady-in-waiting for Princess Margaret. Star-studded: Guests led by fashion designer Matthew Williamson make their way to the London ceremony . Special effort: The guests looked incredible stylish in their formal attire . The venue: St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge . With her parent's social standing, Poppy and her sisters became accustomed to rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous from a young age. Joan Collins is Cara's godmother while their mother's friendship with Sarah Ferguson meant they also became close to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Poppy was privately educated before finding success as a fashion model. She has starred in campaigns for Anya Hindmarch, Agent Provocateur, Diesel, Chanel and Louis Vuitton - although more recently her fame has been eclipsed by that of her sister. | Ceremony held in Knightsbridge this afternoon .
Bride wore bespoke Chanel wedding dress .
Cara also wore white Chanel gown .
17 bridesmaids included Poppy's sisters and number of young girls .
Geri Halliwell, Trinny Woodall and Andrew Lloyd Webber among guests . |
275,324 | f0aeb3d40171d5430bec2a79531bb2fc7b36d9a4 | By . Sarah Johnson . Britons are abandoning traditional barbecue fare in favour of more upmarket foods including marinated meat, exotic salads and stuffed vegetables, a study has revealed. Many are ditching plain sausages and burgers in favour of grilled fish, succulent steaks and homemade coleslaw, according to research. In an effort to impress their guests, 22 per cent of Britons cook more unusual meats such as venison or duck to liven up their outdoor feast, while a third will only buy good cuts of herbed or marinated meat. Out with the old: Brits are bored with traditional barbeque fare . Another 21 per cent depend on exotic . foods and home-made salads and 34 per cent focus on presentation in an . effort to wow their guests. And, 61 per cent of Britons use marinades, some even making their own, to make their food stand out. A spokesman for Kikkoman, which . produces soy sauce and carried out the study, said: ‘There was a time . when barbecues would consist of a burnt sausage in a roll, a plain . burger with processed cheese slices and a bit of salad on the side. ‘But it seems people are being more . creative when it comes to their outdoor feasts and the traditional food . no longer makes the grade. The days of eating burnt sausages at a barbeque are over. Brits now crave more upmarket fare . ‘Rather than simply slapping a few . burgers on the coals, hosting a barbecue now means taking your time in . the kitchen to make sure you produce the tastiest food possible. ‘Hosts are now going the extra mile to . make sure their guests enjoy their food by making burgers and salads . from scratch instead of buying them ready-made, and marinating fresh . meat for hours beforehand.’ The study, of 1,000 Britons, found that . 58 per cent said they were tired of eating the same barbecue food all . the time and that nine in ten enjoyed having something different. Tuna salad is one of the more popular dishes to be served at a barbeque . Homemade potato salad is fast becoming a favourite among Brits that barbeque . 1. Marinated chicken breasts2. Marinated steaks3. Meat and vegetable kebabs4. Potato salad5. Jacket potatoes6. Homemade burgers7. Prawn skewers8. Homemade coleslaw9. Marinated ribs10. Tuna pasta salad . Half of those surveyed also said they . be disappointed if they went to a barbecue with only hotdogs and burgers . and one in five said they would refuse to go if they knew only plain . food would be on offer. Almost a third even admitted to . competing with friends and relatives to see who could serve up the best . and most varied selection of dishes at a barbecue with 52 per cent . saying celebrity cooking shows and books have inspired them to be more . adventurous. The study also revealed that some of the most popular ‘posh nosh’ served at a barbecue include marinated meats, potato salad, prawn skewers, and homemade burgers and coleslaw. | Britons bored of plain sausages and burgers .
Instead, they cook and want more upmarket fare . |
67,931 | c0bc32b24a53a410f7f08248ada486ae05962b7e | (CNN) -- For the past week, Mitt Romney brought his presidential campaign abroad to England, Israel and Poland, leaving his initial footprint on the foreign policy landscape. He may have ventured off path once or twice, but, to paraphrase J.R.R Tolkien, not all those who travel are lost. He blazed his own trail, one that will do him much good at home and abroad. Before he even left for London, liberal commentators, on both sides of the Atlantic, jumped all over his alleged gaffe on Britain's readiness for the Olympics. Romney was asked a question by Brian Williams, which he answered like a technocrat, an expert, and one of the few men in the world who has run an Olympic Games. As Dorothy Rabinowitz so wisely noted, "He did what a man who prizes his authority on a subject does -- he answered. He reflected on possibilities. It was a serious subject -- his subject." If he's to be blamed for anything, it's speaking too much like an expert and not a politician. Critics of Romney often patronize him for sounding too scripted and too much like a politician. Now, when he speaks openly and freely, they criticize him for not being enough of a politician or diplomat. They can't have it both ways. From England he traveled to Israel, where he strongly backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli people and subtly distanced himself from President Barack Obama by vocalizing bolder action against Iran. "We must not delude ourselves into thinking that containment is an option," Romney said. "We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability. We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course." Opinion: Romney on Iran is just like Obama . But rather than focus on Iran, our most pressing foreign policy dilemma, the liberal media manufactured another alleged gaffe -- Romney's comments on the cultural differences between Israelis and Palestinians. Again, much ado about nothing. It's hard to dispute the powerful and rich culture of the Jewish people, especially when quoting "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" by David Landes, an erudite Harvard professor. To his credit, Romney didn't let this slow him down. He concluded the trip by traveling to Poland for a full embrace of Lech Walesa and the Polish people, a strong contrast to the cold shoulder Obama gave to Poland earlier in his presidency. In 2008, despite direct threats from Russia, Poland agreed to accept U.S. missile defense sites. In 2009, Obama folded to Russian criticism and abandoned the missile system, in turn abandoning the Polish people. In a not so subtle jab to the president, Romney declared in Poland, "I believe it is critical to stand by those who have stood by America. Solidarity was a great movement that freed a nation. And it is with solidarity that America and Poland face the future." Romney's closeness to Walesa and the Polish freedom fighters is nothing short of Reaganesque. At a time when the president tries desperately to compare him to George W. Bush, Romney is making Obama look and feel more like Jimmy Carter. Opinion: When did the GOP become the whiners? To those who doubt Romney's political adroitness, examine his deep respect for Catholicism both in Poland and here in the United States. Speaking of the Soviet Union, Romney added, "The false gods of the all-powerful state claim the allegiance of a lonely few. It is for us, in this generation and beyond, to show all the world what free people and free economies can achieve for the good of all." Given that the controversial Department of Health and Human Services' contraception mandate, viewed by many Catholics as a direct threat to their religious conscience, went into effect August 1 for all employers, other than churches and houses of worship (religiously affiliated institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities have a one-year exemption before they must comply), this statement is timely and bold. Romney also embraced Pope John Paul II, a Polish and Catholic hero, one of the men most responsible for the fall of Communism. "And here, in 1979, a son of Poland, Pope John Paul II, spoke words that would bring down an empire and bring freedom to millions who lived in bondage. 'Be not afraid' -- those words changed the world," Romney said. The contrast could not be clearer -- "Be not afraid" or "You didn't build that" -- one man's vision of hope, resolution and encouragement versus condescension, apathy and inertness. If this is the electoral choice Romney can frame for the nation, he will be one step closer to the White House. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett. | William Bennett: In his trip to England, Israel and Poland, Mitt Romney blazed his own trail .
In Israel, he forcefully sought bolder action against Iran, Bennett says .
Bennett: In Poland, Romney offered a full embrace of Lech Walesa and the Polish people .
If you doubt Romney's political adroitness, note his respect for Catholicism, Bennett says . |
33,431 | 5f1844568101397bd8004af582a01950363726f4 | By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 09:55 EST, 19 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:25 EST, 19 August 2013 . It makes the stomach-churning rollercoasters at Alton Towers or Thorpe Park appear tame in comparison. The thrill-seekers on this makeshift water ride sit in the scoop of a JCB digger and let the driver swing them high into the air, before hurling them down into the muddy water at the bottom of a quarry. In the video footage filmed in Russia, the trio can be seen being left submerged beneath the surface of the muddy water for several seconds before finally being lifted out and launched through the air once again. Terrifying: The video footage filmed in Russia shows three young boys sitting in the scoop of a digger as the machine lifts them into the air then dunks them into water at the bottom of a quarry . Dunked: The machine operator dunks the digger into the murky water, leaving the youngsters submerged for a number of seconds . There appears to be nothing securing the boys inside the bucket of the JCB - they merely cling to the sides of the scoop with little concern for the potential danger of such a stunt. The three boys seem happy to put their lives in the hands of the machine operator, allowing him to dunk them into the water numerous times before lifting them through the air as fast as the excavating machine will allow him to. The footage has been circulating widely on social media, where one person commented: 'That looks like fun but I can see something going bad really fast.' Another said: 'Stupidity at work.' Despite the potential for disaster, all three boys are seen emerging from the scoop unscathed, and smiling for the camera. Risk: The three boys looked delighted by the makeshift water ride, despite the potential danger . Get set: At the start of the video clip the three boys are seen sitting in the scoop of the JCB as it hovers over the water . Wild stunt: The machine operator then swings the scoop out of the water and up into the air at top speed . Swoop: The scoop then plummets back towards the water, and the three boys are dunked beneath the surface . Splash: The digger drops the scoop - and the three boys sitting in it - into the water . Danger: The three friends are submerged beneath the surface of the water for a number of seconds . Thrill-seekers: The trio put their lives into the hands of the machine operator, who hurled them through the air in the scoop of the digger . | Jaw-dropping footage of makeshift ride filmed at quarry in Russia .
Shows boys submerged in murky water for several seconds .
Machine operator then hurls them through air in digger's scoop . |
8,818 | 18d98885ca5c551319e2b792c7b0b55a28b7a09b | A Catholic Church official has said angels do exist - but that they 'do not have wings or look like cherubs'. Father Renzo Lavator, an 'angelologist', said the heavenly beings, which are 'back in fashion' thanks to New Age religions, are in fact more like shards of light. 'You do not see angels so much as feel . their presence,' he said at a conference on angels in Rome. 'They are a bit like sunlight that . refracts on you through a crystal vase.' The Catholic Church's Father Renzo Lavator official has said that angels do exist but do not have wings . Speaking at a conference in a lavishly-frescoed Renaissance palace in Rome, he added: ‘I think there is a rediscovery of angels in Christianity.' The first mention of the word ‘angelos’ came from the Mycenaean . civilisation in Greece more than 3,000 years ago. The word means ‘messenger’ in ancient Greek. The . supernatural beings are depicted in many religions and mythologies, . usually with feathered wings on their backs and halos above their heads. In Christianity, angels are generally considered messengers of God. The senior clergyman was taking part in a . debate this week on angelic art by the Fondazione Archivio Storico, an . Italian art foundation, and was held in the Vatican-owned Palazzo della . Cancelleria. ‘Following the cultural history of angels is following the history of humanity, or at least of our civilization,’ the organisers said. ‘Angels have helped drive religious and philosophical thought and have given birth to sublime forms of poetic and artistic expression,’ they said. Mr Lavatori said the popularised . image of angels is a necessary result of their being ‘back in fashion’ but is dismissive of all the angel art around Christmas. ‘There . is space for that, but you have to understand that these are not real . representations. Angels do not have wings or look like cherubs,’ he . said. The Vatican official, an 'angelologist', said: 'You do not see angels so much as feel their presence' The widely-published Catholic clergyman is also a ‘demonologist’ and says angels are more needed than ever because increasing secularisation and materialism in society have left an ‘open door’ for the devil. ‘There is a lot more interference from diabolical forces. That is why you see queues of people outside the exorcists' offices in churches,’ he said. ‘Pope Francis talks more about the devil than about angels and I think rightly so. But it's still early, he will get round to the angels too.’ | 'Angelologist' Father Renzo Lavator said the beings are 'back in fashion' thanks to the popularity of New Age religions .
Speaking at a conference on angels in Rome, Italy, he said: 'They are a bit like sunlight that refracts on you through a crystal vase' |
110,224 | 1a1d2024dae4c3cedc1b8ad99f9ec34b79f39f55 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:22 EST, 1 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:39 EST, 1 May 2013 . Federal authorities have raided several underground brothels and charged 13 people in a sex slave ring that forced . young Mexican women into prostitution in New York and New Jersey. The authorities say some of the women were delivered to farms in New Jersey, . where each would have sex with up to two dozen farm workers a day. Others . worked in 'cathouses' located in rundown apartments in poor neighborhoods. Court papers say that customers paid $30 for 15 minutes of sex. The women . would get $15 but were usually forced to give it to traffickers who had . smuggled them into the United States. Raid: Thirteen men and women were charged with running a sex-trafficking ring that operated brothels and forced Mexican women to have sex with dozens of clients . Grave allegations: Authorities say some of the women were delivered to farms in New Jersey, while others worked in 'cathouses' located in dingy apartments in Queens and upstate New York . The young sex workers were driven to rural New Jersey, where their handlers . used threats to make them service 25 farmworkers a day. Some of the women were confined to dingy brothels operating out of apartments . in Queens that advertised their services with ‘chica cards’ - business cards . passed out on street corners to attract customers. They were paid very little, . or nothing at all. The Department of Homeland Security's Investigations division raided brothels in Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, and Queens in New York City. In Yonkers, New York, two naked women wrapped in blankets were rushed out of an apartment that was being used as a brothel. They also made arrests in Delaware and Maryland. Their ordeal was detailed in a criminal complaint charging 13 people with . smuggling dozens into the U.S. forcing them into prostitution since at least 2008. Some of the defendants were to appear Wednesday in federal court in . Manhattan to face multiple counts including sex trafficking and interstate . transportation for prostitution. Among those arrested are: Isaias . Flores-Mendez, 40; Bonifacio Flores-Mendez, 33, of Queens; Juana . Lucas-Sanchez, 36, of Milford, Delaware; and David Vasquez-Medina, 28; . Carlos Garcia-De La Rosa, 32. The ring ‘lured their unsuspecting victims to the United States and then . consigned them to a living hell,’ U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a . statement. Serious charges: If convicted, some of the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison for sex trafficking . Brutal conditions: The prostitutes were often forced to give up all their earnings and faced beatings if they dared conceal some of the money . The investigation was among several aimed at ‘blockading the repugnant sex . trafficking corridor’ used to exploit victims from Tenancingo, Mexico, said . James Hayes, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York. Tenancingo, an impoverished town in Tlaxcala state, has long been a . notorious haven for pimps who use a combination of threats, abuse and broken . promises of marriage and jobs to put innocent victims, some only in their . teens, on a path to sex slavery in Mexico City and in large cities north of the . border. Most victims eventually manage to escape, authorities say in court papers. But, they add, ‘without legal status in the United States, without family and . friends for support, without employment opportunities and as a result of the . trauma they suffered, victims sometimes return to prostitution.’ In interviews with investigators, one unidentified woman described how when . she refused to work at underground brothels in Queens and suburban Yonkers, she . and her child were locked out of their home on a cold winter night. She also told authorities that her pimps, believing she was pregnant, forced . her to take drugs intended to induce a miscarriage, and that she was beaten . when she once tried to withhold some of her earnings. Den of vice: An underground brothel allegedly operating out of this Yonkers building was raided as part of the sex slavery investigation . Another woman recounted becoming romantically involved with a man who smuggled . her into the United States, only to learn he made a living delivering . prostitutes to New Jersey to have sex with farmworkers. She said he used threats to force her into the sex trade for two years . before he was deported. According to the complaint, the ring provided its victims with condoms and . birth control pills while making them have sex with up to 30 men a day. The men . paid $30 for 15 minutes. The women sometimes got a $15 cut but that usually . went to the traffickers. If convicted, some of the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in . prison. The evidence includes wiretaps of customers and pimps haggling over prices, . the complaint says. ‘What girls do you have?’ one customer asked. ‘From Salvador and Mexico.’ ‘How do they look?’ ‘They both look good.’ The pimp quoted a price of $70. ‘Can you do it for 60?’ | Federal officials believe sex-trafficking operation has been in business since 2008 .
Women, some of them teens, were smuggled from Tenancingo, Mexico, into New York and New Jersey .
Some ended up working in brothels operating out of apartments in Queens, Yonkers and Newburgh .
One alleged victim claimed her pimp gave her drugs to induce miscarriage and beat her up for hiding earnings . |
128,008 | 317457b23cabe9f6f9fa47ab52aff1e19e06e7ba | Barbara Walters while speaking at a breast cancer research awards event revealed for the first time her own experience with the all-too-common disease. The ABC News legend was being honored at the Breast Cancer Research Symposium and Awards in New York when she dropped the bomb. 'Some years back, I discovered a small lump in my breast,' the 85-year-old said. 'I had a lumpectomy. There were other choices possible. This was mine.' Revealed her struggle: Barbara Walters while speaking at a breast cancer research awards event revealed for the first time her own experience with the all-too-common disease . Co-awardee: Walters was honored alongside Good Morning America host Amy Robach (right), who got her own breast cancer diagnosis after an on-air mammogram . Walters was honored alongside Good Morning America host Amy Robach, who got her own breast cancer diagnosis after an on-air mammogram. 'I knew the advances that had been made in treating breast cancer, including lumpectomies when possible. I can remember when such treatments were not available,' she said. 'Research made my treatment possible.' Walters also spoke of her co-awardee's more visible struggle with the disease. 'When [Amy] discovered she had breast cancer, she handled it in the most magnificent and wise, sensitive way,' Walters said, as reported by Page Six. 'I think what Amy has done, and the path she has chosen, has saved the lives of many women.' Walter's own sister passed away from ovarian cancer and Walters reportedly had her own ovaries removed for preventative reasons. Walters stepped down from daily television on her ABC show "The View" in May but still does special projects for the network. Major event: Leonard Lauder, Amy Robach, Barbara Walters, Myra Biblowit and Roz Goldstein attend the 2014 Breast Cancer Research Foundation Awards Luncheon Honoring Barbara Walters at The Waldorf Astoria on October 9, 2014 in New York City . | The ABC News legend revealed at a New York event on Thursday she had a lumpectomy five years ago .
85-year-old Walters was being honored at the Breast Cancer Research Symposium and Awards at the Waldorf Astoria .
Walters was honored along with Good Morning America host Amy Robach, who learned she had breast cancer after an on-air mammogram . |
138,395 | 3efcb7ec7a00c3c84472b0a664dc01fef956b98a | By . Craig Hope for MailOnline . Follow @CraigHope_DM . Middlesbrough have completed a season-long loan deal for Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford. The England Under-21 international scored 17 times for League One MK Dons last season before adding another eight in the Championship with Derby County. The 20-year-old was at Boro’s Rockcliffe Park headquarters today to finalise his move and he could make his debut at Readin gon Saturday. First-team football: Chelsea have shipped Patrick Bamford out on loan to Middlesbrough . Loan ranger: The striker had a successful stint at Boro's Championship rivals Derby last season . Delight: Bamford is raring to go at Middlesbrough . Boro boss Aitor Karanka – former assistant to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid - has used his friendship with the Chelsea manager to broker the deal. There were 10 clubs competing for Bamford’s signature, and the player said: ‘I had a chat with Aitor and spoke to a few other managers about 10 days ago. But after I decided it was Middlesbrough there was a hold-up in the paperwork. ‘It finally got sorted and thankfully I’m here now. Hopefully I can bring goals to the team. ‘Middlesbrough jumped out to me what with the manager’s aspirations and I was just eager to come here and play.’ | Bamford will spend the season on loan at Middlesbrough .
The 20-year-old striker has previously had successful loan spells at MK Dons and Derby .
Yet to make a senior appearance for Chelsea .
Bamford is behind Diego Costa and Didier Drogba in the Stamford Bridge pecking order .
Scored eight goals for Derby in the Championship last season .
Boro boss Aitor Karanka hopes he will bolster his attacking options . |
107,074 | 1618f0d6edeadcdfa23e6cbe3f14c4383f21fdca | The North Korean government called President Obama 'a monkey living in a tropical forest' in a racist tirade against the United States, which the dictatorship blames for knocking out its internet. Officials on the National Defense Commission, led by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, lashed out at America, calling its leader 'reckless' and saying the U.S. is shameless. Washington has denied it has anything to do with the disturbance, which has seen the internet repeatedly black out in the country. Does it work yet? Kim Jong Un, pictured surrounded by military commanders, lashed out at Barack Obama, calling him a 'monkey' in a racist tirade following several internet outages . 'Reckless': President Obama, pictured above with Michelle Obama on his Hawaiian vacation, was the target of the latest North Korean tirade . It comes after North Korean officials claimed the U.S. government also masterminded the production and release of The Interview - a Sony Pictures comedy which was almost cancelled after a massive cyberattack. Instead, after encouragement from Obama, the film opened on Christmas day in cinemas and online, making more than $1million in its first day and shooting to the top of online rental charts. The movie, directed by Seth Rogen, shows the assassination of Kim Jong Un. The satirical film depicts Kim as a childish, camp maniac who cries over Katy Perry songs and soils himself live on air. The Defense Committee has called The Interview illegal, dishonest and insulting. It statement Friday said: 'Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest.' All-American opening: The Interview, a controversial satire which was almost derailed by hackers, opened on Christmas Day online and in some theaters in a move which the President praised . Moneymaker: The filmed grossed $1million on its first day. It depicts Kim Jong Un as an effeminate and unstable leader who cried over Katy Perry songs . It went on to attack the United States as a whole, saying: 'the U.S., a big country, started disturbing the Internet operation of major media of the DPRK, not knowing shame like children playing a tag.' It threatened to retaliate for the internet outages, though it did not specify what it would do. White House officials did not respond. The Interview was for a time cancelled completely after a hacking cell - which gained access to Sony's network and started leaking embarrassing secrets - threatened to stage real-life terrorist attacks against any theaters which screened the film. Many major distributors pulled out as a result, but independent theaters filled the gap, while Sony arranged for a simultaneous online release. Offensive? The film, which depicts Kim dying in a fireball after his helicopter is shot down, has sparked fury in Pyongyang . Obama, who had lamented the short-lived cancellation, congratulated Sony when it decided to go ahead with the film after all. FBI specialists have pinned the devastating hack attack on the North Korean regime - though all its officials deny involvement and some independent experts have queried the attribution. Korea and the U.S. remain technically in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The rivals also are locked in an international standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs and its alleged human rights abuses. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against North Korean aggression. | North Korean defense committee lashes out at United States and President .
Accuses Obama of recklessness and blames them for internet outage .
Follows release of The Interview, which makes a mockery of Kim Jong Un .
Film, which shows leader crying and soiling himself, was almost cancelled . |
28,119 | 4fb30d204ac89bb8155fe1dfaa41123af8922e97 | Rolling Stone magazine has revised its apology to readers about an article on an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. The apology was originally posted Friday on the magazine website and said of Jackie, the woman who described the alleged rape, "Our trust in her was misplaced." In the updated apology, those words have been removed. The magazine said of its reporting errors, "These mistakes are on Rolling Stone, not on Jackie." The apology was changed Saturday without any explanation by the magazine. Rolling Stone was criticized by some people for "victim-blaming" in the first version of the apology. Hanna Rosin, a writer for Slate.com, said on Brian Stelter's "Reliable Sources" show on CNN: "It essentially said this is Jackie's fault but, you know, Jackie is not a journalist. She doesn't know the rules of journalism. She's just telling her own story. It's on us to know that you have to trust but verify. You have to check the sources. You have to figure out with the story is true because if not you end up in a mess like the one we're in now." Magazine managing editor Will Dana sent out a tweet Friday afternoon that reflected that sentiment, saying "That failure is on us -- not on her." But those thoughts were not put into the apology until Saturday. The November 19 article, titled "A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Search for Justice at UVA," chronicled the school's failure to respond to that alleged assault in a fraternity house. One of the major criticisms of Rolling Stone is that the reporter did not seek comment from the men Jackie says raped her. The updated apology says Rolling Stone honored a request from Jackie, a pseudonym, not to interview the men because she feared retaliation. "We should have not made this agreement with Jackie, and we should have worked harder to convince her that the truth would have been better served by getting the other side of the story," said the updated apology written by Dana. "These mistakes are on Rolling Stone, not on Jackie." The updated apology mentions discrepancies in Jackie's account that have already been reported by The Washington Post and other news outlets. For instance, Phi Kappa Psi did not have a party the night in September 2012 Jackie said the rape occurred and the man she identified as her date that night was not a member of that fraternity, the apology says. The apology says, "A friend of Jackie's (who we were told would not speak to Rolling Stone) told the Washington Post that he found Jackie that night a mile from the school's fraternities. She did not appear to be 'physically injured at the time' but was shaken. "She told him that that she had been forced to have oral sex with a group of men at a fraternity party, but he does not remember her identifying a specific house. Other friends of Jackie's told the Washington Post that they now have doubts about her narrative, but Jackie told the Washington Post that she firmly stands by the account she gave to [reporter Sabrina Rubin] Erdely." After the article ran in November, It prompted an emergency meeting by the school's governing board and the announcement of a zero-tolerance approach toward sexual assault cases. The school suspended fraternity social events until the spring semester. According to the magazine, Jackie, who at the time had just started her freshman year at the Charlottesville school, claimed she was raped by seven men at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, while two more gave encouragement, during a party. However, the University of Virginia's Phi Kappa Psi chapter did not have a party the night of September 28, 2012, the date when the alleged attack occurred, or at all that weekend, the chapter said in a statement Friday. The chapter's lawyer, Ben Warthen, told CNN email and fraternity records are proof. | Rolling Stone revises apology after complaints of victim blaming .
"These mistakes are on Rolling Stone, not on Jackie," the apology says .
The magazine says it should have contacted the men the woman says raped her . |
277,127 | f30a5f6a1ff758a6d38d97e82c5f9d07ea024e09 | A murder investigation has been launched after an American mother was stabbed to death during a clash with a burqa-clad 'woman' in shopping mall toilets in Abu Dhabi. The 37-year-old kindergarten teacher, who has 11-year-old twin boys, was stabbed with a knife in the altercation in the ladies' toilets a supermarket in Boutik Mall on Reem island in the United Arab Emirates capital. She was taken to be treated at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City but died later from her injuries in the incident on Monday afternoon. The victim - who is divorced from the father of the twins - has not been identified. Her initials are only known as ABR. Police say they do not know if it was a woman or a man in the burqa. Witnesses told police the pair had been embroiled in an argument in the public toilets, which are beside a branch of Waitrose, an upscale British supermarket chain which has a presence in the Middle East. Scroll down for video . Assailant: Local police released this picture of the attacker fleeing the scene . Escaping: Police released this image from CCTV of the woman making her way from the crime scene . Officers are still trying to determine the reasons for the attack and the identity of the suspect, who fled the scene wearing an abaya, black gloves and the face-covering veil known as a niqab. The victim's ex-husband was said to be overseas but was flying back to comfort his sons. They were being looked after by community police officers. Colonel Rashid Bourshid, director of the criminal investigation department of Abu Dhabi police, said: 'Police found the woman lying on the floor bleeding. 'She had serious wounds after being stabbed with a knife during a brawl with the attacker. 'No reason has been established yet as to why the woman was murdered. The attacker fled the scene after stabbing the woman.' The victim worked at a private school in Abu Dhabi and lived with her sons in the city. Mall employees witnessed the altercation with her attacker. Col Bourshid said a murder investigation had been launched and police were searching for the suspect. The suspect - apparently a woman - was described as wearing an abaya, black jacket and gloves. New: The mall where the attack took place opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants. It caters for a mix of expatriates and wealthy locals . Glitzy: The scene of the murder was the Reem island mall development, which sits between two towers and was opened in 2011 . He added: 'Community policing is now taking care of the two boys and will provide them with shelter and all necessary support until their father, who stays outside the UAE, arrives.' It was not known whether the boys were with her at the time of the attack. Reem island is a residential, commercial and business development connected to Abu Dhabi city centre by a bridge. It was built as the city center became over-populated. It is mostly inhabited by expatriates and boasts the upmarket Boutik Mall, which opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants, including the capital city's first Waitrose, Leopold's of London and La Brioche. The mall bridges two residential buildings, Sun and Sky towers. Its website says it 'offers the best of everything that anyone needs to lead a stylish life. 'Serving the vibrant and cosmopolitan community of Shams Abu Dhabi and beyond, Boutik is an oasis of independent retailers, brand outlets, comfortable cafes and day-to-day services. 'For busy professionals living and working in the adjoining towers and for students at the Sorbonne, it is a welcome social centre and cornerstone of the community.' Although Abu Dhabi is not the largest emirate - Dubai has the biggest population - it has an estimated 40,000 American expatriates. | Divorcee mom, 37, stabbed to death after altercation in toilets at mall on Reem island, in capital of United Arab Emirates .
Victim is teacher at private kindergarten in the city and leaves behind 11-year-old-twin boys .
Local police have released footage of her assailant leaving the mall wearing abaya and black gloves .
Police say they have not determined the gender of the attacker .
Victim's ex-husband on way to country to be with his sons who are being cared for by community police officers . |
138,033 | 3e85de0d3fe97725b686ba0b62e1ab77d0733ea3 | A previously unseen . photograph of Winston Churchill on a horse following his daring escape from a prison . camp during the Boer War has emerged for sale. Sitting . astride his grey mount in 1899, the 26-year-old future Prime Minister is shown . wearing a suit and tie and has on a wide-brimmed hat. He has a . notably slim figure after his 'sixty hours of misery' trying to find . his way back to British lines. He had . gone to South Africa in 1898 as a newspaper war correspondent and was captured . in November the following year. Winston Churchill after his Boer War prison camp escape: Sitting astride his grey mount in 1899, the 26-year-old future Prime Minister is shown wearing a suit and tie and has on a wide-brimmed hat in this never-before-seen photograph . The back of the photo reads 'Winston Churchill after escape'. The photo has been put up for sale by the descendants of Arthur Knight, a trained photographer who was the son of pioneer diamond miner William Knight . He was . part of a scouting expedition on an armoured train when it was attacked by the . enemy. Churchill's . heroics during the ambush led to speculation that he would receive the . Victoria Cross, although this never happened. He was . taken to a prison camp in Pretoria but a month later he made his escape and . travelled 300 miles to safety. He became . a national hero, but it was not enough for Churchill who then joined the army . and helped relieve the British at the Siege of Ladysmith and then take . Pretoria. Winston Churchill (right) with other captured British soldiers during the Boer War . This . vintage photograph is not recognised by any experts in the field and is . expected to make hundreds of pounds when it goes under the hammer at auction. It has . been consigned for sale by the descendants of Arthur Knight, a trained . photographer who was the son of pioneer diamond miner William Knight. When Churchill escaped from the PoW camp, a wanted poster was issued, offering £25 for the young war correspondent's recapture. The Boer authorities distributed a description of him, noting that he could not speak a word of Dutch. Despite this, he made it to safety. Boer commander PJ Joubert, who had imprisoned Churchill two months earlier, said: 'He is just n'klein koerant-skrywertjie' - 'he's just a little newspaper man'. Soon after gaining his freedom, Churchill joined the South African Light Horse, an irregular cavalry unit which fought his former captors. For the next few months, he stayed on in South Africa as a soldier/correspondent, thrilling readers with his reportage and slow march to victory. Arthur . trained as a photographer with David Barnett of Johannesburg and it is likely . that this shot of Churchill was taken either by Barnett or by Arthur Knight . himself. It shows . Churchill surrounded by men of The South African Light Horse Regiment and on . the back of the photo it says 'Winston Churchill after Escape'. Andrew Marlborough, from Duke's of Dorchester in Dorset, which is selling the . picture, said: 'This could be a major find. 'Our . research so far suggests that this is an unrecorded photo. It shows him astride . his grey horse surrounded by troops. 'The . troops are from the South African Light Horse Regiment, which was who Churchill . was with in his role as a newspaper correspondent. 'This . could be taken very shortly after his escape and is a really exciting find. 'It . has come from the direct descendant of Arthur Knight, who was the son of . William Knight a diamond mining pioneer and the founder of Johannesburg. 'Arthur . Knight trained as a photographer with David Barnett who took many official . photographs of the war. 'This . photograph is likely to have been taken by Arthur Knight or David Barnett and . is part of a large archive from the same source. 'These . include images of Lord Kitchener, General Christiaan De Wet, President Paul . Kruger, as well as views on London and Brighton in the late 19th and early 20th . century.' During the second Boer War that started in October 1899 between . Britain the the Boer Republics, Churchill obtained a commission to act as a war . correspondent. He had . recently failed to be elected to the house of commons and went to South Africa . to report for the Morning Post on £250 a month. In a . dispatch, Churchill told of his escape and wrote: 'I therefore resolved to . escape, and the same night I left the State School's prison, in Pretoria by . climbing the wall when the sentries' backs were turned momentarily.' He . told how he walked through the town 'without disguise' and met many 'burghers' then managed to board a train and hid under coal sacks. He then . told how he jumped from the train and followed the railway by night, avoiding . bridges and crossings. He boarded . another train and despite it being searched by Boers he avoided detection. He . concluded: 'After sixty hours of misery I came safely here. I am very . weak, but am free. 'I . have lost many pounds in weight, but am light in heart.' The sale is on . April 12. Shortly after arriving, Churchill joined a scouting expedition in an armoured train, leading to his capture and imprisonment in a PoW camp in Pretoria, but he escaped and wrote about his exploits for the Morning Post . The elder statesman, in his trademark hat and smoking a cigar, on the occasion of his 85th birthday in 1959 . | Picture released by descendants of Arthur Knight, son of a diamond miner .
Expected to fetch hundreds at auction . |
118,177 | 2499119b561196dd47db2e27157a125a12437f0c | A California costume company has angered parents with costumes to dress infants up as marijuana leafs or cigarettes, but the designers say its all in good fun. The provocative costumes are being sold by online costume retailer BrandsOnSale.com . 'Halloween is one day out of the year you can dress up and be anything you’re not the other 364 days,' says company owner Johnathon Weeks. Weeks told CBS Los Angeles his unique designs pull in millions of dollars in sales every Halloween season. A California costume company has angered parents with costumes to dress infants up as marijuana leafs or cigarettes, but the designers say its all in good fun . While admits the costumes aren't for everybody, he says the company always discusses designs before putting them into production to be sure they don't go too far. The company also sells costumes to dress up as characters from Mary Poppins, Gilligan's Island, the Addams Family, Elvis, and even some Disney princesses. 'We gave a roundabout discussion before we design and ask ‘Is this too much or pushing the envelope too far?’ he says. But its the controversial costumes he says sell the best, with the pot leaf baby costume and cigarette outfit right up there with the Ebola response suit. 'Halloween is one day out of the year you can dress up and be anything you’re not the other 364 days,' says company owner Johnathon Weeks . 'We kind of know people are not going to be 100 per cent thrilled with it but it’s Halloween,' he said. Still, there are parents who object. 'I would not want my grandkids in that,' said Cynthia Moreno. | The provocative costumes are top sellers for online costume retailer BrandsOnSale.com .
The company also sells costumes to dress up as characters from Mary Poppins, Gilligan's Island, the Addams Family, Elvis, and even some Disney princesses .
Company owner Johnathon Weeks says the best selling items are the ones most likely to cause a stir . |
108,890 | 186142834a8bb296d61967eb9cfe5e3b969dc84f | For their wedding last week, terminally ill bride Liza Heaton and her newlywed husband, Wyatt, were given the the best gift of all -- a kernel of hope. Heaton, 25, from Louisiana, had been in remission from synovila sarcoma for three years, but last Thursday she received the devastating news that she has just one month to live. Her rare form of cancer had returned with a vengeance and cannot be treated using traditional methods. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Power of a love: A day after terminally ill Liza married her boyfriend, Wyatt Heaton, in a surprise ceremony, she learned that the obstruction that prevented her treatment cleared . Wyatt and Liza Heaton married earlier this month after Liza discovered her cancer was untreatable. Here they are pictured at their wedding on December 13 . Wyatt and Liza Heaton share a laugh as they cut the cake at the wedding reception . Facing the devastating prospect of losing his girlfriend in the very near future, Wyatt Heaton threw a surprise wedding for the cancer-stricken woman. But the best part came after the bittersweet event. The following day, the Heatons learned that the obstruction that was preventing Liza's treatment cleared, allowing the newlywed to take a chemotherapy pill. If all goes according to plan, the treatment will stop the growth of Heaton's tumors, and possibly even shrink them. Michelle Haynie, Heaton's mother, told 11Alive the hope is her daughter will be able to join a drug trial in the spring to treat the cancer. Since receiving the good news, Heaton has left hospice care and her treatment is no longer considered palliative. ‘Last week we were thinking hospice. Only a few weeks left. Then with this chemo pill we weren't given a time frame. We're hopeful to beat it again and go into remission and spend the rest of our lives together,’ Liza told the station. The family have been inspired to launch a GoFundMe campaign to raise money towards cancer research. Since the page went live a week ago, more than 2,800 people have donated a whopping $352,000, and counting. Heaton said she was overwhelmed by the response from her family, friends, and even celebrities. 'Someone got Lance Armstrong to call me last night,' Heaton gushed. Rallying cry: The couple called more than 100 relatives and friends to Shreveport, Louisiana, for the surprise . Right, the two exchange their vows riverside at dusk in Shreveport, Louisana. Left, the couple are pictured minutes after they officially became husband and wife . Wyatt Heaton places the ring on Liza's finger during the dusk ceremony, in front of more than 100 friends and family . Last week, it seemed to Liza that her dreams of marrying her boyfriend Wyatt would never materialize. Wyatt had other ideas. Calling on more than 100 relatives and friends from across the United States to flock to Shreveport, Louisiana, he planned a wedding in just two days. On Saturday December 13 (12.13.14), they exchanged vows by the riverside at dusk and promised each other they would continue fighting the disease to the end. 'When they said it would not be months, but weeks, I took that to mean a wedding was off the table,' Liza told Shreveport Times. 'Wyatt took it to mean, OK, we have to get married this weekend.' Wyatt and Liza Heaton share a kiss at the wedding reception. Liza is now planning to join a clinical trial in a desperate bid to find treatment . Liza's sister has set up a crowd funding page to try and raise money to pursue other treatments. Here Liza is pictured as a newlywed just before she threw the bouquet . Catch! Friends and family watch on as Liza throws her bouquet in the air . Liza was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that targets young people. Here the two are showered with confetti during their wedding celebrations . Liza and Wyatt pictured with a group of friends and family after exchanging their vows . The married couple dance with friends at the wedding reception at their hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana . Wyatt organized the wedding in just two days' time after he and Liza (pictured together) discovered she had weeks to live . Devastated: Liza had been in remission for three years with no medical issues until Thanksgiving Day . Next stage: She went into hospital with abdominal pains and found the cancer had returned aggressively . Options: Liza (pictured right, next to her sister Ann Marie) plans to join a clinical trial to find treatment . At the wedding, Liza announced she plans to enter a clinical trial at John Hopkins University in a desperate bid to find treatment. Her sister has also set up a Love for Liza page on GoFundMe to raise funds for other medication they plan to pursue. She had been investigating options since doctors first rediscovered the cancer on Thanksgiving Day, when she went to hospital with stomach pains. It was the first sign of any medical problems since Liza was given the all-clear in 2011. Tragically, a scan showed the cancer - which commonly targets young adults - had spread to her bowels, making surgery impossible. Happy memories: Wyatt picked out a picturesque setting for his nuptials . Adorable: A wedding video screened by Today show the couple smiling ecstatically at their dusk ceremony . Staying strong: Wyatt and Liza are looking to raise money so they can fight the disease to the end . 'For three years there wasn't really any bad news,' Liza told Today. 'I thought we had beat it. 'When it came back this time, it was such a whirlwind. You're not really ever ready for that news.' Her first instinct was to tell every friend and relative. 'I guess I would want everyone to know that people who have cancer... you're still living. 'I definitely feel like I'm living with cancer, not dying with cancer.' | Liza Heaton, 25, was given the all-clear from synovial sarcoma in 2011 .
She went into hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, with stomach pains on Thanksgiving Day, and a scan showed the cancer had returned .
Last Thursday, doctors found it is untreatable telling her she has a month to live .
Boyfriend Wyatt planned wedding in 2 days, surprised family and friends .
They married on Saturday, and the next day she learned obstruction preventing her treatment had cleared, allowing Liza to take chemo pill .
Liza has left hospice and now plans to join drug trial next spring . |
155,303 | 54bc21c487c15a90d49ded3d74ec4b074fb4c0d6 | By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 03:51 EST, 11 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:31 EST, 11 September 2013 . A man who was shocked to learn the beautiful woman beside him as he came out of surgery was his wife today revealed he cannot remember any of the hilarious conversation caught on camera. Jason Mortensen and his wife Candice appeared on the Today show on Wednesday morning after the cell phone video - in which he calls her 'eye candy' and 'the prettiest woman I've ever seen' as his anesthesia wore off - became an internet sensation. But the Utah couple was also forced to deny the video was a fake after it emerged Mr Mortensen had a profile on an auditions website where his occupation was listed as 'actor/model'. 'I can understand the skepticism,' he said, but added that he had given permission to his surgeon to tell the media that he had indeed undergone a procedure before the video was filmed. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . New-found fame: Jason Mortensen, who was filmed groggily praising his wife's beauty after leaving surgery in a hilarious video, has appeared on the Today show with his wife, Candice . Fans: The Today show hosts laughed at the video, which the couple insisted was not a fake . 'I've had surgeries previously and I've been a weirdo every time,' Mortensen added. 'I'm glad she had the sense to pull out her camera.' His wife added: 'He had been acting like that for about 20 minutes before I pulled out my phone. I thought, "I need to record this so he can see how he acts". 'He genuinely didn't remember a thing about that when I told him.' In . the clip a bleary-eyed Mortensen lays on a hospital gurney eating a . cracker and moaning in pain before looking over at his wife. He asks: . 'Did the doctor send you? Man you are eye candy! Woah. You're the . prettiest woman I've ever seen. Are you a model? Who are you? What's your name?' Giggling from behind the lens Candice replies: 'I'm your wife.' Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy . 'I hit the jackpot!': The video taken after Mortensen underwent anesthesia for a hernia operation captures his shock at learning the beautiful woman beside him is actually his wife . Out of it: Mortensen calls his wife Candice 'eye candy' and the 'prettiest woman I've ever seen' in the video . Apparently dumbfounded, Mortensen murmurs: 'You're my wife?! Holy s***! Dang. How long? Man, I hit the jackpot!' Mr Mortensen said he was undergoing surgery for a hernia repair to fix residual tears from a previous surgery. 'This was my fifth surgery within our six years of marriage and she's been by my side through all of it,' he said. 'In a previous surgery I suffered a severe complication and we didn't know if I'd ever function the same again. She is the love of my life.' But claims that the video was faked were circulating last night after an old profile of Jason Mortensen was found on an auditions website where his occupation is listed as 'actor/model'. Describing himself as 'very ambitious' and listing a range of sports including soccer, baseball and motorcross . among his special skills, the aspiring actor says his objectives are . movies, TV shows and commercials. Another development saw Dr. Larry Squire, a memory loss specialist at the University of California . San Diego, also cast doubt on the clip which now has millions of Youtube . hits. 'Love of my life': Jason and Candice married six years ago and he has had five surgeries during that time . Speaking to Slate . Dr Squire said that the type of amnesia which would cause somebody to . forget parts of their life is a psychiatric condition and is not . associated with surgery. Amnesia . caused by a lack of oxygen in surgery usually stops people from making . new memories rather than forgetting old ones and is more similar to . Alzheimer's, he explained. Dr. Squire added that while a lack of oxygen could cause a patient to . forget some things, it wouldn't wipe out six years of marriage. But the Mortensens' denial that the video is no fake will no doubt please the legion of commenters . who were quick to praise him as 'husband of the year'. One user had lamented: 'Why can't I find a guy like this!' Another added: 'I can't decide . who is the genius of this operation. Jason, for saying this on camera or . his wife for making sure it was documented!' | In the clip, which became an internet sensation, Mortensen is filmed in bed in hospital as he expresses his shock the beautiful woman is his wife .
'Man, I hit the jackpot!' he says. 'You're the prettiest woman I've ever seen'
The couple appeared on the Today show on Wednesday and dismissed claims the hilarious video was a hoax .
Denial comes after online profiles emerged listing Mortensen as an actor . |
83,569 | ed138b1600ac2a4f2e773f88d47ac4dc74837a4a | Starting from humble beginnings in a building with just five pupils, City Montessori school in India is now the world's largest - with a staggering 47,000 attendees. It is so large a packed Anfield football stadium could comfortably attend - with room to spare. The school, known as CMS, employs an army of 3,800 staff, including teachers, support staff, cleaners, rickshaw drivers, and even electricians, carpenters and gardeners. Scroll down for video . Record breaking: City Montessori School, in India is the world's largest with 47,0000 students, but they still have room to congregate outside for morning prayers . It has over 1,000 classrooms, 3,700 computers and goes through thousands of pounds worth of stationary and books each year. Based in the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, CMS was set up by Dr Jagdish Gandhi, 75, and his wife Bharti in 1959 with just five pupils. Today, it sprawls over 20 campuses across the city - and is still growing despite more than doubling in size during the last 14-years alone. Dr. Gandhi said: 'I founded this school . with great difficulty back in 1959. I was beating the drum all around . the part of Lucknow that I live for 15 days but no one came. Dr Ghandi said: 'I believe that we should not deny children the right to education.' Dr Jagdish Gandhi, right, the co-founder of City Montessori School began in 1959 with just five pupils. Now, on average, classes contain 40 to 50 students and teachers say lessons work well with that number . 'It was only when me and my wife persuaded a woman to send the children from her extended family that it all started, and even then it was only five children. 'We started from very humble beginnings and back then we only had a loan of 300 rupees (£3 at current rates) to fund our school. 'But from word of mouth it slowly spread and children started coming. Year after year the numbers swelled. 'I never thought that one day we would have the world's biggest school. There are over 20 campuses around Lucknow and we are bigger than the population of many towns.' Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, 75, and his wife Bharti in 1959 with just five pupils. Today, it sprawls over 20 campuses across the city - and is still growing . The school's rapid growth saw it officially recognised by the 2013 Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest, taking the crown from Rizal High School in Manila, Philippines, which had just 19,738 pupils. Dr. Gandhi added: 'It was a proud moment for us when we were included in the record book. 'But since then we have kept growing - in the last 14 years the number has more than doubled from 22,000 . 'I believe that we should not deny children the right to education.' Workforce: CMS employs an army of 3,800 staff, including teachers, support staff, cleaners, rickshaw drivers, and even electricians, carpenters and gardeners . CMS's sheer size means it has never convened for an assembly - because there is no venue large enough to house them all. Geeta Kingdon, the current head teacher and daughter of founder Dr. Gandhi, said: 'The whole of Lucknow would be jammed if we tried because one bus holds 50 children, so we'd need 1,000 buses to bring them together.' The school receives no government funding, instead charging a relatively modest 1,000 rupees (£12) a month in fees for younger pupils, rising to £2,500 (£30) a month for seniors. Some of its past alumni have gone on to work for the United Nations, studied at Harvard and worked for Goldman Sachs. Current pupil Kanika Gupta, 14, of Class 9J, said: 'I could not imagine going to a smaller school. 'Being at the world's largest school means you get to make lots of friends and meet many different people, with different interests and tastes. Some of its past alumni have gone on to work for the United Nations, studied at Harvard and worked for Goldman Sachs . The school prides itself on its high values and ethics and teaches children how to be good citizens within the community . 'But there are challenges too - standing out ahead of your peers is difficult. You have to work twice as hard to make sure you get noticed, otherwise you are just another student among thousands of others.' Fellow pupil Harsh Rai, also 14, added: 'It is definitely competitive, particularly to get into the school teams. 'But if you make one then you can certainly feel proud of that because you are the creme of the crop.' He added: 'We are taught not only traditional subjects but good values. Dr. Gandhi is an inspiration for us all to be good citizens.' Class sizes range from 25 pupils all the way up to 50 in a single room. Each pupil is also assigned a teacher who is responsible for his or her pastoral care, something staff believe means no one gets neglected or forgotten. The school receives no government funding; children's parents are charged a low fee for their children to attend . Getting into a school team is a challenge with so many pupils but also means that they strive harder to achieve, one student said. Worship, right, is also an important part of daily school life . Miss Archana Mishra, who has taught English at CMS for the past six years, said: 'There is a good rapport between the students and the teachers. It is very easy to teach them and there are not many problems with them. 'We try and keep classes below 50 pupils, and generally they are usually around 40 to 45 pupils on average. We find this is a manageable number and everyone gets enough attention.' And with so many pupils, she admits it can be difficult avoiding students outside of school hours. Miss Mishra added: 'There are so many of them, particularly who live around my area, it can be difficult not to bump into them at the mall or in the street. 'Usually if we see each other, we both tend to ignore one another. We see enough of each other at school.' The world's largest school is in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The school's population is greater than many towns in the country . Alongside traditional subjects such as Geography, Maths and English, students also learn about world peace. CMS is also the only school in the world to be awarded a UNESCO prize for its efforts in this field. Dr. Gandhi said: 'The education that we provide here at CMS is totally different from that of any other school in the world. 'We are not just teaching subjects but also the love of the world. The people of Lucknow have shown that they like our philosophy - that's why there is no space left and admissions are so sought after.' | Dr Jagdish Gandhi started the school in 1959 with only five pupils .
He believes every child has the right to an education .
The school receives no government funding; parents are charged a small fee for their children to attend . |
170,606 | 68d8120a03d22b2b779400fdc82176f91aa57320 | They have become one of Britain's best loved gardens, complete with fountains, a Christmas orchard and an array of topiary. But now, the Laskett Gardens in Much Birch, Herefordshire, will be destroyed after the National Trust said it would not preserve them because they were not important enough. Sir Roy Strong, a former director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, was so upset by the decision he decided he will not keep the garden open. Scroll down for video . Sir Roy Strong (pictured) created Laskett Gardens with his wife and hoped to leave them to the National Trust but it said they were not important or historical enough to preserve . Sir Roy and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman spent more than 30 years transforming a field beside their home in Much Birch, in Herefordshire into the largest private formal gardens to be created in England since 1945 . Sir Roy is so upset by the National Trust snub that he now plans to have the gardens 'destroyed' when he dies . Sir Roy designed Laskett, the largest private formal gardens to be created in England since 1945, with his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman, a theatrical set designer. He began talks about leaving them to the trust three years ago, but he received a letter last month saying the offer had been rejected. 'The letter stated that the gardens did not reach the high rung of historical and national importance', Sir Roy told the Sunday Times. 'I'm so upset now that I have decided to change my will, stating that the garden will stay open to the public for one year after my death, and then be destroyed.' He added: 'Not bulldozed as such, but I will ensure that all the personal aspects which really make the garden so extraordinary are taken away. 'It would be insulting to the memory of myself and Julia to continue to leave so many things which were dear to us if they are not going to be looked after by the trust.' The gardens have been open to the public for two days a week since 2010 and visits are over subscribed . Sir Roy said: 'We married late. I was 35 and Julia 40. In a sense, the garden became the children we never had' While Sir Roy has decided to leave 60 volumes of archives about the gardens to Oxford University's Bodleian Library, the gardens will be lost . Trevelyan Oman died from pancreatic cancer in 2003. Sir Roy said: 'We married late. I was 35 and Julia 40. In a sense, the garden became the children we never had. 'The Laskett in Herefordshire was purchased as our home, and there was little or no garden. But there was a four-acre field attached to it that was let to a farmer for his cattle. 'Julia was already a gardener, and within weeks I became one, too, but the turning point came in 1974, when the farmer didn’t want the field for his stock any more. 'So we began to plant our yew hedges and trees, to make borders and plant an orchard.' Combining their prodigious talents, the couple spent the next 30 years transforming the field in to formal gardens with a rose garden, pleached lime avenue, kitchen garden and fountains. The gardens also contain a temple dedicated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, an arbour in honour of Sir Frederick Ashton, the Royal Ballet choreographer with whom Trevelyan Oman regularly worked and a sundial from the estate of the photographer Sir Cecil Beaton. They have been open to the public for two days a week since 2010 and visits are over subscribed. It has been described by Stephen Lacey as 'one of the most important and interesting gardens in the 20th century.' Sir Roy and Trevelyan Oman spent more than 30 years transforming a field beside their home in Much Birch, Herefordshire . Sir Roy, pictured in his garden in 1993, had hoped to leave them to the National Trust as they would then be seen by many more people . Dame Helen Ghosh, the former civil servant who was appointed director general of the National Trust in 2012, sent a letter last month to Sir Roy explaining the decision . Sir Roy has decided to leave 60 volumes of archives about the gardens to Oxford University's Bodleian Library . In a book published last year, Sir Roy wrote: 'The Laskett Gardens are unashamedly nostalgic and romantic and they are emphatically the creation of a marriage of equals...I know of no other English garden that resonates so forcefully with the lives of its two makers' In response, the National Trust said: 'We were approached by Roy Strong to leave us Laskett Gardens in his will. 'This was a very generous offer but when offered such a gift, our board of trustees considers it against strict acquisition criteria. 'This includes making an assessment of the place's national and historical significance. 'We believe the establishment of an independent charitable trust would be the best way to protest this much-loved place.' Sir Roy became assistant keeper of the National Portrait Gallery in 1959, and became its youngest director in 1967, when he was only 32, a position he held for six years. In 1973, aged 38, he became the youngest director of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London. He was in that post until his resignation in 1987 to pursue a freelance career in the media and as a writer and consultant. He was knighted in 1983. Over the years he has written extensively on the country's history and culture as well as on garden design. His more recent books include The Laskett, The Story of a Garden, Coronation, A Little History of the English Country Church and Visions of England. He has lived in Herefordshire since 1973-74 and he and his wife conceived the Laskett garden in autumn 1974. Sir Roy and Trevelyan Oman spent more than 30 years transforming a four-acre field beside their home into formal gardens. From April 2010, the Laskett Gardens have been open to the public. | National Trust said the Laskett Gardens failed to 'reach the high rung of historic and national importance'
Sir Roy Strong, who created the gardens with his wife, now plans to have the gardens 'destroyed' when he dies .
The gardens in Much Birch, Herefordshire, are the largest to be created in England since 1945 .
They have been open to the public for two days a week since 2010 and visits are over-subscribed .
But the Trust said they cannot preserve the gardens because they were 'against strict acquisition criteria' |
214,486 | a1bb21036280404b8e934571aa073552ed41ed49 | (CNN) -- At least 510 people were killed in Caracas, Venezuela, in December, giving support to a recent report that called the city the murder capital of the world. A chalk message reads No More Murders as a student protests killings in Caracas in this file photo. It's against that backdrop that the country's minister for Interior Relations and Justice announced efforts this week to combat crime in 2009. Minister Tareck El Aissami said Monday he will form 50 community police units in Caracas and take other measures so that "we can have in a short time a culture of peace, tranquility and calm for all the Venezuelan public." By all accounts, it will be a tall order. Foreign Policy magazine said in September that Caracas tops the list of five murder capitals of the world, with an official tally of 130 homicides per 100,000 residents. The city, which is Venezuela's capital, has about 4 million inhabitants. Foreign Policy is owned by The Washington Post Co. and published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The United States made the magazine's top five, too, with New Orleans, Louisiana coming in at No. 3. Its murder rate is estimated as 67 per 100,000 by its police department and 95 per 100,000 by the FBI. Still, the rate in Caracas comes in far ahead of the following four murderous capitals. "Caracas has become far more dangerous in recent years than any South American city, even beating out the once notorious Bogota, [Colombia]," Foreign Policy said. "What's worse, the city's official homicide statistics likely fall short of the mark because they omit prison-related murders as well as deaths that the state never gets around to properly 'categorizing.' "The numbers also don't count those who died while 'resisting arrest,' suggesting that Caracas' cops -- already known for their brutality against student protesters -- might be cooking the books," the magazine said. CNN affiliate Globovision TV reported this week that officials reported 510 killings in Caracas this month, capping a particularly brutal year. "It's shocking," said Jennifer McCoy, director of The Americas Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta. "It's the biggest concern of the population -- crime and security." Federico Welsch, a political science professor at La Universidad de Simon Bolivar in Caracas for 25 years, has seen that crime up close. "Violence is the major problem for Venezuelans, according to any source you use," Welsch told CNN on Tuesday. "It's doubly sad because, primarily, the deaths occur almost exclusively in the poor sectors, and, secondarily, it's among youth under 30 years old." McCoy points out that the killings are "basically poor on poor." From the 1970s to the 1990s, the poverty rate nearly tripled, from 25 percent to 65 percent, McCoy said. Even though the poverty rate declined during the oil boom that started in the 1990s, she said, the rate remains high. "It's a combination of economic-driven crime ... with other types of gangs, to police abuse," McCoy said. "The police are not properly trained and not properly equipped." Anti-crime efforts in Caracas also suffered, she said, when the national government took over the city's police force in 2002. "There has been trouble getting the police force back to par," she said. Welsch said he doubts the anti-crime measures El Aissami announced Monday will work. "You can't resolve this problem with police," Welsch said. "The government is co-responsible for there being so many firearms. There is no good gun control, there are no permits and there is no good control over the militias." The problem, Welsch and McCoy said, transcends the drug trade and gang battles. "You don't have the guerrilla problems," McCoy said. "You don't have drug cartels. You don't have a large mafia." Welsch lays much of the blame on the 10-year-old government of socialist President Hugo Chavez. "The government discourse," he said, "is that if you are lacking something it is because of injustice. Then look for it, take it away from those who have it. You can obtain justice with your own hands." The magazine lists, in descending order, Caracas; Cape Town, South Africa; New Orleans; Moscow, Russia; and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, as the top five murder capitals in the world. | Foreign Policy magazine names Caracas, Venezuela, the murder capital of the world .
Venezuela to step up efforts to fight crime in Caracas in 2009 .
Violence is gang- and police-related, and often poor on poor .
New Orleans, Louisiana, comes in third on magazine's list of top five . |
28,740 | 5197e5d0abb5c12ba88c78ea19222f6a9c10c0da | KAMPALA, Uganda (CNN) -- Gunshots rang out in Uganda's capital Saturday in a fresh burst of unrest after loyalists of a traditional kingdom battled with government forces for a third day. Residents of the Kasubi suburb, west of Kampala, try to flee from violence as a soldier takes photos. Local media reports put the death toll at 13 since the rioting started, but attempts by CNN to confirm with local authorities were unsuccessful. An uneasy calm had swept over Kampala early in the day as police and the army patrolled the city in military convoys. By midafternoon, witnesses reported gunshots and isolated cases of riots. The unrest Saturday started after rumors circulated by text messages that the king of the Buganda kingdom had been detained, said Judith Nabakooba, a police spokeswoman. But a Buganda kingdom official refuted the rumor. "It is not true -- the king has not been arrested, " David Mpanga said. Tensions between the Buganda kingdom -- headed by King Ronald Mutebi II -- and President Yoweri Museveni have intensified in recent years. The two sides spar over land, sovereignty and political power. Kings in the east African nation are limited to a ceremonial role overseeing traditional and cultural affairs. Museveni has accused the Buganda kingdom, which is made of of Bagandans, of receiving foreign funding to carry out a hate campaign against the government. Bagandans are the dominant ethnicity and one of four ancient kingdoms in the nation. Violence flared Thursday when the government said it would not allow the Buganda king to travel to an area inhabited by a renegade rival group. The president said he tried to contact the king to discuss the issue as "mature people," but he could not reach him by phone. After the travel ban, young Bagandans took the streets, stealing ammunition from a police station and confronting officers, whom they accused of harassment. Police and army officers were injured, and at least four people were killed, the nation's police chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura said Friday. Rioters also burned tires and cars, set buildings on fire and looted stores, according to witnesses. The streets in the capital were strewn with debris Saturday, including torched cars and burned tires. "Soldiers are walking in a single file, waiting for rioters and ready to confront them," said Allan Mugabi, a resident of Kampala. Journalist Samson Ntale contributed to this report . | Local media put death toll from riots at 13, CNN unable to confirm figure .
Violence flared Thursday after government imposed travel ban on Buganda king .
Witnesses say young Bagandans burned tires, cars and looted stores .
Tension between splintered kingdom and Uganda's president has been on rise . |
115,358 | 20dd0d56b0e282f62fe2d14ee5c29dfca42de28c | (CNN) -- A dramatic injury-time goal by Juan Mata handed Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Wigan in the English Premier League on Saturday to boost their chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League. All three goals came in the second half with Branislav Ivanovic opening the scoring Chelsea in the 62nd minute. Wigan's French midfielder Mohamed Diame looked to have salvaged a point for the second-from-bottom side when he scored in the 82nd minute. But Juan Mata's goal which came after Fernando Torres' shot hit the post saw the Blues rise to fifth, now two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Tottenham Hotspur moved up to third place with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light but Arsenal can overtake them again if they get a result against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. League leaders Manchester United are also in action Sunday as they host Queens Park Rangers. Liverpool's lacklustre form continues as they drew 1-1 at Anfield against Aston Villa. Should Liverpool sack Kenny Dalglish? Chris Herd gave the visitors the lead in the 10th minute before Luis Suarez rescued a point for Kenny Dalglish's side eight minutes from the end. The point lifts Liverpool to eighth with 43 points. Villa remain in 15th place with 34 points. Blackburn Rovers went down to West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at The Hawthorns to remain in the bottom three. The win sees West Brom climb to 12th. Norwich City and Everton drew 2-2 at Carrow Road while Bolton Wanderers suffered a heavy home defeat going down 3-0 to Fulham. Wolverhampton Wanderers now look certain to be relegated after a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Peter Crouch claimed the winner which sees Stoke rise to 11th. Wolves remain bottom, six points from safety with just six games remaining. | Chelsea snatch a 2-1 win against Wigan to boost bid for a fourth-place finish .
Tottenham Hotspur draw 0-0 with Sunderland; Liverpool draw 1-1 with Aston Villa .
Arsenal play Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on Sunday .
Leaders Manchester United host Queens Park Rangers, also on Sunday . |
246,502 | cb050be94fa964e81ab231f3f493f3aeee3cd3ae | By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 22:23 EST, 2 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:42 EST, 3 August 2012 . The suicide of a young woman three years ago was to be re-examined by a cold case team after her mother refused to accept her daughter had taken her own life and relentlessly pursued the belief that someone had murdered her daughter. Sheena Morris, 22, was found hanging in a Florida hotel room on New Year's Day 2009, hours after she reportedly fought with her 48-year-old fiancé Joe Genoese. However Miss Morris's mother Kelly Osborn has continually criticized the police work and hired her own team of private investigators, claiming that her daughter's death was staged. Mystery: Sheena Morris, 22, was originally believed to have committed suicide in a Florida hotel room at New year in 2009 but the case is being reviewed . Rocky relationship: Sheena, 22, and her 48-year-old boyfriend Joe Genoese had allegedly had a domestic dispute in the hours before her death . Now a specialist cold case unit in Florida has announced that they would review the death of the New York-born woman. Ms Osborn and Sheena's father David Morris, have long believed that their daughter was killed and the hanging in the bathroom at Bridge Walk Resort on Anna Maria Island staged. She told Fox News: 'The shower was dusted. There were no fingerprints, not even hers.' Prior to Miss Morris's body being found, guests in the next room had dialed 911 around 1am on January 1 to . report a domestic disturbance from the couple's hotel room. Mr Genoese then reportedly left the hotel and returned to his apartment in Tampa, an hour's drive away. According . to the account on the family's website, Justice4sheena.com, Miss Morris called the police department . close to her home in Hillsborough County at 2am because she wanted officers to check it over. In a taped recording, a young woman's voice can be heard saying that he was 'going to ruin her apartment because she ruined his life'. Tragedy: Sheena Morris's parents have never believed that their daughter committed suicide and have campaigned relentlessly for the investigation into her death to be reopened . Devoted to her pets: Miss Morris was found hanged in a hotel room on Anna Maria Island in Florida following New Year's Eve . Some 13 hours later, hotel staff heard Miss Morris's dogs barking in her hotel room and called police. Her body was discovered in the bathroom. Her fiancé Joe Genoese was not named as a person of interest in Miss Morris's death as the tenant of his Tampa apartment, Marcos Claudio had seen him that night. However in April this year, Mr Claudio said he could not be sure of the exact time he saw Mr Genoese as he had been drinking on New Year's Eve, according to the Herald-Tribune. A team of 15 forensic experts, who . were not involved with the original case, will now work with the local . Bradenton Police Department to go over evidence and review witness . accounts from the tragic death in 2009. Chief of police Sam Speciale said they . would work with the task force but said crime scene evidence still . pointed to a suicide and he stood by that verdict. Investigation: The parents of Miss Morris have accused police of botching the investigation into her death at the Bridge Walk Resort on Anna Maria Island . Sadly missed: Sheena Morris was found dead in a hotel on Anna Maria Island, Florida when she was 22 years old . However he added: 'If (the team) looks at it and finds . something that we didn’t see, or that the other agencies didn't see, . that's great. That's why we're here.' The chief medical examiner for the Florida district changed the 26-year-old's cause of death from suicide to undetermined, as the theory that her death may have been staged destabilized his original verdict. The cold case team, which was not reopening but 'reviewing' the suicide according to police, will make its findings in around two months. Search for answers: Kelly Osborn, left, has relentlessly gone over the case of her daughter's death for three years . Trouble: Miss Morris and Mr Genoese were reported by other hotel guests for fighting in the hours before she was found dead . | Sheena Morris found in bathroom of Florida hotel on January 1, 2009 .
Guests had dialed 911 after she fought with 48-year-old fiancé .
Joe Genoese never considered a person of interest by police after neighbor saw him at home in Tampa .
Miss Morris's mother believed suicide was staged and daughter murdered . |
226,433 | b13387633cbe394b95a603f4d10ffa92118b77f3 | This is the adorable moment two Sumatran tigers really did earn their stripes - proving to their zookeepers they are safe to take a dip in the park's waters. Cute cubs Bandar and Sukacita had to quickly learn to keep their heads above water, navigating their way to the shallow end of the pool before climbing onto dry land. All tigers must prove they are capable of swimming as their zoo home is surrounded by a moat. Scroll down for video . Swimming lessons: A zoo keeper lowers the rather reluctant-looking . Sumatran tiger cub Sukacita into the pool at Smithsonians National Zoo in . Washington DC . Making a splash: Sukacita paddles frantically as she gets used to water for the first time. All the zoo's tigers must prove they are . capable of swimming as their home is surrounded by a moat . Bandar, left, sticks to the shallow end, while Sukacita, right, pokes her head out over the ledge. It is estimated that only 400 to 500 Sumatran tigers still exist in the wild . Bandar and Sukacita, who were born on August 5 this year, passed with flying colours meaning they are now ready to explore the yard with their mother, four-year-old Damai. The pair are the first litter of cubs to be born at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC, USA, since 2006. Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and it's estimated only 400 to 500 still exist in the wild. Getting the hang of it: Tiger cub Bandar proves he can keep his head . above water. The pair is the first litter of cubs to be born at the Zoo . since 2006 . Fun's over: A sodden Sukacita is hauled out of the water by two keepers. The cubs, who were born on August 5 this year, passed the swimming test with flying colours meaning they are now ready to explore the yard with their mother, four-year-old Damai . Can't catch me: Bandar gives keepers the slip and races off to explore his new home . Craig Saffoe, curator of Great Cats, said: 'Tigers are one of the few species of cats that enjoy taking a dip in water. 'The moat exists for the safety of our visitors but it could present an obstacle for young cats. Our job is to make sure if the cubs venture into the moat then they know how and where to get out.' These cubs represent hope for their critically endangered species' future - so we need to take every precaution to ensure their survival.' Cub Bandar seemed less than pleased after he was dunked however . | Cute cubs Bandar and Sukacita had to prove they could keep their heads above water .
Their enclosure at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington is surrounded by a moat .
The cubs, who were born on August 5 this year, passed the test with flying colours . |
207,305 | 9866b3e09a0edaf352fcadff5e989c155a0bcb64 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 12:31 EST, 17 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 18 February 2013 . Gangster: Jimmy Tippett, who was jailed on Friday for a £250,000 jewellery heist . A notorious South London gangster - who boasted about his life of crime in his autobiography - was jailed for duping a businesswoman out of £250,000 worth of jewellery. Jimmy Tippett, 41, author of 'Born Gangster' initially claimed he was forced into the heist by violent thugs, but abandoned this defence after learning the prosecution planned to read extracts of his book to the jury. He convinced the jewellery dealer to meet him at a hotel and arrived with a fellow-crook, who posed as a wealthy Saudi businessman's buyer. During the meeting at the Bromley Court Hotel with Anita Cotton, Tippett distracted her and walked off with the uninsured jewellery, which has never been recovered. This left the shocked victim with a £99,600 wholesale bill to the Hatton Garden jewellers, who had supplied her with the stock. Tippett, of Beckenham and Mark Spink, 52, also of Beckenham, who received twenty-two months, both pleaded guilty to stealing the jewellery from Mrs Cotton at the Coniston Road hotel on August 29, last year. A separate charge against Tippett of stealing £48,000 worth of jewellery from a woman in Brighton while on the run was dropped by the prosecution. In his autobiography Tippett says he was born into a criminal aristocracy, with his father bare-knuckle fighter Jimmy Tippett snr. known as the 'Guv'nor of Lewisham.' His first arrest was at the age of twelve, he was carrying a gun at the age of sixteen and visiting Reggie Kray in prison. Ironically, his boasts were used against him at Croydon Crown Court where prosecutor Mr. Julius Capon said: 'Mr. Tippett is an author and in a synopsis of his book 'Born Gangster' he says he was involved in drug deals, robberies, bloody fights and dodgy scams. Jailed: Tippett was given a two year and three month sentence at Croydon Crown Court . 'He says he has no regrets about his life and makes no apologies for his crimes. He says he has never done an honest day's work in his life and was not forced into criminal activity, but was a path he chose.' Tippett's criminal career has taken him to the Costa del Crime, Britain's toughest prisons and associations with London's underworld. The jewellery taken by Tippett and his accomplice was never recovered. File picture . 'Mrs Cotton runs a small company that sells jewellery and many of her sales were made via the internet and she had been in contact with Tippett on the internet and via telephone and text messages,' explained Mr. Capon. A proposed meeting at the Dorchester hotel fell through so Tippett agreed to meet Mrs Cotton in Bromley. 'He claimed he would be with a man called 'Bruce', who was the representative of a Saudi businessman. 'The story was that the Saudi businessman wanted to buy jewellery for his prostitutes and Mrs Cotton was asked to bring some jewellery with her. 'They met in the lounge of the hotel, with Spink posing as 'Bruce' and all three sat around a table and the defendants continued with the scam, asking questions and examining the jewellery. 'Tippett distracted Mrs Cotton when asking her questions about the prices of certain pieces and he got up and walked out with the jewellery. 'Spink remained, but after a short while tried to leave for the toilets and kept trying to escape. 'The victim's husband, who had some concerns about the meeting, was nearby and when he saw Spink he called the police and the defendant was arrested as he tried to leave in a cab.' When quizzed by police Spink claimed he thought it was just an innocent social get-together, saying: 'I was just looking at the pretty lady.' Tippett went on the run and was circulated as wanted and was eventually arrested at a Ramsgate Travelodge hotel. Both defendants have lengthy criminal histories for offences of theft and burglary and Tippett has additional convictions for violence and public order. Jailing the pair Judge Stephen Waller said: 'This was a scam. A confidence trick.' | Jimmy Tippett wrote 'Born Gangster' about his criminal career .
He was jailed for two years and three months for stealing jewellery .
At first he claimed he was forced into heist .
Drops defence after learning prosecution would read out book excerpts . |
262,851 | e073d430e09c8a1212fd56a45d6e13f532fc2bd6 | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 07:50 EST, 31 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:50 EST, 2 June 2013 . Cheerios has become embroiled in a race row after it released a national television advert of an interracial family enjoying the oat-based breakfast cereal. The cereal-maker was forced to shut down the video's comment board on its site after it was inundated with a torrent of racist abuse. Some online commenters were so offended by the concept of a happy mixed-race family that they said the advert made them 'want to vomit'. The touching short features a mixed-race girl asking her white mother if Cheerios are good for the heart before running out of the kitchen when she is told that they are. The shot then cuts to her black father awaking from a nap on the sofa to find a pile of Cheerios on his chest. Idiotic comments: While it is now impossible to verify any of the comments submitted, AdWeek reported that the comment section contained numerous references to Nazis, 'troglodytes' and 'racial genocide' Multicultural: The shot then cuts to her black father awaking from an afternoon nap on the sofa to find a pile of Cheerios on his chest . While it is now impossible to verify any of the comments submitted, AdWeek reported that the comment section contained numerous references to Nazis, 'troglodytes' and 'racial genocide'. The Huffington Post reported that some commenters on the cereal's Facebook page also said they found the commercial 'disgusting' and that it made them 'want to vomit'. One man expressed shock that a black father would stay with his family, writing: 'More like single parent in the making. Black dad will dip out soon.' A stream on Reddit went off on a debate about the accuracy or likelihood of the mixed-race family being made up of a black man and a white woman rather than a black woman and white man. Adorable: The touching short features a mixed-race girl asking her white mother if Cheerios are good for the heart before running out of the kitchen when she tells her it does . Happy with her job: Whitney Avalon plays the mom in the ad and she has been featured in 47 national commercials . Mixed race couples undoubtedly appear more often in real life than they do on television though as the 2010 Census reports that it is becoming a bigger population and may reflect in marketing trends. The census reported that nearly seven per cent of all married couple households in the United States feature partners of more than one race or ethnicity. The percentage doubles when you include unmarried co-habitating couples, as 14 per cent of those are mixed race. Others thought that it was a marketing ploy to drum up good publicity for the company rather than having any true emotional meaning behind the ad. All over the country: The 2010 Census showed that there are more mixed race couples in the western United States than in the east but there are couples throughout . 'It has nothing to do with the company, the point is some casting agency/marketing department wanted a Carl Winslow, stereotypical upper/middle class white housewife, and a mixed girl,' one Reddit user wrote. This is not the first time that Cheerios has sparked a race controversy, as a previous ad featuring two black siblings and their father received numerous racist comments. In the June 2012 spot, the older brother steals the majority of his high chair-bound sibling's cereal. 'Just goes to show you they start steeling [sic] at an early age!!! First Cheerio's next bikes then cars lol just like in real life,' one Youtube user wrote in the comments. 'Thinking outside the box is not an advertising M.O., their goal is to grab the widest audience's attention. And that demographic is generally filled with the same artards that say they're down with interracial couples as long as their offspring don't become a part of one.' However, despite the string of ugly comments made on YouTube and Facebook, many were quick to defend the advert, made by Saatchi & Saatchi in New York. Kevin . Mueller added on Facebook: 'Every tv station in the US should play your . bi-racial ad during every commercial break [...] Time to help everybody . find their way to 2013 since some are still stuck about 60 years [in . the past]. Keep up the good work Cheerios!' The vice president of marketing for Cheerios released a statement defending the ad after the backlash. 'Consumers have responded positively to . our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of . families and we celebrate them all,' Camille Gibson said in the statement. Whitney . Avalon, the actress who plays the mother in the 30-second spot, has . been featured in 47 national commercials and she felt the need to come . out in support of the ad. She posted on Twitter that she was 'proud to play the mom in this adorable @Cheerios commercial!' | Mixed-race girl asking her white mother is cereal is good for the heart .
Then cuts to black father waking up on sofa with pile of Cheerios on chest .
Cereal-maker forced to shut down the video's comment board after racist abuse .
Commenters on cereal's Facebook page said ad made them 'want to vomit'
But many others praised advert for modern view of American family life .
The ad is running on national television and has been posted online . |
253,328 | d3e6af015a409f9921104ba1b229b7cf68451320 | By . James Chapman and Jason Groves . PUBLISHED: . 18:18 EST, 14 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:18 EST, 14 October 2013 . Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons that Brussels is seeking to unpick Britain's existing deterrents to benefit tourism . Britain will ‘utterly refuse’ to water down rules on benefit claims by EU immigrants - and is winning support from other countries for tighter regulation, ministers said yesterday. The Government is embroiled in a deepening row with the European Commission over so-called ‘benefit tourism’, with bureaucrats in Brussels saying there is no evidence people are attracted to the UK by its welfare system. It says the rules will only be looked at if Britain could show evidence of ‘systematic, widespread abuse of benefits by EU migrants’. But France has joined Germany in . indicating that it favours a tightening of the rights attached to . freedom of movement across the Continent, sources suggest. Work . and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons that Brussels . is seeking to unpick Britain’s existing deterrents to benefit tourism. ‘Our own assessment – our habitual . residency test – currently prevents people who could be working and not . on benefits from claiming those benefits. It is the Commission that is . trying to get us to change that, and I am utterly refusing to do so,’ he . said. Downing Street said there was ‘widespread and understandable concern’ over people coming to the UK and being able to access benefits. But in an extraordinary attack on the Coalition, the Commission said it had been asking for figures on the extent of benefit tourism in the UK for three years but the Government had consistently failed to produce them. Spokesman Jonathan Todd said ‘one can but sincerely hope’ for ministers to set the record straight. ‘The vast majority of migrants go to the UK to work, and they actually contribute more to the welfare system than they take out, purely because they tend to be younger than the average population, and of working age,’ Mr Todd told the BBC’s Daily Politics programme. ‘The more EU migrants you have, the better off your welfare system is.’ The Commission insisted its own report showing there are more than 600,000 ‘non-active’ EU migrants in the UK did not provide enough evidence for them to act, since the figure included older schoolchildren, students, the spouses of migrant workers, and retired people. Only around 38,000 EU migrants in the UK are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, it added. The report also disclosed that the number of EU migrants coming to Britain without a job increased by 73 per cent in the three years to 2011. A spokesman for the Work and Pensions department said: ‘It is absolutely right that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of the British benefits system and make sure it is not abused. ‘That is why we are pressing ahead with strengthening the habitual residence test and time-limiting how long some migrants can claim benefits. ‘We are also determined to fight court action by the European Commission who want to challenge a key part of our safeguards to ensure that benefits are only paid to people who are legally allowed to live in Britain.’ The Government is embroiled in a deepening row with the European Commission over 'benefit tourism' The department said that as of February this year, more than 5.6million people were claiming working age benefits. Of these 397,000 – 7 per cent – are estimated to have been non-UK nationals when they first registered for welfare. This is an increase of more than 100,000 since 2008, when the figure was 288,720. Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman said: ‘There is an issue around access to the welfare system, around fairness as well as a cost issue. We don’t think the current system is working, that is why we are looking at changes across the board.’ As well as examining benefit rights, the Government is currently conducting an audit of the cost to the NHS of ‘health tourism’, he added. Conservative backbench MP Stewart Jackson said: ‘The strain in hot-spots, like my own constituency of Peterborough, is very, very acute, and I think that’s why we’re right to be saying there is an element of benefit tourism, particularly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the Government is absolutely right to be saying to the European Commission, “Thus far and no further”.’ UKIP leader Nigel Farage claimed there was a risk of another ‘very large wave’ of immigration from the EU as a result of the economic crisis on the continent and the end to transitional controls on migration from Bulgaria and Romania. | Government embroiled in deepening row with European Commission .
Rules will be looked at if Britain can provide evidence of 'systemic, widespread abuse of benefits by EU migrants'
Sources suggest France has joined Germany in favouring tightened rights . |
271,886 | ec308ef7d8d8f34a895d9b200ba6fb11dae0cec2 | (CNN) -- A 5-year-old Croatian girl with leukemia will be receiving treatment in America, thanks to her home country's generosity. When Nora Situm's mother contacted Croatian media to help raise the $575,000 needed for her daughter's treatment, they made sure that goal was met. "It was very expensive, but Croatian people have great hearts," said Djurdja Aleksic, a family friend and a member of Hrabro dijete (brave child), an organization that helps sick children. Nora is known in her home country as brave heart, according to Aleksic. "She is a very sick little girl, but very strong," she said. Within weeks of her mother's request, people from all over Croatia donated to Nora's cause, according to Aleksic. Nora was due to arrive late Thursday or early Friday for treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The effort was impressive, given Croatia's feeble economy. Between 2000 and 2007, the country's economy improved slowly, according to the CIA World Factbook. But Croatia has yet to recover from an abrupt slowdown in 2008, the CIA said. A flap arose when people heard that an additional $262,000 may be needed for long-term follow-up care for Nora. People took to the hospital's Facebook page, upset about the charge, but a person who identified herself as a part of Nora's family said there was a misunderstanding in correspondence with the hospital and asked people to stop posting negative comments. Children's Hospital, in a statment sent to CNN Wednesday, said "we try to ensure that all international families understand the difference between the initial costs of treatment charged by CHOP, which does not change, and the potential future costs which will depend on future clinical treatments." The hospital does not charge for follow-up treatment at the time of initial treatment and will not ask for it if the child does not receive further treatment, it said. Fortunately, according to Aleksic, the public and the Croatian government donated money to cover the additional amount, if it proves necessary. | Nora Situm, 5, has leukemia and will receive treatment at Philadelphia hospital .
Fellow Croats raised more than $800,000 after media appeal from her mother .
Croatia is still reeling from financial decline in 2008 . |
8,442 | 17d17dae2a34fae13f2a1a81d641802e0d5cc5bb | (CNN) -- In 1996, when she was 4 years old, Catherine MacLean learned she had aplastic anemia. For seven years, she lived from hospital visit to hospital visit, one transfusion to the next. It wasn't until the summer of 2002 that her world suddenly included what was possible beyond the walls of her illness. She was 11. For many of the years in between, her disease controlled her life -- aplastic anemia is a type of bone marrow failure that made it impossible to produce enough red blood cells to support her body. In 2001, Catherine spent three weeks in isolation at a clinic so that she could get a bone marrow transplant. All visitors had to scrub down before entering the room, and her mother had to wear a surgical mask if she slept there. When she went back to school, Catherine had kept up academically, but the social environment at the school made for a difficult transition. "I was definitely clearly very aware that I was different from the other kids in my class, in a lot of ways -- in terms of maturity, in terms of risk taking," Catherine told CNN. "There's just this gap in experience, because I've just done things and been to places that they just haven't." To help her meet other kids who understood, Catherine's doctors encouraged her to go to a special summer camp for seriously ill children. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps were started by actor Paul Newman "to acknowledge luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it." The camp Catherine attended, in Ashford, Connecticut, is staffed by cabin counselors, doctors and nurses, and it prides itself on giving kids a place where they will feel "safe, respected and loved." For these kids, suffering from diseases such as hemophilia, sickle cell anemia and cancer, it is a chance to see past the walls of the hospital to what the world might be like if a diagnosis didn't control their every move, if clinics and hospital rooms weren't like second homes. CEO Jimmy Canton has been with the camp since it started in 1988. He describes it as a place where children are encouraged to look beyond what they thought was possible: "They've been told over and over again what they can't do. And camp reminds them that there's an enormous amount of things that they can do." Nicole Kucine is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist who's getting more training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and has volunteered at the camp for four years. Outside of the summer, she works closely with many sick children in hospitals and clinics; at the camp, she sees ill children in an entirely different light. What she sees -- children dancing around dining halls, inviting and insisting that she join in -- is invigorating. "Seeing kids kind of ignore their disease was amazing. That they have to take medicine when they eat their meals wasn't a big deal. They could be normal," she told CNN. "Normal" was not something Catherine was that familiar with before camp. The start of camp coincided with the one-year anniversary of her transplant, and her doctors were just starting to use the word "cure." At the camp, Catherine was embraced by young counselors, eager to get to know her. Many of the counselors were in college, which helped her envision what had for so long been an intangible future. "My sort of vision of my life had always been very narrowed, and it was always very much a day-by-day. It was like in a week, I have to get another blood transfusion, and in a couple months, we're gonna be changing my medication, and in a couple months, we're gonna transplant," she told CNN. The experience allowed Catherine to think, "There's things out there. I can set long-terms goals now. I can have long-term goals. There's things that I'm going to be able to do." The friends from her camp still provide support and understanding today, when "normal" life can get complicated. Explaining the intricacies of her illness could be daunting to a college freshman trying to make new friends. But her camp friends can commiserate over routine checkups and test results without requiring any explanation. The camp also changes the way children interact with authority figures. In hospitals, there are always many caretakers who often do things to sick children that are uncomfortable, like drawing blood or giving them medications. With events like "Silly Olympics," the camp puts kids back in the driver's seat. Correctly answered trivia questions win campers the right to fling a spoonful of pudding in their counselor's face, or spray a counselor with a Super Soaker, or perhaps make lemonade mix in a counselor's mouth. "Silly Olympics is, here's this authority figure, but you're allowed to throw pudding at them, you're allowed to strike back, you're allowed to kind of take control of the situation in a way that a lot of these kids get control over their bodies and their lives just completely taken away from them," Catherine said. "In the hospital, you're a patient, that's all you are; in a lot of ways, you are your illness. And here, you're getting up on stage and you're a singer or you're a wood shop craftsman or you're a fisherman, you get to try different things, and so you can take back a sense of 'I like to fish, I'm good at this, I discovered this talent,' " she told CNN. This year, as Catherine finishes up her first year of college, she looks forward to many possibilities, such as medical research and graduate school. But she says the camp has also opened up her eyes to the social side of medicine, and she is considering going into public health or pursuing a job that supports patients. But for now, she is just excited about her summer job. She'll be going back to the camp that changed her life, but this time as a counselor. For thousands of very sick children around the world, summer camp is not just a place to escape parents and make new friends. | In 1996, Catherine MacLean learned she had aplastic anemia, hospital stays became her norm .
Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, started by Paul Newman, helped her transition to more normal life .
There, campers learn how the world might be if a diagnosis didn't control their every move .
As Catherine finishes up her first year of college, she looks forward to many possibilities . |
190,897 | 833301fb71939e39bd975058fb9df190f9c8535f | Bike helmets are the latest product to get the ‘smart’ upgrade. A team of students has devised a helmet with built-in sensors and smartphone functionality to provide data after a crash. The so-called ‘black box’ helmet can also call emergency services, talk to the cyclist and provide hands-free calling. Scroll down for video . Students at Oregon State University and Intel have devised a 'smart' bike helmet (shown) that collects data during a crash. The 'black box' has accelerometers and sensors to work out what happened. It also records the rider's distance, speed and direction at all times . The helmet was devised by students at Oregon State University in partnership with Intel. Its potentially live-saving features include accelerometers, speakers, a microphone and an LED headlamp. Together the features provide the rider with information while cycling, or data in the event of an accident. In the event of a crash the helmet will also talk to the rider and ask if they are okay. If they say ‘yes’ or fail to respond, emergency services will be contacted on their behalf. Using a synced smartphone as well, the rider can be put through a few quick medical tests to see if they might be badly hurt. All of the data from the crash can then be studied after to understand what happened. The helmet syncs with an app that can provide medical questions to the rider after a crash or call emergency services by asking the rider questions via a speaker (shown above the LED headlamp). And the helmet can also play music or allow for hands-free calling . Inside the 3D-printed outer shell is a regular bike helmet (shown). The product is only in the prototype phase at the moment so no potential release date or price has been announced . - Bluetooth radio . - Magnetometer . - Gyroscope . - Two accelerometers to detect a sudden impact . - Communications hardware to call pre-set emergency contact number . - Above-the-ear speakers . - Microphone . - LED headlight . The helmet syncs with an Android app on smartphones to transfer data. This includes distance, speed and the direction a rider has taken. The main feature, though, is to know what happened after a crash. ‘If my kids get into a crash, we will never know what happened,’ said Abhay Dharmadhikari, a technologist and architect in the Device Development Group for Intel, to Intel Free Press. ‘Did they hit their heads? Did they get really injured? Because when they come back [after biking] they just say “I got hurt,” so we aren’t really sure how bad it was. ‘Could we build something that would help us understand; [and] if a crash happens, the helmet can act like a black box?’ In addition the technology built into the helmet, such as the microphone and speakers, it has other functions too. For example, the speakers can be used to play music without covering the rider’s ears or for hands-free calling. The circuitry is stored in the back of the helmet (the white section in the image above). The technology built into the helmet, such as the microphone and speakers, has other functions as well. For example, the speakers can be used to play music without covering the rider’s ears or for hands-free calling. The product, recently shown off by the students involved, is only in the prototype phase at the moment so no potential release date or price has been announced . | Students at Oregon State University and Intel have devised a 'smart' bike helmet that collects data during a crash .
The 'black box' has accelerometers and sensors to work out what happened .
It also records the rider's distance, speed and direction at all times .
The helmet syncs with an app that can provide medical questions to the rider after a crash or call emergency services .
And the helmet can also play music or allow for hands-free calling .
The product is only in the prototype phase at the moment so no potential release date or price has been announced . |
122,666 | 2a8947ef07675f9a8a65d7e41c882eb8bd262d25 | The family of Martin Luther King were left shaken after their bus almost collided with a van following a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the March of Washington. Relatives of the famous civil rights activist were travelling through the American capital when the driver of their chartered bus suddenly slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a van which had driven through a red light. Passengers on board - which included King's sister Christine King Farris and family friend and TV personality Omarosa Manigault - were all thrown forward due to the force of the driver's braking. Worrying: The family of Martin Luther King were left shaken after their bus almost collided with a van yesterday. This picture shows members of the King family greeting President Obama . Near miss: Christine King Farris, sister of late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was onboard the bus when it narrowly avoided the collision. She is pictured speaking at yesterday's event . As reported by the New York Daily News, the force of the sudden stop resulted in Manigault hitting her head on the seat in front of her. Writing on Twitter afterwards, she said: 'Yikes just got banged up a lil bit on bus- I am ok! #HitMyHead ouch.' The family members had been travelling back from a rally honoring the 50th anniversary of the 'I Have a Dream' speech in Washington. According to TMZ, the driver of the bus needed hospital treatment following the near miss. King's family had earlier rang a 'bell of freedom' outside the Lincoln Memorial to mark the moment he finished his famous speech. Sore: King family friend and TV personality Omarosa Manigault tweeted about the near miss . Despite being surrounded by presidents, . senators, a first lady and even Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King Jr.’s . adorable granddaughter Yolanda . Renee King was the star of the show. The five-year-old kept her cool as Barack Obama hugged her mother and . father and even gave her a tickle as she stood regally at the forefront of . the event honoring her grandfather’s march on Washington. The King family rang a bell at the steps of the . Lincoln Memorial that once hung in the 16th Street Baptist Church in . Birmingham, Alabama, which was the target of a racially motivated . bombing that killed four little girls in 1963. So cute! Not even a president could take the spotlight off of Martin Luther King Jr.'s adorable granddaughter, 5-year-old Yolanda Renee King at the 50th anniversary of the March of Washington . Icon: Dr King is pictured with the Lincoln Memorial as a backdrop moments before he made his famous speech . In . front of tens of thousands of spectators, President Obama urged . America to continue fighting for the equal nation Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned as he delivered a rousing speech marking 50 years since the . activist's iconic 'I Have a Dream' address. Speaking . from beneath the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the president . celebrated how far America has come since Dr King's speech on August 28, . 1963, which gave a 'mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions'. But . he said there was still much to be done to honor the lives that were . lost during the civil rights movement. Famous speech: Martin Luther King waves to supporters on 28 August 1963 on the Mall in Washington DC during the March on Washington . Impassioned: Thousands of people gather for a march 'For Jobs and Justice' down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on Wednesday morning . 'They did not die in vain,' he said . to the crowds gathered below. 'Their victory was great. But we would . dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is . somehow complete. 'The arc of the moral universe may bend towards . justice, but it doesn't bend on its own. 'To secure the gains this . country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency.' He . added that economic inequality - in which black unemployment is nearly . twice that of white unemployment - and a country where many citizens . still struggle to afford healthcare 'remains our great unfinished . business'. There were . also impassioned addresses from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy . Carter, who commented on America's unfinished business, with Clinton . saying: 'A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than buy an . assault weapon.' | Family members on bus when driver suddenly slammed on the brakes .
Passengers on board were all thrown forward due to the force of braking .
TV personality Omarosa Manigault said: 'Just got banged up a lil bit on bus'
King relatives had attended 50th anniversary of 'I Have a Dream' speech . |
167,434 | 648cea732c4d571d735aa03e568ba8a58d95015c | By . Eliza Scarborough . and Anna Edwards . Millions of shoppers will be hitting . the shops and going online tomorrow as the biggest day in America’s festive . shopping calendar arrives in the UK. With . discounts of up to 70 per cent on everything from plasma TVs to party . shoes, it’s expected to get shoppers in the mood for buying and . officially kick-off the pre-Christmas rush. Known . as Black Friday in the the US, it is the first full shopping day after . their Thanksgiving holiday, and so named by retailers as it marks the . first day in the financial year when they move out of the red and into . the black. Despite not . celebrating Thanksgiving in the UK, Black Friday has been creeping over . the Atlantic for the past few years, as international giants like Amazon . and Apple seek to include UK customers in the shopping frenzy. Currys & PC World's distribution warehouse, in Newark, Nottinghamshire is all stocked up for the rush of shoppers . The warehouse is one of the largest electrical distribution centres in Europe with over 1.5M square footage of warehouse space . Bargain-hunters are set to storm the shops tomorrow to take advantage of the American version of the Boxing Day sales . Indeed, Apple are having a Black Friday Extravaganza, where top-secret shopping savings will be unveiled. Amazon . are offering ‘lightning deals’ throughout the day, when shoppers have a . fixed time in which to buy a limited number of goods at very low . prices. Samsung Galaxy Camera, HD 1080p, WAS £329.95, NOW £199, 40% . off, johnlewis.com . Morphy Richards mixer, WAS £199, NOW £99, 50% off, very.co.uk . Beats by Dr Dre headphones, WAS £169.95, NOW £129, 24% off, . currys.co.uk . LG 47LA660V Smart 3D 47” LED TV, WAS £1099, NOW £749, 32% off, . pcworld.co.uk . Samsung GS3 phone, WAS £199, NOW £99, 50% off, asda.com . Apple IPad 2 16GB, WAS £429.97, NOW £329, %, Debenhams.com . Beko GNEV221APB Fridge Freezer, WAS £749, NOW £569, 24% off, . very.co.uk . De’Longhi ECAM26455 PrimaDonna S De Luxe, WAS £1,195, NOW . £597.50, 50% off, johnlewis.com . Other retailers, like John Lewis, Debenhams, and Asda - owned by . US giant Wal-Mart - have swiftly caught on, too and are offering a string of special deals this weekend. Stores across the UK predict they will be overwhelmed by millions of shoppers - making it the biggest trading period of the year. Currys and PC World hope to cash in on the rush for bargains by offering deals on their electronics, estimating that there will be enough tablets sold to match the weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings. The iPad Air and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 are predicted to be the best performing tablets, while wireless and Bluetooth technologies across home audio devices have become Christmas wish list staples. Predictions on headphones show that 16 pairs of headphones will sell every minute in the lead up to Christmas Day. Sales on ‘Cyber Monday’ - the day with the biggest online sales - are also predicted to be up by 16 per cent . on the equivalent day last year, making it the busiest web shopping day ever. Currys and PC World hope to cash in on the rush for bargains by offering deals on their electronics . Currys & PC World estimate there will be enough tablets sold to match the weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings. GHD Wonderland Gift Set, WAS £195, NOW £97.50, 50% OFF, . johnlewis.com . Total Radiance Gift Set, WAS £39.50, NOW £35.55, 10% OFF, . debenhams.com . Ren Gift Set, WAS £36, NOW £28.80, 20% OFF, marksandspencer.com . Smashbox Try It Kit, WAS £19, NOW £9.50, 50% OFF, boots.com . Beauty Box, WAS £20, NOW £10, 50% OFF, superdrug.com . Lee Stafford straighteners, WAS £29.99, NOW £15, 50% OFF, . asda.com . Scented Candle, WAS £45, NOW £36, 20% OFF, liberty.co.uk . Nars Nail Varnish, WAS £14.50, NOW £10, 31% OFF, asos.com . As more customers prefer to shop . online rather than face the crush of other shoppers, Currys & PC . World have seen that 40 per cent of site traffic is now from mobile or . tablet devices as people buy 'on the go'. Some estimates suggest more than 30million people – more . than half the population – will be browsing for gifts over this weekend. And Britain leads the world in online . Christmas shopping, a survey has found, with nearly nine in ten of us . planning to buy some of our gifts on the internet this year. The . study, by PayPal, found 88 per cent of shoppers in Britain will log on . for Christmas purchases. This is compared with 86 per cent in the US and 84 per . cent in Germany. The UK was also ahead of Australia, Canada, France and Italy. The rise of web shopping has been faster and more extensive . in the UK than any other country in the world, however it has dealt a serious . blow to traditional high streets. Many retail outlets will have reductions this weekend . Floral skirt, WAS £109, NOW £76.30, 30% off, baukjen.com . Handbag, WAS £795, NOW £636, 20% off, aspinaloflondon.com . Sequin Clutch, WAS £25, NOW £18.75, 25% OFF, janenorman.co.uk . Nude Sandals, WAS £240, NOW £180, 25% OFF, Kurt Geiger at . houseoffraser.com . Pink Coat, WAS £239, NOW £164, 30% OFF, hobbs.co.uk . Red Shift Dress, WAS £225, NOW £155, 31% OFF, lkbennett.com . Leopard Print Dress, WAS £165, NOW £148.5, 10% OFF, Michael . Kors at harrods.com . Pale Pink Top, WAS £55, NOW £25, 54% OFF, coast-stores.com . Coming to a shop near you: American shoppers snapping up deals on Black Friday is set to become a common sight in the UK . Many stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day this year ahead of the Black Friday shopping crush . Cushion, WAS £30, NOW £15, 50% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Chair, WAS £1070, NOW £350, 67% off, Debenhams.com . Le Creuset, WAS £95, NOW £76, 20% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . 24 Piece Cutlery set, WAS £45, NOW £17.99, 60% off, bhs.co.uk . 2 Seater sofa, WAS £898, NOW £449, 50% off, littlewoods.com . Table lamp, WAS £100, NOW £70, 30% off, lauraashley.com . Wall Clock, WAS £29.99, NOW £14.99, 50% off, Homebase.co.uk . Missoni throw, WAS £846, NOW £423, 50% off, amara.com . Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, WAS £49, NOW £29, 40% off, asda.com . Razor A 125i Scooter, WAS £34.99, NOW £23.33, 33% off, boots.com . Pink apron, WAS £11.95, NOW £10.76, 10% off, harrods.com . Bear, WAS £25, NOW £12.50, 50% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Remote Control Helicopter, WAS £49.99, NOW £19.99, 60% off, amazon.co.uk . Union Jack Ukelele, WAS £28.99, NOW £16.99, 41% off, amazon.co.uk . Little Marc Jacobs jumper, WAS £75, NOW £60, 20% off, houseoffraser.co.uk . Chocolate lolly maker, WAS £19, NOW £15.20, 20% off, thetoyshop.com . | US tradition of post-Thanksgiving sale arrives on British shores tomorrow .
Shops promise to slash prices in bid to lure shoppers into spending money .
Weekend flanked by Black Friday and Cyber Monday in lead up to Christmas .
Around 30million expected to buy gifts online and in store this weekend .
Will be enough tablets sold to match weight of 250,000 Christmas puddings . |
215,301 | a2b5fe52a289be22c65bf6586345665339c4d438 | High speed: Truck driver Christopher Charles Boyer, 47, was arrested this weekend after engaging police in a 34-mile chase . A tractor-trailer driver threw items from his cab at police — including socks, shoes and a small refrigerator — as he led them on a 34-mile chase in western Pennsylvania, authorities said Sunday. Police in Westmoreland County said a man called emergency dispatchers just before 2am Saturday and said he planned to wreck his truck. State troopers tried to stop the vehicle near Washington Township but the driver disregarded the emergency lights and sirens, and a pursuit began along Route 70 and later the Pennsylvania Turnpike, police said. 'During the pursuit, the driver threw numerous items at pursuing troopers from the cab' including a steel canister that struck a Greensburg state police unit and disabled it, police said. The driver also threw a mini refrigerator before the truck was stopped with spike strips shortly after 3am Saturday. The driver refused orders to leave the cab, police said, so troopers entered and used a stun gun to subdue him. He was taken to a hospital because officers believed he was under the influence of a controlled substance, namely Xanax, and for other injuries, police said. 'It should be noted that during the pursuit the operator threw his shoes and socks at troopers. When the windows were broken to make entry into the cab, the operator's feet were cut during his resistance to arrest,' police said. At the hospital, he was treated for cuts on his feet, and a blood sample was taken for testing. The driver, identified as Christopher Charles Boyer, 47, of Mifflintown, is charged with aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude, reckless endangering, resisting arrest and other counts. Court documents indicate he had requested representation by the public defender's office, which rang unanswered Sunday. State police told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Boyer was the only occupant of the truck, which hauls sand used in the hydraulic fracturing drilling process, known as fracking. Police did not disclose his employer. | Tractor-trailer driver Christopher Charles Boyer, 47, called 911 early Saturday morning saying he was going to wreck his vehicle .
He then led police on a 34-mile chase through western Pennsylvania .
Authorities say he was under the influence of Xanax and threw objects out of the truck during the chase, including a mini refrigerator .
Chase came to a stop an hour later when Boyer drove over a set of spikes .
He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude, reckless endangering and resisting arrest . |
142,220 | 43eba62299af26cb90738826045dd95e28bdb5f1 | 2014 has seen another 12 months of tantalising sporting action. From events such as the World Cup to the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup - there has been a plethora of moments that have captivated us all. Sportsmail have captured these historic moments step-by-step through our own brilliant photography team. Below, Sportsmail's Andy Hooper picks out his favourite taken images from 2014. VIDEO Scroll down to see the making of Sportsmail's Andy Hooper's iconic Commonwealth Games image . Sportsmail's Andy Hooper photographed some of England's stars ahead of this summer's Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow . The favourite of my images this year has to be Hadrian’s Wall, not because it’s my best image but because it’s creative, took a lot of planning, was technical to shoot and retouch. This image was used as a preview to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in the summer. It’s supposed to be a bit of fun with participating athletes dressed up in St George’s Cross kilts and kit! I wanted the English team to look warrior-like and invading the Games by leaping over Hadrian’s Wall. Including preparation, planning and shooting this image took three months. Athletes are spread all over the country and were involved in heavy training in the lead up to the Games so I could only photograph them individually at their respective training camps. As these were all elite athletes it was impossible to get them to Hadrian’s Wall, they only get one day off a week and the last thing they want to be doing is spend it travelling to Scotland. The Invictus Games took place in September celebrating the sporting achievements of men and women who have been injured in battle . This summer's World Cup was held in Brazil, a local lad showcases his Samba skills on a beach ahead of England's match against Italy . Despite a poor World Cup, Wayne Rooney has since reached 100 England caps - here he visits his old primary school Our Lady of St Swithins, in Liverpool ahead of his century of appearances for the Three Lions . Rooney celebrates with the England fans after scoring their third goal in a 3-1 win at Scotland in a November friendly at Celtic Park . This meant that the finished picture would have to be photoshopped together. I wanted it to be as real as possible so on the drive up to Edinburgh in the spring for the Scotland v England rugby game, I stopped off at Hadrian’s Wall to shoot the background. I wanted a panoramic images of the wall so the finished background is made up of 6 individual images. All shot at dawn on a beautifully sunny morning the foreboding grey sky was added in later! The individual athletes (which included Louis Smith, Adam Gemili and Max Whitlock) were shot in hotel rooms, corridors, car park and gyms in locations from London to Leeds. All the athletes did a great job at visualising where they were in the image even though standing in a car park or bouncing on a trampoline. The real genius behind the picture is Anthony McDonald, the creative retoucher, who was able to bring all the elements together and polish them into a consistent group image. The finished image created a talking point on the first day of the Games which was exactly what we wanted! Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger (left) and Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho famously nearly came to blows in October . The managerial duo don't pack a punch in comparison to heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua . | 2014 Commonwealth Games took place earlier this summer in Glasgow, Scotland .
Sportsmail photographer Andy Hooper portrayed England as warriors ahead of the summer spectacle .
Three months of planning saw stars such as Louis Smith, Adam Gemili and Max Whitlock; dressed up in St George’s Cross kilts and kit upon the backdrop of Hadrian's Wall . |
239,049 | c17c514880a403ea35761d1145bed8547298483c | Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will make a personal plea to Thibaut Courtois to stay at the club next season following the Champions League final. The future of goalkeeper Courtois will be one of the key issues for Chelsea to resolve this summer. The Belgian was expected to rejoin Atletico Madrid for a fourth consecutive season-long loan deal once he signed a new Blues contract. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Courtois pull off some amazing saves from his time at Genk . Good enough: Courtois showcased his brilliance in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea . Plea: And Mourinho wants the Belgian to stay at Stamford Bridge next season instead of going back on loan . There is a feeling Courtois would benefit from another 12 months at the Vicente Calderon before returning to Stamford Bridge for the 2015/16 season. However, Mourinho wants Courtois to return to west London next season to compete with Petr Cech for the No 1 jersey. Mourinho and Courtois are yet to hold face-to-face talks with regarding the keeper's future, with the Portuguese taking the decision to wait until the end of Atletico's season before speaking to the Belgium international. But the Special One is due to meet . with the 21-year-old in the days after the all-Madrid Champions League . final on May 24, where he will tell Courtois he wants him to play for . Chelsea next season. Watch your back: Mourinho wants Petr Cech to have competition for the No 1 spot next season . Courtois is settled in the Spanish capital and would happily stay with Atletico for another season. After establishing himself as one of the best keepers in Europe this season, sitting on the bench at Chelsea next season does not appeal to Courtois. However, Courtois must follow Chelsea's instructions given he still has two years to run on his deal, though the Blues are keen not to upset the goalkeeper given he is yet to sign a new Blues contract. Fail: Mourinho has overseen only Chelsea's fourth season without a trophy in the Roman Abramovich era . | Mourinho to make personal plea to Belgian for him to stay at Chelsea .
The Chelsea boss wants him to return to compete with Petr Cech .
It was thought Courtois would stay with Atletico on loan for another year .
Courtois must follow Chelsea's lead, with two years left on his contract . |
206,746 | 97b0243dfbc18c50856a07c9854abbd0744e7b90 | Sir Mark Thatcher will be among the dignitaries at the inauguration of a square in Madrid next week named after his mother, Margaret. The businessman, chief mourner at his mum’s funeral last April, has confirmed he will attend the official opening ceremony on Monday. Madrid mayor Ana Botella proposed naming a street or square in the Spanish capital after the Iron Lady just a day after she died from a stroke aged 87 at London’s Ritz Hotel. Sir Mark Thatcher will be among the dignitaries at the inauguration of a square in Madrid next week named after his mother, Margaret . The move was criticised by opposition politicians, with the city’s Socialist leader at the time claiming Thatcher was a 'pioneer of a good part of that which had caused most inequality and injustice in Europe'. Margaret Square Square - Plaza de Margaret Thatcher in Spanish - will be a small square off Madrid’s emblematic Colon Square in the city centre near to the National Library and Hard Rock Cafe. It is currently unnamed. It is not known if Sir Mark’s twin Carol will attend the event. Simon Manley, British Ambassador to Spain, has accepted an invitation. Last September former Tory PM John Major unveiled a street named after him in Cancelada, two hours' drive west of Madrid. Mr Major has holidayed in the small village for the last 25 years and stays at a country house owned by friend and former Conservative Party colleague Tristan Garel-Jones. Mr Garel-Jones, minister of Europe under John Major, translated his acceptance speech into Spanish for him at the unveiling ceremony after the former PM admitted he was an 'idle, lazy linguist' and only could say ‘gracias’. Margaret Square Square - Plaza de Margaret Thatcher in Spanish - will be the second Spanish square named after a former Conservative Prime Minister . | Sir Mark Thatcher will be among dignitaries at naming of Madrid square .
City's mayor Ana Botella came up with the idea day after Iron Lady's death .
Former Tory PM John Major also has a Spanish street named after him . |
182,376 | 782c5b07b1f706dc1ab32e442f6ae0b28b43e0a7 | PUBLISHED: . 06:59 EST, 7 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:04 EST, 7 January 2014 . Recipes, cures and handy hints from a Victorian housewife have been given a new lease of life on the internet. Over the years, Sarah Matthews, born in 1893, noted down all her recipes for cakes, cures, medicines, furniture polishes and handy hints from days gone by in elegantly-written Victorian handwriting. And she left this treasure trove of handy hints to her granddaughter-in-law Patricia Matthews when she died in 1970. Mrs Matthews used the book (which she's holding in the picture) handed down to her from her husband's grandmother to make cakes for her children and grandchildren - but in 2007 decided she wanted to share Grandma Sarah's legacy with others and publish it - the result was Grandma's Antique Recipes . Among the recipes is her improbable 'cake determined by weight of the egg'. Weigh an egg, then take equal quantities of sugar, butter, rice flour, and vanilla essence, mix and bake. A tablespoon of boiling water added to sponge mix makes lighter sponge cakes. To help green vegetables keep their colour boil in the pan without the lid. The best way of making curdled custard smooth is to stand it in a pan of cold water and beat with an egg whisk until smooth. To prevent skin forming on boiled milk, cover the pan with a plate or saucer, thus saving all the goodness. When making oatmeal porridge or cooking rice, if the pot is greased with lard or butter first it is much easier to clean. Mrs Matthews has since used the book to make cakes for her children and grandchildren - but in 2007 decided she wanted to share Grandma Sarah's legacy with others and make it into a book - Grandma's Antique Recipes. In May a publisher got in touch with her and said they would take the book on. It's currently available on Amazon as a Kindle download. A donation from every book sold is going to The Christie Hospital in Manchester. Grandma Sarah's recipes are all in original imperial measurements, and rely on basic equipment and elbow grease. Favourites include Tennis Cake, Potato Pie, jams and preserves, Simnel Cake, lemonade and ginger wine. Mrs . Matthews said: 'She was the only girl and was born in Salford in 1893 . but moved to Bolton after her mum died. Over the years, while baking and . cooking for her family, she documented all her tips and tricks in her . little recipe book. In May a publisher got in touch with Sarah Matthews and said they would take the book on and it's currently available on Amazon as a Kindle download . Patricia Matthews with the old (right) and new (left) version of Grandma's Antique Recipes . 'When my husband Ronnie and I started courting we would go round to her house and it would always smell of baking. She was a God-fearing, straight-laced person who wouldn't stand for any messing - but she had a wicked sense of humour. 'We will never see the like of this kind of woman ever again. They were very resilient people in those days.' Tennis Cake . 2oz of butter2oz sugar l egg4 oz patent flour (SR flour is fine)2oz chopped almonds2oz candied peel2 oz currants or raisinsCupful of milkA little vanilla essence- Cream the butter and sugar together, add the egg and mix well.- Add the fruit nuts and candied peel and fold in the flour.- Little by little add the milk until the mixture reaches a dropping consistency.- Pour the mixture into a 7in loose bottom cake tin and bake in the middle of the oven at 180C/gas mark 4 for 35 mins.- Turn out onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool before cutting into slices.------------------Victorian Sandwich . 8ozs/200g self-raising flour4ozs/100g butter4ozs/100g sugar2 eggs3 tablespoons of milkLemon essencePreheat oven to 150C/gas 5Line and grease 8" sandwich tin or use two 7" tins- Cream the fat with a wooden spoon until soft.- Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light in colour and fluff}'.- Add the lemon essence.- Add the eggs one at a time with a little of the sieved flour and mix well.- Fold in the remaining flour.- Spoon the mixture into the tin.- And level with a palette knife or table knife.- Bake for 25-30 mins or until the sponge feels firm to the touch.- Leave in the tin for 10 mins.- When cold, cut in half, spread with jam, sandwich together and dust the top with icing sugar. To download an e-edition of the book for £1.99, search for Grandma's Antique Recipes on Amazon.co.uk. A paperback version of the book will be available soon. | Sarah Matthews noted down recipes for cakes, cures and polishes .
Handed them on to grandson's wife Patricia Matthews .
Now Grandma's Antique Recipes has been published on Kindle .
Soon to come out on paperback . |
98,369 | 0aa99a5ae122166f06b00299894e57cf4818e0ff | Defending 110m hurdles champion Andy Turner was 'devastated' after crashing out of the Commonwealth Games in qualifying on Tuesday. The 33-year-old hit the first and second hurdles and failed to complete the race in what could be his last season on the track. Turner, a former world bronze medallist, insisted he was determined 'not to go out like this' and hoped to redeem himself at next month's European Championships in Zurich. Blow: Andy Turner crashed out in the 110m heats at the Commonwealth Games . He added: 'It's one of the most devastating days on the track. I injured two of my Achilles tendons last year, my mum passed away and this is my first Championship back. 'I never thought I would be here in the first place but I don't just want to make up the numbers or do mistakes like that, I want to push to win a medal. 'But I made a crucial mistake at the first hurdle and that cost me even finishing the race. I haven't made that mistake all year and, to do it here, it's a schoolboy mistake. 'I have been thinking about calling it a day for a while, but I'll go to the Europeans and see how it goes. There comes a time when you've got to start thinking about other things and its been on my mind for a while now.' Struggle: Turner (right) hits the hurdle as he competes in men's 110m hurdles . Determined: Turner confirmed he will be going tot he European Championships in Zurich next month . Unlucky, mate: A dejected Turner is consoled by Greg Rutherford (left) Royal Family: Lord Sebastian Coe, Kate Middleton and Prince William were in attendance at Hampden Park . | Andy Turner crashes out of 110m hurdles on Tuesday .
Defending champion admits he is 'devastated'
33-year-old is determined to finish career on a high at European Championships . |
197,139 | 8b298501cb330e72889044d0e797be7d66e7b96f | By . Chris Brooke . PUBLISHED: . 08:22 EST, 23 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:29 EST, 24 May 2012 . Predatory: Andrew Jackson, who stalked schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 around Bridlington . A sex attacker who stalks schoolgirls has been spared jail after a judge said he sympathised with his frustration that he had never had a ‘full sexual relationship’. Andrew Jackson, 48, was told that he deserved a prison sentence but, as he has Asperger’s syndrome, sending him to jail would be ‘utterly cruel’. Jackson is known to follow young girls on his moped and cause them distress, often by striking up sexual conversations with them. Passing sentence at Hull Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, told him: ‘You have never had a full sexual relationship – it must be very frustrating. ‘I wish to make it plain you deserve to be sent to prison. But you are very much to be pitied. ‘I have a public duty, but it would be quite wrong to impose a cruel punishment. ‘Quite frankly you could not cope in prison. I have no doubt your life would be a misery.’ Jackson, who lives with his parents in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, admitted sexual assault on a 21-year-old woman in April last year. She was sitting on a park bench when she was molested by Jackson, the court heard. A friend heard her cries of ‘help, help’ and dragged him off her. Jackson was given a two-year supervised community order designed to change his behaviour and was ordered to sign the sex offender register. The judge also imposed a ten-year sexual offences prevention order, to limit his contact with girls under 16. Judge Richardson said justice demanded he took a ‘thoroughly exceptional course’ and show that the courts were ‘not without compassion’ by ignoring sentencing guidelines and sparing Jackson the ordeal of prison. He said: ‘Young girls have to be protected in your area. ‘You have to learn to control yourself. I regard sexual offences as a very serious crime. ‘Usually the men involved deserve to be sent to prison. ‘It would not be right here. It would be bordering on cruelty. However, if you harass any more girls you will end up in jail.’ Andrew Jackson, 48, stalked schoolgirls and sexually assaulted a disabled woman in Bridlington, East Yorkshire (pictured) The judge said Jackson had a number of ‘eccentric and obsessional characteristics’. The court heard that, before the sex attack, police officers had already spoken to Jackson on two occasions about stalking children in playgrounds and wooded areas. Took pity: Judge Jeremy Richardson QC allowed Jackson to walk free from Hull Crown Court, saying it would be 'utterly cruel' to imprison him . He showed a girl of 13 his private parts and in a separate incident had a sexual conversation with two girls of 14. These incidents are understood to be an example of a pattern of behaviour. Prosecutor Martin Sharpe said police in the seaside town were so concerned about the threat he posed that they wanted a legal order banning him from playgrounds. ‘There are a number of times he has followed young children,’ he said. ‘He has regularly been noted. He follows them and causes them distress.’ Patrick Palmer, defending, said Jackson had a low IQ, did not work and although his condition could not be cured it could be managed on a day-to-day basis. The prevention order bans Jackson from living or working with girls under 16 as well as having any association with a girl, unless a responsible adult is aware of his offending history. But Claude Knights, of the charity Kidscape, questioned whether the judge had been too compassionate, adding: ‘This is a very disturbing case. ‘We have to ask whether the courts have hit the right balance in their attempt to show compassion by ignoring sentencing guidelines. ‘It must not be forgotten that the safety of children and young people is paramount.’ Judge Jeremy Richardson told Andrew Jackson at Hull Crown Court (pictured) that he should be pitied. He added: 'You have never had a full sexual relationship. It must be very frustrating.' | Andrew Jackson, 48, twice stalked schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 and sexually assaulted a disabled woman in Bridlington, East Yorkshire .
Judge says he should go to prison but spares him as it would be 'cruel'
Jackson given sexual offences prevention order and community order . |
240,390 | c331f7bd5db26fe80dd7c2c439ce1da8b8e62830 | (CNN) -- Nineteen races and 19 wins. After yet another demonstration of her superiority over five furlongs (1,000 meters), there are few superlatives left to describe the extraordinary record of five-year-old Australian mare Black Caviar. Unusually for the world's top-rated sprinter, she was made to work for her victory, with long-time rival Hay List sticking firmly to her flank at the furlong marker. But after a flick of the whip from jockey Luke Nolen, Black Caviar found another gear and pulled away from the field to win the Lightning Stakes at Flemington by one-and-three quarter lengths in front of an ecstatic crowd of 22,800. Royal approval: Will unbeatable Black Caviar grace Ascot? "He had me a bit worried for a couple of strides -- I was a little concerned," said Nolen of Hay List. Saturday's win was Black Caviar's ninth Group One success and the second time the Peter Moody-trained bay has captured Australia's premier sprint race, which is also the first leg in the Global Sprint Challenge. It also came after she made her debut over seven furlongs (1,400 meters) in the Orr Stakes at Caulfield the previous weekend. Black Caviar's incredible run puts her equal with Desert Gold (1915 - 1917) and Gloaming (1919 - 1921) for consecutive victories on top-class Australian tracks (other horses have won more consecutive races on low-grade country tracks), although she is the only horse to win 19 without defeat. She is currently ranked joint-second on the all-time undefeated list; although the run of 54 wins without reply put together by 19th century Hungarian horse Kincsem may yet prove unassailable, even for Black Caviar. But Australia's favorite racehorse may have run her last race on home soil, for the time being at least, with her trainer conceding that Dubai may well be her next stop en route to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June -- the target for her connections. "I'll sit down with the owners, but if she goes to Dubai she has probably run her last race in Australia this prep," said Moody. If, as is widely expected, the lure of Dubai's $2 million Golden Shaheen proves too great a temptation to resist (there is a $600,000 bonus offered as part of the Global Sprint Challenge, rising to $1 million if she can win on three continents), it will mean Black Caviar's 20th race could be her toughest yet, pitting her against Sheikh Mohammed's super colt Sepoy. It throws up an additional challenge as the race is run over six furlongs (1,200 meters) on a synthetic all-weather track, rather than Black Caviar's preferred turf. A decision on Dubai is expected to be made in the coming weeks, with Moody having already revealed that Black Caviar has had all her vaccinations for both the Middle East and England. "There is 10 weeks in between the two races, so that presents a few problems, but I am familiar with the logistics of it all and it's an option we are thinking about. She'd already had all her vaccinations for the trip to England, so that wouldn't be a concern if she was to go to Dubai.'' Number 20 proved a race too far for Black Caviar's spiritual predecessor Zenyatta, the American race mare who was the last horse to put together an undefeated streak of 19 races. There will be many racing fans both back in Australia and around the world who will be hoping Black Caviar can go one better. | Five-year-old mare Black Caviar extends her winning run to 19 races .
The Peter Moody-trained horse won the Lightning Stakes in her native Australia .
She is currently ranked joint-second on the all-time undefeated list .
Black Caviar could now be bound for Dubai and, eventually, Royal Ascot . |
48,096 | 87c4e845a103daca39d70ca5fec7375de5717ef9 | Toni Kroos has given the . clearest hint yet that he is ready to quit Bayern Munich and move to the . Premier League with Manchester United. The . Bayern star, regarded as one of the finest midfielders in world . football, is locked in a contract dispute with the European champions. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Toni Kroos' best Bundesliga goals . On his way? Toni Kroos has hinted that a Premier League move is a possibility . Stalled:? Kroos has yet to sign a new contract with the European champions . Maestro: Kroos celebrates scoring against Arsenal in the Champions League . Wonder strike: Kroos watches his shot fly past Lukasz Fabianski to give Bayern the lead against Arsenal . Kroos, 24, has one year left on his deal at the Allianz Arena and is being courted by United manager David Moyes. On Monday Kroos took the unusual step of taking Bayern’s media responsibilities ahead of the Champions League clash with Arsenal. The German midfielder said: ‘It’s no secret, the Premier League is a possibility for me. ‘I’ve heard that people have written that I might go to England. But there’s nothing new from my point of view. Mind games: Kroos (left) could just be looking for a new deal at Bayern . Boost: United boss David Moyes will hope Kroos is keen on a move to Manchester . ‘No decision has been made. The . situation is that I don’t have any agreement at the moment at Bayern. On the other side there is no agreement in place anywhere.’ Kroos was outstanding in the centre for Bayern during the 2-0 victory at the Emirates in the first leg in London. He . has been flirting with the idea of a move to the Barclays Premier . League after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract with the . runaway Bundesliga leaders. Although Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is . confident that he can convince Kroos to remain in Munich, Manchester . United are about to begin a massive overhaul of their squad. Stay with me: Pep Guardiola (pictured) hope to have Kroos at Bayern for 'many seasons' Kroos . would instantly become one of the top earners in English football — on . around £250,000 a week — if he decided to move to Old Trafford. Guardiola, . who oversaw Bayern’s staggering 6-1 victory at Wolfsburg on Saturday . afternoon, appeared determined to keep one of the finest talents in . German football. The Bayern manager said: ‘Toni is a great talent, a . good, good player. He’s young. He can be better and better. He can . improve. I said to him, “you have time to become an even better player”. ‘I hope he maintains his form this season and for more seasons at this club.’ Moyes was in the stands at the Emirates to watch the Kroos masterclass. Kroos . scored the opening goal for last season’s Champions League winners and . had more touches on the night than Arsenal’s entire midfield put . together. He has been with the German giants since he was 16, but now wants pay parity with some of the top earners at the Allianz Arena. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben command the top salaries at the club and Kroos is demanding a huge increase. International: Kroos will be a key part of the Germany squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil . Warning: Franz Beckenbauer has said Kroos should not 'overplay his hand' in contract talks with Bayern . | Manchester United target Toni Kroos hints at Premier League move .
Bayern midfielder reveals no decision has been made about his future .
Manager Pep Guardiola wants to make Kroos a better player and 'have him for many seasons'
Franz Beckenbauer insists Bayern will not be held to ransom to keep Kroos . |
14,461 | 2906234ec6a7ab63dfe9e7e5f84cd1409f1bf443 | By . Bianca London . A wardrobe full of the finest haute couture pieces combined with urban street style and some serious posing on Instagram. No, we're not talking about Rihanna. Say hello instead to Montjiro, a Japanese chihuaha widely believed to be the best dressed dog on internet. With a wardrobe so well stocked it would be the envy of most two-legged fashion fans, let alone his canine contemporaries, designer dog Montjiro has become a star on Instagram with 4,700 fans now following on his page. Fashion, darling: Meet Montjiro, the most fashionable pup on Instagram who owns more than 200 outfits . Montjiro is in the unlikely position . of having his own clothing line, handcrafted by his owner and modelled . by Montjiro himself (of course). The stylish animal works the camera . in a variety of on-trend outfits that his owner designs and dresses him . in, helping to market the range to fellow dog owners so they can clothe . their own pampered pups. Called Mon’t, the brand offers hats, ties, vests, jackets, and kimonos. Here is a selection of the best bits - showcased by the one and only Montjiro. Only the best for Montjiro: He is the Japanese chihuahua who is taking the Instagram world by storm . Even his outerwear is stylish: Montjiro, who has 4,700 followers on Instagram, owns an array of stylish summer macs, all designed by his owner, Masanori Ito . Does my butt look big in this? Montjiro dons designs by his owner, including intricate kimonos . Professional poser: Montjiro has perfected every angle in his hundreds of Instagram snaps . Eye candy: He isn't just a clothes model, he also showcases the best accessories designed by his owner . Out on the town: Montjiro has even perfected his street modelling . Tyra Banks would be proud! Forget the smize, he will win you over with his puppy dog eyes . Festive fashion: There are even Christmas themed outfits on offer too . Work it, doggy! He proves that double denim is firmly back on the fashion map . Furry fashionista: Montjiro looks like a professional model as he takes to the streets of Japan to showcase his owner's designs . Burberry babe: He has a wardrobe to rival the most stylish of celebrities . Nonchalant: He has mastered all kinds of poses while modelling the designs . Hey, bartender! He has even taken to using props in his scenic photoshoots . Bow-tiful: Many of the designs are Japanese-inspired and include an array of stylish kimonos . Tough day at work? There's office attire and even army cadet inspired gear on offer . Local celebrity: Montjiro has made quite a name from himself in Japan and loves taking to the streets to greet his fans . Competition: He doesn't look impressed by other stylish pooches on the town . All in a day's work: The patient pooch seemingly loves getting dressed up in his owner's stylish haute couture . | Japanese Chihuahua has 4,700 followers on Instagram .
Models doggy designs created by his owner . |
101,273 | 0e88342d4859c7828ab7e1f0dfc03a7e7318a4e7 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 10:55 EST, 4 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:20 EST, 4 January 2013 . When photo-sharing website Instagram banned the use of hashtags using pro-anorexia keywords last April, it was widely praised. But now British eating disorder charity, Beat, has spoken out to say the site still isn't doing enough. Although users attempting to search keywords such as 'thinspiration' or 'proanorexia' can no longer do so, more than 300,000 images featuring frighteningly thin women or acts of self harm are still available on the site. Disturbing: Images like this mock-up are frequently found on Instagram . Despite removing more than 30,000 . graphic photos, the site's 80 million users can still access 'thinspo' content simply by using 'eating disorder' as the search term. 'It’s worrying that with the powerful medium of social networking and the growing popularity of phone apps such as Instagram, people are able to easily access images that encourage the individual to believe that an eating disorder is a lifestyle choice and to avoid treatment,' a Beat spokesperson told The Telegraph. 'Some sites have acted to remove content that is seen as dangerous and encouraging people to do dangerous things. Eating disorders as a lifestyle choice should be treated in the same way.' Following the site's decision to ban 'thinspo' content, users of Instagram are being encouraged to report pro-anorexia content so the website can remove it. Tragic: Uruguayan sisters Luisel (left) and Eliana Ramos died within months of each other due to complications brought on by anorexia . 'We won’t allow accounts, images, or . hashtags dedicated to glorifying, promoting, or encouraging self-harm,' say the new guidelines. 'Should users come across content of . that nature, we recommend flagging the photo or flagging the user as a . 'terms of service' violation for our support team to review.' Nevertheless, anyone who carries out a quick search of the site today will see that thousands of the disturbing photos are still available, including a shocking image of one user, sicklyskinny's emaciated rib cage. More worryingly still, the image received 64 'likes' from users with monikers such as 'pleaseletmebeskinny' and 'watch_me_be_skinny'. Instagram isn't the only photo-sharing site to have fallen foul of anti-anorexia campaigners. Pinterest and Tumblr have both come under fire for allowing picture boards and messages that feature 'pro ana' content, although the latter has taken steps to prevent 'thinspiration' being posted. Although Instagram hasn’t disabled the search function for all eating disorder-related terms, a content advisory warning plus a link to the National Eating Disorders website appears before users are redirected to the photos. Campaigner: French model and anorexia sufferer, Isabelle Caro, died of the illness in 2010 - months after appearing in this Italian anti-anorexia campaign . However, users are still free to post provocative comments that glorify eating disorders and it's these that Beat wants the site to be more proactive about curbing. 'Beat also believes that individuals should be pointed towards pro recovery sites,' the spokesperson told the Telegraph. 'Providing acceptance and support throughout society [needs to happen] so that these alternative sites are no longer the only refuge a person feels they can seek.' To contact eating disorder chartiy Beat please visit www.b-eat.co.uk or call the b-eat helpline on 0845 634 1414. If you are in the U.S. and you are struggling with an eating disorder or know someone who is, call the National Eating Disorders helpline on 1-800-931-2237. | Photosharing website banned use of pro-anorexia keywords last April .
Terms like #thinspiration and #proanorexia can no longer be searched by stie's 80m users .
30,000 graphic images were removed by Instagram .
Users encouraged to report 'pro-ana' images or those that glorify self-harm .
But with over 300,000 images of .
frighteningly thin women still available, eating disorder charity Beat .
says site needs to do more .
Pinterest and Tumblr have come under fire for 'pro ana' content, although the latter has taken steps to prevent 'thinspiration' posts . |
128,162 | 31a33d2f40e49f07f5953078e056d84e080f388a | (CNN) -- A program on Iran's government-backed Press TV recently took a woman convicted of adultery and murder back to her home in Osku "to produce a visual account" of the death of her husband "at the crime scene." Press TV posted a story on its website early Friday morning explaining that the program "Iran Today," which will air Friday night, would include interviews with -- among others -- Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was sentenced to be stoned to death. Press TV's release of still photographs of Ashtiani and her son from the interview, which took place on Sunday, fueled some speculation that they had been released, but there was no evidence or confirmation to support that conjecture. In a clip from the program that aired late Thursday, Ashtiani confesses to plotting to kill her husband. Her family, however, has denied she was involved in her husband's death. Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 and sentenced to death by stoning. She became the subject of enormous international outcry over the summer when her sentence became public knowledge. Officials ranging from Pope Benedict XVI to the European Union's top foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, urged Iran not to carry out the sentence. Two German journalists who interviewed Ashtiani were arrested in October and charged with espionage. He son and lawyer also were arrested, but it was not clear on what charges. CNN's Azadeh Ansari and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report. | NEW: Press TV took Ashtiani to her home for a re-enactment of her husband's death .
NEW: Ashtiani confesses she "made a plot to kill my husband" in the interview .
NEW: The release of photographs fueled conjecture she had been released . |
241,645 | c4c0c5cc7b7211771c2b54e01783c33e58081766 | Terrorist group Isis may be considering using Ebola as a suicide bio-weapon against the West, according to a military expert. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with an infected person who is showing the symptoms – and it wouldn't be difficult for fanatics to contract it then travel to countries they want to wreak havoc in, according to a military expert. Capt. Al Shimkus, Ret., a Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, said that the strategy is entirely plausible. Scroll down for video . Terrorist group Isis may be considering using Ebola as a suicide bio-weapon against the West, according to a military expert . He told Forbes: 'The individual exposed to the Ebola Virus would be the carrier. In the context of terrorist activity, it doesn't take much sophistication to go to that next step to use a human being as a carrier.' And Professor Anthony Glees, Director at Buckingham University's Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, agrees that the strategy might be considered. He said: 'In some ways it’s a plausible theory – IS fighters believe in suicide and this is a potential job for a suicide mission. They are sufficiently murderous and well-informed to consider it, and they know that we’ve been remiss in the UK.' The virus is running rampant in West Africa, with 3,800 dead in just a matter of months and the first cases appearing in Europe at the U.S. The possibility that Isis, also known as Islamic State and Isil, could make the situation far worse is one that should be taken very seriously, another expert said. In the May 2013 issue of the journal Global Policy, Amanda Teckman, author of the paper The Bioterrorist Threat Of Ebola In East Africa And Implications For Global Health And Security concluded: 'The threat of an Ebola bioterrorist attack in East Africa is a global health and security concern, and should not be ignored,' Forbes reported. Far from being lone voices on this theory, concern in America about Ebola being used as a bioweapon was in fact a catalyst for its $5.6billion Project Bioshield, according to a source familiar with the matter, who did not wish to be named. The virus is running rampant in West Africa, with 3,800 dead in just a matter of months and the first cases appearing in Europe at the U.S . Signed off by President George W. Bush in 2004, it ensures generous funding for scientists researching bioweapon counter-measures, as well as accelerating research against chemical, radiological and nuclear agents. It also grants the U.S government the power to stockpile huge quantities of medical countermeasures. However, Jennifer Cole, Senior Research Fellow, Resilience & Emergency Management, at the Royal United Services Institute, while acknowledging that Isis using Ebola as a weapon isn't out of the question, says that now would not be the best time to employ this strategy. She told MailOnline: 'Everyone's looking out for signs of Ebola at the moment so they'd be very unlikely to get away with it. 'The other issue with Ebola is that it's very hard to control. The militants could just end up wiping themselves out before they've had the chance to pass it on. 'For a suicide attack, strapping sticks of dynamite to your chest is far more effective.' Middle East security expert Andreas Krieg, from King’s College London's Department of Defence Studies, echoed Cole's scepticism. He said: 'It is certainly possible for Isis to use the Ebola virus as it is a cheap and accessible source in West Africa. However, considering the WHO’s and international community’s effort to contain the spread of the virus it will be increasingly difficult to "export" the virus via air transport to other parts of the world. It would require a lot of effort and have a low chance of success.' He added: 'Isis is not currently focusing on the West. At the moment Isis’ focus is on expanding its territory and influence in Syria and Iraq. It is bogged down there. Within this context I do not see any place for Ebola as a bio-weapon to be used against any of the opponents. It would be too risky as they would likely infect their own fighters and people living in their territory.' Professor Glees added: 'It would be logistically very difficult to get an IS fighter to West Africa, come into contact with Ebola, wait to find out if they were infected, then leg it to London.' The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. died on Wednesday despite intense but delayed treatment, and the government announced it was expanding airport examinations to guard against the spread of the deadly disease. The possibility that Isis, also known as Islamic State and Isil, could make the situation far worse is one that should be taken very seriously, another expert said. The checks will include taking the temperatures of hundreds of travelers arriving from West Africa at five major American airports. The new screenings will begin Saturday at New York's JFK International Airport and then expand to Washington Dulles and the international airports in Atlanta, Chicago and Newark. An estimated 150 people per day will be checked, using high-tech thermometers that don't touch the skin. The White House said the fever checks would reach more than 9 of 10 travelers to the U.S. from the three heaviest-hit countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. President Barack Obama called the measures 'really just belt and suspenders' to support protections already in place. Border Patrol agents now look for people who are obviously ill, as do flight crews, and in those cases the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is notified. As of Wednesday, Ebola has killed about 3,800 people in West Africa and infected at least 8,000, according to the World Health Organization. A medical official with the U.N. Mission in Liberia who tested positive for Ebola arrived in the German city of Leipzig on Thursday to be treated at a local clinic with specialist facilities, authorities said. The unidentified medic infected in Liberia is the second member of the U.N. mission, known as UNMIL, to contract the virus. The first died on September 25. He is the third Ebola patient to arrive in Germany for treatment. The virus has taken an especially devastating toll on health care workers, sickening or killing more than 370 of them in the hardest-hit countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone - places that already were short on doctors and nurses. There are no approved medications for Ebola, so doctors have tried experimental treatments in some cases, including drugs and blood transfusions from others who have recovered from Ebola. The survivor's blood could carry antibodies for the disease that will help a patient fight off the virus. | Isis fanatics may be thinking of infecting themselves with Ebola, says expert .
A U.S Naval War College lecturer says strategy is entirely plausible .
The virus is running rampant in West Africa, with 3,800 dead in a few months . |
33,046 | 5ddaeb0dfc41ee90ab6c7172d3038da04ff3ac16 | Editor's note: The staff at CNN.com has been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn, New York. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers. Brooklyn, New York (VICE) -- When people talk about fashion week, they are usually referring to London, Paris, New York and Milan. When I discovered that Islamabad was having its first ever fashion week, I was especially intrigued. In a country where the majority of women cover up and similar events in the past have been threatened with fundamentalist attacks, this had to be about promoting Pakistan's textile industry in a strangled economy. The majority of Pakistan's population wears traditional Shalwar Kameez or Burkha, are vehemently religious, poor and enjoy about a 50% illiteracy rate. I quickly learned that there are pockets of Pakistani society that have Western sensibilities, which warrants the fashion industry to grow and justifies the need for a fashion week. The British High Commission advises against all but essential travel to Pakistan. After pondering how essential fashion journalism is, against the wishes of my family I flew out to Islamabad in January with the director William Fairman to document an event so incongruous with the Pakistan we see on the news, people thought we'd made it up. This fashion week represented an exclusive elite of Western-centric Pakistanis. I managed with relative ease to secure carte blanche to film fly-on-the-wall at the event, with the exception of filming people boozing or blaspheming on camera. For example, before we left I was warned I'd better cover up and wear long dresses, which is evident in the film. As soon as I arrived I realized that I needn't have worried, that most of the girls at the fashion week dressed like Western girls. It was just one example of how Pakistan is misunderstood in the West. See the rest of Pakistan Fashion Week at VICE.COM . For a week I watched relatively scantily-clad models on a runway in a blast-proof basement of a 7-star hotel just a short drive from the Islamic militant hubs in the troubled northwest. There was a latent atmosphere of volatility: fundamentalists don't have to try hard to work out that these hotels are crawling with Westerners and Pakistani liberals 365 days a year. As a result, the seats at the fashion shows were often half-empty. Social events such as these are few and far between in Pakistan. A young Pakistani rapper we met while out there told us how he struggles to perform live, as live events are often shut down for risk of militant attacks. More than serving as a platform for the textile industry and an attempt at improving Pakistan's world image, the Fashion Week was predominantly just something for people to do, a distraction from the adversity of daily life there. I spent a week in the care of Pakistan's affluent elite, and my time with them taught me that Pakistan is an acutely divided country of extremes. There is a great deal of resentment towards this outmoded elite from the rest of the country. There is no middle class as we know it. This privileged community lives in compounds with armed guards at their gates. They employ a live-in staff and a chauffeur. They inhabit a bubble of ersatz Western life. One woman told me she thought that fashion, not drones, was the answer to Pakistan's problems. Whether this is the case, or not, remains to be seen. | VICE goes to Pakistan for a behind-the-scenes look at fashion week in Islamabad .
Visit offers perspective of Pakistani life rarely seen in the media .
Reporter finds the country to be an "acutely divided country of extremes" |
136,798 | 3cf7e934797dd04f77b60d435cfb9d875c16b240 | By . Peter Allen . YOU never get a second chance to make a first impression, so they say. In which case pity Francois Hollande, the new president of France, whose first day at the office turned into something of a damp squib. In scenes more reminiscent of Clouseau than Charles de Gaulle, the man dubbed ‘Mr Normal’ by the French, endured an extraordinary first 24 hours in charge . Scroll down for video . Drenched: Francois Hollande at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris after his inauguration in Paris (left) while his partner Valerie Trierweilier looked effortlessly chic (right) even as her dress gaped open . Austerity drive: The Socialist president toured the capital in an open topped Peugeot after the ceremony at the Elysee Palace . Washout: Mr Hollande had a huge security detail and the roads at the centre of the French capital had been cleared . Air France One: To add to Mr Hollande's woes his plane was hit by lightning as he flew to Germany for a meeting with Angela Merkel . He witnessed rain of biblical proportions, his plane to Berlin was struck by lightning, and then, when he finally reached Germany to meet the country’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, he fluffed his lines on the red carpet. To top it all, there was even a whiff of scandal, as his appointment of Jean-Marc Ayrault, convicted of corruption in the 1990s, as prime minister was met with raised eyebrows. With France and much of Europe looking on at the newcomer, Mr Hollande’s day started well enough. He exchanged pleasantries with predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace and, in a ceremony deliberately kept low key – to distinguish him from the outgoing ‘President Bling Bling’ – he was sworn in as the seventh president of the Fifth Republic. Raining on his parade: In weather that could have been orchestrated by his opponent Nicolas Sarkozy, the heavens opened on Mr Hollande's motorcade through Paris . Still chucking it down: Mr Hollande endured more outdoor ceremonies in the rain yesterday as he placed flowers at the monument to the Unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe . France's newly-elected President Francois Hollande arrives for the handover ceremony . Mr Hollande then spoke sombrely of the hard times ahead: ‘I will propose to my European partners a pact that ties the necessary reduction of deficit to the indispensable stimulation of the economy. ‘Power at the summit of the state will be exercised with dignity but simplicity, with a great ambition for our country but a scrupulous sobriety of behaviour.’ So far, so good. But then it all went wrong. Perched through the sunroof of a small £25,000 hybrid Citroen DS5, and surrounded by guardsmen on horse-back, he was driven up the Champs Elysees waving to well-wishers. Unfortunately the heavens opened on Mr Hollande’s big moment. By the time he arrived at the Arc de Triomphe he resembled a business-like version of Jane Austen’s Darcy, emerging dripping wet from a dip in the lake. Alllies: German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes French president Francois Hollande at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin . Warm welcome: The new French president was received in Germany by Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and an honour guard, before the pair sat down for talks . Problems: Talks between the two leaders are expected to be dominated by Europe's debt crisis . His black suit was sodden. His best white shirt clung to his body and rain fell from his spectacles. If he thought things would improve when he boarded his plane to meet Mrs Merkel, he was wrong. His Falcon 7X was hit by lightning and he was forced to return to Paris, to board a second aircraft. He arrived in Berlin an hour and a half late – but his troubles did not end there. At the airport, he stood on the wrong side of the red carpet and had to be helpfully pushed along by Mrs Merkel. But if Mr Hollande is really worried his tumultuous first few hours in charge have set the tone for his presidency, he could always remember that old standard for politicians: ‘Things Can Only Get Better.’ VIDEO: What a first day for Francois Hollande!... | Soaked to skin on supposedly triumphant parade along the Champs Elysees .
Official plane hit by lightning and has to turn back .
Late for vital meeting with German leader Angela Merkel to save Euro .
Blunders on red carpet by standing on wrong side in front of photographers . |
35,613 | 6532d99b2f548f5a237811dfbb5f50a079f3f302 | An Australian man has been threatened with an 'unusual way of death' by the Islamic terrorist group who kidnapped him just over a year ago. Warren Rodwell, a 54-year-old retired soldier, was seized from his home in the Philippines in December 2011 by gunmen from the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al Harakatul Al-Islamiyyah. In a harrowing video message, Mr Rodwell admits he holds 'no hope at all' of ever being released and says he has lost trust in the Australian government. Harrowing: Australian Kidnap victim Warren Rodwell is pictured surrounded by his captors at a jungle camp in the southern Philippines . A picture posted on facebook shows Mr Rodwell in a jungle camp in the southern Philippines surrounded by masked Islamic gunmen. In an internet message aimed at the Australian government, the kidnappers say Mr Rodwell, will soon be executed unless the unspecified ransom is paid immediately. Mr Rodwell was seized from his home in Mindanao in the south of the Philippines . The message reads: ‘If you have concerned (sic) with . your men, we will give you a chance to save his life before it’s too . late, as soon as possible time, otherwise he will suffer unusual way of . Death.’ Islamic terrorist groups in the southern Philippines – there are three major organisations – have either shot or beheaded captives in the past and the reference to an ‘unusual way of death’ is believed to suggested a beheading. Four other foreigners are being held for ransom in the Philippines, although the last hostage to be executed – a Peruvian American – was killed in 2001. Other hostages have died in exchanges of gunfire between terrorists and government troops. Mr Rodwell appears to have lost a considerable . amount of weight since the day he was captured from the home he shared . with his Filipina wife. In a video clip released last month a downcast Mr Rodwell said the group holding him had posted it ‘to say that I’m alive. 'I am waiting to be released…I personally hold no hope at all for being released.’ The group holding him say in their latest internet message that they operate ‘in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.’ Mr Rodwell holds up a copy of a Philippines newspaper as he talks to the camera . They add: ‘All praise is for Allah, . the Lord of the Universe. May Allah bestow peace and blessings upon our . Leader Muhammad, Leader of those who strive in Allah’s way and Imam of . the pious.’ Resigned: The 54-year-old former soldier said he holds 'no hope at all' of ever being released . The group also . has a message to ‘our brothers in Islam It adds: ‘We would like to make . it clear that our activities like this are not for personal interests or . just to gain money for personal use. ‘Let . it be known to everyone we are on war against the forces of shaytan . (the Devil) in the Philippines, its allies and supporters, and whatever . we gain from this war is to be used for our future operations and other . necessities.’ Australia’s Foreign Minister told the . Australian Broadcasting Corporation today that the government was . continuing to work on getting Mr Rodwell released, along with help from . the Philippines government. The Labour government has a policy of not paying ransoms but it says that families of kidnap victims are made aware of the option of engaging a private kidnap and ransom consultant. ‘If a family chooses to engage a kidnap and ransom specialist, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to provide the family and their representatives with as much information as possible, bearing in mind national security and privacy concerns’ says the government. | Former soldier, 54, seized from his home in the Philippines 13 months ago .
Al-Qaeda-linked group are holding him in a jungle camp .
He admits he holds 'no hope at all' of ever being released . |
166,541 | 635ab5e222bf8e49e8a34579eaa58e37b3010cdf | (CNN)As one of the world's leading financial capitals, Hong Kong is a dream destination for business travelers. With more skyscrapers than any other city in the world and some of the finest dining on the planet, the city might well leave you begging for a flight cancellation so you can squeeze in an extra day. To help you enjoy a few of the city's highlights, here's a guide to getting into town, eating/sleeping well, buying the best souvenirs and leaving with an expense account you'll be proud of. Easiest, most comfortable airport transfer . Forget everything you know about subways -- Hong Kong's Airport Express train service blows away even the most jaded commuter. Trains are clean, comfortable, spacious, always on time and get you to the city in 24 minutes flat, faster than any car service can ever aspire to. Better still, the trains are easy to walk to and the procedure simple to figure out upon arrival -- there's virtually no stress about how to get tickets or where to get the trains as you exit the arrival terminal. At HK$100 per ride, trains depart at 10-minute intervals from 5:54 a.m. to 11:28 p.m. and 12-minute intervals from 11:28 p.m. to 12:48 a.m. daily. Memorable meals . There's no shortage of Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong. But finding a memorable local meal you'll be thinking about for months is far more challenging. Luk Yu Teahouse has it all: a historic art deco-inspired feel, waiters that have stuck by the place through decades, killer Cantonese food not found anywhere else, a glamorous clientele and a storied past that includes a mob hit in the dining room. You'll have to get here early for a breakfast of old fashioned dim sum, such as duck and chestnut pastry. Luk Yu Teahouse, Luk Yu Building, 24-26 Stanley St. Central; +852 2523 1970 . Centrally located room with a view . For a true home-away-from-home feel, the penthouse suites at The Upper House are a good call. With more than 180 square meters of understated elegance, wraparound views of Hong Kong and a spa-inspired bathroom, this is the ultimate city stay. Bonus feature: the chance of bumping into a celebrity in the elevators. The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty; +852 2918 1838 . Where to get a unique addition to your wardrobe . Hong Kong's fashion design scene is young, eclectic and fun. A place to get a taste of it is K11 Mall, dubbed an "Art Mall" for its support of Chinese contemporary art and reputable gallery in the basement. The mall houses local designer brands, and offers its own curated selection of designer products at the K11 Design Store. K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 3118 8070 . Where to take a killer photo . Sure, you could ride the historic Peak Tram with the tourists and snap a great photo of Hong Kong at the top of Victoria Peak -- it's foolproof. But you could also join local hikers (of which there are many) to walk up Lion Rock Peak for the most incredible sweeping panorama of Kowloon, all surrounded by pristine nature. Experience the heart of the city . To see Hong Kong, past and present, in a walkable nutshell, head to the Central and Sheung Wan Districts. Some of the oldest parts of the city, with crumbling colonial-era tenement buildings and decades-old shops, can be found in these areas. Gentrifying comfortably, Soho and "Poho" (the neighborhood between Po Hing Fong and Hollywood Road) areas offer thoughtful eateries and unpretentious boutiques. General directions: Keep walking west on Queen's Road Central, or the parallel Hollywood Road. Graham Street is where things start to get interesting. Classy, easy-to-pack souvenir . Some of the best memories visitors take away from Hong Kong are centered on food. To take a little bit of local flavor home, you can pick up a couple jars of XO sauce. Every restaurant worth its reputation will have its own secret recipe for the mildly spicy local condiment made from dried and often precious seafood, as well as Chinese ham. We love the one at the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop ($35/small, $45/large jar). Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop, M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, +852 2825 4008 . | Hong Kong's Airport Express gets you to the city center in 24 minutes .
The hike to Lion Rock peak offers stunning panoramas of Kowloon and across to the island .
Some of Hong Kong's oldest buildings and colonial-era structures can be found in Central and Sheung Wan districts . |
109,018 | 188b3aa6389021e21a27f456747e6f993e08db85 | (CNN) -- Winning a pageant title is life-changing, especially during the year of your reign. If it's a big crown, like a state title, it can be like a full-time gig as you prepare for the national event and make appearances. Elizabeth Fechtel set right to work after getting her tiara on June 21, when she was named Miss Florida. She reportedly had even dropped out of the University of Florida so she could prepare for the Miss America contest in September. But now, she won't be going to the premier beauty contest. Pageant officials announced Friday there had been a mistake in tabulating what must have been very close final scores. And days after getting her crown, Fechtel was giving it back, so the Miss Florida organization could give it to Victoria Cowen, originally announced as first runner-up. The executive director of the pageant said on Facebook that the organization had to make things right. "Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences will be," Mary Sullivan wrote. Fechtel's mother, Dixie, told the Orlando Sentinel she was told that one judge changed his mind in the last 15 seconds and tried to indicate it on his ballot. "It was a human error," Sullivan told the paper. "We have two auditors ... but they unfortunately missed one of the markings on the ballot." Cowen, a student at Florida State, said on her Facebook page that she had bonded with Fechtel during their week at the competition. "I know our friendship will remain strong," she wrote, before going on to thank pageant officials for their honesty and integrity. In a blog linked off her Twitter page, Fechtel said: . "There is one big idea that I would like to emphasize: I was Miss Florida for a glimpse, but more importantly, I have been Elizabeth Fechtel since day one. A title does not define me. It opens doors, but it does not dictate who I am and where I am going. I would like to think of opportunities like this as stepping stones to my future. I cannot deny that this was one of the biggest "steps" I have come across, and I had become very comfortable and excited about the growth it would bring." The Florida mix-up is similar to one in 2013 where the announced winner of Miss Universe Canada, Denise Garrido, gave up her crown after 24 hours when officials discovered a typographical error. And it comes just after Miss Delaware Amanda Longacre had her Miss America dreams squashed when officials ruled her out because she is too old under pageant rules. | Officials say there was a tabulation mistake .
Victoria Cowen was the actual winner and Elizabeth Fechtel had to give up her crown .
Fechtel writes on blog that she cannot be defined by a title .
Recently a winner in Delaware was declared too old for Miss America contest . |
184,963 | 7b9a8598384dabd60f7e1e778b7837cfaf5c5f0c | By . Shari Miller . PUBLISHED: . 12:23 EST, 14 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:23 EST, 14 July 2013 . Keen sailors with a healthy bank balance could find themselves in the same boat as Roman Abramovich - literally - because the mega-rich Chelsea boss has decided to hire out his luxury yachts for a staggering total of £2.6million a week. The Russian business tycoon, who is known for his love of fast cars and private jets, also has a penchant for collecting superyachts. But as he can only use one at a time, Abramovich has decided to use the vessels as a cash cow and charter them out for an eye-watering figure - plus running costs. Very Nice: The luxury yacht Eclipse, seen in the bay of Villefranche sur Mer, southern France, can be hired for £1.6m a week . His 557ft Eclipse yacht is available for a rumoured £1.65 million ($2.5m) a week. Until earlier this year Eclipse was the world's largest private yacht, but has now been pipped to the top spot by Azzam, a 590ft floating palace built by German firm . Lurssen and owned by a Middle East businessman. Nevertheless, there are plenty of luxurious features that Eclipse has to offer. Completed in 2010, the yacht has 18 cabins sleeping 34 guests, two helipads, a missile defence system and an accompanying submarine. It also features a 16-metre swimming pool, theatre and nightclub and is reputedly armour-plated with bulletproof windows. Eclipse is so large that many marinas can't contain it. In New York, the captain had to dock it in the same place where cruise ships normally anchor. Abramovich's 557-foot yacht Eclipse, which has lost the title of . the world's largest private yacht to the newly-launched Azzam . measuring 590-foot, had to be anchored where cruise ships normally anchor in New York . Luxury on the water: Eclipse was until recently the world's largest private yacht . Abramovich's other yacht is the Luna, a 380ft vessel which is available for charter at a weekly price of around £1m ($1.5m). It also has two helipads and a nightclub and was bought by the privacy-loving Russian in 2010. With both boats in use, Abramovich could be looking at earning £2.5 million a week - enough to cover 75 per cent of Chelsea FC's weekly wage bill. And despite these whopping costs, the price does not include running costs or staff. Eclipse has a 1m litre tank and a range of around 8,000 nautical miles. The dreamboats are being advertised for charter through SuperYachts Monaco. Super yacht: Luna measures 115 metres (377 ft) - and could be yours for £1m a week . Fit for the fleet: Pelorus, which measures 115 metres (377 ft) and was built in 2003, was given to his second wife Irina as part of their divorce settlement in 2009 . In his navy: Ecstasea, measuring 85 metres (279 ft) had a high cruising speed and was one of the first luxury yachts bought by Abramovich. He sold the boat to an unnamed buyer in 2009 . Smooth sailing: Abromavich's yacht Sussaro . | Billionaire Chelsea boss has decided to use luxury yachts as a cash cow .
Eclipse, a 557ft floating palace, is available for £1.6m a week .
Features 18 cabins, two helipads, a missile defence system and submarine .
Superyacht is armour-plated and boasts swimming pool and nightclub .
380ft Luna also available for hire for £1m a week . |
248,955 | ce27bdf09690081a1a1146ef4d13c8ed75b29429 | Chris Robshaw has been endorsed as the man to captain England at the World Cup, days after leading a tunnel stand-off in Cardiff which set the defiant tone for his side's heroic victory. The Harlequins flanker has been the established skipper throughout Stuart Lancaster's three-year tenure, but he has always had to earn the right to retain the job on a tournament-by-tournament basis. Now, however, the national coach has made an unprecedented declaration of long-term faith in Robshaw's capacity to fulfil the role. Lancaster's instinct is to avoid nailing his colours to the mast but he said: 'Players get injured and things happen that are out of your control. But it would take a big change of heart now to move from the direction we're going with Chris. Chris Robshaw (centre) passes to tighthead Kieran Brookes during England training at Pennyhill Park . Robshaw fires out a pass during his side's first training session following his side's 21-16 win against Wales . Stuart Lancaster's squad warm-up at Pennyhill Park following their bruising encounter in Cardiff . Leicester lock Geoff Parling is back in training having recovered from a knee injury . Lancaster (right) issues instructions to his players as they prepare for Saturday's game against Italy . Saracens lock George Kruis (centre) put in an impressive shift against the Welsh pack on Friday night . 'I've got other good players in the back row who are all desperate for an opportunity, but Chris has been excellent and we need to make sure we continue to back him. We certainly will in this Six Nations and, fingers crossed, he'll be fit and available for June.' That suggests only injury can deny Robshaw the honour of leading the host nation into the World Cup, which represents emphatic progress for the 28-year-old. He has been captain in 32 of the 33 Tests he has played for his country but even as recently as last June, at the end of England's trip to New Zealand, the coaches were voicing grave misgivings about the openside's breakdown credentials and inviting a challenge from other specialist English No 7s. During the autumn, Robshaw was caught up in the criticism which came England's way after defeats against the All Blacks and South Africa. But he finished the November series with a towering performance in the victory over Australia and then led by example at the Millennium Stadium. England captain Robshaw (left) set the tone for the match with his pre-match stand-off in the tunnel . Lancaster said: 'He's been excellent. Confidence in his ability as a player is the fundamental thing behind leadership. You've got to be secure of your place in the team. He's earned that and he earns it on a weekly basis. 'He did it again against Wales with the number of tackles he made, the turnovers he made and his contribution to the game. We look at people's involvement, not just in the rucks but in their work-rate off the ball. He's continually at the top of that as well. 'He's earned the respect of all the players and as a consequence he's leading them effectively. But he's also got the strength of solidarity from the leaders around him as well. They back him up to the hilt.' In the moments before kick-off last Friday, Robshaw illustrated his increasing authority by resolutely refusing to lead his team down the tunnel until receiving assurances that Wales would not keep them waiting in the cold for long. It was a stance which infuriated the hosts and set a bloody-minded tone for what was to follow. James Haskell (left), Robshaw (centre) and Billy Vunipola worked brilliantly as a backrow triumvirate . In the moments before kick-off last Friday, Robshaw illustrated his increasing authority by resolutely refusing to lead his team down the tunnel until receiving assurances that Wales would not keep them waiting in the cold for long. It was a stance which infuriated the hosts and set a bloody-minded tone for what was to follow. Lancaster attempted to down-play the significance of that stand-off but asked if his skipper would have done the same thing before the RBS 6 Nations opener at Murrayfield in 2012, he said: 'It wouldn't have been a decision I'd have encouraged him to make in what was my first game in charge. 'You take your time to find your feet. We have that confidence and belief now. There are a lot of players in the changing room who have played in big games, not only for their clubs, but also internationally. That investment in the last two to three years is beginning to tell. Lancaster attempted to down-play the significance of that stand-off but asked if his skipper would have done the same thing before the RBS 6 Nations opener at Murrayfield in 2012, he said: 'It wouldn't have been a decision I'd have encouraged him to make in what was my first game in charge. Bath centre Kyle Eastmond (centre) is also back in contention for selection for the Azzurri clash . Courtney Lawes (left) and Tom Wood should be fit for the clash with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on March 1 . 'You take your time to find your feet. We have that confidence and belief now. There are a lot of players in the changing room who have played in big games, not only for their clubs, but also internationally. That investment in the last two to three years is beginning to tell. 'There is a fine line but I'd hate to think we come across as an arrogant team because I don't think we are. But you want to show what you are about as a group and that possibly showed in that moment. I'd like to think there is no arrogance in the team but growing confidence.' England are likely to field an unchanged starting XV against Italy at Twickenham on Saturday, despite having Brad Barritt, Kyle Eastmond and Geoff Parling back in training after injuries. Among the other casualties, Alex Corbisiero and Stephen Myler are expected to play for Northampton on Friday, while fellow Saints Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood should be fit for the clash with Ireland in Dublin on March 1. But Manu Tuilagi is unlikely to feature in the championship and it is not certain when Bath prop David Wilson will recover from a neck problem. | Chris Robshaw set the tone for England's victory against Wales when he lead a tunnel stand-off before kick-off in Cardiff .
Robshaw has been captain in 32 of the 33 Tests he has played for England .
England coach Stuart Lancaster is likely to field an unchanged starting XV against Italy at Twickenham on Saturday .
Brad Barritt, Kyle Eastmond and Geoff Parling back in training after injuries .
Alex Corbisiero and Stephen Myler should play for Northampton on Friday .
Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood should be fit for the clash with Ireland in Dublin on March 1 . |
265,110 | e35a7da79b9fc5f4fece1978a441e439d73f2a8f | Struggling to stick to your diet? Then make sure you stock up on fruit and veg – even if you don’t eat it. Scientists have discovered that the sight and smell of healthy food can help dieters stick to their weight-loss goals. In one test people reduced their chocolate consumption by more than half if they smelt a fresh orange first. And diners who started with a salad instead of garlic bread went on to eat a smaller main course – because the sight of the lettuce reminded them about their diet. A dieter's best friend? Scientists found that dieters who ate a salad instead of garlic bread as a starter went on to eat smaller main meal even though both starters had the same calorie content . Scientists from the University of Leeds said the sight and even the smell of fruit and vegetables can lower overall food intake. The study, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behaviour, suggests healthy foods that are associated with diets can help improve self-control. Scientists say that being exposed to fruit and vegetables helps remind a dieter of their goals . Researcher Nicola Buckland said that . when tempted by food, dieters should ‘take a few moments to focus on the . sensory properties of healthy food, such as the sight and smell of . fruit or salad vegetables’. She added: ‘Healthy food cues can provide an instant reminder to dieters. Or order a salad as a starter to help reduce intake.’ Miss Buckland also recommended . filling our fruit bowls and keeping the fridge well-stocked if we want a . bit of extra help sticking to our diet plans. Even when away from home, dieters can prompt resistance to temptation with a piece of fruit or baby carrots. Or when eating out 'order a salad as a starter to help reduce intake', said Miss Buckland. The study also found the effects of healthy food to improve dieters' self-control may be most beneficial when hungry. When participants were given a standard lunch and then offered a snack two hours later, prior exposure to fruit had no effect on intake. It suggests that diet cues may be most useful when an individual is hungry and tempted to overindulge on unhealthy food. | Researchers at University of Leeds found that those who ate a salad instead of garlic bread as a starter went on to eat smaller main meal .
Smelling an orange reduced chocolate consumption by over half .
Experts say that findings suggest that salads and fruit may remind dieters of their long .
term goals to lose weight and improve self-control . |
244,959 | c90ae4258512942834c384a9e9736146d3387712 | Washington (CNN) -- A key whistle-blower in the intensifying scandal over wait times at veterans hospitals took issue on Sunday with an initial internal review that downplayed the number of people who may have died while waiting for care. The comments came as the embattled Veterans Affairs secretary received tepid support from some critics of the department's handling of a chronic problem across many of the VA's care facilities. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has been at the center of political debate over accountability since CNN began reporting on delays in medical appointments suffered by veterans across the country, including some who died or were seriously injured. The VA requires its hospitals to provide care to patients in a timely manner, typically within 14 to 30 days. CNN first reported as many as 40 veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, according to sources inside the hospital and a doctor who worked there. Many of those veterans were placed on a secret waiting list, the sources said. The department's acting inspector general told a House panel Thursday, "The number 40 that's been widely quoted in the press does not represent the total numbers of veterans that we're looking at." "The initial list that we were given, we have gone through and there are only 17 names on that list," said Richard Griffin. "Our review to date -- and we have more work to do on this because we want to have more than one set of eyes look at all of the records -- but on those 17, we didn't conclude, so far, that the delay caused the death. It's one thing to be on a waiting list, and it's another thing to conclude that as a result of being on the waiting list, that's the cause of death." It's unclear if any of those 17 names were among the deaths reported by CNN, and Griffin acknowledged that "multiple lists" exist. "But there are also other people who have come through the Congress, who have come through the media, who have come through our hot line, so we have multiple lists, none of them identical," Griffin testified Thursday. Dr. Samuel Foote, who made his allegations first to CNN, disputed Griffin's testimony about the department's initial conclusions. "The original allegation was 40 people died while waiting for care. And they were advertising waiting times of 30 to 55 days when in fact they were more like six to seven months. And we had no way of reviewing these charts," said Foote on "Fox News Sunday." "So, we never said they died because of this. We just made the point that at least 40 veterans we felt had died while waiting." Foote has said the larger problem was the VA lied about it and fudged the numbers. "They've been cheating about this," he said. "The cheating has gone on for a long time." The VA has previously admitted that 23 veterans passed away because of delays, and 53 others had adverse health effects at VA facilities across the country. Sources now tell CNN the Office of Inspector General is investigating in six states, including Arizona. Shinseki also testified before a House committee and said he had no intention of stepping down, but a top department official did so a day later. Dr. Robert Petzel, undersecretary for health in the Department of Veterans Affairs, had appeared before the congressional panel alongside the secretary. Foote, among others, applauded that move. But as far as Shinseki's status, Foote said the secretary for now should stay. "If we switch secretaries then the focus will get away from fixing the problem to who's the new secretary going to be," he said. "And then he'll have three- or six-month or a nine-month grace period because he's the new guy. Our best bet at this point is to keep the (current) secretary on board, but I think the President needs to keep him on a pretty short leash and be sure that he's doing the job." That was echoed by a leading veterans group. "We demand swift accountability," said Ryan Gallucci, a deputy director at the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, on "Fox News Sunday." "The families who have been affected by these allegations need justice and need it quickly." Other leading groups have taken a harder stance, reiterating calls for a sweeping change at the top of the department's leadership. "We called for the secretary and two undersecretaries to step down," said Dan Dellinger, national commander of the American Legion, on CBS's "Face the Nation." He noted Petzel was already scheduled to retire this year, and a replacement had earlier been nominated. "This seems to us to be business as usual. We haven't seen that proactive versus reactive culture of change we'd like to see." Foote told CNN earlier that the Phoenix VA had been keeping secret lists of delayed appointments, while providing top officials with sham figures. "They wouldn't take you off that secret list until you had an appointment time that was less than 14 days so it would give the appearance that they were improving greatly the waiting times," Foote, who worked at the facility for 24 years, said last month in an exclusive interview. "So then when they did that, they would report to Washington, 'Oh, yeah. We're making our appointments within 10 days, within the 14-day frame,' when in reality it had been six, nine, in some cases 21 months." The White House has tried to manage the crisis, repeating in recent days the President's earlier order that Shinseki conduct a review of the Veterans Health Administration's practices at its facilities. "The President is madder than hell, and I've got the scars to prove it, given the briefings I've given the President, the conversations that we have had on these matters," said White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on CBS's "Face the Nation." "At the same time that we're looking at accountability we want to continue to perform to provide our veterans the services that they have earned." But the American Legion says Obama himself has been missing in action. "We need the White House, the President to come forward. He needs to make a statement to show the employees of VA that this needs to change now," said Dellinger. "One death is tragic, but when you hide it, that's unforgivable." Shinseki told lawmakers last week the incidents were "isolated," but CNN sources relate another story -- that the VA inspector general's office has been investigating allegations in at least half a dozen states. Sources have told CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin that other whistle-blowers have come forward from across the country, saying their offices manipulate wait times as well. The VA has admitted 23 people in nine states have died because of delayed care -- many of them veterans who were forced to wait too long for simple tests like colonoscopies or endoscopies. Rights group calls VA official 'scapegoat' in scandal over wait times, care . VA clinic employee on leave after e-mail about manipulating appointments . CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Drew Griffin, and Mary Grace Lucas contributed to this report . | Dr. Samuel Foote stands by his charge that 40 veterans died waiting for care .
But he says VA chief Shinseki should stay, to avoid upheaval of appointing a new secretary .
American Legion calls for Shinseki's resignation, wants to hear more from Obama .
White House chief of staff says Obama is "madder than hell" about VA scandal . |
40,410 | 720cdb39112e6744c6d8cf02240021d35838cb13 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:05 EST, 19 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:59 EST, 19 September 2013 . McGruff the Crime Dog teaches kids to 'take a bite out of crime' but what happens when the criminal takes a bite out of you? That's what lawyer Jonathan Damon encountered when he caught 24-year-old Mikayla Hull trying to make off with a 75-year-old's purse Tuesday. The victim, Evelyn Searl, was eating at a restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her daughter when Hull rode up on her bike and swiped the bag. Scroll down for video . Take a bite out of crime: 24-year-old purse-snatching suspect Mikayla Hull is caught on camera biting the man straddling her, a lawyer named Jonathan Damon . Searl ran after her but tripped and fell on her face. Before Hull could get away, three men apprehended her and pinned her to the ground, with Mr Damon straddling her so she couldn't get up while they waited for police. Hull's detainment by the citizen arresters was caught on camera by a passing Grand Rapids Press reporter. The video picks up after Hull has been pinned to the ground, and she starts asking to be rolled over and have her hands put behind her back instead of being straddled. Ms Searl is also captured laying on the ground after slipping and falling. Victim: 75-year-old Evelyn Searl, on the ground in blue, attempted to chase Hull but fell on her face. When paramedics arrived, they determined she was uninjured . It seems that witnesses believed that Hull hit Ms Searl, and while she admitted to taking the bag, Hull tells Mr Damon that she didn't touch the woman. 'Dude she's rich, she's eating at a restaurant,' Hull said. 'I didn't break her nose. I snatched her purse. It was sitting on the table. I swear to god I wouldn't hit her.' Hull continues to ask to be turned over, but the men refuse and she starts to wiggle in an attempt to break free. 'You're struggling you should not be struggling because you're going to get hurt,' Mr Damon warns. 'Alright, you asked for it,' he says before she bites him in the arm. 'You asked for it': Mr Damon gives out a word of warning before Hull starts to bite . Bitten: Hull begins to bite Mr Damon when he refuses to let her flip over onto her back . Punches: After she starts biting him, Mr Damon starts to punch her in the face. The man on the left eventually intervenes telling him to stop . Once Hull starts biting, Mr Damon starts punching her in the face until one of the other men tells him to stop. 'You just assaulted me fool,' she said. After Hull was taken into custody by police, Mr Damon spoke with the reporter and seemed to be confused about Hull's gender, referring to her as a 'he' though he can clearly be heard in the video using 'she'. Arrested: Police say Hull will be charged with larceny from a person and assault . 'I was raised to never hit a girl,' he told the Press. 'I was raised at a time when you had no concept of a girl doing that. In the 1950s, girls didn't snatch purses. They wore petticoats.' While Mr Damon was praised by the daughter of the victim, he's also received criticism on the web for punching a woman. 'I know I'm a bleeding heart and all that, but him slugging [the] girl in the head probably could've been avoided. The cops sure wouldn't have gotten away with it,' one commenter wrote. After the incident he went to the hospital to treat the bite wound, which he says broke skin. Mr Damon received a tetanus shot and a prescription for antibiotics. Doctors told him to return if the wound becomes infected. Hull was taken into custody and a police spokesman said she will be charged with larceny from a person and aggravated assault. Police said they would not charge Mr Damon for hitting Hull. 'I don't think a crime was committed by him,' said Grand Rapids Police Lt Pete McWatters. 'To the contrary, he was defending himself.' Paramedics examined Ms Searl on the scene and determined she was uninjured. Her daughter, Samantha Searl, posted a comment on MLive.com about the incident: . 'We want to make sure that everyone knows that she WAS NOT HIT by the thief, but FELL chasing after her. We are very thankful for all those who helped make a citizens arrest and, hopefully, end the thief's career.' | Evelyn Searl, 75, was eating at a restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her daughter when 24-year-old Mikayla Hull rode up on her bike and snatched her purse off the table .
Searl ran after her, but fell on her face before catching up with her .
Three men were able to apprehend Hull and detain her until police could arrive .
While they had her pinned down, Hull proceeded to bite Jonathan Damon, the man straddling her .
Mr Damon responded by punching her in the face .
Hull has been arrested and is pending charges of larceny and assault .
Police do not intend to press charges against Mr Damon for hitting Hull . |
22,105 | 3ebcaac840b2a3fbd1ee88d9590b4a67238c534e | The humble fish finger celebrates its 60th anniversary next year and once accounted for 10 per cent of all the fish eaten in Britain. But new statistics show that Britain could be falling out of love with the traditional teatime snack, with sales falling by more than two per cent this year. While the breadcrumbed treat is struggling, fresh fish is doing better, with sales increasing, even while fresh meat sales, fresh poultry and game sales fell. Britain is losing its taste for fish fingers after nearly 60 years as one of the nation's best loved teatime treats . Figures show that sales of all fish fingers, including own label and big name brands, fell by 2.2% . Price rises, shoppers choosing healthier, fresh alternatives and simply getting tired of the frozen favourite are all being blamed for the decline of the fish finger. Big brands like Birds Eye, the original inventor of the snack, saw sales fall by up to seven per cent according to trade journal The Grocer. Figures show sales of all fish fingers, including own label and big name brands, fell by 2.2 per cent to 28.7 million kilos in the 12 months to the end of August. The breaded fishy favourite is losing ground to fresh fish from the chiller cabinet - which saw sales rise to 0.3 per cent in volume, during the same period that fresh meat sales were down two per cent, and fresh poultry and game fell 2.3 per cent. And sales of 'ambient' fish like tuna, salmon and crabmeat which can go in the cupboard and last much longer have risen 4.6 per cent in value and 2.1 per cent to 88 million kg a year in volume, the report said. Dinenrtime staple: Analysts say that diners are falling out of love with the treat as a snack in a sandwich . According to analysts, diners are falling out of love with the treat whether it is as a snack in a sandwich or served in the traditional way with chips and peas. Part of this may be to do with habits - families are less likely to all sit round the table and eat together - or health reasons with alternative foods chosen for protein for instance. But experts say a lack of innovation and marketing has also contributed to the decline of the dinnertime staple. No longer popular: Big brands like Birds Eye, the original inventor of the fish finger, saw sales fall by up to seven per cent. Fish fingers were first produced by Birds Eye in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in 1955 . It added: 'It's enough to drive poor of Captain Birdseye to drink. Sales of frozen fish have continued on their downward trajectory this year.' Birds Eye senior brand manager Andrew Foster told The Grocer shoppers were seeking 'delicious guilt-free meal options' rather than products coated in batter or breadcrumbs. Yvonne Adam of rivals Young's Seafood said: 'Consumers are looking for the best fish, made delicious, which is easy to cook, with health benefits and value for money promotions.' The first fish fingers were produced by Birds Eye at their factory in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in 1955 and launched to British consumers on September 26 in the same year. They had originally been patented by the company's founder Clarence Birdseye in 1927 but it took years to create a commercial version. Even though they were designed to be frozen, when they first when on sale, only one in five homes had a freezer so they had to be eaten almost immediately as if fresh. | Fish fingers used to account for 10% of all fish eaten in Britain .
Sales of the breaded fish slices have fallen more than 2% this year .
First fish fingers were produced by Birds Eye in 1955 .
Lack of innovation has contributed to the decline of the dinnertime staple .
Fresh fish is doing better as shoppers choose tuna, salmon and crabmeat . |
180,180 | 754cd53af2653a9ec4361174b5d0b824805f20f8 | By . Deni Kirkova . Lego . will launch a series of female scientists and . their lab tools after a pioneering proposal was selected as the latest Lego Ideas winner. Stockholm-based geochemist and avid Lego builder Dr Ellen Kooijman submitted her idea to the toy giant, who will start selling the products in August. The . new series will include a female astronomer with a . telescope, female paleontologist with a dinosaur skeleton, and female chemist in a . lab. The figurines will be entirely devoid of the colour pink. The image shown is a generic minifigure image from an old series of Lego. The toy firm will launch a series of female scientists and their lab tools in August . In her project proposal, Kooijman wrote: 'The motto of these scientists is clear: explore the world and beyond!' report the Guardian. On her blog she wrote of her recognition of a clear gender gap among Lego figurines. 'As . a female scientist I had noticed two things about the available Lego . sets: a skewed male/female minifigure ratio and a rather stereotypical . representation of the available female figures,' she wrote. 'It seemed . logical that I would suggest a small set of female minifigures in . interesting professions to make our Lego city communities more diverse.' 'Any toy or any activity that dispels the idea that a girl's value lies just in the way she looks is a positive idea' The . toy company has been criticised in the past for its gender-based . marketing tactics, but these latest additions could mark a change in direction for them. Leading psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, 43, who has an 11-year-old daughter, spoke with MailOnline about her personal and professional stance on the launch of the new product. 'My daughter's a big fan of Lego, and I've been thinking about this a lot,' she said. 'I buy her the architectural designs you can get an the UN building [such as the Sydney Opera House Play Set]. They are the least gender specific Lego toys - just buildings . 'I remember thinking, "What a lovely idea". You can read a bit about who the architects are. It's not all this "would you like the pink section or the blue section". 'I think any toy or any activity that dispels the idea that a girl's value lies just in the way she looks; that shows she can be more than that, that she can do more, is a positive idea. 'Sadly female scientists or business leaders aren't celebrated in the same way that males are, so this is fantastic. 'The younger you can get girls to see these things as the norm the better. Getting them to see that it's just as normal for a woman to wear a white doctor's or scientist's coat as it is for a man; that's such an important thing. 'The whole idea that there is the whole idea that there is just one section for girls - the pink section - reinforces gender stereotypes. 'Of course, there's always going to be evolutionary differences, but so many more toys aimed at girls have to do with being pretty and looking a certain way, whereas those all about having fun and action heroes are for boys. 'Girls need to be seen as doers rather than passive, to subvert the objectification of women. The object is someone acted upon; "how can I make my hair curlier, my lips pinker, my eyes brighter". 'I think there's a problem here.' The prototype image submitted by Dr Ellen Kooijman, who designed the new toy set . Emma . Owen, spokesperson for LEGO Ideas commented: 'We’re very excited to . release LEGO enthusiast, Ellen Kooijman’s Research Institute set as our . next LEGO Ideas fan based set. 'After . receiving over 10,000 votes from the online community and having gone . through rigorous toy testing from our expert panel, this awesome set is . on track to be released on shelves this August. 'The final design, pricing and availability are being worked out as we speak, so watch this space! 'What you see today on LEGO Ideas is just the beginning. 'Over . time, we are looking forward to adding new ways for users to . participate with us in co-creating LEGO products together on LEGO . Ideas.' 'We’re very . excited to release Ellen Kooijman’s Female Minifigure set, featuring . three scientists, now entitled Research Institute as our next Lego . Ideas set,' Lego said in a statement on its site. 'This awesome model is . an inspiring set that offers a lot for kids as well as adults. The . final design, pricing and availability are still being worked out, but . it’s on track to be released August 2014, so keep an eye out!' The latest Ideas range that went on sale this week is the Ghostbusters Ecto 1 vehicle . The Lego HQ in Denmark are yet to release . images of the product, and will finalise all the set details before it . goes on sale this August. Lego . Ideas is a site where enthusiasts can submit and vote on ideas for sets . they want to see available in toy stores. When an project receives . 10,000 votes, it then enters a review phase to be evaluated by a board . made up of set designers and marketing representatives, according to its . website. After testing the concepts for stability, playability, . safety, market fit and more, the board selects one idea to become the . next Lego Ideas product. The creator is recognized for inspiring the . product and receives a cut of the product's sales. Kooijman’s scientists beat out six other potential projects, among them a Sherlock set and a Legend of Zelda set. For more information on LEGO Ideas and for the video from LEGO HQ in Denmark visit:https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/11 . Visit http://www.drlinda.co.uk/ for more . from Dr Linda, and information on her book Whose Life Is It Anyway?: A . survival guide for 20 somethings, which comes out in October . | Lego to launch female astronomer, paleontologist and chemist toys .
Idea by Stockholm's geochemist and avid Lego builder Dr Ellen Kooijman .
Leading psychologist Dr Linda spoke exclusively with MailOnline . |
68,281 | c1add30d6f0fac5aed1e630fafd218f585945944 | Robin Williams checked into rehab at an addiction treatment center in Minnesota in the weeks before his apparent suicide. At the time, his representative said, 'After working . back-to-back projects, Robin is simply taking the opportunity to . fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment, of which he remains . extremely proud.' While he was at Hazeldon Addiction Treatment Center, the actor and comedian paid a visit to a Dairy Queen in Linstrom nearby on June 29. Scroll down for video . Maintaining his sobriety: On June 29 Robin Williams was spotted at a Dairy Queen in Minnesota, not far from Hazelden, where he was receiving treatment . Looking very slim, Williams posed for a photograph with server Abby Albers in one of the last pictures of his life. Albers grabbed the opportunity to have her photo taken with Williams, who she said was 'the ONLY famous person' to have ever entered the store. On Facebook where she posted the picture, she described him as 'friendly,' and said he bought a small vanilla cone but refused to speculate among her friends about the reason for his visit. In response to someone's suggestion that Williams was attending rehab at Hazeldon, she said '...if he is it's none of our business.' Williams had often spoken about his problems with drugs and alcohol, and in recent years he admitted he was again struggling. On a recent tour, he even joked about it. 'I went to rehab in wine country,' he said, 'to keep my options open.' Williams told Parade magazine in 2013 that he had relapsed in 2003 after 20 years of sobriety while filming The Big White. 'One day I walked into a store and saw a little bottle of . Jack Daniel’s. And then that voice — I call it the "lower power' — goes, "Hey. Just . a taste. Just one." I drank it, and there was that brief moment of "Oh, I’m . okay!" But it escalated so quickly. Within a week I was buying so many bottles . I sounded like a wind chime walking down the street. I knew it was really bad . one Thanksgiving when I was so drunk they had to take me upstairs.' The center: Hazelden is located in Minnesota and their Lodge department specializes in helping patients achieve long-term sobriety . Demanding schedule: Williams, pictured in 2013, had been working nonstop and needed some time for himself, his rep said in June . He described feelings of loneliness and fear that pushed him back towards alcohol at that time. 'I was in a small town where it's not the edge of the . world, but you can see it from there, and then I thought: drinking. I just . thought, hey, maybe drinking will help. Because I felt alone and afraid. It was . that thing of working so much, and going f***, maybe that will help. And it was . the worst thing in the world.' In 2006, his family held an intervention to force him to get help for his addictions. He checked into a Hazeldon center in Oregon and admitted he was an alcoholic. His . rep said at the time, 'After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found . himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to . deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family.' Robin . has admitted to problems with cocaine in the late 1970s and early '80s. The death of his friend, comic John Belushi, is what made him . want to give up drugs. 'Was it a wake-up call?' he said years later. 'Oh . yeah, on a huge level.' Most recently, Williams was reportedly staying at Hazelden's The Lodge, which is known for helping patients maintain long-term sobriety. In 2010, Williams told The Guardian that he was still attending AA meetings weekly. 'Have to,' he said. 'It's good to go. Prolific tweeter: The Oscar-winner shared many thoughts and images on social media, but had remained silent during August. His last tweet was dedicated to his daughter, Zelda, linking to an Instagram picture of her when she was a baby . A very big career: In May his film The Angriest Man In Brooklyn with Mila Kunis was released . The Chicago native had a manic shooting schedule this year and had been making movies back-to-back before his death. This year alone he appeared in the films Boulevard with Kathy Baker and The Angriest Man In Brooklyn with Mila Kunis. In December he will appear in Merry Friggin' Christmas, about a father who drives all night to collect his son's presents. He also filmed Night At The Museum's Secrets Of The Tomb with Ben Stiller and Rebel Wilson. Williams plays Teddy Roosevelt. The legendary performer had also completed a TV series The Crazy Ones with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Legendary: The comedic genius with Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy, which aired on TV from 1978 and 1982 . Happier times: This 2009 file photo shows actor Robin Williams and his wife Susan Schneider at the premiere of Old Dogs in Los Angeles . Williams' wife Susan Schneider confirmed the tragic news of his death today and spoke of her ‘profound grief’. 'This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. 'As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.' A statement by the Marin County Sheriff's Department in California said: 'On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 am, Marin County Communications received a 911 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, California. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams.' | Robin Williams checked into a rehab facility in June .
His representative confirmed he was at Hazeldon Addiction Treatment Center .
Williams was at the center's The Lodge, which helps patients maintain long-term sobriety .
He had been candid about his struggles with drugs and alcohol in the 1970s and '80s .
In 2006, he admitted he had relapsed and that his family held an intervention to force him to rehab .
In 2010, he said in an interview that he still attended AA meetings weekly .
Williams was found dead of apparent suicide today . |
173,706 | 6cc8b9dc9e7080772c5dc33303e7a3bad2527792 | Struggle to find the right shade of lipstick? Never feel you can find foundation to match your skin? Well, it may surprise you to know that, for years, wealthy women have rejected one-colour-suits-all cosmetics in favour of having beauty products made specifically to suit them. And now — thanks to a raft of new High Street services — the rest of us can get in on the act, too. Alice Smellie rounds up the best bespoke beauty products at bargain basement prices. LIPSTICK . Cosmetics a la Carte offer a bespoke lipstick service at the Motcomb Street shop . Bespoke lipstick service, £50 per lipstick, at Cosmetics a la Carte, alacartelondon.com . Make an appointment at the pretty Motcomb Street shop, in London’s South Kensington, and you will be talked through the bespoke make-up of your choice: eyeshadow, foundation or lipstick. Foundations are blended to your skin tone and eyeshadows and lipsticks can be any shade you like. Compare this £50 price tag per product with the bespoke lipstick I have heard about, which would set you back more than £40,000 (the case is made of gold and is covered in jewels). I sit down with manager Laura Martin — these all take place in person — and she asks what I’m looking for. I know exactly what I want. Back in the Eighties, Rimmel made a lipstick called Black Cherry — a rich reddish purple which I wore throughout my teens. I’ve never found anything which suits me quite so well. The shop is literally packed with hundreds of lipsticks, so I select one that is similar, but too dark and not as sheer as my teen favourite. So Laura scrapes a little off this, then some from a rich lip balm with gold flecks and mixes them together with a brush on a small palate. It looks gorgeous when I try it on and I am transported back to my teens. ‘Wait a moment,’ says Laura. ‘Why don’t we add just a touch of rose pink?’ She mixes in a bit of a pinker lipstick and I apply it again. Without wanting to sound evangelical (or vain), it looks staggering. OK, £50 is a lot for a lipstick, but I waste so much money on shades which don’t suit me that I think it money well spent. VERDICT: I am presented with two stunning lipsticks — one the grown up version of Black Cherry and another a slightly (and admittedly more flattering) pinker shade. Nancy (after my grandmother) and Lara (after my daughter) are just perfect. 10/10 . PERFUME . The Perfume Studio hold events nationwide where you learn about perfume and create your own blend (picture posed by model) Perfume Studio, from £39, theperfumestudio.com . Master perfumer Francois Robert is the inspiration behind the business. This cheerful but austere Frenchman is a fourth generation perfumer whose father worked at Chanel in the Fifties. They hold events nationwide for 20-odd participants, where you learn about perfume and then create your own blend. I am astonished by the low prices. A high-end, bespoke perfume could easily cost £25,000. I meet with consultant manager Helen Janousek in Central London. Consultations and events are all in person, though once they have details of your perfume on the database, you can simply order more. She shows me an array of glass bottles, containing 18 blends of perfume oils, arranged in three sets of six and explains the three key notes of a perfume: the base, middle and the top. The plan is that you select three from these blends — one from each section — to create your own. I am invited to dip a scent strip (basically a strip of paper) into each one and smell it. I’m surprised at how easily I discard most of them — anything spicy is instantly put to one side. I especially like Green, which is reminiscent of damp grass on a warm June evening, and I also love a floral blend similar to Amarige by Givenchy, which I wear most of the time. When I have isolated my three favourite smells, they are poured into a bottle, and blended to create my own fragrance. Tempting as it is to call my perfume Smellie (the one time my surname comes in handy) I hold off, and call it Alice instead. VERDICT: The result is all of my favourite scents in one little bottle. It has the sweetness of Amarige, but with a hint of fresh grass. I am over the moon and waft happily through the next few days. A session would make an amazing present. 9/10 . FACE CREAM . Jennifer Young bespoke products start at £12 (picture posed by model) Jennifer Young, £40, jenniferyoung.co.uk . ‘I wanted to be able to offer bespoke products to everyone,’ says Jennifer Young when I ask her about her extraordinarily low prices. Consultations are either in person, on the phone or online and products start at £12. Bespoke face creams tend to cost at least as much as a week’s groceries. There is a beautiful, but pricey offering for £195 from The Organic Pharmacy and, this week, a new one was reported as being exclusively available at the Dorchester Hotel for an extraordinary £950, made with your own blood (yuck). So I am enchanted with the idea of having a face cream with my name on it, especially as people (my husband) are always stealing things from my bathroom shelf. Jennifer and one of her consultants come to meet me to talk through the process and she tries a few different oils on the back of my hand. ‘The ones which suit your skin sink in,’ she explains — macadamia nut oil leaves no residue but rosehip sits on the top. Next, she asks me to identify three key issues which I’d like to tackle in order to select the most beneficial essential oils. I think hard and decide on sleeplessness, mature skin and anger (come on, it’s winter). She suggests a soothing combination of lavender, bergamot and sandalwood. Two days later, my very own face cream arrives in the post. VERDICT: The originally named Alice’s Moisturiser is richly scented and cotton soft. I pat it onto my face after a bath and my skin feels deliciously smooth. Worth mentioning: having your name on a product doesn’t stop people nicking it. 7/10 . FOUNDATION . Protect and Perfect Foundation in Warm Beige, £16.59, boots.com . No 7 Match Made service, free in more than 900 stores nationwide, (Protect and Perfect Foundation in Warm Beige, £16.59, boots.com) Boots’ own brand No 7 has developed a gadget which takes a close-up shot of your skin then exactly matches it to one of their foundations. The accepted method of testing foundation along my jawline and then looking at it in daylight is so last decade. This is a mobile-phone-like device containing a camera, which, when held against your face, takes 27 individual pictures of the skin using LED lights, covering the whole colour spectrum. These pictures are analysed by the machine and every single element of your skin tone (looking at yellows and blues as well as light and dark) is matched to the ideal foundation shade. After a couple of minutes, the screen flashes up with the information that my ideal skin product is Warm Beige in Protect and Perfect Foundation. Clearly, the service is only applicable to No 7 products, although it can recommend products if you want to go lighter or darker than your natural skin tone (which is fairly likely in early February). VERDICT: It’s a perfectly pleasant foundation, evening out my skin and giving it a dewy finish. However, it’s a bit paler than I’d like ideally. A good service, but it feels a bit of a gimmick . 6/10 . FACE OIL . Facial oil, £40, skinbistro.co.uk . Award-winning scientist and skincare specialist Andrea Palluch makes bespoke products for anyone wanting a touch of luxury, as well as those who struggle to find the right products for specific skin needs. Her blends are made with completely natural and Fairtrade ingredients. Facial oils are gloriously moisturising. As it happens, I have just finished the final drops of one, which I can’t justify replacing in these belt-tightened post-tax-bill times. When I shop around, I find that a personally blended oil can cost £250 if you go to a luxury brand such as de Mamiel. Not a chance! I fill in the online consultation form, which is detailed — asking both skin condition and tone, skincare routine, diet and any medical conditions or allergies. Andrea writes back to me (you can also have a phone call) recommending that she use rosehip oil which is good for fine lines, camellia for intense moisturising, hemp, kiwi and avocado. VERDICT: Ironically, the bottle is similar to that produced by the expensive cousin and the oil is both blissfully moisturising on my skin and smells as though it cost at least twice the price. 8/10 . | Do you struggle to find make-up that suits your skin tone?
It's not always easy to find shades to complement your colouring .
High Street services are now offering bespoke products at bargain prices . |
222,774 | ac624ba6c4a9bd910ac82a3800507547d446fab9 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:15 EST, 7 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:15 EST, 7 August 2013 . Children receive their first mobile phone at the average age of seven, a new study suggests. Youngsters are now equipped with handsets while at primary school - six years earlier than a decade ago. The majority of parents (74%) claim they give children mobiles for safety reasons and 'peace of mind' while 61% say they set up 'pay monthly' contracts rather than opting for a 'pay as you go' package, the survey revealed. Most youngsters are now likely to be just seven-and-a-half when they are given their first phone - although many four-year-olds know how to work an iPad (posed by models) It also found around 22% of parents bought their children phones simply because their classmates owned handsets. The study, by comparison site . MobilePhoneChecker.co.uk, found most youngsters are now likely to be . just seven-and-a-half when they are given their first phone. In 1993, . the average age was 13.2 years. Adam Cable, director of MobilePhoneChecker.co.uk, behind the study, said: 'Despite the argument that parents want to keep their children safe at all times, many may think that seven years old is far too young to own a mobile phone' Adam Cable, director of MobilePhoneChecker.co.uk, said: 'Despite the argument that parents want to keep their children safe at all times, many may think that seven years old is far too young to own a mobile phone. 'However, I have seen four-year-olds who can work their parent's iPhone or iPad perfectly well. 'The protection of children is obviously a key factor in their usage of mobile phones, but as long as the proper precautions are taken to ensure maximum safety of children using handsets, then they absolutely have their benefits.' More than 2,300 people were polled for the survey this summer. It found most adults aged 25-30 were first equipped with a Nokia 3310. Some 86% of this age group said they had to 'pester' their parents for a first handset when they were younger. | Majority of parents claim they give children mobiles for safety reasons and peace of mind .
Others bought their children phones simply because their classmates owned handsets .
Mobile phone expert: 'I have seen four-year-olds working their parent's iPhone or iPad' |
170,818 | 69155dcf21a0d63e7714ce3a80171ce4bcc3aa9c | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A 1965 Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Spokane, Washington, was found by customs agents in a shipping container in the Los Angeles port last month, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said. The blue van, in pristine condition, was bound for Germany along with several vintage Volkswagens, Customs and Border Protection Port Director Todd Hoffman said. The Arizona company that was shipping the van had no idea the vehicle was stolen from a Spokane auto shop in 1974, Hoffman said. Customs and Border Protection agents routinely run vehicle identification numbers through the National Insurance Crime Bureau database for all vehicles being loaded on ships for export, he said. They recover stolen vehicles about once a week, but they usually are high-end late-model luxury cars, he said. While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen, the VW is now valued at about $27,000, he said. Allstate Insurance Company, which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago, now owns the van, according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet. The insurance company has not decided if it will sell the van at auction -- which is the routine -- or put it to other use because of it's history, she said. | Van stolen in Spokane found in Los Angeles shipping container .
Customs checks VIN, finds van was stolen from an auto shop in 1974 .
Van now worth about $27,000; insurance company is owner . |
61,948 | affc51ab88a595765ee4f4662f60949126e9cc7e | By . Kate Lyons . PUBLISHED: . 22:13 EST, 6 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:00 EST, 7 March 2014 . d . The seven-month-old Staffordshire terrier was missing for 24 days and travelled 700km in the Australian outback before she was found and reunited with her owner through Facebook . A seven-month old Staffordshire terrier puppy has been reunited with her owner after an epic 700km (434 mile) journey through the Australian outback. The adventurous puppy, Malibue, went missing from her owner’s home in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, Australia on February 4. After a 24-day journey, Malibue ended up in Amata, an indigenous community in the neighbouring state of South Australia, 700km from her home. She was found on February 28, largely thanks to a Facebook campaign, which saw dozens of people sharing the photo of the missing dog. Malibue was reunited with her owner, Benton Chamber on Tuesday. He was overjoyed to see his ‘best friend’ again and believes she might have had some help with her escapade, perhaps hitching a ride in a stranger’s car. ‘She just goes with the flow - it's a good trait that she just bounces off things, shakes it off,’ he told the ABC. ‘But it's also a bad thing, just jumping in people's cars. I don't think she realises what she's done.’ Mr Chambers thanked the police and his family and ‘everyone who contributed… it’s just awesome work getting my little fleabag back.’ The good news story has been one of the Northern Territory Police’s most popular stories on social media, with more than 1,800 likes and almost 400 people sharing the dog’s photo. ‘It certainly touched a nerve,’ said Jason Gates the media liaison for the Northern Territory Police. He added that missing dogs were not strictly police business, but they were happy to help. ‘It’s not something we do as a rule, but if we’re in the area and can assist, we’re happy to.’ Malibue travelled 700km from her home in Alice Springs before she was found in Amata . | Staffordshire terrier went missing from Alice Springs home February 4 .
Travelled 700km through outback before being found in neighbouring state .
Malibue found through a Facebook campaign, with dozens sharing her photo .
Owner 'overjoyed' to be reunited with his 'best friend' |
13,647 | 26ae69eb1333595b4f9f09f7b9b309024dcaa292 | By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 8:44 PM on 13th January 2012 . A son whose 92-year-old mother suffered a fatal fall at a nursing home was this week awarded an astonishing $200million in compensation. Richard Nunziata, 58, of St Petersburg, Florida, represented her estate and sued the company which operated the home in Pinellas Park, Florida. Elvira Nunziata died in October 2004 after slipping away from residents at the home and falling down a flight of stairs in her wheelchair. Home: Pinellas Park Care and Rehabilitation Center, pictured, was operated by Trans Health Management, whom the mammoth lawsuit was filed against . ‘I think this is the largest nursing home verdict in the state,’ Mr Nunziata’s lawyer Bennie Lazzara told the Tampa Bay Times. ‘This was a very difficult experience for (Mr Nunziata). He's satisfied that he's going to get some justice out of this.’ Big win: Mr Nunziata's lawyer Bennie Lazzara, pictured, said he believes Mr Nunziata was awarded 'the largest nursing home verdict in the state' of Florida . Ms Nunziata allegedly went missing for an hour before anybody at the home realised - but she was later found at the bottom of 10 stairs. She had fallen down the stairs while still strapped in her wheelchair and died soon after paramedics arrived, reported the Tampa Bay Times. Ms Nunziata had been living at the home for 14 months and was known to wander, nursing staff told a Pinnelas Park court during a trial this week. The home was understaffed at the time . and she had previously suffered falls, injuries and illnesses before the . tragic incident, the court heard. But Ms Nunziata, who had the onset of . dementia, was not tracked despite alarms on her clothing, wheelchair and . an emergency door through which she fell down the stairs. Pinellas Park Care and Rehabilitation . Center was operated by Trans Health Management, whom the mammoth lawsuit . was filed against. Mr Nunziata was awarded a whopping $60million in compensation and $140million in punitive damages, reported the Tampa Bay Times. Neither Mr Nunziata or Trans Health Management have commented. The care home is now operated by a different company. | Richard Nunziata represented mother Elvira's estate .
She died after fall in her wheelchair down 10 stairs .
Home 'understaffed and didn't find her for an hour' |
68,621 | c294b338a45e83a7079a78835eaa3367b9a22e4c | By . Deni Kirkova . PUBLISHED: . 08:28 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:19 EST, 21 May 2013 . An obese man who shed nine stone of excess fat is now competing in bodybuilding competitions. Daniel Blythe of Wrexham, north Wales, weighed in at 21 stone in 2010 and was given a warning by his doctor to lose weight. But after shedding the pounds and starting weight training he is now competing in bodybuilding championships, something he would never have thought possible just three years earlier. Daniel, from Wrexham, once weighed 21 stone but went down to 12 through eating healthily and dieting. He . is now 14 stone after putting on two stone of muscle in the gym and . competes in bodybuilding championships . Mr Blythe, 33, said: 'When I was in my early twenties I started my own window cleaning business which became quite successful. 'I started to sit back in the office and became lazy. Mr Blythe, 33, said: 'When my window cleaning business became successful I started to sit back in the office and became lazy' 'I wasn't going to the gym or anything and I was eating really bad food. 'I would have three or four takeaways a week such as pizzas and kebabs. 'I reached 21 and a half stone.' In 2010, Daniel took a trip to the doctor and was told to lose weight. It was the incentive he needed to change his lifestyle - and his diet - for good. 'I went to the doctors and he told me I needed to lose weight for the good of my health. 'It really was a kick up the backside,' added Daniel. Daniel said that while he looked at holiday photos and saw a large man looking back at him, he never saw himself as quite the weight he really was. 'I didn't see myself as 21 stone,' Daniel confesses now. 'When I looked back at pictures of myself on holiday I thought: "I need to lose weight".' Daniel stopped eating fat-laden takeaways in the evening. Instead of spending time on the sofa, he started going to the gym, initially to lose weight and get back into shape, but later to build muscle and change his shape. He started spending every morning and evening in the gym, focusing mainly on cardiovascular work. After losing nine stone of excess fat Daniel began to start weight training and went up to 14 stone - adding on two stone of muscle - and that is where his weight has settled now. Mr Blythe says he looks back at holiday photos and realises he was overweight . 'It was really hard and took a lot of getting used to, but now I've gone from one extreme to the other,' he said. 'I feel a lot fitter and a lot more confident and I don't get tired just walking up the stairs anymore. 'I'm 33 but I feel better now than I ever did in my twenties.' Daniel is still the owner of DSB Cleaning Services in Wrexham, but now leads a healthier lifestyle with his partner Kayleigh Pickup and his 15-year-old son Connor Arrowsmith. He recently competed in the Strong Seniors Class at the North West Bodybuilding Championships where he finished fourth. He now says that he has plans to compete in many more competitions in the future. Daniel puts his success down to Craig Hughes, the owner of Valhalla Gym where he works out daily. He said: 'I have to thank Craig and the gym for all the help they have given me. 'Without Craig this wouldn't have happened, he really helped me with my diet and regime.' Mr Hughes, who has worked as a nutritionist in the Wrexham area for 20 years said: 'It is a fantastic change. 'To lose nine stone is one thing, but to transform two stone of that into muscle is really hard to do. 'All the lads in the gym are shocked.' | Daniel Blythe, 33, weighed in at an obese 21 stone three years ago .
Now a bodybuilder Daniel, of Wrexham, competes in championships . |
130,166 | 344639655857b20a93746abf16fdeba989217695 | By . Liz Hull . A mother of 12 abandoned her children leaving her husband to care for them single-handedly after running off with a toyboy lover. Peter Saunders, 47, became a single father to his dozen offspring – whose ages range from 22 years down to just 19 months – when his wife, Tabitha, 39, moved 260 miles away to set up home with a security guard. Last night Mr Saunders branded his ex-wife ‘despicable’ for putting her boyfriend, Colt Nimes, 32, who she has since married, before her family. Peter Saunders at home with all 12 of his children whose ages range from 22 years down to just 19 months . Unemployed Mr Saunders – who has not worked for more than a decade and receives £2,000 in benefits each month – said: ‘I don’t think the kids will ever forget what she’s done. ‘It’s despicable. Walking out on the whole family and leaving me to do it all on my own. 'It is hard with 12 of them running around and sometimes I wonder what on earth I’m doing, but I couldn’t be without them. I love them all to bits. ‘How a mum can do that to her kids is beyond me.’ Mr Saunders met his wife around 20 years ago when their parents were neighbours. By the time the couple married in 1996, Mrs Nimes already had a son, Matthew, now 22, by another man and had given birth to their first daughter, Rhiannon, 18. They went on to have another ten children – Ben, 16, Jack, 14, Josh, 13, Adam, 12, Blake, ten, Rhys, nine, Lillie, seven, Peter Jnr, six, Aston, three, and Beth, 19 months. Left holding the baby: Peter Saunders pictured with his ex-wife Tabitha with and youngest child Beth . However, in March last year – when her youngest was just 12 weeks old – Mrs Nimes left the couple’s terraced home, in Rhyl, North Wales, to live with Mr Nimes in Southampton. Mr Saunders, a convicted drug dealer, discovered his wife had been cheating on him after finding text messages on her phone. She had met Mr Nimes when they worked as security guards at the London 2012 Olympics. Initially, Mrs Nimes took the two youngest children – Beth and Aston – with her, but they were returned to their father after she failed to attend a court hearing. She now sees the children ‘every five or six weeks’ but Mr Saunders maintains that they hardly miss their mother. ‘She never showed them any affection, so we’re probably better off [without her],’ he said. ‘I don’t think the kids will ever forget what she’s done' Peter Saunders, 47, father-of-12 . ‘My feelings for her have never changed. I don’t think she’s a bad mother – she just can’t cope, she’s got mental problems, post-natal depression and all that and needs help. ‘She has never stopped sleeping with me even though she’s with him, she comes back every five or six weeks to see the kids, but it’s only the youngest ones that really miss her.’ Mr Saunders, a former painter and decorator originally from Roehampton, south London, is currently wearing an electronic tag and must obey a night-time curfew after he and Matthew pleaded guilty to dealing cannabis earlier this month. Police discovered two boxes of cannabis – one among Christmas presents – which contained 43g of the drug, valued at about £450, in a raid last December. Mr Saunders claimed that he only smoked the drug to help relieve pain in his feet caused by diabetes. But messages found on his stepson’s mobile phone revealed that people were contacting him via his Facebook profile to attempt to buy the drug. Judge Rhys Rowlands spared Mr Saunders and his stepson prison after hearing that the children would end up in care if they were jailed. Instead they were handed 12-month sentences, suspended for two years. Mr Saunders, who drives a Jaguar, added: ‘I can’t save any money – it’s always used one way or another. ‘It’s hard financially but I get quite a bit in benefits and I am a good shopper. I only ever buy in bulk when there are offers on.’ Last night Mrs Nimes could not be contacted, but she told the Sun: ‘This is about my ex-husband so I’ve got nothing to say. P*** off.’ | Peter Saunders, 47, has become a single father to his dozen offspring .
Their ages range from 22 years down to just 19-months .
Ex-wife Tabitha, 39, moved 250 miles away to set up home with Colt Nimes .
She left family home, in North Wales, to be with Mr Nimes in Southampton . |
48,643 | 8953e0f6d60a1ff0048d6d16dac8156bd7c5b21e | By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 18:42 EST, 23 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:01 EST, 24 November 2013 . A Pennsylvania woman brought home more than she bargained for when a black widow spider hitched a ride in a bunch of grapes. Yvonne Whalen, of Monaghan, made the horrifying find this week while washing the fruit before eating it. The scary spider was one of two hiding in the bunch, the other died after spending a week in her refrigerator. The woman’s discovery is only the latest in a series of disturbing finds in fruit across multiple states. Deadly: Black widow spiders have enough venom to kill children and the elderly if bitten . ‘I saw the spider come up [over the grapes],’ she told ABC27. ‘I quickly dropped the colander and screamed.’ Ms Whalen explained her initial instinct was to flush it down the sink, but she instead she trapped it in a plastic container and looked for a similar spider online. It didn’t take long for her to discover she had a brush with a juvenile black widow spider. Horrified: Yvonne Whalen explains who the creepy crawler climbed out from the bunch of grapes as she washed them . Shocked: She dropped the colander and screamed, her suspicions were soon confirmed with an online search . ‘Had I known this could happen, I would have paid much more attention,’ she added. Ryan ‘The Bugman’ Bridge, a local insect expert, confirmed the woman’s suspicions to the station. ‘They are dangerous,’ he said, ‘they are venomous.’ Trapped: Ms Whalen fought her initial instinct to flush the spider down the drain, instead saving it to confirm it was a black widow . Local expert: Ryan ¿The Bugman¿ Bridge confirmed the spider was 'unmistakeably' a black widow . Ms Whalen notified Giant, the supermarket where she bought the grapes, and explained she only wanted to make sure this did not happen to anyone else. ‘I gave them a call to let them know that I found the spider, I wasn't expecting anything in return,’ she said. The chain sent her a gift card and pledged to be more diligent inspecting fruit, according to the station. Spiders have also been discovered in grapes in Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin, according to Food Safety News. It is not uncommon for the deadly creatures to be found in grapes, according to Fox News. Black widows are immediately noticeable because of the red mark on the back of their otherwise all-black bodies. They carry enough venom to cause problems for humans, and can even be fatal in some cases. | Black widow spiders have been found in bunches of grapes in four states .
The most recent discovery came in Wisconsin . |
117,327 | 23822eee433472ad207d4b77e865511f0bd1c02e | With a motivational speaker like this guy among their ranks, it's no wonder the East View High School Patriots were able to turn round a half-time deficit to record a remarkable win. In a speech which could teach a number of NFL stars a thing a or two, Apollos Hester offered more than a few inspirational words on the importance of never giving up and staying positive. His team had been down 28-14 at half time during their match with Vandegrift High School on Friday, but managed to come back to a storming 42-41 comeback win. 'Awesome feeling': In a speech which could teach a number of NFL stars a thing a or two, Apollos Hester offered more than a few inspirational words on the importance of never giving up and staying positive . In a post match interview, wide receiver Hester revealed to Austin Time Warner Cable sports reporter Lauren Mickle just how the team managed to turn the game around. After simply being asked how the team managed to comeback to win the game, a fired-up Hester launches into a two minute motivational speech. He said: 'Yeah they had us the first half, I'm not going to lie, they had us - we weren't defeated but they had us. 'But it took guts, it took an attitude - that's all it takes, that's all it takes to be successful is an attitude.' He goes on to say: 'It's an amazing feeling when you truly believe that you're going to be successful, regardless of the situation, regardless of the scoreboard, you're going to be successful because you put in all the time, all the effort, all the hard work and you know it's going to pay off. 'And if it doesn't pay off you continue to give God the glory, if you lose the game you continue to get each other's back and that's what we realised - win or lose we were going to be alright and it was going to be ok, we were going to keep smiling. It was awesome.' Keep smiling: After simply being asked how the team managed to comeback to win the game, a fired-up Hester launches into a two minute motivational speech . The NFL has been rocked by a number of scandals in recent months. It was criticised last week by the White House over its recent spate of child and domestic abuse scandals. An official said in D.C. on Thursday that the football league must 'get a handle' on its widespread issues of violence and have a message of 'zero tolerance'. During a briefing on an awareness campaign about sexual assaults on college campuses, an official said the NFL had an 'obligation' to the U.S. and its millions of young fans to properly discipline those involved in abuse. Critics have been calling for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's resignation over his handling of domestic abuses incidents involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Dwyer. | Apollos Hester offers inspirational speech after team records comeback win .
His team had been trailing 28-14 at half time but ended up winning 42-41 .
'It's an amazing feeling when you truly believe that you're going to be successful', Hester says in post-match interview .
Tells interviewer how 'it took guts, it took an attitude - that's all it takes, that's all it takes to be successful is an attitude'
NFL has been rocked by a number of scandals in recent months .
Critics have been calling for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's resignation over his handling of domestic abuses incidents involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Dwyer . |
149,181 | 4ce69cb55e466d6f413a36499a34243df096b25a | By . Craig Mackenzie . PUBLISHED: . 07:55 EST, 15 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:42 EST, 16 July 2012 . Victim: WPC Yvonne Fletcher was gunned down while on duty outside the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984 . A new suspect has been named in the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher who was gunned down outside the Libyan Embassy in London 28 years ago. Pro-Gaddafi student Salah Eddin Khalifa was the man behind the fatal shot, according to a senior aide to Libya's prime minister. He is living in a North African city where he fled as Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime crumbled and could now be questioned about the shooting. WPC Fletcher, who was 25, was killed by a . single bullet that hit her in the abdomen which was fired from the embassy during a demonstration in St James's Square in April 1984. Ten dissidents were injured . as automatic gunfire was sprayed from a first-floor window of the . building. An 11-day . armed police siege followed which ended with 30 Libyan nationals being deported. Ashur Shamis - a London-based . opposition leader at the time - was at the demonstration when WPC Fletcher was . shot and claimed Mr Khalifa has been named as the suspect by several . sources in the former regime. He alleged Mr Khalifa left the embassy by a back door just minutes later and before the building was surrounded by police. Mr Khalifa was a part of a student 'revolutionary committee' loyal to Gaddafi and did not have diplomatic status. On his return to Libya he was promoted to a lucrative post as head of the country's High Institute for Electronics. Mr Shamis told the Sunday Telegraph it was 'mind boggling' that Britain had done so little to pursue the case almost a year after the overthrow of . Colonel Gaddafi. He added: 'It is time to do something about this. It is mind-boggling that the British . authorities have done nothing. If they had taken it seriously, they . could have solved it by now. Tribute: A guard of honour of police officers as Yvonne Fletcher's body travels to Salisbury Cathedral for a funeral service . 'People involved with the regime have confirmed the name to me. People in [regime] security who are now part of the revolution have confirmed the name. I keep hearing this name again and again.' The transitional government has access to a number of regime prisoners and defectors with knowledge of the incident. British diplomats denied dragging its feet over the investigation. Last month Metropolitan Police officers visited Libya for preliminary discussions about pursuing the case. A spokesman for the British embassy in Tripoli said: 'The embassy is in close contact with the Libyan authorities to follow up on this visit.' And a Foreign Office source told the Telegraph: 'Nobody should decry the energy and assiduousness with which the British government and the Metropolitan Police are seeking a solution to the murder of one of their police officers.' In memory: Libyan Prime Minister Abdelrahim al-Kib lays a wreath at the memorial to WPC Fletcher outside the Libyan Embassy last May . According to sources, the Libyan Government were reported to be ready to announce significant developments as early as this week. Mr Shamis said his contacts within the Gaddafi regime had given him the name of the alleged killer before last year’s revolution and he had since been able to confirm it in government. He said he had given Mr Khalifa’s name to British police but had 'heard nothing' from them. Abdulmajid Biuk, a member of a commission responsible for removing Gaddafi officials from state institutions, separately named Mr Khalifa to the newspaper. Mohammed al-Alaghi, who served as justice minister for the first four months after the overthrow of Gaddafi, said Mr Khalifa was in the 'operation room' of the regime. In April, Ali Hamiada Ashour, the current . justice minister, criticised Britain’s 'delay' in sending officers, . adding that they were 'ready to give any help necessary' and 'this could . start now as far as we are concerned.' At the family’s home town of Sabratha, west of Tripoli, Mr Khalifa’s brother, Abdulrazzak, confirmed that he was alive and out of the country, but refused to answer further questions. A previous suspect named was Abdulmagid Salah Ameri, a junior Libyan diplomat, now thought to be dead. A Scotland Yard spokesman refused to comment on whether Mr Khalifa’s name had been passed to them. | He names suspect and accuses Britain of dragging its feet over probe .
'Killer' is alive and living in North Africa after fleeing revolution .
Student left by embassy backdoor after bullet was fired from building . |
25,383 | 47e4c775dbdd8926b73cf81acf80412f68442194 | (CNN) -- A British betting firm has sparked outrage with a controversial advert which offers punters money back if South African sports star Oscar Pistorius is found not guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Bookmaker Paddy Power began its book on the outcome of the trial last week, prompting widespread criticism on social media, but then updated its offer with the advert to coincide with Monday's start of the trial in Pretoria. It features a photograph of Pistorius mocked up as an Oscar-style Academy Award statuette with the strap line: "It's Oscar Time. Money Back If He Walks. We will refund all losing bets on Oscar Pistorius if he is found not guilty." In response, an online petition has been started on change.org, demanding that Paddy Power withdraws its "offensive betting" on the outcome of the trial and donates any profits to a women's charity fighting domestic violence. It quickly gathered over 60,000 signatures and counting within a few hours of being promoted. The petition was started by Jean Hatchet, who said on the campaign page she was herself a "survivor of domestic violence and abuse." Her statement added: "I know how many women around the world are suffering right now thinking that they are lucky to be alive when poor Reeva Steenkamp is dead. "Paddy Power are putting all survivors and the families of those who died through even more pain and anguish and they must stop." Holly Dustin, director of End Violence Against Women, told the UK's Press Association of her disgust at the ad campaign. "They are making a game out of murder and the brutal killing of a young woman, which is unacceptable," she said. "It is not just that this is a bit sick -- it also actually contributes to a culture in which violence against women is trivialized or made into a bit of a joke." There has also been condemnation from lawmakers, with Yvette Cooper, the opposition Labour Party's Shadow Home Secretary, taking to Twitter say it was "sick and shameful" to run bets on the trial. Paddy Power, which has its head office in Ireland but is regulated in the UK, told CNN that it would not be withdrawing the offer. "We are not planning to take down our betting on the Pistorius trial verdict," a spokesperson said Monday. "We have a long history of offering odds on major global news events and the Oscar Pistorius trial is no different. "The world will be watching this trial on dedicated media channels offering rolling coverage and speculating on the verdict across social media. "We are simply offering betting on the outcome of the trial -- this is nothing new when it comes to high-profile court cases." Paddy Power has boosted its profile and profits with a series of irreverent campaigns, using social media to spread its message. When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Dublin in May 2011, the bookmaker renamed some its shops "O'Bama Power," while last July it dressed up four large men in nappies to go around London to publicize its odds on the royal baby ahead of Prince George's birth. But its sponsorship of Dennis Rodman's "basketball diplomacy" in North Korea last year was shelved in December after a brutal crackdown by the country's leader Kim Jong-Un on political rivals. Pistorius pleaded not guilty to the murder of Steenkamp and several weapons-related charges on the first day of his trial. He has achieved world wide fame for his track and field feats, winning six Paralympic gold medals as well as becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, running for South Africa in the Summer Games in London in 2012. Pistorius earned his nickname the "Blade Runner" because of the special prostheses he uses while running in events from the 100m to his specialist 400m. | UK betting firm Paddy Power offering odds on the Oscar Pistorius trial .
Advert with 'Money Back If he Walks' strapline sparks outrage .
Thousands sign online petition demanding it is withdrawn .
Paddy Power is known for its irreverent campaigns . |
215,804 | a353abaa49677de56c6261622bed858929d478a3 | (CNN) -- Actor Patrick Swayze's achievements include several feature films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," as well as living with advanced pancreatic cancer for longer than most patients. Patrick Swayze died at age 57 of pancreatic cancer. He fought the disease for nearly two years. That Swayze, who died Monday at age 57, survived nearly two years with the condition is "quite an accomplishment," Dr. George Fisher, an oncologist who treated the star at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, told CNN's Larry King on Tuesday. Fisher revealed in early March 2008 that the actor was fighting pancreatic cancer. Swayze participated in a clinical trial at Stanford and took an experimental drug there, Fisher said. Fewer than one in four patients who have the disease that has spread outside the pancreas, as Swayze did, are alive a year later, he said. Watch Fisher talk to King about Swayze's case » . "Patients can survive two years -- even longer, even with standard treatment," Fisher said. "It's just sad that not as many do." Pancreatic cancer has affected several other prominent figures, including National Collegiate Athletic Association President Myles Brand, who died of the disease Wednesday. Apple Inc.'s Steve Jobs and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have also undergone treatment for the disease. The American Cancer Society puts pancreatic cancer as the fourth most common cause of death from cancer in the United States. Lung, colon and breast cancer are the first three. Experts say that about 95 percent of those with pancreatic cancer die from the disease. Symptoms such as abdominal pain, jaundice or sudden weight loss may lead doctors to look for pancreatic cancer, said Dr. Steven Cohen, acting chief for gastrointestinal medical oncology at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cohen was not involved in Swayze's care. Doctors say early detection carries a better chance of curing the cancer, but often a patient's disease is diagnosed after it has spread. CAT scans may detect the disease early, but that does not mean everyone should have a scan with their physical, Fisher said. "We're developing algorithms for trying to identify people at risk, and then less invasive ... tests to try to figure out who's got it and who doesn't," he said. Despite his illness, Swayze went forward with plans to star in A&E network's "The Beast." After the actor responded well to cancer treatment, the network agreed to shoot an entire season of the show. Working on the show while undergoing treatment was "a great idea," Fisher said on "Larry King Live." "I had my doubts as to whether he could actually do it or not, and we had many conversations around that fact," Fisher said. Swayze understood "how difficult the treatment could be, and he understood how difficult the disease could be. But it's just like Patrick to just say he's going to do it and damn it, nobody should get in his way." "The Beast" was canceled in June because of Swayze's illness, after doctors told him the cancer had spread to his liver. For pancreatic cancer patients, doctors are not as concerned with what happens with the pancreas as they are with how the disease spreads elsewhere, often to the liver or abdominal cavity, Cohen said. Failure of other organs that the cancer affects may ultimately cause death. Swayze's participation in the Stanford clinical trial is an important take-away point, Cohen said. Only about 5 percent of cancer patients participate in clinical trials, he said. "Particularly for a disease like pancreatic cancer, where the standard treatments help some patients but not the majority, the ability to look at new treatments that are promising in the context and controlled setting of clinical trials, I think, is really important," he said. Dozens of drugs are in development or being tested in trials for pancreatic cancer, Cohen said. One such medication is paclitaxel, which is currently only approved for breast cancer but has shown promise experimentally in pancreatic tumors, he said. Cohen said he and his colleagues encourage patients to continue their daily activities and live their lives normally as best they can while undergoing treatment. A chemotherapy drug commonly used in patients, called gemcitabine, does not have the harsh symptoms of nausea, vomiting and hair loss seen in other cancer drugs. But sometimes, patients are too ill from their underlying cancer to do much, he said. "Toward the end, they can get increasing abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite, very low energy, sort of a wasting syndrome, and there, a lot of patients just don't feel up to do anything," he said. | Patrick Swayze battled pancreatic cancer for nearly two years .
About 95 percent of those with pancreatic cancer die from it, experts say .
Dozens of drugs are in development or being tested in trials for the disease .
Doctors encourage patients to try to live their lives normally while in treatment . |
120,348 | 278cf7367ba3b28184b9a4bade5bbeb1bce3b1b1 | His enduring image is as the father of India, the loincloth-clad hero of his country’s struggle for independence. But newly revealed letters have added to the speculation about a secret side to Mahatma Gandhi. They detail his close friendship with a South African bodybuilder, Hermann Kallenbach, with some suggesting the pair may have had a physical relationship. Lovers? Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Hermann Kallenbach (right) sit either side of a . female companion. A collection of . letters between the two men have gone on display at India's National Archives . The letters, written by Gandhi, went on show in New Delhi yesterday, the 65th anniversary of his assassination. One, handwritten to Kallenbach, is addressed to ‘My dear Lower House’ and signed ‘Sinly yours, Upper House’. However scholars looking for clear evidence of the full extent of the men’s relationship, the subject of speculation for years, were left disappointed. The archive of letters and photos belonging to Kallenbach was purchased by the Indian government last year, just before it was due to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London. Curators acknowledge that they have put only a sample of the correspondence on display at the National Archives museum. Mushirul Hasan, chief of the National Archives, denied that the collection had been screened and controversial letters left out because of Gandhi’s iconic status. ‘These are original letters and we have provided a sample of the correspondence between Gandhi and Kallenbach. There is a lot that is new and significant,’ he said. ‘Nothing controversial has been left out or necessarily included. The documents previously belonged to relatives of Kallenbach, a . German-born Jewish architect who met Gandhi in South Africa in 1904 and . was impressed by his ideas . Gandhi and Kallenbach (middle row, centre) pose for a picture at Tolstoy Farm, South Africa in 1910. They became constant companions after they met in Johannesburg in 1904 . ‘They had a marvellous relationship and the archives reveal the intensity of that relationship.’ Gandhi moved to South Africa in 1893 after training as a lawyer. He already had a wife, Kasturba, as a result of an arranged marriage in 1883, according to local custom, when he was 13 and she was 14. The couple had four sons: Harilal, born in 1888; Manilal, born in 1892; Ramdas, born in 1897; and Devdas, born in 1900. His wife joined him in South Africa in 1897 and they lived there until returning to India in 1914 to join the gathering political movement against British colonial rule. Gandhi (left) and Kallenbach lived together for . two years in a house in South Africa. Joseph Lelyveld's controversial . biography Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi And His Struggle With India (right) was published in 2011 . The archive display coincides with the 65th anniversary of Gandhi's death. This picture shows Indian school children paying homage at a memorial statue in Bhubaneswar . Kallenbach, a German-born Jewish . architect, lived with Gandhi in Johannesburg for about two years from . 1907 – a year after Gandhi took a public vow of celibacy. The relationship between Gandhi and . the wealthy South African was chronicled in a book two years ago by . Joseph Lelyveld, former editor of the New York Times. In Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi And His . Struggle With India, Lelyveld quotes a letter from Gandhi to Kallenbach . in which he wrote: ‘How completely you have taken possession of my . body. This is slavery with a vengeance.’ Lelyveld defended his book . against accusations that he had suggested Gandhi was bisexual. ‘The word . “bisexual” nowhere appears in the book,’ he wrote afterwards. School children dressed as Mahatma Gandhi assemble to mark his anniversary in the southern Indian city of Chennai . Raj Bala Jain, part of the National . Archives team that studied the Kallenbach collection in detail, said she . was surprised how their relationship had been misconstrued. ‘I did not find even a single letter with sexual overtones,’ she said. ‘Friendship can be misinterpreted. I think Gandhi was very normal and above such things.’ Indians fret about auctions of . Gandhi’s belongings, saying they insult the memory of a man who rejected . material wealth. ‘We are talking about Gandhi. Such emotions are . justified,’ said Mr Hasan. | Letters displayed in India's national archives reveal 'loving relationship'
National archives deny screening letters to reduce controversy .
Gandhi signed off letters to bodybuilder with 'Sinly yours, Upper House'
Exhibition marks 65th anniversary of Gandhi's death . |
236,914 | bea4b0ac905211d9d54dfe808489fad4966a684b | Munster dramatically claimed yet another ‘miracle’ European victory as Ian Keatley’s late drop goal sunk gallant Sale, who were on course for a famous win inspired by Danny Cipriani. This was a tale of two halves and two fly-halves. The home side led this Champions Cup, Pool One tie at the AJ Bell Stadium 23-7 at half-time after a masterclass of attacking artistry from Cipriani, who played like a man deserving of an England squad place. Yet, Sale had to play into a strong wind after the break and instead of their No 10 having the last word, it went to his opposite number: Keatley. Jonny Leota barges over for a try in the first half as a rampant Sale raced out to a 23-7 half-time lead . In the Munster tradition established by Ronan O’Gara, Keatley’s sensational swerving shot in stoppage-time settled a mesmerising encounter, which suggests Europe’s new era will contain all the thrills and spills of the old. The clock had reached 80 minutes when the Irish side — urged on by their ‘Red Army’ in the stands — were in the midst of one last assault. Their pack drove deep into Sale territory and worked a position for the drop goal. Yet, to Keatley’s credit, he aborted the attempt under pressure from the Sharks defence. But Munster kept the move alive and seconds later, their stand-off launched a kick into the wind and it arced round like a putt on a sloping green to fly through the posts. Amid the Irish euphoria, Sale’s shattered players lay in a series of dejected heaps. This was a cruel fate after so much heroic effort. Danny Cipriani, who was superb for Sale in the opening 40 minutes, knocks over a penalty . After getting his breath back, Keatley said: ‘It was pretty nervy. For the first attempt, Chris Cusiter chased me down so I had to pass it on. But the lads got me in a great position again and thankfully it went over. As the 10, it is your responsibility and you have to take that on your shoulders. Thankfully I did all the practice and it paid off.’ In the opening period, despite Dave Kilcoyne’s early try, Munster were under the cosh as Sale ran amok on the back of Cipriani’s astute prompting. His distribution and running were sublime, but he also defended resolutely and was immaculate with his goal-kicking — scoring 16 points and not missing any of his six shots. He endured one or two decision- making wobbles in the second half when his team were struggling, but overall this was a compelling Test audition. All the indications last week were that Cipriani is destined to miss out on a place in the England squad to be announced on Wednesday, but this performance may force a late re-think by Stuart Lancaster and his assistants. Munster centre Andrew Smith takes on the Sale defence as the Irish province began their fight-back . With seconds of the game remaining, Keatley sits back in the pocket and attempts a 40-metre drop goal . Conor Murray (left), Paul O'Connell and Tommy O'Donnell look on as Ian Keatley (right) fires over his drop goal . ‘Cipriani was outstanding for us,’ said Sale’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond. ‘Any contentious opinions about his goal-kicking were put to rest today and he put his tackles in too — 12 or 13 of them. ‘He is playing really well and if the England coaches select him, he won’t let them down.’ Magnus Lund touched down from close-range for the hosts in the 24th minute and five minutes later, Sale surged clear when Johnny Leota seized on Tom Brady’s deft pass and swept over in the left corner. Keatley is mobbed by JJ Hanrahan after his last-ditch kick goes over as Cipriani (left) digests the defeat . Diamond’s men were denied a possible penalty try when Tommy O’Donnell was sin-binned for an off-the-ball tackle and after half-time, Leota ignored an overlap but was unable to score his second try. Ultimately, that was decisive as Munster reverted to a power game and tries by Andrew Conway and Conor Murray set up a grandstand finish. Another Cipriani penalty was soon cancelled out by Keatley, who then delivered the winning shot shortly after. ‘That was a brutal way to go down,’ said Sale captain Dave Seymour. It most certainly was. Now the Cheshire club must brace themselves for the daunting prospect of a trip to Clermont Auvergne, while Munster will await Saracens on Friday night, buoyed by their latest escape act. | Sale led 23-7 at half-time as Magnus Lund and Jonny Leota crossed for tries .
Anthony Foley's men could only muster a Dave Kilcoyne try in response .
Tries from Andrew Conway and Conor Murray set up a pulsating finish .
Fly-half Ian Keatley's 40-metre drop goal completed Munster fight-back . |
27,609 | 4e3de5521438f8c69e032a95663def3d70a10b13 | The world is smaller and people are more mobile than at any time in history. This makes it easier than ever for what's happening anywhere on the globe to harm Americans' health. Here are five ways diseases in other countries pose a threat: . The flu could threaten millions. Even in a mild year for flu, in the United States alone, there are thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and billions of dollars in productivity losses. In a pandemic, millions of people worldwide could be killed. H7N9 influenza, also known as bird flu, is spreading in China, though fortunately it has not mutated to become an infectious disease outbreak that could threaten the health of people around the world. Antibiotic resistance is on the rise. Antibiotic resistance just might be the most urgent health threat facing us now. The nightmare strain of bacteria known as CRE, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, arose abroad and was introduced to one state in the United States. Now it's in at least 44 states. It can resist all or almost all antibiotics, kills many of the people who get it in their blood, and spreads its resistance capabilities to other bacteria. The World Health Organization estimates multidrug-resistant tuberculosis already has infected a half a. million people across the globe. A nightmare health scenario we can stop . Diseases don't respect borders. Going abroad can expose travelers to more than new cultures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. More than 1,500 U.S. travelers get malaria every year, and the numbers are increasing. Yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes and causes more than 30,000 deaths worldwide each year, primarily in tropical areas of Africa and Latin America. People coming back from safari might bring back more than just pictures; they could find themselves facing African trypanosomiasis, better known as sleeping sickness, transmitted by the tsetse fly found only in rural Africa. "Foreign" diseases are now domestic threats. We think of parasitic diseases as risks to travelers, but they harm people here at home as well. For example, Chagas disease is a chronic infection generally acquired by people in rural areas of Latin America, but about 300,000 people now living in the United States have this disease. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease common in the tropics that infects more than 60 million people in the United States. While the immune system usually keeps the parasite from making people sick, it can cause death attributed to foodborne illness. Emerging infections: What's the next HIV? Mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus, dengue, and chikungunya infect hundreds of thousands of people each year and are spreading globally. In the past few years, we've seen global outbreaks of Ebola and other deadly viral hemorrhagic fevers. 5 health challenges for 2014 . There are many diseases out there that we don't even know about. Our new effort can prevent them from becoming epidemics. That's why CDC partners with nations all over the world to detect and respond to disease outbreaks. Together we responded to more than 250 outbreaks in 2013. No single country can deal with these health threats alone. Cooperation between countries has tremendous impact in early detection. Early detection of a single case of Ebola virus in 2011 led to an immediate response and the disease was stopped in its tracks. Previous similar outbreaks were large and spread rapidly through communities there. CDC is helping countries around the world strengthen their ability to prevent avoidable catastrophes and epidemics, detect threats early, and respond rapidly and effectively. Stopping outbreaks where they occur is the most effective and least expensive way to save lives at home as well as abroad. And it's the right thing to do. That's why we announced Thursday that the United States, through the work of the CDC and the departments of Agriculture, State, and Defense, has committed to cooperate with at least 30 partner countries to better prevent, detect, and effectively respond to infectious disease threats, better protecting at least 4 billion people around the world -- including the United States -- from threats. How to prevent the next pandemic . And we have called on partner countries to work together so that effective prevention, detection, and response are present in every country around the world. This year CDC and the Department of Defense have pledged $40 million to expand to 10 additional countries in addition to the pilot projects in Uganda and Vietnam. President Obama will request an additional $45 million in 2015 to accelerate progress around the world. It's an essential step in strengthening global health security that will protect Americans, strengthen our nation's global partnerships, and increase health security capacity around the world. Helping other countries makes those countries, and the United States, safer. The most infectious of all infectious diseases . | Millions could die in a worldwide influenza pandemic .
Antibiotic resistance is growing globally and in the United States .
Travelers may bring back more than souvenirs from abroad .
The CDC is partnering with other nations to strengthen disease response . |
35,270 | 643fd39d95b6172ce72ded2798f3ba88bb330aab | (CNN) -- Images of chimpanzees on television or in the movies depict cute, cuddly and smart animals. So it's no wonder that some people, perhaps those with exotic tastes, may seek them out as pets. A chimp comes up to the fence to inspect visitors at an animal sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. Some chimp owners will even dress the animal in diapers and treat them like a doll or a child. But playing that way with chimps is risking lives, the president of the Humane Society of the United States said. Wayne Pacelle wants people to know that chimps kill in the wild. "Their behavior, which is born into them, can come out even if you put the animal in a bed at night, even if you dress them up in a tutu. They are still wild animals," he said. Pacelle's organization estimates about 15,000 monkeys and other primates are living as either pets or in private zoos. "As infants they are fascinating," said Beth Preiss, who directs the organization's Exotic Pet Campaign. "But they grow up and become dangerous to manage." Just how dangerous was demonstrated Monday when a pet chimp named Travis attacked his owner's friend in Stamford, Connecticut. When Sandra Herold couldn't pull her nearly 200-pound chimp off of Charla Nash, she tried to drive him away by stabbing him with a butcher knife and hitting him with a shovel. When that failed to stop the vicious attack, Travis' owner -- heard on a 911 tape -- asked the police to shoot the chimp in order to stop the attack. They did and Travis died of gunshot wounds. The victim of the attack remains hospitalized with extensive injuries to her face and hands. While being raised by Herold, Travis was treated like a member of the family. "I cooked for him, I shopped for him, I lived with him, I slept with him," Herold told WNYW. Preiss said she believes the only place primates should be sleeping is under the stars. "When chimps are kept in captivity we think they should be kept in as natural environment as possible," she said. One of those seminatural environments for chimps raised in captivity is operated by the nonprofit organization Save The Chimps. The sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, has several three-acre islands among 200 acres of wilderness where 150 chimpanzees roam free. The chimps arrive from different types of captivity. Some are former pets, but there are also some descendants of NASA's space chimps and some chimps used in labs for medical research. Watch what life is like for the animals at the sanctuary » . It is the former pets that have the hardest time adjusting, according to Jen Feuerstein, director of operations for Save the Chimps. "We make them dependent on human beings for their survival," Feuerstein said. Travis was 14 years old when he attacked, six years older than the age chimps used for entertainment are usually retired. They are adorable as babies but "when grown, they are seven times stronger than an adult human and capable of causing some very serious harm," Feuerstein said. Herold said she did not have a problem with Travis in the past. "He didn't have anything but love until this freak accident," she told WNYW. Pacelle saw it differently. "This is a perfectly predictable outcome of an inherently dangerous situation," he said. Police in Connecticut say Travis had acted out previously. The chimp, which was well-known and liked in the community, escaped in 2003 and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford for a couple of hours, said Stamford Police Capt. Rich Conklin. Pacelle finds it outrageous that some people raise chimps as pets. "If the owners are stupid enough to allow this animal into their home, they shouldn't be allowed to jeopardize the rest of the community," he said. At least 20 states have laws that make owning a primate illegal. The Humane Society is asking people to support the passing of The Captive Primate Safety Act, which would prohibit interstate and foreign commerce for primates as pets. Preiss gave three reasons why chimps shouldn't be pets. "One, (they're) too dangerous, two, they can transmit disease," she said, and third, "they belong in the wild." | Chimp owners who treat them like pets are risking lives, Humane Society says .
About 15,000 monkeys and other primates are living as either pets or in private zoos .
Pet chimp viciously attacked his owner's friend in Stamford, Connecticut, on Monday .
Save The Chimps is among groups offering sanctuary to chimps raised in captivity . |
101,895 | 0f50bd8a381ad8a09b55d6ff98aa7e3f13d622cf | The father of 'virgin killer' Elliot Rodger has said he is living a 'nightmare' as he tries to come to terms with the fact that his son was a mass murderer. Peter Rodgers spoke about his 22-year-old son for the first time in an interview with Barbara Walters set to be aired on Friday. In a clip released today, an emotional Mr Rodgers said: 'Every night I go to sleep, I wake up and think of those young men and women who . died, who were injured and terrorized. And my son did that. 'My son caused so much pain and suffering for so many families.' Scroll down for video . Film director Peter Rodger, pictured in an interview to be aired on Friday, said he was struggling to come to terms with the fact his son Elliot, 22, killed his three roommates and three others in Santa Barbara in May . Mr Rodger, a Hollywood film director who worked on The Hunger Games, spoke out for the first time about his son Elliot (above) who killed six and injured 13 before committing suicide in a rampage last month in California . Elliot Rodger, 22, carried out a deadly murder spree on May 23, killing six and injuring 13 near the Isla Vista, University of California campus. In the wake of the massacre, the film . director and his ex-wife released a statement saying it was 'hell on . earth' learning their son was the perpetrator, but neither had given a . formal interview. Mr Rodger said this week: 'It's a reverse nightmare situation when I go to sleep. I might have a nice dream but now I wake up and slowly . the truth of what happened dawns on me. My son was a mass murderer.' Walters asked if the father had any clue that his son was suicidal or even homicidal. Mr Rodger replied: 'There is no way I thought that this boy could hurt a flea. The most unbelievable thing, what I don't get, is that we didn't see this coming at all.' The special episode of 20/20 will air on June 27 at 10pm. It will be Walters first return to television since retiring on May 16. Breaking his silence: Peter Rodger (right), father of UCSB shooter Elliot Rodger, sat down for his first television interview with ABC's Barbara Walters (left). The interview will air in a special episode of 20/20 on Friday at 10pm . While she won't have a regular show anymore, Walters will continue contributing to ABC for special projects like the interview with Mr Rodger. The ABC interview comes just a month after the shooter's father met with the father of one of his son's victims. Dramatic photos show Peter Rodger and Richard Martinez embracing in an emotional moment just two weeks after the spree left Mr Martinez's son Chrisopher, 20, dead. The parents of two young men shot dead by Elliot Rodger spoke out today about losing their sons in a tragedy which they feel could have been prevented. David Wang, 20, and George Chen, 19, were stabbed to death by their roommate Rodger, 22, at their beach-side apartment near the UC Santa Barbara Campus on May 23. Rodger also killed James Hong, Christopher Martinez, Katherine Breann Cooper andVeronika Elizabeth Weiss before taking his own life. George's mother Kelly Chen broke down as she told CBS: 'We have love in our heart, tears in our eyes, responsibility on our shoulders, and we hear the voice from our children from heaven. We want to do something.' The devastated parents of David Wang, Charlie and Jane Wang (right) and George Chen, Johnny and Kelly Chen (left) spoke for the first time about their sons who were the joy of their lives. Both young men were killed along with four others by 'virgin killer' Elliot Rodger in May . Kelly Chen and her husband Johnny along with Charlie and Jane Wang believe that there were 'missed opportunities' that could have prevented Rodger's killing spree. They also expressed their outrage at the media attention focused on the killer and an interview with the victim's father Peter Rodger. They said that Mr Rodger had not reached out to them to offer his condolences. Following the interview, Mr Rodger sent the families a letter of apology. The two families, who both immigrated to the U.S. from China to give their sons' better opportunities, had said they did not want to speak out following their sons' deaths. However they feel strongly that they must do all they can so no other family would have to endure their pain. Just a month on from their sons' deaths, the parents said they struggle to cope with the idea that their boys are never coming home. Charlie Wang, David's father, said: 'I still think my son is alive and not gone. I still don't understand why this happened to such beautiful heart, beautiful lives.' From left, close friends George Chen, David Wang and James Hong were killed by Elliot Rodgers on May 23 in Isla Vista, California . From left, Christopher Martinez, Katherine Cooper and Veronika Weiss were randomly shot dead by Rodger when he went on a killing spree last month . Mr Martinez met Rodger at a Santa Barbara coffee shop on June 1. They wouldn't discuss details of what they called a 'private conversation between grieving fathers', but did say that they reached common ground. 'We plan to work together so other families such as ours will not suffer as ours have,' Mr Martinez said at the time. Elliot . Rodger's parents issued a statement the morning after the killings that . they were 'staunchly against guns' and support gun-control laws. 'We . are crying out in pain for the victims and their families. It breaks . our hearts on a level that we didn't think was possible,' Peter and Chin . Rodger said in the statement. 'It is now our responsibility to do everything we can to help avoid this happening to any other family.' Elliot . Rodger killed six people between the ages of 19 and 22 on May 23 after . years of what he claimed was rejection and ridicule and sexual jealousy . because he was a virgin. The . bodies of James Hong, David Wang and George Chen were found at a . beach-side apartment near the University of California, Santa Barbara . campus. Rodger also fatally shot three at random - Christopher Martinez, Katherine Breann Cooper andVeronika Elizabeth Weiss. He . took his own life after his shooting rampage and it was claimed in the . days afterwards that his family had tried to get him professional help . weeks before the massacre. The killer's mother, Li-Chin Rodger, was the first one to realize that something was wrong at the time of his killing spree. Father to father: Mr Rodger's interview will air nearly a month after he met the father of one of his son's victims. Above, Rodger (left) and Richard Martinez, father of killed UCSB student Christopher Martinez, 20 . Difficult: The father of a college student who was gunned down in the May 23 mass killings near the University of California, Santa Barbara said he met privately with the father of his son's killer in early June . Li-Chin, . who has been divorced for many years from Peter Rodger, received an . email from her 22-year-old son shortly after 9pm on May 25 which . included a 140-page manifesto. She . immediately went to Elliot's YouTube page and saw that he had uploaded a . video called 'Retribution' wherein he describes how he plans to . slaughter sorority girls. His mother knew something was horribly wrong and she called her ex-husband and after they watched the video, they called 911. Both . parents rushed to the scene separately and reportedly realized they . were too late once they heard news reports of the ongoing rampage on the . car radio. In . the immediate aftermath the parents gave permission to a close friend . to speak to the media on their behalf, explaining how Elliot had been . receiving professional help for some time. '(His parents) were conscious and concerned about their son's health,' Simon Astaire told CNN. 'They thought he was in good hands.' | Peter Rodger said: 'The most unbelievable thing is that we didn't see this coming at all'
His first televised interview will air in a special edition of 20/20 on Friday at 10pm with Barbara Walters .
Rodger, a Hollywood film director who worked on The Hunger Games, spoke about his son, UC Santa Barbara shooter Elliot Rodger .
Elliot Rodger carried out a deadly murder spree on May 23, killing six and inuring 13 near the Isla Vista campus .
The parents of victims David Wang, 20, and George Chen, 19, said today that the tragedy could have been prevented and they were outraged at the focus on the killer and his family . |
165,004 | 615e6a3151bad1b0d138b5a6cc38e5096f260489 | The father of an 11-year-old girl, who has not been seen since Saturday night, has made a heartfelt plea to his daughter to return home to her family. After an argument with a family member, Michelle Levy, wearing a party dress, left her home on Glenayr Avenue at North Bondi about 6.30pm. 'Please come home, we all miss you, we love you, we just want you to be safe,' Michelle's father Adam Levy said speaking to Nine News on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Michelle Levy was wearing this white party dress (pictured) with black, orange and yellow flowers and a black sash at the time of her disappearance . Adam Levy has pleaded with his daughter to come home, saying she is in no trouble but is greatly missed by the family . 'You're not in trouble ... just please come home as soon as possible everyone's very worried,' he pleaded. Following reports Michelle was spotted at Centennial Park on Saturday evening - about 4.5 kilometres or an hour walk from her home - the site was scoured all day Sunday. A police helicopter was hovering above the park on Sunday afternoon and police officers were looking in the bushes for the young girl. SES volunteers will finalise their search on Sunday evening and are expected to return to looking for Michelle in Bondi, a NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. Jewish medical emergency response organisation Hatzolah have dozens of volunteers on the ground on Sunday night searching for missing Michelle. A spokeswoman confirmed there are teams of people walking the streets, speaking to people and knocking on doors in the hope of locating the girl. She also said they have set up headquarters on Flood Street in Bondi and are allocating search areas to groups of people wanting to help the search. Earlier on Sunday Mr Levy told Daily Mail Australia: 'Its been very challenging and heart-wrenching,' 'We all love her and everyone is worried about her - she doesn't need to worry about being in trouble.' Michelle was last seen leaving the family home on Glenayr Avenue at North Bondi about 6.30pm on Saturday, and was reportedly seen at Centennial Park later that evening . Mr Levy said although she had run off to her grandparent's house nearby a few times, the disappearance was out-of-character. 'She doesn't usually go further than the front wall,' he said. 'We assumed if she wasn't within the block that she was at her grandparents.' He described his daughter as a very intelligent child who often displayed stubborn traits. 'She's very bookish - she's a real book worm but that doesn't mean she doesn't do other things,' he said. He told Daily Mail Australia that he hoped Michelle was hiding out somewhere that the family were unaware of. Michelle had an argument with a family member before leaving the family home in North Bondi . Michelle had left the home on previous occasions but had always gone to another family member's house which she has not done on this particular occasion . Despite extensive searches of the area including CCTV footage from local businesses, SES workers scouring the North Bondi cliffs, police officers door knocking and speaking to her school and friends, she hasn’t been found. Michelle is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 150cm tall, with a thin build. She has long red hair, blue eyes and freckles. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a white party dress with black, orange and yellow flowers and a black sash. Police and family are concerned for Michelle’s welfare due to her age and are urging anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward. Despite extensive searches of the area including police officers door knocking and speaking to her school and friends, Michelle hasn’t been found . | Michelle Levy was last seen leaving the family home on Glenayr Avenue at North Bondi about 6.30pm on Saturday .
Most recent photo of Michelle, shows she was spotted at Bondi Westfield at 7pm on Saturday .
She argued with a family member before leaving the house .
Her father, Adam Levy, has made a heartfelt plea for his daughter to return .
The 11-year-old is described as of Caucasian appearance with a thin build .
About 150cm tall, she has long red hair, blue eyes and freckles .
She left on other occasions but always went to another family member's . |
14,395 | 28cf5e7481abed22328d82f551de48eb9adf267d | Three brothers butchered their mother before eating her organs in a ritual killing, police have said. Neighbours reported hearing strange noises coming from the family home for days before the body of Musala Amil, 56, was found in Ampatuan, Philippines. Police discovered the badly mutilated body with several parts missing, drained of blood. Three sons butchered their mother with machetes and ate her raw internal organs in an apparent ritualistic killing in Ampatuan, Philippines . Brothers Dante, 35, Paroy, 21, and the youngest Ibrahim, 18, all deny killing their mother . The sons ate parts of their mother raw, investigators said. Brothers Dante, 35, Paroy, 21, and the youngest Ibrahim, 18, all deny killing their mother. They said they had been trying to drive away an illness they believed was brought on by a bad spirit. Officials investigating events leading to the gory discovery said the ritual killing happened last Wednesday. This is the house in Ampatuan, Philippines, where three sons are alleged to have killed their mother . Police discovered the badly mutilated body with several parts missing, drained of blood . Police are looking into reports the family had a history of mental disorders but are not ruling out the role of drug abuse in the killing. Senior Inspector Ronald De Leon, Ampatuan Chief of Police, said the suspects will undergo drug tests. The three men are of the Moro indigenous ethnic Muslim race. It is claimed three sons butchered their mother with machetes and ate her raw internal organs in this house . Neighbours reported hearing strange noises coming from the family home for days . Police are looking into reports the family had a history of mental disorders but are not ruling out the role of drug abuse in the killing . All three suspects reside in a family farm at Purok Nabadtog in Barangay Kamasi in Ampatuan. Community leaders said the three men killed their mother and feasted on parts of her body as if they were wild animals. The village drew notoriety for the 2009 massacre of 58 people. | Body of Musala Amil, 56, was found in her home in Ampatuan, Philippines .
Police said several parts of her body were missing .
Brothers Dante, 35, Paroy, 21, and Ibrahim, 18, all deny killing their mother . |
158,133 | 5877875ebf222fe7274b1f189c94adc4be6f3770 | By . Jill Reilly . If you took all the world's population and dumped them into the Grand Canyon they wouldn't fill a fraction of it. In fact the 7.2 billion people would only form a comparatively tiny pile - as shown in this fascinating mock-up image. The graphic was put together by respected YouTube presenter Michael Stevens on his Vsauce channel, which juxtaposes the population of the world alongside the famous deep canyon by the Colorado River - situated in Arizona. Scroll down for video . If you took all the world's population and dumped them into the Grand Canyon they wouldn't fill a fraction of it. In fact the 7.2 billion people would only form a comparatively tiny pile - as shown in this fascinating mock-up image . Apparently, even all of humanity . throughout history, across all the ages - estimated to be 106 billion - . would only be enough to make 15 piles across the Grand Canyon and not . sufficient to cover its entirety. The vast crevasse is 277miles (446km) long and a mile (1.6km) deep in places. The graphic is based upon the work of data visualisation blogger Eesmyal Santos-Brault who said that as the average weight of a human is 154lbs (70kg), seven billion people would weigh around 490million tonnes. The graphic was put together by YouTube channel Vsauce, which juxtaposed the population alongside the famous deep steep sided canyon by the Colorado River - situated in Arizona in the United States . He wrote in a post: ‘Since we are comprised of mostly water, which has a density of 1000 kg/cubic metre, the average volume of a human is 0.07cubic metres. ‘That means the total volume of all humans would be 490 million cubic metres, a cube with sides 788metres long.’ If this cube was placed next to the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 2,716ft (828metres) tall, it would be 131 ft (40metres) taller. The . Grand Canyon National Park receives around five million visitors a . year, 90 per cent of whom travel to the South Rim, which has an average . elevation of 7,000ft (2,134metres). Apparently, even all of humanity throughout history, across all the ages - estimated to be 106 billion - would only be enough to make fifteen piles across the Grand Canyon and not sufficient to cover its entirety . Nature in all its glory: Tourists take it all in at the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The park receives close to five million visitors a year . | All of humanity through the ages (106 billion) would make fifteen piles in the canyon by the Colorado River .
Image was broadcast on popular YouTube channel Vsauce . |
248,992 | ce323027081f02aa71cfaa18160329ed9f3e1cd8 | By . Mark Duell . Mo Farah has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games, it was revealed today. The 31-year-old double Olympic and world champion - who had previously been admitted to hospital with abdominal pains - was due to go for gold over 5,000 and 10,000 metres in Glasgow. Team England said he had made good progress on his recovery from a recent illness, but withdrew to focus on getting back to full fitness in time for next month's European Championships in Zurich. Scroll down for video . He's out: Team England announced that Mo Farah, 31, had withdrawn to focus on getting back to full fitness in time for next month's European Championships in Zurich . The news is a major blow to the Games, . coming the morning after they launched with a spectacular opening . ceremony at Celtic Park. Farah said: ‘I have taken the tough decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games. The sickness I had two weeks ago was a big setback for me.' The Londoner, who was set to be one of the biggest stars in Glasgow, pulled out of his last two races - the Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix at Hampden Park and last Sunday's Anniversary Games - after being admitted to hospital in the United States with abdominal pains. He has been training hard at his altitude base in Font Romeu in a bid to be fit for the Games, but they have come too soon. The 5,000m final takes place on the first evening of the athletics programme on Sunday. Olympic celebrations: The 31-year-old Londoner was set to be one of the biggest stars in Glasgow . Farah added: ‘Training is getting better here in Font Romeu but I need another few weeks to get back to the level I was at in 2012 & 2013. 'I have taken the tough decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games. The sickness I had two weeks ago was a big setback for me' Mo Farah . ‘I really wanted to add the Commonwealth titles to my Olympic and World Championships but the event is coming a few weeks too soon for me as my body is telling me it's not ready to race yet. Best wishes to my fellow athletes in Glasgow.’ Team England chef de mission Jan Paterson said: ‘It is a real blow for any athlete to miss out on a major championships through injury, but to have fought so hard to regain full fitness and to have to take such a difficult decision at this stage is particularly hard. We wish Mo all the very best and hope to see him back to his peak very soon.’ Farah’s withdrawal comes after Canada's Nic Hamilton was forced out of the track cycling events after crashing into an official in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome today. Hamilton suffered concussion while the official suffered a suspected broken collarbone in the accident. The velodrome was closed for 30 minutes, delaying a visit from Prince Charles and Camilla. | Double Olympic champion due to go for gold over 5,000 and 10,000 metres .
Team England said he made good progress on recovery from recent illness .
But he wants to get back to full fitness in time for European Championships .
He had previously been admitted to hospital in the US with abdominal pains .
It comes morning after Games launched with spectacular opening ceremony . |
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