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192,515 | 85369a3f4fbbc773cd7b4f8a4e94a5b1a81d1df6 | By . Katy Winter . PUBLISHED: . 06:04 EST, 19 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:27 EST, 19 March 2013 . Stunning sports news presenter Charlie Webster has angered many of her female colleagues, as well as her bosses, by posing nearly-nude for men’s magazine FHM. The sexy Sky pundit has stripped off for this month’s edition wearing little more than a bra and tiny pair of lace knickers. Staring seductively into the camera, the 30-year-old brunette is seen languishing on a bed and suggestively holding a strawberry, while in another picture she kneels by an open fridge in her sporty underwear. Scroll down for video . There can be no doubt that presenter Charlie Webster looks stunning in this month's FHM magazine, but her pictures have angered some . Charlie gazes up into the camera, posing suggestively with a strawberry close to her lips . Charlie, who has been presenting for Sky Sports since 2010, looks beautiful in the shoot but has ruffled some feathers in the industry as fellow female sports presenters feels it is damaging their reputation as a whole. In an industry where women must battle to be taken seriously for the quality of their work and knowledge of sport, rather than for their looks, there is discontent at Charlie appearing in her underwear. Charlie even speaks about the pressures of operating in a male working culture in the accompanying interview for FHM, saying: ‘You almost have to work 10 times harder than the bloke has to work. And the bloke can get away with things but you can’t.’ Charlie kneels by an open fridge in just her knickers, a crop top and socks, enacting the fantasy of many men, but angering her fellow female presenters . Charlie, who has presented for Sky Sports for years, has never been shy of showing off her body, as she flaunts her long legs as she is snapped arriving at the UK film premiere of 1000 Kisses Deep last year . The 30-year old sports presenter graces the cover of this months FHM, on sale now . Sports News bosses will not be happy . that the FHM spread comes as they try and increase the coverage of women . in sport, especially as in the interview, Charlie appears to mock the . channels coverage of events. She admits: ‘On Transfer Deadline Day, if it’s really quiet, we’ll try and spice things up and mess about passing blank pieces of paper, pretending they’re breaking news stories. Everyone does it. It can be hilarious.’ A bona-fide sporting geek, Charlie also tells FHM: ‘As a kid, all I wanted to be was a runner, nothing else. As a junior, I ran the 400m in 53.2 seconds [less than six seconds outside the world record.’ She added: ‘I was doing aerobic classes from four years old. I was going to martial arts classes at eight. And my stepdad’s into boxing, so I was into that from a young age. I still box now, I love it. But when I got to 18, I decided I wanted to go to uni.’ Read the full interview with Charlie in this months FHM, on sale now. For an behind-the-scenes video visit www.fhm.com/charlie . | 30-year-old presenter graces the cover of 'lads mag' FHM .
Female colleges angry she has made it harder for them to be taken seriously .
Charlie has been presenting for Sky Sports News since 2010 .
Shots show her looking sexy in just her bra and knickers .
Is pictured suggestively languishing on a bed and holding a strawberry . |
160,384 | 5b587c43348b7ee884b408d284e9207858d5f6d1 | Opposition Leader Bill Shorten blasted the government's instability this morning, after taking a cheery and almost certainly staged walk past the Liberal Party's leadership meeting. Mr Shorten, Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek and Senators Penny Wong and Stephen Conroy clutched coffees and laughed among themselves as they strolled past the assembled media pack. 'Tony Abbott promised he would run a stable and united government,' said Mr Shorten, who is more than familiar with a leadership crisis, given he played a pivotal role in knifing prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. 'This is his biggest broken promise yet.' Prime Minister Tony Abbott managed to cling to power during Monday morning's meeting, defeating a spill motion led by rebellious backbenchers 61 votes to 39. Scroll down for video . Casual walk by: Labor leaders laughed amongst themselves and sipped their coffees as they strode past the media assembled near the Liberal party spill meeting . Survivor: Mr Abbott survived the spill motion, 61 votes to 39, but his grip on the party leadership appears tenuous . Winning position? Mr Shorten is well ahead in the latest opinion polls, more than a year-and-a-half out from the next scheduled federal election . But Mr Shorten has reason to celebrate given grim polling for Mr Abbott overnight. The latest Newspoll showed Labor was ahead of the Coalition 57 points to 43 on a two-party preferred basis. The Newspoll also found the Labor leader was preferred prime minister by 48 per cent to Mr Abbott's 30 per cent. However, the political landscape would likely be less rosy for Labor if Malcolm Turnbull ascends to the Liberal leadership in the coming months, according to a weekend poll. The Galaxy poll found the Liberals under Mr Turnbull would narrow the gap to 51 - 49 two party preferred, still in Labor's favour. Labor spokespeople have honed their attacks on Mr Turnbull in recent days, with Mr Shorten saying Mr Turnbull 'may have a nicer suit than Tony Abbott... (but they) are cut from the same cloth.' Prime Minister Tony Abbott did not take questions from the media today but will likely face a grilling in an interview on ABC's 7:30 program tonight . Lone ranger: Malcolm Turnbull strolled into the Liberal leadership meeting on his own this morning, in a stark contrast to Mr Abbott, who was surrounded by colleagues . | Labor leaders laughed and clutch coffees as they walk past Liberal leadership meeting .
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten attacked the government's instability this morning .
But Mr Shorten played a key role in knifing former Labor leaders Rudd and Gillard . |
258,559 | daa14c05bb366ffd8147ea1dfdc26d4ebc558d28 | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Grammy-winning jazz bassist Charlie Haden, whose music career spanned seven decades and several genres, died Friday, his publicist said Sunday. He was 76. Haden, who first performed as a yodeling toddler with his family's country band in the 1930s, played on hundreds of recordings with the biggest jazz legends. His wife and four children were with him as his life ended following a long illness, ECM Records spokeswoman Tina Pelikan said. Haden, a sideman in saxophonist Ornette Coleman's band in the 1960s, is known as a founding father of free jazz. He also led his own Liberation Music Orchestra and the Charlie Haden Quartet West. The National Endowment for the Arts named Haden a "jazz master" in 2012 for his long career as a musician, composer, bandleader, educator, producer and activist. "Lyrical and expressive on the bass, he embraced a variety of musical genres, ranging from jazz to country to world music," the NEA's bio of Haden said. Haden was just 22 months old when he first sang on his parents' country-western radio show. He took up the bass as a teenager before moving from his native Iowa to Los Angeles in 1957, the NEA bio said. His work on the influential recordings with Coleman "helped move the bassist from an accompanying position to one of innovation and more direct improvisatory participation," the bio said. People we've lost in 2014 . CNN's David Daniel contributed to this report. | Charlie Haden first performed as a yodeling toddler with his family's country band .
Haden is known as a founding father of free jazz .
He played bass on hundreds of recordings with the biggest jazz legends . |
219,541 | a82bd4a528f8fb072032a20aa3e56e02d36c61bd | London (CNN) -- One of the first questions many people ask when they start a new job is: what type of car will I get? However, Pope Francis -- known to opt for public transport in his home town of Buenos Aires -- refused the car that had been prepared for him after his election on Wednesday. Instead of traveling from the Sistine Chapel to the Santa Marta residence in a car carrying the license plate SCV1 (Vatican City 1), he jumped on the bus alongside the other cardinals. If the demands of the pontificate prove too exacting for Vatican bus schedules, however, he is unlikely to be disappointed by the vehicles on offer. For when Janis Joplin sang "Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz" she probably didn't realise that the man Roman Catholics consider to be God's representative on Earth had already had his request granted many times. The pope didn't actually travel in a car for state visits until 1930 when Pius XI became the first ever recipient of a Mercedes-Benz state car. The Nurburg 460 Pullman was custom-built with silk carpets and a dove motif embossed on the roof lining. The pope clearly liked the idea of becoming motorized as he apparently took it for an hour-long test drive around the Vatican gardens. Since then he's had a string of Mercedes including a 300D in 1960, a 600 Pullman Landaulet in 1965 and a 300SEL in the 1970s. But although the pope uses Mercedes on home turf, his transport isn't restricted solely to the German car maker's products. When the Pope goes to different countries his hosts submit the details of his proposed transport. If these meet the Vatican's strict security criteria they're given the go-ahead. If it doesn't the Vatican supplies its own vehicle. The pope hasn't always been motorized on state visits. Until 1978, his primary mode of transport for meeting his public was the sedia gestatoria, a glorified sedan chair carried on the shoulders of various papal attendants. Obviously this had certain limitations, both in how far and how fast he could travel. It fell out of favor when the reign of Pope Paul VI ended in 1978. The early days of motorized papal transport were far removed from the Mercedes vehicles he currently drives. When John Paul II made his first visit to his home country of Poland in 1979 he was transported on a lightly modified Polish FSC Star flat-bed truck. Then in 1980 Mercedes was commissioned to build a bespoke model. It chose the 230G and a model christened the Popemobile was readied in time for the pope to use for his first trip to Germany. The bulletproof glass came following the assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981. But in 1982, on his visit to Spain he was back in an open vehicle, a specially converted version of the popular SEAT Panda. This open-air vehicle had a simple grab handle so the pope could stand up and wave to his followers. Equally rudimentary was the Leyland Motors truck supplied for the pope's 1982 visit to the UK. Such was the determination of the British authorities not to lose a Pope on their watch this armored beast was the heaviest Popemobile ever at 24 tons. Since 2007, Benedict XVI has primarily used either a Mercedes G500 or smaller ML430 SUV. But these aren't off-the-shelf SUVs. In Popemobile spec the G500 features a fold-down windscreen along with the pope's traditional Mystic White paint. In less secure situations, the pope has another modified G-Class. This has the more familiar plexiglass dome which protects the pontiff from adverse weather while ensuring he remains visible to his flock. At 8mm thick, the glass is also bulletproof. But being encased in glass presents its own problems, principally overheating, so a powerful air-conditioning system was quickly added. This prevents the pope getting uncomfortably hot when the sun is shining but also ensures the glass doesn't steam up in high humidity. Spotlights have also been installed in the sides, floor and roof compartment so direct and indirect illumination makes His Holiness more visible when darkness falls. Security too has reached new levels. The glass has been made bomb proof so it can withstand explosions, the side panels are armored for the same reason and the underneath of the vehicle is blast-proof. Should the worst happen and the pope come under attack, his compartment has its own oxygen supply. The pope enters his compartment through a door in the back. He then sits in a bespoke chair made from white leather with gold trim. This employs a system of hydraulic lifts that raise him up so he can be seen more easily. It also means that most people won't be able to see the two papal aides who occupy two chairs in front of the pope's. The front seats of the Popemobile are occupied by a security guard and obviously, the driver. Although it's had a lot of extra weight built into it, the engine has been uprated. It means this particular G-Class can hit 160mph even if it only spends most of its life doing a much more sedate 6mph. All this capability doesn't come cheap though: it's estimated the current Popemobile costs about $565,000. The high cost presents a challenge to host nations, especially impoverished ones. For his 1995 visit to the Philippines, local car maker Francisco Motors produced a Popemobile based on a 4x4. As it had to be built with bomb and bulletproof parts the local faithful contributed to the extra cost. When John Paul died in 2005, this Popemobile was put on display in a Philippine church and became a pilgrimage destination for the country's Catholics who couldn't afford to go to the Vatican for the burial ceremony. It's probably the only time a car built in the Philippines has ever been worshipped. | Popes have used a string of Mercedes-Benz vehicles since 1930 .
When popes visit different countries, hosts submit details of proposed transport .
If it's secure enough, it gets go-ahead. Otherwise, Vatican supplies own vehicle .
Since 2007 pope uses bullet-proof, bomb-proof Mercedes capable of 160mph . |
141,428 | 42e020d60dbe5d2cbf34498497e0b0309a3b6fba | (Mashable) -- Within about two hours of reports first surfacing (and since confirmed by the President) that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, a Facebook Page titled "Osama Bin Laden is DEAD" has already accumulated more than 150,000 "likes." The page appears to be adding thousands of likes by the minute with users also sharing hundreds of comments and links to stories about the news. Interestingly, the page itself appears to have been setup well prior to tonight as a way to advocate the theory that Bin Laden had actually died long ago. Mashable: How news of Osama Bin Laden's death unfolded on Twitter . The page description reads in part: "Osama Bin Laden has not been found and will never be found because he died a long time ago. This may be news to you because it wasn't in the news. His death is critical to the CIA because they want you to believe in this so called 'War on terror' which has made the world a more dangerous place. If Osama Bin Laden was alive, he would've been found -- just like Saddam Hussein." Nonetheless, the page is now serving as a real-time discussion board for the historic news. See the original article at Mashable.com. © 2013 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved. | The page appears to be adding thousands of likes by the minute .
The page itself appears to have been setup well prior to tonight .
Almost as a way to advocate the theory that Bin Laden had actually died long ago . |
165,950 | 6297ad89e16956cb396ae563a350165a90e5b8b6 | A German jihadist who was caught with watches from Aldi, chocolate and novels for ISIS extremists will face trial next week. Former KFC worker Ismail Issa, 24, was arrested by authorities in Stuttgart, Germany, when he was found running errands to buy supplies for comrades in Syria. This included watches from the budget supermarket chain, medicine and night-vision gear. Ismail Issa was arrested in Germany after he was caught running errands for his ISIS comrades in Syria . Issa, born in Lebanon, was radicalised in Stuttgart and initially went to Syria to fight for the overthrow of the Assad regime. He later joined the ranks of ISIS who gave him a wish-list of items to buy for them during a return to the city. They wanted four sports watches from Aldi costing €28 each, 10 pairs of combat trousers from an online US Army shop at €189.90 each and night-vision gear from a Stuttgart hunting shop costing more than 4,000 euros. Chocolate, medicine and novels were also on the wish-list. Officers from the German intelligence service, the BND, monitored him upon his return to Germany following an anonymous tip-off. He was travelling in a car through Europe back to Syria in November last year when police pulled him over at an autobahn service station and found his shopping. He still had his ISIS shopping list with the names of ten comrades and their waist and leg measurements. The items on the extremists' wish-list for Issa included four sports watches from Aldi supermarket . Mohammed Sobhan, a 28-year-old Afghani was arrested with him, who police say was recruited by Issa. Both men and Issa's brother Ezzedine, 33, go on trial on November 5 charged with supporting terrorism. The indictment against all three is 81 pages long and has many details about Issa's radicalisation as well as the structures and organisation of ISIS. It says how he was raised with five siblings by his mother and had a chaotic upbringing. He left school at 17, held temporary jobs and married his girlfriend who was pregnant and moved to Sweden. The couple split when the pregnancy failed and by 2010, Issa returned to his mother in Stuttgart and began working at a KFC. He tried to return to school, but instead turned to drugs and soon became radicalised in Stuttgart. In late 2012, he flew to Syria and ended up joining the ranks of ISIS but after he was wounded in battle and deemed a 'little bit useless', he returned to Germany to pick up the supplies. In Germany, more than 450 people have left the country for Syria since the fighting began and about 130 have returned, security officials said. About 25 are believed to have battlefield experience. Prosecutors said they had begun more than 140 investigations related to Islamic extremism, often involving more than one suspect. Under German law, no pleas are entered until trial. Issa has been held in a state prison since his arrest. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, the maximum under German law. | Ismail Issa, 24, was arrested by authorities in Stuttgart, Germany .
He was found running errands to buy supplies for his ISIS comrades .
Included watches from Aldi, combat trousers, chocolate and novels .
He had flown out to Syria in 2012 but was wounded in battle .
Was sent back to do the shopping as he was deemed a 'little bit useless'
He will face trial next week charged with supporting terrorism . |
264,021 | e1f0936c387c4198db97361374246b4ad082d74f | Rory McIlroy backed Louis van Gaal to lead Manchester United to the Premier League title before he paraded his Claret Jug at Old Trafford. The Northern Irishman, who is a United fan, enjoyed a summer of success as he won his first Open Championship at Hoylake in July. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Rory McIlroy visibly emotional after US PGA victory . Champion: Rory McIlroy showed off his Claret Jug at half-time during Manchester United's clash with Swansea . On the pitch: McIlroy is a Manchester United fan and he paraded his Claret Jug at half-time . Acclaim: McIlroy enjoyed a summer to remember as he won two of golf's major titles . High five: The 25-year-old golfer meets Manchester United's mascot Fred the Red . And the 25-year-old took to the Old Trafford pitch to parade his Claret Jug during the half-time interval in Manchester United's Premier League opener against Swansea. In an interview with BT Sport before the game, McIlroy said he thinks United have what it takes to win the Premier League in Van Gaal's first season in charge. McIlroy followed up his Open success by winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla last week. Guest: The Northern Irishman watches the action with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson close by . Suited and booted: McIlroy is interviewed by BT Sport ahead of the game at Old Trafford . Sealed with a kiss: The Northern Irishman won the Open Championship at Hoylake in July . Triumph at twilight: McIlory added to his Open victory by winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla . It was a summer to remember for the 25-year-old as he took his tally of golf major titles to four, adding to his US Open win in 2011 and PGA Championship victory in 2012. The World No 1 also won the prestigious WGC Bridgestone Invitational two weeks ago in Akron, Ohio. | Northern Irishman won the Open Championship at Hoylake in July .
McIlroy paraded Claret Jug at half-time during United's Swansea clash .
25-year-old backed Louis van Gaal to win Premier League this season .
McIlroy also won PGA Championship at Valhalla last week . |
265,371 | e3b60732318151b46ceed2b61a2d609582cd571e | A man could be jailed for life for rapping about gang violence. Brandon Duncan, also known as Tiny Doo, has been accused of breaking anti-gangster laws in California that make it illegal to profit in any way from gang activity. Prosecutors are seeking 25 years to life in prison for Duncan, pointing to lyrics on his album which they say correlate to specific crimes by a known gang in Los Angeles, California. Jailed for rapping? Brandon Duncan, aka Tiny Doo (left with his lawyer) faces life in prison if found guilty . According to CNN, Duncan and 14 other alleged gangsters were able to enhance their reputations following a spate of shootings in 2013. Lawyers have pointed to violent scenes and imagery in his album, called No Safety, as proof that he should be convicted on nine counts of criminal street gang conspiracy. Duncan has said the charges are ludicrous, and his defense has pointed out that he has no criminal record and is not even suspected of any actual gang activity. He told CNN: 'The studio is my canvas. I'm just painting a picture. I'm not telling anybody to go out and kill somebody... these people [the prosecutors] have you scared to do anything around here.' Evidence? Prosecutors are holding up Duncan's album, No Safety, in the conspiracy charges . | Brandon Duncan, stage name Tiny Doo, has been charged in Los Angeles .
Prosecutors say he benefited financially from gang activity by rapping .
He could face a life prison term if found guilty of nine charges . |
102,835 | 108b8aa52a9550a7ba97b6cabacd9fe4ad91654d | By . Daniel Miller . PUBLISHED: . 12:58 EST, 14 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:09 EST, 14 January 2013 . Struck off: Care-home nurse Martha Sekete placed an elderly patient's hands on a scalding hot radiator and dragged another across the floor on a bed sheet . A vicious care-home nurse who placed an elderly patient's hands on a scalding hot radiator and dragged another across the floor on a bed sheet has been kicked out of the profession. Martha Sekete also snatched a sandwich from a male patient and threw it in the bin before shouting at him and grabbed a woman by her hair and neck to move her up the bed at Heath House in Birmingham. Sekete, who was said to have shown 'no remorse' for her actions was found guilty of a series of charges relating to four residents at the Southern Cross-owned home during a single night shift of November 5 and 6, 2009. After being placed on suspension Sekete visited the home of a fellow care assistant and asked her not to tell bosses what she had witnessed that night. A conduct and competence committee found found Sekete guilty of misconduct, and determined that her fitness to continue practising as a nurse was impaired. Imposing a striking-off order, panel chair John Matharu said: 'The panel concluded that Ms Sekete's actions had put patients at unwarranted risk of harm, had brought the profession into disrepute, had breached fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and was dishonest. 'Ms Sekete has not demonstrated insight or remorse, or any recognition of the actual and potential consequences her actions could have had for service users. 'The panel is not aware of any steps she has taken to address and remedy those failings, or her underlying attitudinal problems. 'For these reasons, the panel concluded that there is a significant risk of Ms Sekete's actions being repeated in the future,' he added. Cassandra Scarborough, for the NMC, told the hearing: 'The charges in question all relate to elderly service users, three females and one male, and happened during the course of that night in November 2009.' Scene of the attack: Martha Sekete was found guilty of a series of charges relating to four residents at Heath House in Birmingham (pictured) The first incident was with service user A, who the registrant grabbed by her hair and neck while pulling her up in her bed. Heath House in Birmingham is owned by Southern Cross Healthcare . She then dragged service user B on a bed sheet on the floor back to her bedroom, and she rested the hands of service user C on a radiator. 'She then snatched a sandwich from service user D, which her hands, threw it in the bin and said "you should not be taking other people's food".' Sekete was also found to have failed to tell her former bosses about a police caution that she received for assault in November 2005. She admitted going to see care assistant Sukhwinder Kaur after she was suspended, but denied telling her not to tell bosses what she had witnesses on the night of the shift in question. But the panel found the evidence Ms Kaur to be more credible that Sekete's and found the fact proved. Sekete has 28 days to challenge the striking off order and an 18 month interim suspension order has been imposed to cover any appeal period. | Vicious Martha Sekete has been struck-off the nursing register .
Hearing told how she yanked another elderly patient by the hair .
She told a fellow employee not to tell bosses what had happened . |
278,862 | f547f91628f61e4e54b97726ed742730e07066c8 | The man, who can only be identified as Mr R, was handed an order preventing him from seeing his children or entering his street. Mr Justice Peter Jackson (above) overturned the order at appeal . A father suffered a Kafkaesque injustice when he was thrown out of his home without warning and effectively barred from seeing his six children for five months, a High Court judge said yesterday. After being banned from his street, the man was later jailed overnight and convicted of a crime for phoning his wife. Mr Justice Jackson accused lawyers and courts of injustice due to ‘unproven allegations’. The father, named only as Mr R, was barred from his home after his wife took out a non-molestation order. He was also forbidden from contacting her except via her lawyers. Such orders are designed to protect women from domestic violence. But Mr Justice Jackson said the ban was granted ‘in proceedings of which [Mr R] was unaware’. The hearing before a district judge on June 20 lasted no more than five minutes. Mrs R’s lawyers did not attempt to contact her husband and he knew nothing of the order until he came home from work one day later that month. Despite the claim that his wife was in danger of violence, she allowed him to stay overnight and he left the following morning. Days later, he was arrested for an ‘innocuous breach’ of the order after calling his wife to ask about the case, Mr Justice Jackson said. She phoned police and he was held overnight and taken to court. With no lawyer, he pleaded guilty to breaking the order, and was sentenced to a day in prison. ‘He was a man of good character who now has a criminal record,’ Mr Justice Jackson said. ‘And … the effect of the original order was to deprive him of contact with his children for fully five months. All in all, Mr R could be forgiven for feeling like the hapless protagonist in Kafka’s The Trial.’ The novel tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote authority, which never specifies the crime he is supposed to have committed. The man was handed the order after his wife went to London's High Court (pictured). Mr Justice Peter Jackson said Mr R could be forgiven for feeling like Josef K - in Franz Kafka's 1925 novel The Trial . The Trial is the terrifying novel about Josef K, a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested. The book, which was written in 1914 but not published until 1925 - a year after author Franz Kafka’s death - follows Josef K's need to defend himself against the charge about which he can get no information. It details his struggles and encounters with the law and the courts following his arrest, which came on his 30th birthday despite the fact he had committed no wrong-doing. Mr Justice Jackson said that following marriage problems, Mrs R had contacted solicitors in May, hoping to persuade Mr R to leave. The lawyers applied for a court order, saying the wife was at risk of harm. They claimed Mr R had shoved her, thrown objects, and had pushed her to the floor 17 years ago. The application added that the wife had previously been expected to ‘engage in distasteful sexual practices’ and that her husband had controlled the finances. But Mr Justice Jackson said the only recent incident listed was a row over a credit card bill and that the order was ‘entirely unrealistic’. It was five months before an appeal reached the High Court, which ruled the order should never have been made. It found 11 injustices by the courts that granted and maintained the order. The father, who can now see his children, told the court in a letter he was ‘disillusioned with the justice system … which removes me from my home and family with a completely fabricated statement’. A police report said Mrs R begged officers not to arrest Mr R over his phone call and that her solicitor had told her to contact them. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Father banned from seeing his children and entering home for ten years .
Order issued after wife complained she was a victim of domestic assault .
Man, named only as Mr R, had no prior notice of the non-molestation order .
Slapped with order arriving home from work after wife requested it secretly .
Judge said Mr R, who cannot be identified, could have been forgiven for feeling like Josef K - the protagonist in Franz Kafka's 1925 novel The Trial . |
64,620 | b7867b291cf62840eb0956d3db2fdf4aaf725f5d | Eat well: Researchers reviewed 16 studies involving more than 830,000 people and confirmed that five portions appeared best . Eating more than five portions of fruit and vegetables a day won’t help you live any longer, claim researchers. A major study shows that five a day is the optimum for reducing the chances of dying at any age – especially from heart problems – but that eating additional fruit and veg is unlikely to make a difference. It comes after a call by some experts in March for the five-a-day message to be revised upwards to seven-a-day because of British research by University College London suggesting that it led to the lowest risk of premature death. In the latest study, researchers from China and Harvard School of Public Health in the US reviewed 16 studies involving more than 830,000 people and confirmed that five portions appeared best. The review, published on thebmj.com, found that higher consumption of fruit and vegetables was significantly associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, particularly cardiovascular problems. The average risk of death from all causes was reduced by about five per cent for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables compared with eating none. But once a person had consumed five portions, eating more did not enhance survival chances. The maximum achievable cut in premature death risk was around 25 per cent. The standard portion was defined as 77g for vegetables and 80g for fruit. Just one in four Britons manages to eat five portions a day, with the proportion plummeting to one in ten among teenagers. The review says: ‘This analysis provides further evidence that a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, particularly cardiovascular mortality. ‘There was a threshold around five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, after which the risk of all cause mortality did not reduce further.’ The researchers speculate that eating more does not produce greater benefits because the body cannot absorb any more nutrients, and there’s a limit on the digestibility of fruit and vegetables. Professor Tom Sanders, of the School of Medicine, Kings College London, said the finding should not put people off eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. The researchers speculate that eating more does not produce greater benefits because the body cannot absorb any more nutrients, and there’s a limit on the digestibility of fruit and vegetables . ■ Women who eat healthily and exercise while going through a divorce or other stressful periods, are more likely to avoid premature ageing, says a study. The key, say scientists, lies in our telomeres – biological caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect the DNA in them from damage. As we get older, our telomeres get shorter. US scientists took blood samples from 250 women aged 50 to 65 to measure their telomeres and investigated their lifestyles. ‘Those who exercised, slept well and ate well had less telomere shortening than the ones who didn’t maintain healthy lifestyles, even when they had similar levels of stress,’ researcher Eli Puterman, of the University of California, told the journal Molecular Psychiatry. | In March experts asked for guidelines to be revised upwards to seven-a-day .
But researchers from the university and China say five is still fine . |
172,952 | 6bd3de1ea63ccaa1e07f229d4d7e5857b76aaeac | By . Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor . PUBLISHED: . 13:06 EST, 15 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:41 EST, 16 May 2013 . Hi-tech: The £199.99 Tea Maker from Heston Blumenthal claims to create the perfect brew . For most of us it is a relatively simple process: boil the kettle, put a teabag in a mug, pour on the water, add milk and sugar to taste. But that straightforward approach to making a cuppa is not good enough for chef Heston Blumenthal, famed for his risk-taking gastronomy. He has developed a tea maker that brings his hi-tech culinary approach into the home, casting aside the teapot and teabag. His £199.99 stainless steel Sage Tea Maker claims to deliver the perfect brew from what is effectively a combined kettle and teapot. It can even be used instead of a teasmade as it has a delay setting, allowing users to wake up to a perfect cup of tea. The device, one of a range of appliances he has created, has five temperature and time settings based on whether you are using normal black tea leaves or green, white, herbal or oolong varieties. ‘The right time and temperature are critical for a great cuppa,’ said Blumenthal. ‘Different teas need to be brewed at different temperatures, and we all have a favourite strength. ‘You fill the stainless steel basket with leaves, tell it the type of tea, select the strength and it will heat the water, slowly lower the basket, then raise the basket from the water when it’s done.’ The Tea Maker keeps the beverage warm for up to 60 minutes and can also be used as a conventional kettle or to brew coffee. It is part of the new Sage by Heston Blumenthal range that includes an ice cream maker and a juicer. Most expensive in the range is a £549.99 Barista Express coffee machine to make espressos and cappuccinos. A four-slice motorised toaster, costing £169.99, toasts bread depending on its ingredients and thickness. It has defrost and crumpet settings. Luxury: The new Heston Blumenthal range also includes a precision toaster for £169.99 . The . Heston toaster includes a quick look button which triggers the machine . to lift the bread out to show whether it is done or not. If it not quite golden, pressing the ‘A Bit More’ button lowers it back in for another 30 seconds. There . are independent controls to allow two different toasting settings, a . one-touch automatic lowering system, an LED light progress display, a . toast ready sound alert, together with defrost and crumpet settings. Convention: The Heston Blumenthal £99.99 kettle has five different settings for different types of tea . Each of the innovative machines come with recipes, hints and tips drawn up by the award-winning chef and TV food guru. Most expensive of the appliances in the range is a £549.99 Barista coffee machine – the sort of thing found in an independent coffee shop. It contains a 250g bean hopper, which is enough for 25 shots of espresso. It then grinds the beans and dispenses the doses of fresh coffee into the cups on a six place warming tray. For cappuccino lovers there is a high powered milk frothing arm and stainless steel frothing jug. The Sage range is a brand of the Australian Breville group, while they will be sold in the UK through the likes of Lakeland, John Lewis, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Debenhams and Harrods. The manufacturer’s general manager for marketing, Scott Brady, said the chef had been involved in presenting the products to UK retailers. ‘As an intrinsic brand partner, Heston has helped to explain the benefits of our flagship products…to a highly receptive audience,’ he said. A spokesman added: ‘Heston Blumenthal, the ultimate food thinker and experimental chef, was involved in testing and production. ‘These powerful, heavy-duty machines have an array of automatic, pre-set programmes that replicate commercial appliances and do all the thinking for you. ‘Thanks to Heston and Sage, prepping, boiling, whisking, whipping, cooking and baking has never been so easy.’ | Chef has created new Tea Maker which claims to deliver perfect brew .
Effectively combines kettle and a tea pot in one machine .
Has five time and temperature settings for different types of tea .
Even includes auto-start timer so you can wake up to a ready-made cup . |
78,171 | dd9abce57f4ddf839ea5b7932ea41929a19244af | Cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni says: ‘Wearing a bra in bed does not help protect against drooping’ (stock picture) You’ve brushed your teeth, slathered on moisturiser and taken off your slippers. Now for the nightly decision that has divided women for generations — should you remove your bra before bed or sleep in it? Everyone seems to have a different opinion and the internet is full of conflicting information. Some claim wearing a bra to bed prevents a sagging cleavage, others that it blocks vital lymph glands — and can even cause breast cancer. Many say it makes breasts perkier, and there are those who say it irritates skin. Screen legend Marilyn Monroe wore one every night and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup has sworn by doing so since Paula Yates told her not to bother with a boob job and ‘just wear a bra in bed’. But is it the mother of all old wives’ tales or can wearing a bra all night really reverse the effects of gravity? THE DROOP TEST . Whether night-time bra-wearing can stop sagging is the million-dollar question. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence to firmly support the theory. Cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni says: ‘Wearing a bra in bed can offer comfort while sleeping but does not help protect against drooping.’ She says breast ptosis, where skin becomes saggy, can set in due to shrinkage after pregnancy, sudden weight-loss or lack of collagen caused by ageing. ‘None of these are relevant when lying down,’ she adds. ‘Wearing a bra while standing and moving can battle ptosis but the processes that cause drooping aren’t in play while supine.’ Equally, a bra is not a time machine and can’t reverse drooping. But a lack of scientific proof can’t silence the anecdotal evidence that bras do help. Natasha Harding, a fitting specialist at lingerie specialists Rigby & Peller, sees many women who are adamant wearing a bra to bed has improved their shape. ‘My personal experience is that women tend to maintain perkier breasts if they sleep in a bra,’ she says. STAYING SMOOTH . Cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni says nightly bra-wearing does not stop drooping . According to cosmetic surgeon Douglas McGeorge, nightly bra-wearing may help with stretch marks. ‘Bigger breasts can drag and want to go sideways when you are lying down. This can pull the skin and contribute to stretch marks,’ he says. ‘Wearing a bra to sleep in may slow the ageing process down very slightly in this instance.’ Equally, while bras can’t help stop a wrinkly décolletage while you sleep there are specialist products that can. The Kush sleep support (£29.99, thekushcompany.com) sits between the breasts while you rest on your side, supporting their weight and reducing creases. COMFORT FACTOR . Professor Kefah Mokbel, lead breast surgeon at the London Breast Inst-itute, says: ‘I advise patients suffering from breast discomfort that wearing a bra at night can provide support and stop discomfort.’ Experts agree wearing a bra in bed, as long as it is well-fitting, may give a more comfortable night’s sleep. Those with larger breasts — size 34D and above — often find this and so do pregnant women as their breasts can increase by two sizes or more and get far heavier. It’s about feeling secure and helping you sleep. Professor Kefah Mokbel, lead breast surgeon at the London Breast Inst-itute, says: ‘I advise patients suffering from breast discomfort — usually because they have large breasts or have just had breast surgery, such as implants or a reduction — that wearing a bra at night can provide support and stop discomfort.’ Some women find camisole tops with built-in support more comfortable, avoiding the restrictive feeling of a conventional bra. There is also a range of ‘night bras’ on the market. TIGHT SPOT . Choosing a bra that’s too tight can lead to problems. ‘Wearing a constrictive bra to sleep affects the physiology of the breast. It can impair the blood flow and lymphatic drainage, which, at worst, can lead to chronic inflammation, oedema (fluid retention) and discomfort,’ warns Professor Mokbel. Lymph glands are like exit doors for waste products from the breasts, draining by-products such as oestrogen and sending them to the liver or kidneys to be broken down. If a bra strap or side panel digs in while you are asleep, you may get an unhealthy build up of fluid which can trigger swelling and painful sensitivity. KEEP COOL . Bras, especially synthetic polyester styles, can raise your temperature while you are asleep. Breasts are external organs designed to work best at a lower temperature (36 degrees celsius) than the rest of your body, which prefers to be a steady 37C. Bras, especially synthetic polyester styles, can raise your temperature while you are asleep. ‘Sleeping in your bra can raise the temperature of your breast tissue to 37 degrees or slightly more and a restrictive bra can heighten this rise even more,’ warns Professor Mokbel. ‘Though very little research has been done, there are some theories that a change in heat like this — called “chaotic cooling or warming” — may cause conditions which lead to breast cancer. This is in the same way testicular cancer has been linked to cyclists who wear restrictive clothing, such as lycra shorts, for long periods.’ To prevent any risk to yourself, pick out a correct-fitting bra that is made in soft, breathable cotton. THE RIGHT FIT . If you are going to take the plunge and buy a sleep-in bra, there are a few things to remember. The first, according to Rigby & Peller’s Natasha Harding, is to avoid the rigid underwired models. ‘Underwire can push into the chest when you lie down and cause cysts over time with rubbing. ‘Choose something soft — almost like a sports bra — but nothing overly loose or stretchy. It should give you some support.’ A third of us wear the wrong-sized bra every day, so get a professional fitting to find out your correct measurements and prevent irritation. Retailers such as Rigby & Peller and Marks & Spencer will do this for you for free through a personal consultation without any obligation to buy. Expert Natasha says women with bigger busts should pick out bras with more structure, thicker side panels and wider straps for maximum support without pinching the skin. ‘Look for at least 80 per cent cotton on the label, too, so it’s breathable and you won’t overheat,’ she says. | Marilyn Monroe wore one every night as does Mariella Frostrup .
Surgeon Douglas McGeorge says nightly bra-wearing helps stretch marks .
Cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni says it does not stop drooping .
Breast ptosis, where skin becomes saggy, sets in after pregnancy .
Natasha Harding, a fitting specialist, sees many women who say it works .
Choosing a bra that’s too tight can lead to problems .
Synthetic polyester styles can raise your temperature while you are asleep . |
28,540 | 50f57ddb1ea9c0cb68056fefd5ccf7d6116dce6f | By . Michael Zennie . PUBLISHED: . 12:49 EST, 25 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:49 EST, 25 December 2012 . The shocking daylight execution of LA . law student Brandon Woodard on the streets of New York was the result . of a huge drug deal gone wrong. Law enforcement sources in the city . have said that Woodard's killers were part of a Queens drug crew who had . paid 'a substantial amount of cash' for a shipment of West Coast . cocaine they had never received. They claim that the gang became . impatient for their money or merchandise and lured Woodard to his death . on West 58th Street near to Seventh Avenue where he was shot in the back . of the head in broad daylight. Scroll down for video . Victim: Brandon Woodard was said to have been . trying to turn around a life of crime after being arrested on a number . of charges and was studying law . Moment of attack: Brandon Woodard is seen texting on his phone moments before his killer, on the left, pulls a gun from his pocket and shoots him in the head in broad daylight . 'It is really not a homicide . investigation,' one source said. 'It has become a major narcotics case . involving a big operation and substantial money, perhaps millions of . dollars,' said an unidentified member of the authorities to DNAinfo.com. Talking to the publication, sources . said that the DDrug Enforcement Administration had also joined the probe . and that they were investigating a possible link to Jamica. They also claimed that the NYPD is . edging closer to identifying the shooter who fired a bullet from a .9mm . handgun into the back of the students head as he walked along the street . last week. Authorities suspect the killer and . the getaway driver to be low-level Queens thugs who have arrest records . for drugs, but are part of a larger and powerful gang that police are . attempting to identify. It is believed that Woodard was acting as the middleman in the drug deal that went wrong. 'The Los Angeles guys thought they were tough, and could f--- with the boys from New York,' one source told DNAinfo.com. 'They screwed with the wrong people,' the source said. 'These guys move a lot of money and a lot of product,' another source said. The murder of Woodward has been linked to several other deaths and shooting across New York City. One of the three cellphones found on . Woodard was tied to a Brooklyn club promoter, who was a friend of three . men shot dead in a hail of AK-47 automatic gunfire as they sat in a jeep . in a Queens schoolyard. Investigators believe that those killings had direct ties to marijuana and cocaine trafficking from Jamaica. The law student assassinated on a . busy New York City street worked as a drug courier and was assassinated . after a large sum of money he was carrying was confiscated by police in . California, it was claimed on Thursday. Grief: Brandon Woodard's mother Sandra Wellington sobs outside her Los Angeles home as she learns that police have made a break her son's murder investigation . Brandon Woodard, 31, reportedly flew . to New York from his home in Los Angeles to try to smooth things over . with his angry bosses. Instead, he was coldly executed in Midtown . Manhattan in broad daylight on Monday. New . York police say they are closing in on the men responsible for . Woodard's death. They have identified the getaway driver and detectives . currently searching for him. The New York Daily News . reports that Woodard had been carrying tens of thousands of dollars . that was meant for drug dealers New York. Somehow, the cash was . confiscated by police in California and the dealers still wanted their . money. Police sources told the newspaper . that Woodard may have sent a package from California to his associates . in Queens, New York. It's unknown whether the package contained cash, . but if it did, it evidently was not enough to satisfy his angry bosses. Woodard, 31, was the son of wealthy businesswoman and traveled in elite circles in his native Los Angeles. He attended top private schools, . drove a Land Rover and partied with professional athletes and movie . stars - reportedly getting into a scuffle with Usher's bodyguards once. Despite . his pedigree, Woodard also had a dark side. He has been arrested 20 . times - including for robbery and cocaine possession - and friends . called him 'Batman' because they were never sure what was really going . on in his life. Detectives have identified drugs as a possible motive in the killing. Woodard's murder shocked the city for . its cold, calculated efficiency. Surveillance footage released by the . NYPD shows the gunman walking up behind Woodard and shooting him once . him the back of the head. Connected: Sandra Wellington, Woodard's mother, is a successful Los Angeles businesswoman . A source told the Post that Woodard could have been lured to the spot by a text message or a phone call. He is believed to have walked past . the getaway car on West 58th Street and the driver pointed him out to . the gunman, the source said. The victim then reversed direction and walked . back towards his assailant after receiving a text message or . call, and the shooter then crept behind him, the source . said. The shooter didn't pause or panic as . he turned and left Woodward to die in a pool of his own blood - he . simply got into a waiting Lincoln MKX getaway car and fled the scene. Police found the car, which was a rental, in Queens on Wednesday and talked to the couple who had rented it. The . Post reports that detectives don't believe the two were in the vehicle . at the time of the shooting, but may have loaned it to the assassins. Woodard . grew up in privilege in Los Angeles. His mother, Sandra Wellington owns . the once-successful United International Mortgage. Other family members . are well-connected lawyers and entrepreneurs, the New York Times reports. Mrs . Wellington is married to the ex-boyfriend of former soap star Tonya . Pinkins, who claims the family is involved in criminal business . dealings. Ms Pinkins, who starred in 'All My . Child' and won a Tony award for 'Jelly's Last Jam,' says the murder could be connected to Mrs Wellington, according to Showbiz 411. Star power: Woodard once claimed he was involved . in a scuffle with Usher's bodyguards. His mother, Sandra Wellington has . been in a long-running dispute with Tonya Pinkins (right), who starred . in 'All My Children' 'We’ve been waiting for something like this,' she told the gossip site. Pinkins has been involved in a long-running dispute with Mrs Wellington and her husband Rod, the father of Ms Pinkins' daughter. Police on Tuesday refused to comment on . whether they are investigating Woodard's mother's business in connection . with the shooting. Ms Wellington could not be reached for comment on the allegations Wednesday night. Woodard attended the private Campbell Hall high school, where he was a star basketball player. He was a member of the exclusive invitation-only Jack and Jill of America society, which caters to upper-class black families. Family: Woodard, seen here with his five-year-old daughter, came from a wealthy family - but continued his hard-partying lifestyle until his death . For college, he went to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, a $55,000-per-year private school. Family members say he was a second-year law student at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, another private school. In college, he drove a Range Rover, friends told the Times. More recently, he had his eye on buying a Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG, a luxury car with a base price of $153,000. Friends say he worked as a party and nightclub promoter. At clubs he threw around large chunks of money on expensive booze and private tables - partying with actors and athletes. He once bragged about getting beaten up by the bodyguards for the R&B prince Usher, the Post reports. Sadet Kolo, 36, who was skateboarding near the victim told the New York Daily News: 'It came out of nowhere. I turned around and saw a man next to me, on the ground. I called 911 and told him "Hang on. Help is on the way" Intent: The gunman is seen in khaki pants and a dark top loitering next to the grey car as he waits for his victim to come walking down the street . Woodards neighbors often complained about the noise from his raucous parties. However, . beneath the seemingly charmed life, friends say, Woodard has a darker . side. He continued to party hard into his 30s, even as his friends began . to settle down. Woodard also has a five-year-old daughter. Woodard also had a lengthy criminal record - at least 20 arrests. He . was busted several times for stealing from upscale grocery stores - . including in 2009 when he was arrested for robbery after struggling with . a guard. He also had cocaine arrests. In . the summer, Mrs Wellington's company, United International Mortgage, . had its lending power revoked by California regulators. The company is . also the target of numerous lawsuits alleging fraud and breach of . contract. Friends say Woodard had a girlfriend in New York, but no one knows why he was visiting the city. One friend told the Times, 'He lived a little Batman-ish - a little secretive.' VIDEO: Suspect at the scene minutes before Brandon Woodward was shot. | Brandon Woodard, 31, came from a wealthy, well-connected Los Angeles family and attended exclusive private schools .
As .
a party and nightclub promoter, he became a fixture of the LA nightlife .
and socialized with professional athletes and movie stars .
Law enforcement sources in the city .
have said that Woodard's killers were part of a Queens drug crew who had .
paid 'a substantial amount of cash' for a shipment of West Coast .
cocaine they had never received . |
251,970 | d21e19941303fd09750c579234f5fcbc34f8a3e3 | From Arizona to New York, alleged thieves are turning those tiny iconic plastic interlocking bricks you grew up with into cold, hard cash. On New York's Long Island on Friday, a 53-year-old woman was arraigned on grand larceny charges for allegedly stealing about $60,000 worth of Lego sets and trying to sell them on eBay, the Nassau County Police Department said in a statement. Gloria Haas was arrested Thursday after allegedly stealing 800 sets of the 80-year-old toys from a Long Island storage facility and moving them to a facility in another town, police said. She had intended to sell the toys on eBay, officials said. It was not known whether Haas has an attorney and she was not immediately available for comment Saturday. Authorities are not saying, but alleged thieves could be capitalizing on the enduring popularity of the simple little bricks which generated $1.1 billion in profits last year for the Danish toymaker. "The Lego Movie," which was released in February, made $69 million in its opening weekend and has grossed more than $250 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo. In Phoenix, police arrested four people allegedly involved in an elaborate Lego theft scheme, according to CNN affiliate KPHO. After the arrests, police spent 10 hours Friday loading onto trucks more than $250,000 worth of Lego sets stored in a garage, KPHO reported. At least $40,000 worth of the Legos are believed to have been stolen, CNN Phoenix affiliate KNXV reported. "It's hard to believe that two or three people could be taking that much product out of the store, and yet they were," officer James Holmes told KNXV. A real estate professional, another man and two women were arrested in connection with the scheme, according to KHPO. It was not clear Saturday whether they had attorneys. Police said one man bought expensive Lego sets at a discount from shoplifters and resold them online. Each of the play sets taken were valued at $100 or more, police said. The suspect allegedly recruited accomplices to go to Toys R Us stores to steal Lego sets, KPHO reported. The boxes in which the toys came would be damaged and turned over to the online seller, who would return to the store and buy a new set, the station reported. The online seller later allegedly used the real receipt for the purchase to return the damaged box set. He pocketed the money and sold the stolen Lego sets online to collectors, KPHO reported. The suspects were arrested on charges that include organized retail theft, trafficking in stolen property, fraudulent schemes and illegal control of an enterprise, police said. CNN left a message Saturday for officer Holmes. | Gloria Haas, 53, is charged in theft of about $60,000 worth of Lego sets, police say .
In Phoenix, police arrest 4 people allegedly involved in elaborate Lego theft scheme .
Alleged thieves capitalize on popularity of little bricks which generated $1.1 billion in profits . |
36,945 | 68bc6c575eca6d5e8ed69bfa72c817ea62272e21 | By . Richard Hartley-parkinson . Last updated at 11:34 AM on 9th January 2012 . Carnaby Street in Central London was crowded, but heavy discounts failed to bring an expected boost in spending . Spending on the High Street fell over Christmas despite heavy discounts designed to entice us into parting with our cash. Many sales started before Christmas, but the amount we spent both in shops and online tumbled on a monthly and yearly basis. Even the amount spent over the festive season on food, alcohol and tobacco fell by 5.3 per cent while spending on transport and communication also saw an annual decrease of 5.8 per cent. Overall spending fell by 1.1 per cent month-on-month in December and by 0.8 per cent when compared with the same period in 2010. Those behind the survey said the monthly drop reflected recent volatility as consumers become very cautious amid an uncertain economic backdrop. Mail and telephone order spending saw a 3 per cent year-on-year decline, while face-to-face spending decreased by 1.4 per cent and online spending saw a more modest annual decline of 0.4 per cent. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that a year-on-year decline has been recorded for all three of these methods. Consumer spending has not recovered since a peak in 2007, those behind the survey said. Visa’s UK Expenditure Index uses spending on its cards as a base, but the figures are adjusted to reflect overall consumer spending, not just that on Visa cards. Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, which compiles the report, said: 'A 1.1 per cent drop in consumer spending in December caused expenditure to fall 0.9 per cent over the fourth quarter as a whole. 'With the consumer accounting for approximately two thirds of all expenditure in the economy, the downturn clearly adds to worries that the UK may be sliding back into recession. 'The data also highlights the plight that retailers have suffered over the key Christmas trading period, with even online sellers not immune to households’ increasing reluctance to spend.' Heavy discounts caused a rush at shops like this Selfridges on Oxford Street, London. but consumers are becoming more savvy and cautious about spending . Despite several sectors seeing a decline over the year, hotels and restaurants saw the biggest boost, with 12 per cent growth in spending, while the clothing and footwear sector recorded a 6.7 per cent rise. Dr Steve Perry, commercial director at Visa Europe, said: 'Against a backdrop of challenging economic circumstances, consumers’ uncertainty translated into subdued Christmas spending, despite heavy discounting both on the high street and online. 'It is clear that consumers have become increasingly savvy and cautious about where they choose to spend.' Share prices in Tesco and Sainsbury's fell this morning amid further evidence of subdued retail demand. Tesco slipped 1.9p to 389p while . Sainsbury's shed 0.3p to 298.5p. They will report figures later this . week with Tesco expected to post one of its weakest Christmas trading . periods in several years. Among the larger brands that reported slowdowns were Morrisons and HMV, underlining the fierce competition in both sectors. Luxury car company Rolls-Royce had a record year in 2011, it was announced today. The Sussex-based company sold 3,538 cars worldwide last year - 31 per cent more than in 2010 and more than the previous record year of 1978 when the figure was 3,347. China was the company's biggest market last year, followed by the United States and the UK, where there was 30 per cent growth. The record sales follow the announcement last September that Rolls-Royce intends to expand its manufacturing plant at Goodwood in West Sussex. Work on this will begin next month. 'We had an outstanding year in 2011 and we should take a moment to reflect on this great British success story,' said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos. 'Our business is in excellent shape. 'We are developing our dealer network, moving into new markets like South America, expanding our manufacturing operation in West Sussex to meet global demand and have plans to develop our product range. 'At the core of this extraordinary success is a dedicated, committed and, above all, passionate workforce.' JD Sports Fashion today confirmed it is close to landing 'certain assets' of the ailing retailer Blacks Leisure. The . company, whose largest shareholder Pentland owns the outdoor brands . Berghaus and Brasher, has reportedly offered £20m for most of the 300 Blacks and Millets stores. However, it is not expected to want the company’s . warehouse and head office. JD confirmed it is in advanced discussions . over an offer for certain assets and said a further announcement would . be made on conclusion of the talks. It also said it would retain many of . Blacks’ 3,500 staff. The deal is likely to be as part . of a pre-pack administration, when a company emerges under new ownership . following a pre-arranged sale. The process is viewed as controversial . because creditors do not have the opportunity to vote against the . proposed asset sale. JD is thought to have beaten Dragons’ Den star . Peter Jones, rival Sports Direct, which is owned by Newcastle United . owner Mike Ashley, and outdoor retailer Trespass to land the stores. Bury-based . JD currently has around 350 JD Sports outlets in the UK. The . supermarket reported a slowdown in sales with like-for-like sales . excluding VAT and fuel increase 0.7 per cent in the seeks weeks to . January 1. That compares with 2.4 per cent in the previous quarter and is lower than the City's expected growth of one per cent. The . slowdown came despite Morrisons, the fourth biggest supermarket in the . UK, claiming a record number of customers, with an extra 800,000 per . week shopping there during the period. The battle for sales gathered pace in early October when Tesco introduced its Big Price Drop, prompting Sainsbury’s to launch a price-matching scheme and Asda to slash petrol prices. HMV, which owns 252 stores in the UK, said its plans to shift focus to technology products, by refitting stores with an extended gadget range, saw group like-for-like sales fall 8.1 per cent in the five weeks to December 31. But in the 144 stores refitted with an increased range of portable digital products, like-for-like technology sales were up 51 per cent. Morrisons reported a slow-down in pre-Christmas sales showing the fierce competition in the supermarket sector . HMV has increased its range of portable digital products to mitigate for falls in music sales . HMV, which recently sold bookseller . Waterstone’s and announced plans to sell its live music division, . repeated its warning that there were 'material uncertainties' which may . cast doubt on the group’s ability to continue. Freddie George, a retail analyst at Seymour Pierce stockbrokers, said the update was marginally better than expected. An Arabian retail group is poised to buy part of high street lingerie chain La Senza, its owner said today. Alshaya, which owns stakes in a number of British retailers including Next, Debenhams and Mothercare, is in advanced talks to buy part of the business - understood to be 60 stores - as part of a pre-pack administration deal. Around 80 shops remain under threat of closure after La Senza, which is owned by private equity firm Lion Capital, announced its intention before Christmas to appoint an administrator, which is now expected to be KPMG. As well as tough trading conditions, the chain has been weighed down by leases agreed by sister lingerie chain Contessa with which it merged in 2007. A spokeswoman for Lion Capital said: 'We can confirm that Alshaya, a leading international retail franchise operator, is in advanced discussions with La Senza regarding a potential acquisition of part of the UK La Senza business.' Theo Paphitis, Dragons' Den star and former owner of La Senza, disclosed the pending deal on his Twitter feed over the weekend. He said: 'Good news and bad news re @LaSenzaUK heard that Lion has done a deal to sell the business with about 60 shops to Alshaya group.' He added: 'The bad news re @lasenza is that the other 80 shops will be closed down or put in the hands of Admin KPMG with resulting job losses.Sad!' But chief executive Simon Fox added: . 'Undoubtedly trading conditions and the consumer environment remain . challenging, but we remain confident in HMV’s future prospects.' He added: 'It is encouraging that the HMV Retail business has seen an improvement in trading although the like-for-like sales were still negative. 'We remain concerned, however, that net debt levels are high at £160 million following the disposal of Waterstone’s and HMV Canada.' Elsewhere, HMV reported a 9.7 per cent decline in group like-for-like sales in the nine weeks to December 31. The group said its previously announced strategic review of HMV Live, which runs 13 venues and a number of festivals including Lovebox in London and Global Gathering near Stratford-upon-Avon, was making good progress. The chain has felt the pressure of the consumer spending squeeze as cash-strapped customers turn to cheaper deals on the internet for music and film. HMV disclosed a bottom-line pre-tax loss of £45.7 million in the 26 weeks to October 29, compared with £27.4 million the previous year, while like-for-like retail sales fell 13.2 per cent in the seven weeks to December 17. The group previously announced the closure of up to 40 stores in a bid to make millions of pounds of cost savings, with 15 shut in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, the sale of Waterstone’s and HMV Canada raised the group £55 million and ensured a £220 million refinancing deal with its lending banks. HMV was the first of many retailers to report this week on their performance over the Christmas break with Marks & Spencer, Argos owner Home Retail Group, chocolatier Thorntons and supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury all publishing updates. | Mail and telephone order also fell 3% year-on-year .
Consumer spending hasn't recovered since 2007 .
Shares in Tesco and Sainsbury's fall on opening of stock market .
Rolls-Royce bucks the trend thanks to sales in China .
HMV like-for-like sales falls but technology purchases rises by 51 per cent . |
143,125 | 4512cf8c5d97d8af282c5e6b63983c8d09d414a8 | By . Mia De Graaf . and Larisa Brown . When two prisoners decided to stage a rooftop protest on a hot day, it was only a matter of time before health and safety became an issue. Sure enough, staff at Dartmoor prison in Devon soon became concerned about the men’s welfare... and offered them suncream. The Ministry of Justice said the offer was part of its duty of care, but Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright condemned it as ‘promoting foolishness’, and John Hancock, of the Prison Officers’ Association, said it was ‘absolutely ludicrous’. Outrage: Staff at HMP Dartmoor in Devon have been blasted for offering prisoners sun cream after they climbed on to a roof during last week's heatwave. The Ministry of Justice defended the move as 'a duty of care' The incident was eventually resolved by negotiation between the convicts and the wardens at the prison which as built to hold French and American prisoners of war in 1809. It now houses 659 inmates . Mr Hancock said: ‘They shouldn’t have been up there in the first place. 'In . next two or three weeks, when we hit the hotter part of the summer, it . is only going to encourage other inmates to get up there on the roofs . and expect suncream and sun block – and possibly cold drinks and ice . creams. ‘It is absolutely ludicrous that inmates are being molly-coddled. I have been in the service 28 years and in my day we would have gone on the roof and used hose pipes to squirt the prisoners with water. ‘It is absolute madness. They would have soon come down when the sun went in and it started getting cold.’ The pair sneaked up to the sun spot at . HMP Dartmoor in Devon for eight hours during last week's heatwave when . temperatures topped 24C in some places. The two men declined the suncream. Peter McParlin, the National Chairman . of the Prison Officers' Association said: 'I imagine the officers gave . the sun cream on instruction from managers.' He added: 'There's been a spike in incidents at height - part of that is the reduction in staff. 'The supervision isn't there to the extent it has in the past.' Safety first: The Ministry of Justice has now launched a review into the suncream incident on June 19 . Defending the situation, the Ministry . of Justice (MoJ) said the offer of sun lotion was a means of negotiation . to get the prisoners to come down from what appeared to be a protest. An inquiry has now been launched into the incident. It is not clear how the inmates managed to get on to the roof or which building on the site in Princetown was involved - but sources described it as an incident 'at height'. Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright said: 'This should not have happened. 'There should be no policies in place . which promote this kind of foolishness and I have ordered an immediate . review of this incident to ensure that it does not happen again.' The incident was mocked on social media. Commenting on Facebook Stephanie Harrison said: 'Sheer stupidity. 'They decided to get up there so they must face the consequences...and if it means sun burn then so be it! Why pander to them as next they will be wanting iced drinks and a sun shade!!' Ashley Holman said: 'Not sure if Dartmoor prison offer deck chairs to their residents. Next they will be offering hats shorts and sandals.' Dartmoor prison, which is currently . able to hold 659 inmates, was originally built to hold French and . American prisoners of war in 1809. Owned . by the Duchy of Cornwall, it is a Category C prison - for convicts who . are not trusted in open spaces but are deemed unlikely to escape. Notable . former convicts include the 'acid bath murderer' John Haigh and Frank . Mitchell, the 'Mad Axeman' employed by the Kray twins. An MoJ spokeswoman said: 'On Thursday 19 June, there was an incident at height at HMP Dartmoor involving two prisoners. 'The incident was successfully resolved by negotiation at 4.28pm. No staff or prisoners were injured.' | Pair climbed out during heatwave in HMP Dartmoor, Devon, on June 19 .
Officers spotted them but offered them sun cream as 'duty of care'
Ministry of Justice now launched inquiry, said convicts were 'protesting'
Prison Officers' Association blasted incident as 'absolutely ludicrous'
Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright orders a review into the 'foolishness' |
19,250 | 3682d1d1913e7c79b8b7023a0b889ce51f3c0cb5 | By . Freya Noble . Alfred Lalara speared his brother through the nose after a card game got out of hand . A family dispute took a nasty turn when a Northern Territory man launched a spear at his brother, which became lodged in his nose. Alfred Lalara and his partner had been playing cards with his brother and his wife, along with a group of their friends on a remote island off the mainland. A Darwin court heart that the game turned sour for the 50-year-old when his brother's wife won the $1000 jackpot, and Lalara stormed off, according to NT News. He then ripped his cards up, tossed a stone at a house nearby and left the game. The group were at Angurugu, a small area on Groote Eylandt. Later that evening after another round the artist is said to have called his sibling and threatened to place a curse on his house. The next day, the fight escalated to a physical level when the artist confronted his brother with two spears. He launched two shovel-nose spears at the other man, the first of which missed. His sibling was holding a fishing spear gun but did not shoot it. The second spear connected with his brother's face and went through his nose. On Thursday, Lalara faced a Darwin court and admitted to aggravated assault and to going armed in public. Lalara was on the small island of Groote Eylandt when he also threatened to curse his brother's house . He was sentenced to six months behind bars, which will be counted from July 17 when he was remanded. Lalara is the director of the Anindilyakwa Arts & Cultural Centre, Groote Eylandt in the Arnhem Land Region. He has been nominated for many art awards and in 2009 was a finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres . Strait Islander Art Awards in Darwin. The 50-year-old paints in traditional Groote Eylandt style, using ochres and acrylic paint. The artist was sentenced to six months in jail for aggravated assault and being armed in public . | Alfred Lalara speared his brother's nose after a game of cards went wrong .
The artist also said he was going to curse his house .
Lalara got upset after his brother's wife won the $1000 jackpot .
He was sentenced to six months behind bars . |
173,001 | 6be41afb43ebd136ea0f4e0894936c150ea8d204 | By . Steve Doughty . Families will be given a say over the treatment of patients who are thought to be near death, ministers promised yesterday (stock picture) Families will be given a say over the treatment of patients who are thought to be near death, ministers promised yesterday. They said loved ones must be ‘involved in decisions’ in NHS hospitals to ensure the ‘horrific’ abuses and ‘tick-box’ culture created by the discredited Liverpool Care Pathway never happen again. And hospital managers or doctors who try to cover up the circumstances of a patient’s death will be subject to criminal prosecutions and heavy fines in court. The radical rights for families are part of a new protection package for the dying that ministers say will mean an end to the ‘protocols and processes’ that led to the Liverpool Care Pathway scandal. They acted after the Daily Mail told how families were kept in the dark about the fact that their loved ones had been put on the Pathway and revealed that hospitals had been paid millions to reach targets for numbers of patients dying on it. The LCP, originally designed to ensure dignified and pain-free dying, was scrapped last year after a scathing independent inquiry found that it had meant ‘uncaring, rushed and ignorant’ treatment of the most vulnerable hospital patients. In some cases, patients were denied water as they died. Under the Pathway, doctors and nurses decided when a patient was about to die. Commonly, a syringe driver would pump them with sedatives, while tubes giving food and water were detached. Death would follow, typically within 36 hours. The inquiry was called after leading medical figures condemned the system as a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’, and thousands of families of patients who had died complained. New rules for the care of patients thought to be near the end of their lives will forbid hospitals from deciding that someone is dying and then speeding their end by drugging them and removing tubes giving them food and water. The . radical rights for families are part of a new protection package for . the dying that ministers say will mean an end to the ‘protocols and . processes’ that led to the Liverpool Care Pathway scandal (stock picture) Instead, there must be regular reviews of treatment in all cases, dying patients and their families must be kept informed and involved in decisions, and treatment will be ‘tailored to the individual’. Hospitals will be told to appoint independent assessors to decide on complaints in ‘serious or untoward incidents’. Under new laws now coming into operation managers or doctors who try to prevent investigations or organise cover-ups of deaths or serious cases of error or malpractice can be brought to court by the hospital regulator, the Care Quality Commission. Courts will be able to levy fines on a scale yet to be decided. The new rules on care for the dying, labelled Priorities for Care, were announced yesterday by Care Minister Norman Lamb. ‘The Liverpool Care Pathway became a tick-box process and we lost sight of the crucial importance of compassionate care,’ he said. ‘In future, there will be an absolute focus on the individual and the family. There will be no process or protocol. Under the Pathway, doctors and nurses decided when a patient was about to die. Commonly, a syringe driver would pump them with sedatives, while tubes giving food and water were detached. Death would follow, typically within 36 hours (stock picture) 'There will be no assumption of an inevitable path towards death, which became so horrific in many places.’ He added: ‘The new priorities will mean that care is focused on dying people’s wishes. This will make sure their voices, and those of their families, are heard at all times.’ Baroness Neuberger, who headed the inquiry into the Pathway last year, will continue to monitor the way dying patients are treated until next summer. She warned yesterday that public worries will not ease until everyone knows the firm details of how the families of the dying will have a say. Professor Patrick Pullicino, the first senior medical figure to criticise the Pathway, welcomed the decision to put patients and their families ‘at the centre of decisions about treatment’. But he warned: ‘The central flaw of the LCP and what made it dangerous was the inability to diagnose, with any accuracy, that someone is going to die within days or hours. ‘This remains a central problem with Priorities for Care. Calling someone a dying person, as this new approach does, means that anyone so labelled will be at risk of dying inappropriately, as occurred with the LCP.’ | LCP, designed for dignified and pain-free dying, was scrapped last year .
Under Pathway, doctors decided when a patient was about to die .
In some cases, patients were denied water by medics as they died .
No new laws will end the 'tick box process' which led to the scandal . |
224,608 | aece71fc5cb9c7f13dd5602a807c7c2282b24228 | By . Luke Salkeld . UPDATED: . 03:41 EST, 3 November 2011 . It's not every woman approaching her century who can claim to have two big sisters to look up to. Yet that is the proud boast of 97-year-old Mary Hunt. She, Hilda Greening, 107, and Jean Underwood, 104, have an astonishing combined age of 308. Each has outlived her husband and between them they have 12 children, 17 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren. Close: Hilda Greening (right) celebrates her 107th birthday last month with her sister Mary Hunt, 97, in The Grange Nursing Home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Third sister Jean Underwood, 104, was unable to attend . Back then: Eldest: Hilda, 107, left, has had eight royal messages. Mary, pictured right when she was a teenager, is now 97 . Hilda Greening was born in 1904 while Edward VII was on the throne. Together with her sisters Jean Underwood, 104, and Mary Hunt, 97, she has witnessed a century of incredible social and technological change. The siblings have lived through two world wars and the reigns of five monarchs, and seen off 19 prime ministers. Universal suffrage was not granted until 1928, 51 years before Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female PM. They have experienced the spread of electric lights and gas cookers into the average home, and seen the arrival of television, home computers and the Internet. Many of the extended family were on . hand to help Mrs Greening celebrate her 107th birthday a fortnight ago . at a nursing home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Her daughter Elizabeth Sallis, who is . 74 and herself a great grandmother of eight, said: ‘We’re not exactly . sure how they’ve lived so well for so long – it must be in the genes. ‘They worked as housemaids for years and have all had very interesting lives. ‘Mum is in remarkably good health for . 107. She doesn’t take any medication apart from paracetamol for her . arthritis. Auntie Mary comes every Monday to see mum and that keeps her . ticking over.’ For her birthday, Mrs Greening . received a new dress from Mrs Sallis, countless bunches of flowers and a . message from the Queen – her eighth. ‘She was chuffed with her card from the Queen this year as she is wearing a different dress in the picture,’ said Mrs Sallis. The daughters of farm labourer Harry . Wasley and his wife Julia, the sisters grew up in a one- bedroom cottage . in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, and all left school in their early . teens to go into service. Smile for the camera: Hilda (left) Mary (right) and Jean (sitting) pose for a photo together in 2005 . Hilda married her childhood sweetheart Cyril Greening in 1931 and they were together for 45 years up to his death aged 84. Jean married Arthur Underwood in . 1940. The couple worked at stately homes, with Arthur as a groom and . Jean as a cleaner, and had two daughters. Jean is now in a residential home in . Charmouth, Dorset, after suffering a stroke. Mary lives in Twyning, . Gloucestershire, and had five children with husband William, a gardener. The sisters’ mother and father lived to 85 and 89 respectively. Mrs Sallis said that Hilda, Jean and Mary have always been close and have fond memories of working as housemaids. ‘Mum tells us lots of different . stories about what it was like then. She worked really, really hard. She . went to work as a housemaid after leaving school at 13 and had . chilblains from her fingers to her elbows. ‘There were three cottages in a row . and they lived in the middle one. When Auntie Jean was a child she . didn’t realise they were moving. Girl in the middle: Jean, just a teenager in the picture left, is now 104. She is seen right on her 100th birthday at her home in Bridport . Different era: Jean (left), Hilda and baby Mary circa 1914 in their home town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire . Family photo: Hilda, rear centre, and Mary, front centre, and Jean, right, with parents Harry and Julia in Winchcombe in 1920 . ‘There were no removal vans and they . just had to carry everything round, but it was fine because they had . moved into one of the cottages next door. ‘They were absolutely thrilled because it was a two-bedroom house and they had been living in a one-bedroom before.’ Mrs Greening added: ‘We had about 30 . bob (£1.50) a week to live off and although that got better as time went . on there was never anything left over. But when times were hard we were . lucky to have family and friends around us.’ Mrs Greening was ten when the First . World War broke out. She said: ‘I used to go to my grandmother’s, which . was just around the corner. ‘I asked what the lights were that were shining up at the sky around us. ‘She never told me they were looking for German Zeppelins, because she knew it would scare me.’ From left to right: Jean, Mary and Hilda huddle together in the 1940s . Together again: Mary (left), Hilda (centre) and Jean enjoy a laugh at a family wedding in the 1990s . | Hilda Greening, 107, Jean Underwood, 104, and Mary Hunt, 97, are proud mothers of 12, grandmothers of 17 and great-grandmothers of 29 . |
280,433 | f7460bfd53eacbf2529ebb51e8f9fee656868f50 | (CNN) -- Men in a civil union will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England, but they are not allowed to have sex. Intercourse between two men -- or two women -- remains a sin. "Homosexual genital acts fall short of the Christian ideal and are to be met with a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion," according to Anglican doctrine. Men and women in same-sex unions were already allowed to serve as priests in the Church of England, but there was a moratorium on advancement to the episcopate -- becoming a bishop -- while the church considered the issue. The church announced Friday that if men in celibate civil unions may be priests, then there is no reason for them not to be bishops, as long as they are "living in accordance with the teaching of the Church on human sexuality." Any priest looking to become a bishop must undergo a thorough examination of "personal and family circumstances," according to a statement released by the House of Bishops of the Church of England. Female priests are barred from advancing to the position of bishop, as a vote on the measure in the church failed to pass lay approval last November despite an overwhelming majority of support within the church hierarchy. Women have been permitted to enter the priesthood since the early 1990s. The church defines marriage "as a faithful, committed, permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman, is central to the stability and health of human society." It believes sex should be practiced exclusively within a marriage. The British parliament is expected to consider legislation allowing same-sex marriage, but the Church of England and the Church in Wales would be prohibited from performing wedding ceremonies as long as it remains against canon law. In 2005, Britain allowed same-sex couples to register civil partnerships, prompting the church to consider the issue. It does not bless civil unions of any kind, for fear some of them may be sexual. But it also does not exclude gays and lesbians from the flock, according to it 2005 deliberations. The Anglican Church is a protestant denomination intimately associated with the American Episcopal Church. The church and state in Britain are formally connected. The two archbishops of the church, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York, along with 24 other bishops, have seats in Parliament in the House of Lords. Though women may not yet rise to high positions in its clergy, Queen Elizabeth is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Read more: Proposal would allow same-sex marriage in England, Wales . Read more: Can 'true Catholics' support same-sex marriage? CNN's Joseph Netto contributed to this report . | The priests in same-sex unions must remain celibate .
The Anglican Church recognizes marriage as being only between a man and a woman .
Sex should be practiced only within a marriage, the church says .
Women may be priests but are not allowed to become bishops . |
151,975 | 5069853a9deefbdf7d5bb8bf05c9d48e16c9f0d0 | Washington (CNN) -- Defense Department officials are under a Justice Department order to preserve all e-mails and documents that may be related to the ongoing investigation into leaks to the news media of national security information, a senior Pentagon official confirmed Monday. First on CNN: Intel chief rolls out new measures aimed at plugging leaks . "We are complying with the preservation order," the official told CNN. Defense Department officials may not delete or destroy any e-mails or documents that might be related to the leak investigation, said the official, who spoke on the condition of not being named. "You can't start shredding," he observed. Kerry: White House: 'Not involved in leaks . The order potentially could cover thousands of civilian and military personnel who work on military intelligence and surveillance programs. It also could include members of the Defense Intelligence Agency and other organizations, such as the National Security Agency, which focus to a large extent on eavesdropping overseas. However, the official said the Justice Department is clear it's only interested in information related to the current leak investigation. The official said the next step could be for personnel to be interviewed. "We would certainly expect DoD officials to be interviewed" if they are likely to have information on the leaks, he said. The investigation was sparked by recent leaks of classified information, including the revelation in May that a mole had been working to help thwart a Yemen bomb plot targeting the United States, and the disclosure of the classified drone program in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Opinion: Obama leak 'scandal' is wildly overblown . | "We are complying with the preservation order," a senior Pentagon official says .
The order potentially could cover thousands of civilian and military personnel .
The official says the next step could be for personnel to be interviewed . |
2,384 | 06f9666a6d89d3ac64a5e5d1f6c89db146c40e90 | By . James Nye and David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 00:58 EST, 17 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:17 EST, 17 July 2013 . The family of Michael Boatwright - who was found unconscious in a Palm Springs motel room four months ago and woke up speaking only Swedish - have revealed themselves after learning of his whereabouts for the first time on Monday. Even though his driver's license says he . was born in Florida and served in the U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1973, . Boatwright has no memory of his life to date and now answers only to . Johan and converses in Swedish to doctors with the help of an . interpreter. Now Boatwright’s sister has revealed that she did not know whether he was alive or dead and that she hasn't seen him for 10 years. Scroll Down for Video . Amnesia: Michael Boatwright awoke to find he had no memory of his past life to date, could not recognize his own reflection and believed he was Swedish . 'I haven’t talked to him in years. He just disappeared,' Michelle Brewer told The Desert Sun over the phone from her home in Louisiana. She said that she had no way to get in touch with the 61-year-old, even when their mother had died last year, she said. 'He’s always been just a wanderer. Then he’d come back when he needed some money or something from somebody. Then he’d take off again,' she said. Boatwright was overwhelmed by the flood of calls Monday, but wanted to thank those who were helping him piece together his story, hospital spokesman Rich Ramhoff said. Former life; Michael Boatwright served in the U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1973 (left) and was carrying old photographs on him when he was discovered in a Palm Springs motel room in February . His . current persona of Johan Elk, clashes with the Social Security card, . passport and veteran's medical card he was carrying in February and . following mental and physical health exams, Boatwright was diagnosed on . March 13th with transient global amnesia. Doctors . at Desert Regional Medical Center have theorized that his total memory . loss was triggered by some kind of emotional or physical trauma - what . exactly that was though, they admit to drawing a blank on. 'He's . kind of a blank slate,' said Lisa Hunt-Vasquez, the social worker . assigned to track down relatives and help piece his life back together. Searching . on the internet, Hunt-Vasquez has learned so far that Boatwright was a . 3D graphic designer who taught English in Japan for 10 years and then in . China for four. She has discovered on a testimonial on . the website of a TPR English School in Zhuhai, China, that he left his . teaching post one year before his catastrophic memory loss. Baffling: Michael Boatwright is pictured here with two women - one who is believed to be his wife and a little boy thought to be his son . However, every attempt to discover a friend or relative has failed. An address on his U.S. passport for a Japanese woman believed to be his ex-wife was a dead end - as was all the telephone numbers listed on his cellphone. Indeed, the Japanese, Chinese and Swedish consulates have turned up no next-of-kind information. What is known is that Boatwright flew into Palm Springs from Hong Kong on February 24th - which was the last day valid on his Chinese visa. Hunt-Vasquez said that she did not know why he had chosen to fly into California and even contacted local tennis clubs to see if he was scheduled to play - thinking his tennis rackets might be a clue. Upon contacting Dade County Missing Persons Bureau in Florida, she found that Boatwright's parents were deceased and that his first wife divorced him in 1983 - she could not be contacted. It was even thought at one point that Boatwright could have two sisters in Sweden, but again, that has not been confirmed. No Recollection: This is one of the photographs which have failed to jog the memory of Michael Boatwright from his amnesia . For Boatwright, the sheer frustration and confusion of the whole ordeal is maddening. 'When I look at the photos, I see my ex-wife and my son ... my mother and grandmother, but I don't recognize them. I don't know them,' he said. 'Sometimes it makes me really sad and sometimes it just makes me furious about the whole situation.' Indeed, to help Boatwright adjust to his new reality, Hunt-Vasquez has put him in contact with Palm Spring's local Swedish-American community at the Vasa Order of America's Desert Viking lodge in San Jacinto. His friend there, Viola Wyler, told MyDesert.com that despite lucid conversations, Boatwright suffers from detachment from reality. 'All of the events that he talked about, he has never been involved in it; he always feels that he is looking in,' Wyler said to MyDesert.com . Relief: Michael Boatwright uses exercise as the only way to concentrate his mind and not think about his memory loss . From their talks, Wyler surmises that he did indeed live in Sweden in the mid-1980s, but because he has no strong regional accent she thinks that he learned it late in life or has not used it much during his adult life. Even the photographs that he carries do not trigger his memory in any way. Despite the knowledge that he used to be a graphic designer and taught English as a second language, Boatwright has no memory of how to execute the skills he learned during his life. And sadly now, Hunt-Vasquez is worried that he may not be able to stay in the hospital much longer because, despite his amnesia, he is healthy. But, the hospital is also looking for other viable options - 'really try to avoid just him being in the streets.' For Boatwright, though, his daily life is a living hell. 'Walk in my shoes for one day,' he said. 'You'll experience the nightmare of a lifetime.' | Michael Boatwright awoke four months ago with no recollection of who he was and speaking in Swedish .
Now has sister has come forward and revealed that she hasn't had any contact with him in ten years . |
20,807 | 3b0ed4fef6441045746aba833d40791b85ca2a68 | To commemorate the life and work of painter Vincent van Gogh, fellow Dutch artist and designer Daan Roosegaarde has created a beautiful, illuminated bike path inspired by one of van Gogh's most famous works. The kilometre-long Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path is inspired by Starry Night and features 50,000 glow-in-the-dark stones, which have been embedded in the ground. The solar-powered stones soak up the sun's rays by day, resulting in a breath-taking swirling pattern of glowing fragments. To commemorate the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, fellow Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde created this dazzling bike path tribute . The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path opened in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on November 12 . The opening of this unique installation marks the start of the Van Gogh 2015 international theme year . The path also boasts LED lights, which are meant to enhance visibility on cloudy days when the stones may not be able to charge. 'I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way, the technical combined with experience, that's what techno-poetry means to me,' Roosegaarde said in a statement. The cycle path is located in the Dutch county of Brabant, where Van Gogh was born and raised. It opened in the city of Eindhoven on November 13. Inspired by one of Van Gogh's most famous works - Starry Night - the path boasts 50,000 glow-in-the-dark stones . The stones are solar-powered, so they charge via the sun's rays during the day and turn on at night, illuminating the ground for one kilometre . Roosegaarde collaborated with Heijmans, a construction services business, to pull off this gorgeous feat . The installation is part of the larger Van Gogh Cycle Route, which is free of charge and open to the public year round. The entire route measures 335 kilometres and is split into five individual day trips, which connect several Van Gogh heritage sites. The dazzling one kilometre stretch is just part of a series of celebrations, called Van Gogh 2015, intended to mark the 125th anniversary of the painter's death. Over the year, cultural events celebrating the life and work of the artist will be held in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The one-kilometre stretch is part of the larger 335-kilometre Van Gogh Cycle Route, which takes riders to many artist-inspired heritage sites . Source of inspiration: Vincent van Gogh's iconic painting is housed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam . Mission accomplished: 'I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way,' Roosegaarde said of his achievement . | Crafted by Dutch artist and designer, Daan Roosegarde, to celebrate the life and work of the acclaimed painter .
Inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night, the bike path boasts 50,000 solar-powered, glow-in-the-dark stones .
LED lights also dot the 1-kilometre path, which is part of the larger Van Gogh Cycle Route in the county of Brabant . |
82,385 | e98d67627dd7b0762c6d728fc0b492afdd39cc7d | A group of lucky schoolkids were treated to a once in a lifetime encounter on Wednesday, when they witnessed Superheros Batman and Catwoman scaling down the side of one of the tallest buildings in Australia. Bringing the kids' wildest imaginations to life, stunt-experts Rowena and Chris Davies hung off the 88th floor of Melbourne's Eureka Tower by a rope in a death-defying show, as the fascinated kids watched from behind thick glass on the observation deck. The Eureka Tower in Southbank is the second tallest building in Australia standing at 297m tall and is the highest tower in Melbourne. It has more storeys than the Q1 skyscraper on the Gold Coast, which measures just over 322m. Bringing the kids' wildest imaginations to life, stunt-experts Rowena and Chris Davies hung off the 88th floor of Melbourne's Eureka Tower by a rope in a death-defying show . A group of lucky schoolkids were treated to a once in a lifetime encounter on Wednesday, when they witnessed Superheros Batman and Catwoman scaling down the side of one of the tallest buildings in Australia . The Eureka Tower in Southbank is the second tallest building in Australia standing at 297m tall and is the highest tower in Melbourne. It has more storeys than the Q1 skyscraper on the Gold Coast, which measures just over 322m . The superhuman stunt was held to promote the launch of Super Boss Day, a campaign started up by Australian charity Heartkids. Super Boss Day will be held on Thursday 19th February,which is also Bruce Wayne's birthday. Super Boss Day encourages bosses to have a laugh and dress as a superhero for the day, to help raise funds for kids suffering from childhood heart disease. Staff are being encouraged to dob in their bosses and nominate them to dress as the world's best superheros. The superhuman stunt was held to promote the launch of Super Boss Day, a campaign started up by Australian charity Heartkids. Super Boss Day will be held on Thursday 19th February,which is also Bruce Wayne's birthday . Super Boss Day encourages bosses to have a laugh and dress as a superhero for the day, to help raise funds for kids suffering from childhood heart disease . According to CEO of HeartKids Norm Hutton, Bruce Wayne, which is Batman's secret identity, is the ultimate boss. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Hutton explained that Bruce Wayne was philanthropic and helped to save an entire city. 'It would be pretty good to emulate some of his features of being a super boss.' Mr Hutton said. According to HeartKids, six babies are born with childhood heart disease every day in Australia, meaning one in every 100 babies are born with the chronic disease and around 2200 babies die from it every year.It is also one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of one. 'Children that battle with childhood heart disease even before they're three of four years of age have gone through a couple of hundred procedures,' Mr Hutton said. 'Their resilience, courage and strength is inspiring' 'These kids are heros everyday.' he said. According to HeartKids, six babies are born with childhood heart disease every day in Australia, meaning one in every 100 babies are born with the chronic disease and around 2200 babies die from it every year.It is also one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of one . Batman and Catwoman could be seen at the Eureka Tower in Melbourne on Wednesday, at the Launch of HeartKids Australia's Super Boss Day . Super Boss Day will take place on Thursday 19th February, the same day as Bruce Wayne's birthday . Speaking of the supernatural launch of the Super Boss campaign, Mr Hutton said he had chills watching the superhero stunt professionals scaling the Eureka Tower. 'Seeing Batman and Catwoman on the 88th floor was chilling for me and amazing for the children,' said Mr Hutton. 'It's a fun way for work places to engage with the issue of childhood heart disease and raise important funds.' 'The smile on the kids' faces and sparkle in their eyes keeps our staff going,' he said. HeartKids is a non-profit charity which supports, encourages and gives hope to children and families affected by childhood heart disease. They aim to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of the disease whilst enhancing the quality for the children and their families. Super Boss Day will be taking place on Thursday 19th February 2015. Visit Heartkids for more information. 'A lot of bosses are letting their staff choose their costumes, so I'm not sure they know what they've gotten themselves in to.' Mr Hutton said. | Stunned kids witnessed Batman and Catwoman scaling down the side of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne .
The superhero stunt-professionals were suspended from the 88th floor of the tower .
The death-defying show was in aid of HeartKids Super Boss Day campaign .
HeartKidz supports families affected by childhood heart disease .
Six babies are born with childhood heart disease every day in Australia . |
55,721 | 9df0ebcaea2f045aad968adef0fae3461ca2c724 | By . James Nye . PUBLISHED: . 22:09 EST, 29 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:51 EST, 30 May 2013 . Worryingly for a man who controls a rogue state and regularly threatens nuclear war with America, North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un is 'socially awkward' and struggles to make eye contact when meeting anyone new. That is the verdict of the documentary crew who traveled with eccentric sports legend Dennis Rodman to the secretive communist nation in late February where he infamously declared himself a 'friend for life' to the 29-year-old despot as they bonded during a basketball game. Indeed, the surreal trip was more bizarre than anyone could have first imagined - as details emerged of Rodman serenading Kim with Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' at a dinner reception to mark the game but not before they had heard a female North Korean pop band play the theme song to 'Rocky' on electric violins. Scroll Down for Video . Former NBA star Dennis Rodman speaks to the media at the Pyongyang Airport before he leaves North Korea Friday, March 1, 2013 - VICE Media's Ryan Duffy is visible to the right . The brainchild of Brooklyn based media company VICE, the trip was ostensibly to follow the Harlem Globetrotters to the reclusive and repressive nation as they staged an exhibition basketball game. Incredibly, the crew had no idea it would meet the reclusive country's young leader, Kim Jong Un, until he showed up at a basketball game it was filming with Rodman - which led to the unlikely bromance between the pair. The crew from VICE discovered that Kim Jung Un loves basketball so much that he overlooked his government's antipathy for VICE founder Shane Smith, who had made two critical documentaries on North Korea, and personally invited the crew in. Smith wasn't allowed back but VICE's Ryan Duffy accompanied Rodman and three members of the Harlem Globetrotters traveling basketball troupe. Asked yesterday about the meeting that forms the center point of their documentary, Duffy said that Kim Jung Un was 'socially awkward' - but not as weird as Rodman who does not once speak to the camera - even though VICE organized the entire trip. Instead, he is only seen as a distant figure, wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. Friends Forever: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un hugging former NBA player Dennis Rodman following the basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters team and North Korean University of Physical Education players . This undated publicity image released by HBO shows former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, with North Korea's Kim Jong Un (left and right) at a basketball game from an episode of the documentary series 'Vice' Harlem Globetrotters players and North Korean University of Physical Education players belonging to the Hwaebul basketball team at the Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium in Pyongyang, North Korea on February 28th this year . Tourist: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman (C) visits the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang in this picture released by North Korea's KCNA news agency on March 1, 2013 . Duffy quickly learned his place: One of the first things one of his 'tour guides' told him was, 'I know who you are. I don't like you and I don't like your company,' he said Wednesday. to the New York Daily News. The crew was told when it could turn on its cameras and when they had to be off, and feared landing in a North Korean prison if it didn't comply, he said. The crew went through an elaborate week-long organized tour of North Korea's capital of Pyongyang, visiting a well-stocked mall with no other customers and the country's version of Sea World. At one point, it was shown a classroom with students sitting behind computers, but only one person either knew how or was allowed to use one of the machines. One student sat before Google's home page and never searched for anything, just moving the cursor back and forth randomly. To see more footage from Dennis Rodman's visit click here . Bizarre: Retired U.S. NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman (C) poses with his team members after arriving in Pyongyang with his VICE documentary screw - Ryan Duffy is seen right . Waving: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves as he gives field guidance to the August 25 Fishery Station under the Korean People's Army Unit 313, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency in May . Busy Working: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over an urgent operation meeting on the Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Force's performance of duty for firepower strike at the Supreme Command in Pyongyang in March . The tour was taken in the hopes of catching one or two glimpses of the real North Korean people, which the group finally achieved toward the end when its minders let the bus stop at a park and the Globetrotters played around with some of the kids, helping them learn to spin a basketball on their finger. Duffy said the group was surprised when Kim arrived to watch what was essentially a pickup basketball game with the Globetrotters and some members of a North Korean youth team. Rodman didn't play; he sat in the stands watching with Kim. After the game, the VICE crew and players were rushed across Pyongyang unexpectedly for a dinner with Kim and other members of the North Korean government. Rodman was only in the country for two days for the Vice show but he and Kim Jung Un got on so well that Rodman was able to reveal stunning snippets of the dictator's life. He said to journalists after he returned that Kim Jung Un- the ruler that Rodman called a 'kid'- has a young baby girl and that he heard Kim's wife talk all about her at length during his trip to the exiled regime. Icon: Dennis Rodman in his heyday at the Chicago Bulls is broadcast to the throng of grey clothed North Korean supporters in Pyongyang before the exhibition match featuring the Harlem Globe Trotters . The 51-year-old athlete also told how the North Korean leader likes 80s disco music, is humble and normally wears normal clothes when not appearing for cameras. Host and executive producer Shane Smith attends the "Vice" New York Premiere at Time Warner Center on April 2, 2013 in New York City . The description that Rodman is touting comes in direct contrast to the widespread understanding of the dictatorial leader and the military rogue state that constantly threatens nuclear war. 'It was insane, they treat him like a god. But Kim is not one of these Saddam Hussein-type characters that wants to take over the world,' Rodman told The Sun. 'His grandad built all this s**t and then his dad built some more s**t but he is a normal guy,' Rodman told The Sun. Rodman revealed other details about the lavish trip, including the contents of the 15-course banquet (fish, noodles, and meat), the décor of the palace (‘marble everywhere’) and the height of Kim’s wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju (5’5” which is ‘quite tall for a Korean’). The trip was apparently a major success, and Rodman has already accepted a second invitation to visit Kim again for six days in August. Although Rodman was key to securing the visit and played the most prominent role of any of the visiting Americans, he's only a bit player in VICE's documentary. Smith said Rodman declined to be interviewed about the trip by VICE afterward. The American group brought in some basketballs and basketball equipment to distribute to young North Koreans, but wasn't asked for anything else by its hosts, Smith said. VICE hasn't spoken to anyone in the Obama administration about the trip, he said. During the trip, the administration had refrained from commenting about it. HBO and VICE have not agreed to continue its series of news documentaries beyond this season, but the arrangement is likely. HBO said the show gets solid ratings, while VICE said the network gives VICE valuable exposure beyond the young audience that traditionally follows its product. | The documentary crew that accompanied Dennis .
Rodman to North Korea over the winter says it had no idea it would meet .
the reclusive country's young leader, Kim Jong Un .
Media company VICE arranged the trip and invited Rodman after its first choice, Michael Jordan, expressed no interest .
They were entertained for two days by the reclusive dictator - who struck up an unusual friendship with Rodman . |
161,915 | 5d5b94f05c2f55d8b2958c95356c80e582df3d99 | A truck's dash cam has captured a commodore's miraculous crash escape after changing lanes and suddenly swerving out of control. The 1.10 minute video begins with the truck driving on a busy Melbourne highway just before 11.00am on Thursday November 6. Ed Sheeran's song 'Don't' starts playing in the background as the truck approaches a white commodore on the highway's far right lane. A truck's dash cam has captured a commodore's miraculous crash escape . The vehicle was changing lanes when it suddenly swerved out of control and his the median strip . The commodore indicates left before veering from the middle lane to the far left lane. All of a sudden, the driver presumably loses control of the car as it swerves from lane to lane until it spins completely out of control causing it to crash. The car skidded all the way back to the right side of the highway and crashed front first in the median strip. As it flipped up in the air, the car's bonnet lifted and the vehicle did a complete 180, landing in the middle of the highway. Luckily no other vehicles driving on the busy road collided with the flying car. The 1.10 minute video begins with the truck driving on a busy Melbourne high way just before 11.00am on Thursday November 6 . One woman and three young people scrambled out of the white commodore and the truck driver who caught the incident on his dash cam rushed to their aid. A lady driving on the highway pulled over her car and ran across the highway to the four people involved in the accident. Facebook page, Dash Cam Owners Australia, placed the video online on Sunday night. Ed Sheeran's song 'Don't' starts playing in the background as the truck approaches a white commodore on the highway's far right lane . 'Nearly cleaned up 4 people in a commodore to my surprise thank god there was no baby in the baby seat.Tyres on the car where completely bald,' Dash Cam Owners Australia wrote. 'Thanks to Greg C... Good on ya for the quick reaction Greg and for being so quick to help.' Facebook users have commended the truck driver, with one insisting he should get 'Victorian of the year.' Another person could not understand how the white car was able to get into such a horrific accident. 'I just can't comprehend in the first place who changes lanes on east link (let alone any motorway) in less than one car length in front and behind, of two trucks. And dart across a total of 3 full lanes 2 of which are completely blind,' Jay Stagoll wrote. The post has already received over 4,500 likes and nearly 2,000 shares. The commodore indicates left before crossing from the middle lane to the far left lane . All of a sudden, the driver presumably loses control of the car as it swerves from lane to lane until spinning out of control causing it to crash . The car skidded all the way back to the right side of the highway . The white commodore rashed front first in the median strip . As it flipped up in the air, the car's bonnet lifted and the vehicle did a complete 180 and landed in the middle of the highway . Luckily no other vehicles driving on the busy road collided with the flying car . | Dash Cam Owners Australia has posted a 1.10 minute video of footage captured by a truck driver .
The video shows a white commodore who attempts to change lanes but suddenly swerves out of control .
The white vehicle crashes into the median strip on the busy Melbourne highway .
Four people scramble out of the car and the truck driver rushes to their aid . |
77,476 | dbadf6beeb26bda05495e337643298bec2010081 | Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) -- Imagine being a CEO of ideas, heading up a process in which you generate, process and test out new ideas -- for a living. Welcome to a day in the life of Pernille Aalund, CEO of Innovations at one of the biggest media houses in Scandinavia, Aller Media A/S. Her mandate is to generate 250 new ideas annually, out of which 50 have to settle into a new activity -- and income stream -- for the company. It sounds ambitious, because it is. "It takes a real shift in a company's traditional way of thinking, to open itself to an innovations department. It has to move out of the usual way of working in silos, and be able to work all the way across." Aalund is likely the right person for the job. She is not your usual business leader, and there is no doubt this 50-year-old high school graduate, is doing things her own way. "I know where I am going, that's about it," says Aalund, who doesn't like to operate by rules, and runs her business by what she calls the cigar box principle. "I am quite practical and simple in my approach. If I take out one krone, I know I need to put back two." Don't let her simple approach fool you. Making it to the top of a media conglomerate takes something more, which she says comes in part from her wide background of experience. A single mother with virtually no education, Aalund worked as a record sorter, radio host, casting assistant, advertising representative, TV producer, and much more -- before founding her own production company, hosting her own TV show, launching her own magazine, and authoring several books. Read related: $800 million biotech business started in a garage . Her corporate career took off when Aller Media hired her as chief editor of one of their magazines. Separately, they bought some of her business ventures, including the web portal she founded for women. After a successful stint as chief editor, Aalund was asked to run about 20 of Aller's magazines, and last year they asked her to head up a new innovations department. "I do have a very different approach to things," she says. "I work differently than they do, and I question everything." She has had to learn a few things along the way. Among other things, her male colleagues taught her how to leave her emotions behind, when entering a decision-making process. "As women we have a tendency to make things personal. We are more holistic, which can be a great strength but it can also be very limiting. As a leader you have to be able to say, this will hurt, but we need to get it over with." Aalund says she has never really taken on anything she knew how to do. But, that she always knew how to align herself with the best. "When I started a new magazine and a TV show, I had no idea how to do it. But I knew how to find the best people to help me. For leaders today, it is not enough just to know how to be the CEO of a bank. You have to be able to do so much more. And that is not possible for any one person. So, I hire only the best. People who know more than I do." Read related: Why women will impact global economy as much as China . That is what she has done in her ideas factory of sorts. They have more than a hundred ideas on the table since June, and she is confident they will hit their business and financial targets. Aalund says change is happening and so must we. "Technology has outpaced tradition. Media habits are changing radically. So, we must think differently. And for us, it is really about putting old content into new bottles," she says. The process works with her team generating ideas from inside and out, filtering them, exploring their potential, refining them, creating a business case for them, and moving forward with worthwhile ventures for the company. It sounds like a creative process, but to Aalund, it is more than that. "Innovation is defined as new ways of thinking that generate growth. It is the idea that gets put into action. Anyone can be creative, but creativity doesn't necessarily lead to growth," she says. Read related: CNN Money's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business . For Aller Media, whose products encompass everything from magazines to television, radio and web-based media, it means taking current competencies and strengths, and lifting them onto new platforms and into new times. "As a 140 year old company, we do not need to be thinking out of the box. We need to be thinking at the edge of the box," she says. Perhaps not unlike herself, as she continues to move down new and innovative pathways. Alongside her job as head of innovations, this seemingly unstoppable entrepreneur has just launched a new online talk show, is writing books, and working on various TV shows. "I think I have been blessed with a good mix of creativity, strategy, and a sense of business," she says. | Pernille Aalund is CEO of Innovations at Aller Media A/S .
Her job is to generate 250 new ideas each year, of which 50 must be put into action .
A single mother with little education, she has held jobs including radio host and TV producer .
Attributes her success to a mix of "creativity, strategy, and a sense of business" |
179,401 | 74491f133a3d2ff5c41d4b491e8ddac5a2604a47 | By . Matt Lawton . Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM . Greg Dyke has branded England’s opening World Cup encounter with Italy as the game from hell for Roy Hodgson’s side. While the FA chairman stopped short of publicly declaring that Hodgson’s job is safe whatever happens here in Brazil, he did stress how difficult a group England face. At the draw last December Dyke memorably made a throat-cutting gesture when England found themselves in the same group as Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica, and he was reminded of that yesterday. VIDEO: Scroll down for FA chairman Greg Dyke makes a throat-slitting gesture . Feeling the heat: England's Luke Shaw is sprayed down during training . Cutthroat: Greg Dyke's infamous gesture during the World Cup draw last December . ‘The gesture was a joke,’ he said. ‘But we sat there and said there were two things we didn’t want. We didn’t want Italy and we didn’t want Manaus, and we got both!’ In the past Dyke has said Hodgson’s job is safe irrespective of England’s results. That his contract runs until Euro 2016 in France and that he will continue in charge until then. Indeed Alex Horne, the FA general secretary, has said the same. On Tuesday, Dyke would not quite commit to that position. ‘I’ve got a lot of time for Roy,’ he said. ‘I’m a big fan.’ But asked if Hodgson would remain England manager regardless of what happens, Dyke said: ‘Well who knows? He’s contracted to. ‘We wouldn’t want to discuss what happens to him afterwards because this is the moment when things should be going well. So it’s not appropriate to discuss that now. But I’m a big fan of Roy’s. ‘I would say we would obviously hope to get out of the group and then after that… . ‘But it’s a tough group. I think one of the reasons we are coming here with less expectation is because it’s such a tough group. I was looking at the French group the other day. If the French don’t get out of their group I think they will be committing suicide.’ Amazon: The Manaus stadium where England v Italy will take place on Saturday amid soaring temperatures . Warming up: England's opponents Italy in training in Mangaratiba, Brazil . The French might not appreciate the sentiment and Dyke’s take on Brazil as hosts could offend the hosts. Even if what he said had a ring of truth about it. ‘What I’m surprised about this city is the fact that you wouldn’t know there is a World Cup going on,’ he said. ‘I’m told there’s all sorts of politics. There is real concern about the protesters. Some people don’t want Brazil to win because they don’t want the government to get re-elected. ‘The only reason you’d know there’s a World Cup here is because half the people are on strike and you can’t get from the airport. ‘The people I’ve been talking to are of the view that it’s very quiet. It does bring up the question for the future, because clearly there are a lot of people in this country who think too much money has been spent when there are extremes of poverty.’ | Dyke has branded England encounter with Italy as the game from hell .
Match set to take place at the Amazon Arena in Manaus on Saturday .
FA chairman memorably made throat-cutting gesture at World Cup draw .
Would not commit to Roy Hodgson's job being safe beyond the tournament . |
28,828 | 51da916a85901191abfeda244930535cafec9417 | The National Basketball Association is one of the pre-eminent sport leagues in the world and every Thursday, Bleacher Report will bring you a round-up of all the action on and off court Stateside. Newsmaker . The incensed version of Derrick Rose took centre stage following the Chicago Bulls' 108-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. In speaking with reporters after the game, he expressed his frustration in no uncertain terms. Rose said: 'We've got to give a better effort. It seems like we're not even competing and it's f***ing irritating. We're midway through the season; no excuses; when you don't have that edge you are going to get your (butt) whipped.' Questioning effort is a great way to set a locker room ablaze. Whether the ignited fire has its intended impact is a different story. Derrick Rose expressed his frustration at the Chicago Bulls' defeat by the Cleveland Cavaliers . The Bulls were beaten 108-94 by their Eastern Conference rivals on Monday in Ohio . Good Week . The Atlanta Hawks matched the all-time franchise record of a 14-game winning streak with victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The 35-8 Hawks have surprisingly emerged as the hottest team in the NBA, using the recent stretch of phenomenal basketball to build a healthy lead over the Washington Wizards for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With centre Al Horford leading the way, Atlanta matched a franchise record set back in 1993-94, when the team went 57-25 before losing to none other than the Pacers in the second round of the play-offs. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers to extend their winning streak to 14 games . Bad Week . The Milwaukee Bucks have been among the NBA's most pleasant surprises this season, but maintaining their high level of play may prove difficult as the league has suspended center Larry Sanders. The 26-year-old big man will miss at least 10 games after violating the NBA's drug policy: this marks the second time in as many seasons that the league has disciplined Sanders, his 2013-14 suspension coming due to marijuana use. To be clear, the league has not announced what Sanders tested positive for in this instance. Sanders' suspension will continue 'until he is in full compliance with his treatment program' Sanders' production has dropped off a bit over the past two seasons after an excellent 2012-13 campaign, but he is still an important player for the Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks saw their center Larry Sanders suspended by the league . The Bucks thrashed the New York Knicks when they met at London's O2 Arena last week . Brit Watch . Miami Heat veteran forward Luol Deng is currently dealing with an illness that kept him out of Wednesday's game. Although not quite the player he once was with the Chicago Bulls, Deng has continued to serve as a solid two-way player in his first season with the Heat. Injuries, however, are beginning to take their toll on the 29-year-old. He missed 19 games with a variety of afflictions last season and was hampered earlier this year by a hand injury. Britain's Luol Deng missed Miami Heat's game at the Charlotte Hornets through injury . And Finally . Being 34-years-old doesn't make one a senior citizen, but for Jason Richardson of the Philadelphia 76ers, it makes him quite a bit older than his team-mates. That's why the young Sixers had some fun with their veteran teammate on his birthday. To celebrate Richardson's birthday, 76ers players gave him adult diapers, a robe and baby food. Richardson (born in 1981), Andrei Kirilenko (1981), Luc Mbah a Moute (1986) and Malcolm Thomas (1988) are the only players on Philadelphia's roster who were not born in the 1990s. Kirilenko has yet to report to the team since being traded to Philadelphia earlier this season, so Richardson is the oldest player on the team by a good margin. Bleacher Report's Mobile App 'Team Stream' helps you stay in the know with your favourite teams across a range of sports via hand-picked, curated sports stories from around the web. Get news for your teams all in one place and get real-time alerts for breaking stories. DOWNLOAD NOW. | Derrick Rose laments his team's effort in loss to Cleveland on Monday .
Atlanta Hawks win their 14th straight game, matching record from 93-94 .
Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders suspended by the NBA .
Britain's Luol Deng misses Miami Heat's game against Charlotte Hornets . |
205,791 | 9666d48eebf8170b6060016b165110a8774af8e9 | Glenn Beck says he was crippled by excrutiating pain from a mystery ailment he has battled for years . Conservative TV and radio host Glenn Beck has revealed he has been battling a serious illness for years. Beck, 50, says he was crippled by excruciating pain from a mystery ailment that he has been battling for years. Speaking on TheBlaze, a media network he set up, he said: 'While I was at Fox, the pain would get so bad that my camera crew, our executive producer Tiffany and I, had worked out hand signals so they would know when to take the camera off of me. 'We didn’t know at the time what was causing me to feel as though, out of nowhere, my hands and feet, or arms and legs would feel like someone had just crushed them, set them on fire or pushed broken glass into them.' On top of this, he had memory problems, vocal paralysis and eyesight trouble. He went from medical expert to medical expert but his symptoms confounded them all. 'Most afternoons my hands would start to shake, or my hands and feet began to curl and eventually - if I didn't stop and rest, I began to curl into a foetal position,' Beck said. 'This has baffled some of the best doctors in the world. 'It has frightened me and my family, and I didn't know what was happening.' He described how his wife Tania had to tie his shoes and button his shirts because the seizures became so bad. Medics told him he had just a decade before he would become unable to function. His health issues were among the reasons he decided to move to Dallas from New York for its warmer climate. Eventually, he went to Carrick Brain Centers, which discovered he had a variety of ailments, including an autoimmune disorder and adrenal fatigue. Emotional: Beck was teary as he recounted his struggles with his health . The Blaze . He added: 'We went and after a few short visits they found that I had several things going on -- from an autoimmune disorder to adrenal fatigue, and they found the connection on everything that was going on.' Beck was given months of treatment and made huge changes to his diet and lifestyle. Now says he is on the mend. 'My brain is back online in a big way.I have received a clean bill of health,' he said. | The political commentator says it felt like broken glass in his hands .
Beck, 50, went from doctor to doctor, to no avial .
He was eventually diagnosed with adrenal condition and is now on the mend . |
25,554 | 485c1f0fe72a8d89d6ba8934212207bf6c63a0c8 | New York (CNN) -- A Colombian man who federal authorities say was a leader of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was convicted in U.S. federal court Thursday of conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States, according to prosecutors. Ignacio Leal Garcia, who was extradited from Colombia to the United States in July 2010, wil be sentenced on November 17 and could get 10 years to life in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. "In connection with its request for extradition, the United States has assured the Government of Colombia that it will not seek a life sentence for Leal Garcia," the release said. Leal Garcia, 41, is one of five alleged FARC leaders extradited by the United States on the same federal indictment, and the other four defendants already have been convicted, according to the U.S. attorney's office. In the indictment and other court papers, prosecutors describe the FARC as being "a hierarchical organization comprised of twelve to eighteen thousand members" and as being a military-style organization responsible for production and shipment of more than half of the world's supply of cocaine and nearly two-thirds of the cocaine imported into the United States. Leal Garcia, who was captured in April 2009, was leader of a FARC section that controlled all cocaine production and trafficking in a 9,000-square-mile area near Colombia's border with Venezuela, prosecutors said. "To exercise this control, Leal Garcia organized regular meetings in the various municipalities ... where he threatened death or exile for anyone who failed to cooperate with the FARC's control of coca farming, cocaine production and cocaine trafficking in the region," the release from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said. Leal Garcia supervised production and distribution of "thousands of tons of cocaine" intended for the U.S. market, the statement said, with profits from drug sales going to fund the FARC. "Recognizing that the FARC could not survive without its cocaine revenue, the indicted members of the FARC leadership directed its members to attack and disrupt coca eradication fumigation efforts," the news release added. "FARC leaders also ordered FARC members to kidnap and murder United States citizen in an effort to dissuade the United States from continuing to contribute to coca eradication." The FARC has been at war with the Colombian government since the 1960s. While severely weakened in recent years, the leftist guerrilla group has continued to carry out kidnappings and attack security forces in the South American nation. The United States and the European Union consider the FARC a terrorist organization. CNN's Samantha Stamler contributed to this report. | Ignacio Leal Garcia was extradited to the United States last year .
He is one of five alleged FARC leaders convicted in the U.S.
Prosecutors say he oversaw "thousands of tons of cocaine" intended for the U.S. |
260,650 | dd83463410eae9a63e67b7ea7d5833da040bf717 | By . Steph Cockroft . This is the incredible moment that a mystery group of parachutists launched themselves off the top of a church spire - and landed in a market place just 210ft below. The five daredevils, some of whom came from as far as Wales, jumped from the spire at Newark Parish Church, Nottinghamshire, after weeks of planning the elaborate stunt. And the jumpers - who have all been . jumping for at least five years - even used cameras to film the scene as they plunged down to the square below in the middle of the night. Scroll down for video . A mystery group of parachutists launched themselves from the Newark church spire in Nottinghamshire - which is just 200ft high - and landed in a tiny market place . This sort of jump is known as a base jump, which involves jumping from a standing object, rather than from an aircraft. The acronym stands for building, antenna, span and earth - the four places from which a base jumper can leap. As with the more traditional jumps, the participant uses a parachute to break their fall. Police have criticised the 'dangerous' jump and have now launched an investigation. But one of the . parachutists, who did not want to give his name, said the group spent two . weeks analysing the area to ensure they jumped at a safe time. He said: 'This was BASE jumping at its most difficult because the height was very low and it was very technical. The five jumpers said they spent two weeks analysing the town, including what time the pubs closed, to ensure the jump took place at the safest time . The jumpers filmed the move - which took place in the middle of the night - on hand-held and helmet-mounted cameras . One of the jumpers, who has not been named, said the view from the top of the spire, looking down onto the market place, was 'fantastic' The 200ft jump was said to be on the of most technical BASE jumps - which involves jumping off a static object - because of the low height of the spire . The phrase BASE jumping was coined by a filmmaker Carl Boenish - often seen as the father of BASE jumping - in 1978, when he filmed himself doing a jump in Yosemite National Park, America. The acronym stands for building, antenna, span and earth - the four places from which a base jumper can leap. Once a person has made a jump from each of the four categories, they can apply to have a BASE jump number, which are awarded in sequence. The first people to be awarded a BASE number were Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield, who jumped together from a Houston skyscraper on 18 January 1981. As of March 2014, more than 1,700 BASE numbers have been issues. The world record for the highest BASE jump was recorded in April this year. Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet jumped 2,717ft from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Other people had previously jumped from the building, but the duo jumped from a 500m platform to enable them to break the record. BASE competitions, where the jumps are based on landing accuracy, have been held since the early 1980s. The heights of the jumps vary between competitions, but a recent competition involved participants jumping from the 1,483ft high Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 'We’ve all been jumping for five or more years. We all come from . experienced skydive backgrounds and lots of us also having climbing or . mountaineering experience. 'We . spent two weeks visiting, studying the movements of the town centre . itself, what times the pubs closed, wind directions and studying . turbulence around the tower.' With the spire just 210ft from the ground, the parachutists had very little time to . erect their parachute - making it an extremely challenging jump. But the unnamed man said the jumpers were determined to complete the stunt because the spire is 'unique'. So . when they heard the spire was surrounded by scaffolding, as part of . work being done to replace a weather vane, they decided to start . arranging the jump. The . man said: 'We have military laser range-finding equipment so we know . how high something is and the distance we’ve got to fly to get to . safety. 'It does . get very scientific and it takes hours and hours of planning. We were . mindful not to do any damage to the fabric of the church. 'We are the first people ever to do it . and for us that was part of the attraction because it was a unique . object to jump from. It was spectacular up there and the view of the . town was fantastic.' Inspector Andy Gan, from Newark police, said the force had received calls about people being seen parachuting near the church. He said: 'Obviously this is very dangerous and we strongly advise people not to do it. 'It’s also trespassing on church property, which is potentially going to cause damage to the church. The jumpers say they are the first people to complete the jump. They said they wanted to jump from the spire because it is a 'unique object' The parachutists were seen landed in the market square directly below the spire. It is one of the most technically-difficult BASE jumps, according to one of the team . BASE jumping, regarded by many as an extreme sport, involves participants leaping from a fixed object, rather than planes. It stands for building, atenna, span and earth, indicating the four places from which the person can jump . 'It’s . likely those who have done this are very experienced and if people think . they can do something similar and come away unharmed that’s very . unlikely. 'People shouldn’t try this. It is dangerous and could result in serious injury.' According to an online ‘BASE fatality list’, 228 people have died doing base jumping since 1981. Churchwarden Mike Pollard said: ‘It’s disappointing they have trespassed on church property. 'Although they haven’t done any harm, it could encourage others to climb the scaffolding. We are obviously concerned and not very happy about it.' Work is now being carried out to make the scaffolding more secure, he said. | Group jumped from a parish church spire in Newark, Nottinghamshire .
They used hand-held cameras to film themselves doing the 200ft jump .
The film shows base jumping at its hardest because of the low height .
Police said the move was 'dangerous' and have launched investigation . |
81,062 | e5b63fb9284cb5b4f8ef9ef8c2beae9dd0e61361 | QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin has vowed to get a tattoo of Lionel Messi if Argentina win the World Cup. The 27-year-old already has a image of Argentine legend Diego Maradona down his left side and plans to get inked again if his country are victorious in Sunday's final against Germany. VIDEO Scroll down to watch a Holland fan get Van Gaal and Van Persie tattooed on his back . Main man: Lionel Messi will lead Argentina's charge against Germany on Sunday . VIDEO All Star XI: Lionel Messi highlights . Tribute: Faurlin has a tattoo of Argentina legend Diego Maradona down his left side . Faurlin, who recently signed a new one-year deal at Loftus Road, told QPR Player: 'I already have one of Maradona on my ribs. 'I made a promise if Argentina win the World Cup, with Messi playing how he is, then I will put one on the other side. 'I will dedicate it to the two best players in history, the Argentinian No 10s and captain.' Argentina beat West Germany to lift the World Cup in 1986 but suffered heartbreak four years later as the Germans gained revenge on home soil. But Faurlin is keeping his fingers crossed Messi and Co can deliver on the big stage at the weekend. 'It would be massive for the country,' he added. 'It's been so long since the last one.' Trophy boy: Faurlin will be hoping to be celebrating again on Sunday night . | QPR star already has an image of Diego Maradona down one side of his ribs .
Faurlin will get ink of Messi if Argentina see off Germany in Sunday's final .
Midfielder recently signed a new one-year deal at Loftus road after injury hell . |
164,968 | 6152a473846ed94529628e8858adf195c5e8529a | Dr Niaz Ahmed has been convicted of sexually assaulting two of his colleagues at South Tyneside Hospital and has been told he may be jailed . An anaesthetist who was branded 'the octopus' for his wandering hands and lewd comments could be jailed for groping nurses at the hospital where he worked. Dr Niaz Ahmed passed off his behaviour as innocent banter and was referred to as a 'sex pest' by prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court. The skilled doctor, who had received numerous warnings from hospital bosses to tone down his behaviour, was convicted of sexually assaulting two of his colleagues more than a decade ago and must now sign the sex offenders register. Ahmed, who was suspended from medical practice at a tribunal earlier this year for groping a nurse who was treating him after an accident in 2010, was cleared of three similar charges. Michael Hodson, prosecuting, said: 'Imagine what it was like going to work with a sex pest, always the octopus, hands all over the place, underlined by innuendo.' Mr Hodson said one nurse victim was targeted in the scrub room at the hospital, where Ahmed squeezed her bottom and asked her 'do you fancy it'. Another had her breasts prodded by the medic while she was at work and said he had told her 'put them away'. The 55-year-old doctor had previously told bosses at South Tyneside Hospital that his behaviour was in keeping with 'the culture' at the hospital. The court heard during a meeting with hospital bosses in 2000 Ahmed accepted it was inappropriate to touch nurses and said any offence caused by him was entirely innocent and accidental. During a later meeting with management he said his behaviour continued to be innocent. Ahmed, of Cleadon, had claimed he was the victim of a 'witch hunt' in 2012 after he was cleared of sexually assaulting two teenage girls at a fireworks display in South Shields in 2011. The youngsters claimed Ahmed had groped them after boasting about the size of his manhood and complaining about his sex life with his wife. Bradford Crown Court heard Ahmed was branded 'the octopus' because of his lewd behaviour and comments . He had reportedly said he was 'looking for women the day after he got married.' He will be sentenced next month and Judge Simon Hickey warned him that 'all options remained open', including a jail sentence. Ahmed was bailed until the sentencing hearing. | Dr Niad Ahmed sexually assaulted 2 nurses at South Tyneside Hospital .
Anaesthetist was branded an 'octopus' by staff because of lewd behaviour .
'Sex pest' convicted of assaults which took place more than a decade ago .
Ahmed claimed his behaviour was innocent and dismissed it as banter .
Judge told Ahmed, 55, he could be jailed for the crimes against the nurses . |
235,498 | bcdbfcac500b38688f6a785ae47aa9fc963cf28e | Manchester United and Chevrolet have released a video teaser ahead of the first Red Devils kit to be sponsored by the American car manufacturer. Chevrolet announced a world record £53million sponsorship deal with the Old Trafford club in 2012 and are set to unveil their first United kit this month. The shirt sponsorship part of the seven-year deal begins with the 2014-15 season with the Chevrolet name and logo replacing Aon on the United shirt. Starting point: The video opens with a man singing 'Glory, glory Man United' over 100 years ago . Evolution: Another, more recent, United fan is seen also singing the chant in another traditional United shirt . Legends: Former United players Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law feature in the video . The video charts United's kits through the years, showing how their sponsors have regularly changed, but it cuts off at the end before the Chevrolet top can be seen. Chevrolet will becomes United's fifth shirt sponsor in their history after Sharp, Vodafone, AIG and AON. Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and other United legends feature in the video, which ends with Wayne Rooney saying: 'The shirt belongs to you. It always has, it always will. New era: The video ends with current United players about to reveal the club's new shirt . United's sponsor isn't the only big change taking place at Old Trafford ahead of the new season. Louis van Gaal is set to take over as manager of the club after the World Cup, while the signings of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have already been announced. New boy: Ander Herrera has joined United from Athletic Bilbao . Exciting talent: Luke Shaw is another summer recruit for United . | Manchester United's new 2014-15 season kit will bear the Chevrolet name instead of Aon .
The video teaser charts the Red Devils' kits throughout the years .
Chevrolet announced their sponsorship deal with Man Utd in 2012 . |
214,336 | a1908af22fcc8db4b8f87ad7578a471f47baae87 | (CNN) -- Fatmire Feka glanced at the skies over her Kosovo village. Storm clouds darkened the horizon, and rain started to fall. "I felt as if God was crying tears of pain," Feka says. "God was crying because he knew what was about to happen." It was a chilly Tuesday morning on April 20, 1999, and Feka was on the run. Village guards had warned her family that Serbian paramilitary units were rounding up Albanian Muslims for execution. She ran out of her home with her family and fled to a nearby forest to hide. As the 11-year-old Feka headed to the forest, she could hear bombs exploding and rifle shots crackle behind her. What happened next would leave Feka with nightmares that remain to this day. She would lose her older brother, Sami, and her older sister, Sadete. Both are still missing. Feka, now 22, is an internationally known peace advocate who travels around the world talking about reconciliation. Yet she admits that talking about forgiveness is far easier than practicing it. "I have been struggling with this forgiveness thing,'' she says. "I cannot forgive anyone because I don't know what happened to my brother and sister. I don't know who took them, for what reason, and who I am supposed to forgive?" Why the 'truth must be spoken' It's a long way from Kosovo to Afghanistan, but Feka's story offers some insight into the difficulties that may await the Afghan people. NATO forces are escalating attacks against the Taliban. Yet many observers say only a negotiated settlement with the Taliban will ultimately bring peace to Afghanistan. Read more about other nations' lessons for Afghanistan . But the challenges would not end with a settlement. Afghans who saw their loved ones brutalized or murdered by the Taliban will face the same challenge that Feka faces: How do I live again with the people who caused me so much pain? The short answer is forgive them and move on. Feka's experience, though, suggests that doing so can take years and be excruciatingly difficult. Feka says that before she could forgive, "the truth must be spoken." She wanted to know what happened to her brother and sister. "If I know the truth -- who did it and for what reason -- I will be able to make peace," she says. How Feka moved on . Feka says she thought she would die on the last day she saw her brother and sister. When she ran for her life, she says she saw dead bodies on the side of the road. While resting at night, she could hear screams and shots in the distance. During a recent speech, Feka told her audience about one image from her journey that set her and the other children on edge. "I remember children were crying, but what scared us the most were that adults were crying, too." She says she lost contact with her brother and sister after her family decided to split up. Her 19-year-old sister, Sadete, and her 17-year-old brother, Sami, decided to accompany her uncle as he made a run for a safe region in Northern Kosovo. Her uncle returned four days later, alone and bleeding from a bullet wound to his shoulder. He said Serbians had attacked them, and he could not remember what had happened to Feka's brother and sister. Feka says she hated Serbians after her siblings' disappearance. Then she met Rudy Scholaert, then a manager for World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian organization. Feka's family was staying in a homeless shelter with other Muslim families. Scholaert taught English to the kids in the shelter and talked to them about moving beyond revenge and violence. One day, Scholaert says he gave the kids crayons and paper. He asked them to draw what peace meant to them. The kids drew pictures of burned-out homes, tanks and guns -- except for Feka. "She drew a beautiful home with red flowers, trees, birds and a bright sun," Scholaert says. "She then said to me: 'This was my home before the fighting. This was a peaceful place. I wish we could go back to this time.' " With World Vision's support, Feka founded "Kids Clubs for Peace" after she turned 12. The club uses meetings, skits and songs to bring together youth from differing ethnicities in Kosovo. Feka's message, though, wasn't something some of her Muslims neighbors wanted to hear. She was criticized by other Muslims. She says her mother once slapped her for being a public advocate for peace. "When I started to work for peace, everyone perceived me as deviant," she says. "Fighting was normal. Hating each other was normal." The meeting that transformed Feka . What helped Feka change wasn't a march but a meeting with another Serbian. When she was 16, she attended a World Vision summer camp that brought together Serbian and Muslim youths. One day, a Serbian teenager asked Feka to share her story. After Feka did, she noticed something odd. The Serbian teenager was crying. And so were the other Serbian children in the room. "That was such a powerful thing," she says. "That not only changed my life, but all the children in the room. I realized that not all Serbians are bad." Scholaert, the World Vision worker who first encouraged her, says he visited Feka at the camp and saw her change. "Fatmire was so proud to introduce me to her new Serbian friends and to show me the Serbian words that she had learned," Scholaert says. "She really did want to make things right at an early age." Others started to notice. In 2005, Feka was selected as one of the "1,000 Women of Peace across the Globe." The women were subsequently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Today, Feka speaks at rallies and peace conferences around the world. She also has a new home. Scholaert, the World Vision worker, has put Feka and her two younger sisters up in an apartment in Toronto, Canada. He made a bet with Feka when she was a girl: Do well in school, and I'll pay for your education. Feka now attends a university in the multicultural city of Toronto. She says releasing her hatred of Serbians has been liberating. "Working for peace was the best thing I ever did." Other burdens remain, though. Feka says she used to pray to God about her sisters and brother every day. But she recently stopped. "It has been 11 years, me praying every single day without missing a day," she says in her heavily accented English. "But [God] hasn't helped." Her mother remains in Kosovo. Feka says her mother wants to be there in case some word comes about Feka's sister and brother. But the waiting and the not knowing is brutal, Feka says. "We wish their bodies could rest in peace," she says. "It's difficult to wait every day, every hour, every minute for some news to come." On some nights, Feka dreams of reuniting with her brother and sister. But not all the dreams are reassuring. She had one recent dream when her sister tried to cross a river and was swept away. She pleaded for Feka's help, but Feka couldn't save her. Her war may be over, but Feka says it still leaves its mark. When she walks through the streets of Toronto, Feka says she marvels at how easily Canadians of varying ethnicities get along. It still doesn't seem real to her. In some of those moments, she says she feels like the 11-year-old girl in Kosovo who saw God cry tears of pain. "This is a dream life," she says. "I'm not used to this. I will never get used to it." | Fatmire Feka lost her siblings in Kosovo in 1999 and hated Serbians for years .
A meeting with Serbian and Muslim youths helped transform .
She was selected as one of the "1,000 Women of Peace across the Globe," later were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize .
Feka's story may offer some insight into difficulties that may await the Afghan people . |
82,019 | e86db210f7eadc6e4ee876bfdbe2b7920284ad83 | Hundreds of thousands of men could enjoy a boost to their love lives following an NHS decision to dish out much more Viagra on prescription. Until this month, only men who suffered impotence as a side effect of illness or those evaluated by a specialist could be given the pills on the NHS. But since Viagra’s patent ran out last year, its cost has plummeted by 93 per cent as generic versions of the drug have become available. Scroll down for video . nly men who suffered impotence as a side effect of illness could be given the pills on the NHS . Because of this, the NHS has ruled that all men with serious impotence problems can now be prescribed the drug. Doctors have welcomed the change – which came into effect on August 1 – saying it had the potential to save relationships. Half of all men aged between 40 and 70 are estimated to suffer from erectile dysfunction. However, others claim increased demand for the drug will add to GPs’ already heavy workloads. Until a year ago, branded Viagra pills, made by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, cost £21.27 for a pack of four. But after the firm’s patent expired in June 2013, rival companies have been allowed to make ‘generic’ versions containing the same active ingredient, sildenafil, priced at just £1.45 for four pills. Mark Speakman, president of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, said the original restrictions, introduced in 1999, had been designed to save the NHS money. ‘They made the fairly arbitrary decision that if you had a discrete illness – like prostate cancer, diabetes or a spinal cord injury – you could get it on the NHS,’ he added. ‘But if you were a man of a certain age and wearing out a bit, you could only get a private prescription and you had to pay full whack.’ The Department of Health said that it did not believe the relaxing of restrictions would lead to a rise in spending. In 2012, the NHS in England spent £88 million on providing erectile dysfunction drugs to 180,000 men, of which £43 million went on branded Viagra. Under the new rules, it estimates demand could nearly double in three years to 330,000 and cost the NHS £68 each time a patient is prescribed sildenafil. However, the reduced price in the cost of the drug means overall spending on the condition would not rise. Dr John Chisholm, chairman of charity Men’s Health Forum, said the move ‘would make a great deal of difference to the mental wellbeing and happiness of these patients’. ‘It’s not a myth that relationships can be put in jeopardy by erectile dysfunction. This decision will enable some relationships to flourish when they’re being threatened.’ Doctors have welcomed the change - which came into effect on August 1 - saying it could save relationships . Visiting a doctor to ask for the drugs could also help men to identify the underlying causes of their impotence, including serious health problems, he added. ‘Erectile dysfunction can be a sign of underlying illness like diabetes, coronary heart disease, or peripheral arterial disease.’ Dr Andrew Green, chairman of the British Medical Association’s clinical and prescribing sub-committee, said the change ‘partially corrects an historic injustice done to men and their partners who were denied an effective treatment for a distressing condition’. But Dr Imran Rafi, chairman of clinical innovation and research at the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘You need to be careful. There can be side effects for some patients and sildenafil can react with other drugs.’ Taking sildenafil with nitrates drugs such as the angina spray GTN can lead to a sudden and serious loss of blood pressure, he warned. Doctors are also concerned about sildenafil being used as a recreational drug. Viagra – both the branded and generic versions – has been linked to 134 deaths since 1998, according to the UK drugs regulator, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Almost half were caused by heart problems. A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Erectile dysfunction is a common and distressing condition and may be a sign of more serious underlying health problems. Now this treatment is cheaper we have made it more widely available on the NHS. We hope this will encourage more men to visit their GP.’ | Only men with impotence as side effect of an illness could get the drug .
But generic versions of drug have caused value to plummet 93% .
As a result, NHS has ruled all men with serious impotence are eligible . |
233,295 | ba09d24e79ca930e28acde12a338f8c3b52d6e3a | We all have them somewhere on our phones or cameras – mildly embarrassing snaps that show us relaxing on holiday, perhaps wearing an outfit we wouldn’t be seen in at home. Few of us, though, dress as pirates, sailors and even sharks while on a foreign break. Scroll down for video . He's getting his (four) sealegs: Crusoe poses as a ship's captain on his recent Caribbean holiday . But then, few of us are dogs whose owner likes to squeeze them into a range of strange and unusual costumes. Meet Crusoe, a dachshund who has just returned from the Caribbean – complete with a holiday photo album that has to be seen to be believed. Never mind the skull, give me the crossbones: Crusoe also dressed up as a pirate . Jaws with paws: One quick change into a rubber ring with a fin, and Crusoe is a canine shark . Canadian animal lover Ryan Beauchesne, 26, recently took his beloved pet on a luxury island-hopping tour of the Exuma archipelago, in the Bahamas. While sailing through crystal-clear waters and playing on beaches of bright white sand, Crusoe dressed up as a ship's captain to steer the boat, a pirate while digging on the beach and a shark while swimming in the sea. Thirsty work: After the latest of his many costume changes, Crusoe pauses for a well-earned beer . Well this is a rum do: Even a canine pirate needs to pause for a cocktail when the day is done . Crusoe has a large following on the internet thanks to Mr Beauchesne's blog (www.celebritydachshund.com), where the four-year-old hound can be seen in a variety of amusing guises. Mr Beauchesne said: ‘I've always wanted to take Crusoe on a luxury holiday – this was his first trip sailing around the Bahamas. ‘Next year we are planning on taking him to Italy and Greece. And here's how I normally look: A rare disguise-free shot of Crusoe, as he 'mans' the deck . Land ahoy: Crusoe (and his owners) took a trip to one of the deserted islands in the Exuma archipelago . ‘I called him “Captain Crusoe” when he was acting as coxswain on the boat. 'When he wore the pirate outfit I buried a treasure chest full of squeaky toys for him to find in the sand.’ Mr Beauchesne, of Ottawa, Canada, took Crusoe on a sailing holiday in the Caribbean with his girlfriend Laurence Dionne, 24, and her family. These guys aren't even trying: Crusoe meets some of the island's wild pigs - who were notably disguise free . Strike a pose, there's nothing to it: Crusoe gives the camera his best side in this loveable beach shot . Mr Beauchesne, a web developer, has spent the last two years dressing the black and tan sausage dog in different hand-made costumes and posting the pictures on the internet. He has previously dressed Crusoe up in a scuba diving suit, a chef's outfit, a Batman suit, and a Wile E Coyote costume, complete with a rocket. He said: ‘The holiday was amazing and Crusoe loved it. He was very well behaved. As soon as we hit the beach he would explode with energy.’ One man and his dog (and his girlfriend): Ryan Beauchesne (left), is Crusoe's besotted - and inventive - owner . Mr Beauchesne and Crusoe also visited the famous Pig Beach, on an uninhabited island in the Exuma chain, which is home to several feral pigs. ‘When we arrived on the shore one of the biggest boars came up to us. Crusoe started barking and trying to go towards him, but we held him back and kept him in the dinghy. ‘Once Crusoe saw that the pigs were not a threat he calmed down. He was quite happy watching them and looking at the food they were eating. ‘He is a very curious dog.’ | Canadian dog owner Ryan Beauchesne dresses his pet in jaunty outfits .
Dachshund Crusoe sported range of outfits for on his recent holiday . |
231,385 | b7993ae76ee74d7e6f38bb80bde6cc0c85a3a44f | By . Simon Jones . Swansea have signed Ecuador winger Jefferson Montero on a four-year contract for £4m and are working on convincing Dimitri Payet to join from Marseille. Swansea have agreed a £6.7m fee with Marseille with 27-year-old winger Payet but he was waiting for other offers. New signing: Jefferson Montero has joined Swansea in a £4m deal after impressing for Ecuador at World Cup . The 24-year-old Montero joins from Mexican club Monarcas Morelia after passing a medical and agreeing terms. Montero played in all three of Ecuador's group games at the World Cup. He is Swansea boss Garry Monk’s fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Bafetimbi Gomis, Marvin Emnes and Stephen Kingsley. Talks: Swansea are keen to sign Ecuador wideman Jefferson Montero from Monarcas Morelia for £4million . Proven: The 24-year-old Montero (left) has scored eight goals in 41 appearances for Ecuador . Meanwhile, another player leaving the Liberty Stadium is Alejandro Pozuelo, 22, who is returning to Spain with Primera Division side Rayo Vallecano. | Ecuador winger Jefferson Montero signs four-year deal .
The 24-year-old played in all three of his country's World Cup matches .
Swans have agreed a £6.7m fee with Marseille for Dimitri Payet . |
187,126 | 7e56d4614c5df50ec89cf6a44b5e1a5a78daa0d0 | London (CNN) -- The salerooms of London were last week crammed with art and antiquities from across the Islamic world, as the city's auction houses celebrated "Islamic Week." A growing interest in work from the region saw records fall for centuries-old pieces and contemporary creations alike. Auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams and Baldwin's all held sales of Islamic artifacts, from ancient carvings to calligraphy, coins and carpets. The biggest record was set at Sotheby's Orientalist Sale, where Russian painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky's "View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus" sold for $5,215,556 last week -- far in excess of its pre-sale estimate of $1,943, 530. The work, completed in 1856 by Aivazovsky, who was official painter to the Russian admiralty, sparked a bidding war: a spokesman for the auctioneer said at least five would-be buyers had battled it out to own the piece. Last year, Sotheby's set a new record for the sale of an Islamic artwork when an illustrated folio from the Shahnameh -- an epic Persian poem composed around 1,000 years ago -- sold for $12.2 million. Claude Piening, head of Sotheby's Orientalist department, said his field -- works depicting Turkey and the Arab World -- "has enjoyed robust growth over the past 10 years ... because of new interest from North Africa and the Middle East." That time period has seen a "perfect storm" of art collectors in the Middle East, according to Antonia Carver, director of Dubai-based art fair Art Dubai. Leading the way have been Gulf states like Abu Dhabi and Qatar and cities such as Beirut and Cairo, she says. Sotheby's also saw a record price for a work by modern Turkish artist Nejad Melih Devrim, whose 1952 "Abstract Composition" went under the hammer for $1,191,017 -- almost three times its pre-sale estimate. See Also: Modern art boom in Turkey . At Christie's, the proceeds of one of several Islamic and Indian themed sales will go to Oxford University's Bodleian Library, to fund the creation of a research post in Sasanian (early Iranian) studies. Highlights of the "works on paper" auction, all of which came from a single private collection, included sought-after items of calligraphy, such as a "Mufradat" manuscript -- a work of exquisite calligraphy -- and several rare Qurans, as well as Indian miniatures and portraits. The sale raised more than $2.4 million. Baldwin's sale included coins minted in Mecca, a rare glass weight for measuring silver, and the "Magnus Princeps" bronze portrait medal of Ottoman sultan Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople in 1453. "Mehmed II overthrew the Byzantine empire," explained coin specialist Graham Byfield. "There are only two or three contemporary portraits of him in the world -- this is the earliest of them, and it is thought to be unique." | London's auction houses hosted a week of sales dedicated to art of the Islamic world .
Paintings, pottery, sculpture, carpets and coins went under the hammer .
Experts say market for art showing Arab world has grown substantially over past decade . |
87,845 | f9429e9729576bc5f489b841146d112726a8d903 | Devastated: Mick Jagger claimed to have suffered a stress disorder after the death of his partner L'Wren Scott (pictured together) One of Britain’s most senior doctors has hit out at colleagues who diagnose rape victims and ex-servicemen with post-traumatic stress disorder at the ‘drop of a hat’. Professor Dinesh Bhugra, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, suggests the condition is not a true mental illness but instead is being diagnosed as a result of the influence of ‘insurance firms and drug manufacturers’. He claims labelling patients with the term could delay recovery and worsen the problems. Famous sufferers are said to include singer Barbra Streisand, who developed symptoms including panic attacks and social anxiety after forgetting the words to one of her songs while performing in New York in the 1960s. More recently, Rolling Stone star Mick Jagger was claimed to have suffered a ‘traumatic stress disorder’ as a result of the suicide of his partner L’Wren Scott, leading to him postponing several tour dates. PTSD comprises a number of psychological symptoms resulting from a distressing, life-threatening event. They must occur for more than one month and include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, nightmares, sudden angry or irrational outbursts, an ability to remember parts of the traumatic event, and an avoidance of anything that reminds the sufferer of what happened. The term was coined in 1978 by the Vietnam Veterans Working Group, and is a more modern version of what was dubbed shell shock after the First World War. The new label is included in the latest edition the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual, published by the American Psychiatric Association – the most influential and widely used reference tool in psychiatry. Rather than being a cohesive, well-defined and meaningful condition such as depression, Prof Bhugra says that PTSD is merely a ‘cultural construct that is a reflection of the American healthcare system, which is dictated by insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies’. He adds: ‘In America, which gave birth both to the term PTSD and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, psychiatrists cannot be paid unless there is a diagnosis in the book, leading to a tendency to medicalise every condition.’ The vast array of triggers and degrees of severity are what has led Prof Bhugra – current president of the World Psychiatric Association – to doubt the diagnosis. ‘The term PTSD is being over-used. It is being applied loosely, and doctors are diagnosing it much more readily than they should – at the drop of a hat. People assume now that if you have a traumatic event you will get PTSD. People are looking for it. I think it is quite possible that giving a diagnosis like that would hinder recovery. Professor Dinesh Bhugra (pictured) suggests condition is not a true mental illness and believes it is being diagnosed due to the influence of ‘insurance firms and drug manufacturers’ ‘It may send the clinician in the wrong direction because it might be clinical depression or anxiety. The patient then gets given the wrong treatments, like psychotherapy, rather than antidepressants.’ Many argue that talking treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) help speed up recovery from PTSD. But Prof Bhugra, awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to psychiatry, is unconvinced. ‘Is CBT working because it’s tackling underlying depression? Or because it is the appropriate treatment for PTSD? We don’t know,’ he says. ‘Inevitably if you give people a label they behave according to the label. Receiving this diagnosis can reaffirm for the patient the idea that he or she remains traumatised and may therefore struggle to believe they will recover, which could become self-fulfilling.’ Prof Bhugra says he has never given a patient a diagnosis of PTSD, but does accept the distress and the existence of mental-health problems following trauma. ‘There’s no doubt some people become anxious and experience some of the symptoms described after a traumatic event, but PTSD is a ragbag of experiences, and the only symptom not otherwise described or included in other psychiatric diagnoses is flashbacks,’ he adds. The condition is most commonly associated with soldiers returning from conflict, but it has also been linked with victims of violent crime and even women who have extremely painful experiences while giving birth. Dr Walter Busuttil, director of medical services at Combat Stress, the organisation devoted to the mental health of returning troops, said: ‘As a diagnostic category, PTSD is useful as it determines the evidence-based treatment the patient will receive. These may not be delivered otherwise. However, labelling an individual with PTSD when it is not present can harm the patient. ‘At Combat Stress we are currently supporting more than 5,600 veterans seeking our help – of these three-quarters have a primary diagnosis of PTSD. Most have been exposed to multiple military-related psychological traumas, mainly involving combat. The diagnosis of PTSD at Combat Stress is made by a senior psychiatrist and psychologist using clinical assessment, as well as psychometric measurement. ‘Treatments are geared towards trauma-focused therapies, which are evidence-based and can reduce or altogether stop symptoms of PTSD and improve function.’ | Professor Dinesh Bhugra suggests condition is not a true mental illness .
Instead, he believes it is being diagnosed due to the influence of ‘insurance firms and drug manufacturers’
Says labelling patients with term could delay recovery and worsen issues .
Famous sufferers said to include singer Barbra Streisand and Mick Jagger . |
276,288 | f1f6d288049999a512e58dafd7c15e257cf0a522 | Shake up: Theresa May is particularly worried that there are major variations between forces in the number of searches that end in arrests . Police are wasting hundreds of thousands of hours stopping and searching people who have done nothing wrong, Theresa May will warn today. In a statement to MPs, the Home Secretary will promise to restrict the use of controversial ‘sus’ laws. Mrs May fears that, as well as devouring huge amounts of police time, overuse of the powers is harming community relations, with young black men seven times more likely to be targeted than whites. Last year police conducted 1.2million . stops and searches but only 9 per cent – 107,000 – ended in arrest, . leaving more than a million ‘pointless’ sus checks. In . some parts of the country, the figure is as low as 3 per cent, raising . huge question marks over whether the power is being used properly. Mrs May will tell MPs that conducting a search, then filling in the paperwork afterwards, takes an average of 16 minutes. Last year 312,000 hours were consumed in this way – the equivalent of 145 full-time officers doing nothing else. The number of hours spent on stops and searches that did not end in arrest was almost 300,000. Mrs May says that, in many cases, this represents a ‘dreadful waste of time’. The . Home Secretary will stress that the Government has no intention of . scrapping the power altogether because it is a vital tool in the fight . against crime. In London, it led to the arrest of 45,000 suspected criminals last year, many of them carrying drugs, guns and other weapons. Crackdown: Theresa May will tell MPs that the use of controversial 'sus' laws must be restricted to improve the use of police time and community relations . But she is launching a two-month consultation on how to restrict its use in future. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, which has been reviewing stop and search, is to help formulate a new regime. Proposals will then be published later this year for a major shake-up of the law. Mrs May is particularly worried that there are major variations between forces. In Cumbria, only three in every 100 stops ends in an arrest. This compares to 19 per cent in Kent, 17 per cent in Northumbria and 16 per cent in Cleveland and Sussex. Officials believe it is possible to slash the number of searches and still continue to cut crime and protect the public. In London, the Met has improved training and set a target of at least one in every five searches ending in an arrest or drugs warning. This figure has almost been achieved. In . the borough of Hackney, the ratio was more than 26 per cent. The number . of searches in the capital is down from 500,000 to 350,000. Selective: Young black men are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched by police officers than white people . There is significant concern in Whitehall that the power is being used too liberally, damaging community relations. A Home Office source said: ‘Stop and search is a really important power for the police in the fight against gangs, knife crime and drug offences. ‘But with only 9 per cent of the more than one million stop and search incidents leading to an arrest, and black and ethnic minority people up to seven times more likely to be searched than white people, we must face up to concerns about its use. ‘It needs to be used fairly, in a way that builds community confidence in the police rather than undermining it. 'And if it is being used too much or with the wrong people, then that is a dreadful waste of police time.’ | Young black men are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than a white person .
Home Secretary Theresa May fears that checks are damaging community relations .
1.2 million stops and searches carried out last year but only 107,000 resulted in arrests .
Conducting a search and filling in the necessary paperwork takes around 16 minutes . |
204,032 | 942135271f8c1225b22fdb6534ed8431b95e33a6 | By . Anna Hodgekiss . PUBLISHED: . 11:04 EST, 3 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:02 EST, 3 October 2013 . Between the two of them, they have divided political opinion the world over. But scientists say that British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and the late Lady Thatcher also had something else in common - the use of egotistical language during their respective periods in office. Dubbed Hubris syndrome, it has been suggested that a number of Prime Ministers may have developed the personality disorder - known as Hubris syndrome - while in power. British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and the late Lady Thatcher also had something else in common - the use of egotistical language during their respective periods in office - known as Hubris syndrome . Researchers at St George's, University of London have discovered that this personality change was reflected in both Blair's and Thatcher's use of language. Hubris, say the researchers, is commonly associated with a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities. It is characterised by a pattern of exuberant self-confidence, recklessness and contempt for others, and is most particularly recognised in subjects holding positions of significant power. Fourteen clinical symptoms of Hubris syndrome have been described. People who show at least three of these could be diagnosed with the disorder. Researchers at St George's, University of London, searched for evidence of some of these clinical features in the language used by three British Prime Ministers – Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and John Major – by examining transcribed samples of spoken language taken from Prime Minister's Questions. David Cameron . They thought that frequent use of certain words or phrases, such as 'sure', 'certain' and 'confident', the first person pronouns 'I' or 'me', references to God or history, might show up during 'hubristic' periods. They found that 'I' and 'me' and the word 'sure' were among the strongest positive correlations over time in Tony Blair's speech. Blair's use of the word 'important' also increased with time. Words and phrases that became more frequent with time in the speeches of Lady Thatcher and Tony Blair also included the phrase 'we shall', while phrases that included the word 'duties' diminished. The authors also found that language became more complex and less predictable during hubristic periods. For example, Lady Thatcher's language becomes more complex at the end of her term of office, when her decisions and judgements were opening deep divisions within her own party. The same happened to Tony Blair's speech during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. These linguistic patterns were not reflected in the language of John Major. The relative frequency of the word 'we' compared to 'I' was in fact higher throughout the terms of office of both Thatcher and Blair than at any point of Major's premiership. Additionally, the changes over time in words and phrases adopted by both Thatcher and Blair appeared to mirror the time course of hubristic behaviour. Dr Peter Garrard, the lead researcher, from St George's, University of London, said: 'Hubris . syndrome represents a radical change in a person's outlook, style and . attitude after they acquire positions of power or great influence. 'They . become obsessed with their self-image, excessively confident in their . own judgement and dismissive of others, often leading to rash, ill . thought-out decisions. 'In . other words, the acquisition of power can bring about a change in . personality: it is as if power, almost literally "goes to their head". 'This work shows us that language can reflect this highly characteristic personality change' The research is published in the journal Cortex. | Hubris is commonly .
associated with a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of .
one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities .
British researchers discovered that this personality change was reflected in both Blair's and Thatcher's use of language .
It is as if power, almost literally "goes to their head", they say . |
71,870 | cbbfe877e93400e2e8233fd4ed440a1c8b5c41e3 | It was the decade of Dynasty, Dallas, shoulder pads and excess in all forms. Big was beautiful, greed was good, and beauty was bold. Popular television series', films and music reflected the 1980s trend for beautiful people living extraordinary lives. And cult photographer Mario Casilli captured those mesmerising subjects at their best, defining forever the look of 80s pop culture through his soft focus lens. Joan Collins is the cover star of a new book dedicated to 1980s photographer Mario Casilli. She writes in the forword: 'Mario captured absolute glamour' Stars like Joan Collins adored him for making them look fabulous, and his amazing photography is now immortalised in a spectacular coffee table book. Joan, now 80, even wrote the foreword for the tome: 'I . don't think any photographer today has managed to capture a decade in . the way that Mario captured the absolute glamour and decadence in his . 1980s photographs.' As a young photographer working for Paul Hesse at his legendary . Sunset Strip photographic studios, Mario Casilli mixed with the biggest . names in Hollywood. His ease with high profile subjects and beautiful . women would come to define his career. Rebecca Holden in a fuchsia boiler suit and matching blusher with Knight Rider David Hasselhoff in 1983 . Dallas star Morgan Fairchild pictured in 1983 wearing a silver headpiece by Casilli . Between . 1957 and 1981 Casilli became one of the most prolific photographers for . Playboy magazine, shooting no fewer than 57 Playmates, countless other . pictorials and several covers. He even persuaded Barbara Streisand to pose in her underwear. The lensman was given key card #2 to Playboy's legendary chain of clubs; #1 being reserved for the magazine's boss, Hugh Hefner. During the 1980s Casilli began shooting the most high profile TV and music stars in America, capturing the excess, the glamour and decadence of the decade through its most flamboyant household names. The Golden Girls, pretty in pastel. L-R: Estelle Getty, Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan in 1985 . Country star Dolly Parton captured in one of her now-iconic outfits in 1987 . Hollywood Wives' Mary Crosby with bouffant hair, a liquid gunmetal dress and soft focus, shot in 1985 . The biggest shows on TV were to . define the decade. Shows making the cover of TV Guide would likely gain 3 . or 4 ratings points so portraits of the stars were big business. Casilli turned them into an art form and his soft focus, high-gloss vision would come to embody the 1980s American dream. From Moonlighting, Miami Vice, Knight Rider and Baywatch to Fresno and The Golden Girls, the master photographer turned his lens to popular culture and redefined it. Casilli's style was also a natural fit for rock and pop stars of the 1980 and the greatest musicians in the world queued up to be his subjects, including Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton and the Bee Gees. Mario passed away in 2001 at the age of 71. Now his work is being published as a collection for the first time by Reel Art Press. Mario Casilli by Tony Nourmand & Peter Doggett, £29.95, is published by Reel Art Press . Singer and actress Barbra Streisand pictured perching on a radiator in 1982 . Moonlighting's Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in 1985 . Oprah Winfrey rocking a black and yellow sequin jacket - with pointy shoulder pads - in March 1989 . Partners in Crime's Loni Anderson in lilac and pearls (and a LOT of make-up) in 1984 . Joan Collins and Linda Evans of Dynasty working dramatic full make up, lots of jewels and tomato red . Knots Landing's Joan Van Ark in a liquid gold cape and leopard-print bikini, in 1987 . Dallas's Larry Hagman in a cowboy hat and suit and Linda Gray in a ruffled, shoulder-padded frock in 1984 . Miami Vice's Philip Michael Thomas and Don Johnson in garish, pink shiny suits, circa 1984, by Mario Casilli . | Playboy's Mario, from Ohio, shot 80s stars as well as Playmates .
New self-titled book features cast shots of 80's most famous TV shows .
Musicians and movie stars also feature in £24.95 coffee-table read .
Photographer died aged 71 in 2002 . |
49,859 | 8cf7023053fa7e9cf32a85657a8ba3518f5b3023 | By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 26 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 13:08 EST, 26 February 2014 . Police spent more than four hours besieging a house in an armed stand-off before realising that it had been empty all along. Dozens of firearms officers, police dogs and a trained negotiator surrounded the building in Plymouth, Devon yesterday afternoon after reports of a man wielding a knife. They cordoned off the quiet cul-de-sac and stopped neighbours from going into their homes. Stand-off: Firearms officers spent more than four hours besieging an empty house in Plymouth, Devon . But after several hours, the suspect was found in a supermarket car park a mile away, and officer quickly left the scene. The siege began at 2.30pm yesterday when Devon and Cornwall Police received reports that a gas worker had been threatened with a large knife. The victim fled in his van as armed officers with shields and body armour flooded the residential street. Neighbours were ordered to stay behind a cordon as the marksmen took up positions outside the house where they believed the knifeman was hiding. Siege: There were reports of a man with a knife but it later emerged that he was not inside the house . Locals counted more than a dozen police cars and vans and two ambulances lining the leafy road throughout the course of the siege. But at 7pm, the police packed up and left when they heard that the suspect had been arrested a mile away. Local resident Hollie Wright said: 'We came back at about 3.30pm and the police were here already. There were armed police all around the street and the streets behind. 'I was speaking to the lady who lives next door to him and she hadn't been able to get back in for four hours.' Hasty retreat: Police left the quiet cul-de-sac when the suspect was arrested a mile away . A police spokesman said officers had not known whether or not the suspect was inside the house. She said: 'We were called to an address on Yewdale Gardens yesterday with reports of a man in possession of a knife and threatening another man outside the property. The victim left the area uninjured and alerted police. 'A 41-year-old from Plymouth was arrested in the ASDA supermarket car park on suspicion of affray and possession of a bladed article and remains in custody in Plymouth.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Dozens of armed officers swooped on quiet cul-de-sac in Plymouth, Devon .
There were reports of man with a knife but he had already left the property .
Police left after four and a half hours when he was arrested a mile away . |
54,209 | 9996bff50da5846d57e2957e34601e4832996bda | By . Jason Groves . PUBLISHED: . 12:08 EST, 15 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:57 EST, 16 November 2012 . Britain could be forced to contribute to its own EU rebate under ‘unacceptable’ new Brussels plans, which would cost the UK more than £800 million a year. European Commission President Herman van Rompuy unveiled the extraordinary proposal yesterday, as he outlined his latest plans for the next seven-year EU budget. Mr van Rompuy initially suggested that the UK could keep the £3.2 billion-a-year rebate famously secured by Margaret Thatcher. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy's plan to dramatically cut Britain's EU rebate is likely to anger David Cameron . An EU diplomat said there was an acceptance among negotiators that ending Britain’s rebate would scupper any chance of a deal, adding: ‘People realise that no British prime minister can go back to the House of Commons and defend having given up the rebate.’ But detailed proposals revealed that Britain would be expected to contribute to its own rebate in future. Officials refused to say how much money would be involved. But if the payment is made at the UK’s standard 13 per cent EU contribution, it would cost £416 million a year, or almost £3 billion over the seven-year period. However, according to new documents the EU president wants to go even further and impose a 25 per cent cut for 2014 to 2020, costing a total of £5.6 billion. British Government sources last night insisted that the rebate - which was watered down by Tony Blair - was ‘non-negotiable’. A senior source also rejected a ‘compromise’ budget proposal which would see funding for the EU rise by more than the rate of inflation. David Cameron has indicated he will veto anything that goes beyond a real-terms freeze when the budget negotiations begin in Brussels later this month. ‘Our position is extremely clear,’ the source said. ‘The Prime Minister has said he wants a budget freeze at worst and, with his veto last year, he has demonstrated he is serious about this.’ MPs voted earlier this month for the EU budget to be cut. In 1984 the then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher secured the rebate by banging the table and demanding 'our own money back' Tory MP Mark Reckless described Mr van Rompuy’s proposals as ‘ludicrous’. Mr Reckless said: ‘A rebate that we . have to pay for ourselves is not a rebate. It is a complete non-starter . and suggests that they are not serious about achieving a deal - it is . just unacceptable. ‘There has been a parting of the ways . between the EU leadership and the British people, and the gap is now so . wide it is hard to see how a deal can be done.’ Mr van Rompuy’s lastest proposals represent a modest reduction in the original one trillion euros (£800 billion) demanded by Brussels. But a real terms freeze would require a cut of up to £160 billion in the plans - much further than Mr van Rompuy is willing to go. British sources believe a deal is possible on a budget freeze this month, but unlikely. ‘A freeze is possible, but the landing pad is the size of a postage stamp and it’s covered in trip wires,’ a source said.’ Officials believe it is more likely that this month’s summit will result in a stand-off, with a decision delayed until next year. Sources in Brussels have suggested the summit could even be cancelled to allow Mr van Rompuy to save face. Britain owes it EU rebate to Margaret Thatcher’s famously tough negotiating stance in Europe. In 1984 the then Prime Minister secured the rebate by banging the table and demanding ‘our own money back’ during a summit with European leaders in Fontainebleau, in France. When she threatened to withhold Britain’s annual payments to Brussels, fellow EU leaders eventually caved in. In the intervening years the deal has been worth tens of billions of pounds to Britain.Tony Blair gave away a large chunk of the rebate during negotiations on the last seven-year budget deal. | European Commission President Herman van Rompuy unveils plan to slash Britain's rebate over seven years .
Extraordinary proposal could cost the UK £800million-a-year .
It would threaten the £3.2billion rebate famously secured by Margaret Thatcher in 1984 . |
279,569 | f62b361b2071ae4c7eba85ead9b77c61c81d6009 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Different reality: Andrew Firestone married Ivana Bozilovic in 2008. The couple has two children . As he appears to leave reality TV behind him, former Bachelor star Andrew Firestone is now looking to politics - and handing a rose to Mitt Romney. Firestone, 37, of Santa Barbara, has latched on to the California delegation that will formally nominate Romney as the Republican candidate for president on Tuesday. Attending the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Firestone says that he’s hoping Romney will present solutions for the issues affecting America. He told the Sacramento Bee: ‘I don't think anybody denies that this country is going in the wrong direction and we want a plan. Firestone, now a married father of two, says he has come to Tampa hoping Romney will motivate Republicans. He said: 'We want a direct idea of how it's going to be put into place to get us going in the right direction. Firestone added: 'Politics are participatory and not just by the elected officials but by the private sector as well and being able to have their voice heard and being able to participate in the process.' The winery owner says he likens the rigors of the campaign trail to competing in a dating reality show, but says there is one key difference. He told the Bee: 'I think probably the difference between politics and 'The Bachelor' is the fact that the candidates I think in 'The Bachelor' are a lot better looking.' Backing: Firestone is attending the Republican National Convention in Tampa, where Mitt Romney is expected to be formally nominated on Wednesday . He added: 'But probably just as stressful as well.' Contestant: Firestone took part in the third series of The Bachelor in April 2003, when he courted 25 women . Firestone is not the first of his namesake to enter the Republican fray. His dad, former Assemblyman Brooks Firestone, was an avid supporter of Bob Dole, who ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Bill Clinton from the White House in 1996, according to KEYT. Firestone took part in the third series of ABC show The Bachelor in April 2003, when he courted 25 women. He eventually picked Jen Schefft and proposed to her, but they split that December. Firestone went on to marry actress and model Ivana Bozilovic in 2008. The couple has two children. Post-Bachelor, Firestone has also appeared on such TV shows as Iron Chef America, Celebrity Poker Showdown, and Celebrity Paranormal Project. His grandfather, Harvey Firestone, is the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. | Firestone comes to Florida in first appearance as a political delegate .
Son of former Assemblyman Brooks Firestone, an avid supporter of Bob Dole when he ran for president in 1996 .
Grandson of Harvey Firestone, the co-founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber company . |
233,418 | ba2b22fdbb83b495ee31d7df46493fb95f5d69ca | (CNN) -- A house fire in Queens that killed two 4-year-old siblings Sunday was a result of a child or children playing with fire, a Fire Department of New York spokesman said. The early morning fire was ruled accidental, the result of "child involvement with fire play," and the fire department was still investigating which occupants were involved in playing with the fire, according to department spokesman Khalid Baylor. Five people were rescued from the blaze, Baylor said. The fire began in the basement, officials said. Aniya Tinglin and her brother Jai'Launi, both 4, were taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where they died, according to the authorities. Another 4-year-old girl was taken to the same hospital and is in stable condition, said Baylor. The two children who died were half-siblings who shared a father, and the girl who survived was Jai'Launi's twin sister, CNN affiliate WABC reported. A 55-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man were taken to two area hospitals, where they are listed in critical but stable condition. Barbara Smith, a friend of the family, spoke with WABC on Sunday morning and said the family is from Jamaica and that the children were visiting. "I was shocked. Shocked and frightened. Because it could happen to anyone," said Smith. CNN's Morgan Winsor contributed to this report. | Siblings died in blaze that broke out around midnight Saturday, fire official says .
Five people were rescued from the fire, New York City fire department spokesman says .
One 4-year-old girl was taken to a hospital, where she is in stable condition .
Fire official say the fire was accidental, the result of "child involvement with fire play" |
229,391 | b50b0bebe9e1027dcc2277d99248988aac1bc2a2 | Greece legend Giorgos Karagounis has agreed a deal to become part of the Claudio Ranieri's coaching staff with the national side. The former Fulham midfielder has been without a club since being released by the Cottagers at the end of last season. Karagounis, 37, was part of the Greece side that won the European Championships in 2004. Greece legend Giorgos Karagounis has joined Claudio Ranieri's coaching staff . Giorgos Karagounis recently issued a come-and-get-me plea to his former club Fulham . And the ex-Panathinaikos, Inter Milan and Benfica star will be hoping he can inspire the next generation of players during their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. They suffered defeat in their Group F opener against Romania earlier this month and will look to get back on track when they host Northern Ireland in October. Karagounis called time on his international career after the World Cup but it remains unclear whether he plans to continue playing. He recently expressed an interest in rejoining Fulham following Felix Magath's dismissal. Giorgos Karagounis called time on his international career following this summer's World Cup . | Greek legend lends a hand to Ranieri for Euro 2016 qualifying campaign .
Karagounis called time on his international career after the World Cup .
Experience midfielder recently declared interest in rejoining Fulham . |
30,576 | 56f1ffdb46e0b26da06a117ab41480ff254c39ba | By . John Hall . PUBLISHED: . 09:37 EST, 13 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 16:06 EST, 13 January 2014 . A young mother has been been found guilty of slitting the throat of Ground Force star Tommy Walsh's daughter, in a verdict described as ‘satisfying’ by the celebrity builder. Leanne Bloomfield, 28, was convicted of wounding with intent after she used a shard of glass to slash Natalie Walsh, 22, upwards from her neck to her chin at Cafe De Paris near Leicester Square in central London. The mother-of-two attacked Ms Walsh with such ferocity on February 4 last year that the student required plastic surgery and therapy to get over the assault. Wounding with intent: Tommy Walsh's daughter Natalie (left) was attacked by Leanne Bloomfield, 28, (right). Bloomfield was today found guilty of slitting Ms Walsh's throat with a shard of glass . Natalie Walsh was left with a deep two-inch gash on her neck after being attacked with a shard of glass by Leanne Bloomfield at Cafe De Paris near Leicester Square in central London . After the verdict, Mr Walsh, who was in court with his wife and son, condemned the defendant’s 'laddish' behaviour during the assault on February 3. The celebrity builder, who became famous in the BBC’s gardening show Ground Force with Charlie Dimmock, said his daughter, who was not in court today, had undergone plastic surgery and therapy following the attack. During the trial, Southwark Crown Court heard how Bloomfield pulled Miss Walsh's hair back before attacking her at the cabaret club, favoured by stars from Made In Chelsea and TOWIE. She also kicked the 22-year-old, as she lay on the ground, and later texted a friend to say she'd had a 'massive punch up with some girl', adding: 'ha ha, b****, she got me good in the nose through'. Bloomfield allegedly went on to say: 'Me and my sister did a number on her, she was in a heap. They didn't catch me, ha ha.' But she was caught because her Santander bank card had fallen into Ms Walsh's bag after their belongings spilled onto the floor during the row. Ms Walsh also suffered a 'nasty cut' to her thumb, and needed an operation for a severed tendon, as well as treatment for the cut to her throat. The attack took place at London's Café de Paris, a nightclub and cabaret favoured by celebrities . Celebrity builder Tommy Walsh (left), who became famous in the BBC's gardening show Ground Force with Charlie Dimmock (right), said he was 'satisfied' that justice had been done following his daughter's attack . Leanne Bloomfield attacked Natalie Walsh with such ferocity that the student required plastic surgery . Speaking about the verdict, Mr Walsh said: 'Pleased isn’t the right word. Satisfied...There are no winners in this. The only winner is justice has been seen to be done.' He . added: 'It was really tough but we are a really close knit family... We . can move on. We've no interest in what happens from here.' Mr Walsh said Broomfield 'didn’t appear remorseful or contrite' following the attack. 'She has two children. You should think about your behaviour before you go and behave drunkenly or laddishly,' he added. Mr Walsh said his daughter had achieved a first in her medicine degree at Kings University in central London despite deferring her final exams after the attack. After the verdict was read out, Broomfield, from Colchester in Essex, turned to the jury and said: 'I didn’t do it', before breaking down in tears. As she continued to protest her innocence, Judge Peter Susman QC told the defendant 'please be quiet'. He adjourned sentencing to February 7, adding he had 'no choice but to impose a prison sentence' but granting bail until that point. He said: 'You must make arrangements for your children’s welfare on the basis you are going to prison.' The court heard that Broomfield had previously been cautioned by police in August 2004 for common assault after a fight with a woman in a street. | Leanne Bloomfield, 28, found guilty of attack at London celebrity nightclub .
Tommy Walsh's daughter Natalie, 22, had throat slit with a shard of glass .
The student was left with a deep, two-inch long gash close to her windpipe .
After attack, Bloomfield texted friend saying: 'They didn't catch me, ha ha'
She was today found guilty of wounding with intent following four day trial .
Ground Force star Walsh said he is 'satisfied' with Bloomfield's conviction . |
138,116 | 3ea12309988a8fdcf6f505a035c77111b420d882 | By . Joshua Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 00:46 EST, 22 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:01 EST, 22 April 2013 . Does the man who took one of the steepest, most public falls from grace in recent sports history have a new career path in the works? Possibly, but judging from his trepidation about playing the drums for an Austin, Texas audience of 10,000 people, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong won’t be moving on to the music world any time soon. The founder of the Livestrong Foundation took to Twitter to tell what fans he has left what it felt like to play the drums at a recent reggae festival in his hometown. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . New gig? Lance Armstrong may have gotten a new job, for one night anyway, when he played drums for a reggae group in Austin, Texas . ‘Helluva good time sitting in with @LanceHerbstrong 2night @AustinReggae,’ Armstrong tweeted April 20. To clarify, Armstrong shared the stage that night with a reggae group that cribbed its name from the former Tour de France champ, known as Lance Herbstrong. ‘Drumming in front of 10,000 peeps had me more than a little freaked,’ he went on to tell his nearly 4 million followers. The New York Daily News reports Armstrong played four songs with the playfully named group, including Musical Youth's 1982 hit ‘Pass the Dutchie.’ Armstrong’s dance card, or drum card, . rather, is likely quite empty these days compared to the hectic schedule . he once kept as a successful businessman and the world’s foremost . cyclist. Once a common . sight on magazine covers and the Hollywood social scene, the cancer . survivor has kept a low profile since his tell-all interview with Oprah . Winfrey last January in which he admitted to using performance enhancing . drugs to help him win all seven of his Tour de France championships. Nervous: Armstrong appeared jittery before his performance to a crowd of 10,000 and tweeted his apprehensions . Relief: Before long, though, the fallen champion looked very comfortable in his unlikely new role . Since then, the former athlete’s name has mainly been tied to negative media headlines. Facing several multi-million dollar lawsuits, many speculated Armstrong’s April sale of his 7,850-square-foot mansion in Austin was at least partially a bid to defer mounting legal costs. Also this month, Armstrong, who is banned for life from competing in any Olympic sport, was preparing to race in a swimming competition that did not test its entrants for performance enhancing drugs. Upon learning of Armstrong’s intention, the International Swimming Federation banned him from the event and from all future events that lay within their purview. Competitive sports, it seems, are not likely to be part of Armstrong’s future. So, perhaps a new life as a reggae drummer is a smart choice for Armstrong, if a rather odd one. | The disgraced athlete played drums on four songs at an April 20 Austin reggae festival with a group called Lance Herbstrong . |
267,577 | e68755cd71cf42ad6d353f43fa385e7a7984830a | By . Sadie Whitelocks . PUBLISHED: . 13:56 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:35 EST, 9 December 2013 . With a mustache and fine crop of hair, Today show host Lester Holt looks completely different twenty-something years ago compared to his current self. The 54-year-old, father-of-two joined colleagues in sharing intimate throwback family photos to mark Jenna Wolfe's return from maternity leave this weekend. He said that he can hardly believe where the time has gone and it only feels like yesterday when he was rocking his two sons, now in their twenties, 'with one hand'. Scroll down for video . Throwback: Lester Holt, 54, said he can't believe where the time has gone and it only feels like yesterday when he was rocking his two sons, now in their twenties, 'with one hand' In one picture shown to viewers, he appears in a hospital gown affectionately cradling one of his children as a baby. Another sees him with his both of his offspring, aged around three years old, each planting a kiss on his cheeks. Fast-forwarding two decades or so, a recent shot shows the 6ft 2in TV anchor matched in height by his eldest son, Cameron. He said: 'The one thing Jenna will find out . and everybody says this to new parents, "Oh, it happens so fast. They'll . grow up before you know it." [Well], trust me, it does.' NBC correspondent Natalie Morales, 41, shared a picture of her in a hospital bed following the birth of one her two sons. Daddy cool: With a mustache and fine crop of hair the Today show host looks completely different twenty-something years ago compared to his current self . They grow so fast: A recent shot shows the 6ft 2in TV anchor matched in height by his eldest, Cameron . Offering 39-year-old Ms Wolfe words of encouragement and support, she said: 'Take it day-by-day and when you go home make sure you give your little one an even bigger hug. 'The great thing Jenna is that you don't . have to . worry. There is a lot of us who have been there, done that, We'll help . guide you through it. We'll hold your hand every step of the way.' Erica . Hill, 37, also a mother of two boys, put forward a photograph of her at . hospital after giving birth to Sawyer in March 2010. Her older son, Weston, is seen peering inquisitively at his new little brother. Welcome back: Jenna Wolfe (right) pictured with her partner Stephanie Gosk and their daughter Harper Estelle returned to the Today show this weekend after three months of maternity leave . She said the best advice she received after becoming a mother for the first time, was to 'focus on the task at hand.' 'If . you're at work, focus on work and when you're with your baby focus on . her,' she recommended to Ms Wolfe, who gave birth to a baby girl named Harper Estelle on August 21. 'The more you can focus on the . positive in every situation, the better every situation is. even when . you're traveling, think of it as a chance to sleep late more. When . you're at home, think about it as much time with Harper. Glowing: NBC correspondent Natalie Morales, 41, shared a picture of her in a hospital bed following the birth of one her two sons . Pearls of wisdom: Offering 39-year-old Ms Wolfe words of encouragement and support, she said: 'Take it day-by-day and when you go home make sure you give your little one an even bigger hug' 'Then when you're back at work, think how excited you are to hang out with us again.' 'I think what Harper is going to see . is we are two women who are, although very focused on our careers and . passionate about them, are also very passionate about her and care about . her and that she's the priority. For her to be able to see that, I think is . great ' Jenna Bush Hager, 32, who became a . mother for the first time in April, recalled that she was 'ready' to get . back to the studios after four months off but missed being with her . 'babe 24 hours a day'. Flashback: Erica Hill, 37, also a mother of two boys, put forward a photograph of her at hospital after giving birth to Sawyer in March 2010 - her older son, Weston, is seen peering inquisitively at his new little brother . Finding a work-life balance: She said the best advice she received after becoming a mother for the first time, was to 'focus on the task at hand' She . says that bath time is the perfect opportunity for mother-baby bonding . after a long day at work and when she's away traveling she gets her . husband to send videos of their daughter Mila 'every night'. Ms . Wolfe's partner, Stephanie Gosk, who returned to work shortly after the . birth of their child, also admitted that it . wasn't an easy transition. 'It's tough. You get used to that non- stop time with the baby and the connection you make. 'When you come to work, it's a huge chunk of your day where you're not with her, and it's tough.' New mom: Jenna Wolfe and baby Harper Estelle in their first snap together, taken by partner Stephanie Gosk. The pair have said they are 'madly in love' with the newborn . Small wonder: Ms Wolfe herself updated her Twitter feed with a close-up shot of the newborn's face. She said in the caption that she was 'speechless' But she added that 'ambition' is an important quality to instill in a child. On returning to work this Staurday, Ms Wolfe tweeted that it felt 'good to be back'. She then proceeded to upload photos of herself reunited with her co-workers on set. One snap shows her doing a handstand, revealing her athletic post-baby physique. One fan commentated: 'Nice strength and post baby bod[y]! Good to have you back.' Bouncing back: Ms Wolfe uploaded this Twitter picture on December 8, marking her return to work . Working mom: Ms Wolfe (left) captioned this picture 'good to be back' as she was reunited with her colleagues . Ms Wolfe announced her pregnancy live on the Today show in March - at the same time as coming out and revealing she was engaged to her long-term partner Ms Gore. After undergoing artificial insemination with an anonymous donor, and she detailed the steps of her pregnancy journey on a Today show blog. Of the couple's decision to have a baby, Ms Wolfe wrote in March: 'Between the two of us, we've seen and we've done more than most will in a lifetime. Almost time: As Ms Wolfe prepared to go on eight weeks' maternity leave her fellow Today show hosts gave her their blessings in a heartfelt send-off . A new woman: 'This might change me so brace yourself,' warned the anchor, who is known for her athleticism and tweeted this before-and-after photo when she was eight months along . 'And yet both of us agree that THIS little girl will be the biggest and best adventure of our lives.' Harper Estelle Wolfeld Gosk arrived at 7.31pm on August 21, weighing 7lbs 13oz. Ms Wolfe and Ms Gosk said at the time that they were 'madly in love' with the newborn. In a series of Twitter posts, they uploaded photos, and thanked well-wishers for all their kind words. | The 54-year-old joined colleagues in sharing memories of parenthood to mark Jenna Wolfe's return from maternity leave this weekend .
Ms Wolfe and her partner Stephanie Gosk welcomed a baby girl in August 2 . |
187,073 | 7e45a0f68ba9a3c1850a01ff4e8298ce3578b72c | By . Laura Cox . The BBC has admitted programmes aired before the 9pm watershed are not always suitable for children. Under the corporation’s guidelines, programmes containing adult material such as nudity, swearing and violence should not be shown before this boundary. But the corporation’s governing body has now confessed, for what appears to be the first time, that not all programming shown an hour before the watershed is suitable for younger children - prompting experts to warn that this could signal the end of the 9pm threshold. Claim: Viewers of the popular soap Holby City, on at 8pm, 'would not have found the swearing unacceptable' The unexpected and damning admission was made by the BBC Trust following criticism from a viewer about sexually explicit swearing during the long-running and popular soap Holby City which is aired at 8pm. Rejecting the complaint that it was inappropriate for such language to be used before the watershed, the trust’s Editorial Standards Committee said in a report released yesterday that ‘regular viewers of this drama serial would not have found the use of the word ‘s***ging’ or the phrase ‘cut his b**** off’ unacceptable.’ It added: ‘Holby City starts an hour before the watershed, when viewers are aware that not all programming is suitable for younger children. ‘Parents and carers share responsibility with the broadcaster to decide what is suitable for children to view.’ The decision was made despite the BBC’s own editorial guidelines stating that programmes shown between 5.30am and 9pm must be suitable for children. Responding to the decision, Vivienne Pattison, of campaign group Media Watch, described the revelation as ‘shocking’ and ‘incredible’, while Miranda Suit, co-chair of charity Safermedia, warned that continual breaches of the watershed in this way would lead to a ‘public outcry’. Report: The unexpected and damning admission was made by the BBC Trust following criticism from a viewer about sexually explicit swearing during the long-running and popular soap Holby City which is aired at 8pm . Miss Pattison, 44, said the BBC Trust’s decision not to uphold the complaint meant parents could no longer trust that their children are safe from explicit material. The mother-of-two said: '’I’m really shocked that they have done this. According to their own broadcasting code the 9pm watershed signals the beginning of the transition towards more adult material so by this reckoning, what is it? 'I’m really shocked that they have done this. According to their own broadcasting code the 9pm watershed signals the beginning of the transition towards more adult material so by this reckoning, what is it?' Vivienne Pattison, Media Watch . 'Eight o’clock? Half past seven? Is that the beginning of the transition?’ Holby City, a BAFTA award-winning medical drama, is broadcast weekly on BBC 1 at 8pm. Offence was caused to a viewer during an episode aired in September last year which was watched by 4.66 million people, including about 186,000 children. During the programme a registrar says to a nurse: ‘You’re just s***ging her [referring to a consultant]. Actually forming a functioning relationship with a woman is like picking through a minefield.’ Later in the episode the consultant advises the registrar to ‘remind him that you have the power to cut his b**** off’ after a radiologist delays a patient’s X-Ray. The complainant, who has not been named, took offence to ‘such appallingly sexually explicit language’ and he contacted the BBC querying whether the language used in the programme would have been acceptable if it had been used by a schoolteacher. He stated: ‘I contend that parents and carers do not have dual standards and they expect high standards from their schools and their BBC.’ Appropriate viewing? The decision was made despite the BBC's own editorial guidelines stating that programmes shown between 5.30am and 9pm must be suitable for children (file picture) The Trust admitted there was ‘some sensitivity’ to the use of the word ‘s**g’ in pre-watershed viewing and referred to previous complaints from viewers. It also noted that some viewers may find the use of these particular words ‘offensive’ but said the language was fitting given the context of the scene and the ‘animosity’ between the two characters on the show. However, the Trust, which acts as the final arbiter of appeals within the corporation, concluded the programme had not breached guidelines. 'There are so many tens of thousands of parents who actually consider that the watershed is really helping them protect their children' Miranda Suit, Safermedia . Miss Pattison argued parents used the watershed as a guide to know what is and is not suitable for their children to watch. She said: ‘I’ve never seen Holby City but does that mean I cannot expect that my first time of watching it to be suitable for pre-watershed broadcast? It must be because it’s broadcast before nine o’clock.’ Mrs Suit, 59, whose charity is working to protect children from media harm, added: ‘There are so many tens of thousands of parents who actually consider that the watershed is really helping them protect their children. 'But if we’re going to see broadcasters themselves undermining that protection then I think we’ll have a real outcry.’ The complaint is not the first time that questions have been raised over the BBC and swearing. In 2009 viewers told a TV standards investigation that they were fed up with bad language. Under the new regime suggested, ironically, by the BBC Trust, the most offensive words will almost always be bleeped out or cut for another hour after the 9pm watershed on BBC 1. | Admission made by BBC Trust after criticism over 8pm show Holby City .
Viewer had complained about sexually explicit swearing during the soap .
Trust: Regular viewers wouldn't have found word 's***ging' unacceptable .
Vivienne Pattison of Media Watch says this is 'shocking' and 'incredible' |
127,446 | 30b900afa92960dafe5079c5b5c82ec76e294400 | By . Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 09:01 EST, 1 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:34 EST, 1 May 2012 . A judge rejected shamed former IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s claim for diplomatic immunity, saying the defence was a ‘Hail Mary' pass. Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon wrote in his decision that ‘his voluntary resignation from the IMF terminated any immunity which he enjoyed. ‘Mr Strauss-Kahn threw (legally speaking, that is) his own version of a Hail Mary pass,’ he wrote. Hail Mary: A judge has rejected DSK's request for immunity, calling it a 'Hail Mary' pass. The former IMF chief, pictured in Manhattan Criminal Court last May . Judge McKeon said that as soon as Strauss-Kahn willingly resigned as the chief of IMF, he surrendered any immunity he had. The judge heard arguments in March on the civil case that emerged from the May 2011 hotel-room encounter that also spurred now-dismissed criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn, then a French presidential contender. The episode was the first in a series of allegations about the sexual conduct that sank his political career. Ms Diallo's lawyers issued a statement calling the ruling 'well-reasoned and articulate.' 'We have said all along that Strauss Kahn's desperate plea for immunity was a tactic designed to delay these proceedings and we now look forward to holding him accountable for the brutal sexual assault that he committed,' they wrote. Strauss-Kahn's attorneys had no immediate comment on the ruling. Accused: DSK was accused of raping a maid at the Sofitel Hotel in Midtown Manhattan . Accuser: Nafissatou Diallo (seen in August 2011) claimed DSK tried to rape her in May 2011 when she entered his suite to clean his room . He has been weighing whether or not to allow the lawsuit to go forward. The housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, 33, said Strauss-Kahn, 63, tried to rape her when she arrived to clean his suite at the posh Sofitel Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter.Prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last summer, saying they had developed doubts about her trustworthiness because she had lied about her background and her actions right after the alleged attack. She has insisted she told the truth about what happened in the encounter itself. Out to lunch: DSK was seen in Paris last month getting a bite to eat . Strauss-Kahn didn't assert immunity from the criminal prosecution, and he resigned his IMF job days after his arrest. But his lawyers argued he should be immune from the lawsuit, which was filed about three months later. They say his job title afforded him the luxury under international rules. But Ms Diallo's lawyers said the immunity claim is off base. They stressed that an IMF spokesman said shortly after Strauss-Kahn's arrest that he didn't have immunity because he was on personal business during his encounter with Ms Diallo. Strauss-Kahn was visiting his daughter in New York. The Associated Press generally doesn't name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Ms Diallo has done. After Strauss-Kahn's arrest in New York, a French writer came forward to say Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her during a 2003 interview. Faithful: Anne Sinclair has stayed by her husband's side throughout the accusations and criminal trial; she is seen next to Strauss-Kahn for a criminal hearing last June . Paris prosecutors said that accusation was too old to try, but French authorities have pursued an unrelated allegation that he was involved in a hotel prostitution ring including prominent city figures and police in Lille. In March, he was handed preliminary charges, which mean authorities have reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for investigation. His French lawyer said the married Strauss-Kahn engaged in 'libertine' acts but did nothing legally wrong and is being unfairly targeted for his extramarital sex life. | Bronx judge ruled today that DSK gave up any immunity when he voluntarily resigned from IMF position .
Also called DSK's claim for diplomatic immunity a 'Hail Mary' pass . |
204,936 | 955085691c8763ab2c3c6f3dff21104c6962f12f | One pregnant woman in labor from Illinois knew she wasn't going to be able to make it in the hospital in time so she delivered the baby all by herself as her husband drove them to the nearest hospital. Beth Farina was on her way with her husband Trevor to Sherman Hospital on Tuesday when she started going into labor. She said she could feel the baby coming when they were at least a mile away from the emergency room. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Beth Farina delivered her own baby while her husband drove her to the hospital . Baby Tobias is in great health and Beth says she'll have a story to tell him once he gets older . 'When we got on the Tollway, I knew we were not going to make it to the hospital. I was like, "This baby is coming, you better drive faster,"' Beth Farina told NBC. Beth, who is studying to be a nurse, was able to successfully deliver her third child Tobias when she was in a moving car on the way the hospital. 'She told me she feels like we need to push, and I said, 'The best I can do right now is pull over and call 911,' and she told me to keep going,' Trevor Farina told reporters. Farina says that during labor she was on the phone with 911 who gave her instructions following the birth of her baby boy. 'I waited for the next contraction, pushed him out, pulled him up onto my chest,' said Beth. Beth's husband said he couldn't do much else but drive his wife to the hospital as she delivered her own child . Beth's given birth twice before and credits the successful delivery of her son with the experience she's gained as a mother . 'My husband was on the phone with 911 and they said, "Do you have something to wrap him in?" We found something to wrap him in and wrapped him up,' said Beth. Beth Farina started having contractions on Monday night but she and her family went down to the basement after Chicago announced tornado warnings. Trevor fell asleep after the storm but his wife Beth was wide awake and about to give birth in less than ideal circumstances. Farina was in labor for five hours and having given birth two times before she thought her third delivery would be smooth sailing. As Beth was being driven to the hospital by her husband she knew she wasn't going to make it in time. Since Farina is getting her certification to be a nurse and a midwife she was able to handle delivering even though she was a mile away from the hospital. 'It wasn't planned, but I'm glad it happened the way it did, because it will be a story for the rest of our lives,' she said. Beth Farina modeled her pregnant stomach 6 weeks before her amazing self-delivery . Beth Farina is pictured here with her husband Trevor and her two other sons . | Beth Farina was on her way with her husband Trevor to Sherman Hospital on Tuesday when she started going into labor just a mile away .
Beth, who is studying to be a nurse and midwife, was .
able to successfully deliver her third child Tobias .
Beth started having contractions the night before but was taking cover in the basement when Chicago issued tornado warnings . |
46,326 | 828cb06cd8554b9ba2e18219326d9f0d45268e47 | (CNN) -- Philippines Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III announced he will run for president Wednesday, a month after the death of his late mother, the popular former President Corazon Aquino. Philippines Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III announce his candidacy in Manila on September 9. "I'm accepting the challenge to lead this fight," said Noynoy Aquino, the state-run Philippines News Agency (PNA) reported. Aquino, 49, is the only son of Corazon Aquino, who died on August 1, and the late Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, a senator who opposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos and was assassinated in 1983 on returning home from exile in the United States. Noynoy Aquino said his mother's supporters had urged him to make a run for the presidency in next May's elections. He said he would continue the fight started by his parents to promote democracy in the Philippines. At least one lawmaker was critical of Aquino's run, PNA said. Rep. Pastor Alcover Jr. said the media has deceived the public by presenting Aquino as the man who can save the country. "We need a hardworking president," Alcover said. "But the problem is, Noynoy has a dismal performance as congressman for nine years and as senator for three years. Do we want more of his laziness?" President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term ends in 2010. Under Philippine law, she cannot run again. Arroyo first took office in 2001. Since then, she has survived several impeachment attempts and periodic rumors of coups. She won re-election in 2004, though opposition parties called into question the legitimacy of that race. | Philippines Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III announces he will run for president .
He is the only son of former President Corazon Aquino, who died on August 1 .
He said he would continue the fight started by his parents to promote democracy .
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term ends in 2010 . |
36,036 | 664b0cd3ddfb6a0ae1f756554aad1379b61e54cb | (CNN) -- When I hear about an outrageous story involving kids -- and we know there is another crazy one just about every day -- I often try to put myself in the shoes of the parents at the center of the controversy. How would I have acted? What would I have wanted my daughters to do? In the case of a teen recently punished by her school for trying to drive a drunk friend home, I find myself firmly siding with the girl and her parents -- and wondering what on Earth the school administrators were thinking. Two weeks ago, Erin Cox, an honors high school student who lives near Boston, got a call from a friend at a party who was too drunk to drive. Cox went to the party to get her friend, and shortly after she got there, police arrived and arrested a dozen kids for underage drinking, warning 15 others, including Cox, they would get a summons for drinking, according to the Boston Herald. Even though Cox wasn't drinking and a police officer vouched for her sobriety in a written statement, according to the Herald, her school, North Andover High, charged that she violated its zero-tolerance policy when it comes to alcohol and drug use. Her punishment? She was demoted from her position as captain of her volleyball team and told she would be suspended for five games. What sways teens not to drink, drive? Stories, not stats . All because she did the right thing, as far as this reporter mom is concerned. I would hope my girls, now in elementary school, would do what Cox did if they ever found themselves in a similar situation. "She did what we teach our kids to do!! Friends don't let friends drive drunk!" wrote Stevie Street, one of the thousands of commenters on CNN's Facebook page expressing outrage and disappointment at the school's decision. For some, the issue is very personal. "My daughter was killed at age 17 riding in a car with a drunk driver. How I wish she would have called us or asked a sober friend to drive her home. The girl should be rewarded, not punished, for potentially saving a life," Karen Donahue Moses said, also on Facebook. "I know someone ... who was raped at a party after passing out drunk. Her friends had left without her," a commenter named David wrote in an e-mail. "Looking out for your friends, making sure they get home safe, that's the responsible thing to do. If that student had just left her friend there, she could have been assaulted, she could have driven drunk or ridden with a drunk driver." Cox's family filed a lawsuit to force the school to reverse its decision, but a judge ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction over the school's decision, according to reports. Now, she and her family plan to file formal legal action against the school district "in the hope that officials there will think twice before imposing sanctions on any student whose only offense involves trying to prevent yet another drunk-driving tragedy," Wendy Murphy, Cox's attorney, said in a statement. "(Erin) wants to really raise awareness of the issue to the point where people understand it's much better to encourage kids to help each other and that by pursing additional legal action, she hopes that her school and other schools will understand why it's so important for young people to watch out for each other," Murphy said. Repeated calls and e-mails to the school, the school district and the school's lawyer have not been returned. In a comment to the Herald, Geoffrey Bok, who represented the high school in court, said the school had basically no choice once the police got involved. "The school is really trying to take a very serious and principled stand regarding alcohol," he said. "And we all get that. Teen drinking is a serious problem." Kendra Vinson Sales, in an e-mail and on her blog, said that Cox should be "the example of what to do when you need a ride home from a party." "Instead, now students at this school are filled with mixed signals and contradictory messages," wrote Vinson Sales. "From now on, students will think twice about calling a friend for help or worse, they may not reach out to help a friend in a similar situation." CDC: Teen drinking and driving rates cut in half . Although 95% of the comments we've received via e-mail or on Facebook were wildly critical of the school for its decision, there were a few voices of support online. "While I am not a fan of zero tolerance policies, zero means zero. If you are going to put the policy in place, you must enforce it," Jill Worden Benjamin wrote on CNN's Facebook page. "She wasn't punished for driving a friend home. Why do people keep saying that? She was actually punished for being in a place (where) alcohol was served," Nancy Taylor said, also on Facebook. "I'm sure she is well aware of the school's policy. She chose to violate that policy." "Just because she was an honors student and the captain of the volleyball team shouldn't give her a free pass to disregard the school's known zero tolerance policy," Elyse Bruce said on CNN Living's Facebook page. "To let her off the hook is to discriminate against those who are not honors students or captains of sports teams who take the school police seriously and abide by it." YouTube confession: Sincere or slick manipulation? "This is the second time in a week CNN has gauged levels of national outrage over a ridiculous K-12 school policy applied in a ridiculous manner," Adam of Alexandria, Virginia, wrote in an e-mail. He was referring to last week's story, which we covered on CNN Parents, about a school banning the use of most balls during recess and even requiring supervision of rough games of tag while the schoolyard space is restricted due to a construction project. Adam said these stories reflect a failure of common sense in education. "Let's hope North Andover High's administrators pick humility over hubris, amend their anti-alcohol policy to prevent such unintended consequences, pardon the student caught up in their mistake, publicly apologize and move on," he added. "Then let's hope the school district responsible for next week's episode of '(Administrators) Gone Wild' does the same." What do you think of the school's decision? Tell us below in the comments. Follow Kelly Wallace on Twitter and like CNN Living on Facebook. | Erin Cox went to a party to pick up a friend who was too drunk to drive, according to reports .
Cox's school charged she violated its zero-tolerance policy against drug and alcohol use .
Cox was demoted as captain of the volleyball team and suspended for five games .
Reaction online has been fierce, with most expressing outrage at school's decision . |
250,878 | d0aea6dcabcd6d13d020bb3338e59ef79e99c896 | The pilot Prince: William at the controls of a helicopter before his son George was born . He always said giving up his flying career would be a wrench. But even Prince William’s closest friends are surprised by quite how strong the pull of piloting his own helicopter has proved to be. Little more than eight months after quitting the Armed Forces and his role as an RAF search and rescue pilot, it emerged this week that the Prince is itching to get airborne again. Plans are being drawn up that could see him joining the East Anglian Air Ambulance service, based near his country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk. Some will doubtless see this as perverse, but then William has always been something of a ‘reluctant royal’. Even with last year’s announcement that he wanted to devote himself to conservation and charitable projects, it was also made clear that he had no wish to become a full-time working member of the Royal Family. From his military career to wanting to be a farmer, to full-time dad to hankering after a return to the helicopter cockpit, all have crossed the Prince’s mind — anything that delays the inevitability of his royal role. Yet when the Prince has carried out public duties — as he and the Duchess of Cambridge did in Scotland on Thursday — he has done them with great aplomb. His visit with Kate to Australia and New Zealand last month was such a success and PR coup, thanks partly to the winning presence of son George, that anti-monarchy support Down Under slumped to its lowest level for 35 years. To the frustration of royal aides the issues that now cloud the mind of this young man — who is, surely, with his wife and son the House of Windsor’s greatest asset — have turned the clock back to another period of uncertainty in William’s life, the time when he dated but seemed reluctant to marry Kate Middleton. They are asking if Prince William is now wobbling over his career in the same way he once wobbled over his choice of wife. It may be hard to picture now but almost exactly seven years ago the relationship between William and Kate was almost dead and buried. After more than four years together, they split up after William was photographed in a nightclub with his arm around a pretty young woman, his hand apparently cupping her right breast. Kate, who was already enduring the barbs of her ‘Waity Katie’ nickname was not looking for a ring. She simply wanted to know where she stood and that he was committed to her. Faced with what he saw as her demand for his long-term commitment, William declined to give it. And on that sad and uneasy note the romance was abruptly ended. As we know it was not terminal. Kate resolved to show William what he was missing, partying in thigh-skimming skirts. Three months later, William, in the words of one of her friends, ‘came crawling back’. Now it seems similar uncertainties have come crowding in as William struggles to adjust to a life that demands an increasing commitment to royal duties, and puts him more firmly in the limelight than he enjoys. The Duke, pictured receiving a teddy bear in Perth, Scotland, on Thursday, has always been a 'reluctant royal' Should he — having first obtained a commercial pilot’s licence — take a role with the air ambulance? The decision would expose the question that lies at the heart of William’s hesitant attitude to his role in the monarchy; just what kind of prince does he want to be? Like his mother princess Diana, he is a man of contradictions, capable of exhibiting a common touch. Palace aides, for example, to the fact that whether they feel obliged to or not, William does not expect staff to bow to him or curtsey to Kate, and deny that, like his father, he possesses a short temper. So what has brought on this problem? According to a friend he has missed the camaraderie of his air-sea rescue days in North Wales more than he realised. ‘He genuinely loves flying and he loved being part of a proper working team in which he could be pretty anonymous and not given any special privileges,’ the friend explains. ‘I think he has now found his royal life rather boring and feels he is worth more than just shaking hands.’ William has always been something of a 'reluctant royal' There is no doubt that being in uniform gave William a structure and routine that allowed him and Kate to live as ‘normal’ a life as possible. Since moving from their simple whitewashed Anglesey farmhouse to their grand Kensington Palace apartment so much has changed. The couple’s altered circumstances have coincided with a growing number of official engagements being passed to Prince William as he and the Prince of Wales take on more of the ageing Queen’s duties. So the idea that he might return to flying will not thrill courtiers who fear a spanner is being thrown into the well-oiled royal works. But then William, 32, next month, has always been a headstrong young man intent on doing things his way. It was he who chose the moment to announce his engagement — and the date of the wedding, ignoring officials who wanted the nuptials to be held in the summer. It was he who from the outset included Kate’s parents in all the plans — unlike previous royal in-laws. And it was William who decided to give his fiancée his late mother’s iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring. ‘He likes to be doing things — but not being told what to do as he is for royal duties,’ says a friend. ‘Talking to him the other day he was enthusing about the farming course he had gone on at Cambridge earlier this year. It gave him a purpose. ‘There is no doubt he misses the adrenaline rush of flying his own helicopter. Saving lives piloting an air ambulance would be the kind of excitement he has been missing. And he would be making the decisions rather than being told what to do by someone else.’ There is one other crucial factor — privacy. According to a close friend, the publication this week in Germany of a tasteless picture of Kate’s bottom, snapped in Australia when a gust of wind caught her flimsy dress, has infuriated William. ‘He cannot bear that every time they perform public duties they are being scrutinised for everything they say and do,’ says the friend. ‘It is how he remembers his mother being treated and he is determined neither he, Kate nor George will suffer the same way.’ On Thursday he will visit an air ambulance team during a trip to Crieff, near Perth, with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge . The Duke of Cambridge shows the Prince of Wales one of the Sea King helicopters, as Prince Charles visits RAF Valley on Anglesey in July 2012 . After Diana’s death William was given considerable privacy at school and university and he managed to prolong this by choosing a military career. Since his teenage years, William’s single-mindedness to do things his way has marked him out. It is why he did not join in when he might have been persuaded to fall in with roistering friends and do foolish things —– drugs, for example —– which characterised the growing-up years of his brother Harry. This self-control and assurance was something prized within the Royal Family. The Queen in particular knew how much stronger willed William was than his father, and appreciated that he was more positive than Charles who so often seemed to be wringing his hands about this or that. ‘William was seen as a young man who makes up his mind about something and then he does it,’ says a Palace figure. But now, just as the royal roadshow needs to shift more towards Charles and his sons, William’s stubbornness suddenly appears not to be such an asset. ‘The Queen is 88 and quite simply the younger royals, like William and Harry, will have to do more royal engagements, not fewer. Equally, the popularity of William and Kate in particular cannot be overstated.’ Quite how these increased royal demands could be met by the Duke of Cambridge if he started to fly air ambulances — which might involve him working ten-hour shifts on a rota of five days on and three days off — is unclear. ‘There are bound to be some misgivings,’ says the figure. Charles is sympathetic to his son’s wishes because he always regretted leaving the Royal Navy and losing his action-man life when he was still young. For William, however noble the intention, the danger remains that such a move will be seen as an attempt to postpone his royal destiny. It may be that William, who didn’t realise what he had with Kate until he had almost let her go, needs to apply the same cool head that allowed him to swallow his pride then, and make up his mind. Queen and country deserve that. | William stepped down as a rescue pilot with the RAF a year ago .
Since then he has spent time raising his son George .
He now plans to work with the East Anglian air ambulance service .
Sources say he has consulted the Queen about his plans .
Prince is taking what palace aides have called a 'transitional year' |
32,599 | 5cad5b040226ac2ef61da92e09673ba586d4f2e7 | By . Rob Cooper and Jaya Narain . PUBLISHED: . 10:31 EST, 6 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:06 EST, 7 August 2013 . A family of six was dramatically rescued by coastguards after two parents risked their lives to save their children who had been swept out to sea by a 'very strong' rip current. The mother, father and their four . children were dragged out to sea after being hit by a freak tidal surge which was . up to five feet high at Mawgan Porth, north of Newquay in Cornwall. Two RNLI lifeboats, a helicopter, air ambulance and a cliff rescue team were immediately called as the parents desperately tried to reach their children as they were swept further and further out. Scroll down for video . Dangerous rip tide: The family are led to safety after being caught out in the water. Coastguards warned that the incident could easily have ended in tragedy . Stuck: A rescuer stands with a young girl on a rock in the sea off the coast at Mawgan Porth, in Cornwall, as the family of six are saved . Help: A young girl is walked in to the shore after being rescued from the choppy sea water last night . The mother battled strong currents to swim out and grab hold of her nine-year-old daughter before dragging her back to the shore. Then a surfer, who had been enjoying . the waves, leapt into the sea and battled the strong pull of the current . to reach the couple's 14-year-old son and plucked him out of the 5ft . swell. The father, meanwhile, had been . sucked several hundreds yards into the sea where he managed to push one . of his girls, aged 16, on to rocks in the hope she would be able to . cling on. He was swept even further out, . however, with his 11-year-old daughter, but managed to cling to a rocky . gully and stay afloat until the lifeboats arrived. Terror: The mother managed to swim out and drag her nine-year-old daughter to shore while a surfer pulled her 14-year-old son out of the 5ft swell . Water rescue: Paramedics from South West Ambulance assessed the five casualties, who were cold and shaken but did not require further medical treatment . Emergency: Two RNLI lifeboats from Newquay, a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, Newquay Coastal Rescue Team, and ambulance teams were called to the scene . Spotter: A member of the coastguard team scours the water for people as the rescue operation is carried out. All six members of the family were saved from the water . Horror: Two members of the family stood wrapped in towels after being rescued from the water off the coast of Cornwall . When rescue teams arrived, they found the 16-year-old being pounded by waves which were described by coastguards as ‘boiling’. The girl was able to tell her rescuer where her father and younger sister were and the inshore lifeboat went to their aid. The family, from Stoke on Trent, were safely reunited on the beach amid emotional scenes. These remarkable pictures show the . aftermath of the rescue with the family, who have not been identified, . clearly distressed by their ordeal. The father is bleeding from a wound . on his leg and his daughters look shocked and tearful as they make their . way to the safety of the beach. Led to safety: The father is led back up the beach wrapped in a blanked with a large cut on his knee . Saved: The mother and one of her daughters walk back up the beach after being rescued from the water . The incident happened at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall as the family were enjoying the first day of their holiday. Witnesses claim the surf was up to five feet, with floodwater from the River Menalhyl flowing into the sea. Last night coastguards said the . family were lucky to be alive after they decided to take a dip after the . lifeguards had gone off duty on Monday evening. Roger Mason from Falmouth Coastguard . said: ‘They were very lucky indeed. It could have been a completely . different outcome - it could have ended in tragedy. ‘We don’t advise people to go into . the water if they don’t know the area. If they do go into the water they . should only use beaches that are attended by lifeguards.’ The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said floodwaters and a five foot surf had combined to create a huge rip current. Water rescue: The family walk up the beach after being dragged out of the sea . Horror: The two adults and four children were enjoying a paddle on the first day of a camping holiday in Cornwall's Mawgan Porth when they got caught up in a freak tidal surge . A spokeswoman said: ‘Before the . rescue units arrived on scene, the mother of the family had rescued her . nine-year-old daughter, and a local surfer, in an outstanding effort . against considerable surf and current, rescued a 14-year-old boy. ‘Further out the father had managed . to push his 16-year-old daughter onto a rock but he and his 11-year-old . daughter were swept further out to sea. ‘A rescue swimmer entered the water and reached the 16-year-old girl who was being pounded by waves. ‘Before he brought her back to the . beach she was able to tell her rescuer where her father and sister were . as they could not be seen from the shore. ‘As the rescue swimmer brought the . girl back to safety the Newquay inshore lifeboat rescued the remaining . two casualties who were clinging to rocks in a gully.’ Paramedics from South West Ambulance . assessed the five casualties, who were cold and shaken but did not . require further medical treatment. The mother required no assessment. The family, who are a camping holiday, returned there after being discharged by paramedics. Rescued: Four members of the family together after being led to safety from the water in Cornwall . No lifeguards were on duty when the incident happened last night - but the family were plucked to safety by coastguard rescue teams. | Mother managed to drag her nine-year-old daughter to safety .
Surfer saved a 14-year-old boy in 'outstanding' rescue .
Girl, 16, rescued from rocks by coastguards in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall .
Father and 11-year-old daughter last to be plucked free from the water .
Coastguards warn conditions are 'extreme' and there could 'easily' have been a tragedy . |
113,065 | 1df12aeed7a7804c34288248a2003ec9997b68ab | Risk: Agony aunt Irma Kurtz faced a backlash over her latest advice ¿ saying women should not get drunk around men because it puts them at risk of being raped . For four decades she has imparted wisdom to millions of women. But agony aunt Irma Kurtz yesterday faced a backlash over her latest advice – saying women should not get drunk around men because it puts them at risk of being raped. Miss Kurtz, who has worked as an agony aunt at Cosmopolitan magazine since 1973, claimed that the onus was on women to protect themselves against attack. She said those who ‘get drunk with the boys’ become incapable of defending themselves because ‘drunkenness tears that away. It really is carelessness to lose your self-defence’. She called rape ‘an assault with a weapon’, adding: ‘You really have to be a little bit defensive when you’re around people who are stupid and armed.’ The 78-year-old’s pronouncement was seized upon by anti-rape campaigners, who labelled her advice ‘totally irresponsible’ and called it ‘misguided, unhelpful and judgmental’. She made the comments in an interview with BBC presenter Jane Garvey on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour yesterday morning. Miss Garvey asked Miss Kurtz about views she expressed some years ago, when she said women’s sexual freedom came with an obligation to protect themselves. Miss Garvey quoted Miss Kurtz’s words: ‘Please remember that your new freedom to go out and play with the boys requires you to employ an even greater freedom new to women, the greatest freedom ... the freedom to take responsibility for ourselves.’ Asked by Miss Garvey if she meant that rape was the fault of the victim, Miss Kurtz said: ‘Rape is a vicious and wicked crime. It’s an assault with a weapon. It’s not the fault of the victim. However it’s a very good idea to keep away, to protect yourself. ‘What I’m saying actually is not that it is her fault. But please protect yourself, now that you’re allowed to, by not getting drunk with the boys.’ Miss Garvey retorted that just because women get drunk, it doesn’t mean they should become victims of rape, in the same way that men shouldn’t become rapists if they drink too much. Miss Kurtz replied: ‘No, and I couldn’t agree more if you’re saying that nor should men become rapists because they can get drunk. That’s absurd. It’s like saying someone’s got to shoot someone because he’s got a gun. ‘However, the woman is responsible for herself. Men and women are not quite the same. If a woman had a weapon she could use when she got drunk, I would tell her not to, of course. Strong words: Miss Kutz said those who 'get drunk with the boys' become incapable of defending themselves (posed by models) ‘But what she does have that she can use is self-defence. And drunkenness tears that away. It really is carelessness to lose your self-defence. You really have to be a little bit defensive when you’re around people who are stupid and armed.’ Miss Kurtz’s comments were last night condemned by anti-rape organisations, who said women often did not fight back during sexual assault in order to survive. Lisa Longstaff, of Women Against Rape, said: ‘Her comments are totally irresponsible. It is time commentators stopped blaming victims and put the responsibility on those who do the crime – rapists. 'It is carelessness to lose your self defence' ‘Many women do not fight back out of fear or as a survival technique – they can suffer even more injury by physically fighting back.’ Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of campaign group NIA, which acts to reduce violence against women, added: ‘Whoever the rapist, whatever the circumstances, the state of intoxication of the victim is irrelevant. Rapists are the only ones responsible for rape. Every time. ‘Most – but not all – victims of sexual violence and abuse are stone-cold sober when they are abused. Those who are drunk or intoxicated through drug use are no more deserving of abuse and no less deserving of support.’ Born in New Jersey in 1935, Miss Kurtz is the daughter of a dentist. She studied at Columbia University, graduating with a degree in English literature. After travelling around Europe, she lived in Paris for a short time before settling in London. She initially worked as a journalist for 1960s magazine Nova, before joining Cosmopolitan as agony aunt in 1973. A regular on Radio 4, she has written three self-help books, two novels and three travel books. She has never married, but has a son from a relationship in the 1970s. She is releasing her memoirs, My Life In Agony, next month. | Irma Kurtz says the onus is on women to protect themselves .
Describes those who 'get drunk with boys' as incapable of self-defence .
Calls rape 'an assault with a weapon' and says women must be 'defensive'
Agony aunt has worked for Cosmopolitan magazine since 1973 .
Comments labelled 'totally irresponsible' by anti-rape campaigners . |
10,825 | 1ec999fb120bba00706f6ab6a469ab40a0b9e282 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 13:26 EST, 14 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:27 EST, 14 November 2013 . For some couples, love really does last a lifetime. But Linda and Arthur Treadwell's romantic tale is more unusual than most. After marrying for the first time in 1966, the couple settled down to a happy married life before the tragic death of their sixth child left their relationship on the rocks. But despite their 1985 split, love really did conquer all for the twosome who remarried early this week on the same day, at the same time and in the same place as their first nuptials. Happy ever after: Linda and Arthur Treadwell outside their Northamptonshire home after their second wedding . Wedding number one: The couple pictured at their 1966 marriage. They split up in 1985 . Speaking after their second wedding, Linda, 66, who worked on the canal boats before her retirement, joked their relationship was a case of 'better the devil you know'. She said: 'My family lived on a working canal boat and we used to bring grain down from London to a mill in Wellingborough and that’s where I met Arthur. 'He used to be there talking to the boat people. I had just turned 16 and we got married when I was 19. At the first wedding there was just my two sisters and his parents and uncle. 'But at the second one there was quite a few, the room was packed and we had bridesmaids and page boys and over 60 guests.' She added: 'When we got married the first time I was pregnant with our oldest child Carol and she now jokes she is the only child who has been to both weddings. 'It was nice though because my sister Matilda was my bridesmaid at the first wedding and was a witness at the second ceremony. 'It’s a case of better the devil you know. Arthur was always there for me through the years and we never lost touch. We stayed close because of the children and even lived over the road from each other.' But the couple's path to true love certainly hasn't run smoothly. In the intervening years, Linda enjoyed two 10-year relationships with other men, while 66-year-old labourer Arthur had a long-term girlfriend. Wedded bliss: The couple tie the knot for the second time in the same place and on the same day as the first . Early years: Linda and Arthur spent the early years of their married life travelling Britain's network of canals . Following the end of their last relationships, the couple, now great-grandparents, decided to rekindle their 50-year romance. 'We decided to try again as a couple earlier this year because Arthur was always coming around and helping out with my dog and garden,' explains Linda. 'So he moved in to my house a few weeks ago and we decided to get married again. I wanted it to be at the same place on the same date because it would be special.' The couple, who have 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, moved in with Arthur’s parents in Wellingborough in 1966. They then moved to live with Linda’s parents who had moored the canal boat in Coventry, before returning to Wellinborough in 1976. They didn’t get divorced until 1997 but stayed separate until January this year when they realised they wanted to get back together. Signing up to marriage: The pair complete the ceremony at a Wellingborough register office . Family: The couple have 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren - all of whom came to the wedding . And they decided to give married life a second chance - much to the delight of their children Carol, 46, Louise, 44, Roger, 43, Tony, 41, and Lynnette, 32. Linda added: 'We had six children in total but the youngest died when she was two days old. I needed Arthur to be with me but he was needed at work and that was the cause of us splitting up. 'He was at the funeral but he had to rush off to work and that was the final straw for me. I had two 10-year relationships but lived over the road from Arthur from the 90s. 'And earlier this year we realised he was helping out so much with my dog and my garden and doing my shopping that we should get back together. Now I don’t think we’ll ever look back.' Arthur, who describes himself as a jack of all trades, added: 'I did have another partner but knew Linda was always the one for me. 'We stayed so close and were seeing each other a lot and have never been far apart. Everyone was saying it was about time we got married again and it feels like we have never been apart.' | Linda and Arthur Treadwell, both 66, first married in 1966 but split in 1985 .
The couple rekindled their relationship in January of this year .
They remarried on the 12th November - the same date as their first wedding .
The now great-grandparents say that this time the marriage is forever . |
226,193 | b0e4886ad3239988575bb5ec57414e41b4e64174 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:21 EST, 13 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:10 EST, 13 January 2014 . A Southwest Airlines flight that was supposed to land at Branson Airport has instead landed at a smaller airport just outside of the southwest Missouri town. Southwest Airlines said late Sunday in a statement that Flight 4013 was scheduled to go from Chicago's Midway International Airport to Branson Airport. The flight instead landed nine miles north at Taney County Airport. Scroll down for video . Wrong runway: Flight 4013 from Chicago landed at Taney County Airport instead of Branson Airport. The Boeing 737-700 carried 124 passengers and a crew of five . Delay: After a five hour delay, passengers were bussed to the correct airport and re-boarded the plane to continue their journey . The pilot hit the brakes hard, according to passenger Scott Schieffer. The Dallas attorney and CPA tweeted that the pilot informed passengers that they were at a smaller airport. Passengers were kept on board for about 75 minutes before the doors opened. 'We have all deplaned from @SouthwestAir 4013, and the mood is somber now that we realized we were 40 feet from the edge of a cliff,' Schieffer tweeted. We've arrived: The Southwest Airlines jet landed at an airport nine miles away from where it should have been . Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said there were 124 passengers and five crew members on the flight. He also said the landing was 'uneventful.' 'Our ground crew from the Branson airport has arrived at the airport to take care of our customers and their baggage,' Hawkins said. 'The landing was uneventful, and all customers and crew are safe.' He said he had no explanation for why the jet landed at the county-owned airport, which primarily serves charter, corporate and general aviation flights. It was originally developed by the College of the Ozarks. Tony Molinaro, Federal Aviation Agency spokesman for its central region, says the FAA is investigating the incident. Where they landed: The jet landed at Taney Airport. The runway is half the length of the one at Branson airport . So near, yet so far: Branson Airport (pictured) is where the plane was supposed to have landed . The flight was scheduled to go from Chicago to Branson, and then on to Dallas. After last nights landing, passengers were then bussed to the correct airport to continue their journey. The M. Graham Clark Airport started as a dirt runway in the late 1960s. The longest of the two asphalt runways there is 3,738 feet.. At the commercial Branson airport, the concrete runway is more than 7,000 feet in length. In December, Southwest Airlines announced it will cease operations at the Branson Airport in June after serving the airport for about 15 months. | The plane landed at Taney County airport instead of Branson airport, nine miles away .
An airline spokesman says he doesn't know the plane landed in the wrong place .
The landing was uneventful and everyone on board is safe . |
207,678 | 98e77b09b9bda370f86a7d40837eb01cc1fb01f5 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Congressional Budget Office is now estimating that limits on medical malpractice lawsuits -- reforms favored by many Republicans -- could save the government as much as $54 billion over the next 10 years. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has raised questions about how much malpractice reform would save. The government spends about $2.5 trillion on health care every year. A tort reform package that includes caps on jury awards of $500,000 for punitive damages and $250,000 for "pain and suffering" damages would lower liability insurance premiums by about 10 percent, according to a report from the nonpartisan office issued late last week. Such laws would lower expenditures on government programs like Medicare and Medicaid by roughly $41 billion, according to the report. An additional $13 billion would be gained from taxable wages over 10 years as employers reduce the amount they spend on health care. Watch a report on the findings » . The research was revealed in a letter sent Friday from Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican who has raised questions about how much malpractice reform would save. But the reform package outlined in the report seems unlikely to pass, since the White House opposes capping jury awards. Two Democratic senators told CNN's "State of the Union with John King" on Sunday that regulating malpractice lawsuits is a flawed solution. "I don't think the way to go is to limit the rights of Americans who are injured by negligent or intentional conduct," Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey told CNN. "A $250,000 cap on damages, in my humble opinion, is insulting to our system of justice." Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow suggested that the Republican approach to malpractice reform was too simplistic. She said limits on damages imposed in Michigan had not stemmed increases in the malpractice insurance rates paid by doctors. | Report sees savings from limits on medical malpractice suits in next 10 years .
It says caps on jury awards would cut liability insurance premiums by about 10% .
But reforms unlikely to pass, since White House opposes capping jury awards . |
112,277 | 1cd5374a11e56e28b322076c1da4e3433bb68234 | World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson insists rugby union is no more dangerous in the professional era than it has ever been. The 35-year-old former England fly-half suffered more than his fair share of time in the treatment room during an illustrious career which drew to a close at the end of last season. But at the end of a week which saw national coach Stuart Lancaster lose back row Tom Johnson having already faced up to the absence of fellow forwards Alex Corbisiero, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Tom Youngs and Geoff Parling for the autumn internationals, Wilkinson is confident a greater reliance on sports science will protect players, provided they act responsibly themselves. Jonny Wilkinson receives attention during England's Six Nations match against Italy in 2008 . Jonny Wilkinson pictured with the Rugby World Cup in Newcastle on Friday . Speaking at an event in Newcastle a year to the day before the city hosts its first fixture of the Rugby World Cup 2015, he said: 'I don't necessarily believe there is a great deal more injury going on now since professionalism really kicked in during the late 1990s. 'It happens. Most of it is contact injuries which can't be avoided. The ones you avoid are the ones where you have got to say, 'We can't accept this'. You can't have guys missing seasons because they aren't being looked after properly, pulling muscles in training and those sort of things. 'There is that, but you can't change the fact that guys are going to get bigger. The problem is not so much they are getting bigger, it's that the bigger ones can run faster. That is the issue, because that is what creates the power. 'We need to make sure that guys are well looked after. You have got to listen to players and try to balance up this pressure to succeed all the time. England's Jonny Wilkinson kicks a penalty during extra time in the 2003 World Cup final . 'That's difficult when you have got teams that are suffering relegation issues, teams that are fighting for titles and players coming back from injury. 'You want to say, 'Just play this game for us, you'll be all right and if you can just do this one, we will give you two weeks off'. 'It's a difficult one to fight because I have been in that situation several times and I would always choose to play. It's not clever. But you love rugby and you think, 'I might not get this chance again'. 'But now I am retired, I am just so glad that I can walk around happily, and I know that I can still go to the gym and I can get on a bike and I can run around a little bit. 'You never know what that next knock is going to mean, so the player has to be responsible as well, enough to say, 'Look, I am not actually feeling good, this doesn't feel right' because that's the only way that people get the right feedback, if you speak honestly.' Wilkinson, who was sidelined by a succession of serious ankle, shoulder, knee and groin injuries during a 17-year-playing career capped by the drop-goal which clinched the 2003 World Cup, admits retirement has brought some relief from the pressures top-class rugby put on his body. Jonny Wilkinson insists rugby union is no more dangerous in the professional era than it has ever been . However, he is not sorry to see the back of the powerhouse runners - and those from Samoa and Tonga in particular - who at times left him clasping at fresh air in his latter days at Toulon. He said: 'That was one of the reasons, other than the pressure, why I gave up in France. I was pretty glad to get out of the way of some of these guys. 'Some of the wingers over there are incredible. They run at you and you get prepared for the biggest collision of your life and then as you go for that, they then dance around you and run off somewhere else and you think, 'What am I supposed to do?'. 'That was the no-win situation I am kind of glad I don't have to face anymore.' | Jonny Wilkinson insists rugby union is no more dangerous in the professional era than it has ever been .
Wilkinson suffered more than his fair share of time in the treatment room .
Fly half was sidelined by a succession of serious ankle, shoulder, knee and groin injuries during a 17-year-playing career . |
263,327 | e11489fa2241e41f2f60898471c98635978612fc | A young Egyptian woman has died from bird flu, the second death from the virus this year, a health ministry spokesman said. The 19-year-old contracted the deadly H5N1 strain after coming into contact with infected birds and died Monday at a hospital in the southern region of Assiut. Egypt has identified seven cases of the virus in people this year, including the two who died, spokesman Hosam Abdel Gaffar said. Deadly chicken: The 19-year-old contracted bird flu after coming into contact with infected poultry, and died Monday at a hospital in the southern region of Assiut (stock image) Egypt's health ministry had announced in an earlier . statement the discovery of the disease in a 30-year-old woman in . the southern area of Minya, bringing to seven the number of . confirmed Egyptian cases of the disease. Another of the victims was a three-year-old who had been . exposed to infected birds and was doing well, it said. Bird flu, also known as avian flu, is an infectious viral illness that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can jump the species barrier and infect humans. Two strains in particular - H5N1 and H7N9 - have caused serious concern among experts in recent years. This follows Britain’s first bird flu outbreak since 2008, which was reported this weekend. An Egyptian health worker gives vaccinations to chickens at a house north of Cairo (stock image) The virus has been discovered at a duck farm in the village of Nafferton, East Yorkshire. The virus is from the H5 group and is still being tested - though officials insist it is not the dangerous H5N1 strain and should pose little risk to humans. But all 6,000 ducks on the stricken farm - run by specialist duck supplier Cherry Valley - will be culled 'immediately' to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. The alarm was raised after a private vet visited the farm and had suspicions that the virus was present, so alerted the Animal and Plant Health Agency, who swiftly contacted Defra. John Vernam, the managing director of Cherry Valley - which supplies crispy Peking duck meals for Chinese restaurants - said: 'I can confirm that a farm operated by Cherry Valley has today tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. 'Culling and disinfection will be carried out under the authority of Defra and the APHA. 'Avian influenza is a disease of birds and the risk to the general public is judged by health experts to be negligible. 'We are working closely with Defra and other agencies and are confident that the controls in place are proportionate to the risks involved. 'We will be continuing our vigilance over the coming days and, like all poultry producers in the area, will be working with the authorities in the ongoing surveillance programme.' Officials are investigating whether the outbreak is linked to a discovery of the non-human H5N8 strain at a farm in the Netherlands yesterday - but test results are only expected in a few days. | A 19-year-old Egyptian woman has died from bird flu .
The teenager had come in contact with birds infected with H5N1 .
This follows Britain's first bird flu outbreak since 2008 . |
26,058 | 49da6f9364326c9a58bbdc4f4aca27ea6ca08edb | Danny Murphy has revealed the shocking moment former Fulham striker Clint Dempsey punched his hand through a glass window after being dropped by Roy Hodgson for the Europa League semi-final in 2010. Dempsey was told Bobby Zamora would take his place in the starting line-up against Hamburg in 2010 despite being an injury doubt. Former Cottagers captain Murphy told talkSPORT: 'The worst thing I ever saw was ahead of the Europa League semi-final at Craven Cottage. Clint Dempsey shows off the injury during Fulham's 3-2 win against West Ham in 2010 . Roy Hodgson (centre) had decided to drop Dempsey for Bobby Zamora just hours before kick-off . 'Bobby Zamora had an injury to his Achilles and wouldn't be able to play, so we worked on the team and Dempsey came in to play as a striker in training. 'By the time matchday came around - Bobby decided he was OK and Roy told Clint just an hour or two before the game. 'Clint is a passionate boy. He doesn't hold back and he decided to punch a window which had thickened glass in the corner of the Cottage. 'Basically half his finger was off and you could see his tendon. Glass shattered - it was some punch by the way. Blood was going everywhere. This was all because he wanted to play of course.' Back: Zamora had been struggling with an Achilles injury but recovered for the Europa League semi-final . Despite badly injuring his hand just hours before the game, Murphy was pleased to report that the Texan recovered in time to help his side to a 2-1 win against Hamburg. Murphy added: 'The doctor was there and he bandaged it all up and he came on as a substitute to contributed. Speaking about his role of captain at the time, the former Liverpool and England midfielder admitted he was in total shock after seeing Dempsey's reaction. Murphy said: 'It was tough initially, there was a lot of shock. Even Roy was in shock. Clint calmed down quite quickly when he realised the severity of the injur. 'I was just trying to keep him calm and in the end he did calm down. What was great for me was that Roy didn't punish him and leave him out altogether because it was a real lack of discipline. It was a horrible moment. Zoltan Gera celebrates putting Fulham into a 2-1 lead against Hamburg in 2010 . | Danny Murphy reveals moment Clint Dempsey punched through a glass window .
American striker had been told he wouldn't start Europa League semi-final .
Dempsey made substitute appearance after having injured finger bandaged . |
186,702 | 7dd6e3b622cd256deaaa962729d2126a3879108b | (CNN) -- Bodies were strewn in the streets amid a backdrop of burned cars and charred buildings in the small Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni on Monday. This quaint town, nestled in the well-known tourist resort of Lamu Island on the Indian Ocean, has been the latest target for attackers thought to be members of the Al- Shabaab terrorist group. A World Cup viewing party turned into a bloodbath, eyewitnesses told CNN on Sunday. Armed men stormed the city center, shooting and hacking people to death before moving into a residential area, where they went from door to door, the witnesses said. Mpeketoni sits to the west of the Kenya-Somalia border, where the Kenyan army is fighting troops loyal to the al Qaeda-linked militant group. There were no claims of responsibility for the attacks, but the Kenyan Disaster Operation Centre blamed them on Al-Shabaab. The heavily armed gunmen, many in military uniforms, attacked hotels, a restaurant, gas station, bank, police station and a government office, according to the Kenyan Red Cross. Video from the scene shows burned-out vehicles and walls pockmarked by bullets. "As of now, we have not been able to identify the real number of the casualties who might be in the other hotels which have already been burnt out," said Eric Mugo, deputy governor of Lamu. The Kenya Red Cross put the death toll from the incidents at 48. Last month, at least 10 people were killed in two explosions in central Nairobi. As many as 76 people were wounded in the blasts at the Gikomba market and on a public minibus, the disaster agency said. Ambulances evacuated 43 injured males and 33 injured females, the Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre said. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the explosions, which were caused by grenades, Nairobi Police Commandant Benson Kibuye said. The Kenyan military crossed into Somalia in 2011 to battle Al-Shabaab, which it blamed for kidnapping tourists in the coastal region. In retaliation, the terrorist group has launched a spate of attacks, including targeting bustling bus stations with grenades. Last year, Al-Shabaab militants stormed the Westgate Mall in Nairobi and held shoppers for days. At least 67 people were killed. Residents of Mpeketoni are now left to piece together what remains of their small town. One body at a time, names are put to faces lost to the recent wave of brutal attacks. CNN's Joyce Joseph and Lillian Leposo contributed to this report. Journalist Dihoff Mokotu reported from Mpeketoni, Kenya. | NEW: A World Cup viewing party turned into a bloodbath, eyewitnesses say .
The Red Cross says the death toll is 48 .
The Kenyan National Disaster Operation Centre blames the attacks on Al-Shabaab .
Explosions in Nairobi last month killed at least 10 people . |
161,425 | 5cb28c28f639b12bd87f7d0ea838660a9915d409 | There was no mistaking where Prince William gets his dance moves from as he last night launched into an embarrassing routine in front of a giggling Duchess Of Cambridge. William entertained Kate and numerous onlookers by throwing a few shapes on a visit to Centrepoint’s Camberwell Foyer homeless centre in Camberwell, south-east London. He was chatting with resident Vanessa Boateng, 18, when he asked her whether the uniform he wore to his wedding looked 'dapper'. Scroll down for video . Just like his father: Prince William entertains the Duchess Of Cambridge and Vanessa Boateng, 18, by throwing a few shapes on a visit to Centrepoint's Camberwell Foyer homeless centre in south-east London yesterday . Giving his all: Prince Harry might have cringed at his older brother's urban dance moves . 'Nooooo,' she replied, 'your swag looked on point' - which is street slang for pretty damn good. William, 29, looked pleased as punch and started doing a hip-hop style . dance, brushing the shoulders of his jumper twice on each side. While it is likely his brother, Harry, would have cringed at his attempts, Kate and Vanessa both looked delighted. The prince was so chuffed at the reaction that he called Vanessa over to do it again at a reception later. He also let slip his and Kate's future plans when he discovered that his new friend was training to become a nursery nurse. 'He said he was going to make his children come and I could discipline them,' she revealed. 'He is fantastic, he is great, I love him... We are friends.' William's enthusiastic dancing was . reminiscent of his father Prince Charles's regular attempts to blend in . with local traditions via some questionable moves. In the groove: Prince Charles dances the samba with 20-year-old Nayara as he visits the Maguari Community's village in Brazil's Amazonian rainforest in 2009 . Most famously, during his first visit . to Brazil in 1978, Charles took to the dance floor with a Samba dancer . during a party staged by the mayor of Rio De Janeiro. And as recently as 2009, Charles was twirling with a scantily-clad village girl in the centre of the Amazon rainforest. William was already familiar with the . Camberwell centre he toured with his wife yesterday, having made a private . visit in 2003 when he was 21. The couple were suitably dressed down . for the occasion - Kate sported a . Ralph Lauren olive green jersey dress, clinched at her tiny waist with a . thick black belt, and knee-length black suede boots. The prince also . abandoned his habitual suit for blue cords and a jumper and shirt. During . their engagement the couple viewed a group session on Centrepoint’s . ‘Workwise’ programme, which enables participants to prepare themselves . in order to find a job. William and Kate also took part in a cookery class making low fat festive mince pies and gingerbread. In . organising the event shortly before they headed off for the . traditional royal Christmas at Sandringham, the royal couple were . following in the footsteps of Princess Diana. Affectionate: William offered his bride-of-eight-months a guiding hand during the visit . As . a young boy William and Harry were regularly . taken by their late mother on private visits to Centrepoint hostels . across the capital to better understand the lives of those less . fortunate than themselves. William . is now patron of the organisation which works with young homeless . people and two years ago spent the night sleeping rough publicise the . plight of the homeless at Christmas. Centrepoint is a . national charity providing housing and support to improve the lives of . homeless young people aged 16-25. At any one time, it works with over . 500 young people providing a range of services to help them tackle the . issues that can lead to homelessness. In . addition to a wide range of accommodation services, Centrepoint also . ensures young people have access to personal and mental health . assistance and learning programmes, which enable them to develop the . skills they need for a sustainable future. Its . housing services range from night shelters for emergencies to hostels . for short stays and supported flats with facilities for learning on . site. William and Kate took part in a healthy living cookery class making low fat festive mince pies and gingerbread . At ease: The couple looked comfortable in the kitchen and Kate even made a heart-shaped birthday cookie for a girl who was celebrating her 18th birthday . The charity also provides services specifically for young people . who are leaving the care of the local authority, for ex-offenders and . for young single parents. Chief executive Sey Obakin said of . the royal visit: 'It is a powerful motivator and Prince William is a keen . and passionate patron. 'I have seen him talk to a young person and remember their story six months later. 'This has been a difficult 12 months for the charity and our young people in particular. 'There . are one million young people unemployed in this country and ours are at . the back of the queue as they have no qualifications, no experience and . have chaotic lives.' | William launched into an embarrassing routine during a visit to a Centrepoint homeless centre in south-east London yesterday .
His enthusiastic dancing was reminiscent of Prince Charles's regular attempts to blend in with local traditions via some questionable moves . |
260,211 | dcf3e6e378ef3661b6a737debb14248f17e71ae4 | Call for vigilance: Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner, Cressida Dick has warned that UK Muslims are guilty of 'complacency and passivity' over the threat from home-grown jihadists . Muslim communities in Britain are guilty of ‘complacency and passivity’ over the threat from home-grown jihadists, the UK’s top counter-terrorism officer warned last night. The Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner, Cressida Dick, said there were many cases where ‘warning signs’ about extremists were not brought to the attention of authorities. She also indicated some Muslims were too accepting of radical views, saying it was the police’s ‘greatest challenge’ to make them ‘wholly hostile to violent extremism’. Her comments came as the Government was confronted with a damning assessment by a former head of the military of Britain’s capacity to confront terrorism. Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, chief of the defence staff until last year, said the military was ‘not good enough’ to deal with the global threat from jihadis. The crossbench peer, formerly General Sir David Richards, called for a rise in defence spending and warned that without it, the effectiveness of the Armed Forces would inevitably deteriorate further. He told the Lords that militant jihadism was the biggest threat to the ‘free world today’, adding: ‘Are our Armed Forces in a fit state to play their role in dealing with these and other risks to our way of life? … The answer must be that it’s not good enough but it’s some consolation that it’s better than any other allied nation except the US.’ Another senior police officer backed Miss Dick’s remarks. Sir Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, said a lot of extremists were radicalised ‘in their own community’. He said propaganda videos of Syria made the conflict look like a ‘Boy Scout camp’ when the reality was ‘very brutal, very callous’. ‘We mustn’t over-emphasise the power of the internet,’ he said. ‘We know that a lot of people have been radicalised in their own community by people who themselves have given this very perverted message.’ He added that police needed the ‘whole of the community to counter this narrative’. 'Brutal': Sir Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester said propaganda videos of Syria made the conflict look like a 'Boy Scout camp' when the reality was 'very brutal, very callous' The Government’s former counter-terror adviser Lord Carlile called for ministers to bring back powers used to control terror suspects, which were watered down after pressure from Nick Clegg. He said it was impossible for police and security services to follow jihadis returning to Britain from Syria or Iraq and said ministers were wrong to ‘abandon’ control orders which had protected the public. Miss Dick, who leaves her role tomorrow, made her comments in an address to the Royal United Services Institute think-tank. She . said there is less ‘alertness’ among British Muslims about extremism . compared with those in other countries. But she said violent images from . Syria and Iraq were forcing them to confront the problem. Police . were using the conflicts to try to convince families and friends to . turn in loved ones if they suspect them of extremist activities . Damning: Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, chief of the defence staff until last year, said the military was 'not good enough' to deal with the global threat from jihadis . She said: ‘In the UK we want to depend more on families, schools, friends, health professionals, employers, observing changes in behaviour and having the confidence to come forward. We do have frequent examples of this, but also many examples of warning signs being missed, ignored or not being brought to the attention of the authorities.’ Miss Dick added: ‘In the UK, it will be communities that defeat terrorism and it remains our greatest challenge to support the development of communities that are wholly hostile to violent extremism and to identify, support and protect those who are vulnerable to radicalisation.’ But she said that communities also need to ‘stand up to them and reject them’, adding: ‘The daily awful news stories underline the scale of the challenge and are, I believe, reducing complacency and passivity.’ | Police chief says 'warning signs' not brought to attention of authorities .
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner says 'greatest challenge' is to make some Muslims less accepting of radical views .
Ex-defence chief says military 'not good enough' to deal with jihadi threat .
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux calls for a rise in defence spending . |
166,771 | 63a5c4f4b7f5038c463dcde69318acfbff97b6b8 | By . Rebecca English Royal Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 08:28 EST, 14 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:44 EST, 15 August 2013 . There's no time to rest about in your nappies in the 21st century, especially when you’re third in line to the throne. So like his father before him, Prince George of Cambridge is already being readied for a trip to Australia. The youngster’s inaugural royal tour abroad was revealed by William yesterday as he spoke about his ‘very good looking’ son and family plans for the future. Scroll down for video . Prince William took part in a falconry display at the Anglesey Show, which is thought to be one of his last visit to the North Wales area he once called home . The show is just a few miles from the home he shares with wife Catherine and new son Prince George and also his place of work, RAF Valley . William's visit to the Anglesey Show, a vast two-day agricultural event in North Wales that attracts almost 60,000 people, was his first official engagement since his son's birth . Chatting: Prince William talks to seven-year-old David Oultram and his calf at the Anglesey Show yesterday . Currently in Anglesey, he and Kate are expected shortly to return to London to make their home at Kensington Palace. 'I know . that both of us will miss it [Anglesey] terribly when my Search and Rescue tour of . duty comes to an end next month and we have to move elsewhere' Prince William . Speaking at the Anglesey Show, his . first official engagement since George’s birth on July 22, William said . the couple were hoping to make a trip Down Under to introduce the tiny . future king to his family realm. He told Max and Maxine Davies – on . holiday from near Adelaide: ‘George is doing really well, thank you. We . are all very hopeful of coming to Australia next year.’ William’s late mother, Princess Diana, . broke royal tradition when she insisted on taking her nine-month-old . son to Australia and New Zealand with her in 1983, on a six-week tour. Speaking to Max and Maxine Davies, from Victor Habour near Adelaide, he . said: 'George is doing really well, thank you. We are all very hopeful . of coming to Australia next year . William's visit to the Anglesey Show, a vast two-day agricultural event in North Wales that attracts almost 60,000 people, was his first official engagement since his son's birth . William was keen to visit the show as a way of saying thank you to the island's people - and gave an emotional speech summing up their feelings . He also spoke about baby George's first few days, saying: 'Catherine is sorry that she cannot be here today at the County Show, but she and George would have loved to have been here' In contrast the Queen was forced to . leave Charles and Anne, then aged five and three, for six months when . she embarked on a Commonwealth tour in 1953. William has been based on Anglesey since January 2010, working as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley. For the last two years he and Kate have shared an isolated rented farmhouse, relishing the privacy the island has afforded them. But they are, reluctantly, having to . leave when his posting ends early next month. Back in London, William is . expected to take up a post with the Household Cavalry. Greetings: Speaking at the Anglesey Show, his first official engagement since George's birth on July 22, William said the couple were hoping to make a trip Down Under to introduce the tiny future king to his family realm . Next stop was the falconry arena, where he even donned a protective leather glove to handle a Harris Hawk and a Common Buzzard . Media and guests look on as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrives at Anglesey agricultural show on his first official engagement since the birth of his son Prince George of Cambridge . Yesterday's show featured a collection of livestock of up to 300 cattle and 800 sheep. There were also 350 trade stands featuring agricultural products, clothing, crafts and vehicles . It has been reported that William is unlikely to continue his duties with 22 Squadron in Anglesey for another deployment . The new father disclosed that he and wife, Kate, were planning to take their first baby Down Under for his inaugural foreign royal visit . Growing up: William with Diana and Prince Charles in 1983 during a tour of Australia and New Zealand . The prince was keen to visit the . Anglesey Show to say thank you to the island’s people and gave a speech . which included some Welsh. Talking about his son, William told his cheering audience: ‘He’s pretty loud but of course very good looking!’ He added: ‘I know that I speak for . Catherine when I say that I have never known somewhere as beautiful and . as welcoming as Anglesey. I know that both of us will miss it terribly.’ William also met grandmother Joan Roberts from nearby Caernarfon who asked him how George was doing. ‘Great. All we have got to do now is to get him to sleep through the night... please!’ he quipped. | William announced he will cease duty as search and rescue pilot next month .
Confirmed he and Catherine would move to Kensington Palace, London .
The couple will take George to Australia next year on first official visit .
Called Anglesey 'immensely special' and said he'd return to visit in future . |
133,195 | 3836544bc40099f6aeadd656f1c644c6e2457377 | Boston (CNN) -- For Erika Brannock, Monday was a long time coming -- 50 days in fact. That's how long she was hospitalized after bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon ripped apart her legs. She was the last of the more than 250 victims from that attack to be released. "I leave here today -- after 11 surgeries, some pretty dark moments, and 50 days in this hospital -- with nothing but admiration for this great city," said Brannock, who was treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. On the day of the marathon, she, her sister and her brother-in-law had gone to watch Brannock's mother run. They were standing near the finish line when the bombs went off. Video shows Tsarnaevs at gym days before attack . "I fell backwards, and I could see oranges and yellows," Brannock told CNN's AC360 on Monday. "I could hear the sirens and people crying and screaming. But I never heard the actual boom." "I had a conversation with God in my head, and I told him I wasn't ready to go." Just at that moment, a woman crawled over to Brannock and grabbed her hand. She used her belt as a tourniquet on Brannock's leg. "She had heard me screaming for help and she said, 'My name is Joan from California, and I'm not going to let you go.' And she stayed with me the whole time." In runners' tent and ER, a rush to save limbs and lives . Brannock, 29, credits this mystery woman with saving her life. She desperately wants to find and thank her. She also praises her medical team. Brannock, a preschool teacher from Maryland, suffered severe bone and tissue damage, requiring the amputation of her lower left leg. "I would not be here today without the talent and devotion of my care team, as well as the first responders and the marathon spectator -- who I only know as 'Joan from California' -- wherever you are -- you saved my life," she said. Sister of boy killed at Boston Marathon released from hospital . 'We will thrive again' The double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15 killed three people and injured at least 264. Brannock's sister, Nicole Gross, had a broken leg and remained hospitalized for 33 days. Her sister's husband suffered cuts, bruises and burns. Dancer's foot destroyed, but not her spirit . "Although we had three family members injured, our family remains intact. We not only survived, but we will thrive again, even though our lives have been changed forever," said Brannock. The road to recovery is long and sometimes difficult. She kept a picture above her hospital bed of a dragonfly, which she said was a symbol of strength, courage and getting through hard times. She described the creature as her mascot. After disasters, hospitals pay it forward . Brannock started having nightmares after she learned that surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was at the same hospital as her. She dreamed he was going to blow up Beth Israel. Back in Maryland, Brannock will start physical therapy and will have to learn how to walk with a prosthetic leg. But she says she is up to the task. "I can get through anything," Brannock said. Nurses and doctors lined the hallway Monday as she left the hospital, cheering and clapping. She gave a high five to one. Next on deck? Brannock plans to finish a master's degree in early childhood education and return to teaching in the fall. "I will use what I've learned to pay it forward," she said. "Thank you Boston. Thank you everyone. I'm ready to go home." Fire chief resigns after criticism of bombing response . Randi Kaye and David Puente reported from Boston; Dana Ford wrote this report from Atlanta. Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here. | Erika Brannock is the last of the more than 250 victims released .
She suffered severe bone and tissue damage .
"I will use what I've learned to pay it forward," Brannock says .
She plans to finish a master's degree and return to teaching in the fall . |
209,388 | 9b239d421a99d0d48f555d5b27d4fb4cc258851e | (CNN) -- Thailand and Cambodia have called for dialogue as tensions continued to escalate over an ancient border temple on disputed land. Cambodian soldiers stand guard near Preah Vihear temple, close to the Thai border. The countries agreed to meet Monday even as each side deployed more troops to the site of the Preah Vihear temple, the national Thai News Agency reported Thursday. Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the 11th century temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated. Last week, the United Nations approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- places the U.N. says have outstanding universal value. The decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple. Opposition parties in Thailand used the issue to attack the government, which initially backed the heritage listing. Watch Thai villagers block anti-government demonstrators » . A Thai court overturned the pact, prompting the resignation of Thailand's foreign minister, Noppadon Pattama. He had endorsed the application. Cambodia, meanwhile, is preparing for general elections on July 27. And Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since the mid-1980s, has portrayed the U.N. recognition as a national triumph. The current flare-up began Tuesday, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the trio refused to leave the territory, the Thai News Agency said. The Cambodian state-run news agency, AKP, said that Thailand sent troops to retrieve the men and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denies the charge, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory. The standoff continued Thursday, with each side asking troops to withhold fire unless they are fired upon, the news agencies said. Thailand has put its Air Force on standby to evacuate its nationals from Cambodia if tensions worsen, TNA said. So far, the only casualty has been a Thai soldier who was injured Tuesday by a landmine -- possibly left over from the time the Khmer Rouge occupied the area. The Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, won power through a guerrilla war. It is remembered for the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Cambodians. | Both agreed to meet as each side deployed more troops to Preah Vihear temple .
Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the 11th century temple .
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962 .
Current row began when Cambodia briefly held 3 Thais who crossed into the area . |
194,376 | 879bced00c1dc120192294c4d6a4277fb9b9117d | By . Lillian Radulova . Abdullah Elmir's whereabouts remain unknown despite 16-year-old Feiz, who disappeared with him, being found safe and preparing to fly back home with his father . A 16-year-old Sydney teenager has been found safe and is preparing to come home alongside his father, after he ran away to fight in Iraq and Syria in June. Known as Feiz, the boy from Bankstown in Sydney's west, secretly left the country with Abdullah Elmir, 17, who told his parents he was going fishing. While Abdullah's whereabouts are still unknown, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Feiz and his father are currently in Lebanon from where they will travel back to Sydney with assistance from the Australian Federal Police. Abdullah and Feiz are believed to have made their way to Turkey, from where they were last known to have contacted family members, via Perth, with stops in Malaysia and Thailand. Reports stated that Abdullah's family suspected he was planning to cross the border into Iraq. It remains unknown who is responsible for paying and organising the two boys' trips. On Friday, a man named Abu Bakr Al Australi, allegedly became the first Australian responsible for a suicide bombing in Iraq which killed at least five people. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that community members do not believe Abdullah was the Australian behind the attack. Feiz and Abdullah secretly left their homes in June and flew to Turkey from where they are last known to have contacted family members. They are believed to have been trying to cross the border to Iraq to join the war . Amidst news that the federal government has listed support of an extremist group by an Australia an offence punishable by up to 25 years in jail, Attorney General George Brandis revealed the number of Australians believed to be supporting extremist groups at a press conference earlier this week. 'There are probably about 60 Australians in Syria fighting for one side or the other but predominantly the anti- government side, and an alarming number of those people are gravitating towards the Al-Qaeda off-shoot,' Mr Brandis said. 'We have some 10s of people who have already returned and we have probably another 150 who we are looking at here in Australia who have inclinations to support those two extremist movements.' It is believed that Abdullah was most likely recruited to join an Islamic terror group to fight in the troubled war zone after he was brainwashed by Jihadist recruitment videos online. Abdullah is believed to have been brainwashed by recruitment videos such as this one by the ISIS, titled There Is No Life Without Jihad, which urges people to 'respond to Allah' and 'wake up and be part of the effort' His family said they do no know why he would abandon his family and the promise of a university education and that he had not shown signs of radical behaviour before leaving . The family, who hold grave concerns for his safety, only learnt of his travel arrangements to Iraq via a text message he left with a friend which simply said to tell his mother he was 'gone'. Australia does not have an embassy or consulate in either Syria or Iraq so the Government's ability to deliver assistance in the Middle East is limited. | 16-year-old Feiz, has been found safe and is planning a trip back to Sydney .
He secretly left his home in June alongside Abdullah Elmir, 17 .
They are believed to have been planning to fight in Iraq or Syria .
Abdullah's whereabouts are still unknown, he last made contact with family members from Turkey . |
74,052 | d200acd0f9e5f692b93dd6f5adcc212c6fe0cf47 | Jose Mourinho insists Chelsea have finished their summer spending has promised to bring through Chelsea's young guns this season. The Blues have splashed out on Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis, and infamously haven't produced an academy player since long-serving captain John Terry. But boss Mourinho insists those will be the only additions to the squad that reached the Champions League semi-final last season. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jeremie Boga score stunning solo strike . Giving youth a chance: Jose Mourinho will give his U-21 stars a chance to shine . 1. Jeremie Boga . 2. Izzy Brown . 3. Patrick Bamford . 4. Marco Van Ginkel . 5. Kurt Zouma . Read more about the youngsters here. Asked if there would be more new faces at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho told Sport magazine: 'I don't think so. 'The market is open but we are happy with what we have. 'We feel that our squad is what we want. 'We don't want a squad of only end-products, we also want to bring to the first team three, four or five under-21s and develop players, so we are happy with the balance that we have.' The Chelsea youngsters have been out to impress in the west Londoners' pre-season friendlies so far. Jeremie . Boga rescued the Blues a draw in their first tour match against . Austrian side RZ Pellets, while Patrick Bamford and Izzy Brown were both . on target at Wycombe. The breakout star of Chelsea's pre-season: Attacking midfielder Jeremie Boga . Time to impress: Patrick Bamford lit up the lower leagues last season while on loan but now hopes he can show Mourinho what he is capable of . Great technique: Izzy Brown impressed in the Blues youth academy last season . Experienced addition: Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas joined the Blues this summer . | Mourinho promises to bring through the young guns this season .
Insists he plans to bring up to five U-21 players into the side .
Chelsea youngsters Jeremie Boga, Patrick Bamford and Izzy Brown have impressed in pre-season . |
253,420 | d408a94e89a88afbf1aa3d5640f9ec595e9c206c | By . Mike Dawes . and Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 07:11 EST, 3 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:31 EST, 3 January 2014 . Electric buggies might be popular on luxurious golf courses among older players, but a new invention is set to make the sport more appealing to the next generation of golfers. Called GolfBoard, it is a cross between a skateboard and a buggy and is fitted with gearboxes similar to those found in cars. Golfers can use the board to 'surf' over the varied terrain of a course at various speeds using a handheld controller, and its 80-year-old designer believes it could one day replace conventional buggies. Scroll down for video . Don Wildman, inventor of the GolfBoard hopes the quirky vehicle will attract younger people to the sport and do for golf what 'snowboarding did for skiing.' Inventor Don Wildman from Miami, told . the Courier Mail: 'It's an old man's sport. I know if I had kids, they . would really like to come out and play golf if they got to ride around . on...an electric skateboard.' He added he hopes the board does for golf what 'snowboarding did for skiing.' The electric board claims to make ‘getting from one shot to the next just as fun as hitting a great drive or approach shot’ as well as speeding up the game. However, coolness comes at a price as each board costs $3,500 (£2,115). The GolfBoard claims to be easy and intuitive to use and feels similar to snowboarding, surfing or skateboarding . It is controlled using a handheld device that controls its speed and braking, while the rider rocks back and forth to steer the board. Riders can select a high or low speed, ranging from 7mph for new users up to the top speed of 11mph, which lets golfers travel at around the same speed as a conventional golf cart. All revved up: Ex-European Tour player Chris van der Velde (right) and 80-year-old Don Wildman ride GolfBoards, which are designed to make golf cool and are controlled by handheld devices as well as riders leaning to steer the boards . It is powered by a 48 volt lithium battery pack built into the base of the board and takes around one-and-a-half hours to charge to provide enough power to navigate 36 holes. The electric board claims to be the first of its kind to be driven by a gearbox that is similar to ones in cars, instead of chains and belts, which can be unreliable and need frequent maintenance. Gearboxes fitted on each end of the board provide power to all four wheels evenly and 'wheel positraction' means the board will not slip on the steepest hills and eliminates ‘spinouts’ on the golf course, which can mark the green, the company said. The pressure on the turf is ‘substantially’ less than that of a golf cart so golfers can ride on fairways without damaging them in wet conditions thanks to tyres that are three-and-a-half inches wide and nine inches tall with specially-designed treads. A flexible ‘spring deck’ works as a shock absorber for a smooth ride, while a ‘bi-directional steering damper’ stops the board from wobbling in transit. The GolfBoard can be ridden in a number of ways depending on the rider's experience. For newer riders, the golf bag can be fixed to the front so that it can also be used as a handle (pictured right), while more experienced riders can use the board like a skateboard, which lets it to move faster . Test drive: A GolfBoard is parked beside a green at the Malibu Golf Club last month. Gearboxes housed on each end of the board provide power to all four wheels evenly so that it won't slip on the steepest hills and stops 'spinouts' on the golf course, which can mark the green . The board measures 50in x 20in x 10in (120cm x 50m x 25cm) so it can be stored in a golf locker or bag. The board is made by SolBoard, which has so far received 2,000 orders for the quirky mode of transportation and begins production next this month. The GolfBoard was on show at a recent charity tournament at Malibu Golf Club and former European Tour player Chris van der Velde was 'surfing the earth' along with Mr Wildman. 'I'm not sure it's a traditional game-changer,' said Mr Van der Velde. 'Some people will push back. Some people won't like it because it's different. They didn't like going from wooden clubs to metal heads. So it'll push people back. But it's pretty cool.' Paul Hodge from SolBoard, said: 'If you really want the industry to grow, and to be accepted by the mass market, you need to kill that stodgy conservative attitude and you need to make it fun...and attract the younger crowds.' Catching a big one: Golfer Van der Velde could almost be surfing as he tries out the GolfBoard in Malibu. He warned that some people will resit the innovation as it's different. 'They didn't like going from wooden clubs to metal heads. So it'll push people back. But it's pretty cool,' he said . | GolfBoard let users ‘surf’ over the varied terrain of a golf course .
It's fitted with a gearbox on each end its battery can last for up to 36 holes .
Invented by an 80-year-old U.S. entrepreneur to make golf 'cooler'
Speed controlled by handheld device and users change direction by leaning .
Board goes into production next month and costs $3,500 (£2,115) |
192,731 | 857e752d581627f0c3c2e20beab8d23861fa1152 | By . James Daniel . and Ryan Gorman . Minnesota Vikings' star Adrian Peterson first encounter with his now-dead son came when he visited the dying boy at the hospital, it has been revealed. Having found out about the boy only months ago after the mother started having paternity tests to figure out the father, the footballer was planning a trip to see the child later this month. Sadly, his visit came much sooner and under much different circumstances than he envisioned. Mr Peterson skipped practice Friday to fly to South Dakota to see his battered son, in the hospital fighting for his life after Joseph . Robert Patterson, 27, the mother's boyfriend, was charged on Friday with aggravated assault and aggravated . assault on an infant. The two-year-old boy, named Ty, passed away on Friday at a South Dakota hospital after being . admitted on Wednesday. The football star's father Nelson confirmed that . the boy who died was his grandson. Charged: Joseph Robert Patterson, pictured in court today, left, is charged with aggravated battery of an infant and aggravated assault. It emerged in court that he had previously been charged over domestic violence . Requests for privacy: NFL star Adrian Peterson, pictured at a press conference today, acknowledged that he was dealing with a 'private matter' but said little else. It is believed that his 'secret' son died today after being beaten by the boyfriend of the child's mother . First reported by TMZ, Mr Peterson never questioned being the child's father and offered to help any way he could. With plans to meet the boy later this month, it appears the former MVP was planning to take an active role in his son's life. Sadly, that involvement was limited to a hospital visit only hours before the boy was taken off life support and likely the upcoming funeral. Mr Peterson has never met Mr Patterson, sources told TMZ. The grieving father is now pushing for his toddler son's organs to be donated to people in need. The supposed killer appeared in court on Friday to be arraigned on the felony assault charges. Additional charges may be added now that the child has died, South . Dakota State’s Attorney's office said. The little boy was brutally beaten on Wednesday while in the violent man's home at Platinum Valley Apartments, Sioux Falls where he had recently moved with his mother. He was the sole caregiver at the time. Initially, . police were told that the child had choked on candy. Only later did it . emerge that his brain injuries were the result of being violently shaken. The arrest was made . after police found the little boy with injuries 'consistent with . abuse'. Mr Patterson is being held in Minnehaha County Jail, South Dakota on $750,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear in court on October 23 but that will likely change in the wake of the toddler's death. South Dakota State’s Attorney Thomas Wollman filed motions on Friday ordering Mr Patterson to serve two year-long sentences that had been suspended on prior domestic assault charges. Mr Patterson had pleaded guilty in 2012 to simple assault in an incident involving an ex-girlfriend and her three-year-old son. The woman requested a protection order saying the vicious man had spanked her little boy so hard that she had to ice the welts on his buttocks, according to the Argus. She also said that he choked and punched her, threatened her with a knife . and held her in the bedroom against her will, according to records. The woman asked for the protection orders prior to the birth of the son she has with Mr Patterson. As part of his prior charges, Mr Patterson was ordered to undergo family violence training and to stay . away from the woman until completing it. A different woman requested a protection order against Patterson in 2004 in Jackson County. Remembered: Vanja Srdie shares a memory about Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson's two-year-old son during a candlelight vigil at Sertoma Park in Sioux Falls . Family, friends and well-wishers gather to say goodbye to the little boy who was killed, allegedly by his mother's boyfriend . It is believed by officials that Mr Patterson only recently began a relationship with the mother of the child he allegedly killed. A candlelit vigil was held in Sertoma Park, Sioux Falls to remember the little boy on Friday. One woman told the Argus Leader that Ty 'was a spunky boy full of life, who was ''always running, jumping and into everything... but whose big brown eyes made it hard to be mad at him'. Another attendee, Vanja Srdic, 27, described the two-year-old as 'very happy, very strong-willed, so much potential, a go-getter little boy. His mom was his world'. Following the news of his son's death, the NFL star tweeted: 'Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support. 'The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players. Peterson added: 'God Bless everyone and thank u so much.' Peterson has been . pictured publicly with his son Adrian Jr, who is two, but it was another two-year-old boy who died on Friday. The football star also has a ten-year-old daughter named Adeja. Joseph Robert Patterson posted this picture on his Facebook page, believed to be him with his biological son. Patterson has been charged with the aggravated assault of his girlfriend's son on Friday . Joseph Patterson, who is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on an infant, leaves the Lincoln County Courthouse on Friday . Other sports stars quickly offered their condolences following the child's tragic death. Basketball . star LeBron James tweeted: 'My deepest condolences goes out to Adrian . Peterson and his family! Sending prayers up for you homie! Nothing I can . say can help u through.'. Baseball player Bryce Harper wrote: . 'Prayers go out to @AdrianPeterson and his family! What a cruel world we . live in! Truly unbelievable! #GodBless' A friend of the boy's mother in Sioux Falls told CityPages . that the mother of the child had a casual relationship with the NFL . star when she lived in Twin Cities but had since moved to South . Dakota. A recent paternity . test revealed that Peterson was the little boy's father. The child has . his mothers' last name and the father is not identified on the birth . certificate. Peterson knew that he was the father of the child before he was tragically killed. In a phone interview with the Pioneer Press, Nelson Peterson said the injured boy is not Adrian Jr., but is his grandson. Minnesota Vikings player Adrian Peterson pictured this summer during a training camp with his two-year-old son Adrian Jr . Family: Adrian Peterson's two-year-old son Adrian Jr., lives at home with the footballer . 'All . I can say is, we are asking for prayers and for respect for our family . as we deal with this tragic situation,' Nelson Peterson said. Mr Peterson spoke to the media on Friday afternoon and thanked everyone for their support. He told reporters he was dealing with the situation and has asked for privacy. 'I really appreciate all the support that I’ve been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization,' he said. 'This . is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my . privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand. Thanks.' Patterson was charged with assault in 2012 and ordered to undergo family violence training . Asked . about his mindset, Mr Peterson said: 'Football is something I will always . fall back on. It gets me through tough times. Just being around the guys . in here, that’s what I need.' He said that he will be playing for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in a home game against the Carolina Panthers. However a Viking source told ESPN that following his son's death that 'could change'. Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens said many people have asked about the identity of the boy's father. 'At . this point, we're not going to confirm anything. Who the father is does . not come into play in this investigation, so we’re not going to be . releasing any information as far as that goes,' he said. 'We're . not here to talk about the parents of this child,' said Mr Wollman. 'We wouldn't talk in a normal case about who . the parents are.' He then asked that people respect the family's privacy. 'The parents and extended family are suffering greatly.' Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens said many people have asked about the identity of the boy's father. 'At this point, we're not going to confirm anything. Who the father is does not come into play in this investigation, so we’re not going to be releasing any information as far as that goes,' he said. Minnesota hosts the Carolina Panthers this weekend at the Metrodome and Peterson has insisted he will be fit and ready to play in the starting lineup. | The NFL star only met his son for the first time, while he lie dying in bed on life support after the beating .
Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, is .
charged with aggravated assault on an infant - he has a history of .
domestic violence. Additional charges are possible, according police .
said on Friday .
Two-year-old boy, named locally at Ty, died at a South Dakota hospital Friday morning after being taken off life support .
The football player has another two-year-old son Adrian Jr . |
66,733 | bd3d7c164523001abff2b5bfa6f9124bfa66cf78 | Denver (CNN) -- A year ago, 42-year-old runner Victor Carlos never thought he'd be excited just to see the starting line. But that was before he almost died. In fact, the father of two girls didn't breathe for a month; a machine pushed oxygen through his body. Now he's training for another marathon. It all began in December with a bad bout of the flu that led to an acute bacterial infection. By the time he checked into the hospital, Carlos was barely hanging on. "We walked into the triage, and his oxygen level was only 57%, and everybody turned a corner," Carlos' wife, Brenda Voglewede, told CNN. Healthy blood oxygen levels are higher than 95%. Carlos was in deep trouble. He had developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, also known as ARDS. It was slowly killing Carlos by attacking his lungs. "Not only that, but he had multiple organ failure related to the infection. So his kidneys were not working. His liver was not working. And his bone marrow was failing as well," said Dr. Ashok Babu, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Colorado Hospital. Babu had no time to spare. He knew trying to force air into Carlos' lungs would do more harm than good. But without oxygen, Carlos' organs would soon shut down. Babu had one shot: a procedure called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. With this treatment, doctors turn down the patient's respirator, then insert a special tube through the heart. A pump draws blood from the body, flushes it through an oxygenation machine that removes the carbon dioxide and delivers oxygen back to the heart. It functions as an external lung, without the patient taking a single breath. "So (oxygenated blood) could pass through the lungs, and the lungs didn't have to do anything to it because it was already processed," Babu said. "And what we see on the X-ray is the lungs basically collapse down to nothing. ... They are just resting. We support the patient until the lungs can heal on their own." Carlos' family was told he had a 40% to 50% chance of survival. "Dr. Babu initially said he thought he'd be on ECMO for a week," Voglewede recalled. "Then the week turned into two weeks. And then he's just like, 'Well, sometimes you just have to wait these things out.' " Babu said, "Two weeks into it we were all pretty worried that we had this young guy whose lungs just didn't seem to be coming back. At the time, he was the patient we had had on ECMO the longest in the history of our program." Two weeks became four. Carlos didn't take a single breath for a month. Then a breakthrough came. "Somewhat miraculously, his lungs just started to open up on their own," Babu said. By that time, Carlos was a shadow of his former self. He had lost more than 30 pounds. "You can imagine, before going into the hospital you are this active person. Then you go in, they put you under, and when you wake ... you can't sit up, you can't move your arms up and you look at your legs, and they're just not there anymore," Carlos said. "Then you realize it's far worse than you ever expected it to be." Still, he was determined to make a full recovery. Seven weeks after entering the hospital, Carlos got to go home. "I started out just walking a block and then pushing that out the following day to a block and a half, or two. Then it was like walking to school with the girls," he said. Remarkably, just six months later, Carlos is running. "My goal at the time was to be able to jog nonstop for three miles. And I didn't think that was going to happen until November. That happened in May," he said. Once he was able to cover three miles, the distance he usually started out at to train for a marathon, "that's when I knew it was just a matter of time." Carlos has set his sights on completing the Denver Rock 'N Roll Marathon on October 20. He's already covered the 26.2 miles in a training run. Carlos isn't running for time. He's running just because he can. "Every long run gets a little emotional for me this time around. I think of all the people who were there when I couldn't do it for myself. I think of the nurses, people at work, my boss who sent cards ... neighbors, friends, family, all praying for me," he said. Watch Erin Burnett weekdays 7pm ET. For the latest from Erin Burnett click here. | Victor Carlos got the flu, then an acute bacterial infection, then an illness that attacked his lungs .
When he checked into the hospital, his blood oxygen level was at 57% .
Doctors started a procedure known as ECMO that gave Carlos' lungs time to heal .
Carlos took his first breath four weeks later and is now training for a marathon . |
26,327 | 4aa21c926e5f2c75abbc1675bb080bc0bc53ec4a | (Oprah.com) -- My childhood home-four-bedroom colonial in a Washington, D.C., suburb-had an exquisite exterior. But inside there was too much furniture crowding every room; too many Sears receipts spilling from end tables with too many drawers; too many televisions, with their confusing array of remotes, making too much noise; too many boxes of yellow cake mix aging in the overstuffed pantry; too many shoes and coats crammed into the hall closet, making it impossible to find the ones I needed in a hurry. Don't get me wrong: Ours was never one of those unsanitary houses you see on hoarding shows. It was just uncomfortably full, like a belly straining against a belt while its owner made room for one more pie and seven more mini-muffins. The problem was my mother, who had trouble parting with anything she thought someone she loved might someday need from her (in other words, anything). My father vacillated between resister and accomplice. In my more enlightened moments, I imagine that if I had grown up as they did, in a poor village in Pakistan, I, too, might have held on a little too tightly once fortune finally favored me. But as a child, I felt as though I were drowning. I remember coming home from school to find things in my closet-wrapping paper, extra blankets-that didn't belong there. In protest, I'd toss these intruders into the hall. Then as now, clutter had a physical effect on me. The sight of knickknacks caused my left shoulder to rise and fall, tic-like, as if trying to shake something off. Oprah.com: Break your bad habits for good . Since leaving home for college, I've been making up for lost space. The home I currently share with my two sons looks from the outside like the one I grew up in-gorgeous redbrick, huge yard-but inside, there are no walk-in closets. No kitchen pantry. And gloriously, no garage. There are no coffee tables, because with them comes coffee-table clutter. No televisions, because their sidekicks are remote controls and piles of DVDs. If a decorator walked through my home, she'd recommend an ottoman here and there, a decorative accessory for the hallway, or end tables to cradle the telephones that sit on the hardwood floor in front of the jacks. She'd suggest art for my untouched walls. She might wonder why there's no dining table in the dining room. It's not that I dislike decorations; I truly admire beautifully appointed homes. My laundry room holds tightly taped boxes full of mementos from my travels. I just can't figure out how to put them up without turning into a woman who has animal statues flanking her front door. I fear that if I start, my DNA strands-with their broken C gene-might eventually strangle me, leaving me writhing in a pile of throw pillows. Surely children of alcoholics are just as careful about taking that first drink. Oprah.com: What Oprah knows for sure about finding the fullest expression of yourself . Though my home is empty of the extraneous, it never feels empty enough. I frequently walk around with a cardboard box hunting for donation targets. For me, de-cluttering is an itch that pleads, then demands, to be scratched. If something's not being used this very moment, or on the cusp of being used, it's out. There's no ill-fitting clothing in my home, save the two onesies I held on to from my sons' baby days-and one small box of prepregnancy pants that keep me jogging. I purge my closet seasonally, tossing anything that isn't earning its keep. What have you done for me lately, red sweater? When they've sat unused too long, mocking me, I've evicted my hair dryer, curling iron, patio furniture, any coffee mug with words on it, and my broiler pan. I understand that most ovens come with a broiler pan. What I don't understand is, why? Why don't we get a choice in the matter? I have no baking pans, either. In an emergency, tinfoil is quite foldable and durable. I adore items with multiple uses, especially paper towels. In my house, these magic little squares moonlight as dinner napkins, place mats, sponges, dishrags, sometimes toilet paper, and, occasionally, ambitiously, maxipads. But even paper towels I cannot stand to stock up on. Since I discovered Amazon's Subscribe & Save service, they arrive on my doorstep monthly, in a perfectly synchronized dance of use and replacement. One thing I've been unable to get rid of is the outdoor garbage can that my home's previous residents left behind. Do you know how hard it is to throw away a trash can? I've tried cute notes with smiley faces; I've stuck the can inside my own, but the garbage collectors refuse to take the thing. It grates on me daily to see that green monstrosity leaning against my house. Sometimes I force myself to use it, to justify its existence. To me, making do with less-almost to the point of deprivation-feels like a slightly demented badge of honor, a silent scream that says, Look, Mom, no extras! But more often than I'd like to admit, it turns out that I actually do need an item that I've given away, and I'm forced to repurchase it. Two years ago, I donated my treadmill because I joined a gym. A year later, I quit the gym because I wasn't spending enough time there-and paid $1,400 for a new treadmill. Two springs ago, I donated my space heaters to my children's school, because... well, it wasn't cold anymore. As it turned out, the frost returned the following winter, and I had to shell out $70 a piece for four new heaters. I once donated a Pakistani cookbook to Goodwill because I had the distressing feeling there might be another one somewhere in my house. I realized later that I'd written some family recipes on the back, so I had to repurchase my own book. Oprah.com: Organizing solutions for every room . My greatest de-cluttering challenges are Zain, 11, and Zach, 8, who adore useless stuff just as much as I abhor it. On some days, I fantasize about tossing all their toys and books and papers, the daily avalanche that flows from their backpacks. It's a pipe dream I know I will regret entertaining once they are grown. And grow they will, into men who will tell their balanced, bewildered wives that their mom never let them bring home stuffed animals or pogo sticks or water guns from their grandparents' house. They'll recount that they owned one pair of sneakers at a time, plus dress shoes for holidays, because I didn't want the hall closet cluttered. That their desire to display Lego creations and chess trophies buttressed against my obsessive resistance to blemished surfaces. "I can't stand so much stuff everywhere," I recently blurted, surveying the four books and magic wand strewn atop Zach's nightstand. "Stand it, Mom,"he replied, not unkindly. Zain, meanwhile, defiantly displays a framed photo of his fourth-grade Wizard of Oz cast party on his desk. I once hid it in the laundry room, hoping he would forget about it. A year later, I felt guilty enough to return it to him. Now he is lobbying to put up a Harry Potter poster. I have engineered a compromise: He can put up whatever he wants, but on the inside of his closet doors. Oprah.com: 3 smart new ways to kick pessimism to the curb . Occasionally, I worry that I'm depriving my sons of the same sense of control over their environment that I longed for as a child. I cringe at the thought that they might not want to come home for spring break to a house with no television to watch the hockey game on, and no coffee table to prop their feet on while they watch it. My former husband, who recycled himself two years ago, never shared my fear of clutter but kindly kept his collection of African masks at the office. The first thing I noticed about his new digs was the decorative table that existed solely to display photos of our boys: dozens of pictures of their fully frame-worthy faces. He also had flat-screen TVs. For a moment, I admired his ability to balance his own aesthetics with the needs of others. I doubted that, with his full larders and healthy attitude, he'd ever have trouble drawing anyone into his home to lean against a throw pillow and watch the game. Then I retreated to my own gloriously uncluttered home, whose clarity rises up to embrace me as I enter the front door. I picked up a stray sneaker and admired a drawing poking out from a backpack. Eventually I sat, with a mug of coffee that had no words on it, on a couch with just enough pillows to make a decent nest. I thought about how lucky I am to live in this perfect, unencumbered space with my two perfect, if cluttery, children. I thought about how everything in this house is here because of a carefully considered decision. Myself included. Ironically, I've lived for the past two years in my parents' real estate clutter, an extra home in a great school district they purchased when I was 3 and held on to for the absurd reason that someday, someone they loved might need it. Oprah.com: 10 things you can officially stop worrying about . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Her childhood with a hoarder mother has defined a dramatic decluttering lifestyle .
Her greatest de-cluttering challenges are her sons Zain, 11, and Zach, 8 .
She worries her fear of clutter is depriving her sons a sense of control over their environment . |
132,390 | 37320c68fe2917798e7104b329f5d71e33adff66 | It had become one of the most talked about beards in football, but on the eve of Republic of Ireland's clash with Gibraltar, Roy Keane has given his facial hair the razor treatment. It hasn't been just a tidy up, either. The Aston Villa assistant has completely hacked off his beard to leave behind an almost fresh-faced Keane. The picture of Keane's new look came courtesy of the Irish FA, who tweeted a picture of Martin O'Neill's assistant for Ireland. Roy Keane shows off his new look on the eve of Republic of Ireland's clash with Gibraltar . It is one that makes him unrecognisable to the figure that has helped Villa boss Paul Lambert patrol the touchline in the Premier League this term. The Irish FA tweeted: 'We can confirm #RIPtheBeard! Roy has decided to shave the night before our first home qualifier! #makethematch'. He will hope it's the only close shave he will have to face this weekend, as Republic of Ireland are expected to win comfortably at home in their Euro 2016 qualifier with minnows Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. It's not just the three points on Keane's mind, with the former Manchester United captain also promoting his new book, The Second Half, this week. One which Keane was keen to pose with his beard in tact as recently as Thursday inside the Aviva Stadium. Roy Keane shows off his new book at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday before he chopped off his beard . | Roy Keane now clean shaven ahead of Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier .
Republic of Ireland will take on Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday .
Martin O'Neill's side hoping to secure three points against minnows . |
231,061 | b72e272bf5d276941ab5266bd5ff7d78eac7c88c | For more than 50 years Chicago has transformed its river into a bright emerald green in honor of St Patrick's day. Now an amazing 30-second-long timelapse video shows step-by-step how the incredible transformation takes place. From the aerial footage, a speedboat can be seen whizzing up and down the river over the course of an hour while dumping containers of a green vegetable dye into the water. Scroll down for video . The first drop of green: A speedboat begins dumping a harmless orange vegetable dye into the Chicago River . Quick work: The speed boat whizzes up and down the river, dropping dye as it goes . Second time round: As the boat begins its second trip up the river, the green dye starts to spread . The boat has to complete five round trips of the river to drop enough dye to turn it green . Nearly there: While the water colour starts to look a bit toxic, the dye is completely harmless . The transformation is complete: After the boat has completed its fifth trip, the river has turned a bright green, just in time for the city's parade . While the dye starts off as a single green streak in the dark murky water, it quickly spreads, turning the entire river a shocking bright green. The hue typically lasts about six to 12 hours and is prepped right before the city's big St Patrick's Day parade, which was held on Saturday this year. The tradition of turning the river green has its origins in the city's efforts to detect illegal sewage dumping back in 1962. Plumbers would use fluorescein dye along the river, which would turn bright green if toxic sludge was detected. Green mile: The Chicago River was a bright Irish green on Saturday in honor of St Patrick's day . Colorful: Volunteers use an orange powder that's a vegetable dye, which turns the water bright green . It's beginning to look a lot like St Patrick's Day: The Chicago River gets its first doses of green dye on Saturday March 15 . The city that bleeds green: The grassy hues begin to overtake the river . The dyeing of the river is still . sponsored by the local plumbers union, but now they use a harmless . orange vegetable dye to get the desired hue. The exact formula is a closely guarded secret, but it has been tested and is safe for the environment. On . Saturday, thousands of cheering onlookers clustered along downtown . bridges as members of Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union Local 130 began . dumping containers of dye into the river from motorboats Saturday . morning. The annual tradition began at 9:30 a.m. and immediately precedes the St. Patrick's Day parade. Organizers had feared that large chunks of ice would impede the process, but recent warm temperatures kept the river clear. Green glow: Legend has it that water from the Chicago River flows all the way to Ireland . Amping up for the celebrations: As many as a million people were expected to be in town for the festivities . New view: Aerial views give a stunning perspective on the annual tradition . Watching it unfold: Crowds are seen gathering along the banks to witness the process . Braving the cold: Crowds came out to watch the the river turn green despite the still-chilly temperatures in Chicago . Celtic colors: St Patrick's Day is March 17. Above, the river being dyed two days ahead of time . Revelers: The city's Irish and not so Irish were out in force to celebrate . Luck of the Irish: The weather was unusually warm in Chicago on this year's St Patrick's weekend . Emerald isle: The green remains in the river for between six and 12 hours . Perfect paddling: Locals took to the river in kayaks to enjoy the sun and colorful water . Tradition: Chicago's river has been dyed green for St Patrick's day since 1962 . Helper: Mike Butler, who oversees the river's dye-job each year, says he gets a little help from a leprechaun who appears at just the right time each year . Top of the morning: Spectators watch as the river is dyed green . | The Chicago River has been turned green in honour of St Patrick's Day for more than 50 years .
Tradition started from the city's efforts to detect illegal sewage dumping .
Plumbers put fluorescein dye in the river which turned bright green if toxic sludge was detected .
Now a harmless orange vegetable dye is used to get the desired green hue .
This video shows how volunteers transform the river in just 30 seconds . |
9,935 | 1c2f3f78c4eccf8d3d16519669e621c4efb253d2 | By . David Mccormack . PUBLISHED: . 23:31 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:13 EST, 18 October 2013 . A group of self-confessed ‘non-traditional mothers’ are putting out a calendar to help spread the word about their organization and to help tackle people’s perceptions of what a mom should look like. The Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas movement was formed in July 2011 and describes itself as a group for ‘anyone who is or loves a tattooed mom.’ It was founded by Stacy Willingham, a mother of two from Denton, near Dallas. Meet the mommas: Elin Adcock, left, is a computer support professional and mom of three by day, while Brook Ray, right, is mom to a two-year-girl, a chef and wine shop owner . Ashley Jones, left, is a mother of two and wife to a former Marine, while Azure Hardy, right, is a senior at the University of North Texas, majoring in Anthropology and a mom . From humble beginnings it has rapidly spread to include branches in San Antonio, Austin, Denver, California, Missouri, New York and is even going international with two branches launching soon in London. ‘I became a stay-at-home mom when I had kids. I was just really wanting to meet other moms, and I joined a local playgroup for moms with toddlers and babies,’ Willingham told SFGate. ‘The first meetup I went to I felt so out of place because I was the only one with tattoos and piercings, and the other moms seemed more reserved where my personality was a little more loud.’ As well as the groups in different locations, the Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas also has a thriving online presence on social media sites including Facebook and Meetup.com and now has over 700 members. Skye Weatheread, left, runs the Taschen Library in downtown Dallas and is a mom of two boys, while Stacy Willingham, right, is the founder of Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas and a professional writer, she is married with three kids . Lori Peniston, left, is an Interior Designer/Artist and single mom to a three girl, while Stephanie Hopkins, right, is the mom to two daughters and plays roller derby for North Texas Derby Revolution under the name ‘E'wok O'Shame’ Willingham thinks the reason the group is gaining popularity, online and off, is because people understand her vision. ‘I think we're breaking a stereotype. Just because we have tattoos doesn't mean we can't raise amazing children,’ said Willingham, who has 15 tattoos. In fact not all members are tattooed or pierced, but the one thing they do have in common is that they didn't feel comfortable in more traditional mommy groups. Willingham says there are core values which set member of the Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas apart from other more traditional groups. ‘Members have to be open-minded and fearless. We are renegade women who aren’t afraid to speak our mind and are raising our children to help run the world,’ she told Mail Online. Ashley Ellsworth, left, is a stay-at-home mom to two boys and her fiancé, while Ashhlye Soto is a 22-year-old married stay-at-home-mom to Eden, aged one . Anni Weir, left, is a married hairstylist with a son, Noah, while Amanda Servis, right, is a hairstylist and single mom to a son also called Noah. She did the majority of hair and makeup for the girls who modeled for the calendar . The group does a lot of the same things any other moms playgroup do – going to the park, play dates, picnics, going to the mall, girls nights out – but they also have got together to have tattoo parties. The members of the chapter in Denton recently put together a calendar to benefit multiple charities in their local area for the second year running. As well as raising money for good causes, the calendar was also a good opportunity for the moms to meet up and enjoy some all-important ‘me’ time. ‘Most of us are stay at home moms who don’t often get the opportunity to dress up and feel beautiful,’ said Willingham. ‘At the photo session for the calendar I had moms coming up to me saying that they felt gorgeous and had had the best time.’ Amber Fergason, left, was one of the mommas from the San Antonio group to take part, while Stephanie Meier, right, is a hairstylist and single mom to daughter Wren, 2. She also did hair and makeup for the girls in the calendar . Dawn Dreyer is a Dallasite, artist, DJ, social butterfly and mother to a brilliant 12-year-old little lady. By day she's a computer wiz, pushing parts & pixels, crunching numbers. In her spare time she puts energy towards her love for music and arts. You can see her grooving behind the turntables to her beloved DubStep, using power tools to create her 3D projects, paint brush in hand before an open canvas or dancing to her favorite tunes at music festivals . The calendar has a 1950s pinups theme and was very professionally done by Courts Griner Photography, it was shot on location with hair and makeup specialists to give it an authentic feel. ‘The project also has a wider aim to break down stereotypes and show that there are different types of moms that you might not see on a regular basis and that they are great parents too,’ said Willingham. She admits that she and other members have experienced strangers telling them that they are setting a bad example for kids, but she strongly disagrees and argues that she and the other Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas are raising more open-minded and accepting children. Combating bullying is a key issue for the group and their golden rule is that members must be respectful of others. Pamela Navarro, left, is pregnant with her second baby and is mom to daughter Tulsi, 2, while Samantha Osborn, right, has six kids, five daughters and one son, aged between 13 and 11 month old . Chelsea Victorious, left, has a daughter, Paisley, while Cat McAdoo Chronister, right, is a billing specialist. She is married to Bill and has five kids. Twins Caryn and Anna are 19, Joi is 18, Wesley is 15 and Atticus is 10 months . ‘We don't like bullying, we don't like drama, we want to accept moms for who they are. That's kind of our motto,’ Willingham said. ‘We have each other's backs. We're like family, honestly.’ The group’s name also has meaning: . Chrissy Diaz, left, is a 33-year-old mom of three who enjoys baking, knitting, not fitting in, and escaping to the local rock club, while Michelle Henson, right, is a married mom of a five-year-old, Jevin, with her husband, Jerrime. She has the tops of both feet tattooed, with a blue ovarian cancer ribbon in memory of her mother on one . | The Tattooed Hippie Pirate Mommas is a group of self-confessed 'non-traditional mothers' who've put together a calendar to help tackle peoples perceptions of what a mom should look like .
The movement was formed by Texas mom-of-two Stacy Willingham in 2011 as a group for 'anyone who is or loves a tattooed mom'
It has since grown to include six group in the U.S., another two in the U.K. and more than 700 members online .
'I think we're breaking a stereotype. Just because we have tattoos doesn't mean we can't raise amazing children,' said Willingham, who has 15 tattoos .
Tattooed - people usually love art and are strong mentally; a little out of the box; aren't afraid to be different.
Hippies - reject the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocate a nonviolent ethic.
Pirates - took their codes of loyalty very seriously, never turning their back on each other; they faced other pirates as a group, and their success depended on being a united front. They made their own rules and laws and did what they wanted.
Mommas - the thing that brings them all together. |
33,694 | 5fd96c8e39145cb31fbebb42ca5d0eebbaa98d00 | (CNN) -- Though Ciudad Real Central Airport sits just 150 miles south of Spain's capital, Madrid, the bankrupt complex is a desolate stretch of concrete. In happier times, it was an expensive symbol of Spain's thriving economy and optimism for the future. Now, it serves as a reminder of the country's financial failings. "The construction of an airport like this, and of other places that are completely worthless; there were a lot of them -- is responsible for the crisis," director Pedro Almodóvar told Slate. Almodóvar is one of several people who have since found a use for the airport, which shut down April last year. He shot his latest film, "I'm So Excited", on the empty runways. Almodóvar shot at night. During the day, Lexus Spain used the site to show off their latest model to journalists. "There are 4.5 kilometers of unused runway -- it's basically the longest in Europe," says Jose Antonio Galve, the PR Manager for Lexus Spain. "When you're on it, it's strange, because there's no sensation of it being a road, and you have no sense of when it will end. It appealed to us because it was a very different experience." There is little chance that the airport will recover its investment; it cost $1.3 billion to build, and though not in use, it continues to incur maintenance costs. "Although having that kind of surface would be great for racing, how much are you going to make to justify the cost of acquiring that much land?" asks Angela Gittens, the director general of Airports Council International. Likely, says Gittens, the owners are simply biding their time until they sell it, piecemeal. "Typically, there's not a whole lot of instances where someone comes along and buys the whole property," says Gittens. "The facilities, or set of facilities, don't lend themselves to other uses." At Berlin Bradenburg Willy Brandt Airport, the $5.7 billion travel hub that has yet to open, tourists can tour the empty grounds via bus or bike. According to the airport's spokesman Lars Wagner, its opening has been stalled because of problems with the fire protection system. An airport tour now, he says, gives visitors an opportunity to walk areas that, once opened, will be cordoned off. Mainly, though, he hints it's a chance to market the airport while it waits to open. Situated on the fringes of one of Hong Kong's most densely populated areas, the city's Kai Tak International Airport was renowned as one of the most exciting to land at. Replaced in 1998 by Chek Lap Kok airport (built on a purpose-made island to the west of the city) the Kai Tak site lay largely unused until construction began in 2009 to convert the runway into a new cruise ship terminal. The first ship docked at the site in June and is set to welcome more regular visitors from October. Some former hubs have reinvented themselves for good. In Malmö, Sweden, Bulltofta Airport was converted into a park and entertainment complex. Though one of the old hangars was turned into a school, according to Anders Reisnert, a cultural historian for the city, the area has lost its aeronautic identity. Read more: What are the worst airports for delays? "I think most people in Malmö have forgotten it used to be an airport," he says. The former Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado (once the fifth busiest hub in the U.S. before closing in 1994) is being redeveloped as a mixed-use housing community. The development is slated for completion in 2025 and is more than halfway done -- of 8,000 projected homes, 5,000 have already been constructed and sold. "The demand is more than anyone could imagine," says Thomas Gleason, a spokesperson for the site's developer, Forest City Enterprises, and a former spokesman to Federico Pena, the Denver mayor that launched the project. As for why Forest City took on such a massive undertaking (the decision to sell the $79.4 million site whole was Pena's idea), Gleason maintains it was a no-brainer. Read more: The world's most beautiful airports . "We're talking about 4,700 acres of land that's a ten minute drive from the downtown area. There was a tremendous opportunity to redevelop land that was underutilized," he says. Converting an airport is a tremendous undertaking. Gleason says Forest City had to tear up 1,100 acres of pavement and 4.2 million square feet of aviation buildings, a process he described as "breathtaking" in its complexity. In Austin, Texas, real estate developer Catellus is performing a similar feat with the site of now defunct Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. "We saw 700 acres in the center of Austin, and it was three miles from downtown and two miles from the university in this rising town where great things are happening. It was a great location, and a great opportunity," says Gregory Weaver, executive vice president of Catellus. Remnants from the old airports haunt both sites; at Stapleton, the old 12-story control tower looms in the backdrop, while Mueller still boats a World War II-era hangar. In spite of these details, Weaver maintains that some residents have already forgotten the area's original identity. "I tell people that I live in Mueller, and I'll say, 'you know, the former airport,' and they'll say, 'oh, that used to be an airport?'" Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Ciudad Real Central Airport as north of Madrid. | Many abandoned, or 'ghost' airports, are finding new uses.
Ciudad Real Central Airport was used in the backdrop of Pedro Almodóvar's film, 'I'm So Excited'.
Malmö, Sweden's Bulltofta Airport has been converted into park space.
Old U.S. airports in Denver and Austin have been turned into housing complexes. |
208,631 | 9a2394b2629a16445a0837508e7ff0eed1c6765b | By . Mail On Sunday Reporter . Scotland Yard confirmed they attended an address in north-west London where the body of a man was found . A scout leader who was arrested for allegedly downloading images of child abuse has been found dead. The body of Nick Dewdney was discovered by police at an address in Colindale, North-West London. The 50-year-old had been suspended by the Scout Association after he was arrested on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children in April. He was on bail and had not been charged. Police are not treating the death as suspicious. A spokesman for the Scout Association said: ‘At the time of Mr Dewdney’s death he was suspended from the Scout movement. ‘The Scout Association has co-operated fully with statutory agencies during this case. 'We carry out stringent vetting of all adults who work with young people. 'We require our volunteers to work to a strict code of practice outlined in the Young People First Code of Practice.' A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police attended an residential address in NW9 following concerns for the safety of the occupant. 'Officers forced entry and the body of a man, aged 50, was found at the scene. 'The death is not being treated as suspicious.' Dewdney was bailed to return to a west London police station on November 17 pending further inquiries. The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed of the death, the spokesman said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Body of Nick Dewdney was discovered at address in north-west London .
Had been on bail but not charged after being arrested on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children . |
137,663 | 3e08e5619977527b115645414fd17c433c15e1b7 | A young boy has died from severe head injuries after crashing his dirt bike head-on with his cousin near sand dunes. The two boys, both 15, were riding their dirt bikes between Layman Road and Wonnerup Beach in Wonnerup, 10km east of Busselton, south of Perth in Western Australia on Sunday. The riders collided head-on, causing extensive damage to both bikes shortly after 2pm. The boy suffered severe head injuries in the crash and was taken to Busselton Hospital but he died a short time later. His cousin was also taken to hospital and he received extensive injuries. He was later transferred to the Royal Perth Hospital for further treatment and remains in a serious condition. Police are investigating the crash and will prepare a report for the Coroner. A young boy has died from severe head injuries after crashing his dirt bike head-on with his cousin . | A young boy has died from severe head injuries after a head-on collision .
The two boys were riding their dirt bikes in Wonnerup, 10km east of Busselton, south of Perth in Western Australia shortly after 2pm on Sunday .
His cousin remains in a serious condition .
Police are investigating the crash and will prepare a report for the Coroner . |
284,295 | fc532cb44d6ba2cca0f894d11c0bc6485bb655bc | By . Wills Robinson . Attack: Detective Paul Whiteley, 51, told a holidaymaker: 'I'm a copper, I can do what I want' as he attacked him in a pub after drinking for seven hours . A murder squad detective’s career lies in tatters today after he was convicted of a shocking attack on a holidaymaker in a pub while shirtless and completely 'legless'. Detective sergeant Paul Whiteley, 51, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, is set to lose his job after saying: 'I'm a copper, I'll do what I like' before drunkenly assaulting another customer at Fylingdales Inn in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The 51-year-old told the mother of an autistic child to 'f*** your f***ing disabled child' during the outburst which could end his 22-year career. Witnesses described how Whiteley ripped off his shirt during the argument before shouting: 'Come on outside you bald-head b*****d'. He was staying at a campsite and had been drinking for seven hours with his girlfriend, Claire Hughes, 43. Scarborough Magistrates' Court heard electrician Carl Sarsfield, 41, was asked to have a word with the couple when a barmaid spotted them heading for their car, still carrying open bottles of wine. He said: 'I went out there and asked him politely "You are not drinking and driving are you?"' He claimed Whiteley, who was getting in the passenger side, replied; 'I’m not driving - she is.' The electrician objected, saying: 'She is legless as well.' Mr Sarsfield said Whiteley and his partner then came back into the pub to wait for a taxi, but things became 'heated'. Whiteley slapped him in the face, prompting Mr Sarsfield to defend himself, leaving the police officer on his back. He said: 'He was absolutely legless. He could hardly stand up. He was falling all over the place. 'I could have burped on him and he would have fallen over.' He then ripped his shirt off after the slap and slung it towards the bar before shouting 'Come on then - outside you bald headed b*****d.' Miss Sarsfield, who was with her autistic daughter at the time, to,d the court: 'He was shouting "I’m a copper - I will do what I like". He was paralytic. My initial reaction was to get my daughter away from what was going on. I told them to calm down and there was no need to behave in that way.' The full-time carer said: 'My daughter was hysterical. I saw Carl and the man fighting. The man was very drunk and fell over.' The court heard police were called and Whiteley told the people in the pub: 'Let them come. I’m a police officer. I will sort it out.' Miss Crossley said as they waited for police to arrive Whiteley shouted abuse about her daughter. She added: 'My daughter was absolutely beside herself. It affected her for weeks afterwards.' Reputation: The decorated officer who has served with West Yorkshire Police for 22 years was 'so drunk he could hardly stand up and kept falling over' Partner: Whiteley had been drinking with his girlfriend Claire Hughes, 43, for seven hours. A customer interfered when he spotted the pair walking to their car with open bottles of wine . Mark Kelly, defending Whiteley, told the court how the conviction 'will be simply catastrophic for him, in terms of his reputation built up over many years, employment and any future prospects.' Fining Whiteley £1,455 in court costs, Magistrate Delia Liddle said: 'The level of fine is more serious, having being committed on licensed premises and you were in drink.' The court heard Whiteley was arrested and bundled in a police van after the incident around 9.30pm in May last year. Martin Hawes, prosecuting, described both attacks as 'unprovoked' and denied Whiteley was acting in self-defence. Miss Hughes was charged with assaulting Miss Crossley but she was found not guilty. During the drunken row at the Fylingdales Inn in Whitby, North Yorkshire, he threatened another customer, saying: 'Come on then - outside you bald headed b*****d' Whiteley, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty of assault by beating after four hours of deliberations. He denied the charge throughout and speaking after the case, his barrister confirmed his client intends to appeal. Whiteley had been suspended for the force for the 14 months that the case has been waiting to come to trial. Detective . Chief Superintendent Clive Wain, of West Yorkshire Police's . Professional Standards Department, said: 'We are aware of the decision . of the court in relation to this officer. West Yorkshire Police expects . the very highest standards of its officers and staff, both on and off . duty. 'The officer remains suspended from duty and an internal misconduct investigation will now commence.' | Det Sgt Paul Whiteley, 51, fined almost £1,500 after 'unprovoked' attack .
Had been drinking at a pub in Whitby, North Yorkshire, for seven hours .
Tried to get in his car with partner Claire Hughes still holding bottles of wine .
Slapped Carl Sarsfield, 41, after he said they were too 'legless' to drive .
Falling all over the place Whiteley then ripped off his shirt and shouted: 'Come on then - outside you bald-headed b*****d'
Mr Sarsfield said if he had burped on Whitley he would have fallen over . |
274,523 | ef99ece0185332870d4975bd9b4944341dda5aa4 | An officer who has spent 17 years patrolling one of America's worst areas has found a way to keep the peace that focuses less on arrests, and more on helping those who have fallen on the most difficult of times. Deon Joseph, or the Sheriff of Skidberry as he is known to many in the area, works on Skid Row, the Los Angeles neighborhood known for its overwhelmingly high homeless population, with some 2,000 people sleeping on the streets every night, and where drugs are drug addicts are all around. He is less concerned with arrests however than with keeping the order by helping those in the community, preferring to do his rounds on foot and not in his squad car as he checks on the homeless and drug addicts, referring to them all as 'sir' or 'ma'am' to show them the respect they do not get anywhere else, and passes out hygiene kits to make sure they are staying clean. Joseph has also never once fired his gun - and the LAPD says crime is dropping and the streets are safer and cleaner than they were just two years ago . LAPD officer Deon Joseph has patrolled Skid Row for 17 years, photo courtesy of Skid Row Stories . Skid Row is one of the worst neighborhood's in the country, with massive poverty, homelessness and drug usage . LAPD says crime is dropping and the streets are safer and cleaner than they were just two years ago . 'You cannot separate the blight and crap that's out here from death,' Joseph told a CNN reporter as they walked through the area. 'One time I saw a guy sitting on a pile of trash and I saw a hand, a white hand. I thought it was a mannequin. It wasn't a mannequin. It was a dead woman. He didn't realize he was sitting on top of a dead woman, eating donated food.' Joseph also shares stories of addicts he has seen drop hundreds of pounds as they succumb to drugs, the constant unsanitary conditions that give Skid row the smell of 'urine, feces and burning crack and weed,' and how, despite all of this, the people who live here are his people. It's not just the hygiene kits that separate him from other officers around the country, but the self-defense class he teaches for women in the area called 'Ladies Night,' and the flyers he hands out letting people know how they can apply for housing and his belief that he would rather make sure an addict is alive and safe rather than arrest them. He also hands out his cell phone and email info for anyone who wants to contact him at any time - and doesn't mind when residents refer to him as Deon and not Officer Joseph. 'I feel respect when they call me by my first name, and I show them respect by calling them sir or ma'am.' Homeless people rest on a public sidewalk in downtown Skid Row . Officer Joseph believes that the key to helping Skid Row residents is affordable housing . Joseph spends his days passing out his email and cell phone number to people so they can contact him . The only thing he can't provide is the one thing he believes Skid Row needs more than anything to turn things around - affordable housing. 'Skid Row is a toxic petri dish that thwarts any form of recovery,' says Joseph. 'We have beer barons selling singles for $2, right outside AA meetings.' This may be the time that things do finally turn around for the area however, which will hopefully benefit from the $2billion earmarked for subsidized housing in next year's $1.1trillion federal spending bill. As for Joseph, his path to the job seems to be the direct result of a life changing mistake his father almost made as a younger man. Angered over the murder of his father, Joseph's grandfather, by a 16-year-old white boy in Louisiana, his rage almost put him on the path to a life of crime - until he tried to mug a preacher at gunpoint. 'Put that gun down, boy,' the man said. 'You're not going to jail today, but I want to see you in church.' He did go to church, and would later pay that opportunity for a second chance forward, started a construction company that made a point of employing ex-convicts. 'You cannot separate the blight and crap that's out here from death,' said Joseph . Joseph and Officer Banks working remote cameras placed in LA's Downtown Skid Row . Joseph devotes almost all his time to Skid Row, which he consider his neighborhood and whose residents are his people . Joseph's mother meanwhile spent her time feeding the homeless, while also raising the 41 foster children the family took in. And now, Joseph is continuing the family tradition of helping others, no matter what their circumstance. 'This is what I have to do, he explains. 'I can go anywhere in this department. There are 17 divisions. I can go back to Venice, sip on lattes, chase celebrities in Hollywood. I can go anywhere. I can leave at any time. I choose to be here. I want to help these people. It's in my heart to help these people.' | Deon Joseph is an LAPD officer who has worked the Skid Row neighborhood for 17 years .
Skid Row is one of the poorest areas in the country, with 2,000 people sleeping on the street every night and rampant, and open, drug use .
Joseph has made a point of building relationships with the people in Skid Row, and trying to help them improve their situation .
He hands out his cell phone number and email, as well as hygiene kits and flyers that help people apply for affordable housing .
He also teaches a women's self-defense class called Ladies Night .
Joseph has never fired his gun once during his time as an officer - and says he does not intend to . |
225,619 | b02723315f96a9f99d3bed68de68bedf2deda5b2 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Police arrested 26 demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday during a protest of federal AIDS policy, a Capitol police spokeswoman said. A man is placed in a van Thursday after being arrested on suspicion of unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol. Police arrested the protesters on suspicion of unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct at the Capitol rotunda, spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said. The protesting group, Health Global Access Project, said in a statement that 27 people were arrested. The 10 a.m. demonstration by dozens of AIDS activists for increased funding of AIDS programs coincides with this week's congressional talks over the financing of a health care reform plan. Members of Health Global Access Project entered the busy rotunda and chained themselves together with plastic chains, Schneider said. They lay on the ground holding up signs while some amused bystanders watched as police tried to persuade the protesters to disperse. Police took those who refused into custody. Group members knew they risked arrest, the group said in its statement, but they wanted to grab the attention of lawmakers and President Obama, who they accused of creating a "flawed budget proposal" that did not include critical HIV/AIDS funding. "HIV is not in recession," Omolola Adele-Oso of DC Fights Back said in the statement. "So why are we bailing out the bankers with $9 trillion, but breaking promises to fund life-saving AIDS programs in the U.S. and around the world at a fraction of that cost?" The group wants increased HIV/AIDS funding in the health care plan and requested that the government "fully fund" global AIDS programs and housing programs for low-income AIDS sufferers, they said. They argue that the administration's budget proposal "essentially flatlines global AIDS funding." HIV/AIDS funding increased for 2010 under a Department of Health and Human Services budget. Obama applauded former President Bush in December for his funding of global AIDS programs and said he planned to continue the work for AIDS relief in Africa. About 33 million people worldwide have HIV, according to the World Health Organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1.1 million people living in the United States are infected with HIV/AIDS. More than 13 percent of those newly diagnosed in 2006 transmitted the disease through injection drug use, the CDC reported. Health Global Access Project also wants Congress to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange so clean needles are available to users, Jose De Marco said in the statement. De Marco, who has HIV, is a member of the AIDS activist organizations ACT UP Philadelphia and Proyecto Sol Filadelphia. | Police: Demonstrators chained themselves together, lay on ground in rotunda .
Protesters: Federal government needs to spend more on AIDS programs .
Group also wants Congress to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange . |
190,631 | 82d0540e8d6732b4462a7208a273157b17b8288d | (CNN) -- A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, police officer who told authorities he was shot while on patrol last month has admitted he shot himself intentionally, the city's police commissioner said Tuesday. Sgt. Robert Ralston, 46, confessed to police early Tuesday morning that he made up the story, possibly to a get attention or a transfer, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said in a news conference. Ralston reported that on April 5 he saw two African-American males arguing on a train track in West Philadelphia. He told investigators that when he stopped the two men for questioning one of them pulled out a gun and shot him in the left shoulder. His claim sparked a search for a phantom suspect. Ramsey noted that there were many inconsistencies throughout the month-long investigation. "The evidence never did match up. We have forensic evidence at the scene that did not match with the story," he said. One example of inconsistent evidence was that the gunpowder residue found on Ralston's shirt matched the ammunition used by the police department, he said. The commissioner said that Ralston, who is white, told police his attackers were black because the district where the shooting took place is predominately black. "It's troubling in a lot of ways," Ramsey said. "It inflames racial tensions in our community, and that's certainly something we don't need." Ralston, a 21-year veteran of the police force, will be made to pay the cost of the investigation that followed his report, and has been suspended with the intent to dismiss, Ramsey said. He will not, however, face criminal charges because police granted him immunity to obtain his confession. | Philadelphia Police Sgt. Robert Ralston confessed to making up story to get attention or transfer .
Ralston reported he was shot during encounter with African-American males on train track .
Inconsistent evidence trapped Ralston, Commissioner Charles Ramsey says .
Ralston suspended with intent to dismiss; no criminal charges in exchange for confession . |
66,563 | bcca3acd0a35647a542b8ed87bcdced4e93ce076 | By . Naomi Greenaway . The notorious Kray brothers terrorised the East End of London during the 1950s and 60s. The Firm, as their brutal gang was known, was responsible for countless violent assaults, armed robberies, running protection rackets and for the murders of Jack 'the hat' McVitie and George Cornell. And now intimate diary entries penned by the the tragic wife of Reggie Kray reveal that his reign of terror knew no bounds, and was just as fierce in his home life as he was within his underground world of crime. Ronnie Kray (left), who died in 1995, toasting the future happiness of his brother Reggie (right) and Frances Shae (middle) after their marriage, which lasted only eight weeks before Frances left him . In her private scribblings Frances Kray, who first met Reggie when she was just 16, describes her hellish life with the . gangster and having to share a bed with a gun and a flick-knife. Her marriage to Reggie lasted only eight weeks but she wrote of the abuse and drunken temper bouts she endured at the hands of the East End villain. Describing . how Reggie kept a cache of deadly weapons in their bedroom, she said, . 'He came back night time. By the side of bed gun, sword, knife, chopper, . flick-knife.' 'He used to sleep with flick-knife under his pillow,' she added. He later took to keeping a loaded rifle by his bed after making sure every door and window of their home was locked, the journal reveals. The diary records how Reggie, who died in 2000, often told Frances to ‘shut your mouth’ and that he would warn her he'd ‘make her suffer’ and torment her suggesting he was having affairs with club hostesses. Happier times: A letter from Reggie to Frances when he was in Wandsworth prison in 1960, which begins 'My Dearest Darling Frankie...' Reggie's letter to Frances from Wandsworth prison, which ends, 'Well my darling that's all for now...' along with romantic words of a song, 'I love you more than ever, And yearn for the time we are together' Frances also wrote of how much time the notorious gangster spent at his mother’s house, where his hardman twin brother Ronnie walked around in his underwear. Desperate Frances kept the log while she sought a way out of her unhappy marriage with Reggie. Tragically, she eventually committed suicide by taking a fatal drug overdose in 1967. Her five page diary along with over 60 letters that Reggie wrote to her while he was in prison before they were married are now being sold in auction by a direct descendant of her family. Reggie and Frances Kray on holiday in Jersey . Frances (far left) and Reggie (far right) on holiday in Jersey with friends . Frances with Reggie (far right) and friends in Jersey -- the smile masks a terrifying marriage. according to diary entries that have recently come to light . The . letters show a Jeckyll and Hyde side to Reggie’s personality, as he . comes across as loving and affectionate in some and bitter and spiteful . in others. In one letter he wrote in August 1960, the mobster calls his then girlfriend a ‘spiteful little tormentor’ and says she was ‘humiliating’ him in front of other inmates after she told him she had been out dancing. There are also numerous black and white photos of the couple, some of them previously unseen, that are being sold by auctioneers Gorringes of Lewes, East Sussex. The overall pre-sale estimate for the items, which are going up for auction tomorrow, is £4,000. Left: Reggie Kray (left) once described as 'the most dangerous men in Britain' with an associate (right) and wife Frances, whose private diary and letters are up for auction; Right: A portrait of the gangster . Frances and Reggie Kray (third and fourth from left) with friends at a London Club . Jane Anderson, a spokesperson from the auction house, said, 'This archive is coming from the estate of Frances Kray. 'Reggie met Frances when she was 16. At first they were pen pals while he was in Wandsworth Prison and the letters were very chatty and friendly. 'The second batch is from after they were engaged and the tone is completely different, often berating her for not writing enough letters. 'They had an unhappy marriage and it appears that someone told Frances to write down incidents while she was trying to divorce Reggie. A diary written by Frances Kray about her life with Reggie (pictured above on their wedding day) has recently comes to light and tells an unhappy tale of their relationship . 'It seems life with him was impossible. She spent most of her time alone in their flat and when he was there he was often drunk and he slept in a bed with various weaponry. 'When he was in prison it was safe for her to have a relationship with him. But on the outside, she was way out of her depth and was very frightened of Reggie, as anyone would have been. 'Considering what happened to Frances, it is a very poignant archive. A diary kept by the tragic wife of Reggie Kray describing her hellish . life with the gangster has emerged . The heart-wrenching diary of Frances Kray describes a terrifying life with gangster Reggie here . 'When she died she was buried in the Kray family plot. She had tried to change her name back to her maiden name of Shea and her family tried to get her grave moved from the plot but they didn’t succeed. In her diary, Frances described her lonely life at their flat in London’s Marble Arch where she lived when she was 25. 'Always drunk and slurring and falling all over the place', reads one of Frances's extracts . Her entries are written in abbreviated form, but tell a harrowing story. She wrote: 'Reggie came in late every night drunk. Got up every morning, two minutes to dress, left me all day, came back late at night drunk. 'Went to his house - his brother walked in bedroom in underwear, swore at me. 'Went back to flat Marble Arch, came back night time. 'By the side of the bed -- gun, sword, knife, chopper, flick-knife. He used to sleep with flick-knife under his pillow. 'I phoned my brother up to get me out of this place and said something about guns. His brother swore at me and started collecting all the guns in a laundry bag.' She goes on to say how the Krays called a friend at a nearby pub who came and took the weapons away in fear the police had been called. She went on to write, 'I said something about me looking for a new flat. He said "shut your mouth".' Frances was then admitted to hospital ‘for some rest’. She wrote, 'Him and his friend took me to the hospital, he was swearing and shouting at me in the car.' She went on: 'Couldn’t stand it anymore - left him. When I was packing my suitcases to leave he told me he would bring up fictitious characters against me.' Summing up his behaviour, she adds: 'Always drunk - slurring and falling all over the place.' Reggie Kray (fourth from right) with friends at a Lido in London . Mob member 'Chunky Morgan' lifting up two fellow Kray associates in Bethnal Green, London . Reggie and Ronnie Kray in 1965 after 36 hours 'helping' the police inquiry into the murder of George Cornell . Ronnie and Reggie Kray drink tea at home in London after spending 36 hours being questioned by police over the murder of George Cornell . The twins (Ronnie, second from left; Reggie, centre with arm on friend) with friends and Ronnie's pet dog Freda when they were evacuated to Suffolk, England, during the Second World War . Ronnie (left) and Reggie with their nephew Gary Kray, son of their brother Charles, taken in Bethnal Green, London . Ron Kray (far left), associate Pat Connolly (third from left) and Reggie (far right) with friends . The brothers: Ronnie (left), who dies in 1995 and Reggie (right), who died in 2000 . Left: Reggie Kray's mugshot after being accused of the murder of 'Axeman' Frank Mitchelll, in 1968. The Kray were already facing two charges of conspiracy to murder; Left: Jack McVitie, another of their murder victims . Ronnie Kray poses with singer Winifred Attwell and some local children in London . 'My Dearest Darling Frankie, Thanks very much for the biro pen and your last letter, I received both on Wednesday. Sorry I haven’t written sooner than now although I have already . answered your other two letters. Well, Frankie I have got the blues . tonight, so I shall enjoy writing this letter, after all we did start . courting through the post, didn’t we. I’m really looking forward to . those photos. I feel the same way . about the last three weeks, it seems ages since I last saw you, you . know I keep looking at your photos and try to bring them to life. I have another one of you and my pals say you look very nice... ...Well my darling that’s all for now. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon and it won’t be long before seeing you again. Good night Frankie. All my love, Fondest wishes, RegP.S. Do you know the song: ‘Time seems so distant and far way; I hope my love for you doesn’t drift away; I love you more than ever, And yearn for the time we were together...' | Diary of Frances Kray, wife of gangster Reggie, recently come to light .
60 letters along with diary up for auction at estimated £4,000 .
Entries describe an abusive drunk who neglected his wife .
Gangster kept stash of weapons by his bed and knife under his pillow .
Frances claimed Reggie was 'always drunk and slurring' |
205,193 | 959f8c5e84e8ef31f3591fbb0d71942e5f56f435 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A Texas woman on trial for the death of her 2-month-old son blames severe bipolar disorder for her deplorable actions. 'You will hear from a doctor who believes that 'but-for' the severe . mental illness suffered by Narjes Modarresi, this tragedy would not have . occurred,' said Modarresi's defense attorney, George Parnham, in opening statements at the Harris County District Court. Modarresi, 32, could be sentenced to life without parole if convicted. Narjes Modarresi, defense claims bipolar disorder drove her to kill her infant son . Prosecutors argue Modarresi's actions were far more calculated. 'She woke up on April 21, 2010 and decided to kill Masih Golabbakhsh,' said Assistant Harris County District Attorney Sunni Mitchell. 'He was a child she never wanted and never loved. He was in her way.' The baby was her second child. He was killed after being buried facedown in the mud outside West Houston's Buffalo Bayou. At first, she claimed two men in a beige Chevrolet kidnapped the boy while she walked him in a stroller. But according to the Houston Chronicle, a neighbor told prosecutors they say her run and crash the stroller, with no baby in it, into a curb on purpose. Attorney George Parnham believes his client's mental state should be a mitigating factor in sentencing even if she is convicted . She then allegedly called 911 to report the child missing. After speaking to her neighbors, authorities finally confronted Modarresi who took them to the baby's grave. Parnham promised to convince jurors his client was unstable with evidence from psychological evaluations, records of two suicide attempts in her teens, and on psychotic episode on the flight home from her native Iran that forced the plane to perform an emergency landing in Qatar. Her mental health could be a mitigating factor in sentencing. If convicted of capital murder she will automatically be sentenced to life in prison. But if convicted of a lesser offense like murder, punishments could range from five years to life in prison. | Narjes Modarresi faces capital murder charges as her trial opened this week .
Attorneys promise to deliver medical evaluations and detail history of unstable behavior .
Mental state could be a factor in sentencing . |
258,780 | daeef9fba549e94286ad9d05b7b6e3dc49cd9e50 | By . Jennifer Smith . PUBLISHED: . 06:13 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 23:02 EST, 15 November 2013 . She was treated so badly her paws had to be amputated – but this dog has got her bark back since being rehomed. Cheeky, a shih tzu-poodle cross, was so neglected the fur on her front paws matted and wound around her feet so tightly vets had to remove them. The 14-year-old’s previous owner, Derek Goldsmith, now faces jail after pleading guilty to animal cruelty. Scroll down for video of Cheeky . Cheeky, the Shih-tzu poodle cross, faced such horrific neglect her paws had to be amputated after becoming tightly wound by matted fur. She is now adjusting to life on her two stumps . Brighton Magistrates Court heard the . ‘shih-poo’ suffered so long because Goldsmith, 64, feared she would be . taken from him if he took her to a vet. Cheeky . is now called Florence and has been rehomed with Karan Branagh, who . said: ‘Florence is a little darling. She is doing very well and she can . now walk on carpet and soft grass.’ Prosecuting David Buck told the court: 'Her paws had become detached. The vet said they'd been lost to strangulation. Fourteen-year-old Cheeky also had to have her teeth removed after suffering severe dental problems. Her former owner avoided taking her to the vet in case she was taken away from him . Cheeky was rescued by the RSPCA when neighbours near her Brighton home reported her owner. David Goldsmith pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in court today . Brighton Magistrates' Court heard how though her former owner, Goldsmith, attempted to cut her hair, the dog wouldn't allow him near her . Goldsmith made no defence to charges of animal cruelty and will face sentencing next month . 'Goldsmith tried to cut Cheeky's hair himself but she would not let him near her. 'She could not be taken out as she could not walk - he would play with her in the flat. 'He was aware the matting was affecting the animal's ability to move.' He added: 'Goldsmith said he was scared because he thought they would take her away.' The case has been adjourned until December for sentencing. The dog who is now called Florence, has been taken in by a loving new owner who is helping her adapt to life on two paws. Karan Branagh said: 'Florence is a little darling. 'She is doing very well and is adorable, and she can now walk on carpet and soft grass.' RSPCA Inspector Tony Woodley said: 'Cheeky was in hospital for months and cost the RSPCA thousands. 'She was in a lot of pain. This was long term neglect.' | Shih-tzu cross, Cheeky, had to have paws amputated and teeth removed .
Derek Goldsmith didn't take animal to vet in case she was taken away .
The 64-year-old faces jail sentence after pleading guilty to animal cruelty .
Cheeky has since been re-homed and is adjusting to life on two paws . |
88,914 | fc57d7d4e8b83533c1279a896b618eb7e2abf480 | A pastor has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot to death his nephew in his Texas church. According to local news outlets, Reverend Luther Jones of the Belgrade Baptist Church in Bon Wier was in custody for questioning after the shooting, which took place at around 11 a.m. on Sunday and he was charged with the man's murder last night. A member of the church, Juanita Jones, told 12 News Now that the victim was her brother, 34-year-old Curtis Paul Jones, who was from the area. Scroll down for video . Victim: A member of the church, Juanita Jones, told 12 News Now that the man shot in the Kirbyville Belgrade Baptist Church on Sunday was her brother, 34-year-old Curtis Paul Jones of Bon Wier, pictured . 12 News KBMT and K-JAC. News, Weather and Sports for SE Texas . The Newton County Sheriff's Office would not release information about the victim though it did confirm to the TV station the gunman's identity. The victim was reportedly killed after being shot three times either walking into the church. However, another report claims he was in his car in the church parking lot. 'It just don't make sense,' a friend of the family, James Hanks, told 12 News Now. 'Because they are both good people. For real, they're both real good people.' Scary scene: The victim was reportedly shot three times as he entered the Belgrade Baptist Church, pictured, at around 11 a.m. The station reported that Curtis Jones had recently been released from prison and that he and his uncle had been in a feud long before the shooting. However, family members said the younger man was attending his uncle's church to get his life back on track. No motive has been released in the slaying. Police continue to investigate the death. Kirbyville is a town about 130 miles northeast of Houston. | The Belgrade Baptist Church pastor has reportedly been charged with murder after the shooting death of a man in his Bon Wier, Texas church .
Family have identified the victim as the pastor's nephew, Curtis Paul Jones .
The victim was reportedly killed after being shot three times on the church property at around 11 a.m. on Sunday . |
155,650 | 5532ccf3cd6f3e9b030bf79058a0184856b77318 | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 06:42 EST, 30 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:59 EST, 30 December 2013 . A wheelchair-bound football fan has become the world’s first disabled coach in the able-bodied game after receiving a letter of praise from Sir Alex Ferguson. Sohail Rehman, 21, was born with spinal muscular atrophy which left him struggled to walk a few steps, and by 13 he was in a wheelchair. But a passionate football fan and player, he was determined not to let the condition push him out of the game. Groundbreaking: Sohail Rehman, 21, refused to abandon the sport he loved when he was put in a wheelchair aged 13 suffering from spinal muscular atrophy . Career path: He is now a coach for Sunday league matches and tournaments in Yorkshire . Honour: Hearing about Mr Rehman's goals, Sir Alex Ferguson (right), former Manchester United manager, wrote to encourage him. The letter (pictured right) praises Mr Rehman's goals and fearlessness . He studied sports technology at college, and spent the rest of his time pitch-side - at school and at Old Trafford with the Manchester United disabled supporters association. Two years ago, a letter arrived at his home in Keighley, near Leeds, from former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and it sealed his ambition. Mr Rehman said: 'When the chance to play was taken away from me I think it was the only option I had really. 'I could watch the game but I always wanted to do more than watch it. 'I . did it all the way up to college and then once I got to college they . said to me you know so much about sports why don’t you do sports. Mr Rehman admits he questioned his own ability to coach players as he cannot play the game himself . But he now believes his analysis is strong enough to get him into the Premier League . 'I . decided to take them up on that and do sports and then gradually . through the sports development course at college I decided to take my FA . badges and then basically got into it full time. 'I had a little bit of doubt before . about coaching at that high level obviously having never played the . game at a certain level, but when I got a letter from Sir Alex that . was the final piece in the jigsaw. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease that causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement. It occurs due to deterioration in the nerve cells (motor neurones) connecting the brain and spinal cord to the body’s muscles. As the link between the nerves and muscles breaks down, the muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, sitting up, and moving the head become progressively weaker and shrink (atrophy). Mental abilities are unaffected by SMA. The most common form is caused by a genetic problem where one copy of the genetic error is inherited from each parent. 'He congratulated me on my coaching badges and for the kind of goals I had in mind. 'It was a big honour, he is one of the biggest men in football. 'I’m going for it now, nothing will stop me.' Starting his career, Mr Rehman will coach Sunday league teams and tournaments in Yorkshire but plans to rise to the top - with Manchester United in his sights. He added: 'I don’t coach a professional team yet, its just Sunday league stuff at the moment. 'My dream job is probably to manage the biggest clubs in the world. I would want to manage. 'Any . coach or manager who says he is just coaching Sunday League just for . the fun of it is lying, because every coach want’s to coach at the . highest level. 'That’s the way I am, I want to coach the Manchester Uniteds, the Real Madrids. That’s my aim.' Mr Rehman, a Manchester United supporter, admitted he often questioned his own ability while training at Leeds City College. He . said: 'In the early stages you always have that question, how do you . know when you’ve never played the game? But I think, in the end of the . day, they have the right to ask that. 'I . look at it like there are some managers out there who haven’t played . the game, or they played the game at a low level not a high level, like . Jose Mourinho. 'The other . drawback is obviously I can’t demonstrate what I want to teach. I get . fully into it though, I analyse want I want them to do and go into it . with them. 'I always work . round a problem and find a way of doing it. I probably am a lot more . descriptive than other coaches, there is a lot more planning going into . it really. Mr Rehman, from Keighley, near Leeds, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, which breaks the connection between muscles and nerves . There are some practical problems like getting stuck in the mud but he doesn't mind . 'There are some . practical problems as well, you have a wheelchair and muddy pitches to . deal with. That would stop any other person in a wheelchair, but not me. 'It gets stuck but I just dig it out and get on with it, you just get in the zone. 'Now I’ve been told I am the world’s first wheelchair bound football coach for an able bodied team.' | Sohail Rehman, 21, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, which forced him into a wheelchair by the age of 13 .
Obsessed by football, studied sports technology and coaching at college .
Went professional after letter from Sir Alex Ferguson praising his work .
Sir Alex congratulated Mr Rehman on his FA coaching badges and his goals, giving him the encouragement to become a full-time coach .
Mr Rehman now coaches Sunday league teams and tournaments in Yorkshire but plans to rise to the top with Manchester United in his sights . |
133,625 | 38cc920f6a5326b056ad0dc08a8f5e63ee6f25ec | Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- A member of the "Cuban Five" spy group renounced his United States citizenship at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana on Monday, removing the final obstacle to his permanent return to the island. Rene Gonzalez, a Cuban intelligence officer, was a member of a network of agents in South Florida that the Cuban government said was gathering intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks against Cuba; U.S. federal prosecutors called them a dangerous spy cell. The men were convicted in 2001, and ever since they have been the focus of a campaign by Cuban officials to free them. Gonzalez was released from prison in October 2011 but was required to serve three years' probation in the United States. But on Friday U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard ruled that Gonzalez, who had already been allowed to temporarily return to Cuba for his father's funeral, could stay there if he renounced his U.S. citizenship. In her ruling she wrote that federal prosecutors had said Gonzalez would be less of security risk to the United States if he returned to Cuba. Previously prosecutors had argued that Gonzalez should not be allowed to return to Cuba. Gonzalez, who had dual Cuban and American citizenship, arrived Monday at the U.S. Interest Section in Havana to renounce his citizenship surrounded by his family and U.S. attorney. "Rene went in and filled out all the paperwork necessary to renounce his citizenship," said his attorney Phil Horowitz. "He will be able to stay in Cuba after a couple more processes, and after the State Department issues a certificate of loss of nationality, he will be able to stay in Cuba forever." Former federal employee charged in spy conspiracy . Gonzalez is the first of the Cuban Five to return the island. The other four men continue to serve lengthy sentences in U.S. federal prisons. Their case strained already shaky United States-Cuba relations. The Cuban government said that their agents had simply kept tabs on violent Cuban-American exile groups. But federal prosecutors argued the men also had tried to infiltrate U.S. military installations and had provided information that led to the 1996 downing of two planes from the group Brothers to the Rescue, which searched for boats stranded in the Florida Straits. Four men flying from Florida to Cuba were shot down and killed by Cuban air force jets. In 2012 Cuban officials offered to negotiate the release of the Cuban Five for Alan Gross, the U.S. State Department contractor jailed in Cuba for transporting banned communications equipment to the island. But U.S. officials rebuffed those overtures, saying Gross had not spied in Cuba. | 'Cuban Five' renounces U.S. citizenship as condition of staying in Cuba .
U.S. judge issued renunciation option for Rene Gonzalez on Friday .
Convicted spy would be lesser U.S. security risk in Cuba, judge writes .
Four others still serving sentences in U.S. prisons . |
271,197 | eb4b04c4f390496f29c6dd63d4ee4855ba006949 | When the privacy storm erupted around Facebook and other sites, one thing became readily apparent: most users were simply not aware of what they had signed up for. So, in a move to allay complaints, Facebook has created a new section that makes it easier for the average user to understand the site's terms and conditions. Called Privacy Basics, the social network now breaks down all aspects of the site's terms of use for users in simple infographics - and also shows people how to change their privacy settings. Scroll down for video . California-based Facebook has unveiled simplified privacy information on their site (screenshot shown), which uses infographics to explain how data is used by the social network. It also has step by step instructions for users to alter their settings . The site details what other Facebook users see about you when they use the site, as well as how they interact with you. It also includes guides on how to change various settings, and control how you share content on Facebook, including how to change privacy settings. The move has been welcomed by privacy campaigners, but they warn this should be the first step of many taken to improve the transparency of social networks. - Location data for posts and photos that are shared on the site. - The type of content you look at on Facebook, as well as the frequency and duration spent looking at it. - Information and content about you from other users; including when they share a photo with you or send you a message. - The location of the device, and the type of device you connect to Facebook from. Emma Carr, director of privacy rights group Big Brother Watch said: 'It is certainly positive that steps are being taken to simplify privacy settings and to help educate users to have more control over their privacy. 'However, there is always more that could and should be done. 'With many internet companies' privacy policies and terms and conditions being longer than Shakespearean plays and requiring multiple law degrees to understand, users are undoubtedly still in the dark about how their information is accessed and manipulated. 'Until companies stop bamboozling their users with complicated and lengthy jargon, they simply cannot claim to be transparent or take the privacy of their users seriously.' Facebook (stock image shown) has been criticised in recent years for its privacy settings, but it is launching the site to make it simpler for people to understand the terms and conditions of the social network . The new site (screenshot shown) is designed to make it easier for people to understand what they are signing up for. But one expert warns this should be just the first step of many . Facebook appear to be trying to do just that, with the California-based firm also confirming that a new version of their terms of service will come into effect on 1 January, with notifications being sent to Facebook users alerting them to the change and encouraging them to read the new agreement - which is accepted through continued use of the site and its official apps. The new agreement has been made shorter, with parts relating to developers and advertisers both significantly cut down or moved to new pages in a move that Facebook hopes will make the agreements easier to digest. In the blog post that announced the new Privacy Basics set-up, Facebook's chief privacy officer Erin Egan said that the aim was to better educate users on how they could take control of their data. 'Privacy Basics offers interactive guides to answer the most commonly asked questions about how you can control your information on Facebook,' she said. 'For example, you can learn about untagging, unfriending, and blocking, and how to choose an audience for your posts.' With the new system in place, Facebook now also more clearly details the information about users it obtains. | California-based Facebook has unveiled simplified privacy information .
A website uses infographics to explain how data is used by the site .
It also has step by step instructions for users to alter their settings .
The site is designed to make it easier for people to understand what they are signing up for with the site .
But one expert warns this should be just the first step of many . |
98,241 | 0a7a0c4c3a430de834870426e5d369211973cc5b | By . Daily Mail Reporters . As a crowd of over 500 swelled in Washington, DC Saturday in protest over last weekend’s George Zimmerman acquittal, some cried for a boycott against Florida. Comedian and long-time civil rights activist Dick Gregory addressed the crowd and told them to hit Florida where it hurts--in the wallet--by steering clear of Disney World and orange juice aisle. The rally was one of many nationwide over the weekend, where demands for ‘Justice for Trayvon’ came in the form of calls for an end to Florida’s Stand Your Ground self-defense laws and for the prosecution of George Zimmerman on charges he violated Trayvon Martin’s civil rights when he shot and killed the 17-year-old last year. News of the boycott call came as Senator John McCain (R-AZ) joined President Barack Obama in calling for a review of Stand Your Ground laws across the nation. Scroll down for video . Rallying cry: Protestors at a rally in Washington, DC called for an end to Stand-Your-Ground type laws and some suggested ways to hit the state of Florida where it hurts . 'Going to see a rat': Famed comedian and civil rights trailblazer Dick Gregory called for a boycott on Florida orange juice and on the state's tourist attractions like Disney World . 'I can also see that Stand Your Ground laws may be something that needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation,' McCain told CNN, adding that his home state of Arizona should consider similar action. McCain stopped short of calling for tougher gun controls though, saying 'I don’t frankly see the connection.. While praising protestors who staged a . sit-in as an attempt to cajole Florida Governor Rick Scott into meeting . with them, Gregory told the crowd outside the federal courthouse in . Washington that musician Stevie Wonder had the right idea when he . pledged to no longer perform in Florida. ‘How . many of y’all have been to Disneyland to see a rat,’ Gregory asked with . trademark humor. ‘But haven’t walked down the street to see King’s . tomb? Had he not died, you wouldn’t be welcome in Orlando. So we not . asking you to do anything that costs you. We just say save your money. Don’t spend it.’ As some members of the crowd chanted ‘boycott Florida,’ Gregory continued with his characteristic humor, according to Breitbart.com. ‘Some . of y’all ain’t been to Florida in your life and ain’t going,’ said . Gregory. ‘And all you got to do is get Florida to come to you. Now what . do I mean by that? They got oranges that they can’t afford to have you . not buy because they will rot.’ 'Justice 4 Trayvon': Around 500 gathered at the Washington protest on Saturday outside the federal courthouse . Powerful images: Skittles candy borders a sketch on the ground, representing Trayvon Martin, during a 'Justice for Trayvon -100 City Vigil' in Washington on Saturday . ‘I said to my grandmother, 'We not . going to boycott Florida orange juice because Florida orange juice is . sold under different names. We going to boycott orange juice,’ he said. ‘And when them orange growers start running in to take that governor and . he knows he can’t stand his ground with them.’ ‘Justice . for Trayvon’ rallies continued elsewhere, as racial tensions remain . high—and calls for change remain loud—across the U.S. in the wake of . Zimmerman’s acquittal. We . have the strength to wipe our tears away. Last Saturday we cried. This . Saturday we march,' came the words of Reverend Al Sharpton as he . addressed the crowds of a New York City protest Saturday. Coast to Coast: The gathering of 500 protestors in Washington was one of dozens that took place nationwide on Saturday . Stand your ground: The Washington protest, like many nationwide, called for an end to Stand Your Ground laws and for the prosecution of George Zimmerman . Trayvon's . mother, Sybrina Fulton, also spoke at the New York rally, telling the . crowd: 'Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours.' Ms Fulton, her son Jahvaris, and Sharpton joined the rally as it marched to One Police Plaza at . noon, where they were joined by Jay Z and his wife Beyonce, according to . the New York Post. Beyonce . had shown her support for the case last week, asking for a moment of . silence at a concert after the not guilty verdict was recorded. While Trayvon's mother was in New York, the dead teenager's father took part in a Miami rally on Saturday morning, according to NBC News. High profile: Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton, third from left, was joined by Beyonce, Jay Z and the Rev Al Sharpton at New York's protest Saturday . Connection: Celebrity couple Beyonce and Jay Z say as parents they can understand the pain of the verdict . Emotional: Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton is joined by her son, Jahvaris, left, and the Rev Al Sharpton as she speaks in New York . Tracy . Martin told supporters outside Miami's federal courthouse: 'I vowed to . Trayvon, when he was lying in his casket, that I would use every ounce . of energy in my body to seek justice for him.' The Reverend Sharpton and other supporters want the Justice Department to pursue federal civil rights charges against Mr Zimmerman. He . told the rally on Saturday: 'They will not say that was the young man . killed in Sanford. They will say that was the young man who helped . change the laws in the United States of America.' Speech: Meanwhile, in Miami, Trayvon's father Tracy Martin told crowds there that he will continue to fight for his son . Rally: Crowds gathered outside the federal courthouse in Miami as part of a nationwide response to the verdict in the George Zimmerman case . Former . Governor Eliot Spitzer, who attended the New York rally, said: . 'Regardless of how you view the legality of the verdict in isolation, . justice here was denied. An innocent young man was shot and killed and . that is a tragedy.' Attorney General Eric Holder . announced last week that the department would investigate whether the . Hispanic neighborhood watch man could be charged under those federal . civil rights laws, which would require evidence that he harbored racial . animosity against Trayvon. Most legal experts said it would be a difficult charge to bring. Support: People march through Oakland, California, as part of the Justice for Trayvon rally . Debate: The rallies, including this one in Los Angeles, were organized to call for civil liberty charges to be brought against Mr Zimmerman . Campaign: In Austin, Texas, crowds marched while carrying banners . Mr Holder added that the shooting demonstrated the need to re-examine stand-your-ground laws nationwide. The . Reverend Jeffrey Johnson told about 200 people in Indianapolis that the . rally was about making life safer for young black men. The Rev Johnson said there were still . endangered by racial profiling, and he compared Mr Zimmerman’s . acquittal to that of four white officers in the beating of black . motorist Rodney King in 1992, according to the Boston Globe. 'The . verdict freed George Zimmerman, but it condemned America more,' the . pastor who is a member of the board of directors of the National Action . Network, said. On Friday . President Obama said it was still common for black men to ‘'be followed . in a department store' while shopping or to walk down the street and . 'hear the car doors lock'. He added that he had experienced both scenarios before he rose to social and political prominence. United: In Salt Lake City residents gathered outside the Wallace Bennett Federal Building for the rally . National outcry: Rallies were due to be held in about 100 cities across the U.S. including Midland, Texas . Father and son supporters: Ulysses Diaz, holds his son, Armani Hinton, as they listen to a speech at a rally in Las Vegas. Network: The rally in Miami was one of many held on Saturday, to mark a week since the not guilty trial verdict . Mass action: Large crowds gather in Atlanta, Georgia, at one of the Justice for Trayvon rallies . | Comedian/civil rights pioneer Dick Gregory also said to boycott orange juice .
Washington, DC among cities nationwide that held protests Saturday .
Protestors called for an end to Stand Your Ground laws and some called for shooter George Zimmerman to be prosecuted for civil rights violations .
Reverend Al Sharpton, Beyonce and Jay Z, and Trayvon Martin's family among rally attendees . |
201,947 | 91708a23c3dddf35d15dba71704e4b5532288e22 | A campaign to buy prosthetic limbs for a super-fit mother-of-two who lost both legs after getting pneumonia at Christmas has topped £85,000 in just five days. The tragic story of Tracy Ralph has inspired more than 2,000 donations from members of the public, while also capturing the hearts of celebrities including Alan Carr, Robbie Savage and Deborah Meaden. Mrs Ralph, who turned 35 on Wednesday, fell desperately ill on Christmas Eve and had to have her lower legs and fingers amputated after being hit by pneumonia. Tracey Ralph had to have her lower legs and fingers amputated after suffering multiple organ failure and developing septicaemia after coming down with pneumonia shortly before Christmas . The mother, of Hawkwell, Essex, is a keen runner who was training for a half marathon when she reported feeling short of breath of December 24. She was found to be suffering from pneumonia and her condition rapidly deteriorated over the following days. After being put into a medically-induced coma on Christmas Day, she has since battled multiple organ failure, meningitis, septicaemia, blood clots and bleeding on the brain. Tragically Mrs Ralph, who has two sons aged four and 19-months, had to have her fingers and legs amputated below the knee. She came out of her coma on New Year's Eve, but is still in intensive care in St Thomas's hospital, London. Desperate to give her the best chance of leading a normal life again, her sister-in-law Amanda Ralph set up a fundraising campaign to help with her rehabilitation and buy the best prosthetic limbs possible. The mother-of-two's family, including husband Brad and sons Miller and Hudson, didn't realise just how ill she was before she was suddenly rushed to hospital on Christmas Eve . And in just five days, Amanda's £100,000 goal is in reach, after donations topped £85,000 today. Speaking to The Mirror, she said: 'Tracy's husband Brad is overwhelmed by all the acts of kindness and generosity. He is still trying to come to terms with Tracy's situation.' Pneumonia is a swelling of the lung tissue, usually caused by an infection. Early symptoms include a phlegmy cough, fever or difficulty breathing. Mild cases can be treated with antibiotics but more serious cases, which can be exacerbated by underlying health problems, can lead to more serious complications. If left untreated, oxygen levels in the heart and brain can fall, leading to confusion, coma and organ failure, which can be fatal. Pneumonia can also lead to septicaemia, which can in turn mean amputations are needed. 'We decided to start fundraising because we want to give Tracy what she needs. 'The house will need to be renovated, she'll need prosthetics, an adapted car, a wheelchair, support from carers - we have no idea how much that's going to cost.' Speaking earlier in the week, Amanda said: 'The first we knew anything was seriously wrong was when she couldn't breathe and she had to be rushed to Southend Hospital in an ambulance on Christmas Eve. 'We have been living through it, it has almost been an out of body experience, there has been no good news at all. 'We were close to losing her before she got transferred to London, the doctors said she might not make it at one point.' Tracy's husband Brad, 37, has been at her side throughout the ordeal, but he has kept their children, four-year-old Miller and 19-month-old Hudson, away until their mother is up to seeing them. Her family have now set up a fundraising campaign to pay for her rehabilitation when she is out of hospital . Speaking about the fundraising campaign, her sister-in-law added: 'It's really humbling, we were up to nearly £18,000 in less than 24 hours. 'It just proves that Tracy is such a beautiful, lovely and caring person that so many people want to help her out. 'We have had people who didn't even know Tracy contributing and those saying they can't afford much but giving what they can. 'We know that when she comes out of hospital she is going to need a lot of help. Touched by her story: Ex-footballer Robbie Savage and TV presenter Alan Carr (R) have both donated money to help Tracy Ralph afford the best prosthetic limbs possible . 'Every penny will help Tracy and we are so grateful to everyone who has donated, we are raising the money for her rehab and ultimately the best prosthetic feet we can buy.' Mrs Ralph, who works for Clarins at Debenhams in Southend, had been training to run the Southend Half Marathon later this year and had been training with the Essex Ladies Running Club before becoming ill. A fellow member has now taken her spot and will donate everything she raises to Tracy's cause. To donate to visit youcaring.com . | Keen runner, of Essex, became short of breath on Christmas Eve .
She was found to have pneumonia and was put into induced coma .
Her condition worsened over Christmas and she suffered organ failure .
Doctors had to amputate her lower legs and her fingers to treat her .
Sister-in-law launched fundraising page and more than 2,000 have donated . |
187,457 | 7ec4f54d06f1f758f3e88bf3180f9baa30fcb309 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 08:17 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:08 EST, 13 December 2013 . A police force has been accused of trivialising rape after it distributed a bizarre Christmas poem about the crime. The verses – a version of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas adapted to tell the story of a woman being sexually attacked – were composed by Nottinghamshire Police as part of an awareness campaign. But members of the public branded the poem, renamed The Nightmare Before Christmas, ‘disgusting’ and ‘insensitive’. Critics have said Nottinghamshire Police's version of Twas The Night Before Christmas trivialises the horror of sex attacks . It features on a poster distributed at train stations across the county. At first glance, the design appears to be aimed at children, with a cartoon drawing of a snow-covered cottage with smoke coming out of the chimney. But women’s groups have called for it to be removed immediately, saying it is too explicit for children and that it belittles the horror of sex attacks. Cathy Saunders, of the Nottingham branch of Women’s Aid, said last night: ‘It’s a disgrace and should be withdrawn immediately. I utterly condemn it. ‘I have spoken to some of our clients who have been victims of sexual assault and they have been utterly distressed and shocked by this poem. ‘They feel that the re-working of a poem aimed at children trivialises the worst event in their lives … Children familiar with the proper Christmas poem would be left very confused if they came across this police version.’She added that the force should concentrate on a ‘stark, unambiguous message that rape is wrong’. One verse that has drawn particular criticism from campaigners reads: ‘Although she screamed “no” it happened in a flash / As soon as she could free herself she made a desperate dash.’ Earlier this week Nottinghamshire Police had to re-name an anti-crime poster campaign called Badvent after critics deemed it to be in poor taste . A spokesman for the group Sexual Abuse Survivors said the phrase ‘happened in a flash’ was not an accurate portrayal of a victim’s experience. She added: ‘That experience can feel like it goes on forever and even after the attack it will stay with that person for a very long time almost like a recording in their mind that goes over and over again.’ But Nottinghamshire Police denied the poem was offensive and said the poster aimed to make would-be rapists more aware of the catastrophic harm sex attacks have on women. Despite admitting it had ‘caused a stir’ and holding a meeting yesterday to discuss the complaints, the force decided not to remove the poem from its website. Nottinghamshire Police yesterday insisted they had consulted two unnamed women’s groups before the poster was distributed. Superintendent . Helen Chamberlain apologised to anyone who had been offended by the . ‘re-working’ of the poem – traditionally read to children on Christmas . Eve. But she added: . ‘Issuing safety messages for people who are out enjoying Christmas . festivities is a valuable way of helping to protect, in the main, women . and girls from sexual attacks. ‘However, . sometimes, constantly reiterating these messages can make women feel . that they are at fault if they are attacked … We want women to know that . if they are raped or sexually assaulted, they are not to blame. ‘Our message to men is that it’s not . acceptable to take advantage of a woman because she has had a drink or . is being sociable. And women shouldn’t have to tolerate or be forced to . guard themselves from predatory behaviour.’ But Jo Costello, of campaign group Ending Victimisation, said last night that the police force had ‘failed spectacularly’. ‘Many . women tell us that they didn’t want to report to the police for a . variety of reasons, predominantly the fear of being blamed for their own . sexual assault,’ she said. ‘Police campaigns such as this add to the . commonly-held view that women can somehow prevent rape.’ Earlier . this week Nottinghamshire Police was forced to rename an anti-crime . poster it had called a ‘Badvent calendar’ after critics complained it . was in poor taste. | Support group says force's version of poem trivialises horror of sex attacks .
Nottinghamshire Police has been urged to take poem from its website .
The force has apologised if poem has caused offence but kept it on site . |
150,040 | 4dfc1ef23d8195f158b00a829cebac22fa38bdd2 | A gang of robbers stormed into a wealthy antique collector's home and tied him up for seven hours while they stole hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of medieval weapons and other historical artefacts. Nine men burst into the luxury country home of the 79-year-old pensioner - who has not been named - during the terrifying raid in the picturesque village of Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire. Two attackers grabbed the pensioner from behind as he returned to his secluded rural property at 8pm on September 27. Police are hunting for burglars who tied up a pensioner before stealing paintings of Oliver Cromwell (above) and William Shakespeare and other artefacts from his secluded property . They punched their frail victim in the face before forcing him inside the house and tying him to a chair. Seven other masked raiders then joined the pair as they ransacked the house for several hours and stole hundreds of antiques worth over £100,000. Their valuable haul included dozens of historical guns, axes, canons and shields, which had been collected from across the globe. A 17th Century suit of armour, a Cromwellian spear and a centuries-old elephant gun were among those stolen in the daring raid. Nine masked men burst into the property of the 79-year-old art collector and stole items including suits of armour and paintings . A Rubens is also thought to be among the stolen goods from the property in Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire. Others include historical guns, axes, canons and shields collected from across the globe . A chainmail vest, paintings of Oliver Cromwell and William Shakespeare were also reported missing as well as several swords - including a gold and ruby plated broadsword. The gang then sped away from the scene in a stolen Mercedes Sprinter van, with the registration KM57 TCU. The elderly victim managed to free himself at 4.40am the following morning to raise the alarm and police rushed to the scene. Also missing nude: Jeune Homme. Remarkably the pensioner was not hurt in the attack at his remote property in Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, but he was badly shaken by the terrifying ordeal . Young Girl With Doll - Paintings and artefacts had been collected from all over the world - Staffordshire Police today appealed for any witnesses to the 'carefully planned' raid . Remarkably, he was not hurt in the attack but was badly shaken by the terrifying ordeal. Staffordshire Police today appealed for any witnesses to the 'carefully planned' raid. Detective Sergeant Rich Baddeley said: 'We believe this incident was targetted and pre-planned and I can reassure residents this type of crime is extremely rare in Staffordshire. 'The offenders assaulted the victim and tied him up whilst they systematically searched his house selecting valuable items. Locals have described the sheer 'audacity' of the robbery at the remote property in Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, pictured . Historic pieces - police are now examination of forensic evidence from the scene, checks of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems (ANPR) Officers believe items including suits of armour as these above could be offered for sale through specialist dealers . 'I can only imagine how scared he must have been during this horrific incident. 'A detailed investigation is now underway which includes the examination of forensic evidence from the scene, checks of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems (ANPR) from the locality. 'We believe the specialist items could be offered for sale via auction or specialist dealers and we are contacting as many as possible to make them aware of this incident. Dozens of paintings, a small print of Shakespeare, guns and breast plates are among the items stolen from the remote property . 'Anyone with an involvement in this type of property is asked to familiarise themselves with the descriptions below and contact us immediately if they have information or are offered such items for sale.' Locals yesterday expressed shock at the robbery in the quaint village, which is situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Councillor Norma Hawkins said: 'This area has a reasonably low crime rate so I was very shocked to hear about this. Police have appealed to antiques dealers across the country to be on alert for any of the items being offered for sale . 'The property is in a remote area which makes it vulnerable, but is not easy to get to by any means, so they must have been watching it. 'I imagine it must have been a terrifying experience for the owner.' Another local resident, who didn't want to be named, added: 'Everybody has been really shook up by this, we don't expect it around these parts. 'The pure audacity of the robbery and to think there's swords and axes on streets is frightening.' Police appealed for witnesses and said they were alerting antique dealers across the country to be on the lookout for the stolen items. Five suits of armour . Small child size self coloured wooden horse . Red velvet covered shield with axe and spiked ball & chain . 30 paintings and pictures . Bridal gauntlet 17th century style . Spanish breast plate . Swept hilt rapier (40ins blade) Framed Dutch tapestry (faded brown andcream) Small masons sword (thin inscribed blade) Genuine Cromwellian pike (17th century) Elephant gun, full wooden stock and matchlock mechanism (20ft long x 6ins diameter) Early 19th century large gong (4ft sq) Old breast and back plate with tassets . Full size brass divers helmet with light inside . Persian style wall rug . Various Rolls Royce 'Spirit of ecstasy' bonnet sculptures . Small print of Shakespeare . Ships canon (3ft barrel) in small wooden carriage . 3ft long canon . Double barrelled percussion pistol . Two Turkish pistols . Heavy breast plate, gauntlet and morrian helmet (Iron) Cromwellian gorget . Pair of French bayonets . Japanese matchlock musket . Three Basket hilted broadsword . Afghan musket with tower lock . Silver basket hilted broadsword . Two brass Victorian basket hilted broadswords . Landsknecht sword (6-7ft long) Gold sword in red velvet case with ruby's . Cased officers dirk . De-activated flint lock pistol . | The 79-year-old was grabbed from behind as he returned to secluded property at 8pm on September 27 .
Masked raiders punched their frail victim in the face before forcing him inside the house and tying him to a chair .
The victim managed to free himself at 4.40am the following morning and raise the alarm .
The gang fled the scene in a stolen Mercedes Sprinter van with registration KM57 TCU . |
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