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68,397 | c1ef496fefdebadfaa2d20d463b646c792674456 | A transgender army veteran made history as she became the first senior to have sex reassignment surgery under Medicare. Denee Mallon, 75, of Albuquerque, New Mexico waged a long and difficult battle against the government insurance program, and claimed victory when a U.S. health and human services board ruled back in May that Medicare could no longer deny the service, which they deemed medically necessary for transgender individuals. And now, Mallon says she finally 'feels complete' following the procedure. Scroll down for video . History: Denee Mallon, a 75-year-old army veteran, became the first person to have sex reassignemnt surgery under Medicare . Long battle: Mallon has waited decades to undergo the surgery, living as a woman since the age of 40 . 'I feel congruent, like I'm finally one complete human being where my body matches my innermost feelings, my psyche,' Mallon told NBC News. 'It's taken me all these years and detours, potholes and whatnot to finally be where I am right now.' Medicare decided to ban the surgery in 1989, saying it was 'experimental,' and noting a 'lack of well controlled, long-term studies of the safety and effectiveness of the surgical procedures and attendant therapies.' Back then, Mallon was not yet eligible for the government program, but she faced her own problems when her doctors refused to approve the surgery, largely because Mallon was still having sex with women. 'I have a difficult time relating to somebody what it feels like to be me,' explained Mallon. 'One of the obvious things people will say is, "It's a lifestyle choice. You've made this choice." Well, it's far deeper than that. It's so a part of my basic psyche, there's no escaping it.' Mallon, who has been married three times and has five children, says she realized she was different when she just 5-years-old, and that all of her wives have been aware of her identity. Those women tried to change her, but it never took says Mallon. Inspiring: 'I finally feel complete,' said Mallon after the operation . Steps forward: Some believe this may make it easier for other transgender persons to get the surgery approved by their insurance providers . As for her family, she says it was just her strict and very conservative father who accepted her gender identity, and that none of her siblings supported her, labeling her a 'weirdo.' In fact, until 2012 Mallon, lived what is referred to in the community as the 'stealth life,' never revealing she was transgender. That all changed in 2012 however, when she decided to become an activist and take on Medicare - after 30 years trying to get approval for her surgery. It was a daunting task and one that had never been tried before, but in the end, Mallon was able to claim victory not just for herself, but for all transgender persons. The HHS board said in their ruling; 'We have no difficulty concluding that the new evidence, which includes medical studies published in the more than 32 years since issuance of the 1981 report underlying the NCD, outweighs the NCD record and demonstrates that transsexual surgery is safe and effective and not experimental. Thus, as we discuss below, the grounds for the ...exclusion of coverage are not reasonable.' Now, it is expected that other private insurance companies, and possibly even Medicaid, will begin to approve this procedure for transgender individuals. And while it is wonderful news for Mallon, some see it as a little bittersweet. 'I'm so sad it took so long,' said Mallon's oldest daughter Kelly Mallon-Salter after the surgery. 'But I'm so happy that she's helping others to have it.' Standing strong: Mallon live the 'stealth lifestyle' until 2012, saying she was a woman and never telling anyone she was transgender . Difficult time: This news comes just a week after the tragic suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn (above), who said her life 'wasn't worth living' because she was transgender . This step forward is even more poignant following the heartbreaking death of transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn last week, who wrote in her suicide note that her life 'wasn't worth living' because she was transgender. Alcorn's parents refused to accept their daughters identity, forcing her into therapy to try and change her, and the young girl cited their 'cruelty' in her note, which posted to Tumblr hours after her death. In the wake of the tragedy, her parents gave an interview saying they still do not accept their daughter's identity, and then asked Tumblr to remove their daughters suicide note, in which she wrote; 'I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren't treated the way I was, they're treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights.' That dying wish is already being addressed by the Transgender Human Rights Institute, who have started a petition to 'call upon the President of the United State- Barack Obama, and the Leadership of the House and Senate to immediately seek a pathway for banning the practice known as 'transgender conversion therapy.' | Denee Mallon of Albequerque, New Mexico, has made history by becoming the first person to have sex reassignment surgery under Medicare .
Mallon, 75, took on the government insurance program earlier this year, and in May a U.S. health and human services board ruled in her favor .
It is now believed that other private insurance providers and Medicaid may start approving the surgery for transgender individuals .
This step forward for the community comes just one week after the tragic suicide of teen Leelah Alcorn, who wrote her life 'wasn't worth living' as a transgender person . |
143,483 | 4590795c02139d6cc3819a7e51cd4427ba600d6e | (CNN) -- Islamist rebels in Nigeria on Monday released video of a French family kidnapped in neighboring Cameroon last week, leading France to blast the scene as one of "cruelty without limits." The seven-member family was flanked by armed fighters from the Boko Haram movement in the brief video. One of the captive men reads a statement demanding that Nigeria and Cameroon free jailed members of Boko Haram, which is battling to establish Islamic rule in northern Nigeria, and their families. "Meet all the demands we have mentioned, and if you leave out one of them, we will kill these hostages," the masked man says. The family -- a couple, their four children and an uncle -- were seized in a national park in remote northern Cameroon on February 19. Authorities in Cameroon said they were quickly spirited across the border into Nigeria. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius denounced the video, saying, "All of the state services are mobilized to free our countrymen." "For all of us, these images are terribly shocking. They demonstrate cruelty without limits," Fabius said in a statement released Monday afternoon. The kidnapping has raised fears of Westerners being targeted by Islamist militant groups in Africa in the wake of the French military intervention against other Islamist rebels in Mali. The masked man in the video says French President Francois Hollande "started war against Islam, and we must fight him everywhere." "He also should learn that we have spread everywhere to save our oppressed brothers," the masked man adds. The father works for the French company GDF Suez and is based in Yaounde, the capital in southern Cameroon. GDF Suez, which is developing a natural gas liquefaction project in Cameroon, said it was working closely with the French Foreign Ministry. | Nigerian Islamist rebels show video of kidnapped family .
France denounces the scene as "cruelty without limits"
Boko Haram wants jailed members and their wives released .
A masked spokesman says France has declared war in Islam . |
210,871 | 9d1ec15ad7f39ba7e9676a46a804386a22aa7c77 | (CNN) -- Flamboyant and fearless, Roberto Cavalli is the peacock of the fashion world; with his body-hugging clothes, he woos women the world over. Fashion designer Roberto Cavalli . But his clients are no dainty damsels: Cavalli's women are Amazonian warriors and Grecian goddesses, whose armor is fashion and whose weapon is sex. His colorful creations are unabashed celebrations of the female form: dresses slashed to the hip or barely skimming the buttocks, necklines that plunge where no other designer dares. Cavalli's woman knows she looks fabulous, and isn't afraid to show it: to her, it's not just clothing, it's an announcement that she's arrived. Born in Florence in 1940, Cavalli was immersed in an intensely creative environment from childhood. That influence came from his father, a tailor, and his artist grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, whose work is shown in the famous Uffizi Galleries. Following in his father's footsteps, Cavalli studied textile design at the local art institute. By the early 70s, he had developed an innovative technique for printing on lightweight leather, and his Florentine flair had led to commissions with Hermes and Pierre Cardin. In 1970, he presented his first namesake collection at the Salon for Prêt-à-Porter in Paris. His trademark work with unconventional fabrics like embellished denim and leather, mixed with wild animal prints and exotic patterns, was embraced by the jet set and Cavalli opened his first boutique in Saint Tropez in 1972. Cavalli married his wife, Eva Duringer, a former Miss Universe, in 1980; she is now his business partner and right-hand woman. His fondness for bright color, exotics, fur and bold prints -- which he designs in his factory on the outskirts of Florence -- have won him a name as the king of fashion excess. Beloved by A-listers and pop princesses, these are not clothes for the shy: this is old-school glamour, infused with power, wielded by women who have flounced and shimmied their way to the top. See Cavalli's designs on the catwalk » . His main line is sold in over 50 countries worldwide, along with his diffusion lines RC Menswear and Just Cavalli, plus a children's line, knitwear, accessories, eyewear, watches, perfumes, underwear and beachwear. He's even ventured into Cavalli-branded vodka and wine. His collaboration with high-street fashion store H&M in November 2007 caused stampedes as his fans flocked to get their hands on his creations, desperate to capture some of that Cavalli magic at tiny prices. Some have asked whether his latest collections have taken a more gentle direction -- but the tiger's inner fire still burns bright. Spring/Summer 2008's bold flower prints and flirty feathered dresses were followed by Autumn/Winter 2008's flowered dresses that at first glance appear dewy and fresh -- but look closer, and the hip-hugging cut belies their innocence. Cavalli is adored by his celebrity clientele, who flaunt his show-stopping creations on red carpets from Los Angeles to Sydney. Fans of his work include Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyoncè Knowles, Charlize Theron and Victoria Beckham. If anyone sums up the glamour and glitz of show business, it's Cavalli: fashion as theatre, shameless decadence where the whole world is a stage. That's underlined by his eponymous 133'9" long yacht, built 2004, and color-coordinated, naturally, with his helicopter and fleet of cars. | Florence-born fashion designer Roberto Cavalli is known for his bright, sexy clothes .
He is the grandson of Impressionist painter Giuseppe Rossi and the son of a tailor .
His clothes are adored by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham .
Cavalli's extravagant lifestyle includes color-coordinated yacht, cars and helicopter . |
11,749 | 2161395e716bf0178b4d9b2fc2359e7d8ec29e5a | (CNN) -- A Burmese python slithering through the Everglades proved that her eyes weren't bigger than her stomach, swallowing intact a 76-pound deer. At 15.65 feet, the python isn't the largest on record. But the size of her prey both impresses and concerns state and federal wildlife scientists and land managers trying to control the non-native species. "They are large exotic animals that are not naturally from this area," said Randy Smith, spokesperson for the South Florida Water Management District. "The potential to wreak havoc on the natural Florida wildlife ... they don't have true enemies." Contractors spraying exotic vegetation Thursday came across the female python on an island about 20 miles from Everglades National Park, Smith told CNN Tuesday. It was dispatched, by protocol, with a single shotgun blast to the head. A necropsy conducted by Everglades National Park wildlife biologists showed the python had a girth of 44.1 inches after devouring the adult female deer. The snake normally weighed 139 pounds. Officials Tuesday said they are trying to determine the age and health of the deer. "We see them on a regular basis," Smith said of pythons. "We've dispatched hundreds of these in the past few years." The menu for Burmese, rock and African pythons includes rodents, birds or smaller snakes. In 2005, a python apparently busted its gut after it had consumed a 6-foot alligator. Some of the snakes may have escaped enclosures after Hurricane Andrew's widespread destruction in 1992. But there's a more likely cause for the problem. "Obviously, some of these were pets," Smith said. When people realize they are going to grow up to be much larger than they expected, they often release the creatures into the wild. That's the worst thing you can do, officials said. Management and park officials have tried trapping, but that's largely failed. Scientists and park managers are studying the exotic reptiles' breeding habits and pinpointing their locations to devise a strategy for controlling them. "It's not meant to be successful in this habitat," Linda Friar, spokeswoman for Everglades National Park, said of the Burmese python. "We don't have any idea how many there are. This is the biggest (one) we have ever dealt with." The giant reptiles compete with alligators and crocodiles. Although pythons have been found in or near some residential areas west of Miami, there have been no reports of injuries to people, Smith said. Friar said invasive fish species, such as walking catfish and lionfish, are an even bigger problem in southern Florida. CNN's John Branch contributed to this report. | Python nearly 16 feet long devours deer whole .
Reptile was killed near Everglades National Park .
Scientists want to know more about the giant invasive species . |
4,044 | 0ba80f1370849bf1c0e139745b5b1942333fe4f1 | By . Kieran Corcoran . PUBLISHED: . 16:21 EST, 16 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:19 EST, 17 September 2013 . In the world of cars it is – usually – the last word in understated elegance and class. But this Rolls-Royce Phantom, with its brash red and chrome paint job, seems rather to have missed the point. The garish car, which sports an Arabic number plate, was spotted last night in Kensington, west London – a traditional night-time haunt of the rich and famous. Not one for traditionalists: This bright red Rolls-Royce Phantom was spotted in upmarket Kensington, but the cars normally appear in reserved shades of black, silver, cream or deep blue . Garish: The car, which sports an Arabic number plate, was spotted in Kensington, west London - a traditional night-time haunt of the rich and famous . The car, which was parked up for the evening, featured blacked-out windows which made it impossible to make out any of the traditionally luxurious interior. Each car is built to the buyer’s specification, so its owner would have been able to request the garish paint job from the beginning. The Phantom is a classic choice of car for the very wealthy, and they are all assembled by hand at the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood, West Sussex. A-list celebrities David Beckham, Simon Cowell, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone and Eddie Murphy have all been spotted riding in the car. It is also a favourite of the royal family and heads of state worldwide – an earlier version of the Phantom was presented to the Queen as a gift on her Silver Jubilee. However, the cars almost always appear in reserved shades of black, silver, cream or deep blue. The Phantom, a traditional symbol of wealth and sophistication, is usually seen in subtler colours (right) In marketing literature for the cars, Rolls-Royce invites potential buyers to: ‘discover the genuine authority and rare sense of scale and occasion’ the car offers. They cost around £250,000. But this over-the-top specimen is hardly an isolated site in London, increasingly the destination of choice for the monied Middle-Eastern elite looking for somewhere cooler than home. This summer an especially flashy menagerie of vehicles were seen on the streets of the capital – many parked illegally. High roller: The Kensington Phantom is not the only top of the range car spotted in London in a slightly unusual colour. This pale pink Roller has been spotted in Knightsbridge . This purple Lamborghini, pictured this summer outside the Dorchester Hotel in London, was another Arabic supercar set loose on the capital . But it was later seized by police because the driver did not have a licence or insurance documents . Ramadan racer: This Ferrari is bound to grab attention with its velvet-covered roof . The Metropolitan Police seized a £350,000 ‘glow-in-the-dark’ Lamborghini Aventador after its driver – believed to be a Qatari royal – was caught driving uninsured and without a licence. It was later displayed outside Scotland Yard, covered with police tape reading 'uninsured vehicle seized by police'. At the time a police spokesman said: 'We have had a few Porsches, BMW X5s, and a Ferrari – that one got crushed and in fact the vast majority of them are.' Police are known to have seized dozens of super cars across the capital over the last year on an array of charges including driving with invalid insurance and driving without proper registration plates. Last month, a £300,000 Lamborghini Aventador was pictured being towed away after the driver fell foul of the law - he was found to be driving without correct insurance. And a member of Qatar's Al-Thani dynasty has had two supercars towed away by police. The influx of foreign registered super cars to the UK was highlighted in a Channel 4 documentary earlier this year. Overstated: This £2 million Bugatti Veron car was flown over to London by rich Arabs last year who spend June in London shopping ahead of Ramadan last year . Life of luxury: This Lamborghini SV car spotted outside Harrods in Knightsbridge last year is one of a number of super cars imported by rich foreigners . Super rich: A row of expensive cars spotted outside The Dorchester hotel on Park Lane . Import: This Ferrari is spotted parked up in a wealthy part of London . Viewers saw residents of the upmarket . Knightsbridge area of London - home to Harrods - complain that their . lives were being made a misery by super rich Arab playboy racers . speeding around residential streets. One resident described those with some of the more garish vehicles as 'a manifestation of too muchness'. The . capital's most affluent areas are often awash with super cars during . the summer months, with the wealthy Arab elite escaping the searing heat . of their own countries and embarking on a six week tour of Europe's top . cities, including London. Many of them bring their cars with them during the tour, known as The Season. Flash! A bright pink Abu Dhabi-registered Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead . Unusual: An Iraqi-registered Mercedes G55 with an interesting paint-job makes its way through London . Conspicuous? A Saudi-registered Ferrari 599 sticks out like a sore thumb next to London's uniform black cabs and red double-decker buses . Last . summer, five rare vehicles thought to be worth around £5million were . spotted parked outside the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair. It is believed that the cars all belonged to one Saudi businessman. The . fleet of incredible cars included two £1.5million Bugatti Veyrons, a . £1million Koenigsegg Agera, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a mat black . Lamborghini Aventador. Costly: A £1 million Qatari registered Pagani Huayra and an orange Lamborghini . Speedster: A £1 million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport . Take your pick: Two Qatar-registered Hamann-tuned BMWs with a Lamborghini Aventador sandwiched in the middle . A . Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe in pink and an all yellow Ferrari S99 . registered in Saudi have also been spotted cruising the capital's . streets. Perhaps one of the . most garish cars spotted in London this year was a Ferrari 599, parked . outside a designer store in Sloane Square. The . car is impressive enough - reaching top speeds of 205mph and 0 to 60mph . in 3.7 seconds - but this one was wrapped in black velvet. Parking ticket? The owner of this Kuwait-registered Ferrari 458 better hope that he doesn't get clocked by a traffic warden on those double yellow lines . A Bugatti Veyron pulls out into traffic in central London . Shame: A Dubai-registered Ferrari F430 is clamped . Clamped: A Saudi-registered Ferrari F430 has outstayed its welcome on one London street . | Garish red and silver Rolls-Royce Phantom spotted in west London .
The Phantom is loved by heads of state, royalty and A-list stars .
But it usually comes in more reserved colours such as black or cream .
Arabic-registered car resembles other playboy motors seen this summer . |
83,851 | edd4d988b0ebc970c1a28f9de8caa5893a6db6c4 | By . Stephen Mcgowan . Celtic are weighing up a move for £1.5million-rated Gambian strike prospect Modou Barrow. A 21-year-old striker with Ostersunds FK in Sweden, Barrow was the subject of a rejected £600,000 bid from Bolton Wanderers after spending last week on trial with the English Championship club. And Ostersunds president Daniel Kindberg claimed the Scottish champions are also interested in the pacy forward, following a glowing recommendation from former Hamilton boss Billy Reid — now the Swedish club’s assistant manager. Hot property: Modou Barrow has the quality to reach the top according to the assistant manager at Osterlunds . Keen to conclude a deal in the next fortnight, Kindberg claims Hull City, QPR and Everton will watch Barrow against Sundsvall tomorrow night after Bolton’s opening offer was kicked out. ‘We have rejected a £600,000 bid,’ Kindberg told Sportsmail. ‘We put Modou in the price range of £1.5m but it depends on the structure and sell-on clause. We also want to look after the player. ‘He has just arrived back from Bolton because we have an important game on Friday when we start the autumn part of the season. ‘We had a very encouraging report from (Bolton boss) Dougie Freedman about the player. We also have interest from Celtic, Middlesbrough and Swansea. ‘We have an English manager in Graham Potter and a Scots assistant in Billy Reid, who has been speaking to people at Celtic about the player. In the know: Celtic manager Ronny Deila should have a good knowledge of the Scandinavian game . ‘Celtic’s youth coach David Moss has been here with his team and Celtic have an exceptional scouting record. They know the Scandinavian market well. We are taking their interest very seriously. ‘Billy is an expert in getting talented players to the top level from his years in Scotland and has done a great job with Modou. We think he will take some big steps in the game.’ Reid, who oversaw the development of the likes of James McCarthy and James McArthur at Hamilton, was full of praise for the striker, saying: ‘Modou is sensationally quick and technically good. If anyone was going to be worth big money in the future, it is this guy. He’s got great potential.’ A prolific scorer as a teenager in the Swedish lower leagues, Barrow quit IFK Norrkoping for personal reasons, but scored six goals in nine games in the first half of the Swedish season, attracting interest from British clubs. Pedigree: Osterlunds assistant Billy Reid oversaw the development of James McArthur and James McCarthy . | Bolton took Modou Barrow on trial but had £600,000 offer rejected .
Barrow's side Osterlunds value pacy Gambian striker at £1.5million .
Hull, QPR, Everton and Swansea are said to be monitoring the player .
Celtic are also keen with Osterlunds impressed by their scouting record . |
58,908 | a71b0f961a878a5d13f82f01d241a7d440cbbe39 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Martina Hingis has been given a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine, the International Tennis Federation announced on Friday. Hingis must forfeit $130,000 prize money and ranking points earned at Wimbledon and subsequent events. The 27-year-old Swiss player was found to have tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine while competing at Wimbledon last year, the ITF said in a statement published on its Web site. At the time the allegations first surfaced last November, Hingis dismissed the test results, calling the claims "horrendous" and "monstrous." However, following a two-day hearing last month, an independent anti-doping tribunal confirmed the test results, the federation said. The tribunal rejected the suggestion made on Hingis' behalf that there were doubts about the identity or integrity of the sample attributed to the tennis star, the statement said. The former world number one spent three years out of the sport before returning to the tour in 2006, and won three titles in Kolkata, Roma and Tokyo. The federation said Hingis would have to repay $130,000 prize money and ranking points won since last year's Wimbledon. The federation said the ban would commence from October 1, 2007. Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former Wimbledon winner, announced her retirement from the sport at the time the allegations emerged. "I have no desire to spend the next seven years fighting doping officials," she told a press conference in Zurich at the time. "I'm frustrated and angry because I believe I'm 100 percent innocent and accusations such as these don't provide me with the motivation to continue," she added. WTA chief executive Larry Scott said in a statement: "We are saddened by this news as Martina has meant so much to fans the world over and made many positive contributions to the sport." But he insisted that the WTA Tour fully supported the tribunal. "We support and will enforce the ruling of this independent tribunal under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program," he added. Hingis has three weeks to appeal the decision. E-mail to a friend . | Martina Hingis is suspended for two years after testing positive for cocaine .
Hingis retired on November 1 after revealing the positive test at Wimbledon .
The Swiss must forfeit prize money from Wimbledon and later tournaments . |
251,234 | d12d1a40ef7876debb42d3f5ed2f4ab5692824b3 | Hong Kong (CNN) -- China will cut production of rare earths -- minerals vital for technology makers worldwide -- by 20%, a move that threatens to inflame trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Rare earths are 17 minerals with magnetic and conductive properties that are used in most of today's electronic devices, including flat-screen televisions, smart phones, hybrid cars and weapons. Nearly all of the world's supply of rare earths comes from China. China changed production rules, which will close down one-third of the nation's 23 mines and about half of 99 smelting companies, Jia Yinsong, director of the ministry's rare earths office, told China Daily Wednesday. U.S. military's rare earth concerns . China implemented the rules to improve environmental conditions and help consolidate the industry, officials said. The new regulations boost the minimum annual output at mines to 20,000 metric tons and 2,000 tons per year for smelting operation -- a move which will weed out smaller operations. The U.S., Japan and the European Union have complained to the World Trade Organization that China's rare earths export restrictions violate trade rules. WTO case against China over rare earths announced by Obama . The minerals include cerium, neodymium, dysprosium, tungsten and molybdenum. Tungsten, for example, is used in electronics, automotive, aerospace and medical technologies. China produces 91% of the world's tungsten. Molybdenum is a metallic element used for filaments in light bulbs. China produces 36% of the world's molybdenum. Rare earths are not actually "rare," and can be found in other countries - including the U.S. - but are difficult to mine safely. About a third of the world's rare earth deposits are in China but the country controls more than 90% of production, in part due to its lower labor costs and less stringent environmental regulations. What are rare earth minerals? CNN's Irene Chapple contributed to this report . | State media: China will cut production of rare earths by 20% .
China produces more than 90% of the minerals, which are vital for technology makers .
Officials: Cuts necessary for environmental reasons, industry consolidation .
U.S., Japan and EU have filed complaints with WTO against China on rare earths trade . |
251,773 | d1defdd219c16c56ff54710cb2dde7cac07aeae2 | University of Florida freshman quarterback Treon Harris has been suspended from the team while authorities investigate claims he sexually assaulted a female student. The 19-year-old true freshman stands accused of assaulting an unidentified peer in a campus dorm at 12:49am Sunday morning - just hours after leading the Gators to victory at the University of Tennessee. According to the Gainesville university campus' crime log, the only incident of sexual battery this week happened at the Springs Residential complex and was reported on Monday. Out of play: University of Florida freshman quarterback Treon Harris has been suspended from the football team following allegations he sexually assaulted a female student. Pictured above in Saturday's game against the University of Tennessee . Scene: According to the Gainesville university campus' crime log, the only incident of sexual battery this week happened at the Springs Residential complex and was reported on Monday. The dorm in question pictured above . Accusations: Harris stands accused of assaulting an unidentified female student in a campus dorm early Sunday morning. Pictured above signing his letter of intent to attend Florida last February . A source told Florida Today that the investigation may take several weeks, so its unlikely the athlete will be back on the field in this weekend's game against Louisiana State University. No charges have been filed, and as of Monday Harris had not been arrested. He has since taken his Twitter profile down. 'We are representing him and we are cooperating with the investigation,' his attorney Huntley Johnson said. 'I am hopeful that he will never be arrested [regarding this case].' Florida head coach Will Muschamp postponed his regular Monday press conference in light of the charges, and the university confirmed the report in a written statement . 'We have no tolerance for sexual assault on our campus,' UF President Bernie Machen said in a statement released by the school. 'The university is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for every member of the UF community. We must strive to protect all of our students from sexual harassment and assault, and do everything in our power to promote a safe learning environment,' he added. The Gainesville police have been called in to assist campus police with the investigation, in collecting and analyzing forensic evidence. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Harris replaced starting quarterback Jeff Drisken in the lineup for the game against Tennessee, and helped lead the team to a 10-9 victory. His suspension puts the team at a disadvantage going into next weekend's game against LSU, since reserve quarterback Will Grier has been sidelined for three weeks due to back spasms. Harris made his debut with the Gators in the September 6 blowout against Eastern Michigan University. He graduated from Booker T Washington High School in Miami, where he helped lead the squad to a Class 4A championship in 2012 and 2013. Monday's allegations come a year afters similar accusations were brought up against the quarterback of rival Florida State University, Jameis Winston. Heisman Trophy-winner Winston was able to continue playing because formal charges were never filed. Star athlete: Harris graduated last year from Miami's Booker T Washington where he helped lead the football team to two state championships. Pictured above celebrating the 2013 state championship win (right) | Florida authorities are currently investigating claims Harris sexually assaulted a female student while celebrating Saturday's win over Tennessee . |
79,009 | dfeccf551613d8214b027f73ec26e5cab102855f | By . Sean Gallagher for MailOnline . QPR manager Harry Redknapp has expressed his delight at the imminent signing of Lassana Diarra. The 67-year-old has been on the lookout for another midfielder ever since Alejandro Faurlin picked up a long-term knee injury last week, and Diarra, who is available on a free, fits the bill. For all the moves before 11pm, click here . Redknapp confirmed Diarra had passed a medical on Saturday morning following his side's win against Sunderland, with the former Chelsea midfielder in the stands for the game. Late mover: Former Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Lassana Diarra is set to join QPR . Silverware: Diarra (left) and Pedro Mendes celebrate FA Cup success under Redknapp with Portsmouth in 2008 . He later told West London Sport: ‘It was a cheap deal for the club – a great deal – and the chairman’s done a fantastic job. ‘Diarra just wanted to come and play here and, without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I think he wanted to come back and play for me. ‘He enjoyed his time with me at Portsmouth and I enjoyed my time with him so he really wanted to come here. ‘There were other clubs in for him but he said to me "It’s not the money, I want to play here"' The 29-year-old, who turned down a late offer from Roma to join the R's, played under Redknapp at Portsmouth. | Diarra will join on a free transfer penning a one-year deal .
The 29-year-old played under Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth .
Redknapp was keen to add a midfielder to his ranks after the news Alejandro Faurlin had suffered his third ACL injury in as many years . |
185,883 | 7cbb393512d245b6207a4e347baacb67a96177ac | By . John Stevens . PUBLISHED: . 06:41 EST, 30 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:08 EST, 30 October 2013 . When his 11-month-old Jack Russell vanished down a rabbit hole, the Earl of Cranbrook tried everything he could to find her – to no avail. By the time the storm of St Jude arrived on Monday, little Domino had been missing for three weeks and the Earl had given up all hope of ever seeing her again. But half an hour after the storm tore through his 900-acre estate near Saxmundham in Suffolk, a familiar, if bedraggled, figure staggered on to the lawn covered with dirt and sand. Jason Gathorne-Hardy (pictured) and his parents spent a day and a half digging to find Domino . Lord and Lady Cranbrook live on an arable farm at Great Glemham House, Saxmundham, Suffolk . The ferocious storm which caused so . much destruction had saved Domino by uprooting a tree, allowing her to . crawl free of the hole she had been stuck in for three weeks. Last night the Earl’s wife, . 77-year-old Lady Caroline, described the dog’s survival as ‘truly . remarkable’. She said: ‘The storm hit us at around 8.30am on Monday and . we were watching the trees bend in the wind. ‘Then about half an hour later, my . daughter looked out of the window upstairs and saw this yellowish animal . crawling and staggering across the lawn. ‘She screamed when she realised it was Domino and rushed outside to pick her up. ‘Our reaction was one of absolute disbelief. We were all thrilled and flabbergasted that she had returned. ‘It seemed so improbable that she could have survived underground for so long, but we have no other explanation.’ The family believe Domino was rescued by the storm after a tree where she was buried fell down . The fox terrier originated in the 19th century and is related to the modern white terrier breeds. The dogs were originally bred to dive into and flush foxes out of their holes during foxhunts. They general grow to no more than 40cm in height and weigh between seven and eight kilograms. The average lifespan of the dog is around 15 years. Lady Caroline said Domino was covered . in sand and her claws were worn down. ‘The sand had got into her eyes . and she was incredibly skinny,’ she said. ‘The strong winds must have . shifted the tree roots or something else underground to free her. ‘I have veterinary friends who have never heard of a dog surviving so long underground. ‘They think that the sandy soil might have helped her because she would have been able to drink water dripping through.’ Domino vanished on the afternoon of . October 7. The puppy was spotted by her daughter, Flora, 42, from her bedroom window . The fifth Earl, Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 80, had taken her . out for a walk in the grounds of Great Glemham house when she bolted . after a rabbit.’ Later Lady Caroline returned to the . spot with her eldest son Jason Gathorne-Hardy, who has the title Lord . Medway, and they could hear a faint bark. Two workers dug with spades . until nightfall but they could not reach Domino. Domino is now making a healthy recovery but has not lost her fascination with rabbit holes despite the ordeal . ‘The next day we carried on digging . and brought in the excavator to shift all the sandy soil from the area, . but we heard absolutely nothing,’ said Lady Caroline. Lord Medway, 44, . said he is in no doubt that Domino’s escape was ‘thanks to St Jude’. ‘It is quite fitting that St Jude . saved her because he is the patron saint of lost causes. She was a lost . cause if ever there was one – lost and buried underground . The Earl of Cranbrook title was created in 1892 by Conservative politician Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, who held office as Home Secretary at one stage. The current Lord Cranbrook, who succeeded his father in 1978 to become the fifth earl, has a PhD in the biology of cave swiftlets – the Southeast Asian birds that build edible nests. The 80-year-old has also held a number of positions in the voluntary, public and private sector. He has served as an elected parish and district councillor, a member of the Natural Environment Research Council, a trustee of the Natural History Museum and as chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy. Lady Caroline Cranbrook, meanwhile, has made her name as a local food campaigner in Suffolk. She has served as president of the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, with a mission to encourage people to see where food comes from, and has also worked with the Suffolk Development Agency. Their son, Jason Gathorne-Hardy, is a nature artist and zoologist. | Puppy went missing after diving down a rabbit hole .
Family spent a day and a half digging for her before giving up hope .
Fox terrier returned after the storm upturned a tree where she was buried .
Lord and Lady Cranbrook live on a farm at Great Glemham House, Saxmundham, Suffolk . |
187,919 | 7f55f2c39301c63ce619bb4d53a77e77f6019812 | John Prescott's junketing has pumped more than 24 tons of carbon into the atmosphere . Lord Prescott’s return to frontline politics as Ed Miliband’s ‘climate change adviser’ has already hit turbulence – after research uncovered the size of the junketing peer’s own carbon footprint. The former Deputy Prime Minister has enjoyed an astonishing 23 foreign trips in the course of this Parliament, amassing more than 181,000 air miles and depositing an estimated 24 tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Lord Prescott, 76, says his new role will involve helping a future Labour government broker international agreements on reducing emissions, which campaigners claim are pushing up global temperatures. Aviation will be one of the key areas for discussion: activists have called for higher taxes on air travel after calculating that environmental pollution from planes has increased by more than 80 per cent since 1990. However, this has not deterred Lord Prescott from taking enough junkets since 2010 to fly seven times around the globe. The Mail on Sunday has established that since joining the House of Lords in July 2010, he has flown – at someone else’s expense – to China (seven times), India (four times) and America (twice), as well as Russia, South Africa, Cuba, Norway, Iceland, Mexico, Japan and Germany. According to his declarations in the Lords’ Register of Interests, he has also visited France twice, although it is unclear whether he flew or took the more environmentally friendly Eurostar. Six of the trips were funded by Globe International, an organisation which gathers parliamentarians from different countries together to discuss climate change issues. The bills for all his other junkets were either met by quangos, private companies or the UK Government. Lord Prescott, who served as the EU’s lead negotiator at the Kyoto talks which led to the first global agreement on cutting carbon emissions in 1997, said he was taking the new frontbench role under Mr Miliband ‘to raise ambition on this crucial issue and… to help the man I hope will be the next Prime Minister so that together we can help the next generation’. But critics claimed the job was just an excuse to bring Lord Prescott back in order to beef up Labour’s media performances in the run-up to the Election. It was also seen as an attempt to stop the haemorrhage of both working class votes to Ukip, and environmentalist votes to the Green Party. Mr Miliband said that he had given Lord Prescott the job because he ‘knows how to knock heads together’. Lord Prescott first developed a reputation for ‘junketing’ during the 13 years he spent as Tony Blair’s deputy. Lord Prescott, left, has jetted around the world to discuss and highlight the issue of climate change . Ed Miliband is believed to have given Lord Prescott, pictured, a job to secure working-class votes . Shortly before leaving the Government in 2007, he embarked on a seven-day ‘farewell tour’ of America and the Caribbean which was estimated to have cost taxpayers as much as £50,000. Prescott and his eight-strong team stayed in luxury hotels in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Jamaica and Barbados as part of a visit to highlight his ‘interest in urban planning and the end of slavery’. Last night, Conservative MP Julian Smith said: ‘It is not surprising that “Two Jags” Prescott is completely hypocritical on climate change – saying that he wants to save the planet while jetting off to far-flung parts of the globe. ‘The surprising thing is that Ed Miliband thinks hard-working taxpayers should have to pay John Prescott’s bills again. ‘It would be a disaster if the John Prescott global vanity tour was allowed to obscure the important task of tackling climate change.’ Lord Prescott did not respond to a request for comment. | Lord Prescott has made trips to China, India, the US, Russia and France .
He also travelled to South Africa, Norway, Iceland, Japan and Germany .
He is being brought on board because he can 'knock heads together' |
64,441 | b6f5b671552a139c7e0bdfd8398dbda0611d0944 | For any student, the pressure of university finals is bad enough - but for Louise Sinnott, 22, the stress was exacerbated by having to rush to the loo up to 20 times a day as she suffered a flare-up of her Crohn's disease. 'I couldn't do anything or plan anything because I needed to be close to a loo all the time. Which, as well as being hugely inconvenient and unpleasant, is also horribly embarrassing,' she recalls.'I left my student flat and went home to my mum's house to lock myself away until the attack had died down.' Crohn's is an autoimmune condition affecting the bowel that is caused when the immune system triggers the release of a protein, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, which kills the 'good bacteria' in the gut. Scroll down for video . Worrying: There has been a 300 per cent rise in the number of 16 to 29-year-olds receiving treatment in England for Crohn's in the past ten years. Sufferer Bethany Townsend (pictured) recently highlighted the issue by proudly posing with her colostomy bag . Mrs Townsend still suffers with Crohn's disease and hopes for a cure. Since getting the colostomy bags (pictured) she has had a stem cell transplant but caught MRSA, which almost killed her . Support: Rochelle Haisley, pictured, said she has had an 'ileostomy bag for years now' This leads . to inflammation and, in turn, diarrhoea, stomach pain, weight loss - . because of poor digestion of food - and extreme tiredness. Around 115,000 people in the UK have Crohn's, with most diagnosed between their mid-teens and late 20s. But . new figures suggest that its incidence is rising dramatically - there . has been a 300 per cent increase in the number of 16 to 29-year-olds . receiving treatment in England for Crohn's in the past ten years, . according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Crohn's . is a chronic, often debilitating condition and many patients end up . needing surgery to remove part of their bowel. Last week, the Mail . reported on Crohn's sufferer Bethany Townsend, who became an internet . sensation by posting a photograph of herself in a bikini, exposing the . colostomy bags she has to wear because of the condition. Bethany, 23, . a make-up artist who was diagnosed when she was three, said she posted . the picture to help others in her position feel more comfortable in . their own skin. So why are more and more young people like Bethany and Louise succumbing to Crohn's disease? In the sun: Katie Ashton shared this selfie in a message of support for a fellow sufferer . The . condition has a strong genetic link - 'a person with a first-degree . relative, such as a parent, with Crohn's has a one in ten chance of . developing it,' says Alastair Forbes, professor of medicine at Norwich . Medical School. It may be that a genetic predisposition is . exacerbated by poor diet, suggests Dr Sally Mitton, a consultant . gastroenterologist at St George's Hospital in South-West London. 'If you . have a lot of junk food it makes it more likely that you will develop . Crohn's.' Crohn's is a chronic, often debilitating condition and many patients end up needing surgery. File picture . Certain foods could make the gut 'go into overdrive', . causing inflammation as it tries to process them, says Janindra . Warusavitarne, a consultant colorectal surgeon at St Mark's Hospital, . Harrow. 'It could be that certain foods cause a change in the types of . bugs living in the gut - we're only speculating, but this may well be . processed foods.' Ironically, many Crohn's sufferers prefer sweet, . processed foods because these are less likely to cause diarrhoea than . high-fibre foods such as bran cereals. But diet alone can't be to . blame, as many patients who develop Crohn's eat healthily. Another . potential trigger is smoking, which can double the risk by reducing . blood supply to the gut. One theory is that it is linked to the . over-prescription of antibiotics, particularly in childhood and the . teenage years, which may kill off 'good' gut bacteria. Crohn's disease is a condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system. Inflammation is the body's reaction to injury or irritation and can cause redness, swelling and pain. Crohn's . disease is one of the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease . (IBD).The other common form of IBD is Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn's . is described as chronic, meaning it is a life-long condition. Sufferers . will have periods of good health, remission, as well as times when . their symptoms flare up or relapse. There is currently no cure for the disease, but drugs and surgery can give patients long periods of relief from their symptoms. The . cause of Crohn's disease is not well understood. Experts believe the . condition is, in part, inherited, while an abnormal reaction of the . immune system to certain bacteria in the intestines is thought to . contribute. Viruses, bacteria, diet, smoking and stress have . all been suggested as environmental triggers, but there is no definitive . evidence that any one of these is a cause of Crohn's. Crohn's . causes ulcers to form in the gut and inflammation that affects the . body's ability to digest food, absorb nutrients and eliminate waste in a . healthy way. Symptoms include: . Abdominal pain and diarrhoea . Tiredness and fatigue . Feeling generally unwell . Mouth ulcers . Loss of appetite and weight loss . Anaemia - a reduced level of red blood cells . It's estimated around 250,000 people suffer from the condition in the . UK. It can start in any age, but usually appears for the first time . between the ages of 10 and 40. The disease can cause complications . including perforations. They happen when a severe blockage ruptures the . bowel, making a hole. The contents of the bowel can leak through and . form an abscess. It causes pain and a fever.Source: Crohn's and Colitis UK . Whatever the . cause, there is no cure. Treatments such as steroids can reduce . inflammation and immunosuppressant drugs help to control flare-ups. Avoiding stress and taking exercise can help, too, but about 60 per cent . of patients eventually need surgery. The condition can improve with . age - so if symptoms are controlled and you get an early diagnosis you . may avoid the need for surgery, says Professor Forbes. 'Unfortunately . that doesn't always happen, as often the disease is confused with . irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),' says Mr Warusavitarne. 'In the early . stages Crohn's symptoms can be quite subtle.' In cases such as . Bethany Townsend's, when a lot of damaged intestine has been removed, a . colostomy bag may well be the only option. The surgery is designed . to temporarily divert waste away from the inflamed colon into a bag to . allow the colon to heal - the end of the small intestine is disconnected . from the colon and rerouted through a hole, known as a stoma, in the . abdomen. An external bag is attached to the opening to collect the . waste. Once inflammation in the colon has settled down, a second . operation is performed to close the stoma and reattach the small . intestine to the colon. In Bethany Townsend's case, the bags have not worked and doctors are considering other options, even a bowel transplant. 'But . I'm still really hopeful and after everything I've been through I know . I'm a strong person,' Bethany says. 'I'm looking forward to chasing my . goals.' The mystery for Louise Sinnott is why she developed Crohn's . in the first place, as she ate healthily and there is no family history . of the condition. She wonders if a stomach bug she caught on holiday in . Madeira in 2011, when she was 19, may have triggered it. Mr . Warusavitarne says the disease can be triggered in this way. 'When gut . bacteria are exposed to a stomach bug or perhaps a new type of food, . they can be radically altered in people with a genetic predisposition to . Crohn's, with an increase in harmful bacteria and fewer beneficial . bacteria.' Louise's GP initially diagnosed IBS. Like Crohn's this . causes stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea, though only Crohn's . causes weight loss and persistent diarrhoea. Crohn's sufferers may also . have a 'lump' in their abdomen. But over the next few months Louise's . symptoms worsened and she was sent back to hospital in February 2013 . for a colonoscopy, where the lining of the bowel is examined using a . tiny camera. This confirmed she had Crohn's. 'It was such a relief to know what it was,' says Louise, who is about to start work as an environmental business adviser. After . three months on steroids she was put on a daily anti-inflammatory drug, . Pentasa. She is likely to have to take this for life. Louise is now . careful about what she eats, limits her alcohol intake and has begun . exercising. 'I've got no choice but to live with Crohn's,' she says. 'But I'm determined that I should control it, not let it control me.' crohnsandcolitis.org.uk . | Young people receiving treatment for Crohn's rises 300 per cent in 10 years .
Use of antibiotics and poor diet may be behind alarming figure .
Issue recently came to forefront thanks to sufferer Bethany Townsend .
The 23-year-old bravely posed in bikini with her colostomy bag exposed . |
219,711 | a867ef1e699df9954e5b6bcb8e2e9d955ef9741d | By . Peter Campbell and Matt Chorley . PUBLISHED: . 03:57 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:03 EST, 21 May 2013 . The boss of bungling Olympic security firm G4S could receive a £16million leaving package after spectacularly quitting his post last night. Nick Buckles presided over a ‘humiliating shambles’ after the company failed to train enough guards for last summer’s Games, causing 3,500 soldiers to be called in to plug the gaps. Yet despite public outrage and calls from MPs for him to resign, he clung on as chief executive. Gone: G4S's chief executive Nick Buckles (pictured yesterday) resigned, just months after the firm's Olympics 'shambles' The debacle was one in a string of . scandals for his leadership that included a botched £5billion takeover . in 2011 and a warning about profitability earlier this month. Now Mr Buckles, who had been with the . company for 28 years and was known in the City as a flamboyant . character, is set to pocket millions when he leaves next week. The UK-based security firm traces its roots back to a guarding company founded in Denmark in 1901. G4S was formed when Group 4 merged with Securicor in 2004. The company has a long record of blunders including: . In 1993 Group 4 became the first private company to run prisoner escort services,m and lost seven inmates in three weeks . A year later a hunger striker escaped from Campsfield House detention centre, guarded by Group 4 . In 1997 it emerged the firm had transferred a prisoner between two vans on a petrol station forecourt . Three prisoners escaped from Peterborough Crown Court in 2001 . In . 2011, G4S staff lost a set of cell keys just days after taking over . Birmingham Prison Workers put an electronic tag on criminal Christopher . Lowcock's artificial limb . In 2012 the firm failed to train enough guards for the London Games which meant 3,500 soldiers had to be recalled from leave . In March this year a G4S guard at Heathrow ordered Royal Navy engineer Nicky Howse to change out . of her uniform before flying to the US because it was 'offensive' His annual pay packet was £1.2million – including £336,000 in lieu of pension payments – which he will receive when he leaves. Mr Buckles, who is married with a son . and two daughters, also built up a pension pot valued at £9.5million at . the end of last year. The 51-year-old has also amassed a hoard of . company shares under long-term incentive schemes which would normally . take years to mature. But he may be granted these for free, . adding £4.5million more to his leaving package, at the discretion of the . group’s pay committee. In addition there are another 370,000 . shares under a separate remuneration scheme, which he would also be . likely to receive, worth a further £926,000. Mr Buckles was slammed by MPs for ‘making it up as he went along’ in the run-up to the Games. Keith Vaz, chairman of the home . affairs select committee, said: ‘I am not surprised by Mr Buckles’ decision to leave the company. I had expected this a year ago. I am . astonished by the level of his farewell package.’ G4S had been appointed by the . Government to provide 10,400 guards for the Games – but admitted it . could not meet the demand just days before the Opening Ceremony. The . Army was called in, but even then some venues had insufficient staff. During the Games almost two thirds of . venues were left with a 15 per cent deficit in guard numbers. MPs called . for G4S to be blacklisted from future Government work. But despite being hauled before MPs twice, Mr Buckles kept his post – while a number of deputies lost their jobs. The Government had to draft in additional security helpers from the Armed Forces after G4S failed to fulfill its contract for the Olympic Games . Mr Buckles was grilled by MPs over the Olympics contract last year . In November, the group was stripped of . one of its prisons by the Ministry of Justice following a tender . process. At the time G4S insisted the events were not linked, but City . analysts questioned whether the group could win big Whitehall contracts . with Mr Buckles – who once claimed never to have read a book, saying . ‘I’m not really a book person’ – still at the helm. Since the Games it has not won a major state contract. Earlier this month the company said . its annual profits would be lower than expectations – a bombshell which . sent the group’s shares plunging. Sources say it was the last straw for . investors. | Army was called in after G4S failed to recruit guards for London 2012 .
Nick Buckles could receive £16m leaving package after quitting post .
Buckles had been with firm for 28 years and was flamboyant character . |
61,297 | ae1c367af80aca123850a73951a003a8b40755a5 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 11:17 EST, 31 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:47 EST, 31 May 2013 . Michael Cole killed his wife with a hammer and knife after she refused to make a suicide pact with him . A jobless husband stabbed his wife to death because he felt their life together on benefits had become meaningless. Michael Cole, 56, wanted to make a suicide pact with his 53-year-old wife Susan because all they did was watch TV. He went on to kill her with a hammer and knife when she refused. He remained with her body at their seaside home for two days before calling the police to confess, Exeter Crown Court was told. The couple were both depressed by having no work and little money to live on and felt their life had become meaningless because they spent every day at home watching daytime television. After killing his wife he tried to take his own life by taking an overdose and cutting his wrists, but survived both attempts. Cole, of Torquay, Devon, admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years and three months by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC. He told him: 'You killed your wife at your home. You had been married for 32 years and you killed her by stabbing her in the neck with a knife. You also hit her on the back of the head with a hammer. 'You called the police and told the operator you thought you had killed your wife. The police found her dead beside your bed covered by a blanket with her head in a pillow. 'In interview you were unable to give an explanation for why you had killed her but you told a nurse at hospital you had discussed both committing suicide but she would have none of it. 'You told the psychiatrist that without any cause you took the hammer from under the stairs and the knife from the kitchen and went upstairs, where you hit her head so she fell and then stabbed her in the neck. 'You tried to put her into bed and failed and instead put a pillow under her head and covered her body. 'You are 56 with no relevant convictions and you have expressed remorse which I believe to be genuine. 'It is right that you had no children and no other close relatives. There is no evidence this was premeditated or there was any ulterior motive such as financial gain.' Cole remained with her body at their seaside home for two days before calling the police to confess, Exeter Crown Court (pictured) was told . Mr Martin Meeke, QC, prosecuting, said Cole called police to his home on Thursday, March 13, and told them he had killed his wife two days earlier. He needed hospital treatment after cutting his wrist and taking an overdose but was unable to tell officers why he had killed his wife. Mr Paul Dunkels, QC, defending, said the couple had worked in the past but were both living on benefits and faced the prospect of their home being repossessed when their savings ran out. 'You killed your wife at your home. You . had been married for 32 years and you killed her by stabbing her in the . neck with a knife. You also hit her on the back of the head with a . hammer' - Judge Francis Gilbert, QC . He said: 'They both felt their lives had no worth. He says that the difference between a bad day and a good day was if there was something on television they were both interested in, usually sport. 'Their lives had become so narrow and introverted and a time came when their savings were running out. They had no income, neither were fit for work and a time came when they felt life had nothing to offer. 'The psychiatrist postulates he was overcome by his chronic feelings of hopelessness and after years of routine, exacerbated by drinking alcohol, led him to realise how futile life had become and he directed that anger towards Susan. 'There is no doubt he was depressed in the long term. He has destroyed whatever future he had and killed the only person he ever loved as man and wife.' Detective Inspector Dave Thorne, of Torbay CID, said: 'This is a tragic case where Michael Cole took the life of his long term wife.' | Michael Cole wanted to make suicide pact with wife but she refused .
He admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years .
Court heard he remained with her body for two days before calling police . |
249,667 | cf1e412c563da666f5368f3eb58d3506cec387a6 | By . Aislin Taylor . PUBLISHED: . 20:27 EST, 4 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 00:29 EST, 5 May 2012 . When some people are bored, they twiddle their thumbs - but Kim Kardashian isn't one of them. The 31-year-old reality star decided to tweet past sexy photos of herself when she found herself with nothing to do today. She wrote on her Twitter page: 'I'm bored. Oh hiiiiii!' along with a recent photograph of herself. Hello bored! Kim Kardashian tweeted this bondage style photo today while bored . 'Oh hiiiii' was a frequent catchphrase as she posted photo after photo after photo. She tweeted two photographs of herself as a blonde back in 2009. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star resembled Jennifer Lopez with her honey-toned highlights. Blonde bombshell: The 31-year-old posted a photo of herself with blonde hair...and without trousers . Beautifully bored: This is what happens with a Kardashian doesn't have anything to do . The blonde days: Kim went lighter a few years ago, changing her raven locks for a honey hue . In one shot she poses in seductive bondage-style gear, while in another she didn't appear to be wearing any trousers. It's hard not to admit that the star, who posted the caption 'Gluten free is the way to be' did look amazing in her stiletto boots and black bikini. The now-brunette beauty also added a snap of herself with sister Kourtney. She looked lovely in a royal blue jumpsuit, while her older sibling donned an embellished top. Pretty as a picture: This is how Kim looks when she's bored . Well hello there: A frequent catchphrase on Kim's Twitter page today was 'Oh hiii!' Spot the Kardashian clothing: Kim poses with her sister Kourtney in their mutual fashion collections . Kim's lawyer says Kris Humphries' feelings are delaying divorce . Kim wrote: 'Can u spot who is wearing Kardashian Kollection & who is wearing KDash???' Though bored, she doesn't look as upset as one might assume she should given that her lawyer believes ex-husband Kris Humphries is deliberately delaying their divorce proceedings. Laura Wasser told a Los Angeles judge today that she believes the New Jersey Nets player's 'personal feelings and maybe some media drive is keeping the case alive.' She added: 'Certainly they've been separated longer than they've been married.' In other family-related news, stepfather Bruce Jenner just admitted how clueless he is on national television. When she has something to do: Kim attended E!'s Upfronts in NYC earlier this week . Clueless: Kim's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, appeared on The View today . He co-hosted The View this morning . and told talk show queens Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri . Shepherd and Whoop Goldberg that he has no idea what goes on in his own . house. He admitted that he didn't know about . the $40 million deal his wife, Kris Jenner, had wrangled for the family . until he saw it on a news show. Meahwhile, brother-in-law Lamar Odom has blamed his poor basketball skills this season on his cousin's death. The NBA player, who is now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, vowed to be the 'comeback kid' via a Twitter post today. The comeback kid: Lamar Odom stepped out for dinner in NYC earlier this week . | Kim's lawyer says Kris Humphries' feelings are delaying divorce proceedings . |
12,106 | 225a79fda3245e047aae3ee4bc8cd4a1cd1f4592 | By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 08:51 EST, 15 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:36 EST, 15 November 2013 . With her wrinkle-free skin, glossy dark mane and mega-watt smile, Annemarie Leak, 54, certainly isn't your average grandmother. Now . the Lincolnshire former model and Liz Hurley lookalike has been crowned . the UK's most glamorous grandparent and credits her success to being . celibate for more than 10 years. But although remaining single has kept her looking young, divorcee Annemarie, who claims she used to be an 'ugly duckling', revealed that she is searching for love. Glamorous: Annemarie, pictured with her daughter and granddaughter, is the UK's most glamorous granny . Beauty queens: Annemarie's 25-year-old daughter Katarina has also triumphed in beauty pageants . 'I was married in 1984 but then divorced by 1988 and have been single for most of my adult life,' she revealed. 'Men . are not top of my list but it would be nice to have a man on my arm to . take me to these events, I have got so many nice clothes to wear. 'I . think it has proved that looking good is not always good. I don't know . what it is, maybe men have never known how to approach me. 'There . was never much interest in me when I was at school either, I used to . think I was the ugly duckling, but maybe the boys are scared of me. 'I don't know what it is about us, neither of my daughters are married either. I . have found relationships really difficult, I had the occasional . boyfriend when I was younger but it only lasted a couple of months at a . time.' Success: Before marrying, she had a successful modelling career and was crowned Miss Lincolnshire in 1982 . Similar: In the 1990s, she forged a career as a Liz Hurley lookalike, even wearing the Versace safety pin dress . Winner: Annemarie poses with her granddaughter Mynah after being crowned the UK's most glam gran . 'I spent a lot of time of time on my own and I was quite isolated. I . was engaged to another man before I was married but the whole . relationship only lasted six months - I just couldn't go through with . it.' Despite her relationship issues, Annemarie eventually met and married her husband - and the father of her two equally beautiful daughters. 'I met my husband in 1983 and we had a rocky romance - he just used to get so jealous, he was a pain,' she reveals. Now Annemarie says she is happy with her decision . to turn her back on men, and unless the perfect partner comes along, she plans to concentrate on modelling. 'Here I am having a second bite at the cherry and I am not going to let anyone stand in my way,' she insists. 'My husband, who was seven years older, used to stand in my way with beauty competitions and say they weren't suitable. I just wanted a proper family life, that is what I set out for. 'The . relationship put me off men forever and I have been celibate for 13 . years now. I think not having that pressure has made me stay looking and . feeling young. 'I have a lot of barriers but I just don't think I have ever found the right man, there is a problem with the physical side. I find being affection very difficult, I can't even hug my own mum. 'But . I don't want to be a little old lady with a dog and a cat - I suppose I . am looking for someone but they have got to be right. 'I want to find someone who has something in common with me, someone who is outgoing, likes going to see films and the theatre. I think my ideal man would be a cross between Jon Bon Jovi and Sean Connery. 'I am looking for love but I don't go on dating sites - who knows what the future might hold though.' Until . she unearths the perfect partner, Annemarie plans to continue with her . modelling career, which was given a new lease of life when she won the . UK's most glamorous grandmother pageant. For the event, she wore a 1950s inspired dress . and performed a nursery rhyme with her granddaughter four-year-old Myah. New career: Annemarie now hopes to build on her success and forge a second successful modelling career . Annemarie, . who looks after Myah full time, added: 'My daughter noticed the ad for . this competition in the summer and encouraged me to enter. 'I always had the philosophy that if you don't enter you don't get. Everybody tells me I look very good for my age. I try to go for the old glamour like Dita Von Teese and I adore the Audrey Hepburn style. 'I think the judges were impressed with my outlook more than anything. I hope I inspire other women my age so they realise they are not too old to be glamorous. I'm lucky because I can still eat what I like and do very little exercise.' Instead . she has one green smoothie a day which includes spinach, celery, . lettuce and lemon juice and enjoys having an number of regular beauty . treatments. Annemarie said: 'I do have a gym membership but I don't use it, I just look after myself with facials and massages every week. 'I . also have regular trips to the hairdressers but I go to the hair . college so it doesn't cost very much because my daughter is setting up a . beauty salon so I get treatments from her as well.' Now . she thinks her success with the latest competition means she could make . a career out of being a film extra and in television commercials. Annemarie has already appeared as an extra in Clash of the Titans in 2009 with Katarina. | Annemarie Leak, 54, has been crowned the UK's most glamorous grandma .
She says her success is due to remaining celibate for more than a decade .
But Annemarie is now looking for love but wants to continue her career . |
219,936 | a8ac8dcb12bf2d1b1cb1573a9af9274e4af12538 | ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- Ollie James is 84 years old and a doubter no more. Ollie James, 84, says he knows Obama is going to win, because he believes "God answers prayers." "I know he is going to win," James said after services at Leonard Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. "See, God answers prayers, and I am a praying man, and I know he is going to win." The "he" James is referring to is Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. "From where I came from, with the segregation and all the hatred, I never thought an African-American would get this far in the United States. Really." But three weeks until Election Day, James and many other African-Americans are now optimistic they will be part of history. "I am kind of anticipating it will happen," said Raymond Henderson, a soft-spoken African-American man in his 60s. "But no, I did not expect it to happen in my lifetime." It is the flip side of the "race debate" in Campaign 2008: While the Obama campaign and its Democratic allies are aggressively working to address the concerns of blue-collar and rural whites who are reluctant to support a black candidate for president, there is an enthusiasm in the African-American community that Democrats believe could lead to dramatically increased turnout and perhaps tip the scales in several key battlegrounds, Missouri among them. African-Americans cast 10 percent of the ballots for president in 2000 and about 12 percent in 2004. Obama aides believe if that percentage increased just modestly in 2008, it could make the difference in at least a half-dozen states: Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Wisconsin and Nevada are additional battlegrounds where Obama organizers are counting on an increase in African-American turnout in their Election Day game plan. To reach its goal, the campaign is counting on a combination of newly registered African-Americans and aggressive outreach to tens of thousands black voters who are registered to vote but have stayed home in past elections. See why African-Americans are finding hope in Obama » . At Leonard Missionary Baptist, the Rev. Steven Thompson is careful not to preach from the pulpit: He exhorts his congregants to vote but does not preach in favor of or against any specific candidate. Still, a visit to his services found an overwhelmingly pro-Obama crowd, and Thompson says the enthusiasm level about this election is unprecedented in his two decades as the inner-city church's pastor. "The energy comes from the fact that it is historical, and we've got a lot of first-time voters and many like myself who have been through a few, and it still has that pumped up energy in it," Thompson said. Increased African-American turnout is all the more important because of Obama's tougher challenge in more conservative, rural areas. In the Missouri Ozarks, a roadside billboard shows a cartoon of Obama with a turban, his middle name "Hussein" in bold red letters. "Hmmmm," Thompson said when shown a photograph of the billboard, keeping his trademark calm. "If I spent my time getting angry about the things people do, then I can't do what I effectively do here," Thompson said as he gestured toward the pulpit. "Those people who do stuff like that, the only thing I can say is, we pray for them." Fredrick Lemon II says that for months, he doubted that Obama could win, but now he believes he can. Still, Lemon took time after services to compliment Republican nominee John McCain for trying to calm angry supporters at recent rallies, including a woman last week who incorrectly said she was worried about an Obama presidency because he is Arab. "It has gotten a little nasty," Lemon said. "But I think that John McCain really showed some integrity and some character when he was at the last town hall meeting and some people said some disparaging remarks and he corrected them. And that just shows that he does have integrity." | African-Americans in Missouri excited about Obama's chances .
84-year-old: "I never thought an African-American would get this far in the U.S."
Obama aides think African-American vote could help in half-dozen states .
Campaign working to re-energize voters who used to stay home, reach new voters . |
137,627 | 3dfd1d40460ea85d869c5796c390dad4037941cf | Cradling his baby in one arm and brandishing an assault rifle in the other, this is the British jihadist who skipped bail to fight for Islamic State. Siddhartha Dhar posted the photograph online to taunt the police and security services whose blunders allowed him to flee the UK. The 31-year-old – one of hate preacher Anjem Choudary’s top henchmen – is apparently living in Syria almost a month after he went on the run with his pregnant wife and family while under investigation by Scotland Yard. The fugitive, also known as Abu Rumaysah, posted the image on his Twitter social media account which bears his Muslim name with the hashtag Generation Khilafah – a reference to the so-called caliphate. Sickening: This morning Siddhartha Dhar uploaded this image of him posing with a gun and his newborn baby boy in Islamic State-held area of Syria . Siddhartha Dhar, circled, disappeared only 24 hours after being released on police bail, the follower of Anjem Choudary, centre, took a coach to Paris with his family before travelling on to Syria . Just hours after publicly declaring he had arrived in Syria, Dhar announced he had become a father to a baby boy who was a member of the latest generation of Islamist extremists. He wrote: ‘Alhamdulillah [all praise be to Allah], Allah blessed me with a healthy baby boy in the Islamic State. He is another great addition to the Islamic State. And he’s definitely not British. Will try to post a pic of him soon.’ In a picture posted yesterday, Dhar was standing in front of a mustard-coloured pickup truck, wearing a thick military style coat and boots. He cradles the baby against his chest with his left arm, his son’s face peeking out of a tightly-knitted babygrow. Dhar holds an AK47-style assault rifle in his other hand, with the barrel pointing toward the sky and away from his child. The black IS flag is the Twitter account’s profile image. Dhar, a father of four from Walthamstow, was one of nine men who were detained on September 25 on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and supporting radical cleric Anjem Choudary and the banned militant group al-Muhajiroun. He is believed to have met, and possibly mentored, Michael Adebolajo, one of the murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby. Taunt: Dhar - who goes by the name of Abu Rumaysah - apparently tweeted these messages on Monday . Dhar was released on bail and ordered to hand in his passport. But less than 24 hours after walking free, he took a coach from London to Paris and headed to the Islamic State war zone with his young family. Prior to posting the photo, Dhar taunted the police on Twitter for clumsily allowing him to slip through their fingers: ‘What a shoddy security system Britain must have to allow me to breeze through Europe to the Islamic State.’ He also boasted how he had fooled MI5, the British intelligence service: ‘My Lord (Allah) made a mockery of British intelligence and surveillance. ‘Make hijrah (flight) Muslims. Place your trust in Allah.’ Proclaiming his love for Islamic State and the importance of the fight against the West, Dhar wrote: ‘The Islamic State will punish the tyrants in the West. The army of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is coming. Rejoice O Muslims.’ Dhar, who has been courted by broadcast media and repeatedly given a platform on the BBC and Channel 4 to promote his radical views, had publicly stated that he wanted to live under the Islamic State in Syria. A few weeks before his arrest, he told one interviewer that he was willing to renounce his British citizenship if it meant he was allowed to travel. Dhar was also interviewed by CBS News’s 60 Minutes programme about radicalisation in the UK earlier this month, telling presenter Clarissa Ward that he was unable to love his mother because she was not a Muslim. Titled ‘Campaigning for ISIS in the West’, the episode focused on Choudary’s band of London-based radicals. It is understood that Dhar is of Indian origin and was brought up a Hindu before converting to Islam. He was a key member of al-Muhajiroun and offshoot groups such as the Shariah Project, masterminding ‘roadshows’ in London that aimed to recruit troubled youngsters to Islam. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said last night: ‘Dhar was bailed to a date in January next year with bail conditions. Police are now working to establish his whereabouts.’ Dhar was among nine men including Choudary, right, held and questioned by police in September . Yesterday a woman in her twenties who is believed to be Dhar’s sister spoke of how her family had been trying unsuccessfully to contact him since he left the country. Speaking on the doorstep of her terraced home on the busy North Circular road at Edmonton, north London, she said: ‘We ourselves are trying to reach out to him and haven’t found a route.’ As she spoke, a second woman, thought to be Dhar’s mother, appeared cradling a baby. More than 500 Britons are feared to have travelled to Syria, with many joining Islamic State. Around half are suspected to have returned already. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Siddhartha Dhar was arrested in September along with eight other men .
They were questioned on suspicion of encouraging terrorist offences .
Dhar was released on bail to reappear in December but fled the country .
Later posted tweets boasting about how he could 'breeze' across Europe to Syria to join ISIS fighters because of a 'shoddy security system'
This morning uploaded a photograph of himself posing with newborn boy . |
71,382 | ca4f18c6722bd245dd66942bb4d35697dd16865d | (CNN) -- The election of Aung San Suu Kyi to Myanmar's parliament capped a remarkable turnaround for the pro-democracy campaigner, who was kept under house arrest for a total of 15 years by the country's military junta. Suu Kyi was born in 1945, the daughter of Myanmar independence hero General Aung San -- a man almost universally respected in the country, including the top ranks of the omnipresent military. She was only two years old when her father was assassinated as the country, then known as Burma, prepared to transfer from British colonial rule. Her mother, Khin Kyi, became an active figure in the newly independent nation, eventually winning ambassadorial posts in India and Nepal. Suu Kyi followed her mother to India and continued her education in New Delhi, which culminated in a degree in politics in 1964. She went on to Oxford University in England to study politics, economics and philosophy. It was here she met Michael Aris, whom she married in 1972 after stints working in the United States and Japan. The couple had two children, Alexander and Kim. In 1988, Suu Kyi returned to Yangon, also known as Rangoon, to care for her sick mother. However she became involved in the massive pro-democracy demonstrations that erupted on August 8 that year, as thousands took to the streets to protest against the widespread oppression and economic mismanagement under the ruling military junta. This became known as the "8888 Uprising." At one rally in front of Yangon's famous Shwedagon Pagoda, Suu Kyi told protesters she "could not, as my father's daughter remain indifferent to all that was going on." She became an icon of the country's reform movement and co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). Myanmar: The lynchpin of Asia . But the uprising came to a shuddering halt in September 1988, when the military restored control after a brutal crackdown and imposed martial law. At the funeral of her mother in January, 1989, Suu Kyi vowed that as her father and mother had served the people of Burma, so too would she, even unto death. Despite continuous harassment from the military -- including a ban imposed on her standing for election -- she continued to campaign until she was placed under house arrest in July, 1989. When the military government called national elections in 1990, huge numbers of people turned out to vote for Suu Kyi and the NLD. The result, an 82% landslide in favor of the NLD, took the military rulers by surprise. Refusing to acknowledge defeat, they claimed foreigners and communists had rigged the election. In the subsequent weeks, hundreds of NLD members were rounded up and jailed, according to rights groups. In 1991, Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the Nobel committee described as "one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades." Suu Kyi's sons accepted the prize on their mother's behalf in Oslo, Norway -- she had rejected a release offer from the military in return for her agreement to leave Myanmar and withdraw from politics. The NLD leader was eventually released in 1995 on the condition she could not leave Yangon. Tragedy struck in 1999 when her husband died of prostrate cancer in London. The authorities in Myanmar had rejected his repeated requests to visit his wife, and instead encouraged Suu Kyi to visit her family abroad. Suu Kyi again rejected the offer to leave Myanmar, knowing she would never be able to return. In 2000, she was placed under house arrest for a further two years, during which time she was conferred the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- America's highest civilian honor -- by U.S. President Bill Clinton. But barely a year later, she was arrested after a clash between her supporters and a pro-government mob, resulting in a period of detention that would last until 2010. One of the most bizarre episodes of her confinement came in 2009, shortly before she was scheduled for release, when American citizen John Yettaw snuck into her house -- reportedly by swimming across a lake -- and stayed for two days before being arrested. Yettaw told CNN he made the trip to save Suu Kyi from assassination. The retired bus driver and Vietnam veteran from Missouri told his wife that he had a premonition he would become a political prisoner in Myanmar. He was convicted of violating immigration laws, municipal laws, and the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest and sentenced to seven years of hard labor, though he was freed shortly after. Suu Kyi was initially sentenced to three years in prison after a military court found her guilty of violating her house arrest, but the head of the junta later commuted it to 18 months of home confinement. On November 13, 2010, the pro-democracy campaigner was released and reunited with her sons. Despite spending 15 of the previous 21 years under house arrest, she pledged to keep working toward restoring democracy and improving human rights in Myanmar. Her release came too late for the national elections that year, which saw the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party led by President Thein Sein -- prime minister under the junta -- declare victory despite accusations of voting irregularities and voter intimidation. Suu Kyi and the widely-popular NLD boycotted the vote. Despite widespread criticism of the electoral process, the vote marked a turning point as the new government embarked on a serious of political and economic reforms that the U.S. described as "encouraging." In the past 12 months, the country has pardoned hundreds of political prisoners, secured a ceasefire with Karen rebels and has agreed to negotiate with other ethnic rebel groups. In December last year, Hilary Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the country in 50 years, a trip that included a meeting with Suu Kyi. Clinton said the pro-democracy activist had been instrumental in helping to gauge the U.S. diplomatic approach to Myanmar. "She is someone who we talk to and rely on about policy advice, and certainly we were very gratified that she encouraged us to engage, encouraged my trip," Clinton told reporters at the time. The following month, Suu Kyi registered to run for a parliamentary seat in the April 1 by-election, while her party was formally given approval to enter the contest. She was greeted by huge crowds as she took her campaign across the country, and appealed for "freedom from fear" in her first televised campaign speech. With the spotlight on the electoral process after the problems of 2010, Suu Kyi claimed that the April vote would not be "free and fair" but that she did not "at all regret having taken part" because the election campaign had raised political awareness among Myanmar's population. Suu Kyi said she believed President Thein wished for democratic reform, but that she was uncertain how much support he had, notably from the military. Suu Kyi claimed victory in the constituency where she ran -- Kawhmu, south of the former capital city of Yangon -- while her party was victorious in 43 of the 44 seats it contested. In late May, the newly-elected Parliamentarian left Myanmar on her first foreign trip in 24 years. She received a rapturous welcome in Thailand where she spoke to Burmese migrants who told her of their desire to return home. Addressing delegates at the World Economic Forum, Suu Kyi warned against "reckless optimism" over the current pace of reform in Myanmar. "Optimism is good but it should be cautious optimism. I have come across reckless optimism. A little bit of healthy skepticism is in order," she said. In mid-June Suu Kyi embarked on a 16-day trip around Europe that is to include her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize that she won while under house arrest in 1991. | Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of assassinated Myanmar independence hero General Aung San .
She became involved in the pro-democracy demonstrations that erupted on August 8, 1988 .
The ruling military junta in Myanmar first placed Suu Kyi under house arrest in 1989 .
Suu Kyi last released in 2010 and has now won a seat in the country's parliament . |
43,759 | 7b74b89aee75fc2551d3a648c032057d13162774 | The 16-year-old took to the stand for the first time in Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit against AEG . Prince admitted his sister Paris has struggled the most in the wake of his death, adding: 'Paris was my dad's princess' By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:58 EST, 26 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:30 EST, 26 June 2013 . Michael Jackson's eldest son recalled the moment Conrad Murray informed him of the pop star's death. Prince, 16, took to the the stand for the first time in the Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit against AEG in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He told the court Murray simply said: 'Sorry kids. Dad's dead.' The teen is a witness in a lawsuit . claiming AEG negligently hired Murray, the doctor who was later . convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson an overdose of . the anesthetic propofol. Taking the stand: A courtroom sketch depicting the testimony of Prince Michael Jackson in LA on Wednesday . Formal: In court, Prince wore a black suit with a dark grey tie with his long brown hair tucked behind his ears . According to TMZ, Prince was in the . lounge room of the family's Holmby Hills mansion when his father went . into cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. 'Dad's dead': The Jackson lawsuit claims AEG negligently hired Conrad Murray . He recalled hearing screams and Murray called him upstairs. Prince said . his father was 'half hanging out of the bed' while the doctor was trying to resuscitate him. He . said his sister Paris, 15, who is being treated following a suicide attempt . earlier this month, suffered the most in the wake of their father's death. He recalled she screamed that she 'wanted her daddy' while Murray was performing CPR. He said: 'She was my dad's princess. She definitely is dealing with [his death] in her own way.' He also revealed his father was . excited about going back on tour before his death but wasn't happy about . the terms of the ill-fated shows. He . told jurors his father wanted more time to rehearse and had several . tense phone conversations with promoters of his This Is It shows that . sometimes ended with his father in tears. He said his father remarked after one of the conversations: 'They're going to kill me,' but he did not elaborate. AEG denies it hired the physician or bears any responsibility for the entertainer's death. Prince . testified that he saw AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips at the family's . rented mansion in a heated conversation with Murray in the days before . his father died. The teenager said he saw Phillips grabbing Murray's . elbow. Excited but concerned: Michael's eldest son testified that his father was excited about going back on tour before . his death but wasn't happy about the terms of the ill-fated shows . Phillips 'looked aggressive to me,' Prince testified. Michael wasn't at home at the time and was probably at rehearsals, Prince said. For the first time, the teenage publicly provided details about the day his father died. Prince testified that he saw Murray performing CPR on his father, who was hanging halfway off a bed. It appeared his father's eyes were rolled up in the back of his head, Prince told jurors. Prince's eyes appeared red as he recalled being told by Murray at a hospital that his father was dead. Fatherless: Prince, his sister Paris and their brother Blanket were left without a father when Michael passed away in June 2009 . The testimony began with the teenager showing jurors roughly 15 minutes of private family photos and home videos. He described growing up on Neverland Ranch and showed the panel videos of the property's petting zoos and other amenities. After his father's acquittal of child molestation charges, Prince described living in the Middle East, Ireland and Las Vegas. He told the jury that his father was always working, but his children had no idea he was a global superstar. 'We always listened to his music, but we never knew how famous he was,' Prince said. Brotherly: Prince is seen out with his brother Blanket at the mall last week . He said he and his sister Paris watched a video of one of their father's performances and got a sense of his fame when overwhelmed fans were carried from his shows on stretchers. Prince is the first Jackson family member to testify during the trial, now in its ninth week. Attorneys have said TJ Jackson, who serves a co-guardian to Prince and his siblings, and Taj Jackson, are also expected to take the witness stand. They are the sons of Tito Jackson. Prince, his sister Paris and brother Blanket are plaintiffs in the case against AEG, which their grandmother and primary caretaker filed in August 2010. On tape: Prince is seen giving pre-recorded evidence for Micheal Jackson's inquest back in March . In court, Prince wore a black suit . with a dark grey tie with his long brown hair tucked behind his ears. He . spoke softly as he began testifying, and the first exhibit shown to . jurors was a photo taken with their grandmother on his and Paris' first . day of school. He described . his school life, including taking a summer course in U.S. history, . participating on the school's robotics team and volunteer work. Another image shown to jurors was Michael Jackson playing piano with his son while Prince was still an infant or toddler. Recorded: His sister Paris did the same two days later . Plaintiffs' attorney Brian Panish asked Prince whether he was interested in pursuing a career in music. 'I can never play an instrument and I definitely cannot sing,' Prince said to laughter from the jury. He said he wanted to study film or business when he goes to college. Prince said he helped attorneys pick out the videos and photos shown in court. Michael sheltered his children from the public eye while he was alive, often obscuring their faces while out in public. The children have been more public in recent years, appearing at a star-studded memorial service and other events honoring their father. Tragic: Michael 's official cause of death was attributed cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine, which he used to help him sleep . Paris, 15, had also been expected to testify during the case but was hospitalized last month and her status as a witness remained unclear. Attorneys for AEG played a snippet of her videotaped deposition last week, and more of her testimony may be played for the jury later in the trial. Blanket, 11, is not expected to testify. The jury of six men and six women has learned numerous details about Jackson's role as a father during the case. They've heard about a secret trip to a movie weeks before Michael's death, a private circus he hired for Paris' 11th birthday, and Blanket's interest in his father's dance rehearsals. The trial is expected to last several more weeks. | The 16-year-old took to the stand for the first time in Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit against AEG .
Prince admitted his sister Paris has struggled the most in the wake of his death, adding: 'Paris was my dad's princess' |
58,346 | a5705f01dac80d09f9d14d1e5c1d98223e25472c | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Updated: . 02:42 EST, 1 November 2011 . She had been working on new material for years, trying to better smash hit record Back To Black. And now a secret album of brand new songs by Amy Winehouse is being slated for release months after the 27-year-old's death. Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures is said to contain original tracks as well as covers. Hidden Treasures: The 12-track posthumous album by Amy Winehouse will be out in December . The album is said to feature original tracks and covers, one of which is a recording of jazz standard Body and Soul with Tony Bennett, left . One song reportedly tells of cheating . ex-husband Blake Fielder Civil while another was recorded while the . singer was high on drugs. Musical legacy: The star was found dead in bed in her Camden flat in north London in July . The album also features a recording of jazz standard Body and . Soul with Tony Bennett. Winehouse's father Mitch told The Sun the new material 'took my breath away.' The 60-year-old added tearfully: 'I . spent so much time chasing after Amy - telling her off - that I never . realised what a true genius she was.' He . said the album would never have been released if the family had felt it . wasn't up to the standard of his daughter's 2003 debut Frank and much . celebrated second album Back To Black in 2006. 'We believe it will stand as a fitting tribute to her musical legacy,' Mitch added. Producers Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson . pulled the album together after listening back to thousands of hours of . vocals by the star. Remi said listening back to Winehouse's . voice was an 'emotional' experience. 'I believe she has . left something beyond her years,' he said. Mitch and his partner Jane, leave a London Coroner's Court after hearing the singer was more than five times the drink-drive limit when she died . 'She has put a body of work together that will inspire an unborn generation.' The star was found dead in bed in her Camden flat in north London on the afternoon of Saturday 23 July this year. Last week, an inquest heard the singer was more than five times the legal drink-drive limit when she died, but clear of illegal drugs. The new album is said to be due for release in December. Money from each copy sold will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. New songs: A collection of unheard material by the late Amy Winehouse is said to include a song about her ex Blake Fielder-Civil, left . | Song on album reportedly tells of cheating ex Blake .
Another was said to be recorded while Winehouse was high on drugs . |
101,365 | 0ea8d2f2e509ac57b90f2e12eb4cabfaeba3c53a | By . Sarah Harris . PUBLISHED: . 19:00 EST, 1 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:22 EST, 1 September 2013 . The number of two-year-olds receiving free childcare will double as a government scheme is extended to working families on low incomes. From today, 130,000 youngsters - 20 per cent of two-year-olds - will be eligible for funding because their families qualify for Free School Meals or they are looked after by their local authority. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has revealed that next September, the number will rise to 260,000, or 40 per cent of the cohort. Parents who qualify will be able to claim up to 15 hours a week of free early education for their child . The scheme is being opened up to families that earn less than £16,910 a year and receive working tax credits. Children who have been adopted, are in care or have a disability or special educational needs will also benefit from next year. The Coalition is investing £534million in the scheme this year, rising to £760million in 2014/15. Parents who qualify will be able to claim up to 15 hours a week of free early education for their child. Mr Clegg will outline the overhaul in a speech today, stressing that the government is helping more children achieve a ‘brighter start in life’ He said: ‘All the evidence shows that if you take two children - two five-year-olds hanging up their coats next to each other on the first day of school - the poorer child will already be behind their better off classmate before a single lesson has been taught. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has revealed that next September, the number will rise to 260,000 . ‘Without this help, children suffer and the whole class suffers as teachers have to focus more of their efforts on children who are frustrated and left behind through no fault of their own. ‘I believe that every British family, whatever its structure, background and circumstances, should be able to get on in life.’ The free childcare entitlement for two-year-olds was announced in the 2010 spending review. From last September, ten trial areas including Blackpool, Cornwall, Greenwich, Kent, Lambeth and Newcastle introduced the scheme, benefiting almost 1,000 two-year-olds. Speaking at the time, Mr Clegg said that parents would be given the option to spread their free nursery place over two days, rather than three, and to use the free hours between 7am and 7pm rather than 8am to 6pm. This was intended to make it easier to fit the childcare around working lives. The Pre-school Learning Alliance yesterday welcomed the expansion but warned that the scheme would not achieve its goal of giving two-year-olds a good start in life without proper funding. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the alliance, said: ‘From taking part in the pilot scheme for two-year-olds, we are acutely aware that many of these young children from struggling families will have additional needs requiring specialist one-to-one help. ‘Indeed, from our experience, we estimate that the true cost of providing such care could be double the amount per place the government has allocated.’ He said that the early years sector ‘fully supported’ the government plans but was wary of getting involved because many child carers have provided free places at a loss under a similar scheme for three and four-year-olds. He added: ‘The free early years entitlement scheme for three and four-year-olds has been historically underfunded by successive governments. ‘We cannot afford such underfunding to continue indefinitely and trust that now the government is extending the scheme to this younger age group that the higher costs of providing care to these children will be recognised and fully met.’ Anand Shukla, chief executive of the Family and Childcare Trust, warned that nursery closures could impede the delivery of free childcare. He said: ‘We are concerned that loss of nursery provision in children’s centres is impacting on local authorities’ ability to find sufficient places for the offer.’ New research by the Family and Childcare Trust - to be published this month - indicates that a minimum of 108 nurseries across England have closed or were never commissioned as they were supposed to be . Mr Shukla added: ‘Cost savings have driven nursery closures and this approach reduces capacity in the system which will damage government hopes of meeting its targets for provision of childcare for two-year-olds.’ | From today 20 per cent of two-year-olds will be eligible for funding .
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the number will rise to 260,000 next September .
The scheme is being opened up to families that earn less than £16,910 a year and receive working tax credits . |
170,542 | 68c201985e9075990dd3037aa1f48ff96f54dc4c | Facebook has agreed to dish out a whopping $10million to charity to settle a lawsuit that accused the site of violating users' rights to control the use of their own names, photos and likenesses, according to court documents made public this weekend. The lawsuit, brought by five Facebook members in California, alleged that the social networking site violated state law by publicizing users' 'likes' of certain advertisers on its 'sponsored stories' feature without paying them or giving them a way to opt out, the documents said. The blockbuster settlement could potentially allow millions of other Facebook users to pursue similar legal action. On the timeline: A 'sponsored story' is an ad that appears on a user's Facebook page and consists of another friend's name, picture and an assertion that the person 'likes' the advertiser . Dislike: Five plaintiffs had shown economic injury could occur through Palo Alto, California-based Facebook's use of their names, photographs and likenesses . A 'sponsored story' is an advertisement . that appears on a user's Facebook page and generally consists of another . friend's name, picture and an assertion that the person 'likes' the . advertiser. The lawsuit charges that Facebook's . terms of use 'mislead its users into believing that they can prohibit . the use of their name and profile picture in advertisements.' The ads were started in early 2011. The settlement, which was reached last month but made public this weekend, puts a question mark over a major source of ad revenue for the company. Facebook declined to comment on Saturday. Boss: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been quoted as saying that that a trusted referral from a Facebook friend was the 'Holy Grail' of advertising . The proposed class-action suit, filed in . federal court in San Jose, California, could have included nearly one . of every three Americans, with billions in damages - another potential . black eye for a company that has struggled since its disastrous initial . public offering last month. In the lawsuit, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying that a trusted referral was the 'Holy Grail' of advertising. Facebook's chief technology officer, Bret Taylor (pictured), is departing 'sometime this summer' to start his own company, in the first exit of a high-profile executive since the social networking company's IPO on May 18. Taylor said he will be starting up a new company with Kevin Gibbs, a senior Google engineer, according to his Facebook profile. The news was first reported by AllThingsD. Some investors had speculated that Facebook would have trouble holding onto key talent following its IPO, which created many millionaires among its ranks. Facebook executive Mike Vernal will take over the platform division, one of Taylor's key jobs. Cory Ondrejka will take over mobile, a source familiar with the situation confirmed. In addition, the lawsuit cited comments from Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, saying that the value of a 'sponsored story' advertisement was at least twice and up to three times the value of a standard Facebook.com ad without a friend endorsement. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said the plaintiffs had shown economic injury could occur through Facebook's use of their names, photographs and likenesses. 'California has long recognized a right . to protect one's name and likeness against appropriation by others for . their advantage,' Koh wrote. The settlement arrangement is known as a cy-pres settlement, meaning the settlement funds can go to charity. A judge still needs to approve the settlement. The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Angel Fraley et al., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated vs. Facebook Inc., 11-cv-1726. Facebook shares closed at $30.01 on Friday, down 21 per cent since the company's initial public offering last month. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Facebook from disgruntled shareholders. Ad blitz: The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, could have included nearly one of every three Americans, with billions of dollars in damages, according to previous court documents . | Lawsuit brought by five Facebook users in California who charge that they were misled by the company's terms of use .
'Sponsored stories' seen by users when a friend 'likes' a product or place .
Seen as more turmoil for Facebook, which has struggled since its botched initial public offering last month . |
168,208 | 658f88efcff1a0bb3455c09e54ffaab0acc7e660 | (CNN) -- Faced with a sex scandal in his ranks, the chief of Australia's army delivered a blunt message to his troops: Treat your female comrades properly or "get out." Lt. Gen. David Morrison announced last week that three soldiers had been suspended and he was weighing action against five others implicated in the distribution of videos he called ''demeaning, explicit and profane." In a follow-up statement posted on the service's YouTube page, Morrison told soldiers that female troops "are vital to us maintaining our capability now and into the future." "If that does not suit you, then get out," he said. "You may find another employer where your attitude and behavior is acceptable, but I doubt it. The same goes for those who think that toughness is built on humiliating others." Australian women began serving in auxiliary units and as nurses in the early 20th century and were integrated into the armed services in noncombat units in the 1970s and '80s. They were allowed to join combat units in 2011, and female troops "have proven themselves worthy of the best traditions of the Australian army," Morrison said. "No one has ever explained to me how the exploitation or degradation of others enhances capability or honors the traditions of the Australian army," he said in his message to the troops. "I will be ruthless in ridding the army of people who cannot live up to its values, and I need every one of you to support me in achieving this." Australian news outlets reported last week that at least 17 soldiers circulated video of themselves having sex with women. The videos were shared without the women's knowledge. Some of the material was distributed over military computer networks, and those under investigation include a lieutenant colonel and a major, Morrison told reporters on Thursday. The distribution dates back to 2010, and another 90 people "may have been on the periphery" of the group's e-mail exchanges, he said. Military investigators and the New South Wales state police are conducting the probe, and Morrison said he had apologized to some of the women involved. Daughters and moms now consider rape before applying to military . | Lt. Gen. David Morrison says sex scandal hurts Australia's army .
Women are "vital" to the army, he says; if you don't like it, "Get out"
Morrison says he'll be "ruthless" in rooting out offenders . |
72,489 | cd7a2de1845b6da14ed386bfab18f71c7d2f3998 | Rio Ferdinand's departure from Old Trafford came at the right time, according to new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal. Ferdinand, who left United after 12 years this summer, returns for the first time as a QPR player on Sunday. It is understood that the veteran defender was keen to stay on but was informed by United chief Ed Woodward in the away dressing-room at Southampton on the final day of last season that he would not be getting a contract extension. You can like our Manchester United Facebook page here . Rio Ferdinand is set to start at Old Trafford this Sunday as QPR take on Manchester United . Rio Ferdinand enjoyed several successful years at Manchester United but left in the summer . But Louis van Gaal said it was the right time for the 'great player' to leave the club . United’s problems at the back after Van Gaal implemented a three-man defence has led to suggestions that Ferdinand would still be a valuable asset. But the Dutchman said: ‘No, there is a time to stay and time to go and I think he decided to go. He was a great player and maybe he is still a great player, but there is always a time to go for a player in a club.’ | Rio Ferdinand was keen to sign contract extension at Manchester United .
Defender ended up signing for Harry Redknapp's QPR in the summer .
Two teams play eachother at Old Trafford on Sunday .
Van Gaal: 'There is always a time to go for a player in a club’ |
249,573 | ceff0411fac5c53762a09150a14aa2b47adaf7f6 | The owner of a Houston bus company who was charged after a 2008 crash that killed 17 passengers on their way to a religious retreat has avoided prison after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in a plea agreement. The daughter of one of the victims said she was 'completely disappointed' and angered by the sentence given last week to Angel de la Torre, the owner of Angel Tours. 'lt's like Mr. de la Torre got less than a slap on the wrist for taking 17 lives,' Yen-Chi Le said Tuesday. Wreckage: National Transportation Safety Board investigators walk past the Angel Tours charter bus that was involved in a deadly accident on August 10 2008 file that killed 17 people in Sherman, Texas . Le's 62-year-old mother, Catherine Tuong So Lam, was one of 55 members of Houston's Vietnamese Catholic community who had been heading to an annual conclave in Carthage, Missouri, when the bus plunged over a highway bridge near Sherman, 60 miles north of Dallas, on Aug. 8, 2008. The accident injured 38 others. Marina Douenat, de la Torre's attorney, declined to comment on the case. In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston said the judge had reviewed a pre-sentence report in the case and 'handed the defendant a sentence within the U.S. sentencing guidelines.' The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was caused when a retreaded tire on the right front axle was punctured by an unknown object. Although the retread itself wasn't the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, the bus company didn't have the authority to leave Texas after failing an inspection three months earlier, and the company that inspected the bus wasn't equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy. De la Torre, Angel Tours, and an employee, Carlos Ortuno, were indicted in 2013 for making false statements. In mourning: It is estimated that the medical and funeral costs for those who were killed or injured in the 2008 Angel Tours bus crash have totaled more than $3.7 million . In March, prosecutors dropped the charges against Ortuno and de la Torre pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a commercial motor vehicle after an unsatisfactory rating, which carries a sentence of up to a year in prison. Five other charges that each carried sentences of up to five years were dropped. At his sentencing hearing Friday, de la Torre was sentenced to three years of probation, fined $500 to be paid in installments over 30 months, and 55 hours of community service. Charges against his company, which is no longer operating, have been dropped. Le, a 37-year-old researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, said the medical and funeral costs for those who were killed or injured have totaled more than $3.7 million, while 'the person responsible for all that grief and heartache has to pay $25 for (30) months.' The U.S. Attorney's Office statement said it 'secured a conviction on the most readily provable offense in a court of law.' Le, who became an advocate for improved bus safety after the accident, said she had hoped the case would show other bus companies there are consequences for violating safety standards. 'With the lightness of the sentence, it's not a deterrent at all,' she said. | The daughter of one of the deceased victims said she was angered by the sentence given to Angel de la Torre, the owner of Angel Tours .
Her mother was one of 55 members on the bus which plunged over a highway bridge 60 miles north of Dallas on August 8, 2008 .
Investigators concluded the crash was caused when a retreaded tire fixed illegally to the front right axle was punctured by an unknown object . |
46,254 | 82516a6b294658425f18fdf697ad0ca75f725fe7 | (CNN) -- Where better to start a record-breaking solar powered flight than the desert? The UAE may be one of the most oil dependent states in the world, but next March it will be the start and finish location for Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane that aims to circumnavigate the world using only the power of the sun. The Solar Impulse made headlines last year when, piloted by co-founders Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, it took a solar-powered trip across the United States. A single-seater plane fitted with 12,000 solar cells and four electrically-powered propellers, it was also the first aircraft powered by renewable energy that could fly non-stop for 24 hours. The next version, the Solar Impulse 2, will have 17,000 solar cells built into the wings that have a span longer than a Boeing 747. The plane is expected to make the round-the-world trip in around four to five months, with some legs lasting as long as 120 hours non-stop. The first and last stop will be Abu Dhabi. "This well-matched partnership will show Abu Dhabi to be a center of expertise when it comes to renewable energy," said Piccard in an official statement. "At the same time, Solar Impulse will demonstrate the far-reaching applications of clean energy during the first solar-powered flight around the world." Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, is also a partner in the project, and will help the Solar Impulse team train and test the aircraft before it takes to the skies. "Abu Dhabi, Masdar and Solar Impulse have in common a pioneering spirit, a long-term vision and a desire to explore new horizons," said Dr. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Masdar's chairman, and the UAE minister of state, also in an official statement, adding: . "We share a commitment to foster the development of technological advances in alternative energy sources in order to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future." | Solar Impulse 2 plans to make a record-breaking solar flight around the world .
Abu Dhabi is the host city for the trip .
The plane will fly around the world in four to five months .
It will fly as long as 120 hours non-stop . |
202,628 | 9256051307560d7102dd235abe510d4edd0fd50a | Martin McGuinness, former IRA commander and deputy Irish first minister, is considering whether to accept the invitation . The revelation that former IRA commander Martin McGuinness may attend a state banquet hosted by the Queen sparked a furious reaction last night. The Sinn Fein politician is still considering whether to accept an invitation to the white-tie event at Windsor Castle next month. Buckingham Palace refused to confirm that Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister is on the guest list for the banquet, in honour of Irish president Michael D Higgins. McGuinness is also thought to have been invited to a reception, also at Windsor and hosted by the Queen, a few days later. But former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit, who survived the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984 which left his wife Margaret paralysed, said: ‘Were I the Queen, I think I would be looking very hard for a reason not to be inviting Mr McGuinness to my home.’ Newark MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army colonel who also served in Northern Ireland, said: ‘The IRA was responsible for killing and injuring many of my colleagues and, while I fully appreciate the need for conciliation, I feel this invitation is going too far.’ A former Parachute Regiment member, who was involved in Lord Saville’s long-running and costly Bloody Sunday inquiry, said: ‘The thought of this former IRA commander walking into Windsor Castle makes me feel physically sick. People should remember what the IRA did and how many innocent lives have been lost.’ Brian Goodman, whose policeman son was gunned down by an IRA fugitive in North Yorkshire in 1992, said: ‘This invitation is absolutely disgusting. He shouldn’t even be allowed into England.’ Other critics pointed out that the Queen’s cousin, Lord Mountbatten of Burma – who was also Prince Philip’s uncle – was murdered by an IRA bomb on his fishing boat in the Irish Republic in 1979. However, some saw the invitation as a possible further step in the peace process. Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said: ‘There are many in Northern Ireland who still carry the pain and the scars of the IRA and other terrorist organisations. Opposition: Lord Tebbit (left) said he 'would be looking very hard for a reason not to be inviting Mr McGuinness to my home' while MP Patrick Mercer (right) said the invite was 'going too far' 'But if the Republican movement is prepared to recognise the legitimacy of the Queen as Head of State then that might be looked upon as some sort of progress.’ Former army officer Colonel Tim Collins said: ‘There will be some people who will be deeply upset but I believe this is a move which speaks of the power of reconciliation.’ Ulster Unionist chairman Lord Empey said: ‘It’s just a tragedy that so many people had to lose their lives before he [McGuinness] realised that violence was futile and the IRA campaign was doomed to failure.’ McGuinness, who met and shook the hand of the Queen in Belfast two years ago, would need any acceptance of an invitation to be ratified by senior Sinn Fein officials. Last night the party refused to discuss when that decision would be made. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘We would never announce in advance the invitees to state banquets.’ | State banquet to be held in honour of former Irish president next month .
Martin McGuinness, former IRA commander, has been invited .
Said to be considering whether or not to attend white-tie dinner . |
182,144 | 77d323971c3badd03ab735cbdc6d2e78e20ec159 | By . Sara Smyth . On the beach: Lifeguard Charlotte Leslie in 1999 before she became an MP . From her tousled hair, to her sultry pout and that striking red . one-piece, this athletic blonde could easily pass for a cast member from . Baywatch. But this beach babe - whose trim and toned figure rivals . that of Baywatch star Pamela Anderson - is now more likely to be seen on . the backbench than in the lifeguard’s seat. This is none other than . Charlotte Leslie, Tory MP for Bristol, who worked as a lifeguard in . Cornwall in the 90s, before she went on to study classics at Oxford . University. The former champion said the picture, which emerged as the MP gave an interview about the importance of exercise, was taken by her mother in 1999 when she was 20. Miss . Leslie, 35, was brought into the party with a swathe of other young, . attractive women who were intended to boost the Tory’s popularity among . women. The champion swimmer trained four hours a day as a child and was a hopeful for the British Olympic team. She . said: ‘I only became a lifeguard because my swimming never worked out. 'I . realised I just was not going to make it as a swimmer, that was a real . shock to the system. 'Most of my friends had gone off to do internships at big law firms and I felt my career had really slipped through the net. 'But although it was a summer job and was not as lucrative and important as my friends, it taught me a huge deal that I am so grateful for. 'The skills I learnt I use now in the world of politics. 'Unfortunately, people think talking is the same thing as doing in politics, when it is definitely not. 'It taught me how to prioritise and manage questions. 'You can’t press release, or statement a live incident, you just have to do it. 'Usually if things go wrong at work you can say "well no one died", but in this case someone could have done. 'I met some of my best friends through the job too. They really taught me an awful lot and inspired me throughout my life. 'I’ve always said to them they have to tell me if I become one of those ‘prat politicians’, and it’s great to be grounded like that.' Now: Miss Leslie, MP for Bristol North West now. The image emerged as the politician gave an interview about the importance of exercise . | Beach babe with tousled hair in a striking red one piece is Charlotte Leslie .
Now an MP for Bristol North West having worked as a lifeguard in her 20s .
Back bench Tory says image was taken in 1999 by her mother .
A woman's looks are more important than her policies, say US researchers. They found that women with more feminine faces tend to do better at the ballot box. |
196,343 | 8a1a73e4720cbe7a165e8647e5ddd77660a1624c | Just days after penning a powerful and heartbreaking article that detailed how her entire family was deported when she was just a child, Orange Is the New Black star Diane Guerrero had the chance to meet President Barack Obama. Making this meeting even more amazing for the young star was that it happened right after President Obama delivered a historic speech that called for sweeping reforms in immigration law and delayed the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants. Guerrero saw both her parents and her brother sent back to Colombia when she was just 14-years-old. Scroll down for videos . Emotional moment: Diane Guerrero met President Obama (above) after watching his historic speech on immigration reform Thursday evening . Proud American: This came just days after Guerrero (above) penned a powerful and heartbreaking account of having her entire family deported when she was just a child . Reforms: In his speech, President Obama (above) urged Americans to do the right thing and welcome 'strangers' Guerrero detailed the struggle of losing her parents in an open letter published by the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, in which she also urged President Obama to provide deportation relief for families across the country, something he announced he would be doing in is speech Thursday evening. The actress not only got to meet President Obama, but also got a front row seat for the speech, and a chance to embrace him afterwards. A clearly emotional Guerrero, who admitted that because of the distance she is no longer very close with her family, could be seen holding back tears. Embrace: Guerrero had hoped President Obama would make the changes he announced he would be making in his speech on Thursday . Grateful: After the speech, guerrero took to twitter to thank President Obama . 'Thanks @BarackObama 4giving hope to U.S citizen children growing up like me, fearing family deportation,' she wrote on Twitter following his speech. She later added, 'What a historical moment! A step in the right direction. Thank you to my community!' Though President Obama's new plan does not necessarily offer a route for many immigrants to obtain citizenship, it will allow millions to legally work in the United States. Star: Guerrero shot to fame with roles on Orange Is the New black (above, far left) and Jane the Virgin . In good company: Guerrero also had the chance to meet actor Wilmer Valderrama (above), who was also at the speech on Thursday . The President attempted to appeal to Americans last night saying, 'We shall not oppress a stranger for we know the heart of a stranger — we were strangers once, too.' Many conservative lawmakers and members of the GOP are now accusing him of abusing his office. Giovernor Rick Perry of Texas has even said his state may sue President Obama . | Orange Is the New Black star Diane Guerrero met President Barack Obama Thursday following his historic speech on immigration reform .
This just days after Guerrero wrote a powerful and heartbreaking piece on having her family deported when she was just a teenager .
In his speech, President Obama called for sweeping reforms, and set the groundwork to allow millions of immigrants to work legally in the U.S. |
146,749 | 49c60ea5b0df183f34862e3fad5ffe41d5cab393 | Firms selling bullet-proof children's gear - including Disney Princess and Avengers backpacks lined with Kevlar-type sheeting - are reporting a massive surge in sales in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Salt Lake City-based Amendment II is among several firms being accused of callously cashing-in on the tragedy in which 26 people were gunned down including 23 children. The firm is currently promoting a range of $300 bulletproof backpacks, alongside body armour in children's sizes, and say they have sold as many in a week as they usually sell in three months. Scroll down for video . Cashing-in: Firms have been promoting bullet-proof products for children, including backpacks adorned with Disney Princess and Avengers characters, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre . Company president Derek Williams told motherjones.com: 'I can't go into exact sales numbers, but basically we tripled our sales volume of backpacks that we typically do in a month - in one week.' Mr Williams also admitted that he would be looking to actively promote the products while the events in Connecticut remained high in the public consciousness. He said: 'We want to be sensitive to how we do that, but we are gonna try to get the word out that this product does exist that there are ways to at least provide our children with some protection.' Manufacturers boast the backpacks are capable of stopping bullets from a . range of handguns and can also be used from the front as a shield . Amendment II, a Salt Lake City-based company is promoting $300 backpacks alongside bullet proof vests in children's sizes . According to the company website, the backpacks are capable of stopping bullets from most handguns and can also be used as shield. Mr Williams added: 'Basically, there's three models; a SwissGear that's made for teens, and we've got an Avengers and a Disney Princess backpack for little kids.' Amendment II also sells cheaper bullet-proof inserts which can be used into any backpack but Mr Williams said he would recommend spending the extra money as children could easily take these out. He explained: 'With kids, you never know when they're gonna take something out of their backpack and not put it back in.' Last resort: Instructions show how the bags can be used from the front as shield . A message on the company's homepage pledges to give 10 per cent of website purchases to families of the Connecticut victims. It reads: 'We are4 deeply saddened by the recent events in Connecticut. Senseless violence like this shooting affects all of us no matter where we live. 'We have developed armored backpacks and personal shields in addition to our vests but clearly we still have far to go.' The Disney corporation have insisted that the backpacks are not official merchandise and say they are investigating. A spokesman for the corporation said: 'None of these products were ever authorized by Disney. 'We have sent the company a letter demanding that all sales of backpacks depicting Disney Princesses, Marvel's The Avengers or any other Disney intellectual property cease immediately.' Amendment II is one of several companies which appear to be looking to cash-in following the tragedy in Newtown. Callous: Another firm Black Dragon Tactical posted a link to its products on Facebook with the words 'Arm the teachers, in the meantime, bulletproof the kids' Another firm Black Dragon Tactical, posted a link to their products on Facebook with the words: 'Arm the teachers, in the meantime, bulletproof the kids. These panels fit into most common backpacks.' Massachusetts company Bullet Blocker are offering their $224.99 'My Child's Pack' which is 'rated to stop bullets up to and including 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum and Hollow Point Ammunition. ' On their homepage, next to a picture of a little girl waving goodbye to her mother as she sets of to school wearing a bullet-proof backpack, is written: 'Today in History: We pray and say goodbye to more Newtown Angels'. Their comprehensive school safety range includes backpacks, panels than can be inserted into normal bags from $174.99, Bulletproof clipboard inserts for $124.99, bulletproof coats for $1,289.99 and bulletproof seats for $244.99. | Armoured backpacks in pink for girls and blue for boys sell for $300 .
Firm boasts it sold as many in a week as it usually sells in three months .
Another company is promoting products on Facebook with the slogan 'Arm the teachers, bulletproof the kids' |
125,165 | 2dcf6085ce796160fce65d5840495dc1c235097b | A fraudster nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of champagne has been jailed for eight years for conning vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings. Frank Onyeachonam ran the UK end of global lottery scam that was orchestrated from his native Nigeria for seven years to fund his lavish millionaire’s lifestyle. It involved hundreds of perpetrators in several countries, detectives say. In the UK, 38-year-old Onyeachonam conned pensioners out of sums from £2,000 to £600,000, deliberately targeting his victims because they were potentially vulnerable to his tactics. Fraudster Frank Onyeachonam who has been jailed for eight years after he conned vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings with a bogus lottery scam to fund his millionaire's lifestyle . Ill-gotten gains: Onyeachonam, of Canning Town, east London, had so much cash he once spelled his name out in it and posted a picture of it on Facebook . While he bled them of their life savings, Onyeachonam enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes. Pictures he posted on Facebook show he spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis. He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy. Onyeachonam, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud following a three-week trial. Lawrencia Emenyonu, 38, and Bernard Armah, 51, both of Wood Green, north London, were also found guilty of money laundering. All three denied the charges. Emenyonu was jailed for 18 months while her partner Armah received an eight-month term. Judge Rebecca Poulet QC, said there had been 'some very serious outcomes' for the victims caught up in the scam. She told married father-of-two Onyeachonam: 'I judge your culpability to be very high. This was a very well thought out operation, sophisticated in both its planning and its operation. 'Mr Onyeachonam, you targeted these individuals because they were elderly and likely to agree and be tricked by this scam.' This was demonstrated in the fraudster’s own notes in which he described them as 'crippled, old or poor', she said. One of the Rolex watches Onyeachonam spent his ill-gotten gains on . Lavish lifestyle: A property in Nigeria belonging to fraudster Frank Onyeachonam who has been jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey . A regular in members' clubs Onyeachonam's favourite drink was Ace of Spades champagne (pictured in the door) costing between £300 and £500 a bottle. His fridge was also stacked with Dom Pérignon (top shelf left) and Moët & Chandon (middle shelf) The harm that was caused to these people could not just be calculated in financial terms but also on the 'dreadful impact ' on their lives, mental capacity and relationships with loved-ones. The judge went on: 'You contested the case in the face of powerful evidence. You demonstrated the arrogance that you must have carried with you throughout this fraud by continuing after you knew that the police had raided your premises.' The ruse - known as an 'advance fee' fraud - saw Onyeachonam send victims emails claiming they had won millions of pounds on a non-existent Australian lottery and requesting a charge to release their winnings. He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy . Onyeachonam spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porches and Maseratis . Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world . When they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an 'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam . Investigators traced 14 victims - mainly from the U.S. but including one from Britain - who were defrauded of a total of around £900,000. But detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million. Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world. Authorities found an alleged co-conspirator abroad had an email containing the details of more than 100,000 potential victims. Detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million . The defendant was thought to have started working on the scam almost immediately after he arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2005, and was said to have carried on into 2012 while he was on bail following his arrest the year before. His crimes were uncovered in a three-year operation led by the National Crime Agency with assistance from the Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service in the US. When they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an 'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam. Among 200 exhibits were notebooks containing the names, addresses, cash tallies and other personal details relating to 406 people. Police estimate that the fraud is likely to have run to at least £5 million and possibly as high as £30 million if all those in the notebooks suffered losses. Onyeachonam, at his London apartment in Canary Wharf, overlooking the Millennium Dome . Partners in crime: Bernard Armah and Lawrencia Emenyonu who were jailed for their part in a scam involving fraudster Frank Onyeachonam . Steve Brown, senior officer in the NCA’s cyber crime unit, said the majority of Onyeachonam’s victims were from America. He is thought to have selected his targets from a database known among fraudsters as a 'suckers list', which includes people who are believed to be susceptible to the tactics. Mr Brown said: 'Victims were sent an email from an alias used by Onyeachonam saying they had won an Australian lottery. They would be directed to ring him and he would say ‘if you send me money I will then release your lottery funds’.' The lottery ‘winnings’ ranged from £2 million to £9 million and once they sent on cash victims were 'hooked' into the 'unrelenting' scam, he said. He added: 'Once they’ve got their claws into someone they won’t stop. As long as they keep sending them money they will keep going until there’s nothing left.' Onyeachonam, 38, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud . Using the alias Dr Jeff Lloyds, Onyeachonam built up a rapport with his victims and continued extracting money from some for as long as seven years. In order to make the required payments several victims took out high interest loans, forcing them to come out of retirement to repay the debts. Some of those exploited by Onyeachonam suffered the added trauma of falling under suspicion themselves as they were used as 'pawns' in the criminal network to launder the proceeds of the fraud by sending on money from other victims or setting up business accounts. Mr Brown said the scam had made a 'mental wreck' of victims, 'hammering' their life’s savings, forcing them to lose their homes and leaving them isolated from their friends and families. Emails showed victims pleaded with Onyeachonam to send them money to pay for healthcare, while some died before he could be brought to justice. The British victim was left with debts of £90,000 and was forced to sell her home, move into rented accommodation and return to work in an attempt to stave off bankruptcy. An American victim lost her dream home and she no longer speaks to her sister or friend. She described how the scam made her feel like she had been 'raped over and over again'. While he left a trail of destitution and devastation in his wake, Onyeachonam enjoyed the high life from the fruits of his deception. Mr Brown said he lived a 'cash rich' lifestyle, earning the nickname 'Fizzy' for his taste for expensive champagne. Photographs show him surrounded by cash and bubbly in nightclubs. His car collection included Porsches and Maseratis while his Thames-side flat was full of luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton when it was searched by police. Onyeachonam was the key figure as far as the 'UK nexus' was concerned but detectives believe this was part of an international enterprise. The alleged mastermind or 'chairman' of the network is based in Nigerian capital Lagos and he is currently under investigation by authorities there. Asked how many people were working on the global scam, Mr Brown said: 'Name a country and there seems to be a connection. It’s been almost impossible for us to track everybody down. They’ve all got responsibility for their own country.' The prosecution has moved for a confiscation hearing for Onyeachonam. | Frank Onyeachonam, from London, ran the UK end of global lottery scam .
He targeted vulnerable pensioners and extracted from £2,000 to £600,000 .
Meanwhile, he enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes .
Pictures show he spent cash on Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis . |
61,276 | ae0ac36ca0cf372744cd8134eeb6ac6d276e6b54 | (CNN) -- It's time again for the Primetime Emmy Awards, being held in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 22. And what better way to celebrate than with some of the most surprising stats involving the awards? Emmy Awards are named after "Immy," an abbreviation for the image orthicon tube, part of an early television camera. It was later changed to Emmy. This year is the 65th annual ceremony. Disclaimer: There was not a statistic for the percentage of actors and show teams who are sincere when they say it is an honor just to be nominated. $5 -- Price of a ticket to attend the first Emmy Awards ceremony, on January 25, 1949. 6 pounds, 12.5 ounces -- Weight of a Primetime Emmy statuette. 28 -- Number of different award categories. 37 -- Record for the most Emmys won by one series: "Frasier." 97 -- The most nominations in a single year for one broadcast network. NBC got the nods in 2000. 44 -- The most Emmys won by a single network in one year. CBS set the record in 1974. 8 -- Most Emmys won by a female performer: Cloris Leachman. 7 -- Most Emmys won by a male performer: Ed Asner. 35 -- Number of people thanked by Martin Scorsese after his 2011 win for outstanding directing for a drama series, for "Boardwalk Empire." 52 and 1 -- The number of actors and actresses nominated in 1980 versus the number who actually attended the ceremony that year, which took place in the middle of two actors' union strikes. Luckily, the lone nominee there, Powers Boothe, won something -- outstanding actor in a limited series or special. 3 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds -- Longest Emmy Awards telecast, in 1987. 17 -- Nominations received by AMC's "Mad Men" in 2012. Matthew Weiner and company went home empty-handed, though, setting a new record for most nods in one year without a win. 2 seconds -- Difference in the average speech time by male winners (1:21) and female winners (1:19), as calculated by "New York" magazine in 2012, for the past three ceremonies. 8 -- Percentage of winners from 2009 to 2011 who cried during their speeches. 15,000 -- Members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the group that sponsors the Emmys. 14 -- Age of the youngest Emmy Award winner. Roxana Zal won in 1984 for the TV movie, "Something About Amelia." 171 -- Nominations earned by NBC's "Saturday Night Live." It has won 36 times. 22 -- Official Primetime Emmys parties or receptions. Many occur as far as a month in advance of the ceremony. 13.2 million -- Total number of 2012 Emmy Awards viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. 25,000 -- Tweets sent out immediately after 2012 host Jimmy Kimmel asked viewers to tweet that comedian Tracy Morgan had collapsed on stage. 1.6 million -- Social media "interactions" online about the 2012 Emmys, according to Trendrr, a group that analyzes data about activity on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. | $5 -- That's the price for a ticket to the first Emmy Awards ceremony .
37 -- That's the record for the most Emmys won by one series .
3 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds -- Whew! That was the longest Emmys telecast .
13.2 million -- That's the number of 2012 Emmy Awards viewers . |
94,300 | 05356fa25d5f679b925b0f13f40f5fac8c60466b | Sydney Swans veteran Adam Goodes has revealed that he is considering entering politics when he playing days with Australian Football are over. The Australian of the Year recipient has been vocal in the past about his desire to be remembered as more than a football player, and to use his career in AFL as a way to create history on and off the field. 'I don’t simply want to be remembered for just kicking around a footy. I want to be remembered for making a difference,' Goodes said. Scroll down for video . Adam Goodes has expressed interest in a career in politics when he hangs up his Sydney Swans jersey . Goodes was the 2014 Australian Of The Year . The premiership-winning captain, who is an anti-racism activist, said that a career in politics after he retires from AFL is an option. 'I wouldn’t say yes or no to politics but it is a real option. It allows you to do something positive for a large amount of people,' Goodes said. Goodes said that he was passionate about addressing issues such as domestic violence, and throwing his energy into campaigns such as Say No to Racism, and the Recognise campaign to include indigenous Australians in the constitution. He said that he knew politicians in sympathy with the causes would be needed to make a real impact. Goodes, an ambassador for Indigenous Australians, said that a decade ago he had suffered mental health issues in the past which had made him passionate about seeing others reach out for help. 'Only about 10 years ago I fell in a pretty dark hole. I was pretty upset. I didn’t want to be in Sydney any more and I had to go and see someone – I was constantly down. I had to ask for help because I didn’t know how to help myself,' he told news.com.au. Speaking about the high pressure environment of football, Goodes said that the spotlight was always on during game time, which made reaching out even more vital. At 34, Goodes has played more than 300 AFL matches for Sydney and was twice named the best player of the year. He was crowned the Brownlow Medalist in 2003 and 2006 and was this year given the country's top honour when named Australian Of The Year. 'Very proud' Australian Of The Year Adam Goodes said his indigenous heritage is a very important part of his life. On receiving his award he said he was a 'very proud indigenous man' who was keen to fight racism in Australia. He said it was a different accolade altogether to the one's he was used to receiving in AFL. 'I’m a little bit overwhelmed, to be honest. It’s not like winning a premiership or winning a Brownlow medal for the skills that you show on the football field, it’s quite amazing.' Earlier in the year during an interview with the BBC, the AFL star said some Australian policies had resulted in the suppression of indigenous people and other minorities and called for better education about the country's history. 'The history of our country is built on so much lies and racial policies, and things that have suppressed my people and lots of minorities in this country, so you can't blame people for having the views that they have,' he said. Racist: Adam Goodes points to the 13-year-old girl after she shouted 'Ape' at him . Challenge: Goodes (right) and Marley Williams of Collingwood battle for the ball . He also said children needed to be taught that Australia wasn't founded by Captain James Cook. 'I can use my position to help educate people to see through the things that they've been taught growing up,' he said. Goodes stepped up his work as an anti-racism campaigner last year after being subjected to abuse by a 13-year-old girl during a Sydney Swans game, and later became the subject of a joke made by Collingwood President Eddie McGuire in relation to King Kong the musical. On Shane Warne and the controversial Twitter admission he made during an AFL match where the leg spinner said he was 'shocked' he won the Australian Of The Year honour, Goodes said: . Adam Goodes of the Sydney Swans speaks to the media during an AFL press conference on May 25, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia - to address the racial abuse sent his way the previous evening . 'My argument has always been, 'I didn't nominate me...I don't have a vote on the Australia Day council, it's their choice.' Former test Cricketer Adam Gilchrist who is a member of the Australian Day council said Shane Warne is entitled to his opinion on both the AFL player and the Australian of The Year winner, but stopped at saying Warne was 'racist'. 'Some have misconstrued Warnie's comments as racist. People have got wildly out of control if they think that.' | Sydney Swans veteran Adam Goodes said that he wants to be remembered 'for making a difference'
The Australian of the Year and Indigenous Australian activist said that politics is an option when he finishes playing AFL .
The football player has been vocal in the past about creating history on and off the field .
Goodes made controversial statements earlier in the year about Australian policies suppressing Indigenous history . |
90,574 | 0081d713911ae759966ac147eb7c2f22d0cb42ff | One of Australia's top criminal prosecutors is considering quitting her job in response to what she says is a baseless corruption investigation targeting her and her son. NSW deputy senior Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC, best known for prosecuting pack rapists and paedophiles, is devastated by the effect of the investigation on her family and may quit her distinguished career. 'The attack on me through my children is the last intolerable straw,' Ms Cunneen told Daily Mail Australia. 'After 38 years in the service of our state.' Asked if that meant should would consider quitting, the 55-year-old mother-of-three said 'yes'. NSW deputy senior Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen is considering quitting over a corruption investigation into a car crash involving her son's girlfriend . Sophia Tilley was involved in a car accident at Willoughby on May 31. Her boyfriend Stephen Wyllie is the son of Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC. Ms Cunneen and Mr Wylie are accused of counselling Ms Tilley to face chest pain at the crash site. Margaret Cunneen has had a distinguished 38-year career in public service. She is considering quitting due to allegations she and her son attempted to pervert the course of justice in relation to a car accident involving her son's girlfriend. The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether Ms Cunneen and her son Stephen Wyllie, 26, advised Mr Wyllie's girlfriend Sophia Tilley to fake chest pains to avoid being breath tested after a car crash on May 31. Daily Mail Australia can reveal ICAC investigators seized the mobile telephones of Ms Cunneen, Mr Wyllie and Ms Tilley in unannounced morning raids at their respective homes two months after the accident, on July 30. Until that day, none of the trio was aware of any investigation into events following the crash. Mr Wyllie and Ms Tilley were subsequently called to private ICAC hearings in August. Ms Tilley, 25, was driving Ms Cunneen's Ford Mondeo when she was hit by another vehicle in Willoughby, on Sydney's north shore, on May 31. The Mondeo was knocked onto its side and Ms Tilley was trapped in her seat belt for some time. Daily Mail Australia understands once Ms Tilley was freed from the vehicle she called her boyfriend Mr Wyllie, who called his father Greg Wyllie. Mr Wyllie snr then told Ms Cunneen. Ms Tilley, who has breast implants, reported experiencing chest pain at the scene. There was some fear the implants may have ruptured. 'The attack on me through my children is the last intolerable straw.' Margaret Cunneen may quit her job as deputy senior Crown prosecutor . Deputy senior Crown prosecutor is accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice. She denies any wrongdoing and does not know who has been allegations against her . The two Wyllies arrived at the accident scene on foot. By the time Ms Cunneen arrived by car Ms Tilley was in an ambulance. She was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital where a blood test showed no alcohol in her system. Ms Tilley was not at fault in the accident. The Mondeo was a write-off. None of those at the crash scene knew of any investigation until ICAC officers executed simultaneous warrants on July 31 at the home of Ms Cunneen and that of Mr Wyllie and Ms Tilley. Each of their mobile telephones was seized. Ms Cunneen has successfully prosecuted paedophiles Robert 'Dolly' Dunn, Colin Fisk and Phillip Bell as well as pack rapist Bilal Skaf and his gang of thugs. Despite, or because, of her accomplishments, she has been criticised by some defence lawyers for being too close to crime victims. In late 2012, Ms Cunneen was appointed to preside over a special commission of inquiry into allegations of police interference in child sex abuse cases in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. The day before the accident she had delivered her report to the then Governor, Dame Marie Bashir. Ms Cunneen is unsure what happened in the two months between the accident and her phone being seized to initiate an investigation but believes the inquiry was sparked by a "malicious complaint" from someone out to damage her reputation. She has stood aside from her job pending the outcome of the investigation. In August, Mr Wyllie and Ms Tilley were called before ICAC for private hearings. Again, the matter seemed to be stalled until Mr Wyllie, Ms Tilley and Ms Cunneen were served with summonses to appear before a public hearing on Wednesday night. Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen says she may quit her job over ICAC's investigation into allegations she counselled her son Stephen Wyllie's girlfriend Sophia Tilley to face chest pains after a car accident . The following day ICAC announced it would hold public hearings as part of what it is calling Operation Hale. The hearings would examine "allegations that on 31 May 2014 Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor, Margaret Cunneen SC and Stephen Wyllie, with the intention to pervert the course of justice, counselled Sophia Tilley to pretend to have chest pains, and that Sophia Tilley, with the intention to pervert the course of justice, did pretend to have chest pains, to prevent investigating police officers from obtaining evidence of Ms Tilley's blood alcohol level at the scene of a motor vehicle accident". The public hearing is set for three days, staring on November 10, when the commission is expected to hear from police and ambulance officers who attended the crash as well as members of the public who were present at the scene. Daily Mail Australia can reveal that since the announcement of the public hearing a new witness to accident has come forward stating she heard and saw "nothing untoward" at the crash scene. Ms Cunneen has received widespread support from prominent Australians, particularly in the legal community. The architect of the ICAC, Gary Sturgess, has described the investigation as 'appalling'. 'That’s a joke, really that’s a joke,' Mr Sturgess told The Daily Telegraph. 'If that is the best they have got to do then frankly they should be handing some money back. It’s appalling.' Former premier Nick Greiner, who set up the ICAC in 1989, has also criticised the corruption watchdog's investigation into Ms Cunneen for straying beyond its 'core task'. Mr Greiner told The Sydney Morning Herald he had a 'sneaking view' that if Ms Cunneen had a lower profile 'I doubt this would have happened'. | Margaret Cunneen, SC, has successfully prosecuted some of the country's worst pack rapists and paedophiles .
She has been accused of counselling her son's girlfriend to fake chest pain after a car accident .
ICAC investigators seized her phone two months after the accident .
Ms Cunneen is now considering quitting her distinguished career due to the effect of an ICAC investigation on her family . |
167,463 | 649662155c0ff8b39499fa1ca5bd5ca543f41ca5 | Abdullah Bakar, 48 from Croydon who died in a freak car accident while his Vauxhall Zafira was being towed by the AA . A minicab boss was killed in a freak accident when a car being towed by the AA broke free and collided with an oncoming vehicle. Abdullah Bakar called the emergency breakdown service when his minivan’s clutch stopped working while he was on his way to work. Unable to fix the Vauxhall Zafira by the side of the road, the AA patrolman began to tow the vehicle using a fixed rigid bar. This meant Mr Bakar, a father of seven, had to sit in the van and steer. Witnesses say the car suddenly veered to one side as it was travelling down a straight section of road. It hit a bank of earth on the verge and became detached from the AA vehicle before crashing head-on into a car driving the other way. Mr Bakar, 48, was taken by ambulance to hospital following the collision in Croydon, South London, but was pronounced dead at St George’s Hospital in Tooting. Police are investigating exactly what caused the minivan to break away from the AA vehicle. Mr Bakar came to Britain after fleeing war-torn Somalia in the early 1990s. He worked as a minicab driver and part-owned a firm that specialised in taking passengers to airports around London. Accident scene: The driver of the black Vauxhall Zafira died after it broke free from the AA van which was towing it in a freak accident in Croydon, south London . Staff at his company said he had taken more driving roles recently while he studied for ‘the Knowledge’ test of London streets so he could become a licensed black cab driver. Business colleague Usman Patel, 45, who runs Easy Cars in Battersea, South London, said Mr Bakar was a ‘wonderful family man’. ‘It is a very difficult time for us here as he was a very well-loved and respected man. 'We don’t even know what has happened as he was a very cautious driver and seems to have been towed at the time. Wreckage: The driver of the Vauxhall Zafira suffered a heart attack at the wheel and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital . ‘It’s very upsetting as I think he has seven children and I’ve met his oldest boy who is 18. He was a wonderful family man who loved his children very much.’ A post-mortem examination held yesterday gave the cause of death as a head injury. A man travelling in the second car was taken to hospital before being released. Probe: Police cordoned off the road in south Croydon, London, while an investigation got underway following the crash on Tuesday morning . Naz Dagnell, who heard the crash just after 9am on Tuesday, said: ‘It was like a big thunder crash. Then I heard the sirens going up the road and saw the air ambulance. 'It’s really sad to hear of something like this happening so close to your doorstep.’ Mr Bakar’s family, who live in Croydon, were too upset to speak last night. A Met Police spokesman said: ‘It appears the victim was in a black Vauxhall Zafira which was being towed by a recovery vehicle on a rigid bar. Accident: The driver was being towed when his car broke free and crashed into a second vehicle . 'The car being towed then appeared to swerve before colliding with a bank at the side of the road and breaking free from the towing vehicle. ‘A second vehicle was subsequently in collision with the Vauxhall.’ An AA spokesman said: ‘Following the tragic incident involving an AA member, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved. 'The incident is under investigation so we are unable to comment further.’ | Vauxhall Zafira driver's car was hit by oncoming vehicle in Croydon .
Abdullah Bakar, 48, rushed to hospital where he later died .
Eyewitness Naz Dagnell said: 'It was like a big thunder crash' |
9,769 | 1bab68b3506fead517d4a7dacaf8634af6ab35ea | A drugs gang tried to smuggle £16million of cocaine into Scotland using a James Bond-style underwater craft, a court was told yesterday. The plot involved an ‘enormous’ amount of high-purity cocaine stashed in the hull of a Colombian ship off the North Ayrshire coast. Prosecutors say Dutch smugglers planned to use diving gear and a high-speed submarine vehicle to sneak in a haul so massive it could have affected the entire UK drugs market. The drugs gang tried to smuggle £16million of cocaine into Scotland using a boat and an underwater craft . The James Bond-style underwater craft (pictured) was going to be used to sneak in a drugs haul so massive it could have affected the entire UK drugs market . At Leeds Crown Court, barrister Paul Mitchell was opening the case against four Dutch nationals charged with conspiring to import 238lb of the Class A drug (pictured) into the UK through Hunterston, south of Largs . At Leeds Crown Court, barrister Paul Mitchell was opening the case against four Dutch nationals charged with conspiring to import 238lb of the Class A drug into the UK through Hunterston, south of Largs. Mr Mitchell told the jury that Henri van Doesburg, 68, his son Roderick, 23, grandson Darryl-Jay, 22, and Arnold van Milt, 49, were all involved in the alleged conspiracy. Mr Mitchell said the three younger men obtained sophisticated underwater equipment with the intention of removing the drugs stashed in the rudder housing of the motor vessel Cape Maria, moored in the Clyde, and bringing it ashore. But the cocaine haul was discovered by investigators before the men could get their hands on it, the prosecutor said. A police search of a car and an inflatable boat uncovered specialised dry diving suits and ‘equipment you might have seen used by James Bond and his adversaries that you would use if you wanted to travel underwater at high speed,’ Mr Mitchell told the jury. It is understood the men had a Seabob submersible, a motorised vehicle designed to allow a diver to travel considerable distances. A police search of a car and an inflatable boat uncovered specialised dry diving suits and ‘equipment you might have seen used by James Bond' The trio were arrested on May 9 in Seamill near Hunterston, North Ayrshire, where the Cape Maria was docked . Mr Mitchell said the cocaine would have been accessible in a submerged recess in the ship’s hull from outside the boat to someone with access to scuba-diving equipment. The court was told the four defendants travelled from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, first stopping in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, before continuing on their journey to Scotland. While in England, said Mr Mitchell, the defendants based themselves at a campsite and took various trips on a rubber dinghy boat around the Lincolnshire shores. Roderick and Darryl-Jay van Doesburg then left Cleethorpes on May 5 and drove with van Milt to Scotland in a black Ford Explorer they had purchased under the name Ray Monty, Mr Mitchell said. The jury heard Henri van Doesburg then flew back to Holland where he was later arrested after searches on a computer at his address found ‘significant’ links between the four and the vessel importing the drugs. The plot involved moving the drugs through a hole in the boat (pictured) before taking them ashore . Specialist diving gear and drugs recovered from the Cape Maria. Prosecutors say Dutch smugglers planned to use diving gear and a high-speed submarine vehicle to sneak in the massive haul of cocaine to Scotland . Mr Mitchell said: ‘At 9pm that evening, the three defendants checked into Brisbane House Hotel in Largs, close to the mooring place of the Cape Maria. They enquired about hiring diving equipment for three men. ‘The Cape Maria, having travelled from Colombia, was at Hunterston with the drugs stored in the back. ‘Officers searched the rudder trunk space, also accessible from the outside, where they found five large black packages containing 55 smaller packages containing cocaine as high as 80 per cent purity.’ Mr Mitchell added: ‘The street value of this cocaine was £16.2million. These are extraordinary profits. This is an enormous amount of the drug which would have had a significant effect on the drugs market in the country as a whole.’ The trio were arrested on May 9 at the four-star Hydro hotel in Seamill near Hunterston, North Ayrshire, where the Cape Maria was docked. Mr Mitchell added: ‘The three defendants each had diving equipment, and van Milt’s telephone had a document clearly relating to the Cape Maria, the boat with the drugs in.’ The drugs were found in the rudder area of Cape Maria which had sailed from Colombia to Hunterston . Henri van Doesburg was arrested the next day in the Netherlands for his alleged part in the plot between February and May this year. Mr Mitchell added: ‘A Customs officer happened to be staying at the hotel. He happened to notice the men and the inflatable boat outside the hotel. ‘That same afternoon that police found the drugs, the defendants were still around in the area. ‘Is it all just a coincidence? The Crown say that it isn’t. These are the men who were behind the attempt to import the drugs.’ All four men deny conspiracy to evade the prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Plot involved ‘enormous’ amount of cocaine stashed in a Colombian ship .
Dutch smugglers 'planned to use diving gear and a high-speed submarine'
The haul was so massive it could have affected the entire UK drugs market . |
896 | 028c5f418e08ed4e96d7139ba902f2eb9987d9c5 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:23 EST, 25 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:23 EST, 25 March 2013 . Economic advisers to the German government more than halved their forecast for 2013 growth today, blaming a sharp fourth-quarter contraction and weak prospects for foreign trade and investment. The advisers, known in Germany as the 'wise men', predicted the economy would almost grind to a halt this year, growing just 0.3 per cent compared to 0.7 per cent in 2012. In October they had forecast Europe's largest economy to expand 0.8 per cent in 2013, but data has since shown that it shrank by 0.6 per cent in the last three months of 2012. Economic advisers to the German government, housed in the Reichstag, more than halved their forecast for 2013 growth . Foreign trade, traditionally the main driver of German growth, would subtract 0.3 percentage points from German gross domestic product (GDP) this year, the advisers said. Demand for Germany's goods has weakened as austerity measures and recession take their toll on demand in other members of the euro zone, where Germany sends 40 per cent of its shipments. The advisers said investment was unlikely to make any significant contribution to growth in the first half of 2013. They see capital investment dropping by 3 per cent over the year, a slight improvement compared with 2012, when firms invested 4.8 per cent less in machinery and equipment. Some German companies are making cuts, with Air Berlin, the country's second biggest carrier, saying it would focus on savings this year. Retailer Metro has said it would reduce overall investment in the shortened 2013 year to below the 954 million euros it put into its business in the first nine months of 2012. The advisers said growth would primarily come from domestic demand, with private consumption increasing by 0.7 per cent and government spending rising by an upwardly revised 1.7 per cent. 'Especially household final consumption expenditure should continue to display a robust development, given that the labour market is still remarkably stable,' the advisers said in a statement. Germany's jobless rate is close to its lowest since the country reunited more than two decades ago and the number of Germans out of work fell in February. Air Berlin, the country's second biggest carrier, saying it would focus on savings this year . In addition, inflation is moderate, wages are rising and paltry interest rates are giving consumers little incentive to save. Data due out later this week is expected to bolster the advisers' expectations by showing that the number of unemployed Germans fell by 4,000 in March and consumer sentiment held steady heading into April. The influential Ifo survey last week showed German business morale fell in March, breaking a four-month run of gains and highlighting concerns the reignited debt crisis in the euro zone will test Germany's resilience. Consumer price inflation will ease to 1.7 per cent this year from 2.0 per cent last year and the unemployment rate will edge up to 6.9 per cent from 6.8 per cent, the advisers said, which is still near post-reunification lows. | Germany economy shrank by 0.6 per cent in the last three months of 2012 . |
21,905 | 3e4455c56e3390fc2d235e144a3883ed058e6d31 | Oslo, Norway (CNN) -- Norway mass killer Anders Breivik should be considered sane and acquitted for the attacks that left 77 people dead, his lawyer said in closing arguments Friday. Breivik has admitted carrying out the July 22 attack on a Labour Party youth camp on Utoya Island that killed 69 people and a bombing targeting government workers in Oslo that killed eight. But Breivik, who boasts of being an ultranationalist who killed his victims to fight multiculturalism in Norway, says he acted out of "necessity." Defense lawyer Geir Lippestad argued that Breivik should be fully acquitted on the charges of voluntary homicide and committing acts of terror in Norway -- and that this should be on the grounds of necessity, not insanity. If Breivik is not acquitted, he should be given the lightest possible sentence, Lippestad said as he wrapped up his closing arguments. He asked the judges to discount the claim by prosecutors that Breivik is mentally ill and should be transferred to a psychiatric institution. Many friends and relatives of the victims left the courtroom in protest as Breivik rose to give his own closing argument, the last one heard before the trial concluded. He described his actions on July 22 as "barbaric" but said that only two of more than 30 experts who have evaluated him consider him insane. Some in the courtroom laughed as he made points criticizing Norway's multicultural society and moral values. The court ruled that his speech could not be broadcast. After Breivik's statement, the judges said the verdict would be delivered August 24. Several outcomes are possible. Prosecutors have asked that Breivik be acquitted on the grounds of insanity, in which case he would be held in a secure mental health unit. If he is fully acquitted on the grounds of "necessity," as urged by his defense, he could go free. If he is ruled sane and found guilty of some or all the charges, he would be sentenced to prison time. Earlier, applause greeted the accounts of survivors and relatives of those killed when they addressed the court. The judges and prosecutors were among those displaying emotion as they listened, with some moved to tears. Outside the courtroom, one of the survivors of the Utoya attack, Tore Sinding Bekkedal, said he was "very relieved this trial has been as dignified, thorough, proper as it has been." Seeing the legal system treat it like any other criminal case has been the best show of strength possible, the 24-year-old said. Bekkedal, a youth politician in Oslo, said the case had highlighted the danger of Islamophobia in Norwegian society and the need to fight it. Hearing fellow survivors testify about the attacks on Utoya had been less difficult than seeing their impact on the relatives of those killed, he said. "You meet people who have lost relatives and children, sisters and brothers, and it's a much more profound bereavement than losing friends, even though I did lose some very good friends and role models," he said. The issue of Breivik's sanity has been at the heart of the case. If he is not found to be mentally ill, prosecutors will ask for a prison sentence of 21 years, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said. Giving his closing arguments Friday, Lippestad sought to argue that his client's past did not point to a history of violent acts but rather to political activism. "The central criterion for insanity is that the ability of realistic assessment of one's relationship to the outside world is largely abolished," he said. "Is it violent fantasy that is the mother of these actions, or is it his political opinion?" The lawyer outlined Breivik's political life and activity as heard by the court, from the early days when he was member of a party to the extreme political arguments he posted online. Lippestad also recalled how Breivik's mother and his friends said he was intense when he talked about politics but never said he was intense about violence. He questioned an initial psychiatric report given to the court that said his client had been acting under a delusion, saying Breivik's radicalization had developed through his engagement with extremist communities online. The lawyer cited Breivik's active stock trading, social life and preparations for the attacks as examples of how he did not meet the criteria to be considered insane. Under those criteria, he should be disinterested, aimless, inactive, self-centered and socially withdrawn, Lippestad said. "That he has been aimless is certainly the last thing I would call this man," he said. Lippestad also argued that Breivik had chosen his targets politically, noting that he didn't attack nonpolitical people like the captain on the boat to Utoya and the youngest children on the island. "Breivik knew that killing was wrong, but it's what any classic terrorist does," he said. The lawyer told the court he shared the prosecutor's view that the attacks, which he called "a cruel act of terrorism," were almost too horrible to be true. But, he said, the key question for his client was whether he acted under the legal principle of "necessity." Lippestad has previously said it is important to Breivik that people see him as sane so they don't dismiss his views. Last month, Breivik promised that he would not appeal if a court finds him sane and guilty. Bjorn Ihler, a survivor of the Utoya attack, said it is down to the court to deliver a "good and fair judgment" on Breivik, in accordance with Norway's longstanding principles of justice. Its ruling on whether he is sane matters less than the fact that Breivik's extremist views are shared by other people, he said. However, listening to Breivik in court had made him appear as less of a "scary monster," Ihler said. "Now it's just a pathetic man sitting there." Asked what his personal message to the court would be, he said, "I am still alive. I'm a survivor, not a victim, and I will live on and fight on to work against future extremist acts." The issues thrown up by Breivik's trial have led the Norwegian authorities to re-evaluate the country's provision for holding dangerous criminals who are found to be insane. The government proposed amendments to the Norwegian Mental Health Care Act in May, aiming "to strengthen the security measures relating to a small group of particularly dangerous patients." The current law allows "too great a risk for escape, hostage-taking and severe violence against patients and staff" in the health institutions where such patients are currently housed, a statement from the Ministry of Health and Care Services said. The new legislation would strengthen security measures and allow for a high-security unit to be based within a prison, opening the possibility that Breivik could be held in a secure unit in the same Ila Prison where he has been detained for almost a year. The amendments will come into force July 1. In the course of the trial, which started in mid-April, the court has heard grueling testimony from the survivors of the July 22 attacks. Survivors and relatives of those killed and injured have also been present in the courtroom to hear Breivik give his account of the events of that day and the motivation for his acts. In his testimony early in the trial, Breivik claimed to represent a "European resistance movement" and "Europeans who don't want our ethnic rights to be taken away." The shocking attacks prompted Norwegians to reassert their commitment to multiculturalism and tolerance at a series of mass public tributes. CNN's Diana Magnay and Laura Smith-Spark, and journalist Olav Mellingsæter in Oslo contributed to this report. | The trial ends, and judges say the verdict will be delivered on August 24 .
A survivor says he is relieved Breivik's trial has been "dignified, thorough, proper"
As Anders Breivik addresses the court, relatives of some of the 77 victims walk out in protest .
Prosecutors say they believe he is mentally ill and should be transferred to a mental institution . |
263,846 | e1b721ac5accdee2c087c74e398ea5ca59868c14 | By . Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline . Amazon's streaming box, Fire TV, will launch in the UK in October. The device, which allows users to access on-demand TV, apps and smartphone content as well as games, debuted in the US in April. It will compete with the Apple TV box and Google’s Chromebox, but the tech giant says that none of the current TV boxes give consumers what they really want. Setting the world alight? Amazon's streaming box, Fire TV (pictured) will launch in the UK on October 23. The device allows users to access on-demand TV, apps and smartphone content as well as games . Speaking on the first day of the IFA technology show in Berlin, senior vice president of devices David Limp said: ‘We think that the products that are out there - and we sell a lot of them on Amazon - just haven't offered customers the value that we think you can, and this is an existence proof that you can put a lot of horsepower and performance into a box, at a great value.’ The Fire TV box will be shipped in Europe on October 23. It can be pre-ordered for £79 and Amazon Prime members can pre-order it for £49 for five days. The device will also be available at Argos, Dixons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Talking it up: Amazon said voice search (illustrated) will allow users to say the name of a film, TV show or actor, for example into their remote to find a film. This means no more scrolling through an alphabetical grid . Users will be able to buy a separate controller and download games to play through Fire TV (shown). ‘It doesn't replace an Xbox or a Playstation. There's a group of customers who live and die by those things, but there is a segment of customers that we think is out there that don't make the leap to those consoles,’ Mr Limp said . Size: 1.8cm thick . Processor: Quad core with three times the processing power of Apple TV . Graphics: Adreno 320 graphics engine for fast and fluid pictures . Memory: 2GB – four times that of Apple TV or Chromecast . Operating system: Fire OS, based on Android . Streaming: High definition up to 1080p with Support for Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound. Set-up: Box comes pre-registered so there’s no set-up. Previously purchased films and TV shows from Amazon will automatically be places in a Watchlist. Remote control: Remote has the usual buttons and uses Bluetooth. Voice activated: Users can say the name of a film, TV show, actor, director, genre, app or game into the remote and the results will appear in seconds. Games controller: It has dual analogue sticks and the usual controls, connecting to the box via Bluetooth. Powered by two AA batteries for 55 hours, they costs £34.99 each and multiple controllers can be used for multiplayer games. Cost: £79 . Amazon said that the box is designed to offer users access to films and bring photos, music and games to the living room in one place. As well as Netflix and Prime Instant Video, owners of the new box will be able to access Sky News, YouTube as well as music services - Amazon Music, Spotify and TuneIn. Voice search will allow users to say the name of a film, TV show or actor, for example into their remote to find a film. This means no more scrolling through an alphabetical grid. A function called ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) will suggest films and TV shows that people will want to watch and buffers them for playback before a user hits play. For film buffs, there’s a feature called X-Ray where they can see information about the cast and crew as well as movie trivia. Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO said: ‘Tiny box, huge specs, tons of content, incredible price- customers love Fire TV and we’re thrilled to introduce it in the UK. ‘Voice search that actually works means no more typing on an alphabet grid. Our exclusive new ASAP feature predicts the shows you’ll want to watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. And our open approach gives you not just Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video, but also Netflix, Sky News, YouTube, Spotify, and more.’ Users will be able to buy a separate controller for £34.99 and download games to play through Fire TV. Game on: The controller needed to play video games will be sold separately to the Fire TV box, and will cost £34.99 each. Hundreds games, such as Minecraft, Asphalt 8, NBA 2K14, and The Walking Dead will be available when the box launches next month . No need to flap: With the addition of a controller, Fire TV owners will be able to play games on their TV. A new multiplayer version of the popular Flappy Bird app (pictured) will be exclusively available to Fire TV . ‘It doesn't replace an Xbox or a Playstation. There's a group of customers who live and die by those things, but there is a segment of customers that we think is out there that don't make the leap to those consoles,’ Mr Limp said. A new multiplayer version of the popular Flappy Bird app will be exclusively available to Fire TV. Hundreds of high-quality, low-cost games, such as Minecraft, Asphalt 8, NBA 2K14, and The Walking Dead will be available at launch too, with the average game costing £1.07. The device has a quad-core processor with three times the processing power of Apple TV and four times the memory of Apple and Google’s offerings, so it’s faster and more fluid, according to Amazon. The little box offers 1080p HD video and supports Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. It measures just 1.8cm thick and comes with an even tinier remote. Content: The device offers users access to films and TV from Sky News, Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Curzon Home Cinema and more. Music: Users can either rent or purchase films from Amazon Instant Video, or choose a subscription service. Photos: Users will be able to view slideshows of photos on their TV set. Games: Games such as Minecraft, Asphalt 8, NBA 2K14, The Walking Dead and a multiplayer version of Flappy Bird will be available from launch with more added. The average cost of downloading a game is £1.07. Users could choose to play them on a remote with dual analogue sticks. ASAP: The ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) feature predicts which movies and TV episodes a user will want to watch and prepares them for playback before they hit play. Suggestions change according to a user’s viewing habits. Second Screen: Owners of a Kindle Fire HDX tablet can ‘Fling’ Amazon TV shows to their Fire TV using Second Screen, and use their tablet as a remote control. X-Ray: The feature gives film buffs relevant trivia on their tablet while a film is playing. They will be able to see information about cast and crew, the names of songs as they play, as well as a list of all music in the movie or TV show, trivia items in context with the action on the screen and character backstories. Whispersync: Amazon’s technology saves and synchronises video and music libraries so users can access them on multiple devices, including Kindle Fire tablets and iPhones. Archive: Digital content is backed up in the cloud automatically. Freebies: The box comes with a free month of Amazon Prime. | Streaming box will go on sale on October 23 and will cost £79 .
Device was launched in the US in April and sells for $99 .
Box will let users access on-demand channels and film services such as Twitch and Netflix on their TV as well as put phone content on the TV .
With a separate controller, users will be able to play games via Fire TV .
A new multiplayer version of the popular Flappy Bird app will be available . |
109,134 | 18aced9036e915578336f2e10f17d24fff2c51ba | This is the moment a musically-talented dog unleashes his vocal skills to the world. A video uploaded by YouTube user RighInTwo shows Coyote the canine singing in near-perfect pitch to a saxophone accompaniment. As the song Basie's Blues by American jazz saxophonist Jim Snidero sounds, the animal tunefully howls along. In a bid to hit the right notes, he tilts his head back with his ears pinned back and nose in the air. Apparently the pet is singing in B flat and one viewer who watched him says he also hits a D flat and D natural. Caught on camera: A video uploaded by YouTube user RighInTwo shows Coyote the canine singing in near-perfect pitch to a saxophone accompaniment . Jazz fan: In a bid to hit the right notes, the dog tilts his head back with his nose in the air . The performance appears to take place in a music room, with Coyote coolly lying down by a dismantled drum kit. Someone in the background is heard giggling away as they watch the novel performance take place. It is not known where the crooning dog resides or who his owner is. | Coyote the dog sings in near-perfect pitch to the song Basie's Blues by American jazz saxophonist Jim Snidero .
He tilts his head back to hit a high B flat . |
117,654 | 23eae9de3c58d00931430e1da34628641e00bbce | David Cameron today convened an urgent meeting to prepare for the possibility that Greece could crash out of the eurozone. The Prime Minister chaired an hour-long meeting of officials from the Treasury, Foreign Office and the Bank of England about the threat to the UK economy. New Greek PM Alexis Tsipras last night used his inaugural speech in parliament to insist his demand for restructuring the country's debt is 'irrevocable.' Scroll down for video . David Cameron, pictured today visiting Upton Heath Coutny primary school in Chester, chaired an hour-long meeting of officials from the Treasury, Foreign Office and the Bank of England about the threat to the UK economy posed by Greece defaulting on its debts . Senior officials from across Whitehall were called to the Cabinet room in Number 10 this morning amid concerns about the risk of 'contagion' to Britain. It included Treasury permanent secretary Sir Nicholas Macpherson, and officials from the Department for Business, Foreign Office and the financial regulatory arm of the Bank of England. Most of Greece's national debt is held by eurozone institutions and not by Britain, which could limit the impact if it defaults. But Mr Cameron's official spokesman warned: 'There do remain risks around contagion and uncertainty and so it is important to look at all of those.' Today's meeting mirrors contingency planning carried out in 2012, at the height of the last threat to the Greek economy. New Greece PM Alexis Tsipras last night used his inaugural speech in parliament to insist his demand for restructuring the country's debt is 'irrevocable' Foreign Office officials briefed Mr Cameron on the political situation while the Bank of England and Treasury gave details of the risk of economic instability spreading across the continent. It was agreed that contingency planning should continue to be stepped up, said Downing Street. Mr Cameron's spokesman stressed that there are some 'obvious differences' with the 2012 crisis, including the fact that bond yields on the debts of countries such as Portugal, Ireland and Spain are not so high. The spokesman said: 'We have the clear positions from the new Greek government about staying in the eurozone and the comments from eurozone countries around maintaining that eurozone unity. We need to underline the determination of the eurozone countries and Greek government have signalled with regard to the euro. 'But we need to look at the risks of pressures in financial markets as potential uncertainty grows, as clearly there are difficult discussions going on between the Greek government and the eurozone countries and in that context, we need to look across the full range of issues.' Asked whether the City of London was exposed to uncertainty in Greece, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'Greek bonds are overwhelmingly held in the eurozone because the ECB has been providing capital and liquidity into Greek financial institutions. 'Clearly there are global economic interdependencies and London is a major global financial centre, so it is something we need to be vigilant about.' George Osborne warned that a eurozone stand-off over Greek debt is becoming the biggest risk to the global economy after meeting Greece's new finance minister Yanis Varoufakis in London last week . Athens has until the end of this month to secure around £5billion of financing to keep the Greek economy running. Failure to do so could cause the country to default on its debts and pull out of the single currency. Both Greece and other eurozone countries have stressed that they do not want to see exit from the single currency. But the country's ruling far-Left Syriza party has vowed to ditch austerity, setting the nation on a collision course with the rest of the single currency bloc. Mr Tsipras has pledged to write off some of the country's debts and renegotiate the terms of its £185billion bailout package — a deal that Germany has already said is 'too generous'. Chancellor George Osborne said yesterday: 'This stand-off between Greece and the Eurozone is increasing the risks every day to the British economy. 'A Greek exit would cause real ructions. We must have an international effort to resolve the stand-off.' Mr Cameron is due to meet Mr Tsipras for the first time on Thursday at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. Hours after Syriza's election triumph last month, Mr Cameron warned it would 'increase economic uncertainty across Europe'. | Prime Minister convenes urgent meeting in Cabinet room inside No. 10 .
Downing Street warns of 'risks around contagion and uncertainty' for UK .
New Greek PM Alexis Tsipras vows to press ahead with debt restructuring .
Chancellor George Osborne warns a Greek exit would cause 'real ructions' |
258,065 | d9fd0aab990d08b31603d372752c8230b81bd6ac | Secrets: Lee Towsey is the first person to speak publicly about what went on in the house . A former child actor has told detectives he was abused by undercover male police officers at a guest house at the centre of an alleged VIP paedophile ring. Lee Towsey made the astonishing claim to Scotland Yard’s Operation Fernbridge, which is investigating historic child sex abuse. He says it happened while he worked at the Elm Guest House in South-West London in 1982. At the time, Mr Towsey was 16, then under the age of homosexual consent. ‘I was naive and struggling to come to terms with my sexuality,’ he said. ‘After we had sex the officers offered me money.’ In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, he also tells of a sexual encounter with Cyril Smith – and how he was warned by police to ‘keep quiet about what and who you saw’. For years, the question of what went on at the Edwardian terrace in Rocks Lane, overlooking Barnes Common, has been the subject of speculation. It was claimed politicians, judges, pop stars, a high-ranking policeman, a member of the Royal household and an MI5 officer were among the visitors. There were allegations that some VIPs preyed on boys from a nearby children’s home. But until today no one with any first-hand knowledge of what went on has ever spoken publicly. In bombshell testimony, Mr Towsey, who worked at Rocks Lane for five months as a masseur, claims: . Mr Towsey has also spoken to Labour MP Simon Danczuk, whose book about Smith revealed how he abused scores of boys. Last night Mr Danczuk said: ‘This is a significant part of the jigsaw in what is a complex cover-up. It really moves on the need for a more in-depth inquiry.’ House of depravity: Owner Carole Kasir, left, and the infamous address in Barnes, right . Mr Towsey first visited Elm Guest House in February 1982. At the time he was pursuing his dream of becoming an actor. He later appeared in Grange Hill and Doctor Who. ‘I went out one night with a friend and we ended up going back to where he was staying in Barnes, which was on my way home,’ said Mr Towsey. ‘It was Elm Guest House. We had a couple of drinks in the bar and that’s where I first met Carole Kasir, the owner. She was kind of hippy-ish and made quite a fuss of me.’ She was less welcoming the following morning. ‘Carole’s demeanour changed. She said I had to pay for my night’s stay but I couldn’t afford it. She said: “You can work here as a masseur.” ’ Carole told him that some of the visitors were prominent people. Mr Towsey said: ‘She kept their names in a black address book, which she referred to as her insurance policy. ‘She said one was a Cabinet Minister and there were judges and politicians. I remember Cyril Smith but I didn’t know he was a politician until I saw his puppet on Spitting Image. ‘Carole told me not to let him in the sauna, as he had got stuck in there before and they had to take the door off to get him out.’ He added: ‘Smith wanted me to strip naked and massage him. I was also forced to watch as he masturbated.’ Carole came to confide in the 16-year-old, complaining how she was under pressure to contribute to Richmond police’s ‘Christmas fund’. ‘It was protection money,’ he said. In all, Mr Towsey slept with three people at the house. ‘They all turned out to be police,’ he said. ‘One came round in the first month. He was early 20s, good-looking, not the usual sort who went to the house.’ Scandal: The story in February 2013 . Mr Towsey saw the man again some months later – at Richmond police station – after he and the Kasir were arrested in a raid. Before that, Mr Towsey claims, two other undercover officers visited the house. ‘The first came in April and I had sex with him. He turned out to be one of the officers who later raided the house. ‘He came back about three weeks later and hired a room. He stayed two nights and on the second night his partner stayed too. I ended up having sex with them. Afterwards they asked how much and I told them that they were not clients and felt insulted they wanted to pay me.’ Mr Towsey continued at the house until the raid in June. He was charged with keeping a disorderly house and assisting in the management of a brothel. ‘That year was terrible,’ he said. ‘People were ringing up making death threats. I got a job in the kitchen at a bingo hall in Hounslow. My dad used to pick me up after work in his Nissan Sunny. ‘One day he didn’t turn up because its tyres had been let down. But he didn’t have time to let me know. Yet when I arrived at the usual spot, a Nissan Sunny was in the usual place and I got in the front. ‘There were three police officers inside. One of them was at the station following the raid. They told me they could pick me up at any time and told me keep my mouth shut. I never told anyone, not even my family.’ The day he was due at the Old Bailey, the charges against him were suddenly dropped. Kasir, who died in 1990, was found guilty of keeping a disorderly house but received a fine and suspended sentence. Mr Towsey was contacted by detectives from Operation Fernbridge in 2012. ‘They said they were opening up the case again because of Savile. I have had a couple of calls since to say they are still investigating but they haven’t moved anything on. I am considering legal action against the Met. I shut the door on it once and I want to shut the door on it again and move on.’ Scotland Yard declined to comment. By PAUL CAHALAN . Justice demand: Labour MP Simon Danczuk . A Labour MP says he is considering the sensational step of publicly naming an influential politician who allegedly abused boys at Elm Guest House. Simon Danczuk, who exposed former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, said he would use Parliamentary privilege – giving him legal immunity – to unmask someone ‘much more important’. ‘I have used privilege before and I would consider using privilege to name the Parliamentarian,’ he said yesterday.Rochdale MP Mr Danczuk published a book last week detailing how Smith, who died in 2010, abused hundreds of vulnerable boys over four decades. Unlike Smith, the politician he is now considering naming is still sitting in Parliament. Calling for a new in-depth inquiry into the activities at Elm House, which closed in 1982, Mr Danczuk said: ‘There is undoubtedly a cover-up. ‘This isn’t just about Smith, this is a much wider network of paedophiles, people who were abusing youngsters. We have to get to the bottom of it, not least because some of these people are still alive and should face justice. ‘Anyone who has any more information should come forward so that we can all move on from a horrible piece of recent history.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Lee Towsey told new investigation he had underage sex with officers .
He was working as a masseur at London's infamous Elm Guest House .
He is the first person with first-hand knowledge of events to speak publicly .
In an MoS interview, he also talks of a sexual encounter with Cyril Smith .
He claims police told him to 'keep quiet about what and who you saw'
Guest house owner Carole Kasir paid police protection money.
Names of high-profile guests were kept in a black book, referred to by Kasir as ‘my insurance policy’.
Kasir told him a Cabinet Minister was a regular visitor.
He only knew Cyril Smith was a politician when he recognised his Spitting Image puppet years later. |
208,469 | 99e7cf295c779576ffe6375c7d555c17db7ce662 | Nicky Morgan introduced guidelines forcing schools to promote British values . Ofsted inspectors asked ten year olds at a Christian school if they knew what lesbians 'did' to check they were being taught about British values, it has been claimed. Grindon Hall Christian School has made a formal complaint over an 'intrusive' inspection conducted in the wake of the Trojan Horse controversy over Islamist attempts to infiltrate schools. Inspectors are also said to have questioned pupils about transsexuality and asked if any of their friends felt trapped in the 'wrong body'. The school is among a growing number to complain they have been unfairly penalised by rules designed to combat extremism. There are claims that some schools – mainly those with a religious ethos or located in rural areas with few ethnic minority pupils – have been put under undue pressure by a new requirement to promote British values. Grindon Hall, which teaches pupils aged four to 18, has a Christian ethos but no faith-based selection criteria, resulting in an intake that includes pupils from various religions. Principal Chris Gray was a supporter of the British values initiative when details were published last year but inspectors' unannounced visit to the school last November led him to complain to Ofsted that the 'tenor of the inspection was negative and hostile'. It was 'as if the data collected had to fit a pre-determined outcome', he said, and many of the questions 'seem to betray an underlying disrespect for the Christian faith'. Pupils were asked whether anyone in their school had two mums or dads. When the inspectors were giving feedback to staff on their findings, 'it was suggested that a response from one child to the effect of querying how it is possible to have two mums was viewed as indicating a lack of awareness of lesbian relationships', the complaint letter said. Grindon Hall Christian School has formally complained about Ofsted inspectors whose questioning of pupils 'crossed the line' 'I understand the child concerned was merely thinking in biological terms. In addition, I have also heard reports of primary schoolchildren being asked if they knew of any boys or girls who thought they were in the 'wrong body'. The so-called Trojan Horse plot was an alleged attempt to introduce a hardline Islamist ethos into six Birmingham schools. It was revealed in a letter leaked in March last year, alleged to be from Islamists detailing how to wrest control of a school and speculating about using the scheme in other cities. It included claims that male and female pupils were segregated, non-Muslim staff were driven out and a strict religious agenda was imposed. A three-month Ofsted inquiry, which reported in June last year, found the schools did not do enough to protect children from extremism. In the wake of the findings, the Department for Education announced that all schools must promote 'British values' of tolerance and fairness and warned that teachers would be banned from the profession if they allowed extremists into schools. Proposals would also allow Ofsted to visit any school without warning, saying the schools in the plot had previously been able to stage a 'cover-up'. 'Another parent has complained to me that her ten-year-old daughter was asked if she knew what lesbians 'did'.' They also allegedly questioned children as young as six about their knowledge of Hindu festivals and the Jewish Torah. He suggested that the questioning of pupils 'crossed the line into harassment'. Sixth-formers at the school have also prepared written complaints, claiming that inspectors appeared to be 'manipulating' the conversation during group discussions about racism and homophobia, seemingly determined to 'discredit' the school. The guidelines, introduced by the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan last year, require schools actively to promote 'British values' including democracy, liberty and tolerance.' Other institutions said to have unfairly fallen foul of the rules include a Christian school in Reading, Berkshire, that says it was warned it could face closure for failing to invite imams and other religious leaders to take assemblies. In another case, a high-performing primary school in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, was marked down because pupils lacked 'first-hand experience of the diverse make-up of modern British society'. Inspectors made no allowance for the fact that 97 per cent of the population of the town is white. An Ofsted spokesman said it would be 'considering the issues raised by the school' and added: 'Ofsted does not require evidence that schools 'promote' other faiths. Instead, inspectors must ensure that pupils are able to express views which are neither intolerant nor discriminatory towards others.' | Primary school children were asked about lesbian sex and transsexuals .
They also questioned six-year-olds about Hindu festivals and Jewish Torah .
New inspection regime introduced in wake of Islamist Trojan Horse plot .
Hard-line Muslim groups infiltrated schools to promote radical agenda .
Ministers responded by making schools promote 'UK values' of tolerance . |
110,622 | 1a96da6eaa45acff8df3a4d3ffee503e8c4fd0fc | By . Simon Duke . UPDATED: . 01:50 EST, 2 August 2011 . Britain's sickly economy was last night facing a jobs bloodbath in the financial sector after HSBC warned that it was slashing 30,000 staff worldwide. Thousands of its UK workers are facing an uncertain future after Britain’s largest bank yesterday unveiled a ‘brutal’ plan to cut nearly one in ten of its global workforce. HSBC will wield the axe despite increasing its profits by 3pc to £7billion between January and June – equivalent to £40million a day. Cuts: Banking giant HSBC will shed 30,000 posts, some of which could go at its UK HQ at Canary Wharf in London (pictured) The cull is likely to be a grim . portent of the pain to come with a raft of Britain’s biggest lenders . expected to shed thousands of staff over the coming months. Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and . Lloyds Banking Group could all accelerate cost-cutting plans alongside . results for the first half of 2011 this week. This could spell bad news for the . government’s plans to rein in the deficit, which lean heavily on a . resurgence in tax receipts from big businesses. HSBC has already cut . 5,000 staff around the world since the start of the year, including 700 . in Britain. Yesterday it warned that a further 25,000 will go from a 296,000-strong workforce in a bid to reduce overheads. Its 52,000 UK-based workers will have . to endure months of agony after the bank refused to spell out how many . jobs will be slashed in the UK because of uncertainties surrounding . financial reforms. If the bank implemented a 10 per cent reduction of staff in Britain, it would mean 5,000 people could lose their jobs. Cull: A fresh wave of job losses is poised to sweep the banking sector as HSBC prepares to reveal plans to cull around 10,000 staff worldwide as part of a stringent cost-cutting plan . HSBC has 1,290 branches and around 52,000 staff in the UK. Jobs are being lost across the banking sector, with Credit Suisse recently announcing 2,000 job losses and UBS also warning of cutbacks. Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland are already involved in major restructuring programmes which have seen thousands of jobs axed. The latest purge in the industry comes as firms look to offset a sharp drop-off in trading volumes caused by the eurozone crisis and American debt deadlock. HSBC have refused to be drawn on how many staff here would be affected. Chairman Douglas Flint said it was . ‘very difficult’ to predict how many British staff would be jettisoned . until the Independent Commission on Banking delivers its final . recommendations next month. His reticence angered HSBC staff. David Fleming of the Unite union condemned the ‘brutal restructuring’. He said: ‘The employees being hit by these extensive cuts were in no way . responsible for the banking crisis, yet it is these staff many of whom . are low paid, who are having to pay for the bank’s recovery.’ Banks have staged an increasingly . strident lobbying campaign against the ICB’s proposed reforms, which . could force banks to erect firewalls around their High Street operations . in a bid to prevent future taxpayer bailouts. Mr Flint warned that the so-called . ring-fencing plans could ‘constrain the supply of credit to the real . economy and contribute to sub-par economic growth.’ Even before the safeguards come, small firms are finding it difficult to obtain affordable credit from high street banks. HSBC made new loans totalling . £5.6billion to small and medium-term enterprises in the first half. At . the current rate, HSBC will fall short of the £11.7billion SME target . set by the Government. Weak revenue growth in Western Europe . and the UK reflected the tough economic situation in the region, HSBC said . UK revenue fell slightly to £2.82billion from £2.84billion. HSBC said 5,000 of the planned job cuts had already taken place, which included 700 in the UK that were announced in June as a result of regulatory changes to the way financial advice is allowed to be given. Caveat: HSBC's CEO Stuart Gulliver said the 30,000 job losses do not include future expansion plans . HSBC said it is on course to meet its . targets for business lending agreed with the Government under Project . Merlin, having lent £22.7billion, but the group was behind on small firm . lending with £5.6billion advanced in the first six months against a . full year goal of £11.7billion. Mortgage lending rose by 35 per cent . to £6.7billion with HSBC's share of the UK mortgage market at a record . of nearly 11per cent. Shares in the bank rose by 4 per cent as analysts said the figures were an impressive start to the week's bank reporting season. He added that HSBC's global . diversification is not necessarily matched by the other UK banks while . the bad loan figures have reduced impressively. HSBC's announcement kicked off the results season, which is expected to provide a snapshot of a gruelling start to 2011. Barclays, . Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland are all also expected . to reveal a drop in profits in their interim updates over the coming . week. The main focus is . likely to be on progress with cost-cutting after boss Stuart Gulliver . unveiled a multi-billion dollar savings programme earlier this year . which will cut back on retail operations in some parts of the world and . instead focus on fast growing markets in Mexico and Turkey. It has already seen an announcement . today that HSBC will sell just under half of its 470 retail banking . branches in the U.S. to First Niagara Bank for around $1 billion. Most of the 195 branches to be sold are in New York Upstate region, while six are in Connecticut. Six others are in New York State - four in northern Westchester County, and two in Putnam County. The payment protection insurance . mis-selling scandal; planned ring-fencing of retail banking operations . as proposed by the Independent Commission on Banking; and a volatile . global economic climate have all affected the accounts of the four . lenders. Taxpayer-backed . Lloyds and RBS have seen their shares plunge 30 per cent and 17 per cent . respectively in the last six months alone, while Barclays' shares have . plummeted 26 per cent and HSBC has lost 14 per cent. Barclays, . which reports tomorrow, is expected to reveal a 24 per cent drop in . reported profits to £1.8 billion, according to broker Seymour Pierce. Taxpayer-backed . Lloyds Banking Group is expected to report pre-tax profits of £1 . billion on Thursday, a steep reduction on the £1.6 billion reported a . year earlier. Royal Bank of . Scotland closes the week with its results on Friday, which are expected . to reveal £611 million in reported profits, down 19 per cent on the . previous year, Seymour Pierce said. We're sorry but reader comments are currently unavailable. | Share price leaps to 617p this morning - up 22p - after better than expected results.
HSBC also declares it will sell half of 470 U.S. retail banking branches to First Niagara Bank for $1billion . |
158,103 | 586f0ded7626ac48ac6130d297b31e3e37875690 | By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 11:49 EST, 10 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:07 EST, 10 December 2012 . Here's where Christmas is sorted on a giant scale - a massive postal centre dealing with half a million parcels a day. The giant temporary facility has been set up to handle the avalanche of online shopping over the festive period. More than 300 seasonal staff have been taken on to run the sorting centre in Swindon, Wiltshire - one of eight set up by the Royal Mail around Britain. Scroll down for video . Vast: The warehouse will handle over 200,000 parcels a day in the lead up to Christmas peaking at over 500,000 parcels a day two weeks before Christmas . Santa's Little Helpers: The busy scene inside the new Royal Mail parcel sorting hub in Swindon on the busiest day of the year for the mail service . It will operate for five weeks and will be at its busiest tomorrow when it will process around 500,000 items. In total more than four million parcels will be sorted there and sent around the world, hopefully all in time for Christmas. The Royal Mail said the centre was set up in response to the boom in websites like Amazon and eBay. Global: Parcels will be dispatched and received from all over the world . Empty: This picture of the facility on the day it opened gives a sense of scale of the operation . Seasonal: The massive facility has been set up to deal with the growth in online shopping . Eight - Number of temporary facilities . Five - Weeks it will operate . 300 - Seasonal staff employed . 500,000 - Items it is set to process tomorrow . Four million - Parcels it will sort . Mark Higson, managing director of operations and modernisation, said: 'Christmas is the busiest time of year for Royal Mail and our customers. 'Royal Mail has invested in eight dedicated parcel sort centres to increase our scale and improve our flexibility during this important time of year for our customers. 'As we do every year, we encourage people to post early and order presents early to help us spread the workload of handling the festive mailbag in the run up to Christmas.' The other depots are in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swansea and Greenford, London. Around 100 postal workers in south Bristol staged a 24-hour walk-out today on their busiest week of the year . The Communication Workers Union said the action was taken because members are being asked to do more work with fewer people. Over 40,000 households and businesses were affected. Royal Mail says it is bringing in managers from across the country to prevent a backlog. VIDEO: Timelapse of what the busiest day of the year looks like for a Royal Mail depot . It was only opened in late November, just in time for the Christmas rush . Busy: There are a further seven facilities across the UK . Temporary: The centre will wrap up after five weeks as demand wanes following the Christmas rush . Network: The other depots are in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swansea and Greenford . | Giant temporary facility will sort four million parcels in the run-up to Christmas .
Boom in online shopping is behind spike in demand .
More than 300 seasonal staff will handle deluge of post . |
156,961 | 56f41a3eb72ac1137366247c4fcda4beeb92fe4d | It may be cold outside but these red pandas made the most of their fur coats and enjoyed a play fight in the snow. The creatures were snapped rolling around in the grounds of a Vienna zoo as they showed off their strength and speed in the friendly tussle. In scenes similar to the martial arts DreamWorks animation Kung Fu Panda, the male and female red pandas dodged and pounced as they each tried to outwit their opponent. The panda pair were pictured rolling around in the snow at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna . On the attack: one panda prepares to pounce . Paws up, but the fight isn't over yet for these two . The red pandas grappled in a play fight for quite some time, aided by the occasional break for a bamboo snack . The sparring partners were spotted by Austrian photographer, Josef Gelernter. The 31-year-old watched as the fight unfolded at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna - the world's oldest zoo, having been open in the grounds of the summer palace for 251 years. Mr Gelernter said he could have watched the red pandas for hours. The father-of-two said: 'It was as though the snow had stimulated their urge to play, just like children really. 'They were very lively and even had to take breaks in between to regain their strength. 'They took some time out to eat carrots and bamboo and then starting fighting all over again.' Like Master Shifu, the kung fu warrior in the Dreamworks film, the male and female red pandas showed off their speed and strength as they wrestled in the snow. 'They were moving really quickly so it was quite difficult to capture but I think I managed to get some nice shots,' said Mr Gelernter. The snow covering the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna seemed to bring out the pandas' playful side, said photographer Josef Gelernter . After about five or six tussles, the pandas, one male and one female, needed a nap to recover . The red pandas showed off the strength and speed of their breed, rather like Master Shifu in the film Kung Fu Panda . But even the most ferocious fighter has to give in to tiredness at some point. 'The pandas repeated this about five or six times before exhausting themselves and falling asleep,' said Mr Gelernter. 'The male panda wanted to carry on playing but the female was clearly very tired so he gave up in the end. 'It was such a joy watching them play, the snow seemed to really bring out the life in them. 'It was simply amazing, I could have watched them for hours. They looked so cute.' Unlike their distant cousins, giant pandas, red pandas are not much bigger than a domestic cat. They are usually quite shy, but these two were snapped during mating season - usually January to March - when the creatures are more willing to socialise. | Two red pandas took each other on in a show of speed and strength .
The playful creatures were seen at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna . |
274,815 | efffe4ea6259bf14b96f2212c3f6a2e00af84620 | Football can be a wretchedly knee-jerk place sometimes. Only 10 days ago, when Manchester United appeared to be on an upward curve, young Tyler Blackett, so composed in the victory over QPR, was hailed as the thoroughbred colt flying up on the rails to resolve Louis van Gaal's defensive malaise. One week later, after Manchester United's defensive capitulation at Leicester City - United conceded four goals in 21 minutes and Blackett was sent off in a 5-3 defeat - the defender was pitied as an over-exposed rookie. The reality for this young footballer most probably lies somewhere in between. Those who have worked closely with the defender truly believe that Blackett will train on, given time and opportunities. Tyler Blackett has broken into the first team at Manchester United this season . Blackett (third from left) playing football during his childhood before joining Manchester United . Blackett (bottom row in red tracksuit bottoms) celebrates winning a trophy with Fletcher Moss Rangers . Blackett (back row, third from right) had success with Fletcher Moss Rangers as an eight-year-old . At United, they are wary of making long-term predictions but they see a tall, athletic and pacy defender of significant potential. That Blackett is a left-footed centre half - confident in possession - only adds to the appeal. It is why England scouts will be monitoring his progress closely in the lead-up to Euro 2016. Blackett is undoubtedly improving and some of the snap judgements that have followed his performance at Leicester betray the work ethic and qualities that have so impressed the coaching staff at United in the past six months. His dedication and professionalism have been impeccable. On Tuesday, United players were granted a day off but still Blackett came in, determined to push himself, picking over his performances and organising an extra session in the gym. Blackett does not miss a chance to place himself ahead of his defensive rivals. Last week, the squad went out in Manchester city centre for an organised bonding meal, aimed at uniting the raft of new signings that have arrived this summer. Blackett has been promoted to the first team at Manchester United by Louis van Gaal . Blackett has shown his dedication to his career by training on his days off . The following day had been scheduled as a free but there Blackett was once more, using everything United's hi-tech training ground can offer to further his game. It is not only his attitude that has struck Van Gaal and his close-knit team of advisers. For a defender, the goals against column is the ultimate measure of success, but coaches have been lifted by Blackett's distribution. At home to QPR, 97.9 per cent of Blackett's 97 passes were successful, a better record than any other United player on the day. Even in defeat against Swansea and catastrophe against Leicester, Blackett's passing hit the right notes, extending beyond the 90 per cent mark in both games. It should also be noted that Blackett was not one of those involved in the humiliation at MK Dons. Blackett was sent off after he brought down Leicester's Jamie Vardy in the 5-3 defeat . We cannot airbrush the Leicester debacle from the scrapbook, but the one-match suspension against West Ham this weekend and the chance to come up for some air will do Blackett some good. There has been enormous pressure on the broad shoulders of the 20-year-old defender, who had not played a minute of competitive football for Manchester United before this campaign. He has now played 443 minutes and is only the defender to have started every game under Van Gaal. At the end of this season, Blackett's contract will expire. United, you would assume, will be looking to tie him down sooner rather than later, especially as uncertainty lingers over the club's desire to stay faithful to their roots and hand opportunities to local talent. On Sunday evening, when he lay down on his pillow with a whirlwind of thoughts swirling around his young mind, he will have been reassured by the presence of his loved ones. Blackett got his first taste of first team experience on loan at Blackpool last season . The young defender was also sent on loan to Birmingham in the second half of the season . In the inner city district of Hulme, Blackett still lives with his parents, who were this week described to Sportsmail in the most glowing terms: 'They are incredibly supportive and offer sensible advice,' said a source close to the family. Tyler Blackett's stats this season (via Opta) 'They are there at every single game and they are still in that wonderland as they realise their son is playing regularly for Manchester United. Can you imagine the pride they must be feeling?' Blackett's development has been quite remarkable. Only six months ago, he was cutting his teeth at the coalface in the Championship. Away from the sanitised environment of academy football, it was at times a brutal induction under Lee Clark at Birmingham City. His final appearance lasted only 45 minutes, as Blackett was withdrawn at half-time with Birmingham trailing 4-0 at home to Blackburn. Five weeks earlier, he was replaced after 23 minutes when Birmingham went 2-0 down to Sheffield Wednesday. Blackett's family have been a constant source of support, first cheering on their boy as a five-year-old with the local youth team Fletcher Moss Rangers. 'They'd be there every single weekend, in rain, wind or hailstorms,' says Tony Taylor, who coached Blackett in those tender years between five and nine, 'That's important. We could tell that Tyler was gifted from his very first sessions. At five years old, he was a stand-out player. He was strong, quick and technically excellent from a very young age.' Way back when, Blackett was a goalscoring winger, which perhaps goes some way to explaining his authority in possession. 'He was a tricky and skilful wide player,' Taylor continues, 'Maybe because he was tall and powerful, United saw his potential as a defender.' Blackett has progressed through the youth teams at Manchester United and into the first team . Fletcher Moss is one of the success stories in an era when youth football is increasingly threatened by depleted resources, below-par facilities and the disinterest of the PlayStation generation. The club, established in the 1980s after a group of eager teens went bucket in hand pleading for donations at the local pub, has produced a series of England internationals. Wes Brown, Danny Welbeck, Ravel Morrison, Ipswich's Cameron Stewart and Swansea's Kyle Bartley are all graduates of the Fletcher Moss academy, positioned near to Wythenshawe, one of Greater Manchester's more socially deprived districts. Blackett's family still reside only a stone's throw away. 'He comes back to see the coaches quite often,' Taylor reveals, 'He spends time talking with the younger kids and he comes in to help coaching them.' Manchester-born Blackett has been at United since he was seven . Both Louis van Gaal and England coach Gary Neville have been impressed by what they have seen in Blackett . Blackett speaks with Manchester United U21 manager Warren Joyce - who is one of his mentors . The defender's level-headed approach is admirable. His parents must take much of the credit. So too must the United academy, where Blackett first trained at the age of seven. United are sensible at youth level, operating within more modest means than several of their direct Premier League rivals. Money, United believe, can be a distraction, a complication and counter-productive to a player's development. A club source explained: 'They have good habits here. If you give them £20,000-a-week at a young age, then it could be the biggest contract they ever get. 'The lifestyle changes and the money soon runs out. They get the flash cars, the best clothes, the best food but then they may do the least work. We are giving them life skills and producing strong characters that want to work more and do more. Then the money will look after itself.' Blackett has represented England at U16 level through to U21s but qualifies to play for Barbados and Jamaica . This month, Blackett's emergence attracted interest from sportswear manufacturers Nike and he last week signed a commercial deal in London. This was another of those 'days off', a term which does not really exist in his vocabulary. Again, Blackett scheduled an individual session at Carrington before heading down to the capital. Senior figures at Old Trafford reassure Blackett constantly. Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, now major figures on the coaching staff at Manchester United, are part of the fabric and a valuable source of advice. Gary Neville has offered his backing face-to-face. Reserve-team manager Warren Joyce is a personal mentor to many of the club's rising stars. And despite some teething problems, Blackett's star is shining brighter than most at Old Trafford. Like our Manchester United Facebook page. VIDEO United can still be successful . | Tyler Blackett has broken into the Manchester United side this season .
The 20-year-old defender has just signed his first commercial deal with Nike .
Blackett was sent off at Leicester and will miss the game with West Ham .
His contract at Manchester United runs out this summer . |
81,400 | e6a344312827d9abb0b2d1bef876364ab5d622b5 | Swiss food giant Nestle has vowed to remove all traces of artificial colors and flavors from its chocolates by the end of this year - becoming the first major US candy manufacturer to do so. The company announced yesterday that it is committed to giving its customers the healthier ingredients that they have been asking for and will therefore be swapping the artificial flavors and certified colors currently found in its beloved candy for natural alternatives, 'without affecting taste or increasing the price' of its chocolates. 'We never compromise on taste,' Leslie Mohr, the company’s nutrition, health and wellness manager, said in a statement about the changes, which will affect more than 250 products, including Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth. Healthy swap: Swiss food company Nestle has announced that will be the first major US candy manufacturer to remove artificial flavors and colors from its chocolate, including the brand's Crunch bars . She added: 'When making these changes to more than 75 recipes, maintaining the great taste and appearance consumers expect from the chocolate brands they know and love is our number one priority.' For example, the Red 40 and Yellow 5 additives used to make the crispy golden center of Nestle's Butterfinger bars will eventually be replaced with annatto, which comes from the seeds of achiote trees. Meanwhile the brand's Crunch bars will soon be made with natural vanilla flavor instead of artificial vanillin. Nestle looked into making the changes after its internal research indicated that US consumers would prefer popular candy brands to be free of artificial flavors and colors. New recipes: The changes will affect more than 250 products, including Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth . Quick fix: The Red 40 and Yellow 5 additives used to make the crispy golden center of this Nestle Butterfinger bar will eventually be replaced with annatto, which comes from the seeds of achiote trees . The updated products will begin hitting shelves in mid-2015 and feature a 'No Artificial Flavors or Colors' label on its candy wrappers. And this is just the beginning. Nestle is also in the process of removing caramel coloring from its chocolate products. 'Our commitment to remove artificial flavors and certified colors in our chocolate candy brands is an important milestone,' said Doreen Ida, the company’s US president. 'We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients.' She added: 'We’re excited to be the first major U.S. candy manufacturer to make this commitment.' | The Switzerland-based brand said it will replace the artificial colors and flavors with natural ingredients without changing the taste or price of its candy bars by the end of this year .
The changes will affect more than 250 products, including Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth . |
150,941 | 4f25d263992886d8e0a7cbc6f523a72c10698942 | France is to bulldoze camps containing hundreds of illegal migrants hoping to travel to Britain from Calais because of a growing danger to public health, it emerged today. It follows reports of young men dying and suffering serious injury as they try to get across to the coast of England. Police in the French port said that many of the settlements would be 'cleared by the end of next week,' to stop them getting bigger. France is to bulldoze camps containing hundreds of illegal migrants hoping to travel to Britain from Calais because of a growing danger to public health, it emerged today . Police in the French port said that many of the settlements would be 'cleared by the end of next week,' to stop them getting bigger . There are fears that there will be a repetition of the so-called 'The Jungle', an infamous camp which was destroyed in 2009 after becoming a magnet for migrants. Local prefect Denis Robin also said there were particular 'fears for public health', especially as the makeshift camps do not have basic supplies like water. Hundreds of people living in squalid conditions has also led to outbreaks of Scabies, acontagious skin condition caused by tiny mites which burrow into the skin, causing severe itching and rashes. There are fears that there will be a repetition of the so-called 'The Jungle', an infamous camp which was destroyed in 2009 after becoming a magnet for migrants . There are currently up to 1000 migrants living rough in Calais, with up to 650 around the port area alone . Charity workers helping refugees from wars in Syria and Afghanistan reacted with outrages to the planned clear-out, blaming it on a shift to the far-right in French politics. Ethiopian man, Senay Berthay, 25, was found in Calais's Batellerie dock on March 14 . But following a meeting with human rights groups, Mr Robin, said: 'I'm going to close three camps on public property at the port next week. It is out of the question that we can let another Jungle emerge.' Mr Robin insisted that the clear out would assist the most vulnerable migrants, allowing the sick and aged to get emergency health care. 'Fragile members' of the migrant community, including children, will be allowed temporary accommodation in a holiday camp in the Pas de Calais, while adults can request 'emergency housing'. But critics say the migrants will simply be left on the street, without even a roof over their heads. There are currently up to 1000 migrants living rough in Calais, with up to 650 around the port area alone. Most play a nightly cat and mouse game with the police and border officials as they try to reach Britain in the back of lorries. Once in the UK they will claim asylum, which entitles them to generous benefits, or disappear into the black economy. Familiar tactic: A gang tries but fails to get into one lorry at port in Calais . Martine Devries, of the international charity Medecins du Monde, told the Voix du Nord newspaper: . 'They're taking advantage of treating people for scabies to destroy the camp. It's a waste of equipment and where are the migrants going to go?' Mr Devries added: 'We get the feeling the authorities think once everything is destroyed all this will go away.' Four migrants died in one week alone in March this year. On March 9 an Albanian man was killed on a motorway outside the town. Three days later, Ethiopian Mesfin Germa was hit by a lorry as he walked to the port. The . body of a 25-year-old Ethiopian man, Senay Berthay, was found in . Calais's Batellerie dock on March 14 and the next day a fellow Ethiopian . in his 20s was crushed to death by a car while hiding on a vehicle . transporter. If you got points for effort... French coast guard rescue Asif Hussein Khail who tried to cross the Channel on a makeshift raft using a bedsheet as a sail . It is thought he had been among a group of three men who got on the truck and then realised it was going in the wrong direction. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart has long argued that Britain's 'generous welfare system' is the real cause of the migrant crisis in her town. Referring to international treaties governing the treatment of migrants, Ms Bouchart said: 'Calais is a hostage to the British. That's enough. It's no longer tenable. It's necessary to renegotiate these accords. We're not here to do their job.' The Socialist government of French president Francois Hollande has continued the policy of razing illegal migrant camps on the edge of major cities such as Paris and Marseille. Court orders are regularly obtained for their destruction, with riot police moving in with the bulldozers. | Reports of young men dying as they try to get across to England .
Police: Many of the settlements would be 'cleared by the end of next week'
Local prefect said there were particular 'fears for public health' |
151,377 | 4fb4fec58a4611c6f9a5498deda4ceaeb67793f1 | Sheffield United boss Nigel Clough has no doubt the cup upsets of the last few days will provide inspiration for his side in their Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham - but also that Spurs will now be on red alert about the prospect of becoming the latest giant-killing victims. There were some major shocks sprung by lower-league clubs facing Barclays Premier League opposition in the FA Cup fourth round, most notably on Saturday when Sky Bet League One Bradford won 4-2 at Chelsea while Championship outfit Middlesbrough triumphed 2-0 at Manchester City. And Clough, whose League One promotion-chasers go into Wednesday's clash against top-flight Tottenham at Bramall Lane 1-0 down in the tie, said: 'I read some quotes from Bradford players saying the Friday night game, where Cambridge drew 0-0 at home against Manchester United, gave them inspiration and belief, and we are going to try to use the weekend in the same sort of way. Sheffield United trail Tottenham 1-0 after the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final . Andros Townsend wheels away after scoring the winning goal at White Hart Lane . Several high profile teams lost to lowly opposition in the FA Cup, including Chelsea's shock exit to Bradford . 'But the other side of it is that I think it all will have put Spurs on high alert - if the first leg didn't already - that if you are not careful, lower-league teams can cause you a problem.' Clough's men are certainly no strangers to causing cup upsets themselves, the Blades having knocked out Premier League sides in Aston Villa and Fulham on their way to last season's FA Cup semi-finals, despatching another in QPR in the third round this term and seeing off two more in West Ham and Southampton during the current League Cup run. And he has every belief those experiences will set United in good stead for Wednesday. 'We have still got quite a few of the lads from the FA Cup run last year, and the other ones are loving it too,' Clough said. 'Every player and supporter is looking forward to Wednesday night.' Clough also feels big clubs have been taking cup competitions too lightly in general. 'I don't think it is even to do with the teams they put out sometimes,' the 48-year-old said. 'I just think with the majority of the lower-league lads being British and having been brought up with cup traditions, it just probably means a little bit more to them. Blades boss Nigel Clough, with Mauricio Pochettino (right), hopes FA Cup upsets will provide inspiration . Diego De Girolamo (left) celebrates scoring the equaliser in United's 1-1 draw with Preston at the weekend . 'That is not anything too demeaning with regard to the foreign lads - I just think when you are brought up with it, it is inevitable that you are going to understand its importance a little bit more.' United are currently eighth in the third tier and still in both the main domestic knockout competitions, and Clough admits extended cup participation can make things tough in terms of sustaining league momentum. But he insists he never wants anything other than victory from a tie - something unquestionably the case on Wednesday when the prize is a Wembley final. 'It is very difficult to maintain a challenge for promotion while you are still in both cups, without a doubt,' said Clough, whose side drew their FA Cup fourth-round tie at Preston 1-1 on Saturday. 'But when you come to these games, you can't say 'it would be better for us to lose today'. We don't want to lose games. 'People suggested we didn't want a replay (against Preston), but we'd take that rather than be out of the competition any day of the week. That is the attitude we have had in all of the cups.' Cambridge United forced a replay at Old Trafford after holding Manchester United to a goalless draw . Premier League champions Man City were dumped out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough's Patrick Bamford . Tottenham will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday from their FA Cup elimination at the hands of Premier League basement boys Leicester at the weekend, and despite being at home, Clough thinks his players may have an even tougher task on their hands this time than they did in the first leg last week. 'It might be strange - we might have done the easy part, believe it or not,' Clough said. 'Over two legs you get maybe one shot at these teams when they are not quite sure about you, and all the onus, expectation and pressure was on them at White Hart Lane. 'I think they may be a bit more relaxed at Bramall Lane, because they have a one-goal lead and the onus is very much on us now to go and create. 'It will be an unbelievable achievement for the club, as a League One club, to get to the final.' | Sheffield United trail Tottenham 1-0 in their Capital One Cup semi-final .
Chelsea and Manchester City were knocked out of the FA Cup at weekend .
Nigel Clough hopes the Blades will take inspiration from giant-killers . |
52,857 | 95ef9e0b5a447fe4a77afa19715dec9b8b0b86f6 | The Denver Police are now under investigation by the FBI for brutality, after a video surfaced online showing an officer punching an unarmed drug suspect six times in the face and causing the man's seven-months-pregnant wife to trip and fall on the ground. The video obtained by Fox Denver is also raising questions about whether the officers involved in the incident violated cell phone search laws, since the witness claims they grabbed his tablet and tried to delete the clip - though they would need a warrant in order to take any of his devices. Bystander Levi Frasier was driving to work on August 14 when he saw an incident escalate between a man and a few cops and undercover officers, so he pulled over, took out his tablet and started recording the scene. Police say the incident started when suspect David Nelson Flores noticed plainclothes officers approaching him, and he tried stuffing a white sock full of what was believed to be heroin into his mouth. WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Scroll down for video . Brutal: A video has surfaced showing the moment a police officer punched a suspected drug user six times in the face during an arrest last August . Injured: Suspect David Nelson Flores (pictured) sustained several injuries to his face and head during the attack . Flores was then tackled to the ground as the undercover cops, and back-up officers Charles Jones IV and Christopher Evans, arrived on the scene and tried to pry the sock out of the mans mouth. When Flores refused to spit up the sock, Officer Charles Jones IV punched the suspect six times in the face, his head bouncing off the pavement as he receives the blows. 'Those were the hardest punches I have ever heard,' Frasier said. 'I’ve seen some people get punched in the ring and on TV and whatnot, but the sound of those resonating, I mean, it was scary. I’ve never heard anything louder than that and I used to cage fight for quite a while and I’ve never seen punches harder than that.' And that's not all. Jones proceeded to trip Flores' girlfriend, 25-year-old Mayra Lazos-Guerrero , when the seven-months-pregnant woman approached the tustle and started yelling at them to stop hurting her boyfriend. Charged: Flores (left) and his girlfriend 25-year-old Mayra Lazos-Guerrero (right) face several charges related to the incident, but were no shows at their last court date . Shove: The video also shows how one of the officers pushed Guerrero when she approached the group, telling them to stop hurting her boyfriend . Expectant: Guerrero was seven-months-pregnant when she fell to the ground in the incident . Guerrero falls to the hard cement, landing on her stomach and face and is seen yelling out in pain, clutching her bump. However, the officer has explained his use of force, saying he was trying to retrieve the heroin and also prevent Flores from clutching. As for Flores' girlfriend, Jones says he thought she was going to kick him. Frasier doesn't think she her behavior was threatening: 'She was screaming like, "What are you doing. Let him go! Let him go! Stop hurting him! What are you doing?" She was just concerned for him. You could clearly hear that and as she got closer.' Fox Denver also obtained pictures of Flores' wounds as he was being transported to the hospital. The graphic images show his battered head, bloody from being hit on the pavement as well as bruises and cuts all over his head. But Mark Carlson, a former detective hired to analyze the video for Flores' potential criminal case, says he believes the officers went over the top in their use of force. Illegal search? Witness Levi Frasier says police officers grabbed his tablet after the incident and then deleted the video. He was able to save the clip though, since it was uploaded to his cloud before the device was taken by authorities . 'There’s no obvious and immediate threat of a weapon,' Carlson said. 'I just don’t see how either swallowing evidence or they’re worried about him choking is justifying that degree of force. I mean, you’re risking, "We don’t want you to choke, so we’re going to fracture your face instead?"' The FBI Public Corruption Unit is now working with the internal investigators with the Denver Police to see whether the determine whether the incident is a case of police brutality. The officers behavior after the incident is also under investigation by the FBI, for possible breaches of cellphone search laws. Frasier says in the aftermath of the fight, officers approached him and coaxed him to hand over his tablet, even though he told them that they needed a warrant to do that. When they handed the tablet back to him, the video had been deleted, but he was able to salvage the clip since he had already been uploaded to his cloud. Flores was charges with resisting arrest, and two felony drug charges, while his girlfriend faces charges of obstruction, drugs and child abuse (there was a child in the car when the arrest happened). Neither appeared at their most recent court appearance, and are being asked to turn themselves in. Denver Police Commander Matt Murray responded to the video with a statement saying: 'We are not covering anything up. There is no cover up whatsoever, so let me just put that to rest. That’s irresponsible and baseless.' | Denver police being investigated by FBI for brutality against suspect .
Incident occurred in August when officers attempted to arrest man for drug dealing .
He refused to turn over the drugs and one officer is seen punching him in the head .
His seven-and-a-half-month pregnant wife tries to stop them and she trips over .
Member of the public filmed incident and police allegedly forcibly deleted footage .
The video has surfaced after the person who videoed it realized the clip was uploaded to the iCloud . |
83,012 | eb63d6949647fcf2dc7ce8ec07c79c4f46050bfa | (CNN) -- The gray wolf population in Wyoming has grown enough to be removed from the endangered species list and will stop receiving federal protection next month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday. The decision means that gray wolf has recovered from near extinction throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains, which includes all of Idaho and Montana and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah, officials said. The wolves in Wyoming won't be protected under the Endangered Species Act effective September 30, when the packs will be managed by the state, federal officials said. "The return of the wolf to the Northern Rocky Mountains is a major success story, and reflects the remarkable work of states, tribes, and our many partners to bring this iconic species back from the brink of extinction," Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said in a statement. The Northern Rockies are home to at least 1,774 adult wolves and more than 109 breeding pairs, and the population has exceeded recovery goals for 10 consecutive years, officials said. The vast majority of Wyoming's gray wolves live in the northwest section of the state, where the animals will be managed by state wardens as "trophy game" year-round, federal officials said. Wyoming officials will regulate the timing, methods and numbers of gray wolves taken through regulated hunting. Wolves found to be preying on livestock also may be controlled, federal officials said. Environmental and wildlife groups took exception to the federal decision, saying the gray wolf hasn't fully recovered. "Today's decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service allows Wyoming to return to the days of random wolf killing that led to the species' endangerment in the first place," said Sylvia Fallon, wildlife conservation director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The environmental group Earthjustice said Congress last year gave hunters and trappers in Montana and Idaho the right to kill wolves that had been once protected, nullifying a court victory by the group that would have prevented the hunts. "Wyoming's open season on wolves in almost all of the state would allow aerial gunning of wolves and even killing wolf pups in their den," Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine said. "Wyoming law also allows unrestricted killing of wolves if they are found to be 'harassing' livestock or domestic animals, even if wolves are intentionally baited into the conflict," said Harbine. "These policies could drive wolves back into local extinction." Last December, Wyoming counted 328 wolves, including 48 packs and 27 breeding pairs, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department said. That figure included 224 wolves, 36 packs and 19 breeding pairs outside Yellowstone National Park, state officials said. In areas of Wyoming where wolves are designated as predatory, "no state license is required to take a wolf, and there are no closed seasons or bag limits," the state agency said. Hunters are required to report the kill to game wardens within 10 days and aren't required to present the skull or pelt, though state officials are encouraging them to do so for genetic monitoring. Wyoming wildlife chief Brian Nesvik said, "We are taking a conservative approach to wolf hunting seasons during this time of transition from federal to state management. We need time to assume the important responsibilities of wolf population monitoring, sport harvest management and meeting Wyoming's commitments to wolf conservation in our state." Wyoming officials must ensure population levels of at least 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs, and the federal wildlife service will monitor the species in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho for at least five years to ensure the animal's recovery, officials said. The federal agency can put the gray wolf back on the endangered list if necessary, U.S. officials said. "Our primary goal, and that of the states, is to ensure that gray wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountains remain healthy, giving future generations of Americans the chance to hear its howl echo across the area," Ashe said. "No one, least of all Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, wants to see wolves back on the endangered species list. But that's what will happen if recovery targets are not sustained." The gray wolf grows to 2.5 feet in height and up to 6 feet in length, weighing between 80 and 100 pounds. Its coat varies from black to white, and the animal is noted for its broad snout, round ears, and long, low howl. | Environmentalists decry decision as a "return to the days of random wolf killing"
Gray wolf makes a comeback in Wyoming and will be taken off endangered list .
Milestone means the animal has recovered throughout the Northern Rockies .
Americans can now "'hear its howl echo across the area" |
268,537 | e7d66296d870c9186e86e852048b1cde69f2acaf | The death of a star Australian batsman stunned the cricket world yesterday and led to immediate concerns over the safety of helmets worn by players of all ages. Phillip Hughes died two days after being struck behind the ear by a ball while batting. Hughes, 25, who played against England in last summer’s Ashes and had represented three English county teams, did not regain consciousness after the sickening blow. Although he was wearing a helmet, a bouncer struck him on an unprotected part of his neck as he turned his back attempting a shot. The impact split his vertebral artery, causing a massive bleed. Surgeons in Sydney operated on Hughes to try to relieve the pressure on his brain but he died yesterday. Scroll down for video . As his devastated Australia team-mates mourned, the cricket world paid tribute to Hughes and rallied to support Sean Abbott, 22, the bowler who delivered the fatal ball, describing the tragedy as a freak accident. Manufacturers have been exploring ways to make cricket helmets safer – but they have faced resistance from the players and experts admit no helmets currently available would have been guaranteed to save Hughes, a left-hander who had represented Australia in 26 Tests. Under England and Wales Cricket Board regulations, all schoolchildren are required to wear helmets while batting and keeping wicket. New safety standards were introduced in Britain earlier this year, expanding the area of the grille in front of the face and jaw so a ball could not sneak through the gaps. Hughes, 25, who played against England in last summer’s Ashes and had represented three English county teams, did not regain consciousness after the sickening blow . The peak was stiffened and more protection provided around the cheekbones and at the back of the head. Even these improvements provide no protection for the vulnerable area at the back of the neck. Researchers from Loughborough and Cardiff University found last year that six per cent of cricket injuries result from balls striking the neck and a further 17 per cent from impacts on the back of the helmet. They recommended lowering the back of the shell to cover most of the neck. Rene Ferdinands, of the University of Sydney, said helmets could be changed, with a foam skull cap worn underneath to cover the back of the neck. Australian cricketer Sean Abbott wipes a tear from his eye as he arrives at the Sydney Cricket Ground . But changes to helmets have been opposed by players, who are said to believe such a design would reduce a batsman’s mobility as the ball hurtles towards him at around 90mph. Brendan Denning, chief executive of sports equipment firm Albion, said: ‘The ability of manufacturers to innovate is reliant on players embracing new technology and they are very, very traditional in cricket. 'Other sports, like horse racing, more readily accept that injury is an issue.’ Masuri – the firm that made the helmet Hughes was wearing – said the cricketer was not using its most recent model, which gives batsmen extra protection in the neck area. However, a spokesman for the firm added: ‘This is a vulnerable area of the head and neck that helmets cannot fully protect while enabling batsmen to have full and proper movement.’ Professor Antonio Belli of Birmingham University, a sports trauma expert, said the devastating injury Hughes suffered while playing for South Australia against New South Wales was simply bad luck. ‘We should design helmets as strong as technology allows,’ he said. ‘But we need to accept that in cricket and other sports that involve hard objects or bodily contact there will always be freak accidents.’ Former England star Geoff Boycott said helmets have given cricketers a false sense of security. He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: ‘Most of my career I batted without a helmet. You required judgment of what to leave, when to duck and when to play the ball. Helmets have taken away a lot of that fear.’ Ex-England captain Andrew Strauss said the natural response to tragedy was that massive change was needed, but added: ‘The protection in the game of cricket has never been better than it is today. I don’t think any cricketer will go out there to bat these days worrying that his life might be on the line.’ Parents Greg and Virginia Hughes and sister Megan leave Cricket NSW in Sydney . | Cricketer Phillip Hughes died surrounded by close family and friends at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney .
The 25-year-old was struck by a ball delivered by bowler Sean Abbott on Tuesday afternoon .
Manufacturers have been exploring ways to make cricket helmets safer – but they have faced resistance from the players . |
228,001 | b33bd557f0a7aec15d8536fe9cd210d4bb338a32 | (CNN) -- The intrusive voices popped into William "Bill" Garrett's head. "They're coming for you," the voices told the 18-year-old. "Find somewhere to hide; they're going to get you." In the left shows William "Bill" Garrett in high school, and the right is a 2007 photo of the Maryland teenager. They told the Johns Hopkins University freshman that his father had poisoned the family dog, his sister had injected crystal methamphetamine into his pet lizard and his grandmother had put human body parts into his food. As schizophrenia took hold, the Maryland teenager became lost within his own mind and had to leave college after winning a full, four-year scholarship. Garrett's experience echoes the teenage years of Nathaniel Ayers, a promising string bass player whose musical training at the Juilliard School was cut short by schizophrenia, a brain disorder that blurs a person's ability to distinguish between reality and delusions. Ayers became homeless and played Beethoven pieces on a broken violin in the streets of Los Angeles, California. His struggles with schizophrenia and his friendship with a Los Angeles Times columnist inspired the movie "The Soloist," which releases Friday. His sister, Jennifer Ayers-Moore, hopes the movie will raise awareness about schizophrenia and has established the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation for the artistically gifted mentally ill. "I know there are thousands of Nathaniels, and they deserve a chance, too," said Ayers-Moore, an Atlanta-based social worker. Teen interrupted . Schizophrenia is the result of disrupted brain development. Males typically get symptoms during their teens or early 20s, as Ayers and Garrett did. "It's a critical time for the brain," said Dr. Jon McClellan, the medical director of the Child Study and Treatment Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. "It's the CEO part of the brain that pays attention, makes decisions and filters. The prefrontal cortex, that's the last area of the brain to develop. As that area comes online, that's when the illness presents." In high school, Garrett won elected offices in student government and headed the lacrosse and cross country teams. A gifted student, he wanted to study political science and biology at Hopkins. At home, he cooked family dinners, helped his little sister with homework, and surprised his mother with pancakes on her birthday. "People likened him to the perfect child before he got sick," said his mother, Kristan Kanyuch. In 2007, the unusual behaviors started. He slept a lot. He emptied an entire can of bug spray in his bedroom. When he came home for a weekend from college, he pointed to a blister on his hand that had formed from playing lacrosse. "Look, I have gangrene," he said. "My hand is going to rot." Then he tried to cut off his hand with a paring knife. His family stopped him and took him to an emergency room for a psych evaluation, but Garrett refused to wait and left. A week later, Kanyuch got a call from the university. Her son was failing every class. When confronted, Garrett looked at the F's and calmly replied, "I'm not failing anything." In the 1970s, Ayers-Moore saw the symptoms when her family picked her brother up from Juilliard to head home to Cleveland, Ohio, for summer. "The look in his eye was so different," she said. "It was like you could see into his soul, he could look into yours. It sort of startled me a little bit. I didn't know what to say to him. On the way from New York, I pretended I was asleep. I didn't know what to say." Paranoid schizophrenia . About three decades later, Nickole Kanyuch, 15, watched a similar scenario unfold as her brother, Garrett, struggled with paranoid schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder. "I watched the big brother who I had looked up to all my life fall apart and become someone entirely new," she said. "The boy who was destined for greatness, who worked long and hard for 12 years to lead a successful life, was destroyed in a mere six months." Garrett, who had once organized his 600 books by the Dewey Decimal system, could hardly read two sentences. The voices in his head drowned out the words on the page, he told his mother. Garrett, who color coordinated the clothes inside his closet, could no longer groom himself or shower. The voices told him the shampoo and soap were poisoned. Kristan Kanyuch quit her financial planning job to take care of him. Despite taking medicine, Garrett's health fluctuated. One day he was fine; the next, he threatened to kill the neighbors. Frustrated and facing mounting debt, Kanyuch sought help. She joined a mental health support group. At one session, she was told to follow simple instructions from a counselor. Meanwhile, 10 people who stood around her talked at once. While the chorus of voices drowned out the instructions, she realized this was how her son lived every day. That night, Kanyuch hugged her son. "You have to be the most courageous person. You wake up every day," she told him. "That's when he explained to me the reason he sleeps," Kanyuch said. "He doesn't hear the voices. He doesn't hear them telling him he's fat, stupid, there's a conspiracy. It's a break for him to sleep." Although no one knows where these voices originated, they could be triggered by wiring problems in the brain, said McClellan, who researches adolescent psychiatry. One theory is schizophrenia causes difficulty distinguishing thoughts from their outside experiences, "so they experience internal thoughts and perceptions as voices," he said. Recovery . Garrett has been a subject in two research programs searching for better schizophrenia treatments. His condition fluctuated, and, for months, he was on suicide watch. Schizophrenia is a difficult disorder to treat, because one medication that soothes one patient can make another psychotic. "Medication or dosages can't be matched absolutely with the individual, so there is some of that trial and error," said Dr. Thomas Bornemann, director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program. Garrett tried many drugs. Some made him drowsy, others volatile and one drug made him gain 75 pounds. Severe side effects often cause patients to stop taking medication. For now, doctors seem to have found one that helps Garrett. Since March, Garrett has been at a Maryland research center that looks into the relationship between metabolism, tobacco and schizophrenia. After a violent visit in August, Garrett, 21, had not been home until Easter. During the recent visit, he played basketball, Yahtzee and Wii bowling with his family. "He was able to carry on a conversation and play card games," Kanyuch said. "He was interacting." At home, surrounded by reminders all his past achievements, Garrett said: "Mom, I was on the top of the world. Now I'm in the gutter." His mother disagreed: "Look at it as an opportunity." "What?" he said. "It's not an opportunity everyone would jump at," she told Garrett. "But as you rehabilitate, as you grow an insight into your illness, there may be things you deal with forever. But you've had significant experiences that you may be able to use to help other people. There's no place where insight and advocacy [for mental health] is needed more than in politics, which is what you wanted to do." A life with schizophrenia won't be easy, but some with the disorder have graduated from college, earned doctorates and lead enriched lives, she told Garrett. "He doesn't understand the courage he has." | Schizophrenia disrupts Maryland teenager's life, forces him to leave college .
Teen's story echoes experience of Nathaniel Ayers, subject of film, "The Soloist"
Family struggles to learn how to best help teenager deal with mental illness . |
77,387 | db64e84bbf7ed03305ebe569f018327965bb3baa | (CNN) -- Whatever the reason for its recent spate of problems, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner won't fly again until regulators are satisfied the plane is airworthy. Reports of fire and smoke have put the focus on the plane's cutting-edge lithium ion battery systems and grounded the fleet worldwide. Only 50 Dreamliners are in service so far, but the airlines that bought these multimillion dollar aircraft are losing money while they sit on the ground. Big questions remain: How long will it take to get the Dreamliner back in the air? Will travelers feel safe enough to board them? It's going to be "a big mess, cost Boeing a lot of money" and embarrass carriers that fly the 787, said aviation historian David T. Courtwright, a professor at the University of North Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday ordered an emergency inspection of all U.S. 787s. United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier flying the aircraft, with six in its fleet. The airworthiness inspection will address the potential risk of battery fires. An in-flight fire aboard any aircraft is among the most dangerous aviation scenarios. Dreamliner woes explained . Grounding a plane is rare . It's very rare for the FAA to order an entire model of airliner out of service, even for a short time. Industry observers remember that the agency grounded the entire U.S. fleet of DC-10s for 37 days in 1979. That was after American Airlines Flight 191 crashed at Chicago's O'Hare airport, killing all 271 people aboard and two others on the ground. An NTSB investigation blamed design vulnerabilities and an engine pylon maintanance procedure. "I was just starting my career flying at Delta and had just flown out of that airport a few days before,' said Kevin Hiatt, head of the Flight Safety Foundation and a former commercial pilot. "It was a big, beautiful DC-10. It was very, very distressing," Several DC-10s were involved in crashes caused by maintenance, design and other issues in the 1970s and 1980s, spurring doubt about the plane's safety. The last DC-10 to carry paying passengers flew in 2007. The Dreamliner, of course, hasn't crashed in its 15 months of service and is making its debut during a period of unprecedented U.S. aviation safety. Nonetheless, every day that Dreamliners are grounded ratchets up the pressure on Boeing, United and other airlines that have made commitments to buy the 787s. The battery that grounded Boeing . A time frame for flying again . So now, Boeing looks for answers. A time frame for getting back in the air is anyone's guess, but the Dreamliner could be "grounded another two weeks or two months," said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board and ex-airline mechanic. Experts will "figure out what's wrong, design a fix and build a part to fix it," said Goglia. "It's not easy." Even if Boeing engineers get lucky and find the answer to the problem now, it might still take at least a couple weeks "to get up and running," he said. With reports of problems continuing to plague the Dreamliner, Hiatt said the FAA didn't need to take any chances. "They're acting with an abundance of caution," he said. "They're going to go ahead and be proactive and not have the same situation" as the DC-10. Growing pains aren't unusual . Other aircraft, including the Airbus A380, have had problems during rollout, said University of Dayton professor Raul Ordonez, an aircraft electrical and computer engineer who spent time observing Dreamliner development at Boeing's Seattle headquarters. It's what often happens when a new aircraft is put into service. "I know Boeing spent a lot of time testing things extensively," said Ordonez. "These are very complex systems ... and there may be problems they didn't anticipate. It's one of the most complex commercial aircraft ever." With problems appearing in a forward electrical compartment on Wednesday's All Nippon Airlines (ANA) 787 emergency landing, aviation historian Courtwright, author of "Sky as Frontier: Adventure, Aviation, and Empire," worried the situation is more serious than simply problems confined to the aft electrical bay. "It raises the specter of something more systemic and perhaps a defective lithium ion battery, he said. The Dreamliner relies on electricity to power more functions than previous Boeing airliners, and that takes a lot of battery power. Lithium ion batteries replaced the traditional nickel cadmium batteries in the new aircraft. Lithium ion batteries keep a charge longer than nickel cadmium and weigh less, so the plane can save fuel. But there are questions about using lithium ion batteries because they've never been used on an airliner to the extent that the Dreamliner uses them. All this regulatory turbulence is part of a painful but necessary process of airline development. "That's aviation," says airline pilot Patrick Smith of the aviation blog Askthepilot.com. "There's a certain statistical aspect that you're working with in that nothing is going to happen but the best thing is to take the plane out of service and take a time out." CNN's Aaron Cooper contributed to this report. | Grounding of aircraft model by regulators very rare, experts say .
The FAA grounded the DC-10 in 1979 for 37 days .
The time line for restoring service is uncertain, former airline mechanic says . |
264,347 | e260b95b5a4615ca43e38047b34ff4df323b30d9 | By . Abul Taher . An Oxford graduate who trained to become a Church of England priest was last night charged with rape and attempted rape. Timothy Storey, 34, from Peckham, South London, was charged with one count of rape, two counts of attempted rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault by touching. He was charged a day after being arrested by Metropolitan detectives. Appearance: Storey will appear via video-link at Bromley Magistrates Court in Kent . Scotland Yard said the alleged offences were committed against a woman in her 20s in March. Storey was kept in custody, and will appear before Bromley magistrates in Kent tomorrow by video-link. Originally from Folkestone in Kent, Storey studied theology at Oxford, and was married to a lawyer who also graduated from Oxford. The couple have been separated for a year. Although Storey was unable to become a C of E priest, he worked at a London parish as an administrative assistant. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Timothy Storey, 34, from Peckham in South London was charged last night .
Charges include rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault .
He will appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court, Kent, via video-link tomorrow . |
224,724 | aef9af22312f433a558811349c0a8c5ccb9cd96c | Muslim clerics have issued fatwas banning everything from yoga to Valentines Day in Malaysia in a bid to stop the influence of Western culture. While Malaysia is a bastion of Islam, many residents see themselves as both devout to their faith and cosmopolitan in their interests. But as Malaysia becomes more modern in its thinking and culture its state-backed religious authorities are fighting to slow progress by issuing some 1,500-plus rulings. Muslim clerics have issued fatwas banning everything from yoga to Valentines Day in Malaysia in a bid to stop the influence of Western culture . Fatwas are guidelines, but police can enforce them under Malaysia's Sharia laws. To ensure Muslims can keep pace with the rules, an 'e-fatwa' site has been started the Globalpost reports. Yoga - it's Hindu origins can 'destroy the faith of a Muslim'. Wagyu beef - the cows are occasionally fed beer which is forbidden. Botox - unless medically necessary. Black metal - is said to be powerful enough to 'force a Muslim to forsake their faith'. Valentine's Day - as it has elements of Christianity and 'its practice is mixed with immoral acts'. Halloween - it is too Christian and is also 'associated with the devil'. Coffee - if the beans are defecated by animals before being processed. The issue recently came to a head at a dog-petting festival for Muslims, with the organiser receiving threatening phone calls. Muslims are taught that canines are unclean. Malaysian activist Zainah Anwar, recently wrote that Muslims are 'sick and tired of being told, yet again, of more categories of Muslims and practices to be denounced, hated and declare deviant'. Her women's rights group, Sisters in Islam, has also been targeted. It was issued with a fatwa for pushing 'liberalism'. It had pushed for Muslim women to be able to enter beauty pageants. The group were challenging the ruling. The list of fatwas now includes, Halloween, which is said to be too Christian and black metal because it is 'powerful enough to force a Muslim to forsake his faith'. Botox is banned, but can be used if medically necessary. | Fatwas issued to stop Malaysian Muslims from adopting Western ideals .
Critics say residents are 'sick and tired' of being told what to think .
Sisters of Islam was hit with a fatwa for promoting 'liberalism' |
40,873 | 73413ebbbca088047dd9f8e986affed1b684538a | By . Alex Hawkes . PUBLISHED: . 19:21 EST, 30 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:27 EST, 30 March 2013 . With his Premier League salary rumoured to be around £230,000 a week, Wayne Rooney is certainly a man with money to spare. Now the Manchester United and England striker is using his wealth to help provide a boost to the economy. The 27-year-old has teamed up with cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis to offer a service giving loans to small businesses that have been turned down by the banks. The trio are investors in a £2.5 million venture put together by Ian Currie, a former director of Bolton Wanderers. They are thought to have contributed about £200,000 each to the partnership, which has been lending to small business without fanfare for more than a year and has given loans to more than a dozen different companies. Wayne Rooney, pictured with his wife Coleen, has invested in Senone, which lends money to small businesses turned down by high street banks . England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, pictured with wife Jessica, is also thought to have invested about £200,000 in the venture . ‘Through the loans we have saved about 200 jobs,’ Mr Currie told The Mail on Sunday. Unlike many investments favoured by sports stars, such as film and property ventures, there are no tax advantages to the deal. ‘We lend to companies that can’t borrow from the banks. We put about £200,000 to £500,000 into businesses,’ Mr Currie said. He added that since its creation in late 2011, the partnership – called Senone – had been inundated with requests for finance, fielding 500 queries in the past year. The partnership has 13 investors, including several partners in Seneca, Mr Currie’s investment firm. Bob Holt, the chairman of social housing maintenance company Mears, is also a backer. Mr Currie said he had contacts in the sports world from his time at Bolton, enabling him to put together the stellar cast of investors. ‘Clearly, with the money these guys have got, it’s not massive money for them.’ While Pietersen and Rooney are relative newcomers to the world of small company financing, Theo Paphitis has a long background in backing small ventures. The entrepreneur made his money turning around retailers including La Senza and Ryman. More recently he set up a lingerie firm, Boux Avenue, and bought high street hardware chain Robert Dyas in July last year. Earlier this year he said he would be stepping down from his role on Dragons’ Den. Former Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis, another investor in Senone, has a long background in supporting small ventures . Senone has put money into printing firms, one petrol forecourt business, an interior design company and a luxury motorhomes business. The funding venture has been so successful that Mr Currie is considering starting a bank. He said the Senone partnership was set up as a turnaround fund to rescue struggling companies, but the demand has been from companies unable to obtain conventional bank loans. Politicians have been bitterly critical of banks and their failure to lend to small businesses, despite Government initiatives such as the Funding For Lending scheme. That has led to a growth in alternative sources of finance, with new enterprises stepping in to lend to firms. ‘One company we lent to got a big contract, and couldn’t get funds to honour it,’ Mr Currie said. He is now hoping to start a proper bank focused on the North of England. It would take deposits from individuals and lend to small companies. He said he is aiming to raise £20 million to get the project off the ground. The Senone partnership is not technically a bank because it does not take deposits. Anyone can lend to small companies, but anyone taking deposits must have approval from regulators. The Government is trying to encourage the launch of new banks, announcing changes last week that would make it easier for companies to enter the market. | The pair have joined a £2.5million venture to boost the economy .
Former Dragon Theo Paphitis has also invested in the Senone partnership .
Company has given loans to more than a dozen companies in a year . |
104,157 | 1262dbbccaecfe4d2c9a7dd73aa3b6b5664200a6 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 04:59 EST, 25 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:22 EST, 25 December 2013 . The scandal which targeted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's allies has become one of the worst political crises in 10 years . Three Cabinet ministers have resigned in Turkey days after their sons were arrested in a sweeping corruption and bribery scandal. The scandal which targeted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's allies has become one of the worst political crisis in 10 years. Erdogan Bayraktar, the environment and urban planning minister, announced his resignation in an interview today. It came hours after Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler both denied any wrongdoing as they stepped down. Their sons, along with the chief . executive officer of the state-run bank Halkbank, are among 24 people . who have been arrested on bribery charges. Bayraktar's son was detained as part of the corruption probe but later released from custody. Media reports said police have seized $4.5 million in cash that was stashed in shoe boxes in the home of the bank's CEO, while more than 1 million dollars in cash was reportedly discovered in the home of Guler's son, Baris. Erdogan has denounced the corruption probe as a plot by foreign and Turkish forces to thwart his country's growing prosperity and discredit his government ahead of local elections in March. His . government has won three successive elections since 2002 on the . strength of the relatively robust economy, a clean image and a promise . to fight corruption. Turkish commentators believe the probe is fallout from an increasingly public feud and power struggle between Erdogan's government and an influential U.S. based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, whose followers are believed to have a strong foothold within Turkey's police and judiciary. The two men, without naming each other, have been engaged in a war of words since the corruption probe was launched on December 17. As he resigned on Wednesday, Caglayan questioned the legitimacy of the investigation, which is focusing on alleged illicit money transfers to Iran and alleged bribery for construction projects. 'It is clear that the operation is a dirty conspiracy against our government, our party and our country,' he said in a brief statement. 'I am leaving my position at the economy minister to spoil this ugly plot, which has involved my colleagues and my son, and to allow for the truth to be exposed.' Turkey's Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, (right) Interior Minister Muammer Guler, (centre) and EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis (left) Guler, the interior minister, said that he is the victim of a political plot and that there is nothing his family could not account for. He also said alleged wiretap recordings of a conversation with his son - reportedly used as evidence by police for the arrests- were tampered with, and that the cash discovered in his son's house was money earned from the sale of a luxury villa. The opposition had long called for the two ministers to resign, claiming their sons were taking bribes on behalf of their fathers, and insisted they should not remain in positions where they were able to influence the probe. The government already has dismissed dozens of police officials either involved in the investigation or thought to be linked to Gulen. Journalists have been barred from entering police buildings, fuelling accusations from critics that the government is trying to impede the probe. The investigation is one of the biggest political challenges Erdogan's government has faced, including last summer's nationwide anti-government protests over a development project in a beloved Istanbul park. | The scandal has targeted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's allies .
It is one of the worst political crisis in 10 years .
Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler both denied any wrongdoing as they stepped down .
Sons are among 24 people who have been arrested on bribery charges . |
174,702 | 6e1d3401e8d515f5c8980d7beee036f04073fd50 | By . Paul Thompson . PUBLISHED: . 21:49 EST, 2 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:15 EST, 2 December 2012 . Drowned: Arianna Alioto, 18, died last week during a training session at Northern Michigan University . An investigation has been launched into how a standout soccer player drowned during a team workout at Northern Michigan University. Arianna Alioto, who suffered from epilepsy, was with other teammates when she somehow drowned. Tragically, the last message she put out on her Twitter account read: 'It's crazy how things can change so fast.' Stunned college friends held a candle-lit vigil on Saturday night at the campus where the 18-year-old freshman lived. Alioto, from Columbia, Missouri, was taking part in a training session at NMU's Physical Education Instructional Facility on Friday evening. University officials have not released any details of what caused the drowning, but it is known more than a dozen other teammates were taking part in the session. According to a report in the Columbia Daily Tribune from 2010 Alioto suffered an epileptic seizure during a match. Her coach said she had forgotten to take her medicine and she was passed fit to play in further games. It is not known if a seizure was the cause of the drowning. Alioto, who went by the nickname Anna, was a standout soccer player for her former high school. Star: The teen (right), known as Anna, was one of the standout players on the NMU soccer team . Much-loved: Anna's coach and university president paid tribute to the popular teen (left) She also played on the Carrera Soccer Club Elite team, a Columbia-based team that participated in tournaments in Michigan, Colorado and other states. The teen was also a member of Missouri's Olympic Development Team. Retired Rock Bridge soccer coach Marc VanDover called Alioto 'a pretty special kid' who 'probably trained harder than any player that I ever had and just a tremendous talent, and she worked very hard to improve every day.' The teen’s death has stunned the university campus. Mystery: It is unclear how Anna (left) drowned, though she is believed to have suffered from epilepsy . 'Arianna was not only a good soccer player, but a wonderful young woman,' NMU soccer coach Matt Granstrand said in a statement. 'We felt honored that she chose to play at Northern Michigan University. 'Our team and our extended team family are in extreme pain. It's hard to grasp that Arianna was with us one moment and gone the next. It just doesn't seem real. Her death is devastating. We will be grieving for her loss for a long time.' N.M.U. President David Haynes extended condolences on behalf of the school to the Alioto family. Haynes said, 'It's difficult to express the emotions that take place when a university family suffers the loss of a student. 'Not only is the soccer team and athletic department in shock, but so too are Arianna's fellow students, professors and the staff she regularly interacted with. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Alioto family at this time.' | 18-year-old Arianna Alioto believed to have suffered from epilepsy . |
110,524 | 1a7b49173ba55e4ceb2a19bcb3297646ffeec471 | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 19:13 EST, 13 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:13 EST, 13 November 2013 . A British woman has died when she plummeted to the earth while paragliding in Tenerife. Carolyn Dewdney was flying in the mountainous area of Adeje in the south of the Canary Island during a trip with her husband, the flight's organiser confirmed. Mrs Dewdney, 53, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was on a week-long paragliding holiday with her husband Nigel, who participated in the 2010 Paragliding World Cup and is the chairman of Malvern Hang Gliding Club, based in Worcestershire, according to reports. Carolyn Dewdney (not pictured) was flying in the mountainous area of Adeje during her holiday . Henry Willder, who runs Para 42, the specialist company which organised the trip, said Mrs Dewdney was believed to have suffered a heart attack during her flight and her husband was 'inevitably, absolutely devastated' following her death. 'We don't know for sure yet but it's believed she suffered a heart attack while flying and died,' Mr Willder said. 'That's what the forensic doctor who attended the scene told us. 'Until the complete autopsy takes place, we won't know anything more.' Mrs Dewdney was flying in a group of six including her husband and Mr Willder when she fell at around midday yesterday afternoon. Mrs Dewdney was believed to have suffered a heart attack during her flight . The group were more than an hour into their flight when Mrs Dewdney, who reportedly worked as a nurse at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, got into difficulty, Mr Willder said. 'Immediately when I saw she was in trouble I radioed to our ground crew to call for an air ambulance,' he added. Although a helicopter was scrambled, Mrs Dewdney was already dead by the time rescuers reached her, it was reported. The rest of group found flat ground to land on about a mile away from the site where Mrs Dewdney crashed. According to the forensic doctor who examined her at the scene, she had only suffered slight injuries including a broken arm, Mr Willder said. Simon Dillworth, a chief coach at Malvern Hang Gliding Club, confirmed they were aware of Mrs Dewdney's death and described her as a 'very experienced' paraglider. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are aware of the death of a British national, Carolyn Dewdney, on November 12 in Tenerife, Spain. 'We are providing consular assistance at this difficult time.' | Carolyn Dewdney was flying in the mountainous area of Adeje .
Was on a week-long paragliding holiday with her husband Nigel, who participated in the 2010 Paragliding World Cup .
Mrs Dewdney was believed to have suffered a heart attack during her flight . |
194,609 | 87e8a94ad1b6203822641fd973c1fba2cf2165ae | (CNN) -- Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by some 30 Bedouin tribes, has long been a lawless land that serves as a buffer between Egypt and Israel. But it is now drawing comparisons to the ungoverned tribal regions of Pakistan as networks of Bedouin tribes, Sinai's criminal elements and radical Islamists have begun to capitalize on Egypt's post-revolution security vacuum by increasingly engaging in drug and arms smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. The escalating lawlessness in the Sinai risks turning the region into a powder keg. Egypt's domestic power struggle has implications for all nations in the region. Post-Arab Spring instability has increased Israel's concerns about its own security, concerns that will probably grow no matter who is in charge in Cairo. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am concerned about the threat that Iran's nuclear program poses to Israel. However, instability in the Sinai is also a growing threat to Israel and Egypt's security. The Israel-Egypt peace treaty, which has provided security and balanced tensions in the region since 1978, is at risk. Human trafficking in the Sinai has become a human rights nightmare. While leading a congressional delegation visit to Israel and Egypt this summer, I learned about the steady and growing flow of African migrants from Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia who are desperate to get to Israel and Europe in search of economic opportunity. But these migrants are increasingly waylaid in the Sinai desert by Bedouin tribes, for whom hostage-taking has become a flourishing business. While a few years ago a migrant might be ransomed for $3,000, the going price today is more than 10 times that amount. Thousands of refugees are being held captive and subjected to torture, forced labor and rape, while those who cannot pay for their release are often murdered. The Sinai powder keg nearly exploded in August after Islamist militants in Sinai attacked near the southern Israeli city of Eilat, killing and wounding Israeli soldiers and civilians. While pursuing the attackers, Israeli forces killed several Egyptian security guards, which then sparked attacks on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and led to Egyptian demands for an end to the peace treaty. Israel has stepped up its military deployment on its side of the border. We have also seen recent attacks on and abductions of members of the Multinational Force and Observers, whose important peacekeeping mission -- established by treaty protocol -- will be increasingly difficult to accomplish amid unraveling security on the peninsula. Recently, southern Israel has seen rocket attacks from the Sinai, as well as an attack by militants who crossed from the Sinai into Israel and opened fire on Israeli civilians. While Israel is building a barrier along part of the Sinai border, that cannot stop all attacks, and one deadly rocket fired from the Sinai could be enough to kill the peace treaty altogether and ignite a regional war. It is critical that we engage the Israelis and Egyptians in joint discussions on security in the Sinai and on preserving the Multinational Force and Observers' mission. The Egyptian military should be urged to reinforce checkpoints on the borders between mainland Egypt and the Sinai in order to stop the flow of arms and crack down on human trafficking. Egypt's new government must respect the country's commitments to combat human trafficking under international conventions as well as domestic law. Corruption is a big obstacle to these common-sense solutions. But a renewed focus on bolstering the long-term economic prospects of the peninsula could begin to address the underlying problems. Highlighting the Sinai's human rights horrors could also be a focus of the Obama administration's Atrocities Prevention Board, which is intended to encourage robust multilateral efforts to prevent and respond to atrocities, something that should bring all nations together. Ultimately, however, a new Egyptian government needs to understand that a lawless Sinai only undermines Egyptian interests. The administration must make clear to all in the region, but especially to the Egyptians, that they have a common interest in preserving the peace. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Udall. | Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is becoming more lawless, Sen. Mark Udall says .
Instability there jeopardizes the 34-year-old peace between Egypt and Israel, he says .
Udall: Human trafficking in the Sinai has become a human rights nightmare .
Bolstering the Sinai's long-term economic prospects could begin to help, Udall says . |
238,322 | c07c159d4309ec8d0bcf55795853821e1cb299d2 | As the world's most popular social network, it is worth more than $200billion. So perhaps it is unsurprising that Facebook pays its employees rather generously. According to new figures, a research scientist at the firm can expect to earn $172,705 per year. Meanwhile, the average network engineer will scoop $160,172 (their annual salary plus bonus). An attractive job: As the world's most popular social network, it is worth more than $200billion. So perhaps it is unsurprising that Facebook pays its employees rather generously. Above, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg . And an engineering manager could earn up to a staggering $380,861 in combined compensation every year. The figures, based on data gathered by Glassdoor and later obtained by Business Insider, show how tech-savvy job-seekers can make as much money as investment bankers at Facebook. The firm's founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, whose site now attracts 1.35billion active monthly users, is currently, the 16th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $33.3billion. And although his employees are not likely to make a similar amount of money anytime soon, they are certainly being well paid for their investing their time and energy into the company. Route to success: Data shows you may be best off attending Stanford University (pictured), the University of California, Berkeley, or the University of Texas, Austin, if you wish to attain a job at the social network . The average product analyst earns $118,864 per year, a production engineer makes $132,534, a user interface engineer nets $146,708 and a data engineer typically receives $146,949. Meanwhile, a software engineer III earns $171,706 annually - but less than the average technical program manager ($175,589), software engineer ($183,397) and software engineer v ($259,349). 1. Product Analyst: $118,864 . 2. Production Engineer: $132,534 . 3. User Interface Engineer: $146,708 . 4. Data Engineer: $146,949 . 5. Network Engineer: $160,172 . 6. Software Engineer III: $171,076 . 7. Research Scientist: $172,705 . 8. Technical Program Manager: $175,589 . 9. Software Engineer: $183,397 . 10. Data Scientist: $185,743 . 11. Product Manager: $194,907 . 12. Software Engineer IV: $209,988 . 13. Senior Software Engineer: $211,647 . 14. Software Engineer V: $259,349 . 15. Engineering Manager: $380,861 . Source: Business Insider/Glassdoor . And even entry level software engineers are paid combined compensation of $106,000 per year. So, how can you attain a much-coveted job at Facebook? Well, a separate set of figures, published by Business Insider, shows that you may be best off attending Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, or the University of Texas, Austin. These institutions have the highest number of alum at Facebook, according to LinkedIn data. Other top universities are the University of Waterloo, Tsinghua University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Washington and San Jose State University in California. It comes as Zuckerberg, previously voted America's most-liked CEO, has made his next book club pick, a release he considers especially timely after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. The billionaire announced on Saturday he would take on Steven Pinker's 'The Better Angels of Our Nature,' a widely discussed and occasionally criticized 2011 book that contends violence has decreased in modern times and the world has become more humane. He posted the news on his Facebook page and on a community page for his club, A Year of Books. 'Recent events might make it seem like violence and terrorism are more common than ever, so it's worth understanding that all violence - even terrorism - is actually decreasing over time,' he wrote. 'If we understand how we are achieving this, we can continue our path towards peace. A few people I trust have told me this is the best book they've ever read.' Among the book's admirers is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has called it his 'favorite book of the last decade' and 'a long but profound look at the reduction in violence and discrimination over time.' 'Timely': It comes as Zuckerberg (left), previously voted America's most-liked CEO, has made his next book club pick - Steven Pinker's 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' (right), a release he considers especially timely . Two weeks ago, Zuckerberg declared he would read a new book every other week in 2015, and he invited his millions of Facebook friends to join him and participate in an online discussion. His first choice, Moises Naim's 'The End of Power,' quickly became a best-seller on Amazon.com and elsewhere. But only 162 comments appear for last week's book club chat held on the community page, which has more than 260,000 likes. Within hours of Saturday's announcement, 'Better Angels' jumped from No. 6,521 on Amazon to No. 501. | Figures reveal how much Facebook employees in various positions earn .
Research scientists typically earn $172,705 (salary plus bonus) per year .
Meanwhile, average network engineer scoops $160,172 in compensation .
And an engineering manager could earn up to a huge $380,861 annually .
Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is now worth over $200billion . |
113,464 | 1e6fd83d0af4e08da72e4c14215b203da9c41630 | A 'vulnerable' young girl questioned by police investigating the Rochdale child sex ring has lifted the lid on a second gang operating in the area, it emerged last night. The teenager has told officers she was abused by a different group of men from the nine jailed last week over the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 13. Her claims have led to the arrest of nine men, aged between 24 and 38, all from Rochdale, on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. The first Oldham scandal: Eight of the nine men who were jailed this week following an investigation into what police say appears to be an entirely separate sex grooming ring. The ninth man cannot be identified for legal reasons . Shockwaves: Police guard Liverpool Crown Court during the trial in which nine men from Rochdale were jailed for grooming underage girls for sex. Just a few days later, officers believe they have arrested members of a second ring . Judge Gerald Clifton: Condemned the first gang jailed last week and suggested they deliberately targeted girls outside their community . Concern: Rochdale's Labour MP Simon Danczuk says he fears last week's conviction was not a one-off case and that sexual exploitation is a wider issue in the Greater Manchester area . Greater Manchester Police said the . latest claims relate to abuse which is alleged to have taken place over a . six-year period, beginning in 2005. The men are thought to be from Asian and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. They are not believed to know one another or those convicted in the previous case. Police sources have described the girl, who told officers she knew the men by their nicknames only, as ‘extremely vulnerable’. It is understood officers have carried . out sensitive video interviews with the girl, who is believed to be one . of 47 identified by police investigating the original case as a victim . of sexual abuse. Last Wednesday nine Asian men received jail sentences of between four and 19 years . after being convicted of repeatedly abusing five white girls, aged between 13 and 15, in 2008 and 2009. The convictions marked the conclusion . of one of the largest investigations into child sexual exploitation ever . undertaken in Britain. Liverpool Crown Court was told that . the girls would receive food, money and alcohol but were repeatedly . raped and sexually assaulted in return. The men were convicted of conspiracy . to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16 and other . sexual offences including rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation. The case has sparked a national debate . over whether religion and culture played a role in the Pakistani and . Afghani men’s targeting of vulnerable white girls. The judge, Gerald Clifton, suggested the men targeted their victims because they were ‘not of your community or religion’. But police and political leaders have . denied the crimes were about race – insisting the men had targeted the . girls simply because they were vulnerable. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman . said of the latest arrests: ‘In total nine men have been arrested aged . between 24 and 38 years old, on suspicion of sexual activity with a . child. ‘They have been bailed pending further inquiries.’ A file of evidence on the latest arrests is expected to be handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service within a few weeks. One senior detective said: ‘Inquiries . are continuing. Just because the trial has finished and nine men have . been convicted does not mean the operation has stopped. 'We are continuing to chip away, gaining the confidence of the girls.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Nine men have been arrested in what officers are treating as separate from that of the group of men jailed this week for similar offences .
The alleged victim is thought to be one of 47 girls questioned in relation to the original child sex ring .
Men arrested in latest inquiry are not thought to have known members from other grooming trial .
Arrests come as police continue to hunt other suspected members of original case .
Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk believes sexual exploitation is a 'wider problem' in the area . |
255,107 | d633d45afe00e76526a0d0ca1d83d08ae9b67d61 | Police found a tall lamp lying on a bedroom floor and open suitcases containing folded clothes in the closet of a California home, according to court records unsealed Friday in the investigation that eventually led to the discovery of four dead family members in shallow desert graves. The documents offer the most detailed look yet of the disheveled condition of the family's house in Fallbrook when investigators arrived in February 2010 while searching for Joseph McStay, then 40, his wife Summer, 43, and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3. Police also found two bowls of slightly spilled popcorn on a living room couch and a carton of raw eggs and bowl of microwave popcorn on a kitchen counter. Revealed: Recently unsealed court documents reveal what led police investigating the disappearance of the McStay family in California to believe they'd been killed, including two bowls of slightly spilled popcorn on a living room couch. Pictured here is a photo from inside the McStay home . Also found by police in California were clothes folded in half-full suit cases inside a bedroom at the McStay residence. Here, photos reveal some of what police saw inside the home . 'In my opinion, a family does not just up and leave under the circumstances described above,' San Diego County Sheriff's Detective Troy DuGal wrote while seeking court approval for a more thorough search of the house and phone records. He said he believed that some or all of the family members had been kidnapped or killed. Among the dozens of items recovered from the house was an eviction notice from the McStay's previous residence in San Clemente. The family's disappearance remained a mystery until their remains were found in November 2013 by an off-road vehicle rider near Victorville in the desert northeast of Los Angeles. Charles 'Chase' Merritt, who knew the family through the water-fountain business of Joseph McStay, was arrested last November and pleaded not guilty to murder. News organizations including The Associated Press asked judges in San Diego and San Bernardino to unseal search warrants in the case. Killed: The four bodies of the McStay family were eventually found in 2013 buried in the California desert . Mystery: The family's disappearance remained a mystery until their remains were found in November 2013 by an off-road vehicle rider near Victorville in the desert northeast of Los Angeles . Gruesome: Here, workers fill the two shallow graves at the site on the outskirts of Victorville that contained the skeletal remains of members of missing McStay family in San Bernardino . Shallow graves: Residents of Victorville, California, and surrounding communities place crosses near the graves where the McStay family was found in Victorville . San Diego Superior Court Judge Runston Maino unsealed all the warrants obtained by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which oversaw the investigation until turning it over to the FBI in April 2013. At a brief hearing, the judge dismissed objections of Merritt's attorney, Robert Ponce, who argued that publicity surrounding release of the documents might taint a jury, and that a decision should be delayed until his client could appear personally. San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael Smith will consider next Friday whether to unseal search warrants obtained by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Those documents, written within a year of Merritt's arrest, are more likely to reveal why investigators decided McStay's former business associate is a suspect. Sean Daugherty, a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney, didn't object to releasing the San Diego search warrants but has indicated he will oppose unsealing documents from later stages of the investigation in San Bernardino. An ex-convict was charged last November with four counts of murder in the slayings of a couple and their two young sons whose skeletal remains were found buried last year in the California desert, police and prosecutors said. The suspect, Charles 'Chase' Merritt, 57, was described by police as a former business associate of the father, Joseph McStay, who was reported missing with his wife and two boys in February 2010 from the family's Southern California home. Merritt, arrested without incident in Los Angeles, is believed to have acted alone, though investigators are keeping mum about any motives for the killings, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon. Charles Merritt, a business associate of Joseph's, was arrested in the murders of the family of four, including two young boys, whose disappearance from their San Diego County home in 2010 was a mystery until their remains were discovered in graves in the California desert last year . The four victims - McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two sons, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. - died of blunt-force trauma, the sheriff said. According to police, they were killed inside their home in the San Diego County community of Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010. San Bernardino County authorities took over the investigation in November 2013 after their remains were unearthed near Victorville, about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The shallow graves were located when a motorcyclist reported finding what he thought were human bones in the desert. Merritt faces the death penalty if convicted, county prosecutor Michael Ramos said, declaring, 'This is a cold and callous murder of an entire family.' The lead homicide detective, Sergeant Chris Fisher, told a news conference that Merritt had at least two prior felony convictions and served two state prison terms. Fisher said McStay and Merritt each had owned his own decorative-fountain business and that McStay had asked Merritt 'to make some custom waterfalls.' 'They started working together, became friends (and) that's how their relationship started,' Fisher said. He added that the two men had a meeting at a restaurant the day of the slayings. But he revealed nothing of what detectives knew of that encounter or what evidence led investigators to Merritt. McStay's mother, Susan Blake, told reporters her son had loaned Merritt 'quite a bit of money,' but she did not elaborate. Merritt faces the death penalty if convicted. The lead homicide detective, Sergeant Chris Fisher, told a news conference that Merritt had at least two prior felony convictions and served two state prison terms . | California family Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two sons, 4-year-old Gianni and Joseph Jr., 3 died of blunt-force trauma in 2010 .
Their remains were unearthed in the desert near Victorville, about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles in 2013 .
Charles Merritt, 57, was described by police as a former business associate of the father . |
258,081 | da0688cdc53e74e1edb7c2081fc4aff58843f44a | (CNN) -- O.J. Simpson is 66 and has spent nearly all of his seventh decade in a Nevada prison after his conviction on kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges for busting into a Las Vegas casino to try to reclaim items he felt were rightfully his. And he's had enough. His nearly five years in custody "have been somewhat illuminating at times and painful a lot of times," Simpson told two Nevada parole board members Thursday via closed-circuit TV from prison. "I missed my two younger kids who worked hard getting through high school, I missed their college graduations," he said, seemingly emotional as he talked. "I missed my sister's funeral. I missed all the birthdays." The football legend could learn whether he'll have less time to spend in prison in two weeks, when the parole board comes back with its decision. If a majority of the seven on the parole board vote in his favor, he'll have some hope but won't be free, according to multiple reports, including from CNN affiliates KSNV and KTNV. That's because he'd still have to serve more of his term -- at least four years more, according to these reports. In his worst case scenario, Simpson remains behind bars for decades more. After his 2008 conviction, he was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison. Watch: The rise and fall of O.J. Simpson . Simpson portrayed himself as a model inmate since his arrival, saying he had promised prison officials "I would be the best prisoner they have ever had here, (and) I think, for the most part, I've kept my word on that." Recalling conversations with other inmates, specifically the many like him who are incarcerated for trying to rob others, Simpson said his case stands out -- and, because of that, he should have his prison term cut. "The difference between all of their crimes and mine is that they were trying to steal other people's property, they were trying to steal other people's money," the pro football hall-of-famer argued. "My crime was trying to retrieve, for my family, my own property." A Nevada jury, however, didn't see it that way. They convicted him on October 3, 2008 -- the 13th anniversary of his controversial acquittal in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. The former Heisman Trophy winner, record-setting NFL running back and movie actor had enlisted the help of Clarence "C.J." Stewart and four others to get sports memorabilia that Simpson claimed belonged to him from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley. The six men confronted the dealers in a room at Las Vegas' Palace Station Hotel and Casino on September 13, 2007, brandishing weapons but not firing them. Four of those men testified against Simpson -- each getting probation in exchange for his testimony -- while Stewart stood trial alongside him. So does Simpson regret what he did? Watch: O.J. Simpson on 2007 conviction: "I thought I was innocent." On Thursday, as he did during his trial and has in subsequent appeals, he went on the defensive. Simpson said he'd talked with his kids, his sister and his brother-in-law -- the latter two, he said, "were originally going to go with me" -- before going to the hotel. He also talked with two lawyers, one he knew and another he didn't. "My intent was not to rob from anybody," said the onetime University of Southern California and Buffalo Bill great. "I knew both of these guys who had my stuff. I was a little upset with them, and I think I wasn't as civil as I should have been." One mistake he admits: Bringing "some guys with me who I didn't know and one I didn't trust." "And that's on me," Simpson said. "For that, I've been here for five years." Tony Bommarito was one of those who didn't buy similar arguments during Simpson's trial. While Bommarito was an alternate juror, he did agree with the verdict. Talking with CNN earlier this week before Thursday's parole board hearing, Bommarito didn't say specifically whether he thought Simpson should walk free now. But he did say the 33-year maximum sentence "seems like a lot for what he did in that scenario." "I would have thought 10 or 15 years," Bommarito said. "(The longer sentence) made me think that ... was there some bias there, maybe? Maybe they were thinking about the old trial?" Gallery: The rise and fall of O.J. Simpson . CNN's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report. | O.J. Simpson was sentenced to 33 years for his role in an incident at a Las Vegas .
A Nevada jury convicted him on 12 counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery .
He asks a parole board to cut his sentence, saying he'd only gone to get his property .
Simpson laments missing graduations, birthdays and a funeral in 5 years in custody . |
225,348 | afd29513b6cb81e91b0b9101f3c11b40f1c8e054 | By . Reuters . and MailOnline Reporter . LinkedIn Corp has been forced to pay $6 million in back overtime and damages to 359 current and former employees after a US Department of Labor investigation found the company violated wage laws. The career networking company will pay more than $3.3 million in retroactive overtime wages and more than $2.5 million in damages to workers in California, Illinois, Nebraska and New York. A Labor Department representative said LinkedIn has mailed the payments to the workers covered by the settlement. Scroll down for video . Payout: LinkedIn will pay more than $3.3 million in retroactive overtime wages and more than $2.5 million in damages to workers in California (pictured), Illinois, Nebraska and New York . LinkedIn has 'shown a great deal of integrity by fully cooperating with investigators and stepping up to the plate without hesitation to help make workers whole,' said David Weil, the administrator of the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, in a statement. A spokeswoman said that talent is LinkedIn's No. 1 priority, adding that the company was eager to work closely with the Labor Department to reach the settlement. 'This was a function of not having the right tools in place for a small subset of our sales force to track hours properly,' said Shannon Stubo, vice president of corporate communications. The Labor Department's investigation revealed that LinkedIn, based in Mountain View, California, failed to record and compensate workers for all hours worked, violating provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In addition to the settlement payment, LinkedIn will train all employees that 'off-the-clock work' is prohibited for all non-exempt workers, the Labor Department said. Taking action: The Department of Labor announced Monday that LinkedIn has agreed to issue $3.3 million in overtime back pay as well as $2.5 million in damages to 359 current and former employees . The FLSA requires that non-exempt workers, who are not salaried managers, be paid the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25 plus overtime pay at the minimum rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly rate for hours worked past 40 in a given work week. LinkedIn's shares closed at $202.50 on Monday, up 0.4 percent on a day when the major U.S. stock indexes bounced back after Friday's sharp selloff. Last week, LinkedIn reported a 47 percent jump in second-quarter revenue, surpassing analysts' expectations. The website's membership jumped by a third to 313 million in the quarter that ended June 30. | A US Department of Labor investigation found LinkedIn violated wage laws .
The career networking company will pay $3.3 million in retroactive overtime wages and $2.5 million in damages .
Payments to workers in California, Illinois, Nebraska and New York . |
41,785 | 75d661088355e7b3533899d5c26cc851d59b03be | By . Oliver Pickup . UPDATED: . 09:55 EST, 12 September 2011 . Following last week's news that a convoy of dozens of vehicles trucked south from Libya to neighbouring Niger, carrying Muammar Gaddafi's closest supporters - if not the 69-year-old despot himself - it has been reported that one of his sons has also now crossed the border. A government spokesman for the large, landlocked West African country - over 80 per cent of which is the Sahara Desert - confirmed that 37-year-old Saadi Gaddafi, a former footballer in Italy, has also fled. The fugitive dictator's son, who apparently arrived in Niger with nine other people, is one of the most high-profile figures from his regime to have left Libya, if the reports from Justice Minister Amadou Morou are to be believed. Scroll down for a video report about Saadi Gaddafi's flight to Niger . Al-Saadi Gaddafi, pictured in front of his father, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2005, has reportedly fled from Libya to Niger . Colonel Gaddafi's third son became known to the wider world when, in 2003, he signed for Italian club Perugia, where he played only one match before failing a drug test. Formerly on the board of the Italian footballing giants Juventus - of which 7.5 per cent is owned by a Libyan consortium - he was also captain of the Libya national football team, captain of his home club in Tripoli, and president of the Libyan Football Federation. According to the official, Saadi's convoy of vehicles were travelling south towards the outpost of Agadez, where other fleeing Libyan loyalists are believed to be holed up in a hotel. 'I wish to announce that one of Gaddafi's sons - Saadi Gaddafi - was intercepted in the north of Niger by a patrol of the Nigerian military,' Mr Morou said of the ex-Serie A and international footballer, and businessman. He said Saadi 'has no status at all' in Niger, indicating that he has not been granted refugee status, which would guarantee him certain rights. The pro-Gaddafi convoy in Niger are reportedly in a hotel in Agadez, Niger, at the moment. It is thought they could move on to Burkina Faso . In Tripoli, rebel forces reportedly captured Libya's former prime minister and Gaddafi's head of external intelligence service, Abu Zayd Dourd . Since last week, several convoys carrying senior officials of the former Libyan regime as well as civilians and soldiers have made their way across the porous desert border into Niger. Among them were several of Gaddafi's top military officers, including his chief-of-security and the head of his southern command. Niger has faced increasing scrutiny for allowing the former regime members on to its soil, and al-Saadi's arrival will likely intensify international pressure on the country to cooperate with Libya's new rulers. They want all Gaddafi's sons - and Gaddafi himself, who is on the run - to be handed over for trial. Last week, the U.S. urged Niger to detain any individuals who may be subject to prosecution in Libya, as well as to confiscate their weapons and impound any state property, such as money or jewels, that were illegally taken out of the country. While some senior former regime officials have managed to escape, Libya's new leaders have arrested several former high-ranking regime officials since the then-rebel fighters swept into Tripoli on August 21, effectively bring an end to Gaddafi's nearly 42-year rule. Yesterday, anti-Gaddafi forces in Tripoli captured the former head of the regime's external intelligence service, Abu Zayd Dourda, said Anes Sharif, a spokesman for Tripoli's military council. A long-time Gaddafi insider, Mr Dourda also served as prime minister in the 1990s. As Libya's new leaders move to exert their authority in Tripoli, forces loyal to Gaddafi continue to hold out in three strongholds - Sirte on the Mediterranean coast, Sabha in the southern desert, and Bani Walid south east of Tripoli. According to Al Jazeera, a pro-Gaddafi radio station in Bani Walid is urging residents to rise up against the revolutionaries, promising 'the prettiest girls' in town as a reward. | 37-year-old son 'has no status' in Niger - not guaranteed refugee status .
One of most high-profile figures to cross from Libya .
Over 80% of Niger covered by Sahara Desert .
Former head of the regime's external intelligence service captured in Tripoli .
Gaddafi promises 'prettiest girls' in Bani Walid as reward for fighting . |
132,188 | 36f381c6528f5e417ab4384586b069f8bcf99336 | The National Union of Students has come under fire after it refused to condemn ISIS - because of fears it was 'Islamophobic'. Students put forward a motion at the body's National Executive Council meeting calling for the condemnation of terrorist atrocities and support for the Iraqi people. But the call was defeated after a rebellion led by Black Students Officer Malia Bouattia, who said the motion was merely a 'justification for war'. Scroll down for video . The National Union of Students has come under fire after it refused to condemn ISIS - because of fears it was 'Islamophobic'. Fighters from ISIS are pictured marching in Raqqa, Syria . It comes a day after military chiefs from around the globe met to discuss the battle against ISIS and despite a number of Muslim leaders in Britain having condemned the extremist group. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'Islamophobia is a meaningless term used by irrational people when unable to rebut a rational criticism. 'Malia Bouattia should realise how lucky she is to be able to stand up and express her opinions with freedom and security. 'She would not enjoy the same freedom if she were to visit the ISIS/ISIL that she refuses to condemn, and protested her opinions.' Another added: 'I personally would find something rather Islamophobic in Ms Bouattia's idea that condemning ISIS is also to condemn the other, approximately two billion Muslims on the planet - who don't rape minorities or murder journalists. 'They don't want ISIS to carry out such attacks in the name of their religion, and who in the West have repeatedly begged not to be associated with the activities of "Islamic" State. 'If the vast majority of Muslim students in the UK are in fact repeatedly standing up and telling you that they don't like ISIS, that these terrorists don't represent their faith, that they don't want to be associated with them in any way - then how exactly is not condemning ISIS helping to fight Islamophobia?' The motion, proposed by Daniel Cooper, was raised at the National Union of Students' NEC meeting at Derbyshire House in London in September. It put forward seven suggestions as to how the body could support the ongoing battle with the Islamic State. The motion stated: 'To work with the International Students’ Campaign to support Iraqi, Syrian and other international students in the UK affected by this situation. 'To campaign in solidarity with the Iraqi people and in particular support the hard-pressed student, workers' and women's organisations against all the competing nationalist and religious-right forces. The National Union of Students (NUS) has come under fire after it refused to condemn ISIS - because of fears it was 'Islamophobic'. The NUS headquarters in London is pictured above . 'To support Iraqis trying to bridge the Sunni-Shia divide to fight for equality and democracy, including defence of the rights of the Christian and Yazidi-Kurd minorities. 'To condemn the IS and support the Kurdish forces fighting against it, while expressing no confidence or trust in the US military intervention. 'Encourage students to boycott anyone found to be funding the IS or supplying them with goods, training, travel or soldiers. 'To make contact with Iraqi and Kurdish organisations, in Iraq and in the UK, in order to build solidarity and to support refugees. and To issue a statement on the above basis.' But Birmingham student Malia Bouattia led a team who either abstained or voted against the proposal, leading to the motion's defeat. She said: 'We recognise that condemnation of ISIS appears to have become a justification for war and blatant Islamaphobia. 'This rhetoric exacerbates the issue at hand and in essence is a further attack on those we aim to defend. 'The NUS Black Students' Campaign stands in support of Black communities across the globe and uncompromisingly against imperialism and Western interference which history shows all too often leads to the suffering of Black people. 'We stand in complete solidarity with the Kurdish people against the recent attacks by ISIS and join many others in condemnation of their brutal actions. 'The NUS Black Students' Campaign will be working with Kurdish students and the International Students Campaign to raise this issue within the NUS.' She added that she will now begin work on a revised motion which will not be 'Islamophobic'. But Daniel Cooper, who proposed the motion, said he could not see any signs of Islamophobia. He said: 'I have looked again and again at the contents of the motion, yet I cannot track any Islamophobia or racism. 'There is a stranglehold of "identity politics" on the student movement. 'This is an issue which needs to be discussed in more depth, but essentially the idea is widespread that if a Liberation Officer opposes something, it must be bad.' Earlier this year Muslim leaders in Britain condemned ISIS expressing their 'grave concern' at continued violence in its name. Representatives from both the Sunni and Shia groups in the UK relayed their message that the militant group does not represent the majority of Muslims. Shuja Shafi, of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said at the time: 'Violence has no place in religion, violence has no religion.' As international condemnation of the extremists continued to grow this week, US President Barack Obama met with representatives from a global coalition of 22 countries to discuss the battle against ISIS. Representatives from Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Iraq and Jordan were among those who attended the meeting. In a statement, the NUS said: 'At our most recent NEC meeting, a motion on this issue was presented and voted on by all members. 'Some committee members felt that the wording of the motion being presented would unfairly demonise all Muslims rather than solely the group of people it set out to rightfully condemn. 'NUS does not support ISIS and a new motion will be taken to the next NUS National Executive Committee meeting, which will specifically condemn the politics and methods of ISIS and offer solidarity for the Kurdish people.' | Student had put forward motion calling for condemnation of ISIS atrocities .
Also called on National Union of Students to pledge support for Iraqi people .
Motion defeated after rebellion led by Black Students Officer Malia Bouattia .
She said motion raised at meeting was merely a 'justification for war'
Ms Bouattia has vowed to start work on revised motion which will not be 'Islamophobic'
Daniel Cooper, who proposed motion, said he could see no signs of Islamophobia .
Debate raised National Executive Council meeting of the NUS in September . |
25,019 | 46e3f4564cf7e5528db9604cf32f7c2762560b6d | RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The harsh reality of life and death in Gaza is a common theme for Palestinian filmmakers. A still from "Fatenah," the first commerical animation to come out of the Palestinian Territories. But it was the 2004 death of a young Palestinian woman -- not at the hands of a militant attack or an Israeli incursion -- that struck a note with two filmmakers. Their animated film, "Fatenah," is inspired by her struggle with breast cancer, which is still a sensitive subject in the Palestinian territories. "The amount of trouble she has to go to just to survive, you feel somehow committed to be part of that project, it is so strong and so emotional," director Ahmad Habash told CNN. Fatenah, which tells the fictional story of a young seamstress from a Gaza refugee camp, is the first commercial Palestinian animation film ever made. The heart-wrenching tale follows Fatenah's pain and humiliation as she struggles to leave Gaza for treatment after finding few Palestinian doctors willing to help. At first, one doctor suggests she loosen her bra, while another says her condition will probably go away once she marries. It takes six months for Palestinian doctors to treat her concerns seriously and diagnose her with breast cancer. Fatenah becomes tied up in Israeli and Palestinian bureaucracy, denied treatment until it is too late. It is a devastating tale that Habash said is not unique. "The Shata refugee camp, which exists in Gaza ... represents any refugee camp and [Fatenah] could be any woman," he said. "The story could happen again." The film's executive producer Saed Andoni said it was a gamble telling such a tragic story using animation. But he believes that bet has paid off. "I think the animation has softened the harshness of the topic," he said. "Breast cancer and illness and death and Gaza and the siege, it's all heavy stuff, it's all harsh stuff. Put it in an animation style, give it a new dimension, give it a new perspective." At a screening in the West Bank city of Ramallah, audience members wept after hearing Fatenah's story, saying they related to her plight. One scene shows Fatenah checking her breast for lumps. The filmmakers hope this will help to break down barriers around a subject that is still very hidden in the region. "It's very taboo to speak about the woman's body in Palestinian society, but in the film it happens and nobody criticizes and nobody says anything about it," Andoni said. "They accept it." The film breaks new ground by dealing with matters often swept under the carpet in Palestinian society. Andoni said the film's greatest endorsement came from the father of the woman whose real-life story inspired the film. The woman's father said he cried when he watched it. "It's a very human story and if it can touch the real family, it is a great moment," Andoni said. | Young Palestinian's death from breast cancer inspires first commercial animation .
"Fatenah" is based on life of Gaza seamstress who died of the disease aged 28 .
It took doctors six months to diagnose cancer; they told her to loosen her bra .
Filmmakers hope it will help break down barriers around subject taboo in the region . |
116,980 | 23051eba80a6455a521dc321050b66bd9cf65ea9 | By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 07:19 EST, 27 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:55 EST, 28 May 2013 . Apple may have given the world a glimpse of the iWatch - or played an elaborate practical joke on millions of iFans. The firm's latest iPhone advert shows a user listening to an iPhone, but with a mysterious gadget on his wrist. Although the screen cannot be clearly seen, many online users have . speculated that the gadget is in fact Apple's much rumoured iWatch. Scroll down for video . Is this the iWatch? Apple's latest TV commercial shows and iPhone user wearing a mysterious gadget on his wrist - and it resembles artist's impressions of what a much-rumoured iWatch could look like . The user is shown drumming on a table, and the gadget appears to have rounded edges similar to tan Apple product, and a mysterious circle on its 'face' The so-called 'iWatch' is set to take on Google's Glass eyewear in the wearable computer market. The speculation has let to hundreds of Apple fans creating their own mockups of an iWatch. However, some onlookers have also pointed out that the device looks uncannily like Apple's current iPod Shuffle, which has wrist mounts available for it it turning into a basic watch. The advert comes just weeks before Apple's WWDC event for developers, where it tradictionally reveals new products. This year it is expected to reveal a major overhaul of its iOS software, which reports claim will replace the current software with a 'flat' design being overseen by the Sir Jonathan Ive, the firm's London-born design boss. However, it has also been rumoured the firm could also reveal details of its much rumoured TV service - and even unveil the iWatch. Recently MacUser magazine revealed its idea for the watch, shown below. 'We worked with 3D artist Martin Hajek to conceive, design and construct a plausible Apple watch,' said Adam Banks, Editor in Chief of MacUser magazine. 'The brief we gave ourselves was that it had to feel like something we could actually imagine buying from an Apple Store. 'We came to the conclusion that . Apple’s most likely play would be to keep its watch as conventional as . possible, with the feel of something classic rather than excitably . innovative.' This ruled out the ‘slap wrap’ design featured in a recent Apple patent, which harked back to the 1980s toy craze. 'We came back to the classic leather . strap, something Apple could make well – like the iPad Smart Cover, for . example – but for which third parties could also offer alternatives. MacUser magazine's vision of the iWatch: It believes the watch would look similar to the iPhone 5, and work with Apple's handset to display information . The iWatch will have a leather strap rather than the 'slap wrap' band recently revealed in a patent application, the magazine reveals . The magazine also believe the watch will look similar to Apple's current iPhone 5 design. 'We based the body of the watch on the iPhone 5, because its jewel-like bevelled finish seemed ideally suited to a device in the form of jewellery,' said Banks. The team believe a first generation iWatch may not include a webcam, and will rely on an iPhone for its data connection. It also believes Apple may come up with a clever solution for conserving battery life. 'Apple would surely find a nice solution: it has numerous patents on motion and position sensors, and could come up with a way of guessing when you're going to look at your watch. 'A simpler solution might be to formalise the wrist-twisting gesture that typically accompanies checking the time.' However, Banks also admits the magazine has no insider knowledge. 'Anyone who tells you they know what Apple is planning doesn’t know Apple’s planning. 'But anyone can guess, and those who know Apple best can guess better.' Figure one of Apple's U.S. Patent Application no. 20130044215: It describes a 'wearable accessory device' which mounts a touchscreen on the user's wrist using the same technology as a slap wrap . Earlier this year it was revealed Apple had patented several technology that could be used in a watch. U.S. patent application no. 20130044215, filed by Apple in August 2011, specifies the technology for . a 'wearable accessory device' with a 'flexible display'. It . describes: 'A wearable video device ... comprising: a flexible . substrate having a flat state and a curled state [and] a flexible . display disposed upon a first surface of the flexible substrate.' The . wrist band type device described in the patent application would attach . to users' wrists using the same kind of mechanism as a slap wrap toy. Unexpected: The design, published for the first time today, shows that even without Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple still has the ability to surprise . Popular among youngsters in the late . Eighties and early-Nineties, slap wraps are bracelets consisting of . layered, flexible stainless steel bi-stable spring bands sealed within a . fabric or plastic cover. The . bracelet can be straightened out, causing tension within the springy . metal bands, then slapped against a wearer's forearm, causing the bands . to spring back into a curve that wraps around the wrist. As . expected by many Apple observers, the iWatch-like device described in . the '44215 patent app would be 'configured to display information . wirelessly transmitted from a portable electronic device', most likely . an iPhone. As well as the . touch-sensitive display, the application says it would include 'a . communication link, allowing two-way communication between the slap . bracelet and the portable electronic device.' 'Information . generated on either device can be displayed on either the host device . display or the flexible display,' the application says. Some of the most interesting innovations described by the application involve the manner in which the device could be powered. 'The . battery can take many forms,' it suggests. 'For example, the battery . can be distributed in nature by which it is meant that portions of the . battery can be placed in disparate locations in the accessory.' It . also describes methods in which the battery life could be extended, . including a 'solar panel array spread across a surface of the accessory . device', or 'a kinetic power source similar to those found on some . wristwatches.' 'An . accessory device designed to be worn on a leg or arm could greatly . benefit from this sort of power generation, and could lengthen the . amount of time between charging,' the application says. How the iWatch might look and work: . Yrving Torrealba's translucent concept is made from a new type of flexible glass . Will it look like this? This concept was created by designer Federico Ciccarese . Swedish designer Anders Kjellberg's beautiful rendition of the iWatch could easily pass for the real thing from Apple . | Apple is rumoured to have a team of over 100 people working on a watch .
Comes ahead of Apple's developer conference in June where the firm traditionally makes new product announcements . |
101,913 | 0f57c853c35818d0aa2560b5e004c4e4ce2768fe | Washington (CNN) -- A prominent conservative legal advocacy group sued top Internal Revenue Service and Obama administration officials on Wednesday, claiming the constitutional rights of 25 organizations were violated when the IRS targeted conservative outfits seeking tax-exempt status. The Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice argued in a federal district court filing that the organizations' First Amendment free speech rights and Fifth Amendment due process rights were violated, among other things. The group also contends that the IRS violated its own regulations. The filing by the ACLJ -- founded by televangelist Pat Robertson -- asks the court to rule that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, former IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, IRS Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner, and IRS official Holly Paz all acted unlawfully. In addition, the lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Miller, Lerner and Paz for "implementing, directing, and overseeing the unconstitutional conduct." It asks the court to force the immediate granting of tax-exempt status to several groups still waiting for the IRS to act on their applications. "The overreach by the Internal Revenue Service is not only extremely disturbing but it is unconstitutional as well," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow said. "An out-of-control IRS is problematic on a number of fronts, but this ongoing scheme to target conservative organizations is unlawful and represents a serious breach of trust for the American people," he added. "The federal lawsuit is significant and is intended to bring an end to this ploy of intimidation and hold those responsible inside the Obama administration accountable." Multiple congressional panels are currently investigating the targeting. The Justice Department has also launched an investigation of whether laws were broken by IRS workers using a list of criteria including names such as "tea party" to determine levels of scrutiny for groups seeking tax-exempt status. Other groups have also filed or plan to file related suits against the IRS. CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report . | American Center for Law and Justice file lawsuit against IRS, top Obama officials .
ACLJ lawsuit on behalf of 25 groups targeted by the IRS .
Lawsuit contends First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated .
Lawsuit specifically mentions AG Eric Holder and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, among others . |
141,562 | 430f5e45cf7074f98a99d560d336d3207c54aa6b | Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has started work on a game plan for the Filipino star's proposed £200million mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Although no official confirmation has been forthcoming, Pacquiao is expected to face Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2. And Roach has revealed he has identified sparring partners that can mimic the pound-for-pound No 1's unique style. Freddie Roach, who trains Manny Pacquiao, poses with boxers Glen Tapia and Zou Shiming . Pacquiao (left talking to Floyd Mayweather last month) is confident he will fight his rival on May 2 . 'I honestly feel the fight is going to happen,' he told SecondsOut. 'Floyd has talked on TV twice at the basketball game, which is very unusual. 'Bob Arum wants the fight, I want the fight and Manny wants the fight; a lot of good names want this fight and usually when these high people want it, they get it. 'I've done some research on Floyd and on sparring partners. This is going to be the biggest challenge ever but I think my guy can pull it off but it wont be easy. 'It's a very tactical fight and I have to come up with a great game plan.' Pacquiao also posted a message on Instagram which confirmed he is in training for his next fight and teased his fans it will be against Mayweather. Mayweather, here with Rihanna at the All-Star Saturday Night, said he is hopeful the fight will take place . He said: 'Off to work now but after few days back to serious training for my up coming m... fight. Thank you Lord.' Mayweather admitted on Sunday that neither party has signed a contract for the fight but that he is 'hopeful' a deal can be struck. Talks have been ongoing since the pair came face-to-face at a basketball game in Miami last month. They later held talks in Pacquiao's hotel suite. Mayweather is expected to earn the lion's share of the revenue after Pacquiao agreed to a 60/40 split in his rival's favour. A drug-testing regime has also been agreed while Showtime and HBO are expected to broadcast a joint pay-per-view as they did for Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis in 2002. Pacquiao has agreed that Mayweather will be the one to announce the fight. Pacquiao was last in action when he dominated Chris Algieri over 12 rounds in Macau last November . | Manny Pacquiao is expected to fight Floyd Mayweather on May 2 .
Talks have been ongoing for the Las Vegas mega-fight since last month .
Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has identified sparring partners .
Mayweather will be the one to announce the fight once it is agreed .
CLICK HERE for all the latest boxing news . |
232,696 | b94d165efca252b6f9d714766891f60df81df007 | By . Natalie Clarke For The Daily Mail . Smitten: Hannah Stone is at the centre of a love triangle after she 'fell for' opera singer Bryn Terfel's 'charm offensive' What a delightful operatic libretto it would make: a story of star-crossed lovers, with a hint of farce. A beautiful young harpist with golden hair, who plays in royal palaces across the land, entrances two men. Both are opera singers. One is older, rich and famous, a big hulk of a man; the other is young and fresh-faced and on the cusp of greatness. They become love rivals. The beautiful harpist marries the younger man, but realises it is the hulk of a man she really loves. The young woman and her older suitor run off together and are christened by those who have observed the unfolding drama ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Throw in a prince and a few hummable arias and it all has the makings of cracking entertainment. But this story has happened in real life. Bryn Terfel, the phenomenally successful 48-year-old Welsh bass baritone, is wildly in love with 27-year-old Hannah Stone, official harpist to the Prince of Wales. She has walked out on her husband of just two years, Gary Griffiths, an up-and-coming Welsh baritone. To add to 31-year-old Mr Griffiths’s pain, he has frequently been described as ‘the next Bryn Terfel’. In an interview in June 2012, a month before his nuptials with Miss Stone, Mr Griffiths talked about the similarities between himself and Bryn. ‘Whenever someone makes a comparison between me and Bryn Terfel, I think it’s incredibly flattering,’ he said. ‘I spoke to him after I won the Gold Medal [an award given by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which Bryn won 20 years earlier] and he was extremely supportive. He’s such an incredible artist, but in many ways we are quite different as he’s a bass baritone and I’m a baritone. He’s such a busy guy and he finds the time to support so many young singers.’ Indeed he does. Harpists, too. So just how was the lovely Hannah enticed away from the next Bryn Terfel into the arms of the actual Bryn Terfel? According to a well-placed source within the classical music world, Bryn launched a charm onslaught so intense that eventually Hannah could do nothing but capitulate. She had married Mr Griffiths in a romantic ceremony on Gower peninsula in South Wales in July 2012 and they had settled together at a property at Cardiff Bay. Hannah, who was brought up in Swansea, had come to prominence in 2011 when she landed the coveted role of official harpist to the Prince of Wales. She made her debut in the summer of that year at a charity reception at Charles’s Llwynywermod estate in South Wales, and said just beforehand: ‘I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m excited, too. I auditioned about five weeks ago, then I got a phone call from his [the Prince of Wales’s] secretary and an official letter. I couldn’t believe it. ‘I’ve played the harp since I was eight and ever since I knew about this role it’s been my dream.’ With the role comes prestige — but not a great deal of money. It is an unpaid position, for which Hannah receives around £3,000 in expenses a year. Rivals: Welsh bass baritone Bryn Terfel, 48, pictured left, and Hannah Stone's husband Gary Griffiths, an up-and-coming Welsh baritone, pictured right, whom she married in 2012 . She is also part of the La Mer Trio with two other glamorous female performers, Renate Sokolovska on the flute and Maja Wegrzynowska on viola. Bryn and Hannah had known each other for some time, after repeatedly appearing at the same classical events. It is possible that Bryn was bewitched by the pretty blonde at first sight, but managed to keep his feelings to himself until his own marriage had broken down. He had married his childhood sweetheart, Lesley, in 1987, and the couple went on to have three children. But last year it was revealed that the marriage had collapsed at the end of 2012, after Lesley reportedly fell for a local man called Ian Pleming, who lived on a council estate a mile down the road from the couple’s white-walled mansion outside Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Meanwhile, Hannah seemed happy enough with Gary, posting this tweet in October last year: ‘Really enjoyed Mid Wales Opera’s Albert Herring!! Me and @Gary-Griffiths chuckled all the way through it!’ But the laughing stopped soon after that, it seems. Two months later, just before Christmas, Bryn and Hannah were thrown together to record the story of the Nativity for a Christmas special for the Welsh language channel, S4C. Bryn was clearly captivated by the beautiful young musician and posted this tweet during recording: ‘Hannah Stone, our beautiful royal harpist, getting ready for her solo.’ ‘In fact, Bryn swept her off her feet. He . has a huge presence, a big personality. He pursued her, he paid her a . great deal of attention. Eventually she capitulated' A friend of Hannah Stone . At the outset, those around him thought that poor lovelorn Bryn would have no chance with a relatively newly-married woman 20 years his junior.‘The thing is, Hannah was perfectly happy with Gary,’ said a friend of Hannah’s. ‘It wasn’t as though she’d become disillusioned with marriage — well, there wasn’t really time for that. ‘It was clear Hannah was being friendly towards Bryn, but most of us thought she was leading him down the garden path. ‘In fact, Bryn swept her off her feet. He has a huge presence, a big personality. He pursued her, he paid her a great deal of attention. Eventually she capitulated.’ The romance was revealed last weekend, but may have been going on for some time. In the classical music world, it has been an open secret. Last month, Bryn watched Hannah perform with La Mer Trio at the Fishguard Music Festival. Afterwards, he helped her load her harp in her car and then they left together. When it was suggested to Ms Stone’s booking agent, Gillian Green, that they were not making a secret of the affair, she said: ‘Yes, I have spent an afternoon with them. Bryn was not playing at the concert, but he came along to it.’ Fishguard Festival manager Geraint Hodges said: ‘It’s not any great secret in music circles that they are a couple.’ Bryn and Hannah are represented by the same musical agency, Harlequins. Their agent, Doreen O’Neill, confirmed to the Mail that they are on holiday together in Spain this week. ‘They see themselves as soulmates,’ says a friend. ‘They share the same taste in everything — film, music, food. They are in love, very happy and see a long-term future together. The 27-year-old harpist, pictured with patron Prince Charles. It is not known whether divorce proceedings between Hannah Stone and her husband are underway . ‘Hannah is very sensitive, of course, about how this has been perceived. She is keen not to be seen in a bad light. ‘They both see it as one of those things — a great love, nothing could be done about that. She says they were powerless. They make a striking pair and everyone calls them Beauty and the Beast.’ How their respective spouses feel about this ‘great love’ is another matter. Bryn and Lesley were married for 25 years, during which time she focused on raising their children as her talented husband’s star rose. The bass baritone played numerous major roles in operas such as Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte and Wagner’s Ring operas. Soon the farmer’s son and his wife were living in that mansion outside Caernarfon, overlooking the Snowdonia mountains in one direction and the sea nearby to the west. The collapse of the marriage and Lesley’s affair with Ian Pleming, who works in a local supermarket and is known as ‘Chops’ to his friends, came as a shock to their friends. Out at a nightclub one night, Mr Pleming was reportedly attacked by two men — one wielding a glass or bottle — in the early hours as he drank and chatted with Mrs Terfel at the bar. As he was being consoled by door staff, Mr Pleming told them he was ‘in a relationship’ with Mrs Terfel, adding, as they tended to his injuries, that she was likely to receive an £8 million divorce settlement. The Terfels are currently going through the painful process of unravelling their finances as part of the divorce. Bryn’s company, B Jones Cyfyngedig, which posted profits of £545,172 on its last accounts and appears to be co-run with Lesley, went into voluntary liquidation after the couple split. At the last accounts, Lesley and Bryn paid themselves £70,500 each in dividends. Whatever financial settlement Lesley emerges with, it seems that Mr Pleming will not be sharing in her riches — for the Mail can reveal that Lesley’s relationship with Ian has broken down. His mother confirmed to the Mail this week that the couple are no longer together. Lesley has remained at the family home in Caernarfon, while Bryn is living at his flat in West London, which is currently being renovated. Griffiths, meanwhile, was ‘bereft’ when Hannah left him, friends say. It is not known if divorce proceedings are under way. What, then, will be the final act in this fast-paced libretto? Will the star-crossed lovers marry, once they have extricated themselves from their current spouses? Only one thing seems certain. Gary Griffiths, it’s fair to say, will never wish to be referred to as ‘the next Bryn Terfel’ ever again. | Hannah Stone, 27, married 'up-and-coming' baritone Gary Griffiths in 2012 .
Mr Griffiths had been described as 'the next Bryn Terfel' - a Welsh baritone .
The young singer said at time that the comparison was 'incredibly flattering'
But now Miss Stone has fallen for 48-year-old Mr Terfel's 'charm offensive'
She has walked out on Mr Griffiths who is said to be 'bereft' at the situation .
The pair's new romance has been an 'open secret' in the classical world .
Mr Terfel split with his childhood sweetheart Lesley in 2012, after 25 years . |
200,519 | 8f90e8308fbf1cd5e089f6cadad769bfdfbb7277 | (Budget Travel) -- Game drives and the Big Five -- pulling off a classic African safari is easier (and cheaper) than you might think. Africa's a big place. How do I decide where exactly to go? To the uninitiated, planning a safari can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Wildlife excursions are largely confined to eastern and southern Africa, where the Big Five (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalos) converge. Within those regions, there are some basic rules that help distinguish the kind of experience each country offers. On the approachable end of the spectrum, Kenya and South Africa are among the easiest-to-navigate nations in Africa. Both have well-developed tourism infrastructures with accessible parks, plush lodges, and plenty of flights and outfitted trips, so safaris there tend to be simple to arrange and comparatively cheap. On the more adventurous side, Tanzania and Uganda in the east and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the south offer more rugged, unique experiences and fewer crowds, although generally at a higher price. Once you decide which type of adventure you'd prefer, it seriously helps to zero in on specific trips by tapping a safari-savvy travel agent. Travelhub.com has a robust database that lists hundreds of travel agencies, and it allows you to search specifically for safari specialists. 26 Stunning Ireland Photos . How much can I expect to pay? Regardless of how you do it, safaris don't come cheap. A weeklong trip is typically at least $4,000: Guided safaris start at roughly $250 per person per day -- and that's before you've paid for airfare to Africa. International flights aren't usually included in safari packages and typically cost $2,000 or so. That said, there are some strategies that help keep prices relatively low. Booking your initial flight through an Africa-focused ticket consolidator, such as Premier Tours or Magical Holidays (800/228-2208) can save you up to 30 percent. Also, if you don't mind a little rain, you can cut the cost of lodging in half by traveling during the wet season, from November to March. The Mara Serena Safari Lodge in Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve, for instance, charges $260 for a double room in early December and $600 for that same room during the peak July--October period. Also, storms are brief and usually limited to the afternoon. "Personally, I think you're missing out if you never see a rain shower in Africa -- they're spectacular," says Bill Given, a biologist and researcher at the Denver Zoo who also guides custom safaris for his company, The Wild Source. "The worst that happens is you get a little wet and wind up spending a few hours indoors watching a powerful display of Mother Nature." 17 Breathtaking Sunset Photos . Finally, make sure to read the fine print. Much like an ocean cruise, a safari with a higher price tag may end up being cheaper than one that costs less up front but requires paying extra for one-off experiences as you go. Upgrades such as traveling in a private group, visiting private game reserves, and hopping around on charter planes will quickly ratchet up costs, sometimes to the tune of $1,000 a day. And those splurges don't always pay off: "You don't necessarily get better wildlife experiences by spending lots of money," Given says. "At some point, the steep rates are because the lodge has a spa and you're eating gourmet, six-course meals." 15 Places Every Kid Should See Before 15 . How do I find a good outfitter? Bottom line: It's all about your guide. "That person will absolutely make or break your trip," says Peter Allison, who chronicled his own adventures in "Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide." "A good guide will not only point out where the lions are, but will also teach you how to listen to calls, follow tracks, and spot that lion tail in a field of tall grass." Allison recommends looking for outfitters that specifically tout the expertise of their trip leaders. Fodor's The Complete African Safari Planner, which lists descriptions of 24 reliable agencies, is a good place to start. When you speak to the company representatives, don't hesitate to ask about the strength of individual guides, and be sure to request references. Finally, because animals move based on migratory and weather patterns, a good safari operator will adjust itineraries throughout the year to maximize wildlife sightings. Consider it a red flag if a company offers the exact same trips year-round. 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls . Any other general tips? Focus on the experience, not your photo album. If your head is behind a lens the whole time, you may not be able to take in the bigger picture. Also, don't have unrealistic expectations about the number of animals you'll see. "Some novices expect every plain to be carpeted with cheetahs chasing gazelles," Allison says. You're not on a Discovery Channel show; it's a vacation. So keep an open mind and remember that every animal has its charms, from warthogs ("possibly the only animal that looks better from the back than the front," Allison says) to zebras ("no less fantastic-looking than unicorns"). FIELD ETIQUETTE 101: The Do's and Don'ts of Life in the Bush . Do blend in. Now is not the time for tie-dye. Stick to muted brown, khaki, and light green clothes when spotting wildlife. That said... Don't wear camo. In Africa, it's associated with the military -- often negatively. You're a tourist, not G.I. Joe. Do pack soft-sided luggage. Hard-shell bags are typically packed at the bottom of the pile in buses and Jeeps, and they're the last to be unloaded. Don't wear cologne or perfume. The animals will smell you from miles away and keep their distance. Polo Sport has its place -- but it's not on safari. By the Numbers . 8,000 Approximate number of wildebeests born each day in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, from December through March . 29 Number of elephants per square mile at Botswana's Chobe National Park -- some 120,000 in all . 19,300 Size, in square miles, of Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve, Africa's largest national park (about the same area as 19 Rhode Islands!) Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2010 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. | Kenya and South Africa are among the easiest-to-navigate nations in Africa, author says .
Before going on safari, respect the country's culture by checking do's and don'ts .
Focus on the experience, not your photo album . |
191,554 | 84117ddc7e66ca9ab85841a0197cbd8618334c71 | Just this summer, the British government was directly targeting illegal immigrants with a campaign that turned heads, and, in many cases, turned stomachs. In an initiative designed to persuade illegal immigrants to pack up and voluntarily return to their home countries, officials deployed two trucks to drive around London for a week. Each vehicle carried a large billboard with the message: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest." Then it offered instructions to text the word "home" to a government-run number for "free advice and help with travel documents." What was the free advice? Sounded like "Get the hell out!" Not exactly the Welcome Wagon, was it? The campaign stirred up so much public outcry that the government backtracked and decided to keep the trucks in the garage. But there's more, and it's still happening. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, the Conservative Party of Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to reduce annual net migration to the United Kingdom. For the British, the problem is Eastern Europeans. The annual figure of newcomers is about 200,000. The conservatives want to bring it down to the tens of thousands. This is just plain foolish. Just who does the British government think is going to swoop in and take over the jobs that are left behind if immigrants are run off? British citizens? Not blooming likely. By now, several generations of British citizens have grown up thinking of these kinds of jobs as beneath them and themselves as entitled to better. They're not going to miraculously change their way of thinking and find their way back to this kind of work just because the immigrants are gone. European countries -- Great Britain, France, Germany, etc. -- don't have the best track record of dealing with racial and ethnic differences. Besides, it's not every day that a country puts up a "no vacancy" sign to keep out even those immigrants who come legally. Most countries like to at least maintain the pretense that they only have a problem with illegal entrants. If nothing else, this approach is refreshingly honest. It seems that Americans haven't exactly cornered the market on bigotry and xenophobia. Sure, we have our own peculiar issues with the foreign-born. It's not easy being a nation of immigrants that has, in reality, always despised immigrants. It's tough being a country that boasts about its diversity, and then does everything it can to boil it away in the fabled melting pot. But we Americans are not alone in our narrow-mindedness. Just about every industrialized country on the globe vacillates between needing immigrants to do jobs that natives won't do and resenting the changes that immigrants bring with them. Parts of the immigration debate playing out on the national and international stage are complicated. And yet this part is simple: Countries that encourage legal immigration, and make the process easier, will thrive. Those that pull up the drawbridge and put up barriers to keep out even immigrants who try to enter legally will founder. Who says? Economists say so. Life experience says so. U.S. history says so. World history says so. This is true of legal immigrants whether they come from China, Vietnam, India, Brazil or any other country. Yet it is also the case with illegal immigrants, as former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made clear in April 2009 when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. Greenspan said illegal immigration make a "significant" contribution to U.S. economic growth by providing a flexible workforce and that illegal immigrants act as a "safety valve" for the economy since demand for workers goes up and down. "There is little doubt that unauthorized, that is, illegal, immigration has made a significant contribution to the growth of our economy," Greenspan said in calling for an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. We can assume Cameron's government didn't get the news. After those trucks drove around six areas of London, humanitarian organizations, opposition parties and labor groups in the United Kingdom complained that the tactics were offensive and heavy-handed. They said they harked back to an ugly time in British history when nativist groups had much greater sway in the halls of government. What a shame that this is what has become of a once-great nation and one of the world's great superpowers. Now the United Kingdom is in a defensive stance, trying to ward off invaders and hold on to what it has. Contrast all this with what is happening in Israel. Consider the diversity of the tech corridor in Tel Aviv, where some of Silicon Valley's most successful companies come to poach workers and invest venture capital. Everywhere you go, you're reminded that Israel is one of the most diverse nations in the world and one with a proud immigrant tradition. Israeli officials will tell you, without hesitation, that much of what has been accomplished in the country's lifespan of only 65 years can be attributed to the fact that this tiny country benefits from immigrants and draws the best and brightest from around the world. Of course, no nation is perfect. The Israelis have their own problems with immigration. They struggle with the challenge of assimilation of refugees from Sudan and Ethiopia. But still, they understand the restorative power of immigration. Meanwhile, at least the United Kingdom's government realized the error of its ways when it shelved the billboards. Government officials acknowledged that the message was too blunt and the results unconvincing. Score one for decency and common sense. Don't you just love it when old Europe learns a new way of thinking? Join Us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. | British government had trucks carrying billboards exhorting illegal immigrants to go home .
Ruben Navarrette: Public outcry led the government to stop the offensive campaign .
But it still wants to drastically reduce the numbers of immigrants allowed in, he says .
Navarrette: Nations that embrace immigration thrive; those that don't founder . |
209,140 | 9ad61327de0026a0fc69d471698bc66bf41f5327 | With love letters strewn across the floor, a gown hung in the bedroom, and black-and-white photos under a film of cobwebs, it looks like a scene from a fairytale. But this derelict dairy farm standing in the depths of the Welsh countryside is a real-life mystery. Dubbed the 'Red Dress Manor', it is filled to the brim with personal belongings - including a floor-length red satin dress and love letters. But there has been no sign of life within these walls for 40 years. Scroll down for video . Listed: According to documents found by photographer Dan Circa, the house in Llanymynech, near Shrewsbury, is called Calcott Hall and was Grade II* listed in 1953 . Crumpled and beautiful: The red dress pictured in a photo on the wall was found hanging in an empty wardrobe, while other clothes clutter the floor . Namesake: The woman in the red dress that has given this manor its nickname. The picture shows Ellen Jones, who appears in other images around the house . Dust: The years of dereliction are betrayed by the living room which has a thick layer of dust on the floor. Nobody knows why newspapers and notes are left scattered . The four-bedroom house, officially called Calcott Hall, in Llanymynech, Powys, Mid Wales, was grade II* listed in 1953 - more than two centuries after it was first built as a dairy farm. But according to census records, the owner, Ellen Jones, died in the early 1970s and her home became a forgotten relic within its leafy surroundings. However, her belongings have stayed exactly as she left them. Now, a series of haunting images by photographer Dan Circa has unveiled the mysterious manor, showing how generations made it their home over centuries. Magical: The eerie dairy farm, dubbed 'Red Dress Manor', has been left to crumble away for decades. It is filled with letters and pictures that seem to be unspoiled . Vintage: A rusted 1970s Morris stands in the garage by the main house. It is the kind of car that would fetch thousands at an auction today . Personal: Letters and photographs left behind in the manor show a woman named Ellen Jones lived there. Dust has gathered but the shots are clear and mystical . Ancient: The building maintains its original architecture from 1725 with heavy wood doors, stone floors, and high ceilings. Few people have visited the site since the 70s . Crumbling: Plants tumbling through ceilings, torn curtains and crumbling walls only serve to enhance the building's ethereal and timeless beauty . Life: Handbags, ribbons and clothing strewn about the house give little glimpses into the mysterious world of women that lived here years ago . Dust-covered glass bottles of 19th . century cleaning products such as turpentine and black lacquer look like . works of art in the sunshine gleaming through the cracked windows. Floral 1950s wallpaper tumbling down the walls reveal the heavy stone that was used to build the house in 1725. Now, after years of neglect, nature has moved in. Branches and leaves hang through the ceilings and soil is spilling out of the fire place on to a 1960s television. Mr Circa, 28, from Manchester said: 'I heard stories of the manor and so wanted to investigate for myself. 'The . picture of a lady in a red dress and the actual red dress still being . there was particularly intriguing. I wanted to see what else was inside. 'I felt like I was in someone’s home uninvited, I expected the owner to walk round every corner I saw. Bygone era: Delicate bottles of turpentine, black lacquer, and healing oil were the cleaning products of yesteryear. They are a far cry from today's plastic . Decades: A box of Daz alongside older cleaning products, 1950s curtains, and an 18th century wooden window frame shows how this manor was home to generations . Decorative and mysterious: Floral curtains and mis-matched floral wallpaper frame the leafy Welsh countryside through broken glass, as a lone shoe sits on the sill . 'When . I climbed the stairs to enter the main bedroom, I opened the door and . to the right there was a photo of the lady in the garment on her . dressing table with all her makeup and other personal items on it. 'I . then turned to the left and saw an open wardrobe with that red dress . hung up, it was a very eerie feeling as if someone was there. 'I . thought it was her at first glance.' Battered: The window panes are broken, the curtain is pulled across the room, and there are clothes scattered. But no sign of why or where the inhabitants went . Details: The beautiful and dolled-up Ellen Jones also passed her county examinations at the Shropshire Congretional Union, according to framed certificates . Clutter: Frames pictures lean against a typically 60s television before two small chairs with bags and pillows across the floor, and soil spilling out of the fireplace . Beautiful: It is a moment in time frozen and unspoiled. The mustard walls and art deco ornaments suggest a long history of family in the abandoned manor . Mr Circa explained his project as an exploration of 'beauty in decay': 'The lady in the red dress has been identified by census records and personal letters as Ellen Jones. 'I am documenting things that someone once cared about. 'People are amazed to see the pictures, especially when they see it's a place with personal belongings in.' Video courtesy Hush Hush Video . | The derelict dairy farm in Llanymynech, Powys, mid-Wales built in 1725 looks like a real-life fairytale scene .
The owner, identified as Ellen Jones, died in the 1970s, leaving her red dress hanging in an empty wardrobe .
Officially called Calcott Hall, the grade II listed in 1953 building is dubbed 'red dress manor' by locals .
Clothes, letters, newspapers and photographs have been left untouched strewn across the floors .
Do you know who Ellen or the woman in the red dress is? Contact MailOnline on 0203 6151934 . |
267,536 | e678da903237e2cb4da5e2d3603b8c5aca4b809c | Doctors at St Vincent's Hospital spent almost an hour in surgery trying to reduce swelling on Australian cricketer Phil Hughes' brain after he was struck with a cricket ball. The hospital's spokesman David Faktor likened Hughes' condition to someone who had been 'king hit'. Hughes was severely injured during day one of the Sheffield Shield at Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . Phil Hughes was severely injured during day one of the Sheffield Shield at Sydney Cricket Grounds on Tuesday . '[The cricketer] is still in a very, very critical condition,' Mr Faktor said. 'The operation was quick, less than an hour to alleviate swelling on the brain. 'It's really similar to a king hit situation where you have bleeding on the brain, what's called a subdural haematoma. 'In the case of a king hit, it's the pavement you often fall back and sustain a fracture on the skull. St Vincent's Hospital spokesman David Faktor likened Hughes' condition to someone who had been 'king hit' 'Depending on the damage that does or what it hits - a nerve or a vessel - there's a real range of injury severity.' Mr Faktor said medical officers intubated Hughes at the scene and he was also placed in an induced coma. Intubation involves a tube being inserted into a patient's trachea to help them breathe easier. 'Now it's just a waiting game as surgeons wait for the swelling on his brain to go down,' Mr Faktor said. It could be 24 to 48 hours before the extent of Hughes' injuries are known. In photographs, a cricket ball is seen hitting Hughes in the back of the head, which is not covered by his helmet. Mr Faktor said Hughes had bleeding on the brain and now . Australasian College of Emergency Medicine president Anthony Cross said being hit by a cricket ball at high speeds could leave someone with a range of injuries, including those that ended in a concussion. He said injuries caused by a cricket ball were uncommon because of helmets like the one Hughes was wearing. Dr Cross said the concern did not lie with a ball causing external injuries but with it fracturing the skull, which protects the brain inside and prevent internal injuries. He said this could cause mild or severe injuries as well as bruising the brain and the sooner it was treated the better, saying 'time is of the essence'. 'At the other end of the spectrum the thing people will be worried about is bleeds on the brain,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'If there is any major bleeding inside the brain you have the issue of the build-up of blood within the skull, and that blood causes pressure on the brain which can cause further injury. 'Basically you are squeezing the cells, but that increased pressure also prevents the oxygenated blood getting into the brain, and the venous blood from flowing out.' Injuries of this nature are more commonly a result of road accidents or at times alcohol-related violence. | Surgeons spent almost an hour reducing swelling on Phil Hughes' brain .
St Vincent's Hospital spokesman David Faktor likened his injury to one caused by a 'king hit'
Mr Faktor said Hughes had bleeding on the brain and was in a 'very, very critical condition'
Cricketer was injured during Sheffield Shield at Sydney Cricket Ground . |
258,521 | da95f1e5e9006ad82dfb7425cab278d57e1d69bf | A Canadian journalist working undercover in a Bangladeshi sweatshop has revealed details of the back-breaking work and appalling conditions children as young as nine have to deal with. Raveena Aulakh traveled to Dhaka to experience firsthand conditions in garment factories that mass produce products for the West. Her account in the Toronto Star sheds light on the long hours, poor pay and dangerous and unsanitary conditions factory workers are subjected to. Heart breaking: Nine-year-old factory worker Meem was in charge of training undercover reporter Raveena Aulakh . Investigation: Toronto Star reporter Raveena Aulakh worked undercover at a Dhaka garment factory . Most shocking of all was how a nine-year-old girl named Meem, forced into work to help raise money for her family, was put in charge of training Ms Aulakh. 'The first time I saw Meem, which was . also my first day at work at a sweatshop, she was having a good day . despite the wretched heat. She sat cross-legged on the concrete floor, a . tiny, frail figure among piles of collars, cuffs and other parts of . unstitched shirts,' Ms Aulakh wrote in the Toronto Star. The reporter's investigation came in the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in April, when more than 1,100 workers died. After what became known as the worst garment factory disaster in the world, there was intense scrutiny of working conditions and child labor. But the larger factories also brought in improved security and screening programs, making it harder for undercover investigators to gain access. Ms Aulakh was able to find work only after a Bangladeshi driver told a small factory owner, named Hamid, that she was related to his wife and had moved to the city for work. Child labor: Taaniya, 13, was one of the youngsters working 12-hour days at the factory . After being offered a trial, Ms Aulakh found herself arriving at the sweatshop on an oppressively hot day in August. 'The factory wasn’t big: about two dozen . sewing machines lined the walls of the windowless room, about half the . size of a basketball court. Two cutting machines sat in a corner. The . sewing machines had little benches for the operators, and almost all had . piles of colorful fabric by the side. Three ceiling fans, covered with . layers of dirt, hummed quietly,' she wrote. A quick tour of the building revealed no fire extinguishers, only one exit - the front door - and little more than a hole in the ground, down a rat-infested hall, for the toilet. Staff worked from 9am to 9pm with only a lunch break. The girls tasked with snipping off threads from the men's shirts being made, had to sit cross legged in the middle of the floor. Ms Aulakh joined the girls on the floor and, under Meem's direction, was taught how to snip away loose threads without marking the clothes. 'It was back-breaking, it was . finger-numbing. It was particularly rage-inducing,' she said. 'Not because it was . painfully hard work but because children like Meem hunched over hour . after hour, squinted at the threads, cleaned one collar after another, . one cuff after another, one arm piece after another until the piles were . depleted.' Like many young factory workers, Meem was taken out of school when the family ran into hardship. With her mother pregnant and unable to work, the family needed Meem to help boost the income. Disaster: More than 1,100 factory workers were killed when a Dhaka sweatshop collapsed in April . Focus: Working conditions came under the spotlight after the Rana Plaza building collapsed . Her father found her the job at Hamid's factory because the girl's aunt also worked there and would be able to look after her. Overnight, Meem went from being a carefree schoolgirl to a factory worker, toiling for 12 hours a day. 'It works for everyone,' Smitha Zaheed, of the Dhaka-based Independent Garment Workers’ Union Federation, said. 'Factory . owners get workers who are not demanding ... while the parents get to . keep what the kids earn because the kids don’t know any better.' Meem's wages are paid to her father and she is allowed to buy herself a glittery hair clip each month and an occasional ice-cream. 'It is not as if Meem’s parents don’t . care for her, they simply had no choice,' Ms Aulakh wrote. Despite the long hours and aches caused from sitting hunched over for hours at a time, Meem was always smiling and her only complaint was that she was yelled at if she chatted too much or hummed too loudly. Workers like Meem are paid about $25 a month. They are allowed half a day off every Friday and do not get holidays or paid sick leave. In a country with widespread poverty however, such jobs are valued and Meem had ambitions to move up the factory chain to become a better-paid sewing operator. 'When I become a sewing operator, I will make very good shirts,' she said. 'No one will yell at me.' The lifestyle is so common in Bangladesh that Meem and another of the girls, 13-year-old Taaniya think nothing of ending their education early. Even at their young ages they knew how the extra money could help and talked of how their families had been able to buy furniture and goats. Ambition: Becoming a sewing operator like Lootfah, above, is the dream of girls like Meem . Taaniya also hoped she could earn enough to avoid being married off to a stranger. 'By all accounts, working women are changing their lives, . their families’ lives,' Ms Aulakh said. 'There is more food in homes, and cleaner clothes. There is electricity, even if it’s one bulb, and there are toilets ... But it has come at a price.' For children like Meem, the factory has become their life. Ms Aulakh may have been able to return to her comfortable home and office job, but the knowledge that thousands of girls remain trapped in such back-breaking work has stayed with her. | Raveena Aulakh documents life in garment factory .
Co-workers were young children forced out of school through poverty . |
76,588 | d9400b4452613f791f820375013c75a4c72e3aab | By . Emily Kent Smith . PUBLISHED: . 06:33 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:23 EST, 14 March 2014 . Britain could get its first cannabis cafe if a Green Party councillor's attempt to open a shop in Kent gets the go ahead. Ian Driver, a councillor for Thanet District Council, has already started looking for possible sites for an Amsterdam-style cafe in Margate or Ramsgate in anticipation of a law change. Mr Driver, who has admitted to being an ex-recreational drug-user, has submitted his proposals in response to what he considers a shift in popular opinion towards legalising the class-B drug. In February, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that the UK should explore alternatives to a blanket ban on drugs and Britain should be at the heart of the debate. Scroll down for video . Britain's first cannabis cafe would be modelled on an Amsterdam-style coffee shop . In response to this, Mr Driver believes there is now a demand in Britain for a venue where users would be able to smoke the class-B drug in the same way as in Amsterdam. Similar plans for a members-only cannabis cafe in Manchester, where users would have only been able to buy the drug once legalised, were rejected in January. But Mr Driver believes his plans, with the backing of the community, stand a better chance of being approved and he is holding a public meeting in Thanet tomorrow to gather local opinion. However, Mr Driver has faced opposition from Kent Police, who refused to even discuss the issue. Anne Barnes, Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner for the area, declined an invitation to attend the meeting where a number of speakers will debate the proposals. Speakers due to attend the meeting include professor Alex Stevens from The University of Kent, who is an expert on the subject of drugs and crime and has written several books on the topic. Last year, Mr Stevens backed a controversial trial by Kings College London which involved 'the nasal administration of cocaine' by hundreds of students. Other attendees will include the Kent Cannabis Consortium, a group which meets to discuss the plant and the laws surrounding it, and charity UK Cannabis Social Clubs. A Kent Councillor for Thanet, Ian Driver, (left) is leading plans to launch Britain's first cannabis cafe. A public meeting discussing the plans will be held tomorrow in Broadstairs, Kent. Alex Stevens (right), a professor at The University of Kent and an expert on drugs and crime will be attending the meeting . Mr Driver told The Independent that he had been 'inundated with messages from local cannabis users who said they will be . coming to the meeting'. He said: 'The debate about drugs and policing . is becoming much more topical.' But Kent police commissioner Ms Barnes told the newspaper that a cannabis cafe would be illegal unless drug laws were changed. She said: 'We live in a democracy and if people . want the law changed on the use of cannabis, then they really need to . lobby their local MP.' Kent police commissioner Anne Barnes said that a cannabis cafe in in the area would be illegal unless drug laws were changed . This is not the first time the concept of a cannabis cafe has been floated in the UK. In January, police in Manchester blocked the introduction of a cannabis 'social club' in the city's Northern Quarter. The man behind the club was Colin Davies who once famously handed the Queen a bouquet of flowers containing cannabis. His planned club would have been open to members only at a fee of £35 per year. Drugs would not have been sold at the cafe unless there had been a change in the law. But Greater Manchester Police said that the cafe would attract criminality and would be difficult to police and the concept was quashed. The Netherlands tried to stamp out illegal drug dealing in the 1970s by introducing cannabis cafes - called 'coffee shops'. Recreational drugs, including marijuana, are still illegal in Amsterdam but cannabis and some hallucinogenic mushrooms - known as 'magic' mushrooms, have been decriminalised and may be used in these 'coffee shops' under certain restrictions. To enter the shop you must be over 18 and the coffee shops are not permitted to sell alcohol. They must also be licensed and display a green and white license in the window. Some drug experts say that the cafes keep users away from harder drugs. Do not confuse a cannabis coffee shop and an actual coffee shop: A licensed seller of cannabis products is referred to as a coffeeshop, a koffiehuis (coffee house) sells coffee and light meals. | Councillor Ian Driver for Thanet, Kent, is looking for venues in the county .
In Holland the cannabis cafes are called 'coffee shops'
If successful, the cafe would be the first in the country .
A public meeting will be held tomorrow in Broadstairs to discuss plans .
Plans for a Manchester cannabis cafe were quashed earlier this year . |
48,319 | 8864c51966912292ccc89605b69a27f0ace6086c | (CNN) -- "For architects, perfection is necessary," said Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. "It is my mission to use the kindness and delicateness that old architecture had. I believe that this mission is not easy to complete. So I am planning to work until I fall down." With nearly 60 projects on the go across the world, Kuma's search for perfection is all consuming; he rarely takes a day off from work and sometimes even finished projects are analyzed and amended. The 55-year-old from Tokyo has become synonymous with delicate simplicity and sensitivity to a building's surrounding. From the Great (Bamboo) Wall House located near the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing to the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo, Kuma has employed natural materials that complement a building's location to great acclaim. View the gallery of Kuma's spectacular buildings . "I try to catch the atmosphere of the place where we build the house. We try to find out how the people live there and what kind of materials they use. After we find out the atmosphere of the place, we will think how we can relate that with the architecture." Using mostly glass and Chinese bamboo to make the house by the Great Wall, it comfortably blended into the natural surroundings, but the Suntory Museum of Art, completed in 2007 presented different challenges. "Usually, a building in a massive developed area tends to be a sad building. However, I wanted to make a building which is warm and could feel a human's touch. To make that ideal building, I used natural material such as Japanese paper and paulownia [wood]. I wanted to take back the human element even if the building was inside the city." Much of modern architecture is often unfairly portrayed as lacking that human element, but Kuma's focus on retrieving and remaining Japanese traditions in architecture has gone some way to dispel that myth. It is a far cry from his initial architectural fascination with concrete, in part inspired by the Olympic stadium designed by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Games in Tokyo. "I learned that architecture can impress people. If the Olympics were not held in Tokyo, I might not have become an architect," he told CNN. If Tange's buildings for the Olympics were responsible for sparking Kuma's imagination, he's followed a different path in his career. After earning a master's degree in architecture from The University of Tokyo in 1979 and further study at Columbia University in New York, he returned to Japan in 1986 -- a boom time for architects. "People who were only about 30-years-old could design a building. It was an era of post-modernism and a lot of young people were making outstanding buildings during that time." But the economic recession hit Japan in 1992 and it had a profound impact on Kuma's life and changed his attitude to architecture. "I didn't have a job in Tokyo for 10 years. I was designing small buildings in the countryside. I worked with a craftsman and studied how to use natural materials in those 10 years. From this experience, I learned the great aspects of Japanese traditional architecture. I started to design traditional Japanese architecture and foreign people took notice of the design," he said. "I think the cities of Japan are a bit damaged by the concrete buildings," Kuma added. "Because of the sub-prime issue and now another economic crisis, I feel this is again a good opportunity for architects to design buildings slowly." In focusing taking a more holistic approach to his craft, Kuma has promoted the humanizing elements of architecture and its ability of improve people's lives. It's an approach that he has likened to making sushi. "There are two important things to make sushi. One is the material and the other is the skill... For sushi, both the power of the material and skill is important and their balance is very important. "I believe that this balance is what people want," Kuma continued. "People and society are seeking the thing like sushi for the architecture and their city. A variety of people are interested in Japanese architecture and traditions and this is parallel to why sushi is popular in Western country." | Japanese architect has popularized sensitive Japanese traditions in buildings .
Has works across the world including museums and private residences .
"Architecture is like sushi: balance of material and skill is very important" |
286,428 | ff21f0fe867b88914eac9063ca584963cb634fff | (CareerBuilder.com) -- Some people just aren't hardwired for the traditional workplace. If you get bored easily, have many interests, like to take risks and prefer to make your own rules, then you may be one of them. So what's an unconventional worker like you to do? Well, you can either suffer through decades of being someone's employee, unfulfilled and bored, or you can take a risk and create your own path to success by working for yourself. Wayne Rogers, an entrepreneur, businessman and actor (famous for his roles on television series like "M*A*S*H" and "House Calls") did just that. In a career that epitomizes the word "unconventional," Rogers has been involved in everything from the wine-making and bridal businesses, to acting on stage and owning a film-distribution company. In his new book "Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success," Rogers details how he was able to triumph in such a wide variety of business endeavors, all of which were independent pursuits. Here are some of his top tips for finding success through working independently, as discussed in his book: . 1. Don't limit yourself: Many people believe that because their educational background or work experience lends itself to a particular field, that their career choices must lay within that field. Not so, says Rogers. "This will surprise you, but the common thread to the various businesses in which I have been involved is that I had never previously been in them." While many would see a lack of experience as a deterrent to entering a particular business, Rogers saw it as a benefit. "It was an advantage that I had no rules to follow, no premade decisions, no 'books' to tell me how to find success. This allowed me to take a creative approach rather than an administrative approach," he says. "It is my belief that the best results in business come from a creative process, from the ability to see things differently from everyone else, and from finding answers to problems that are not bound by the phrase 'we have always done it this way.'" 2. Get comfortable with "red tape:" These days, even small businesses are subject to a variety of federal, state and local regulations, so if you want to start your own, these regulations should be learned and lived by. "Your ability to comply with the blizzard of paperwork and reports required by various rules that come down from Washington, D.C., your state capital or your local zoning board may mean the difference between success and failure," Rogers says. 3. Remember that bigger is not better: Fight the urge to make growth and size the overarching goals of your business. "Size is not efficient," Rogers says. "Not that long ago, there were several automobile manufacturers, including Nash, Kaiser, Hudson, Studebaker and Packard. They had to compete with one another. Was it difficult? Yes, but it led to innovation." By contrast, he says, today's Big Three automakers -- Ford, General Motors and Chrysler -- have become complacent with their products; so much so that they were overtaken by foreign competitors and forced into their respective financial crises. Keep your business small, and you keep your business innovative, he says. 4. Work with good people: Choose the people you bring into your business wisely, Rogers says. "Pick partners and associates you trust and have them trust you. Both of these processes will almost certainly affect the outcome of what you are doing," he says. "Picking whom to trust ... is based on using your instinct, observing people's behavior and judging the consequences of their actions." In addition to being trustworthy, your business partners and employees should also share your mindset. "I have found that it is always easier for me to understand someone who operates outside the mainstream and who looks at things differently from others in his field," Rogers says. © CareerBuilder.com 2011. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority. | M*A*S*H star Wayne Rogers gives advice on how to find success by working for yourself .
Bigger is not better: Fight the urge to make growth and size the overarching goals .
"Pick partners and associates you trust and have them trust you," Rogers says . |
140,368 | 41816136b67840668e6334483ae81b4b06c1ea5a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A mother who lost her two young sons and her entire house in last weekends Arkansas tornado says she still believes that God is 'good'. Daniel and April Smith moved to Vilonia, Arkansas with their two young boys last fall, but last Sunday their beautiful life was rip apart as third-grader Cameron and first-grader Tyler Smith, were killed when the tornado destroyed the family’s home. Their parents Daniel and April Smith were seriously injured. The whole family were sheltering beneath a mattress in a bathtub last Sunday evening when the violent twister obliterated their home. Faith: Last weeks Arkansas tornado provided many tales of both survival and grief. One mother, April Smith, who lost two sons to the storm but she still says she has kept her faith in God . Torn apart: April Smith, Vilonia tornado survivor, lost sons Cameron & Tyler in the storm, which also seriously injured her husband, Daniel . Before tragedy struck: April Smith's injuries include two broken legs and a fractured pelvis . Daniel suffered head trauma and is recovering at a separate Little Rock hospital from his wife. Despite the incredible pain and suffering the family is having to endure, a visit to April's hospital by her friend Jessica Sowards has revealed a mother who has shown remarkable courage and forgiveness after everything she has had to endure. Jessica took a photo of April laying in her hospital bed. 'Within 10 minutes of arriving at the hospital, I realized she was the same strong person, even stronger,' Ms. Sowards told Yahoo News. 'She said, ‘I’m going to miss them so bad, but I know that they’re OK. I don’t understand this, but I trust God.’' Ms. Sowards, 28, spent part of her visit lying next to her friend, as the two cried. Right for one another: Daniel and April Smith moved to Arkansas to start a beautiful family life together . Lost boys: First-grader Tyler Smith and third-grader Cameron Smith were killed Sunday when a tornado decimated their house in Vilonia, Arkansas . Perfect home, perfect life: The Smiths had the perfect family home in Arkansas . 'She is in a tremendous amount of emotional pain,' Ms. Sowards said. 'But she is not in despair. There’s a difference, and the difference is Christ.' Before leaving, Sowards asked Smith, 28, if she wanted her to take her photo in case she someday wanted to go public with how she persevered. The grieving mother agreed with one stipulation. 'Show them now,' Mrs Smith said from her hospital bed. “Show them what my God can overcome. Show them now.' Wiped away: The house was simply blown away by the devastating force of the tornado . Blessings: April Smith's sons Tyler and Cameron were the light of their lives . Seeing the light: April, who leads her church¿s deaf ministry, cried tears of joy in her hospital bed on Thursday night . Ms. Sowards went home and blogged about her friend’s incredible optimism in the face of adversity. 'For those of you who have been worried about April and Daniel, worried that they would not be the same, that they could not carry on past this loss, please don’t worry any more. I have seen her hope. It is anchored in eternity. It is the kind of hope that saves people. And that’s not just the optimist in me talking. For those of you wondering how a mother could serve a God that might allow this, understand that Tyler and Cameron knew Jesus. Just a couple of weeks ago, they led a friend to Christ. They aren’t over. Their story hasn’t reached the end. They aren’t even really gone. They’ve just moved for now. And we will miss them. Like April told Tyler on his last day on earth, we will miss them until we see them again, April and Daniel more than any of us. While none of us understand it, we must take up her lead and know that even still, God is good. And we must understand that while we may love these boys, . Divine intervention: April is a spiritual person and believes there is a reason that God broke her beautiful family apart . Devotion: April has devoted her life to the church and it seems her faith in The Lord is just as strong . God loves them infinitely more. He loves them perfectly. And with his knowledge of the lives and futures of the Smiths, God took them home.' Her faith just lifted this huge weight of pain off of me, and I knew that I couldn’t keep that to myself,' she wrote. Ms.Sowards put a link to her blog post on her Facebook wall. Within an hour, the story had 7,000 page views. In two hours, it was 21,000. By the end of the day, it had grown to 400,000. The post has now been viewed more than 1.5 million times. 'I thought I was writing for my friend to feel some relief,' Ms Sowards said. She says she is getting inundated with messages from people who say the story has inspired them to make or renew their own spiritual connections. April, who leads her church’s deaf ministry, cried tears of joy in her hospital bed Thursday night. Tyler was 7.Cameron was 9. The boys loved baseball, fishing and God . Cameron also enjoyed hunting, getting his first crack during deer season last year . Family friend Eric Hancock said Tyler, 'was a pistol, with more energy than any 16 people I know.' 'He was just a light in the world,' he said. | Thanks to a blog post by Jessica Lane Sowards, the world is learning about the lives of two victims .
Cameron, 9, and Tyler Smith, 7, were killed during last weeks tornado .
The blog tells of how their mother, April, has shown 'unwavering faith'
'Show them what my God can overcome,' says woman who lost both sons .
Posting has received more than 1.5 million views . |
185,260 | 7bf77b53f193f86cd435696a370b5acb612ecac7 | (CNN) -- Cesc Fabregas' return to Barcelona could be delayed by a further season after the president of the Catalan giants Sandro Rosell said they will not "go mad" in their attempt to sign the Spanish international midfielder. Fabregas had been expected to leave Arsenal during the close season transfer window, but the Premier League club have placed a big price tag on their star asset and are refusing to budge. Rosell told Catalan TV3 that Arsenal "don't want to listen to offers to sell and they are not putting the player on the market." Arsenal have reportedly turned back one £30 million ($45.89m) offer for Fabregas from the Spanish champions, who have been forced to take out a €155 million ($200.58m) loan to ease their financial problems. And Rosell said they would not break the bank to land the 23-year-old, particularly as he believes there is ill-feeling between his club and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. "There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it. Nor will we be going mad trying to sign him," he added. Barcelona's Spanish World Cup teammates of Fabregas embarrassingly forced him to wear their shirt as they celebrated their triumph, but it remains to be seen if a deal can still be thrashed out. Barcelona have already completed the big-money purchase of Spain World Cup hero David Villa from Valencia this summer and on Friday sealed the signing of Brazilian utility player Adriano from Sevilla. The 25-year-old, who can play at full-back or as a wide midfielder, will cost an initial fee of €9.5 million ($12.29m) with an additional fee payable depending on appearances and performances. Adriano, who has been at Sevilla since 2004, will complete a medical at the Camp Nou on Saturday. | Barca president Sandro Rosell says club will not be held to ransom over Cesc Fabregas .
Arsenal digging in their heels as they attempt to hold on to their star midfielder .
Barcelona to sign Brazilian midfielder Adriano from Sevilla . |
154,431 | 5391fd6ed63deda74e567a4f36edb66967ecaf16 | NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Cosmetic advertisements in Asia are targeting men with blunt campaigns aimed at skin color that one lawmaker labels racist. A still from a commercial for Emani's skin whitener. In one TV commercial, two men, one with dark skin, the other with light skin; stand on a balcony overlooking a neighborhood. The dark skin guy turns to his friend and says in Hindi, "I am unlucky because of my face." His light skin friend replies, "Not because of your face, because of the color of your face." Suddenly the light skin guy throws his friend a cream. It's a whitening cream. It is one of several television commercials aimed at men in Pakistan and India. In the end the darker skin actor is shown several shades lighter and he gets the girl he was after. Most of the ads end up that way. The commercials are sending a not-so-subtle message to men in Asia: Get whiter skin, and you'll get the girl and the job of your dreams. Or at the very least you'll be noticed. "We always have a complex towards a white skin, towards foreign skin or foreign hair," Jawed Habib says. Watch how skin whitening ads send a harsh message » . Habib should know. He owns a chain of 140 salons located in India and across the world. "We Indian people, we Asian people are more darker, so we want to look more fair." Skin whiteners were once targeted only to women. Now the products are a hot commodity for men. Many of the brands being advertised for men are well known around the world -- including Nivea and Garnier. A marketing study found sales for skin whitening creams have jumped more than 100 percent in rural India and sales for male grooming products are increasing 20 percent annually. Hindustan Unilever, one of the largest consumer products companies in India, noted in recent annual reports that "skin lightening continues to be a major area of emphasis" for its skin care division. And Emami Ltd., the company which produces "Fair and Handsome," sent CNN an email saying: "Fair and Handsome is a market leader with almost 70 percent market share in India and doing extremely well in Gulf countries and the Middle East as well." But in a country where most people have brown skin, the message being sent to men and women has some people outraged. "Basically if you need a job you have to have white skin. If you want a good partner, a companion you need white skin and you always seem to get it once you've used the fairness cream. Basically I think it's completely racist and highly objectionable," says Brinda Karat. Do you think skin-whitening commercials are racist? Sound off below . Karat is a member of India's Parliament who has made formal complaints about the advertisements to Indian authorities. She says the ads are simply playing on a social stigma that already exists in India. To get a good look at the pervasiveness of the stigma attached to dark skin in India all you have to do is look at the want ads for Brides and Grooms in the newspaper. Arranged marriages are still commonplace in India, and the advertisements for brides and grooms often list physical attributes of the person being sought. Many of the ads list "fair" as one of the wanted physical characteristics. "I mean at a time when we're talking about talents and skills, and the need for the accessibility to that to develop our potential; what does it do to dark persons' self esteem?" Karat says. "I think it should be stopped." But the product makers say they are simply giving the public what it wants, and a few Indian consumers agreed. Deepak Rajput said: "Everybody wants to look handsome and beautiful, why not me?" Salon owner Jawed Habib says he will accommodate if that is what the customer wants, but he doesn't push the skin whitening products. "Why do you even think about it?" He says: "Let's accept the way we are." | Indian lawmaker slams skin whitener products as racist, highly objectionable .
Series of advertisements in Asia give impression light skin better than dark skin .
Many looking to marry say they want light-skinned partner .
Companies say their products are meeting a demand . |
17,336 | 31130ef736fc5c0f2943b5b513de55a23744588f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:36 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:14 EST, 25 July 2013 . Teens are shunning drink and drugs for a healthier lifestyle, figures suggest. Over the last decade, there has been a dramatic fall in the number of 11 to 15-year-olds who drink, take drugs or smoke, according to new data. A Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) poll of 7,500 children in England found that in 2012, only two fifths had ever drunk alcohol, compared to 61% in 2002. Put off: fewer 11 to 15-year-olds drink, take drugs or smoke than 10 years ago, according to new data. Pictured are children drinking alcopops (posed by models) Only one in five children said they had tired smoking, compared with two in five a decade ago. And 17% said they had tried drugs, compared with 27% in 2002. Researchers found that the proportion of high school pupils who have tried drinking or smoking is highest in the north-east of England. But the proportion of youngsters who had tried drugs was highest in southern regions and lower in the north. 'It’s encouraging to see fewer young . people drinking but overall there remain worrying trends which we need . to tackle,' said Tom Smith, policy programme manager at charity Alcohol . Concern. 'Those children who . do drink are drinking more - one in four drinkers consumes over 15 . units per week. In addition, the frequency of spirit consumption among . girls has doubled since 1990 and they’re now more likely than boys to . have been drunk in the last four weeks. 'To get to grips with these issues we . need the Government to introduce a minimum unit price, a targeted . measure designed to protect the young and which we know saves lives and . cuts crime.' Campaigners Deborah Arnott, of health charity ASH, pictured left, says too many children still take up smoking, while Simon Lawton-Smith of the Mental Health Foundation, right, says both parents and children should be educated on the mental effects of drink and drugs . Simon . Lawton-Smith, head of policy at the Mental Health Foundation, added: . 'Drinking, smoking and taking illicit drugs are all risky behaviours . that can lead to both physical and mental health problems. 'It’s good news that fewer children are taking these risks, but there’s still a huge job to do. We must continue to educate both parents and children about how substance misuse can negatively impact on their mental health.' Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity ASH, said: 'The continued decline in child smoking shows the importance of having a comprehensive tobacco control strategy. 'Much has been achieved in recent years but still around 200,000 children take up smoking each year. The failure of the Government to bring forward legislation to implement standard packaging was a missed opportunity to significantly reduce the attractiveness of smoking to children.' Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: 'Any evidence which suggests that smoking rates are decreasing among children is welcome. However, we mustn’t fool ourselves into believing that we are doing enough to combat the damage that smoking does to children’s health. 'More than 200,000 children start smoking each year and many are still being exposed to second-hand smoke in the confines of a car. Legislation such as compulsory standardised packaging for tobacco products and a ban on smoking in cars when children are present are needed in order to ensure we continue to protect the health of young people.' A Department of Health spokeswoman said: 'We’re pleased that fewer young people are drinking, smoking and taking drugs. 'Despite clear progress, we know there’s more that can be done to support healthy behaviours in young people, including our plans to challenge alcohol manufacturers and retailers to increase their efforts through the Responsibility Deal; remove displays of cigarettes and tobacco to help young people resist the pressure to start smoking; and continue educating young people about the dangers of drugs through our Frank website and education programmes in schools.' | More high school pupils who have tried drinking or smoking in the north-east of England .
But more youngsters in the southern parts of the country have tried drugs, according to research .
Only one in five children said they had tired smoking, compared with two in five a decade ago . |
276,507 | f23db53a0f01e3b98028737f127fb04cb9478dda | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 04:42 EST, 6 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:23 EST, 6 December 2013 . He has promised to lead a healthier liftestyle after admitting taking crack cocaine in a 'drunken stupor' and it appears Rob Ford is keeping to his word as he is pictured leaving the gym following a gruelling workout. The shamed Toronto mayor looked like he was gasping for breath as he mopped sweat from his forehead on his way back to a committee meeting at City Hall following the workout yesterday. Ford, who has pledged to lose between 40 and 50 pounds in six months, has claimed latest allegations about his drug-taking are 'completely untrue'. Out of puff: Mayor Rob Ford returns to his office at Toronto's City Hall after working up a sweat in the gym. He has pledged to lead a healthier lifestyle after admitting smoking crack cocaine in a 'drunken stupor' Workout: Mayor Ford mops the sweat from his brow as he returns to work at City Hall. He promised to lose between 40 and 50 pounds in six months . The mayor, who remains in office but has been stripped of most of his powers, weighed 330lbs earlier this year but says he has now quit drinking and adopted a healthier lifestyle. He acknowledged last month that he smoked . crack in a 'drunken stupor' about a year ago after a video emerged of him apparently using the drug. He had previously denied its existence. The mayor, who remains in office but has been stripped of most of his powers, weighed 330lbs earlier this year but says he has quit drinking and adopted a healthier lifestyle . Yesterday he denied allegations he offered $5,000 and a car to suspected drug dealers to buy back the video, court documents suggest. On Wednesday, courts released remaining sections of the 472 page police document covering their investigation into the Mayor's alleged drug abuse, which includes suggestions of heroin use, blackmail and kidnapping. The mayor addressed the issue during an appearance today on a Washington-based sports talk show to make NFL picks on WJFK-FM. 'Number . one that's an outright lie and number two you can talk to my lawyers . about it, but I'm here to talk about football guys,' Ford said. In police wiretaps of alleged gang members one is heard telling another that he rejected the offer for the tape and planned to meet the mayor and ask for '150,' meaning $150,000. Elsewhere in the recordings the men spoke about delivering drugs to Ford and having pictures of him using drugs. On one wiretap on April 20, an alleged . gang member is heard saying, 'Rob Ford was smoking his rocks today' and . that he would post a picture on Instagram. On . another wiretap, one man says he has many pictures of Ford 'doing the . hezza,' which police say is known to be slang for heroin. Another man suggests those pictures would be worth a lot, the document says. Ford . has refused to resign as mayor of Toronto, Canada's largest city and . financial capital, despite mounting pressure after a string of incidents . that have embarrassed his constituents, from public drunkenness to . appearing in another video that showed him threatening 'murder' in an . incoherent rant. Cooling off: The Mayor gulps down a tankard of iced water after returning to a committee meeting following his workout . Worse for wear: The trip to the gym appears to have taken its toll as the Mayor struggles to stay alert during the meeting . Ford admitted that he smoked crack . cocaine after police said they had obtained a video during an . investigation into his friend Alexander Lisi that appears to show him . puffing on a crack pipe. The . newly released court documents say police heard on the wiretaps that . Ford had his phone stolen or lost it at a home they believe to be a . crack house and that Lisi was trying to get it back. Police . say they overheard that Lisi threatened to 'put the heat on' the gang . if he didn't get Ford's phone back and that the alleged gang members . said they would not tolerate Lisi's threats because they had a picture . of Ford 'on a pipe,' which police believed meant a crack pipe. Police . say Lisi gave the men marijuana in exchange for the return of the . mayor's phone. Bulk: The mayor, who remains in office despite having been stripped of most of his powers, weighed as much as 330lbs earlier this year . Under pressure: Ford denied allegations in newly released court documents that he offered $5,000 and a car to suspected drug dealers in exchange for a video that appears to show him smoking crack . Confession: Ford admitted that he smoked crack cocaine after police said they had obtained a video during an investigation into his friend Alexander Lisi that appears to show him puffing on a crack pipe . Dennis Morris, Ford's lawyer, said the wiretaps are snippets of alleged gangsters who are talking among themselves. 'It's very dangerous to put any weight into any of this,' Mr Morris told The Associated Press. 'There's nothing to address.' City councilor Joe Mihevc said police need to examine the allegations that Ford tried to obtain the tape. 'The . mayor can't come out and say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"' said . Mr Mihevc. 'This man needs help. He needs a lot of help.' Scandal: A still image allegedly taken from the video that purportedly shows Ford smoking crack . Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair . declined to comment on the newly released documents. The wiretaps are . evidence in the case against Lisi, who faces trial on drug and extortion . charges. The mayor has not been charged. 'All . of the evidence that was gathered in that case has been reviewed by . investigators and with the Crown prosecutors in this case, and where . reasonable and probable grounds to lay a charge exists, charges have . been laid,' said Mr Blair. Police were in the . midst of a drug and weapons investigation involving alleged members of . the Dixon Bloods gang when the mayor's name surfaced on wiretaps in . March and April. Police . didn't open an investigation into Ford and Lisi until May, when U.S. website Gawker and the Toronto Star reported that alleged drug dealers . were shopping around the crack video. Embattled: Toronto's crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford is mobbed by reporters in this October 31 file photo. Tapes that suggest he tried to buy back the video showing him smoking the drug were played in court . Comic figure: Ford has refused to resign as mayor of Toronto, Canada's largest city and financial capital, despite mounting pressure after a string of incidents that have embarrassed his constituents . Ford says he has quit drinking and adopted a healthier lifestyle. And he's not avoiding the spotlight. He's agreed to appear on a Washington-based sports talk show to make NFL picks. Councillor Janet Davis said the image of Ford laughing at the newest revelations demonstrates his arrogance and lack of judgment. 'If he laughed today, and thousands and thousands of people of the city of Toronto saw that he was laughing at what was revealed today, it will just simply deepen the anger toward this man,' said Mr Davis. | Mayor Ford fits in gruelling workout during break in committee meeting .
Later pictured gulping tankard of iced water and yawning in City Hall .
He yesterday dismissed latest allegations as an 'outright lie'
Newly-released section of police dossier includes suggestions of heroin .
Has become worldwide media sensation since drug scandal broke . |
21,321 | 3c7d502cb16427ce2499879b6c3d7e2f5acd1304 | Double FA Cup finalist Rob Lee has accused Newcastle owner Mike Ashley of riding roughshod over long-suffering Geordie fans and leaving them with ‘nothing to look forward to’ next season. The former Newcastle midfielder, an integral figure under Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish in the 1990s, was aghast when Ashley ruled cup competitions are of secondary importance — branding the stance ‘shocking.’ He claimed Ashley was abusing the ‘incredible’ loyalty of Tyneside fans and warned that this latest clash could rebound on him. ‘Let’s see what happens when the draw is made for the third round of the FA Cup,’ he said. ‘If Newcastle land a home tie, they could be playing in front of an empty stadium. Midfield grafter: Lee was a mainstay of the Newcastle team in the 1990s and is shocked by Ashley's attitude . Shocked: Former Newcastle midfielder has claimed that Mike Ashley is abusing the loyalty of fans . ‘Newcastle fans are incredibly loyal — far and away the best in the country for continually backing their team — but they’re not stupid. ‘The club have effectively said the cups don’t matter, so what’s the point in turning up? They’ll surely stay away and I wouldn’t blame them one bit. What I’d like to know is, if they’re not going for the cups, what are they going for? Are they going for the title? Of course not. ‘There are very few teams with a realistic chance of winning the League and Newcastle aren’t one of them. So what’s left? Staying up, it seems. Judging by what they are saying, that is the extent of their ambition and I find it truly shocking. I just don’t understand it. ‘They’ve killed the season before it’s even started. These fans have got nothing to look forward to and that can’t possibly be right. You’ve got to give fans like Newcastle’s some hope and excitement and the fact is they can win one of the cups. Wigan and Birmingham have both shown it is perfectly possible and the argument from Newcastle’s board that they both went down just fills me with despair. Decision: Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has ruled cup competitions are of secondary importance . ‘If we are comparing ourselves with Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City, then we have got problems. That’s not meant as a cheap shot against those two clubs, but we are talking about Newcastle United and 50,000 Geordies filling the ground every home game.’ Lee has first-hand experience of how Cup final fever grips Tyneside after playing in 2-0 defeats by Arsenal and Manchester United in 1998 and 1999. ‘We almost made it three in a row after reaching the semi-final in 2000, only to lose 2-1 to Chelsea,’ he said. ‘We didn’t play particularly well in either final and couldn’t quite deliver the trophy the fans were desperate for, but those Cup runs were something else. Cup agony: Lee was part of the Newcastle team that lost consecutive FA Cup finals in 1998 and 1999 . Early exit: Alan Pardew's Newcastle were knocked out of the FA Cup third round by Cardiff in January . ‘The place came alive all the more with each round we played. It was fantastic for the Newcastle public and you can never question what the Cup means to them or doubt the excitement it generates.‘It was all they talked about at the end of the Nineties, but what have they got to talk about now? There’s no point to next season for them now and you wonder whether Mike Ashley realises what the cups mean to the people of Newcastle. I think he probably does, but it doesn’t seem to bother him if he upsets people. ‘We’re talking about the FA Cup, for crying out loud. Ashley knows they’ll keep renewing their season tickets and filling the ground, no matter what. They are the most loyal bunch around, but it is to their own detriment sometimes and that is such a shame.’ Loud and clear: Newcastle fans hold up a banner in protest against Pardew and Ashley earlier this month . | The former Newcastle midfielder was aghast when Ashley ruled cup competitions are of secondary importance .
Lee says the Newcastle owner is abusing the loyalty of Tyneside fans . |
212,324 | 9ef04db0827031f9aa5a8ef9a6d1ec0e7f215005 | (CNN) -- Watch a movie from acclaimed Japanese animators Studio Ghibli, and you might see a boy turn into a flying dragon, a deer morph into a monstrous god, or a fish transform into a young girl. But with the retirement last year of Hayao Miyazaki, the studio's legendary co-founder, signs suggest the venerable and inimitable company is headed for a transformation of its own. In a Japanese TV interview last Friday, Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki said the firm needed to "think about its future," and would be "changing the way we make (animation)." He also speculated that Miyazaki might "make something again," though it might be a no more than a short film for the Studio Ghibli museum. Suzuki's comments followed his own remarks from early last week, when he said Studio Ghibli would take a "brief break," leading to panicked online speculation that the studio was about to close. A Ghibli representative told CNN the speculation was untrue, saying "Studio Ghibli has decided nothing officially for the future of the studio." Yet after concluding nearly three decades with Miyazaki at the helm, the fate of the company suddenly looks uncertain. The secret to Ghibli's longevity . The studio has been producing hand-drawn animated films for decades, sticking to old-school, painstaking frame-by-frame methods even as other studios have long embraced computer-aided animation and CGI. Every one of Studio Ghibli's hits -- from "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) to "The Wind Rises" (2013) features a signature artistic style -- delicately rendered characters, exquisitely crafted environments, and an effortless sensation of movement. Anime expert Helen McCarthy says Ghibli has been able to perfect its hand-drawn tradition because it has employed the same animators for a very long time -- unlike many other studios, which rely on per-project contracts and short-term piecework. "This means Ghibli can be sure of a consistent quality of artistry and craftsmanship," she said. But as Ghibli's staff ages, the firm must figure out how to carry on with younger talent. McCarthy says the Japanese studio has focused for decades on "the personal visions of two remarkable directors," Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata -- both now in their 70s. "(Studio Ghibli) is like a great violin, a Stradivarius maybe, in the hands of two great musicians. But when those musicians retire it has to be passed on to new players or else falls silent, because its structure is expensive to maintain." What's next? The big question: Can anybody succeed Hayao Miyazaki? "Studio Ghibli has young creators, Goro Miyazaki and Hiromasa Yonebayashi," Studio Ghibli's representative told CNN. "They are continuing to work for the studio." But the films of Goro Miyazaki, -- Hayao Miyazaki's 47-year-old son -- and Yonebayashi, 41, have yet to achieve anywhere the success of the elder Miyazaki's work. Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 epic, "Spirited Away," grossed a record-breaking $274 million worldwide and took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2013, Miyazaki's swansong "The Wind Rises," made over $117 million. By contrast, the studio's newest film, "When Marnie Was There," directed by Yonebayashi, is only expected to make $36 million. Goro Miyazaki's 2013 "From Up on Poppy Hill" made about $61 million. That's why the studio must now perform a sober self re-evaluation after enjoying years of steady success. "We wanted to make a dream company," said Suzuki. "We were able to realize (that dream) to some extent and we're very happy about that. But now we're at a point where we've got to think about what we'll do next." Should fans be worried? McCarthy says Ghibli's tradition of hand-drawn animation should survive, as long as audiences "accept the high costs and the demands it places on the workers involved." "Art is viable as long as people are willing to make it and buy it." CNN's Junko Ogura contributed to this report. | Studio Ghibli co-founder: Firm needs to "think about its future"
Retirement of legendary director Hayao Miyazaki leaves future in doubt .
Expert: Ghibli must figure out how to carry on with younger talent . |
142,497 | 444a8a3a83b1e8910b976b3e584689589d2cdcaf | (CNN) -- The virtual cathedral for one of America's most revered cars will reluctantly fill a monster sinkhole that brought it both pain and gain. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, also said Saturday it and Chevrolet will restore three of the eight vehicles that the 45-foot-wide hole swallowed in February, but will leave the remains of the five others -- too wrecked to fix -- on display. "We really wanted to preserve a portion of the hole so that guests for years to come could see a little bit of what it was like, but after receiving more detailed pricing, the costs outweighs the benefit," museum Executive Director Wendell Strode said. Why was the hole's filling ever in doubt? Visitor traffic since February jumped 70% compared to the same period last year, as people lined up to see not only the brand's past but also the newly mangled vehicles and gaping earth, museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli said. But the board learned that preserving part of the hole would cost $1 million more than it would to fill the whole thing. And the effort required to keep it safe -- eyesores like 35-foot retaining walls and steel beams -- made preservation even less appealing, Frassinelli said. "That's no longer a naturally occurring, interesting sinkhole," she said. Frassinelli said the museum isn't revealing how much the renovation will cost. The project will start sometime after early November. The privately funded, not-for-profit attraction has gone from shock to proudly displaying its own spectacular damage in months. The ground opened at the museum's Skydome section in the early morning of February 12. Surveillance video showed the hole devouring some of the eight cars that it took down. The hole was measured at about 45 feet wide, 60 feet long and up to 30 feet deep. Western Kentucky is cave country, and it turned out a previously undetected cave was under the Skydome, Frassinelli said. Sinkholes pop up regularly in the area, sometimes caused by ground water eroding underground limestone over many years. After experts examined the cave and determined the rest of the facility was safe, the museum reopened -- and started letting visitors view the sinkhole behind plexiglass five days after the incident. By late April, visitors could walk into the Skydome and stand just feet from the hole's edge. The museum also brought up the fallen cars -- some sliced or mashed -- and put them on display as mangled as they were found. But on Saturday the museum announced three cars would be restored, including a 2009 ZR1 prototype known as the Blue Devil, among GM's fastest production cars. Also getting restored: the 1-millionth Corvette produced (a white 1992 convertible), and a 1962 tuxedo black Corvette, which was the oldest to fall. The others were too damaged. But their remains will continued to be displayed -- eventually back in the Skydome, where an exhibit will be dedicated to the sinkhole, the museum said. General Motors will provide nearly $250,000 to help recovery efforts, the museum said. The damage got the attention of gearheads worldwide. Reports estimated the total value of the cars at more than $1 million. Experts call the Corvette the most collected car in America, and General Motors calls it the "world's longest-running, continuously produced passenger car." Since the 'Vette's 1953 debut, more than 1.5 million have rolled off Chevrolet assembly lines. The sleek silhouette has transformed into a pop culture icon across TV, films and advertising. Watch: How the museum has been showcasing the sinkhole . CNN's Thom Patterson contributed to this report. | Museum in Kentucky wanted to preserve 40-foot-wide sinkhole, citing significance and appeal to visitors .
But preservation would be more expensive than filling it, board says .
Sinkhole swallowed eight Corvettes in February; three are to be restored .
The other five, still damaged, will be displayed . |
190,598 | 82c45bac574df6a7000332efeccff8db24cb3e94 | By . Jo Macfarlane . PUBLISHED: . 17:01 EST, 16 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:02 EST, 16 February 2013 . The closure of four major Accident and Emergency units is set to be approved this week, forcing hundreds of thousands of seriously ill patients to travel further for emergency care. The units across North-West London will be scrapped and replaced by Urgent Care Centres once the proposals are formally approved at a board meeting of NHS officials on Tuesday. There has been huge opposition from doctors and patients during a public consultation period, and campaigners argue that residents in some of the most deprived areas of the capital will be put at risk. Hammersmith Hospital in North West London is one of the four to be losing its A&E department . Central Middlesex Hospital's A&E department is being downgraded to an Urgent Care Centre . The downgraded departments will be prevented from treating a huge array of life-threatening illnesses, such as shock, internal bleeding, most broken bones, breathing problems, heart attacks and strokes. The A&Es earmarked for closure are at Ealing, Central Middlesex, Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals. Just four major hospitals with fully functioning casualty wards will remain, serving 1.9 million people. It is estimated that each of the remaining A&Es, which are already struggling to cope, will see attendances rise by 50 per cent. The closure recommendations are contained in papers for Tuesday’s board meeting of NHS North West London. A&E departments at Charing Cross (left) and Ealing (right) face closures in preference of Urgent Care Centres . However, there is evidence that the UCCs already in place in the area – which are being run by private providers – are seriously failing patients. Responses to Freedom of Information requests reveal that one confused patient attending Ealing Hospital’s UCC in February last year had his emergency treatment delayed by four hours after locum staff did not realise how ill he was. And in a data protection breach, confidential medical notes for six children treated at the UCC, which were intended for their GPs, were sent to the wrong fax number. Colin Standfield, chairman of the Save Our Hospitals campaign in Ealing, said: ‘It does confirm our worst fears that they have closed the four A&Es they wanted to close in the first place, and it’s become even more clear that the main rationale for this is to sell off land for residential development. All this comes in the face of massive opposition.’ A statement from the consultants’ group at Ealing Hospital said: ‘We, as frontline consultants, do not feel comfortable with the speed at which changes are being made, the great loss of capacity for inpatient beds in London, and lengthening A&E queues. ‘Overwhelmingly it seems difficult to appreciate how these changes are anything other than financially driven.’ Ealing Council has suggested it could seek a judicial review if Ealing Hospital’s A&E department is closed. But Dr Mark Spencer, medical director of NHS North West London, said: ‘I have no doubts at all that the care we will be providing will be better than it is currently.’ | Departments downgraded to no longer treat heart attack or stroke patients .
Four nearby A&Es will stretch to care for nearly two million people . |
55,384 | 9cf71838d120008adb2f1a7fe4653b7c62daea87 | (CNN) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday lifted sanctions on the Central Bank of Libya and the Libyan Foreign Bank, moves that were warmly received by the United States and Britain. "This will allow the United States and other countries to unfreeze billions of dollars to help Libyans build their new democracy," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said. The sanctions had been imposed early this year by U.N. Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 in an attempt to halt the killing of unarmed demonstrators by forces loyal to longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. "Now, as Libyans develop their new state, these sanctions can be ended responsibly," Rice said. "The United States will continue to work with the new government of Libya to ensure that it has the resources and support it needs, and we will stand with the Libyan people as they leave behind decades of tyranny and chart a prosperous, democratic and secure future for their country." Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague, in a statement, said the move "means that Libya's government will now have full access to the significant funds needed to help rebuild the country, to underpin stability and to ensure that Libyans can make the transactions that are essential to everyday life." Britain is working to pass the regulation needed to release about $10.1 billion in frozen Libyan assets, he said. Hague called on the country's transitional government to work toward building "a transparent and accountable financial system which will underpin a newly prosperous Libya." | The Security Council action will unfreeze billions of dollars, Rice says .
The sanctions were imposed early this year .
Money will "help Libyans build their new democracy," Rice says . |
245,991 | ca649eca45a798ef415802ce1fb09a54baa7ad1b | New Yorkers were mystified on Tuesday after spotting what appeared to be skinned goat heads dangling from a lamppost at a busy intersection. The skulls dangled over Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street in Park Slope until just before noon when an employee at the nearby business Continental Car Service knocked them down and chucked them in the trash. Prior to their removal, another unidentified man tried to knock down the hanging carcasses with a metal rod but he quickly gave up. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES . Animal heads: New Yorkers were mystified on Tuesday after spotting what appeared to be skinned goat heads dangling from a lamp post at a busy intersection at Ninth Street and Fifth Ave in Park Slope . Failed attempt: One man tried to knock over the animal heads with a metal pole but he eventually gave up . Police were called at around 11:00 on Tuesday and an investigation is ongoing to find a suspect. The MailOnline spoke to an employee at Continental Car Service who said he's baffled by the incident. 'I haven't seen anything like this in the 17 years I've been here,' he said. The dangling animal heads surrounded by a swarm of flies in the posh residential area has some wondering whether or not voodoo may be involved. 'Maybe it's some of those wackos who go for Santeria or voodoo," said local resident Louis Katenzakes to DNAinfo. 'It's the occult. They do rituals. They kill animals. A butcher at Aloor Halal Meat Market nearby, Lorenzo Hernandez, said that the heads definitely belonged to goats and that they appeared to be jaggedly cut by hand instead of by machine. He told DNAinfo that he sells goat meat at his shop everyday but that people generally use the meat for food,. Skinned: What appears to be a skinned goat head sits opn the ground after being removed from a Brooklyn street light by an employee at a local car service company . Trashed: The mysterious animal heads were chucked in the trash after being spotted dangling from a lamppost in Brooklyn . 'Most people use it for food,' Hernandez said. 'The head especially, for soup.' Mohamad Almerdie whose family owns the building on the corner where the heads were found told DNAinfo that he's seen many goat heads but not on poles. 'In my country... You take the head off, then you put it in the oven. It tastes good. It's expensive, too. They say it's good for the body," said Almerdaie who is from Yemen. 'Over here, I don't know what it means,' he added. Gothamist spoke to some Brooklynites who stopped to stare at the strange sight. 'That's disgusting—I got to show my sister,' said Mickey Guzman as he snapped some photos of the lamppost. 'That's messed up,' said 9-year-old Aiden Rahieb. 'That's some sick s**t. I don't want no part of that s**t. You see those bottles with names and oils in them at Prospect Park? Don't ever touch them. We got witches out here,' said J.C. Rivera. This isn't the first time dead animals have been found in Brooklyn, either. Severed goat heads and rooster heads were found in Prospect Park in March. The New York Post reports that severed heads also found in Prospect Park in 2010 were linked to Santeria. | WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES .
What appeared to be skinned goat heads were spotted dangling on a street lamp in Park Slope .
They were removed a few hours later by an employee at Continental Car Service nearby .
'Maybe it's some of those wackos who go for Santeria or voodoo,' said local resident Louis Katenzakes .
Severed animal heads found in Prospect Park in 2010 were linked to Santeria . |
187,066 | 7e43419975d429ee2b27f0dfd214cf94d4526ba6 | (CNN) -- Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, is one of America's most influential authors and religious leaders. In August, he moderated a discussion on key issues between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Rick Warren says no matter what problem you have, there's a purpose behind it. His latest book is "The Purpose of Christmas." He was interviewed by Kiran Chetry on "American Morning" on Friday. Here is an edited version of the exchange: . Chetry: We always say we don't want Christmas to be commercialized. It seems that at the end of the year, we end up in the same position, worried about buying presents, worried about spending money, worried about holiday cards, and how do you get back to the real meaning? Rick Warren: A lot of people are really hurting because of the economy and because of the fears about what's going to happen, and really those same problems are the problems that Mary and Joseph went through. Housing, no room at the inn, travel, economic unrest, things like that. So I wrote this book really to focus us on what is the true meaning of Christmas. It's a book of hope, and the big idea behind it is that no matter what problem you're going through, there's a purpose behind it. God has a purpose, and that purpose can help you make it through even the stressful times when we decide to write a note to everybody, buy a gift for everybody, redecorate our house, have five or six meals and go to eight or nine parties. Rick Warren: Shop more or pray more? » . Chetry: Exactly, because that's usually what ends up happening, and sometimes the spirit of giving and fellowship is lost in that. You also write in the book, remember that God loves you, but for somebody who is facing foreclosure -- let's say you lost a loved one or your job or dealing with an illness -- it can sound pat in a way. What do you say to people who say, pastor, I don't feel that God loves me or I wouldn't be going through this . Warren: Actually, sometimes what we think is a problem is actually a protection. For instance, last month my daughter-in-law, who is 25 years old, went through a brain tumor. She had her first child premature, about six weeks early, and when she had that baby early, it was breech. The cord was wrapped around its neck and it stopped breathing and they actually had to do an emergency C-section and resuscitate the child and save the baby's life and save her life. We looked at that and we thought, boy, that's a pretty tough problem, but we now know that she had a three-inch brain tumor at the base of her brainstem, and if she had pushed, it would have killed her. And so actually, seven weeks later, when she should have been delivering the baby, we discovered the brain tumor, and she would have been trying to have brain surgery, three surgeries, one was 20 hours long, at the same time as having a baby. So what we thought was a problem was actually a protection saving her life. And sometimes, we look at a tapestry, and from the top down, you can see the picture. From the bottom up, it's all of these different colors of threads. It makes no sense. It's all jumbled. When God looks down, he sees what he's doing. When we look up, we just see the jumble. Chetry: And she's OK? Warren: She's OK. Chetry: Thank goodness. I want to turn to politics now and ask you about the summit you hosted for both of the candidates. Great provocative questions and interesting answers we weren't hearing on the campaign trail. Now that the campaign is over, what is your reaction to the outcome and to President-elect Barack Obama? Warren: Well, there's no doubt about it, we need to be praying for our president. I don't think any president has come into a crisis so quickly as President-elect Obama has, and no president has come in with probably as high expectations as President-elect Obama. So we need to pray for him. We need to support him where we can, and we need -- we want the best for America. Chetry: Religion factored heavily into some of the back-and-forth in the campaign season. Many people believed [incorrectly] that Barack Obama wasn't really Christian, that he was Muslim, and, of course, the Jeremiah Wright thing. Religion ended up, unfortunately, being a divisive issue at times as opposed to one that was a uniting issue. How do you change that? Warren: Part of it is we have to end the caricaturization of the candidates. I know all of the candidates on both sides, and none of them were exactly as they were portrayed. We tend to overportray them whether it's Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John McCain. They're not anything like the caricaturization that we often hear. We tend to push to extremes. They are a lot more practical and pragmatic, I think, than we want to give them credit for, and every president, when he becomes president, has to let go of some ideology and become more of a pragmatist because there's so many issues that you don't probably understand until you actually hold the office. | Pastor Rick Warren: Problems we face similar to those of Mary and Joseph .
He says we need to look for the purpose of Christmas and of our problems .
Warren: We need to pray for new president and support him where we can . |
161,846 | 5d46b6c80ebd6f3080db49737121c79e64324c69 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:41 EST, 28 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:00 EST, 28 February 2013 . A California man who was feared kidnapped with his girlfriend in Peru laughed when he learned that family members, who were worried sick after not hearing from the couple for more than a month, had launched a massive search that involved the U.S. State Department and the Peruvian government. Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand, both 25, were found safe and sound on a lazy river boat ride in Peru this week. Hand said everything is 'fantastic.' He laughed when told that he had sparked a major Facebook campaign involving hundreds and caused an international incident. Found: Jamie Neal (right), 27, and her boyfriend Garrett Hand, 25, had been missing since January 26 in Peru, but have now been located on a boat . Desperate hunt: The U.S. Embassy had helped in the search for the young couple before they were found this week . The couple were discovered unharmed after Peru's tourism minister, fearing rumors that the couple had been snatched by 'rebels' would hurt his country's reputation, dispatched two emissaries to track the American tourists down. Francine Fitzgerald, Hand's mother, said on Wednesday she talked to her son by phone earlier in the day. 'I'm so glad my son is well,' she told KCBS radio from her home outside San Francisco, California. Peru's tourism minister, Jose Luis Silva, personally intervened in the case after the U.S. Embassy in Lima issued a statement saying that Hand and Neal had not been heard from since January 25 while cycling from the highlands city of Cuzco to Lima. In love: The couple posted many pictures of their trip on Facebook to being with but haven't since January, sparking fears among their families that they were missing . Adventure: The young couple (pictured at left) went missing in a region which was under threat of kidnappings . U.S. officials took action after a massive Facebook campaign launched by the families of Hand and Neal. Facebook posts circulated a flyer with their pictures and pleaded for anyone who had heard from the couple to reach out. The couple was found on a boat that was traveling along the Navos River toward Ecuador. They had been updating friends and . family about their trip on their Facebook page, but those messages . stopped on January 25, Miss Neal's sister Jennifer Neal told FoxNews.com on Monday. Jennifer Neal added that Mr Hand's cellphone had been turned off, sparking fears that the two may have been kidnapped. Trip of a lifetime: The couple, who both work in cycle shops in the Bay area of California, were last seen in Peru on January 26 . ‘It goes straight to voice mail,’ she told FoxNews.com. 'It's not like them to be out of touch for this long.' The lapse in communication caused the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning to any Americans heading to Peru. The couple were feared to have disappeared in an . area of Peru where a criminal gang was believed to have been plotting to kidnap . tourists, authorities said this week. They had also traveled to Chile and Argentina before deciding to go to the Amazon instead of Machu Picchu in Peru. The allegations of a kidnapping angered Silva, the Peruvian tourism officials, who said he was determined to bring back proof that the American tourists were unharmed. 'It has cost as many years and much sacrifice to put Peru's image at the level it is today,' he said. | Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand, 25, from San Francisco, last contacted their families on January 26 .
The couple had been regularly updating family with pictures on Facebook but have not posted for four weeks .
The Peruvian tourism minister got personally involved and sent two emissaries to track down the American tourists . |
21,516 | 3d250daecf3382c01796b16daf024d2dcb8be79e | By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 11:15 EST, 23 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:20 EST, 25 October 2012 . A street cleaner fell through a hole in the ground as the pavement beneath it collapsed. Council worker Kelvin London was shocked when the earth gave way while he was cleaning the pavement in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk this morning. As big paving slabs gave way, the sweeper tipped on its side. Dangerous street sweeping: Kelvin London got quite the shock this morning when his street sweeper fell through the pavement in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk . Mr London said: ‘It suddenly went down and tipped to one side. ‘When I got my senses together I was in a big hole so I got out quick as it was a bit worrying.’ The street cleaner managed to clamber out a side door, unharmed. Officials from Norfolk County Council are now investigating what could have caused the huge hole to appear. Gordon Laird, who lives on the opposite side of the street told the Norwich Evening News that he woke at 8am to see the sweeper being removed from the gaping hole. Swallow him whole: The sweeper tipped on his side as big paving slabs gave way but luckily he was able to clamber out and escape unharmed . He said: ‘When I got out of bed there was a big lorry outside my house with a crane on it, picking it out of the pavement. I didn’t know what was going on.’ Nigel Seago, Highways Area Manager, said: ‘Initial investigations indicate the subsoil below the pavement in this section of Northgate Street has been washed away. ‘It is too early to pinpoint exactly what has happened here but once we have removed the paving slabs and undertaken further explorations we will have a clearer idea. ‘Temporary traffic controls will be in place until the problem is fixed and the footway can be returned to normal use.’ Hole investigation: Norfolk County Council are now investigating what caused the huge hole with one official suggesting the subsoil below the pavement had been washed away . Traffic lights have been set up to allow the council to investigate. Last year a motorist got the shock of her life when her vehicle fell into a giant sink hole as she drove along a busy city street in Manchester, New Hampshire. The unnamed woman was making her way across an intersection when the ground opened up beneath her. Her Ford Kia became stuck in the sink hole as water began shooting into the air, catapulting several large boulders out of the ground. About 200ft of road at the intersection of North and Beech streets collapsed. Rescue: Fireman work to remove a Ford Kia - with the driver still stuck inside - from a sinkhole at an intersection in Manchester, New Hampshire last year . | Kelvin London was cleaning the pavement with a sweeping machine when it fell through the pavement .
It tipped on its side as the paving gave way .
One council official suggested the subsoil under the pavement may have washed away . |
133,816 | 390632f09648f19bf1ddd4e44b90f3fdaf2c1eba | We may not have the funds to check in to these luxurious lodgings, but one can dream... A recent study from New World Wealth has explored the top hotel choices for multi-millionaires - both in the UK and abroad. Globally, Las Vegas takes top honours as the destination of choice for millionaires, with both The Bellagio and Caesars Palace appearing in the top three. Scroll down for video . Where do the super-rich stay on holiday? The Bellagio in Las Vegas has 6,400 multi-millionaire visits per year . In second place, New York City's The Plaza Hotel racked up 3,700 millionaire visitors from 2013-2014 . The Waldorf Astoria, in New York City, and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, also prove popular . And in fifth place, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore saw 3,100 super-rich visitors check in . For the purposes of the study, multi-millionaires are defined as having net assets of at least US$10million, around £6million. The study is based on data collected from 20,000 global multi-millionaires and tracks hotel stays between June 2013 and June 2014. Interestingly, Las Vegas hotels dominate the list, reflecting Sin City's appeal as a short-stay holiday spot. The Plaza's top ranking is also impressive, given that the hotel only has 280 rooms, meaning its at a disadvantage against larger hotels that can accommodate more people. 1. The Bellagio, Las Vegas . 2. The Plaza, New York City . 3. Caesars Palace, Las Vegas . 4. The Waldorf Astoria, New York City . 5. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore . 1. The Ritz, London . 2. Mandarin Oriental, London . 3. Claridge's, London . 4. The Savoy, London . 5. The Berkeley, London . When it comes to the UK, however, it's The Ritz in London that reigns supreme - coming in at number seven globally and number one in the country with 2,600 millionaire visitors in the past year. The Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge and Claridge's in Mayfair also score highly, though Claridge's remains mostly popular among business travellers. The Ritz and the Mandarin Oriental, however, are particularly favoured among visitors from the Middle East and Asia. The convenient location of The Savoy makes it a popular pick for those looking to take in a show on the West End, while The Berkeley is popular among North American tourists. It's perhaps unsurprising that the bulk of multi-millionaires visiting the UK head to London, but there are some super-rich visitors heading to places such as Edinburgh, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge and several small towns in South East England. London's swanky hotel, The Ritz, came in seventh globally and first in the UK, with 2,600 millionaire visitors . The hotel, located in Piccadilly, first opened its doors in 1906 and has been a London fixture ever since . With a great deal of suites available to book, many opt for the breathtaking Green Park and skyline views . Stays begin at £780 per night for a Super Queen, with The Prince of Wales Suite coming in at £10,200 . Another popular elite London hotel is the five-star Mandarin Oriental, located in Knightsbridge . Claridge's also remains popular among the wealthy, with 1,900 super-rich guests passing through last year . The Ritz in London has long been a bastion of opulence in the capital, since it first opened its doors - at its iconic 150 Piccadilly address - in 1906. The property offers seven stunning styles of suites, decorated in the lavish style of Louis XVI, with the signature Prince of Wales Suite priced at £10,200 per night. And, of course, for those staying in either the Prince of Wales or the Royal Suite, access to a 24-hour butler is included. The hotel's three distinctive dining options are also not to be missed - especially Afternoon Tea at The Palm Court - and during the holidays, the chefs curate special seasonal offerings, like limited-edition Christmas puddings. | New World Wealth report finds most popular hotels for multi-millionaires .
Last year, The Bellagio attracted over 6,400 visits from the super-rich .
And in the UK, London's The Ritz saw 2,600 multi-millionaires check in .
The Mandarin Oriental and Claridge's are also popular among UK visitors . |
282,597 | fa07c60247293a338a828448520b2307117cee53 | Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours has been ruled out for the season after suffering a tendon injury. The talented gelding had been 7-1 fourth favourite for the hurdling crown at Cheltenham in March, a race in which he was beaten a neck by Jezki last year under champion jockey AP McCoy. Henderson had been intending to return the gelding, who runs in the colours of owner JP McManus, in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle at the end of next month. Tony McCoy riding My Tent Or Yours (right) wins the kempton.co.uk National Hunt Flat Race in February . Trainer Nicky Henderson (centre) opens the new See You Then bar at Cheltenham on Friday . Henderson said: 'Unfortunately he’s had an injury and I’m not going to get him back for Cheltenham (in March), so that’s it for the season. 'We were planning to stay over hurdles with him and we were looking at the Fighting Fifth, but that isn’t going to happen now. 'He’s not lame, he’s not sore, he’s not anything really, but there is an issue there unfortunately, which is very frustrating.' Coral now make Willie Mullins-trained Faugheen, winner of the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival the 4-1 joint favourite for the Champion alongside Nigel Twiston-Davies trained The New One, an unlucky third in the 2014 race after being hampered. The New One will make his seasonal reappearance at Kempton on Sunday when he lines up in the Listed williamhill.com Hurdle. Nicky Henderson with My Tent Or Yours (left) and Bobs Worth (right) in February this year . Barry Geraghty riding Jezki (left) win The Stan James Champion Hurdle from My Tent Or Yours and Tony McCoy . | My Tent Or Yours had been 7-1 fourth favourite for the hurdling crown at Cheltenham in March .
Nicky Henderson had been intending to return the gelding in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle at the end of next month .
Henderson said: 'He’s not lame, he’s not sore, he’s not anything really.'
The New One will make his seasonal reappearance at Kempton on Sunday . |
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